Excitement builds for Women's Debut!!!

[Links r Us]

The excitement among the nation's top legion of women anglers is building on the eve of this week's Women's Bassmaster Tour preview event on Texas' Lewisville Lake. Two examples: "I'm excited about it," said Carol Martens, a California angler, CITGO Bassmaster Western Open competitor and mother of reigning CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year Aaron Martens. I'm doing this because I want to be one of the first to get involved in the WBT." Martens is leading a three-person West Coast flotilla to Texas with friends Glenda Jackson of Las Vegas, Nev., and Debby Blanchard of Lake Havasu City, Ariz

MORE --
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/columns/story?columnist=tucker_tim&page=bass_col_tourney_trail_051018

[Links r Us]

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/wbt/news/story?page=tourn_05_WBT_TX_Lewisville_Lake_stand_d ay1

[Links r Us]

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/wbt/news/story?page=tourn_05_WBT_TX_Lewisville_Lake_stand_d ay2

[Links r Us]

2005 Women's Bassmaster Tour Preview Event — Lewisville, Texas
BASS Communications — Oct. 21, 2005

LEWISVILLE, Texas — Despite a strong breeze at Lewisville Lake on Friday, Pamela Pope of Robinson, Texas, flipped her way to the Day-Two lead after catching an impressive 12-pound, 7-ounce limit during the preview event of the newly created Women's Bassmaster Tour. Pope leads Lisa Sternard of Clarksville, Tenn., by 1 pound, 9 ounces going into the final day, when only the top six boaters and non-boaters will compete.

"The wind drove me nuts today," Pope said. "The sun came out and I got very excited, but the wind was really annoying."

Pope was short on details about her technique, but said she keyed on shallow timber to find her fish on Friday. On Thursday, when she ended the day in fifth place, she concentrated on pockets of water 18 to 24 feet deep.

Pope, 47, started fishing professionally about four years ago. A material coordinator for a government defense contractor company, she fishes whenever she can find the time. As just one of a slew of new women fishing in a BASS event, Pope weighed in and then anxiously waited to see if a competitor would bump her from the top spot. "I am shaking all over," Pope said. "I just hope my holes will hold up, I am not sure if they have enough left."

Donna Prado
Non-boater Donna Prado, San Antonio, Texas, had the Purolator Big Bass of the day (6-7).

Sternard, an occupational therapist, pitched plastics in shallow water to secure both second place and the boater Purolator Big Bass of the day (3-11). The 44-year-old also had the day's largest bag, 13-15.

Also making the cut are Mississippi's Kathi Hurst (20-12), Oklahoma's Brenda Davis (20-3), Day-One leader Angie Douthit of Florida (19-3) and Georgia's Pam Martin-Wells (18-8).

Sharon Rushton of Kimberling City Mo., still holds the non-boater lead with a total of 9 pounds, 8 ounces. Trailing behind is Texan Billie Jaynes (7-4), Alabama's Jo Bucki (7-2), Florida's Carrie Bronson (7-2), Arkansas' Lesa Brown (6-14) and Texan Donna Prado (6-7).

Prado made the cut after catching just one fish so far in the tournament. As the last non-boater to weigh-in, Prado's 6-7 lunker edged out Judith Hart of Greenville, Texas, by just 2 ounces.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/wbt/news/story?page=tourn_05_WBT_TX_Lewisville_Lake_day2

[WLB]

Wonder what happened to the Ohio ladies? :)
Ohioans usually to well in these tuff tourneys because
of the high pressure/ tuff bass fishing in the state.

[Links r Us]

Martin-Wells masters Lewisville
2005 Women's Bassmaster Tour Preview Event — Lewisville, Texas
BASS Communications — Oct. 22, 2005

http://espn-att.starwave.com/winnercomm/outdoors/Bassmaster/i/P1n_b_tourn_wbt_preview_day3a.jpg

LEWISVILLE, Texas — Pam Martin-Wells, one of the most experienced and highly decorated women bass anglers, dominated the Lewisville Lake Super Six on Day Three of the Women's Bassmaster Tour preview event, catching the day's only limit and weighing in 11 pounds, 1 ounce. With the win, the 42-year-old takes home $15,000, the largest cash prize she has ever earned in her angling career.

Martin-Wells caught 31 pounds, 11 ounces during the three-day tournament and moved from sixth place to the top of the field, besting Day 2 leader Pamela Pope (28-11) by 3 pounds. The calm weather, said Martin-Wells, was a perfect way to end a tournament ravaged earlier by gusting winds.

"The wind the first two days really hurt me," said the Bainbridge, Ga., resident. "Thank God that it didn't blow nearly as hard today; it was just perfect today."

Martin-Wells caught the only limit of the day while flipping a Wave Worm Tiki Tube with a 3/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight on Hickory Creek.

"This is just indescribable," an ecstatic Wells said, admiring her trophy. "This is a dream come true and I just don't know what to say about it. I am speechless."

Meanwhile, Pope, of Robinson, Texas, took home $4,500 for her second-place performance. She fell from first place after a rough Day 3 when the fish simply stopped biting for her. "It was a really tough day," she said. "All in all, I am pretty pleased with my performance although I fell short of the top prize."

Rounding out the top six boaters were Lisa Sternard of Clarksville, Tenn., with 26-15; Brenda Davis of Sand Springs, Okla., with 26-11; Kathi Hurst of Ripley, Miss., with 24-9; and Angie Douthit of Clewiston, Fla., with 22-15.

Non-boater tournament leader Sharon Ruston (11-3), of Kimberling City, Mo., outlasted the rest of the field despite only catching one bass on the final day. Her cushion was big enough after two days to hold off Carrie Bronson of Polk City, Fla., (9-3), a fishing guide at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Following Rushton and Bronson were Arkansas' Lesa Brown (8-8), Texan Billie Jaynes (7-4), Alabama's Jo Bucki (7-2) and Texan Donna Prado (6-7).

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/wbt/index