Elkins Man a Bass Boat Winner in Drawing
Three No-shows Precede Todd Reynolds' Success
Last updated Sunday, May 18, 2008 9:13 PM CDT in Sports
By Joe Mosby
THE MORNING NEWS
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ROGERS -- The fourth time was a charm for Todd Reynolds of Elkins on Sunday at the John Q. Hammons Center.
It was a drawing for a spiffy Ranger bass boat with Evinrude motor at the end of the FLW Tour's Wal-Mart Open.
The rule was a winner had to be present. One, two, three names were pulled and read out. No one responded. The fourth name called was Reynolds, and his shout left no doubt of his presence in the arena.
There was an element of do-it-yourself among the 10 finalists Sunday.
Winner Mark Pack of Mineola, Texas, operates a lure making company along with his professional fishing activities. Previously, he was a guide on Lake Fork, the renowned Texas big bass fishery.
George Cochran of Hot Springs, who came in second to Pack, said he caught his fish on a spinner bait he designed. "It's called Little Mister Muddy, and it's a small profile lure, good for shallow water fishing," Cochran said.
The hefty checks were the main attraction to the Wal-Mart Open finalists, but they also picked up some interesting auxiliary awards.
Assorted sponsors handed out checks and gift cards, and the top finalists each received a year's supply of butter from Land O' Lakes, a long-time FLW sponsor.
There is a reason bass pros take good care of their fish after catching and bringing them in to the weigh-in site.
FLW rules deduct 8 ounces from the total of anyone checking in a dead bass. That half-pound assessment can mean a major difference in a tight competition, as the Wal-Mart Open was this time.
Best one-liner of the last-day weigh-in had to go to Richard Strother of Tyler, Texas, although he finished in 10th and last place.
Strother, the senior in age among the finalists, told the crowd, "I was in the Heinz 57 boat today, and I played catchup all day long."
But Strother has earlier fond memories of Beaver Lake. He won a Wal-Mart Open co-angler competition a few years ago on the lake before moving to the professional division this season.
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