Results: Day Two
TAVARES, Fla. — Don Hogue, of Pasco, Wash., took the lead after registering a 13-pound, 11-ounce stringer bringing his two-day total to 24-9, seven ounces ahead of Randy Phillips of Massachusetts.Hogue says the bite has been slow, but persistence has paid off.
“It’s a matter of making thousands of casts and hoping for a big bite,” he said. “You just have to keep that bait wet.”Randy Phillips made a big move on Day Two after an equally slow day.
“I had a good pattern during practice, but that changed, I don’t know why, but I found a new bite and that has been paying off,” he said. Phillips says one of two things will happen with his new pattern; he’ll win or lose big. “I’ve only been getting five or so bites a day but they’ve been quality bites.”Phillips has 24-2 after two days of competition.
In third is Skip Sjobeck of Randolph Center, Vt., with 22-4, in fourth is Brent Long of Catawba, N.C., with 20-13 and in fifth is Randy Wieczorek of Buffalo City, Wis., with 19-6.
The Federation Nation Championship is represented by anglers from six divisions, the Northern, Southern, Mid Atlantic, Western, Central and Eastern. The top angler from each division gets a Bassmaster Classic berth while the overall tournament winner is the Federation Nation Champion.
Brent Long leads the South, tournament leader Hogue leads the West, Randy Phillips leads the East, Jeff Freeman of Max Meadows, Va., leads the Mid-Atlantic, Randy Wieczorek leads the North, and Samuel Anthony of Independence, La., leads the Central.
The winner of each division is awarded a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic Feb. 19-21 on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala., and the Federation Nation Champion is awarded a Skeeter/Yamaha boat and motor package valued at over $60,000.Launches, at 7:30 a.m. ET daily, and weigh-ins, at 3:45 p.m., will be at Wooten Park, 200 S. Rockingham Ave., Tavares, Fla.
Also during the same week, the Junior Bassmaster World Championship and will take place on nearby Lake Yale. Kids in two age divisions (11-14, 15-18) will weigh their bass at 3:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, on the Federation Nation Championship stage in Tavares.
Also to be played out will be the Bassmaster CastingKids National Championship. Kids in two age groups (7-10, 11-14) will cast, pitch and flip to targets. The CastingKids finals will begin at Noon Friday, Oct. 30, at the Lake Sumter Community College gymnasium in Leesburg, Fla.Youth prizes will include trophies and scholarships.
