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GUTIERREZ LEADS STREN SERIES EVENT
ON
BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (May 16, 2007) – Pro Mike
Gutierrez of Salinas, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 29 pounds, 7
ounces Wednesday to lead the opening day of the $275,225 Stren Series
Western Division tournament presented by Yamaha on the California Delta.
“I was really lucky today,” said Gutierrez, who
is fishing in his first ever Stren Series event. “Today was a lot better
than I had expected. I am only trying to consistently target fish in the 5
pound range and I happened to get a few good bites. After I got these fish I
just went prefishing for the rest of the event.
“I threw a combination of three baits. A
top-water bait, a swimbait and flipped some soft-plastics around flats in
deeper water. If the weather stays like it is and the wind doesn’t blow, I’m
going to try and use this same approach the rest of the week. I need the sun
to make my fish sit where I want them to.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Mike O’Shea
of San Ramon, Calif. (five bass, 27-14); Mike Folkestad of Yorba Linda,
Calif. (five bass, 27-13); Mike Goodwin of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. (five
bass, 27-3);
Dr. Jeffery Archer of
Pros are competing for as much as $65,000,
including a 519VX Ranger powered by Evinrude or Yamaha if contingency
guidelines are met, and valuable points
toward qualifying for the $1 million Stren Series Championship in
Bob Brown of
“Today was great. This is one of the largest
bags I have ever caught,” said Brown, who has only been bass fishing
competitively for a short time after giving up being a professional bull
rider in a number of national rodeo circuits. “I have been here prefishing
with Bobby Barrack and Michael Tuck and they have really taught me how to
catch these fish behind these pros. They have shown me what to throw in so
many different scenarios. I think I am prepared for just about anything.
Today, I just followed their direction and everything worked.
“Tomorrow I am just going to get in the boat
and go wherever my boater goes and apply what they have taught me to the
areas I am fishing.”
Brown said that most of his bigger fish came
off a topwater frog early in the day. He also said that he and his partner
both had their limits by noon Wednesday.
Rounding out the top five
Dowhower also earned $138 for the Snickers Big
Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to an 8-pound, 13-ounce bass.
The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series
division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as
much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the
championship will then advance to the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from
Russo’s Marina located at 3995 Willow Road in Bethel Island, Calif. Thursday
and Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m.
Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 4893 Lone
Tree Way in Antioch, Calif., beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are
free and open to the public.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events
consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday. At the conclusion of Friday’s weigh-in, the field is cut to the top
10 pros
FLW
Outdoors historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate in all of its
bass tournaments.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger
Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour,
Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart
Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament
Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League,
Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW
Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer
combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of
