MIDDLETON LEADS STREN SERIES EVENT ON SAM RAYBURN

May 17 , 2006

JASPER, Texas - Pro Wade Middleton of San Antonio, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 2 ounces to lead day one of the Stren Series Central Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Evinrude.

Pros are competing for as much as $64,500 and valuable points that could qualify them for a trip to the $1 million Stren Series Championship for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the Stren Series Championship will also earn a spot in the new $2 million 2007 Forrest Wood Cup where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and Ranger owners' tournaments for bass fishing's first $1 million top award.

Rounding out the top five pros are Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas (five bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce); Alan Bond of Vidor, Texas (five bass bass, 17 pounds, 7 ounces); Jim Nolan of Bull Shoals, Ark. (five bass, 16 pounds, 11 ounces); and Lendell Martin Jr., of Nacogdoches, Texas (five bass, 16 pounds, 0 ounces).

Derek Remitz of Himphill, Texas, earned $625 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 7-pound bass.

Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas, leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces while fishing with pro Sid Havard of Simsboro, La., who is currently in 48th place

"We caught all of our fish deep on Carolina rigs," said Rogers who has 15 top-10 finishes in his FLW Outdoors career. "Sid had a brush pile and we caught all of our fish by 8:30 this morning. It was one of those deals that I just happen to catch the kicker fish and he didn't." Rogers used a watermelon seed Baby Brush Hog on the Carolina rig to catch his day one leading limit.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Tim Webb of Olpe, Kan. (four bass, 15 pounds, 8 ounces); Mike Wisenbaker of Jourdanton , Texas (five bass, 13 pounds, 11 ounces); Ray Burnett of Cleveland, Texas (five bass, 13 pounds, 1 ounces); and Emmet Barnett of Waldron, Ark. (four bass, 11 pounds, 13 ounces).

Webb earned $225 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 7-pound, 7-ounce bass. Anglers will take off at 6:30 each morning from Umphrey Family Pavilion located at 5438 RR 255 West in Jasper, Texas.

Thursday's weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 800 West Gibson in Jasper beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Jasper/Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information visit their Web site at www.jaspercoc.org.

Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers - based on two-day accumulated weights - advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

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, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.5 million through 235 events in 2006.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.

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