Ehrler on Cruise Control into the Finals

3/6/2010 8:09:47 AM

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Melton Wins Co-Angler Title, $25,000

National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces Friday to maintain the lead at the FLW Tour event presented by Cabela’s on Table Rock Lake, advancing to the top five as the crucial No. 1 seed. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 52-14 he now holds a 13-pound, 15-ounce lead in the tournament going in to the final day of competition.

“I feel very fortunate,” said Ehrler, who will be making his 21st top-10 appearance which includes six tour wins in just five years. “I have never been in this position before (leading by nearly 14 pounds). I saw FLW Tour pro David Fritts go into the final day of competition with an 18-20 pound lead, and I thought, 'wow, that would be real nice.' Now, I’m just real nervous.”

Ehrler fished the same underwater point all week long and hoped it would hold out one more day. It’s a staging area right now, and the fish are just waiting there for the water to warm up. It’s an area that goes from deep to shallow with a lot of timber and rocks. He has been enjoying an incredible early bite and really hasn’t caught any keepers past noon. All but about 5 pounds of his total weight have come from this magical area.

Rounding out the top-5 pros and advancing to the final day’s competition are:

            2nd:        Ron Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., five bass, 14-4 for a three-day total of 13 bass, 38-15
            3rd:        Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., four bass, 9-14 for a three-day total of 14 bass, 38-14
            4th:        Greg Pugh, Cullman, Ala., four bass, 9-5 for a three-day total of 13 bass, 38-8
            5th:        Mike Wurm, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 7-9 for a three-day total of 13 bass, 37-12

The rest of the top-10 pros include some of the greatest anglers in the world and they are:

            6th:     National Guard pro Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 35-14, $17,000
            7th:     Mark Rose, Marion, Ark., 14 bass, 34-9, $16,000
            8th:     Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 13 bass, 33-6, $15,000
            9th:     Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., 13 bass, 32-4, $14,000
            10th:   Folgers pro Scott Suggs, Bryant, Ark., 12 bass, 31-11, $13,000

Overall there were 238 bass weighing 600 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 148 pros Friday. The catch included only 11 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 Forrest Wood Cup which will be held Aug. 5- 8 at Lake Lanier in Atlanta, Ga., where they could win as much as $600,000 – the sport’s biggest award.

Shane Melton of Greentown, Ind., won the Co-angler Division and $25,000 Friday with a three-day total of 9 bass weighing 26 pounds, 10 ounces followed by Brad Roberts of Nancy, Ky., in second place with 8 bass weighing 26-1 worth $9,862.

Melton opened the tournament in first place and never looked back. On Wednesday he had the only five-bass limit weighing 13-9 while fishing with pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. On Thursday, he maintained the lead on the strength of three bass weighing 6-15 while fishing with pro Mark Rose of Marion, Ark. He sealed the win Friday with only one-bass weighing 6-2 while fishing with pro Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill.

“I have been nervous all day,” said Melton, who earned his first FLW Tour co-angler victory. “I just had a great week, I got to fish with my heroes, some of the best anglers in the world, and I am just thrilled. I was so nervous up on stage I forgot my wife’s name! I still can’t believe it! Fishing is my peace. Phenomenal is the only way to describe this week.”

While fishing with three different pros one of the only things that remained consistent for Melton was his bait. He caught all his fish using Mann’s Sting Ray Grub in deep water.

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:

      3rd:   Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, seven bass, 18-13, $7,395
      4th:   Van Roy Foster, Jr., Dalton, Ga., five bass, 16-5, $4,928
      5th:   Sean Stepp, Stafford, Va., five bass, 16-4, $3,942
      6th:   Todd Lee, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 15-9, $2,955
      7th:   Teddy Bradley, Mishawaka, Ind., seven bass, 15-6, $2,462
      8th:   Mike Foree, Osage Beach, Mo., six bass, 13-12, 1,968
      9th:   Jerry Willis, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $1,722
      10th: Chad Parks, Olive Branch, Miss., six bass, 13-2, $1,475

Co-anglers are also fishing for valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.

Overall there were 83 bass weighing 227 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 148 co-anglers Friday. The catch included only one five-bass limit.