Kansas Angler Home

Fishing Reports
Kansas Fishing Reports
Colorado Fishing Reports
Missouri Reports
Nebraska Fishing Reports
Oklahoma Fishing Reports
Texas Fishing Reports

Reader's Nook
Latest Angler News
Current Angler Articles
Kansas Angler Archives

Angler's Academy
Fishing and Tackle Tips
Tackle Manufacturer Tips
Lure Making Tips

Club Corner
Kansas Fishing Clubs
Tournament Schedules
Kansas Tournament Results

Tournament Trail
Tournament Organizations
Kansas Fishing Clubs
Tournament Schedules
Circuit Tournament Results

Fishing Guides

Success Stories
Fishing Photo Gallery
Bragging Corner
Anglers Sharing Stories

Kansas Angler Info
About the Angler
Advertising Information
Contact the Angler

Angler Links
Tackle Manufacturer Links
State Departments of Wildlife Links
Other Links of Interest

Kansas Fishing Records

Copyright 2002

See Zeiner's new online catalog. New items added regularly.

Click here for Zeiners new secure online catalog

Castrol's Dudley Wins $700,000
in World's Most Lucrative Bass Tournament
Ranger M1 offers record $3.64 million purse

Team Castrol angler David Dudley, 26, from Manteo, N.C., hoists his $700,000 check over his head after winning the Ranger M1 bass tournament in Mobile, Ala. Dudley's win is the largest in freshwater fishing tournament history.

Photo by Jeff Schroeder, FLWOutdoors.com

Mobile, Ala. (March 2, 2002) - Team Castrol pro David Dudley, 26, from Manteo, N.C., earned a permanent spot in the record books Saturday with a historic $700,000 win in the Ranger M1 bass tournament on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. His five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces gave him the title by nearly 2 pounds over Team Fujifilm's Randy Blaukat from Lamar, Mo.

Dudley won the world's most lucrative freshwater fishing tournament by gambling on a new fishing spot that he had never fished prior to Saturday's final round. The "promise land," as Dudley referred to his winning hotspot following the weigh-in, was an isolated oxbow about 85 miles north of the launch site in Chocolotta Bay. He used a black, blue and purple jig with a Zoom blue sapphire chunk trailer to land his historic catch. In the qualifying rounds, Dudley fished an area about 70 miles north of the takeoff, but by the end of day three, he'd lost confidence in the location.

"I felt my water was fished out," Dudley said. "I just didn't have any more confidence in the area, so I took a gamble and it paid off. The moon really affected the tide Friday night. When I saw the water as high as it was at takeoff, I was bubbling with joy. I knew then that I could get into the oxbow."

Dudley, who plans to use his winnings to build a church in Lynchburg, Va., survived Thursday's cut from 150 to 20 pros in second place with a two-day, opening-round total of seven bass weighing 21 pounds, 9 ounces. He then advanced to Saturday's final round in second place with a four-bass, 9-pound, 11-ounce catch Friday. Dudley's final-round catch weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces was the heaviest five-bass limit of the tournament.

Dudley's biggest tournament payday prior to the Ranger M1 was a second place showing at the 2001 Forrest Wood Open on Lake St. Clair worth $100,000. With is win Saturday, his career earnings now top the $1 million mark.

Rounding out the top-five pros are Blaukat (five bass, 14 pounds, $110,000); local favorite Jason Kilpatrick, Satsuma, Ala. (four bass, 8 pounds, 10 ounces, $62,000); Mark Rose, Marion, Ark. (two bass, 2 pounds, 5 ounces, $33,000); and Team Yamaha pro Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas (one bass, 1 pound, 12 ounces, $32,000).

Co-angler Tim Hurst, Oxford, Ala., won his division Friday and pocketed $170,000 with four bass weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces. The win didn't come easily for Hurst, however, as runner-up David Millsaps, Woodstock, Ga., came within an ounce of the winning weight with a single bass. Millsaps' huge 7-pound, 8-ounce largemouth drew gasps from the crowd and other competitors as he placed it on the scale. That one bass earned him $62,000.

Hurst, a regular competitor in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, advanced to the final day of co-angler competition in fourth place with a two-day, opening-round total of five bass weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces. His biggest win prior to Friday was in 1996 when he won $2,871 in a BFL tournament on Alabama's Wheeler Lake.

Saturday's final weigh-in was broadcast live to more than 84 million households as part of "FLW Outdoors" on the PAX TV network. Each week "FLW Outdoors" delivers the latest tournament news and live tournament coverage to the nation's outdoor enthusiasts.

Final Round Results ­ March 2, 2002
Ranger M1: Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mobile, Ala.
Pro Division
Place Name City, State Caught Lbs. Ozs. Winnings Boat
1 DAVID P DUDLEY MANTEO, NC 5 15 15 700000.00 EverStart

2 RANDY BLAUKAT LAMAR, MO 5 14 0 110000.00 Fujifilm

3 JASON KILPATRICK SATSUMA, AL 4 8 10 62000.00 Conseco

4 MARK ROSE MARION, AR 2 2 5 33000.00 Coleman

5 TAKAHIRO OMORI EMORY, TX 1 1 12 32000.00 Chevy

6 DION HIBDON STOVER, MO 1 1 3 22000.00 US Bank

7 TOM MONSOOR LA CROSSE, WI 1 1 1 24000.00 Land O'Lakes

8 DALE TEANEY WILLIAMSBURG, OH 0 0 0 18000.00 Weed-Eater

9 DAVID WALKER SEVIERVILLE, TN 0 0 0 18000.00 BFGoodrich Tires

10 MICHAEL BLACK TOLEDO, IL 0 0 0 14000.00 Citgo

Co-angler Tim Hurst wins $170,000
Fujifilm's Blaukat Leads Top-10 Anglers in $3.64 Million Ranger M1 Bass Tournament
 Mobile, Ala. (March 1, 2002) - Team Fujifilm's Randy Blaukat from Lamar, Mo., will lead the top-10 Ranger M1 pros into Saturday's final round on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 8 ounces. These anglers will start from zero as they cast for up to $1 million in the world's most lucrative fishing tournament.

Blaukat, who is qualified to win $700,000, advanced to Friday's semifinal round in fifth place after landing nine bass weighing 19 pounds, 12 ounces in the two-day opening round. The top-20 pros and co-anglers started from zero Friday.
"I feel pretty good about the final round, but I'll have to let the day unfold," Blaukat said. "I'm just going to take it one cast at a time and fish just like I was fishing with a friend. I'm just going to relax and not think about the money."
Blaukat caught his bass casting a Megabass crankbait in the opening round and flipping a Luck 'e Strike Enforcer Series lizard and black/blue Lunker Lure rattle back jig with a black trailer in the semifinal round. He has fished the same area, which he says is packed with underwater cover, each day of competition.
Rounding out the top-five pros advancing to the final round are Team Castrol's David Dudley, Manteo, N.C. (four bass, 9 pounds, 11 ounces); Mark Rose, Marion, Ark. (four bass, 8 pounds, 10 ounces); local favorite Jason Kilpatrick, Satsuma, Ala. (five bass, 8 pounds, 8 ounces); and Dion Hibdon, Stover, Mo. (three bass, 6 pounds, 10 ounces).

While pros were casting for a berth in the final round Friday, co-anglers were shooting for a spot in the record books. Co-angler Tim Hurst, Oxford, Ala., eventually claimed a $170,000 winner's check with four bass weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces, but not before second place co-angler David Millsaps, Woodstock, Ga., wowed the crowd and took a run at the title with a 7-pound, 8-ounce largemouth. Unfortunately for Millsaps, he only had the one bass that turned out to be worth $62,000.

"It just doesn't seem fair," said Hurst, commenting on Millsaps' catch. "That was a big fish."

Hurst, a regular competitor in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, advanced to the final day of co-angler competition in fourth place with a two-day, opening-round total of five bass weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces. His biggest win prior to Friday was in 1996 when he won $2,871 in a BFL tournament on Alabama's Wheeler Lake.
Ryan Deal, Haubstadt, Ind. (three bass, 6 pounds, 14 ounces, $25,000); Shannon Devere, Berea, Ky. (two bass, 5 pounds, 3 ounces, $14,500); and John Howard, Alexander City, Ala., (two bass, 3 pounds, 11 ounces, $10,000) rounded out the top-five co-anglers.

The Ranger M1's total purse is based on a payback of $1.3 million plus $2.34 million in sponsor bonus money. The winning pro will receive $400,000 plus up to an additional $600,000 in sponsor bonuses. Anglers competing in the Ranger M1 represent the United States, Canada and Japan.

The Mobile Convention Center will host Saturday's final weigh-in starting at 2 p.m. Admission to the weigh-in and Family Fun Zone, which opens at 11 a.m., is free. The Fun Zone features children's games and product samples from Ranger M1 sponsors.

The Ranger M1's final weigh-in will air live as part of "FLW Outdoors" on the PAX TV network.

Tournament sponsors include Wal-Mart, Ranger Boats, Chevy Trucks, Citgo, Conseco, EverStart Batteries, Faded Glory, Garmin Electronics, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Snickers, Yamaha Outboards and Plano. 

Shumpert Leads World's Most Lucrative Bass
Tournament; Top Angler Could Net Up to $1 Million

MOBILE, Ala.--(BW SportsWire)--Feb. 28, 2002--Ricky Shumpert,
Lexington, S.C., took sole possession of first place in the $3.64
million Ranger M1 bass tournament Thursday with a two-day,
opening-round total of nine bass weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces. As the
No. 1 qualifier, he will lead the tournament's top-20 pros into
Friday's semifinal round on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

Shumpert caught five bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces Thursday to
flush out Wednesday's four-bass, 7-pound, 6-ounce catch and climb from
24th place into the lead. If he continues to produce quality bass
despite the region's unseasonably cool weather, Shumpert stands to win
$900,000. Anglers advancing to the semifinal round start from zero and
fish for the heaviest five-bass limit. Only the top-10 pros will
advance to Saturday's final round where they will start from zero
again and fish for one day to determine the winner.

"I'm fishing a big area, and I haven't hit it real hard," said
Shumpert, who caught his opening-round bass in a backwater area about
30 miles from the launch site in Chocolotta Bay. "I won't run out of
fish, but I might run out of bites. They could shut down, so you have
to take everything one day at a time."

Team Castrol pro David Dudley, Manteo, N.C., climbed from 35th
place to claim the No. 2 spot going into the semifinal round with a
two-day total of seven bass weighing 21 pounds, 9 ounces.

Jason Kilpatrick, Satsuma, Ala. (10 bass, 20 pounds, 7 ounces);
Mark Pack, Mineola, Texas (10 bass, 20 pounds, 5 ounces); and Team
Fujifilm angler Randy Blaukat, Lamar, Mo. (nine bass, 19 pounds, 12
ounces) rounded out the top-five pro anglers.

In the Co-angler Division, Ryan Deal, Haubstadt, Ind., retained
the No. 1 spot heading into the final round of co-angler competition
without catching a fish Thursday. He caught three bass weighing 10
pounds, 7 ounces Wednesday to claim the lead.

David Millsaps, Woodstock, Ga. (five bass, 9 pounds, 1 ounce);
Bill Boyett, Willis, Texas (five bass, 9 pounds, 1 ounce); Tim Hurst,
Oxford, Ala. (five bass, 8 pounds, 5 ounces); and Michael Robinson,
Greenville, Ga., (three bass, 7 pounds, 12 ounces) rounded out the
top-five co-anglers.

Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Dennis Green was shut out
Thursday.

Like their pro counterparts, the top-20 co-anglers start from zero
and fish for one day Friday, which is the last day of co-angler
competition. The winner will receive up to $250,000.

The Mobile Convention Center will host both Friday's weigh-in,
starting at 5 p.m., and Saturday's weigh-in, starting at 2 p.m.
Admission to the weigh-ins and Family Fun Zone, which opens Friday at
3 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m., is free. The Fun Zone features
children's games and product samples from Ranger M1 sponsors.

$3.64 Million Ranger M1 Bass Tournament
Off to a Frigid Start; Top Angler Could Net Up to $1 Million

MOBILE, Ala.--(BW SportsWire)--Feb. 27, 2002--Team Land O'Lakes
pro Keith Williams, 26, Conway, Ark., and Jerry Bohannon, 43,
Irvington, Ala., tied for first place in the $3.64 million Ranger M1
bass-fishing tournament Wednesday with identical five-bass catches
weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces after a bone-chilling start on the
Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

Anglers fishing the world's most lucrative bass tournament were
rocked by a strong north wind that plunged the wind chill to 12
degrees early Wednesday morning and kept the day's high to an
unseasonably cool 40 degrees. The chance to win up to $1 million is a
powerful motivator, however, allowing anglers from the United States,
Canada and Japan to endure the difficult conditions and catch a
surprising number of bass.

"I was glad to see it get cold. It evens the playing field and
fits my style of fishing," said Williams, who caught his bass on a jig
thrown to wood cover located about 40 miles from the takeoff at
Chocolotta Bay. "I knew that if I could get one bite, it would help my
confidence. This cold front did not totally shut the fish down."

Bohannon caught his bass about 90 miles from the takeoff by
flipping a tube bait. "The fish are in a pre-spawn stage," he said.
"The weather won't affect them as much as it does us."

Team Fujifilm pro Randy Blaukat, Lamar, Mo. (five bass, 13 pounds,
15 ounces); Greg Hackney, Oak Ridge, La. (five bass, 13 pounds, 9
ounces); and Chevy Pro Staff angler David Fritts, Lexington, N.C.
(five bass, 13 pounds, 3 ounces) rounded out the top-five pro anglers.

In the Co-angler Division, Ryan Deal, Haubstadt, Ind., leads the
charge towards a top award of $250,000 with three bass weighing 10
pounds, 7 ounces followed Ron Moake, Columbia City, Ind., (two bass, 6
pounds, 3 ounces) and Jerry Wade, Indianapolis, Ind., (one bass, 5
pounds, 12 ounces).

Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired with pros fishing from the
front of each tournament boat and co-anglers fishing from the back
deck. The field will be cut to the top 20 anglers in each division
Thursday based on total catch weight. Anglers in the top 20 will start
from zero Friday and compete for one day in the semifinal round.
Co-angler competition ends Friday, and only the top 10 pro anglers
advance to Saturday's final round. Catch weights will be cleared for
the final day.

Battleship Memorial Park will host Thursday's 3 p.m. weigh-in. The
Mobile Convention Center will host both Friday's weigh-in, starting at
5 p.m., and Saturday's weigh-in, starting at 2 p.m.

The Ranger M1's final weigh-in will air live as part of "FLW
Outdoors" on the PAX TV network.

$3.64 Million Ranger M1 Bass Tournament
Starts Wednesday; Top Angler Could Net Up to $1 Million

MOBILE, Ala.--(BW SportsWire)--Feb. 25, 2002--They won't win gold,
silver or bronze, but one lucky angler could net up to $1 million on
live television in the world's most lucrative bass tournament, the
$3.64 million Ranger M1 starting Wednesday on the Mobile/Tensaw River
Delta.

The M1's total purse is based on a payback of $1.3 million plus
$2.34 million in sponsor bonus money. The winning pro will receive
$400,000 plus up to an additional $600,000 in sponsor bonus money. The
winning co-angler will receive $150,000 plus up to an additional
$100,000 in sponsor bonus money. Each competitor will receive a
minimum cash award equal to his or her entry fee provided all sponsor
bonus requirements are met.

The Ranger M1's final weigh-in from the Mobile Convention Center
will air live as part of "FLW Outdoors" on the PAX TV network Saturday
at 2 p.m. CST. Admission to the weigh-in and Family Fun Zone, which
opens Saturday at 11 a.m. CST, is free. The Fun Zone features
children's games and product samples from Ranger M1 sponsors.

"Ranger views this event as an excellent opportunity to reward our
loyal customers," said Randy Hopper, Ranger president. "Mobile is the
perfect site for this tournament."

Team Castrol pro Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., won the first
Ranger M1 Nov. 7, 1999, in Winter Haven, Fla., and walked away with
$600,000. He will be in Mobile to defend his title.

"Fishing is more popular than golf and tennis combined," said
Irwin L. Jacobs, FLW Outdoors chairman. "It's a sport with literally
no boundaries. You can be young, old, male, female, tall, short, any
race, religion or nationality. FLW Outdoors and fishing exemplify a
clean, all-American sport that the whole family can enjoy."

As testament to competitive fishing's broad-based appeal and
universal access, consider pro angler David Hudson from Rogersville,
Ala. Hudson has been competing in bass tournaments for years, and
winning. That does not sound remarkable until you consider that Hudson
is a paraplegic.

"People shouldn't judge me based on the fact that I'm in a wheel
chair. They should judge me on my skills as an angler," Hudson said.
"Bass don't care if you have a disability. Fishing is very much a
mental sport that requires excellent hand-eye coordination. That said,
I can compete, and win."

Hudson is a regular competitor in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League
and Paralyzed Veterans of America National Bass Trail. He has also
fished the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Come Wednesday, he will join other
Ranger M1 competitors as they cast for up to $1 million.

Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Dennis Green will be among the
co-angler competitors. Green, a longtime fishing enthusiast, is
stepping out from behind his broadcaster's desk on the set of PAX TV's
"FLW Outdoors" to test his skills against some of the best co-anglers
in the country. "Fishing is my passion," Green said. "I'm looking
forward to the opportunity to compete against some of the best
co-anglers in the business."

Green, an avid bass fisherman since his youth, has hosted his own
local bass-fishing tournament on the waters of Lake Minnetonka near
Minneapolis. At a press conference in January, he announced his plans
to join the "FLW Outdoors" broadcast team as they bring live coverage
of the nation's premier competitive fishing circuit -- the $5.1
million Wal-Mart FLW Tour -- to the country's 77 million outdoor
enthusiasts for the first time in history.

"I am proud that Alabama will host such a prestigious event in the
world of sport fishing," said Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. "This
opportunity will allow us to showcase to the world that Alabama's
natural resources and beauty are second to none."

Governor Siegelman will be on hand for Saturday's final weigh-in
and presentation of the winner's check. M1 competitors will fish as
pros or co-anglers in three elimination rounds on the Mobile/Tensaw
River Delta, a 100,000-acre fishery formed by the convergence of the
Tensaw and Mobile Rivers at Mobile Bay. Pros fish from the front of
each tournament boat while co-anglers fish from the back deck. The
full field will compete for two days and then be cut to the top 20
anglers in each division based on total catch weight. These anglers
will then start from zero and compete for one day in the semifinal
round. Co-angler competition wraps up on day three. Only the top 10
pro anglers will advance to the final day of competition. Catch
weights will be cleared again for the final day.

Battleship Memorial Park will host Wednesday and Thursday's
weigh-ins, which start at 3 p.m. The Mobile Convention Center will
host both Friday's weigh-in, starting at 5 p.m., and Saturday's
weigh-in starting at 2 p.m.

The Mobile/Tensaw River Delta is part of the Alabama Bass Trail,
which consists of five world-class fisheries with accommodations,
facilities and activities to complement every fishing outing from
weekend getaways with the family to the nation's premier bass
tournaments.

FLW Outdoors, the nation's leading marketer of competitive fishing
tournaments, is producing the Ranger M1. The organization is also
responsible for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass
Fishing League, Texas Tournament Trail and Wal-Mart RCL Walleye
Circuit. FLW Outdoors could award anglers $22 million in cash and
prizes through 170 events in 2002.

The Ranger M1 is sponsored by Wal-Mart, Ranger Boats, Chevy
Trucks, Citgo, Conseco, EverStart Batteries, Faded Glory, Garmin
Electronics, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Snickers, Yamaha Outboards and
Plano.