Monsoor Leads Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Hartwell Presented by Folgers

GREENVILLE, S.C., March 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Tom Monsoor finished the 2011 season ranked sixth in the Kellogg's Angler of the Year standings in Walmart FLW Tour Major competition. He's starting 2012 right where he left off and is leading a full field of pros from all across the United States, Canada, Spain and Japan as they fish for a top cash award of up to $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Hartwell presented by Folgers.

Link to photo of pro leader Tom Monsoor

The LaCrosse, Wis., angler advanced to the top 10 as the No. 1 seed with a five-bass limit Saturday of 21-10. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 54-9, he now holds a miniscule 1-ounce lead in the tournament going into the final day of competition.

"I'm not real confident," said Monsoor, who has 32 career top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition. "Ehrler's really a good fisherman, and it looks like he's on some really good fish.

"I had a great day," Monsoor said. "I might not do that tomorrow."

Monsoor's technique for success is no surprise to those who have followed his career – he's throwing a swimming jig – and he said he will rely on the jig on the final day of competition.

"I'll have five poles all with my swimming jig on them," Monsoor said.

National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., advanced to the final round of 10 pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 54-8.

Rounding out the top 10 pros and advancing to the final day of competition are:

            3rd:      Marty Stone, Fayetteville, N.C., 15 bass, 50-13

            4th:      Kettle Brand Chips pro Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 50-9

            5th:      Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 15 bass, 50-9

            6th:      Micah Frazier, Newnan, Ga., 15 bass, 49-13

            7th:      Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 48-10

            8th:      National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 15 bass, 48-0

            9th:      Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 15 bass, 46-14

            10th:     Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 45-10

Finishing in 11th through 20th are:

            11th:     Kellogg's Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 15 bass, 45-8, $12,500

            12th:     EverStart pro Ron Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., 15 bass, 42-10, $12,500

            13th:     Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 42-9, $12,500

            14th:     Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., 15 bass, 41-14, $12,500

            15th:     M&Ms pro Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., 15 bass, 40-2, $12,500

            16th:     Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 37-9, $12,000

            17th:     Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 13 bass, 37-7, $12,000

            18th:     Lancen Halbert, Enoree, S.C., 13 bass, 36-13, $12,000

            19th:     Clifford Pirch, Payson, Ariz., 10 bass, 32-0, $12,000

            20th:     Pringles pro Vic Vatalaro, Kent, Ohio, 10 bass, 30-11, $12,000

Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Overall there were 86 bass weighing 238 pounds, 13 ounces caught by pros Saturday. The catch included 16 five-bass limits.

Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.

Kevin Gordon of Aiken, S.C., won the co-angler division and $25,250 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 43 pounds, 3 ounces followed by David Kuykendall of Fletcher, N.C., in second place with 15 bass weighing 35-12 worth $7,500.

"I did pretty good today," Gordon said. "I'm super excited and got to fish with some great guys. This is a great organization and I really enjoyed my time here this week."

Gordon fished his final day of competition with Ehrler and said they spent the day fishing a variety of presentations and depths.

"(Ehrler) was on them strong," Gordon said. "Sitting in the back of the boat all I had to do was adapt to conditions whether it was deep or shallow. I fished with one of the best fishermen today you could ask for."

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:

            3rd:      Richard Peek, Centre, Ala., 14 bass, 34-3, $5,000

            4th:      David Lauer, Loxahatchee, Fla., 14 bass, 32-9, $4,000

            5th:      Rich Dalbey, Greenville, Texas, 12 bass, 30-6, $3,000

            6th:      Bryan Partak, Marseilles, Ill., 12 bass, 29-12, $2,500

            7th:      J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., 15 bass, 29-9, $2,000

            8th:      Brant Grimm, Kingsport, Tenn., 14 bass, 29-6, $1,800

            9th:      James Dixon, Southfield, Mich., 15 bass, 28-9, $1,700

            10th:     Philip Jarabeck, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 27-14, $1,600

Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Overall there were 57 bass weighing 114 pounds, 1 ounce caught by co-anglers Saturday. The catch included six five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart. The top 35 co-anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.

The top 10 pros will take off at 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning from Portman Shoals Marina. Sunday's final weigh-in will be held at the TD Convention Center located at One Exposition Drive in Greenville beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will be treated to the FLW Outdoors Expo at the TD Convention Center on Sunday from noon - 4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-in. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. On Sunday the first 300 children 14 and under who are accompanied by an adult will receive a free rod and reel combo courtesy of The Greenville News. Also on Sunday one lucky fishing fan will win a Can-Am ATV courtesy of WESC 92.5. The ATV giveaway is free to enter but the winner must be present at the conclusion of Sunday's final weigh-in to win.

Coverage of the Lake Hartwell tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when "FLW" airs April 15 from 1 - 2 p.m. ET. "FLW" is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry's premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport's richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the "Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water," through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world's richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.

FLWOutdoors.com

SOURCE FLW Outdoors