MARYLAND’S WATERMAN LEADS BASS FEDERATION NATION CHAMPIONSHIP
Six Classic Spots Up for Grabs at Bass Fishing’s Premier Amateur Event
GADSDEN, Ala. – It only took until 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning for Kevin Waterman to boat the 19 pounds, 4 ounces of bass that gave him the lead in the 2007 BASS Federation Nation National Championship on Alabama’s Lake Neely Henry.
The 41-year-old plumber from La Plata, Md., persevered on the near-freezing first day of the three-day event to claim the lead of the premier amateur bass fishing tournament in the world by more than 2 pounds.
If Waterman should hold on to the lead, he will qualify for the 2007 Bassmaster Classic and receive a prize package of $15,000 in cash in addition to a fully rigged Triton boat valued at $50,000.
Six qualifiers for the Feb. 23-25 Classic will be determined at this season-ending Federation Nation tournament; the top finisher from each of six geographic divisions will earn a Classic berth. Television coverage from the championship will air on ESPN2 Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. ET.
“I tried to stay warm out there,” Waterman said of his strategy. “A victory would mean everything to me here. This is what working to become a professional bass angler is all about.”
The Maryland BASS Federation Nation representative was the fourth angler to launch this morning, a luck of the draw that he said gave him time to travel to spots he had located in practice. Waterman said he attacked his main spot — a solitary stump that was surrounded by deep water — with a variety of crankbaits.
Despite his lead, Waterman was apprehensive about his starting position on Thursday, when competitors launch their boats in the inverse order of Wednesday’s positions.
“I hope to be able to get back to some of my spots tomorrow because I conserved a few of those areas knowing that the tournament would get tough,” Waterman said.
Trailing Waterman were Japan’s Shigeru Tsukiyama (16-13), Oklahoma’s Royce Dennington (15-12), and North Carolina’s Bryan Thrift (15-3) and Brent Long (15-0).
Leading after Wednesday in each of the six geographic divisions were Waterman (Mid-Atlantic), Terry McWilliams (Northern), Dennington (Central), Tsukiyama (Western), Scott Nadeau (Eastern) and Thrift (Southern).
One angler to watch is Dennington. The 39-year-old capitalized on a fortunate start.
“My day started out great,” the Oklahoma science teacher said. “The line broke as I was reeling in my first keeper and I grabbed the line before I lost the fish and hand-lined the fish into the boat.”
The BASS Federation Nation National Championship’s field of 54 includes Ivan Morris (8th), whose brother is Bassmaster Elite Series pro Rick Morris; 2006 Federation Nation Champion Anre De Villiers (15th); and former Classic competitor Joel St. Germain (33rd).
Sponsors of the Federation Nation include Toyota, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Evan Williams, KeelShield, Longhorn and Costa Del Mar.
Purolator Big Bass
Bryan Thrift, Shelby, NC, 5-10
Location and Field
BASS Federation
Nation Championship
Lake Neely Henry
Gadsden, Al
Jan. 17-19
Field
Full field of 54 anglers to compete all three days
Launch
Gadsden Boat Dock
200 Lake St.
Gadsden, Ala.
7 a.m.
Weigh-in
Gadsden Mall
1001 Rainbow Dr.
Gadsden, Ala.
3:30 p.m.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.bassmaster.com.
2007 Federation Championship - Gadsden, AL 01/17-01/19 Lake Neely Henry, Gadsden Ala.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown D No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1. Kevin Waterman Laplata, Md. (MD) M 5 19-04
2. Shigeru Tsukiyama Tokyo, Japan (Japan) W 5 16-13
3. Royce Dennington Barnsdall, Okla. (OK) C 5 15-12
4. Bryan Thrift Shelby, N.C. (NC) S 5 15-03 $1,000.00
5. Brent Long Catawba, N.C. (SC) S 5 15-00
6. David Kromm Kennewick, Wash. (WA) W 5 14-00
7. Jimmy Johnson Ganado, Texas (TX) C 5 13-05
8. Ivan Morris Virginia Beach, Va. (V M 5 13-02
9. Tim Runions New Tazewell, Tenn. (T S 5 12-03
10. Mike Edrington Olathe, Kan. (KS) C 5 12-02
11. Scott Nadeau Springvale, Maine (ME) E 4 11-13
12. Robert Laufenberg Dover, N.J. (NJ) M 4 11-10
13. Terry McWilliams Greenfield, Ind. (IN) N 4 10-11
14. Greg Alexander Hebron, Md. (DE) M 4 10-07
15. Anre' De Villiers Goodwood, South Africa S 5 10-00
16. Mike McDonald Llanda Bulawayo, Zimba M 5 9-15
17. Luke Payne Warsaw, Mo. (MO) C 5 9-12
18. David Junk Quincy, Ill. (IL) N 5 9-05
19. Jim Severson Breezy Point, Minn. (M N 3 9-00
20. Justin Nichols Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AL) S 4 8-13
22. Mike Mattis Hudson, Wisc. (WI) N 4 8-09
23. Marco Rodriguez Nyssa, Ore. (ID) W 5 8-06
24. Sean Alvarez Rutland, Vt. (VT) E 5 8-03
24. Mark Rorke St Cathrines, Canada ( E 5 8-03
26. Jeff Brown Brandon, S.D. (SD) N 5 7-06
27. Chris Novack Willington, Conn. (CT) E 5 6-09
28. Bryan McNeal Enon, Ohio (OH) N 4 6-07
29. Curtis Spindler Missoula, Mont. (MT) W 5 5-14
30. Hoyt Akins Alexander, Ark. (AR) C 3 5-13
31. Greg Pink Montrose, Utah (UT) W 4 5-10
32. Roberto Rondinini , United States Of Ame N 2 5-06
33. Joel St. Germain Cumberland, R.I. (RI) E 2 5-03
34. Pat Klausen Lincoln, Neb. (NE) C 1 4-09
35. Gary Yexley Wilsonville, Ore. (OR) W 1 4-02
36. Bruce Shockley Hammond, La. (LA) C 2 3-14
37. Jim Lambert Pittsburg, Pa. (PA) M 3 3-09
38. Stephen Siddoway Teton, Idaho (WY) W 2 3-08
39. Alan Fluharty Fairmont, W.Va. (WV) M 1 3-05
40. Martin De Kock Crammond, Samoa (South S 2 3-02
40. John Gardner Durango, Colo. (CO) W 2 3-02
42. Dean Morris Tavares, Fla. (PVA Cha S 2 2-13
42. Eric Femiak Taunton, Mass. (MA) E 1 2-13
44. David Porter Zephyrhills, Fla. (FL) S 1 2-10
45. Ed Peterson Auburn, Calif. (CA) W 1 2-06
46. Ken Larrabee Phoenix, Ariz. (AZ) W 1 2-01
47. Joseph Matt Syracuse, N.Y. (NY) E 1 1-08
48. Carl Hunter Snellville, Ga. (GA) S 1 1-07
49. Brian Morin Manchester, N.H. (NH) E 1 1-05
50. Mark Adams Edgewood, N.M. (NM) W 0 0-00
50. Pete Cherkas Des Moines, Iowa (IA) N 0 0-00
50. Edgar Romero , United States Of Ame C 0 0-00
50. Les Underwood Louisville, Ky. (KY) S 0 0-00
50. Marks Wilkinson Pearlington, Miss. (MS C 0 0-00
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Purolator Big Bass
Day
1 Bryan Thrift Shelby, N.C. (NC) 5-10 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 20 168 384-07
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20 168 384-07
DIVISIONAL STANDINGS Day 1
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MID-ATLANTIC
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Kevin Waterman Laplata, Md. (MD) 5 19-04
2 Ivan Morris Virginia Beach, Va. (VA) 5 13-02
3 Robert Laufenberg Dover, N.J. (NJ) 4 11-10
4 Greg Alexander Hebron, Md. (DE) 4 10-07
5 Mike McDonald Llanda Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 5 9-15
6 Jim Lambert Pittsburg, Pa. (PA) 3 3-09
7 Alan Fluharty Fairmont, W.Va. (WV) 1 3-05
SOUTHERN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Bryan Thrift Shelby, N.C. (NC) 5 15-03 $1,000.00
2 Brent Long Catawba, N.C. (SC) 5 15-00
3 Tim Runions New Tazewell, Tenn. (TN) 5 12-03
4 Anre' De Villiers Goodwood, South Africa (2 5 10-00
5 Justin Nichols Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AL) 4 8-13
6 Martin De Kock Crammond, Samoa (South Af 2 3-02
7 Dean Morris Tavares, Fla. (PVA Champi 2 2-13
8 David Porter Zephyrhills, Fla. (FL) 1 2-10
9 Carl Hunter Snellville, Ga. (GA) 1 1-07
10 Les Underwood Louisville, Ky. (KY) 0 0-00
WESTERN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Shigeru Tsukiyama Tokyo, Japan (Japan) 5 16-13
2 David Kromm Kennewick, Wash. (WA) 5 14-00
3 Marco Rodriguez Nyssa, Ore. (ID) 5 8-06
4 Curtis Spindler Missoula, Mont. (MT) 5 5-14
5 Greg Pink Montrose, Utah (UT) 4 5-10
6 Gary Yexley Wilsonville, Ore. (OR) 1 4-02
7 Stephen Siddoway Teton, Idaho (WY) 2 3-08
8 John Gardner Durango, Colo. (CO) 2 3-02
9 Ed Peterson Auburn, Calif. (CA) 1 2-06
10 Ken Larrabee Phoenix, Ariz. (AZ) 1 2-01
11 Mark Adams Edgewood, N.M. (NM) 0 0-00
CENTRAL
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Royce Dennington Barnsdall, Okla. (OK) 5 15-12
2 Jimmy Johnson Ganado, Texas (TX) 5 13-05
3 Mike Edrington Olathe, Kan. (KS) 5 12-02
4 Luke Payne Warsaw, Mo. (MO) 5 9-12
5 Hoyt Akins Alexander, Ark. (AR) 3 5-13
6 Pat Klausen Lincoln, Neb. (NE) 1 4-09
7 Bruce Shockley Hammond, La. (LA) 2 3-14
8 Edgar Romero , United States Of Americ 0 0-00
8 Marks Wilkinson Pearlington, Miss. (MS) 0 0-00
NORTHERN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Terry McWilliams Greenfield, Ind. (IN) 4 10-11
2 David Junk Quincy, Ill. (IL) 5 9-05
3 Jim Severson Breezy Point, Minn. (MN) 3 9-00
4 Mike Mattis Hudson, Wisc. (WI) 4 8-09
5 Jeff Brown Brandon, S.D. (SD) 5 7-06
6 Bryan McNeal Enon, Ohio (OH) 4 6-07
7 Roberto Rondinini , United States Of Americ 2 5-06
8 Pete Cherkas Des Moines, Iowa (IA) 0 0-00
EASTERN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Scott Nadeau Springvale, Maine (ME) 4 11-13
2 Sean Alvarez Rutland, Vt. (VT) 5 8-03
2 Mark Rorke St Cathrines, Canada (ON) 5 8-03
4 Chris Novack Willington, Conn. (CT) 5 6-09
5 Joel St. Germain Cumberland, R.I. (RI) 2 5-03
6 Eric Femiak Taunton, Mass. (MA) 1 2-13
7 Joseph Matt Syracuse, N.Y. (NY) 1 1-08
8 Brian Morin Manchester, N.H. (NH) 1 1-05