Fitzgerald Wins Open on Seminole, Earns Elite Invite!

Trevor Fitzgerald of Ocala, Fla. flipped up a 19 pound, 1 ounce stringer in today’s final round of the Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Seminole.

The performance gave him the win as he accumulated 44-2 over 3 days. Along with the $35,000 top prize, his effort earned Fitzgerald a chance to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series next year.

Fitzgerald flipped a black and blue Beaver behind a 1-ounce tungsten weight in matted hydrilla.

Derek Allen placed 2nd with 42-13. Allen caught nearly all of his weight this week on frogs. He lost one today that he feels cost him the win.

Clint Brown brought the week’s heaviest sack today (23-07) and rocketed into 3rd with 42-even.

Cliff Prince placed 4th with 37-14.

Randall Tharp rounds out the top 5 with 37-04, a feat that earned him Southern Open 2010 Angler of the Year honors. He’s going to the Classic on the Louisiana Delta in February. And should he choose to do so, he can fish the 2011 Elite Series.

Andy Montgomery started in 15th and improved steadily this week, eventually placing 11th with 31-14. He finished 2nd in the ponts race and earned a Bassmaster Classic berth. An invitation to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2011 is also on the table for the afable Carolina pro.

If not for the historically poor economy we could run down the list of new Elite Series competitors but these days many anglers who qualify can’t afford to participate. So look for the Elite roster to solidify over the coming months.

There’s a good chance we’ll see double VanDam’s on tour next season as Jonathon VanDam finished 12th in points and 4 of the guys ahead of him are Elite Series veterans who have already re-qualified through the Series. If one of the invitees  from the Opens ahead of him declines to make the jump, “JVD” may join uncle KVD.

Seminole Open – Anybody’s Game

Looks like they’re done weighing-in at the Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Seminole and I am fixin’ to head to the local high school to watch some football (big rivalry game tonight).

Kyle Fox left the door open. He and Randall Tharp each caught 3 small bass today and carry total weights of 23-13 and 22-13, respectively.

Todd Auten made a good move with 14-03. That puts him in 11th with a 2-day total of 22-12.

Andy Montgomery added 8-12 to his tally. With 21-7 he moved up a spot to 14th from 15th yesterday.

Derek Allen holds the lead with 29-05, which puts him 4 ounces ahead of Terry Scroggins.

Seminole Stingy as Anglers Vie for Classic Berths; Elite Series Invites

The Bassmaster Southern Open on Lake Seminole is the 3rd and final stop of the 2010 campaign. It offers 7 invittations for anglers wishing to fish the Elite Series. It also will vault 2 of them into the 2011 Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans this coming February.

Top prize this week is valued at $35,000 so even those with no shot at the Classic or Elites still have much to fish for.

Kyle Fox of Lakeland, Fla. blew the tourney open with 20 pounds, 3 ounces which gives him a nearly 2-pound lead over Alabama’s Randall Tharp.

While Fox made it look easy, 32 of 132 pros zeroed today. Only 7 of them outfished the leading co-angler, Fred Hood. And, as a co-angler, he was only allowed to weigh 3 fish. They went 14-10.

Another co-angler, Ben Fitzgerald of Ocala, Fla. caught the day’s biggest bass at 7 pounds, 8 ounces.

Not to say co-anglers can’t fish well – there are some really good ones in this field that I have fished with/against over the years – but when the guys in the back of the boat are doing as well as the pros, the fish just aren’t cooperating well. 

While Tharp was 3rd in points heading into this event and he helped himself more so than anyone else, Carolina’s Andy Montgomery leads the Southern Opens Angler of the Year Race and currently occupies 15th in this tourney. 

Field gets cut to top 30 tomorrow. If it happened today Terry Segraves would be the final man in with 9-06.

Looks like it’s a flip fest with a touch of early morning topwater action.

This one promises to be interesting as we head toward Saturday’s final round..