Clark On Top At Home

A 6-pound, 4-ounce lunker gave Dianna Clark a big push Friday in the Old Hickory Lake event of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors — and to her sagging season.

The Bumpus Mills, Tenn., pro’s two-day total of 26 pounds, 15 ounces, put her almost 7 pounds ahead of Angie Douthit of Clewiston, Fla., who had 20 pounds.

Currently in 57th place in the season’s points race, Clark also stands to gain ground in the circuit’s race to become the first woman to qualify for a Bassmaster Classic, bass fishing’s most prestigious competition. The one pro with the most points at the end of the season will be the 2008 Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year and qualify for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport/Bossier City, La. The AOY also wins a 2009 Toyota Tundra.

Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., was the points leader going into the Tennessee event. She ended Friday in 10th place, a big jump from her previous day’s standing of 32nd. The race will culminate with the WBT Championship, set for Arkansas’ Lake Hamilton on Oct. 23-25,

Closest to the leaders were Cheryl LaLumandier of St. Charles, Mo., with 19-10; first-day leader Janet Parker of Little Elm, Texas, with 19-9; and Bridget Allen of Philadelphia, Pa., who had 17-11.

Clark is a two-time WBT winner and owner of the circuit’s first Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year crown. Both her wins and AOY crown came in 2006. But she lined herself up Friday for a third career win and the Tennessee event’s first prize, a $50,000 Triton/Mercury boat rig and $1,000 cash.

Clark said her day Friday on the water was “amazing.”

“So many of those fish that size break off, especially when they get up around the trolling motor,” Clark related. “I said, ‘Oh, it’s a big one, please stay on. After I got it in, I just shook so hard I had to sit down.”

She said she had her limit by 10:15 a.m., all from the same spot.

“I didn’t have a whole lot of bites today, it was a tough day. I pretty much lucked up on that big fish today. There might not be another one tomorrow, but if there is, I’d be as grateful as I was today.”

She declined to share details of how she caught the lunker until after the tournament ends Saturday.

Meanwhile, Douthit is fighting a tooth infection but persevered to second. The Clewiston, Fla., pro, who has a best finish of fourth on Missouri’s Bull Shoals Lake, was throwing soft plastics in an area she found during practice which she has all to herself.

“I know I’m sick but I’m trying to make the best of it,” said Douthit. “I need to go out and make every bite count.”

The field was cut to the top 20 pros to compete in Saturday’s finale, which will be covered by Bassmaster.com with live video and a real-time leaderboard beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT. Following the weigh-in, Bassmaster.com will post final results, stories and photo galleries.

In the co-angler division, Elizabeth Havens of Austin, Texas, had a two-day total of 16-6 to top the list of the 20 co-anglers who made the cut to compete Saturday for the first-place prize of a Skeeter/Yamaha rig valued at $25,000. Havens’ 16 pounds, 6 ounces put her far in front of Stacy Zhelesnik of Hoboken, N.J, who had 13 pounds, 13 ounces, and Petra Ramsey of El Paso, Texas, who had 10 pounds, 10 ounces.

The field will launch Saturday at 5:30 a.m. at Sanders Ferry Park, 100 Sanders Ferry Road in Hendersonville. The finale weigh-in will be begin at 2:30 p.m. at Academy Sports & Outdoors, 2350 Gallatin Pike N. in Madison, Tenn.

All WBT events are free and open to the public.

Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour include Academy Sports & Outdoors, Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Lowrance, Mercury, Skeeter, Yamaha, OPTIMA Batteries, Triton Boats, Legend Boats, MoGills and Mustang.

Local hosts include the Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Holiday Inn Express of Hendersonville

Stop No. 3
2008 Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors
Old Hickory Lake
Hendersonville, Tenn.
June 19-21, 2008

Field
83 pros, 83 co-anglers/observers
Cut to the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers after Day 2

Saturday Launch
5:30 a.m. CT
Sanders Ferry Park
100 Sanders Ferry Road
Hendersonville, Tenn.

Saturday Weigh-in
2:30 p.m. CT
Academy Sports & Outdoors
2350 Gallatin Pike N.
Madison, Tenn.

About BASS

For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive web properties in Bassmaster.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage to passionate audiences.

The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.

BASS also offers a wide array of services to its more than 525,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.