Richardson Tops In Women's Bassmaster Tour Opener
Eric Johnson
April 23, 2006
Think professional bass fishing is just for men?
Think again.
As last weekend?s inaugural Women?s Bassmaster Tour event at Lake Neely Henry in Alabama proved, the good ol? boys aren?t the only ones burning up the water.
Arkansas? Tammy Richardson, who started Saturday?s final in fifth place, weighed in 14 pounds, 3 ounces to become the WBT?s first tournament winner with a three day catch totaling 33 pounds, 3 ounces, beating the rest of the field by more than 3 pounds. Angling legend Penny Berryman, the day two co-leader, finished a disappointing fourth.
Fishing a backup location after her primary spot let her down on day two, Richardson made a second adjustment when co-angler Bonnie Ward started out-catching her with a 4-inch green pumpkin Senko. After that, everything fell into place.
By winning the WBT event, Richardson takes home a Triton Boat/Mercury Marine package valued at $50,000, 305 points toward the Women?s Bassmaster Tour championship and all the notoriety that goes along with winning the very first tournament in the fledgling tour?s history.
The success of the Lake Neely Henry tournament, the first of a five event tour leading up to the Women?s Bassmaster Tour championship in 2007, is undoubtedly welcome news for beleaguered BASS executives, who have suffered a series of very public setbacks since the 2001 sale of the Bass Anglers Sportsmans Society to sports media giant ESPN. Despite the massive influx of funds and exposure, the Montgomery-based organization?s struggle to regain its stature has been something of an embarrassment. Once the only major player in the professional bass fishing arena, BASS has recently lost some of its most respected stars, including current Bassmaster Classic winner Luke Clausen, not to mention a staggering number of its grassroots Federation chapters, to the rival FLW tour.
But if the WBT is going to help BASS recover some of its luster, it?s going to have to do it without 23 year old Melinda Mize, considered by many to be one of the freshest, most bankable faces in women?s bass fishing. The Arkansas pro has been called up for overseas military duty.
Fittingly, one of her sponsors is the National Guard.
A Guard member for the last five years, Mize will be deployed to the Middle East as part of a flight aviation operation. Though she?s not scheduled to return until June of 2007, you can bet she?ll receive plenty of scuttlebutt from the bass fishing world ? her mom, Lucy Mize, is also fishing the WBT, while her Dad, Bassmaster veteran Larry Mize, is fishing the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series.
Think again.
As last weekend?s inaugural Women?s Bassmaster Tour event at Lake Neely Henry in Alabama proved, the good ol? boys aren?t the only ones burning up the water.
Arkansas? Tammy Richardson, who started Saturday?s final in fifth place, weighed in 14 pounds, 3 ounces to become the WBT?s first tournament winner with a three day catch totaling 33 pounds, 3 ounces, beating the rest of the field by more than 3 pounds. Angling legend Penny Berryman, the day two co-leader, finished a disappointing fourth.
Fishing a backup location after her primary spot let her down on day two, Richardson made a second adjustment when co-angler Bonnie Ward started out-catching her with a 4-inch green pumpkin Senko. After that, everything fell into place.
By winning the WBT event, Richardson takes home a Triton Boat/Mercury Marine package valued at $50,000, 305 points toward the Women?s Bassmaster Tour championship and all the notoriety that goes along with winning the very first tournament in the fledgling tour?s history.
The success of the Lake Neely Henry tournament, the first of a five event tour leading up to the Women?s Bassmaster Tour championship in 2007, is undoubtedly welcome news for beleaguered BASS executives, who have suffered a series of very public setbacks since the 2001 sale of the Bass Anglers Sportsmans Society to sports media giant ESPN. Despite the massive influx of funds and exposure, the Montgomery-based organization?s struggle to regain its stature has been something of an embarrassment. Once the only major player in the professional bass fishing arena, BASS has recently lost some of its most respected stars, including current Bassmaster Classic winner Luke Clausen, not to mention a staggering number of its grassroots Federation chapters, to the rival FLW tour.
But if the WBT is going to help BASS recover some of its luster, it?s going to have to do it without 23 year old Melinda Mize, considered by many to be one of the freshest, most bankable faces in women?s bass fishing. The Arkansas pro has been called up for overseas military duty.
Fittingly, one of her sponsors is the National Guard.
A Guard member for the last five years, Mize will be deployed to the Middle East as part of a flight aviation operation. Though she?s not scheduled to return until June of 2007, you can bet she?ll receive plenty of scuttlebutt from the bass fishing world ? her mom, Lucy Mize, is also fishing the WBT, while her Dad, Bassmaster veteran Larry Mize, is fishing the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series.