Top 10 to Qualify for 2007 Elite Series; Winner Receives Paid Entry Fees

LEESBURG, Fla. – With improved fishing conditions Friday during the second round of the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series Wildcard tournament, select anglers capitalized on the favorable weather, earning spots in the top 12 cut and advancing to Saturday’s final round.

Texan Ben Matsubu, second after Thursday’s round one, was in the top spot after catching 12 pounds, 2 ounces, Friday to move his two-day total to 27-4. If Matsubu holds on, he would receive his $55,000 entry fees paid for the 2007 Elite Series and take home a Triton boat/Mercury outboard package, valued at nearly $50,000.

Viewers can see if the Texas pro takes home the top prize on ESPN2 Saturday, Dec. 2 at 10 a.m. ET.

Day 1 leader Bryan Hudgins of Florida caught 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and fell one spot in the standings into a second-place tie with Ohio’s Matt Amedeo at 24-11. Rounding out the top five were Georgia’s Jim Murray (21-12), who climbed from 11th to fourth and South Carolina’s Marty Robinson (20-11) who dropped from third to fifth.

The Wildcard tournament is a second-chance event designed to give pros on both the 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series and CITGO Bassmaster Northern and Southern Tours a second chance to qualify for the lucrative, high-profile 2007 Elite Series. Saturday’s final round will involve the top 12 -10 of which will lock up a spot in the Elite Series next season.

After collecting a five-bass limit of about 8 pounds in Lake Eustis, Matsubu abandoned his best area from Thursday at about 11 a.m. and ran to Lake Harris where he upgraded his catch. In both rounds, Matsubu’s success came from fishing shallow vegetation with a Lucky Craft RC 2.5 crankbait and Texas-rigged Yamamoto Cut-Tail worm.

“I feel pretty good about my chances,” the 44-year-old said. “I left the fish biting the first day and I left them biting today. When I got my small limit, I figured I had enough to make the finals, so I saved those fish for [Saturday].”

Hudgins, a 27-year-old University of North Florida student from Orange Park, Fla., has a vast amount of experience on the Harris Chain of Lakes.

Like Matsubu, he switched his game plan at about 10:30 a.m. With only two bass in his livewell, Hudgins ran into the Apopka Canal where he finished out his limit with a topwater bait and Texas-rigged worm.

“I couldn’t get any big fish to bite,” he said. “I went to my best spot (from Thursday), but they did not bite.

“I made the long run to the canal and the fish were in there and feeding. I saw one about 10 pounds and another one about 6 pounds. I think if you’re going to get those fish to bite you’re going to have to go there first thing (Saturday). That’s what I’m going to do.”

Arkansas’ E.P. Fletcher brought in a limit weighing 14-14 to jump from ninth to first in the co-angler division with 19-14 after two days. Earl Purcell of Massachusetts was second with 18-9, followed by Bradley Dortch of Alabama with 14-11.

Fletcher took the Purolator Big Bass award and a $400 prize with a 7-pound, 3-ounce largemouth — the largest of the entire tournament thus far. Brian Penso caught the Purolator Big Bass of the Day- a 5-14 largemouth- on the pro side and took home the $1,000 premium.

For related photos of the event, click here. To register for a username and password, click here.

Location and Field
CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series Wildcard

Harris Chain of Lakes

Leesburg, Fla.

Nov. 16-18

Field

Cut to top 12 after Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Ben Matsubu Hemphill, Texas 10 27-04 305

Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 12-02

2. Bryan Hudgins Orange Park, Fla. 10 24-11 298 $1,000.00

Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 7-08

2. Matt Amedeo Akron, Ohio 10 24-11 292

Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 13-15

4. Jim Murray Arabi, Ga. 10 21-12 285

Day 1: 5 9-05 Day 2: 5 12-07

5. Marty Robinson Landrum, S.C. 8 20-11 280

Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 3 6-08

6. Gregory Dipalma Millville, N.J. 10 18-06 276

Day 1: 5 9-12 Day 2: 5 8-10

7. Ken Brodeur Niantic, Conn. 10 18-04 272

Day 1: 5 8-00 Day 2: 5 10-04

8. James Kennedy Lacombe, La. 7 17-14 268

Day 1: 3 8-01 Day 2: 4 9-13

9. Brian Wilhoit Oxon Hill, Md. 8 17-13 264

Day 1: 4 7-12 Day 2: 4 10-01

10. Mark Rogers Naples, Fla. 8 17-08 260

Day 1: 5 9-02 Day 2: 3 8-06

11. Glenn Delong Bellville, Ohio 9 16-15 257

Day 1: 5 9-11 Day 2: 4 7-04

12. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, Ala. 9 16-07 252

Day 1: 5 8-06 Day 2: 4 8-01

12. Aaron Lee Jakub Lincoln, Neb. 7 16-07 252 $1,000.00

Day 1: 2 7-04 Day 2: 5 9-03

14. Kurt Dove Fairfax, Va. 9 16-02 248 $1,000.00

Day 1: 4 7-15 Day 2: 5 8-03

15. Dave Parsons Yantis, Texas 8 15-11 245 $1,000.00

Day 1: 3 5-09 Day 2: 5 10-02

16. Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 5 15-08 243

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 15-08

17. Darrell Newman Bruceville, Texas 9 15-07 241

Day 1: 5 9-08 Day 2: 4 5-15

18. Brian Penso Houston, Texas 7 15-03 239 $1,000.00

Day 1: 4 7-00 Day 2: 3 8-03

19. Doc Merkin Downers Grove, Ill. 7 15-01 237

Day 1: 2 5-14 Day 2: 5 9-03

20. Deryl Janzen Hemphill, Texas 10 15-00 235

Day 1: 5 8-03 Day 2: 5 6-13

21. Steve Sennikoff Forney, Texas 10 14-15 233

Day 1: 5 7-11 Day 2: 5 7-04

22. Randy Alexander London, Ky. 7 14-09 231

Day 1: 4 6-03 Day 2: 3 8-06

23. David Barnes Weeks Mills, Maine 7 13-12 229

Day 1: 2 3-03 Day 2: 5 10-09

24. Rick Ash Pottstown, Pa. 7 13-02 227

Day 1: 3 6-14 Day 2: 4 6-04

25. Rodney Hardwick Connersville, Ind. 5 12-14 225

Day 1: 2 6-12 Day 2: 3 6-02

26. Shawn Johnson Jacksonville, Fla. 8 12-06 223

Day 1: 5 9-12 Day 2: 3 2-10

27. Travis Rulle Huntsville, Ala. 7 12-00 221

Day 1: 5 9-09 Day 2: 2 2-07

28. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, Miss. 9 11-15 219

Day 1: 5 6-09 Day 2: 4 5-06

29. Pete Ponds Madison, Miss. 7 11-13 216

Day 1: 3 3-10 Day 2: 4 8-03

29. Craig Dowling Many, La. 6 11-13 216

Day 1: 3 5-03 Day 2: 3 6-10

31. Larry Gaines Valparaiso, Fla. 5 11-09 213

Day 1: 4 10-10 Day 2: 1 0-15

32. Patrick Pierce Jacksonville, Fla. 5 10-15 211

Day 1: 1 1-06 Day 2: 4 9-09

33. Clark Reehm Leesville, La. 9 10-14 209

Day 1: 4 4-09 Day 2: 5 6-05

34. Byron Velvick Boulder City, Nev. 6 10-06 206

Day 1: 3 5-00 Day 2: 3 5-06

34. Paul Mazzitelli Pittston, Pa. 5 10-06 206

Day 1: 1 0-15 Day 2: 4 9-07

36. Anre' De Villiers Goodwood, South Africa 7 10-04 203

Day 1: 5 7-12 Day 2: 2 2-08

37. Pat Golden High Point, N.C. 6 9-15 201

Day 1: 5 9-01 Day 2: 1 0-14

38. Charlie Hartley Grove City, Ohio 5 9-13 199

Day 1: 2 5-04 Day 2: 3 4-09

39. Sammy Burks Joplin, Mo. 5 9-12 197

Day 1: 3 5-12 Day 2: 2 4-00

40. Monty Fralick Martin, S.D. 6 9-11 195

Day 1: 3 7-06 Day 2: 3 2-05

41. Lawren Wetzel Sharon, Canada 7 9-10 193

Day 1: 4 5-05 Day 2: 3 4-05

42. Jason Welch Royse City, Texas 7 9-05 191

Day 1: 5 6-02 Day 2: 2 3-03

43. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, Fla. 6 9-04 189

Day 1: 2 1-14 Day 2: 4 7-06

44. John Cox Debary, Fla. 5 8-06 187

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 8-06

45. Randy Yarnall Womelsdorf, Pa. 4 7-03 185

Day 1: 2 4-14 Day 2: 2 2-05

46. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, Ga. 4 6-13 183

Day 1: 1 2-04 Day 2: 3 4-09

47. Tim Dungan Cinncinati, Ohio 5 5-15 180

Day 1: 5 5-15 Day 2: 0 0-00

47. Chris Daniels Panama City, Fla. 3 5-15 180

Day 1: 3 5-15 Day 2: 0 0-00

49. Lucy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark. 5 5-11 177

Day 1: 3 3-04 Day 2: 2 2-07

50. Corey Waldrop Fort Worth, Texas 4 5-00 175

Day 1: 3 3-11 Day 2: 1 1-05

51. David Gliebe Benton, Ky. 3 4-14 173

Day 1: 1 0-15 Day 2: 2 3-15

52. Bradley Stringer Huntington, Texas 3 4-12 171

Day 1: 3 4-12 Day 2: 0 0-00

53. David Hovanec Unionville, N.Y. 3 3-11 169

Day 1: 3 3-11 Day 2: 0 0-00

54. Grant Goldbeck Gaithersburg, Md. 2 3-02 167

Day 1: 2 3-02 Day 2: 0 0-00

55. Rogne Brown Kimball, Tenn. 2 2-08 165

Day 1: 2 2-08 Day 2: 0 0-00

56. Vince Hurtado Waterford, Calif. 2 2-01 163

Day 1: 2 2-01 Day 2: 0 0-00

57. Doug Garrett Cabot, Ark. 1 1-06 161

Day 1: 1 1-06 Day 2: 0 0-00

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Purolator Big Bass

Day

1 Bryan Hudgins Orange Park, Fla. 6-12 $1,000.00

2 Brian Penso Houston, Texas 5-14 $1,000.00

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Totals

Day #Limits #Fish Weight

1 20 192 359-06

2 16 177 335-09

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36 369 694-15

2006 Wild-Card Qualifier NB 11/16-11/18

Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg Fla.

(NON-BOATER) Standings Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. E.P. Fletcher Little Rock, Ark. 8 19-14 305 $400.00

Day 1: 3 5-00 Day 2: 5 14-14

2. Earl Purcell Granville, Mass. 6 18-09 300

Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 1 5-00

3. Bradley Dortch Bay Minette, Ala. 6 14-11 290

Day 1: 1 1-14 Day 2: 5 12-13

4. Joe Lee Desoto, Texas 5 12-05 285

Day 1: 3 9-03 Day 2: 2 3-02

5. Howard Stephens Columbia, S.C. 7 11-11 280

Day 1: 2 2-08 Day 2: 5 9-03

6. Andy Starner Dover, Pa. 6 11-08 276

Day 1: 3 4-15 Day 2: 3 6-09

7. Sam Moss Ackerman, Miss. 5 10-13 272 $400.00

Day 1: 4 10-00 Day 2: 1 0-13

8. Wayne Prater Jacksboro, Tenn. 6 10-12 268

Day 1: 1 2-06 Day 2: 5 8-06

9. John Moon Brookeland, Texas 4 10-04 264

Day 1: 2 3-03 Day 2: 2 7-01

10. Dave Morningstar Ft Myers, Fla. 6 10-02 260

Day 1: 4 7-07 Day 2: 2 2-11

11. Del Smith Castalia, Ohio 6 9-13 257

Day 1: 1 1-11 Day 2: 5 8-02

12. Jim McDevitt Eldon, Mo. 5 9-00 254

Day 1: 3 3-15 Day 2: 2 5-01

13. Billy Schwach Charleston, S.C. 5 8-15 251 $500.00

Day 1: 2 3-06 Day 2: 3 5-09

14. Johnny Denny Lancaster, Ky. 6 8-14 248 $500.00

Day 1: 3 4-11 Day 2: 3 4-03

15. Richard Favire Winfield Park, N.J. 5 8-06 245 $500.00

Day 1: 3 5-08 Day 2: 2 2-14

16. Valeri Timofeev East Stroudsburg, Pa. 5 8-01 243

Day 1: 1 2-05 Day 2: 4 5-12

17. Stephen Barrett Kirkfield, Canada 6 7-05 241

Day 1: 2 2-02 Day 2: 4 5-03

18. Kevin Pulsifer Cocoa, Fla. 3 7-01 239

Day 1: 2 4-13 Day 2: 1 2-04

19. George Fister Lake Charles, La. 4 7-00 237

Day 1: 4 7-00 Day 2: 0 0-00

20. Olexiy Luchnikov Brooklyn, N.Y. 4 6-05 235

Day 1: 2 3-02 Day 2: 2 3-03

21. Larry C Butler New Haven, Vt. 3 6-02 233

Day 1: 3 6-02 Day 2: 0 0-00

22. Keith Morris Nacogdoches, Texas 5 5-15 230

Day 1: 2 2-04 Day 2: 3 3-11

22. Phillip Lee Deltona, Fla. 4 5-15 230

Day 1: 4 5-15 Day 2: 0 0-00

24. Wayne Hauser Winston-Salem, N.C. 4 5-09 227

Day 1: 2 2-03 Day 2: 2 3-06

25. Wayne Pomeroy Wellington, Fla. 2 5-08 225

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 5-08

26. Tony Johnson Westerville, Ohio 3 5-06 223

Day 1: 1 2-01 Day 2: 2 3-05

27. Michael Sills Oakland, Maine 1 4-13 221

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 4-13

28. Travis Green Grand Blanc, Mich. 3 4-02 219

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 4-02

29. Bill Williams Corbin, Ky. 3 4-00 217

Day 1: 2 2-04 Day 2: 1 1-12

30. Lee Winkler Cincinnati, Ohio 3 3-14 214

Day 1: 2 1-13 Day 2: 1 2-01

30. Milton Shuffield Beverly Hills, Fla. 2 3-14 214

Day 1: 2 3-14 Day 2: 0 0-00

32. Bob Howard Colorado Springs, Colo 2 3-10 211

Day 1: 1 1-12 Day 2: 1 1-14

33. Joshua Fiedler Clear Spring, Md. 3 3-09 209

Day 1: 1 0-15 Day 2: 2 2-10

34. Mike Prance Palatka, Fla. 2 3-03 207

Day 1: 1 1-08 Day 2: 1 1-11

35. Peter Typer Pt Colborne, Canada 2 3-01 205

Day 1: 1 1-08 Day 2: 1 1-09

36. Jim Staszewski West Gardiner, Maine 3 2-14 203

Day 1: 2 1-13 Day 2: 1 1-01

37. Keith Carson Debary, Fla. 2 2-13 201

Day 1: 2 2-13 Day 2: 0 0-00

38. Richard Strubell Huddleston, Va. 3 2-12 199

Day 1: 2 1-09 Day 2: 1 1-03

39. Bill Rea Greenfield, Ohio 2 2-11 197

Day 1: 2 2-11 Day 2: 0 0-00

40. Larry Bryant Goodlettsville, Tenn. 1 2-09 195

Day 1: 1 2-09 Day 2: 0 0-00

41. Robert Dice Perry, Fla. 2 2-07 193

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 2 2-07

42. Justin Walker Markham, Canada 2 2-06 191

Day 1: 2 2-06 Day 2: 0 0-00

43. Charles Robison Allison Park, Pa. 2 2-03 189

Day 1: 2 2-03 Day 2: 0 0-00

44. Dennis Arendt Jackson, Tenn. 1 2-02 186

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 2-02

44. Kenneth Harris Calhoun, La. 1 2-02 186

Day 1: 1 2-02 Day 2: 0 0-00

46. Mark Richard Bridge City, La. 2 1-15 183

Day 1: 1 1-01 Day 2: 1 0-14

47. Marvin Wells Claremore, Okla. 2 1-14 181

Day 1: 2 1-14 Day 2: 0 0-00

48. Glenn Kimbrell Townville, S.C. 2 1-11 179

Day 1: 2 1-11 Day 2: 0 0-00

49. Jack Palmer Hopkinsville, Ky. 1 1-03 177

Day 1: 1 1-03 Day 2: 0 0-00

50. Alonzo Evans East Hartford, Conn. 1 0-14 174

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 1 0-14

50. Tony Dadante Derby, N.Y. 1 0-14 174

Day 1: 1 0-14 Day 2: 0 0-00

52. Jim Kline Hagerstown, Md. 0 0-00 0

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00

52. Roger Morrow Griffin, Ga. 0 0-00 0

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00

52. Bill Poirier Riverview, Fla. 0 0-00 0

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00

52. Kenneth Strimple Fairport, N.Y. 0 0-00 0

Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 0 0-00

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Purolator Big Bass

Day

1 Sam Moss Ackerman, Miss. 5-08 $400.00

2 E.P. Fletcher Little Rock, Ark. 7-03 $400.00

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Totals

Day #Limits #Fish Weight

1 1 94 155-10

2 5 84 157-10

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6 178 313-04