BASSMASTERS Battle Rising Oklahoma Waters In Quest For Classic Points & $213,000 In Prizes.

EUFAULA, Okla.--(BW SportsWire)--April 29, 1999--

Professional bass anglers competing for shares of the $213,000 payout in the BASSMASTER Oklahoma Central Invitational know what many people don't know - that bass fishing isn't always a fair weather sport. Even slight changes in water depth, temperature and even wind direction can change the fishing conditions. Pros in this week's BASSMASTER event had to make some rapid and frequent adjustments.

The 108,000 acre playing field, Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Okla., surged up approximately 15 inches every 10 hours over the last day or so as a result of the flooding in northern and western Oklahoma. The rising water, accompanied by tremendous lines or floating debris that forced the anglers to idle speed enroute to their fishing areas, has slowed slightly ,and the Corps of Engineers expects only about a 7-inch rise for the rest of the week. The fish will begin seeking shallower water, which will make the catching somewhat more predictable in this always unpredictable sport.

"It's a new lake every hour as the water level changes," said first-day leader Leo Osborne of the Lake Eufaula community of Crowder, Osborne, who is fishing his first Bass Anglers Sportsman Society pro tournament, weighed the BASSMASTER limit of five bass to score 20 pounds, 1 ounce and nab a 2-pound, 15-ounce lead.

"I'm fishing slow, and probably, a little deeper than most fishermen," he said, "but that's probably going to change because the lake is not supposed to rise quite as fast (tomorrow). He had six bites all day.

Osborne had one short fish. And, it was costly. BASSMASTER rule Number 16 states: "Bass presented for weigh-in which fail to measure the official length shall accrue penalties at the rate of 1 pound for each such bass."

This last of four qualifying events on the $6 million BASSMASTER Tournament Trail will qualify for the BASS Masters Classic world championship, based on their season's performance - he anglers have earned points in each event. A first place finish earns 300 points, second place earns 299., etc. With two competition days to go, Brent Chapman has the lead with 1,121 points. He is followed by Kevin VanDam and Stacey D. King, each with 1,115 (VanDam leads the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year points race on the KMART BASSMASTER Top 150 tournament circuit.) Jay Yelas is fourth with 1,097; John Sappington is fifth with 1,090. Behind him are Randy Blaukat and Ken Cook, each with 1,076; Marty McGuire with 1,035; Peter Wenners, 1,012 and Todd Faircloth with 1,001.

The 31-Year-Old BASSMASTER Tournament Trail is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit. It has set the standard for credibility, professionalism and sportsmanship for more than three decades. Its late-summer BASS Masters Classic world championship and Outdoor Show annually attracts more than 100,000 avid fishing fans and top outdoor journalists each summer.

National sponsors of the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail: Ranger Boats, RangerTrail Trailers, Mercury Outboards, Chevrolet Trucks, ACDelco Batteries, KMART, Humminbird/Zercom Electronics, JERZEES OUTDOORS, Wrangler Rugged Wear, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, Plano Tackle Systems, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, and Pennzoil. Regional sponsor: Lake Eufaula Association, Inc.