Wire to Wire, Texan Janet Parker Claims Her First Women’s Bassmaster Tour Victory
WEST MONROE, La. — All week Janet Parker of Little, Elm, Texas, has been saying she was “keeping it simple” out on the water, but Parker also made it look easy when she won wire-to-wire Saturday by more than 8 pounds at the second stop of the 2009 Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour event on the Ouachita River.
The first day she led by 11 ounces. The second day she stretched her lead to almost 5 pounds. With Saturday’s weight of 11 pounds, 2 ounces — her best of the three days — she totaled 32-2, easily staying in front of Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla., who took second with 23-13.
Patti Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, who on Friday moved up from 21st into third place, also finished there with 21-13.
It was the first WBT title for Parker, who’s been competing in the women’s circuit since its inception in 2005. Her previous best finish was in June 2008 at Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake, where she finished 14th after leading the first day.
“Last night, when I realized I had a 4-pound, 12-ounce lead, I thought maybe I could win here,” Parker said. “I didn’t get overconfident because maybe my fish would turn off, or someone would catch an 8-pounder — you just don’t know. I did not count my chickens before they hatched.”
Her wire-to-wire win was worth a $55,000 Triton/Mercury boat package, $650, and a valuable 315 points in Toyota Tundra Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year race, where the eventual AOY winner will qualify for the 2010 Bassmaster Classic. Parker also received a bonus $500 that was donated to the winner by the Ouachita River Valley Association.
By “keeping it simple” on the Ouachita River, she meant she worked a Texas-rigged plastic crawfish in the same way to trigger a reaction bite, regardless of where she fished.
“I felt the key was having a weight and a magnetic bead,” Parker said. “I’d let the lure fall, then hop it up, and the beads would clack together. Then I’d let it rest and hop it up again.”
She fished the same rig in two markedly different areas. One was a shallow backwater, and the other a main-river ledge.
In the backwater, she picked up bass hitting baitfish at the mouth of an underwater culvert in water from 2 feet to about 8 feet deep. She also flipped to trees and brush in the same backwater.
On the main river channel, she threw her craw to bass holding in an eddy behind a ledge. Her only alteration in the rig for the main-river spot was a switch from a 3/8-ounce to a 1/2-ounce weight.
Ending in second place, Glasgow relied on a custom-made spinnerbait with a single Colorado blade, the same bait she used to win a WBT event at Arkansas’ Lake Dardanelle in 2007.
“It puts out a lot of thump, a lot of vibration, your rod tip’s bouncing as it pulses through the water,” said Glasgow, the 2007 Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year. “You can slow-roll it, and when you bring it by a piece of structure, you can stop it and let it flutter. It worked great in this muddy water.”
Glasgow said she stayed in the Ouachita’s backwater lakes, working flooded buckbrush and cypress trees, moving with the fish as the water level changed each day.
Winner in the co-angler division and the $25,000 Triton/Mercury boat rig was Day Two leader Linda Owens, a retired law enforcement officer from Brandon, Miss. Her three-day weight of 16 pounds, 14 ounces, was almost 5 pounds more than her closest competitor.
“This is my first win at a tournament, ever,” said Owens, whose first look at the Ouachita River was on the first day of competition. She said the boat she won will replace a boat she had to give up after retirement.
Owens said she flipped and pitched to cypress trees and brush all three days, a technique that is “right up my alley.” Her go-to lure was a soft-plastic creature bait with a chartreuse dip on the tail.
“For some reason, they wouldn’t hit if the tail wasn’t dipped,” Owens said.
Other top finishers in the co-angler division included Gail Wood of Russellville, Ark., was second with 12-2. First-day leader Terri Bittner of McKinleyville, Calif., was third with 10-12.
The final two stops of the WBT regular season will be out of Little Rock, Ark., for a June 4-6 competition on the Arkansas River; and Sept. 10-12 stop at Old Hickory Lake out of Hendersonville, Tenn.
After the Old Hickory tournament, the top 20 in both the pro and co-angler points standings will advance to the Oct. 16-18 Academy Sports + Outdoors WBT Championship on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
One pro will emerge from the championship as the Toyota Tundra Women's Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year. She’ll win a Toyota Tundra and qualify for the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 19-21 on Lay Lake out of Birmingham, Ala.
Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., who finished in seventh place at Ouachita, retained her first-place position in the points race with 582 points. Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, is second in the AOY with 556 points.
The local sponsor of the Women's Bassmaster Tour stop on the Ouachita River is the Monroe-West Monroe Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Sponsors of the Women’s Bassmaster Tour
Title Sponsor: Academy Sports + Outdoors. Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Marine. Supporting Sponsors: Ramada, Triton Boats, LaserLure and Legend Boats.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNOutdoorsMedia.com for BASS and ESPN Outdoors latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos and more.
About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multimedia platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties in ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports network, Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.
The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS annually sanctions more than 20,000 events.
BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
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Media Contact: Doug Grassian, (407) 566-2216 or doug.grassian@espn.com
2009 Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour - WBT #2
04/23-04/25 Ouachita River, West Monroe, La.
Professionals Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Janet Parker Little Elm, Texas 15 32-02 315 $55,650.00
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 5 11-02
2. Sheri Glasgow Muskogee, Okla. 15 23-13 295 $3,575.00
Day 1: 5 6-13 Day 2: 5 9-09 Day 3: 5 7-07
3. Patti Campbell Waxahachie, Texas 14 21-13 290 $2,925.00
Day 1: 4 4-02 Day 2: 5 10-03 Day 3: 5 7-08
4. Laura Gober Pendergrass, Ga. 13 20-15 285 $2,600.00
Day 1: 5 8-14 Day 2: 3 5-02 Day 3: 5 6-15
5. Juanita Robinson Highlands, Texas 12 17-12 280 $2,275.00
Day 1: 5 6-00 Day 2: 3 4-14 Day 3: 4 6-14
6. Dianna Clark Bumpus Mills, Tenn. 11 16-10 276 $1,950.00
Day 1: 3 4-10 Day 2: 4 5-07 Day 3: 4 6-09
7. Pam Martin-Wells Bainbridge, Ga. 11 16-06 272 $1,625.00
Day 1: 5 7-08 Day 2: 3 4-04 Day 3: 3 4-10
8. Debra Petrowski Arlington, Texas 10 15-13 268 $1,300.00
Day 1: 2 5-10 Day 2: 3 4-03 Day 3: 5 6-00
9. Christiana Bradley Bealeton, Va. 11 15-12 264 $1,138.00
Day 1: 1 0-10 Day 2: 5 7-03 Day 3: 5 7-15
10. Lori Masters Nashville, Tenn. 12 15-05 260 $975.00
Day 1: 5 6-00 Day 2: 3 4-01 Day 3: 4 5-04
11. Jennifer Nevans Dayton, Tenn. 10 14-15 257 $878.00
Day 1: 1 2-00 Day 2: 5 7-08 Day 3: 4 5-07
12. Karen Savik Minneapolis, Minn. 8 14-03 254 $715.00
Day 1: 2 5-06 Day 2: 4 6-09 Day 3: 2 2-04
13. Tami Kashiwabara London, Ark. 11 13-01 251 $650.00
Day 1: 3 3-03 Day 2: 5 6-04 Day 3: 3 3-10
14. Meta Burrell Fort Worth, Texas 9 12-09 248 $634.00
Day 1: 5 7-09 Day 2: 2 2-07 Day 3: 2 2-09
15. Tammy Richardson Amity, Ark. 9 12-06 245 $618.00
Day 1: 2 2-02 Day 2: 5 6-05 Day 3: 2 3-15
16. Lynda Gessner Foristell, Mo. 11 12-03 243 $601.00
Day 1: 5 5-10 Day 2: 4 4-06 Day 3: 2 2-03
17. Kali Weatherford Athens, Texas 9 10-15 241 $585.00
Day 1: 2 1-15 Day 2: 5 7-03 Day 3: 2 1-13
18. Danalee Lofton Little Rock, Ark. 4 10-03 239 $569.00
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00
19. Debra Hengst San Antonio, Texas 6 10-01 237 $553.00
Day 1: 3 6-03 Day 2: 3 3-14 Day 3: 0 0-00
20. Mary Croft Bedford, Va. 7 9-10 235 $536.00
Day 1: 3 4-01 Day 2: 2 4-00 Day 3: 2 1-09
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 10 141 194-09
2 8 128 178-15
3 6 64 93-10
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24 333 467-02
2009 WBT #2 - West Monroe, LA - WBT #2 - West Monroe, LA Boater Points After Ouachita River, West Monroe, La. Ending 04-25-2009, Day 3
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Pam Martin-Wells Ga. 582
2 Juanita Robinson Texas 556
3 Laura Gober Ga. 553
4 Sheri Glasgow Okla. 543
5 Tammy Richardson Ark. 540
6 Debra Petrowski Texas 525
7 Janet Parker Texas 512
8 Lisa Johnson Ala. 495
9 Patti Campbell Texas 489
10 Dianna Clark Tenn. 479
11 Mary Croft Va. 478
11 Emily Shaffer Tenn. 478
13 Melinda Mize Ark. 475
14 Jennifer Nevans Tenn. 468
15 Judy Wong La. 466
16 Lori Masters Tenn. 465
17 Cindy Hill Tenn. 460
18 Karen Savik Minn. 455
19 Lynda Gessner Mo. 452
20 Robin Babb Texas 451
21 Mary DiVincenti La. 442
22 Lucy Mize Ark. 436
23 Christiana Bradley Va. 435
24 Teri Neal Ga. 434
24 Paula Alexander Ga. 434
26 Debbie Kemp Texas 432
27 Tami Kashiwabara Ark. 428
28 Cheryl LaLumandier Mo. 426
29 Heather Broom N.C. 424
29 Sandi Karnes Texas 424
31 Robinette Fox Ark. 419
32 Kathy Womack Ala. 412
33 Kris McClendon Texas 410
34 Debra Hengst Texas 384
34 Jan Heavener Ark. 384
36 Christena Baugh Ark. 382
37 Laura Heflin Kan. 380
38 Meta Burrell Texas 379
39 Kali Weatherford Texas 374
40 Bridget Allen Pa. 366
41 Susan Gregory Miss. 356
41 Linda Redford Mo. 356
43 Helen Gordon Texas 354
44 Danalee Lofton Ark. 352
44 Marsha Gipson Ark. 352
46 Kathi Hurst Miss. 348
47 Keri Schieber Ga. 346
48 Michelle Armstrong N.C. 344
48 Jo Dee Lake Ala. 344
50 Terri Elkins Texas 342
51 Lisa Craig Texas 332
52 Lila Bass Texas 324
53 BJ Carson Okla. 322
54 Mary Hencken N.C. 320
55 Cindy Van Horn Texas 314
56 Secret York Ky. 302
57 Robbie Hartline Mo. 290
58 Rhonda Pope Ga. 285
59 Kim Stapp Ga. 264
60 Kim Bain-Moore Ala. 251
61 Pam Bolton Ark. 245
62 Cheryl Bowden Texas 233
63 Karen Elkins Ala. 227
64 Kat Ealey Ala. 221
65 Gina Jones Ala. 217
66 Penny Berryman Ark. 213
67 Linda Sands Ala. 195
68 Diane Phillips Texas 193
69 Kathy DiMartino Ala. 191
70 Audrey McQueen Ariz. 187
71 Betty Stahl Ala. 185
72 Barbara Wetzel Ala. 169
73 Lisa Sternard Tenn. 165
74 Kelley Shepherd Ariz. 163
74 Deb Doyal La. 163
76 Sherri Dodson Ala. 155
77 Kimberlee Striker Ala. 151
78 Pat White Texas 149
79 Patsy McDaniel Ala. 137
80 Kim Hicks Ga. 127
81 Judy VanCanneyt Ala. 125
82 Ann Swinks Ga. 119
83 Kathy Freehling Fla. 115
84 Sharon Teague S.C. 0
2009 Academy Sports + Outdoors Women’s Bassmaster Tour - WBT #2
04/23-04/25 Ouachita River, West Monroe La.
Co-Anglers Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Linda Owens Brandon, Miss. 11 16-14 310 $25,325.00
Day 1: 2 1-13 Day 2: 5 8-07 Day 3: 4 6-10
2. Gail Wood Russellville, Ark. 7 12-02 295 $1,950.00
Day 1: 3 4-08 Day 2: 3 4-13 Day 3: 1 2-13
3. Terri Bittner Mckinleyville, Calif. 8 10-12 295 $1,625.00
Day 1: 4 6-05 Day 2: 1 1-09 Day 3: 3 2-14
4. Debbie Pegoli Loveland, Ohio 6 9-07 285 $1,300.00
Day 1: 1 0-11 Day 2: 3 4-11 Day 3: 2 4-01
5. Donna Newberry Van Buren, Ark. 6 8-07 280 $1,138.00
Day 1: 2 2-04 Day 2: 3 5-01 Day 3: 1 1-02
6. Teri Cindric Hermitage, Tenn. 6 7-12 276 $975.00
Day 1: 3 3-06 Day 2: 3 4-06 Day 3: 0 0-00
7. Kala Wright Spiro, Okla. 4 7-12 272 $813.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 5-09 Day 3: 1 2-03
8. Charlotte Frazier Dallas, Texas 4 7-11 268 $650.00
Day 1: 2 3-07 Day 2: 1 1-11 Day 3: 1 2-09
9. Monica Altman Angier, N.C. 7 7-06 264 $585.00
Day 1: 1 1-06 Day 2: 5 5-01 Day 3: 1 0-15
10. Kim Martin Clayton, Ind. 4 7-03 260 $536.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 5-13 Day 3: 1 1-06
11. Renee Gumbrecht Oakhurst, N.J. 5 6-07 257 $488.00
Day 1: 1 0-15 Day 2: 4 5-08 Day 3: 0 0-00
12. Katie Hogan Bon Aqua, Tenn. 4 6-06 254 $455.00
Day 1: 2 3-13 Day 2: 2 2-09 Day 3: 0 0-00
13. Donna Rutledge Orland Park, Ill. 5 6-02 251 $423.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 4-00 Day 3: 2 2-02
14. Lisa Diehl Pittsburg, Pa. 6 6-01 248 $390.00
Day 1: 4 3-08 Day 2: 1 1-04 Day 3: 1 1-05
15. Barbara Gaskins Suffolk, Va. 5 5-14 245 $374.00
Day 1: 3 3-05 Day 2: 1 1-11 Day 3: 1 0-14
16. Jill Matheis Jasper, Ind. 5 5-13 243 $358.00
Day 1: 2 2-15 Day 2: 2 1-11 Day 3: 1 1-03
17. Kat Arnold Shreveport, La. 4 5-00 241 $341.00
Day 1: 2 3-02 Day 2: 1 0-14 Day 3: 1 1-00
18. Sherry Melton Monterey, Tenn. 3 4-05 239 $325.00
Day 1: 3 4-05 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 0 0-00
19. Linda Walker Beebe, Ark. 2 3-12 237 $309.00
Day 1: 1 1-08 Day 2: 1 2-04 Day 3: 0 0-00
20. Barbara Ferge Somerville, Tenn. 3 3-05 235 $293.00
Day 1: 1 0-10 Day 2: 2 2-11 Day 3: 0 0-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 0 59 66-13
2 2 82 110-01
3 0 21 31-01
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2 162 207-15
2009 WBT #2 - West Monroe, LA - WBT #2 - West Monroe, LA Non-Boater Points After Ouachita River, West Monroe, La. Ending 04-25-2009, Day 3
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Donna Newberry Ark. 585
1 Terri Bittner Calif. 585
3 Teri Cindric Tenn. 540
4 Debbie Pegoli Ohio 526
5 Gail Wood Ark. 516
6 Martha Goodfellow S.C. 512
7 Charlotte Frazier Texas 503
8 Sherry Melton Tenn. 496
9 Kala Wright Okla. 495
10 Kim Martin Ind. 493
11 Colleen McKay Mass. 491
12 Donna Rutledge Ill. 476
13 Monica Altman N.C. 471
14 Renee Gumbrecht N.J. 470
15 Linda Owens Miss. 469
15 Cheryl Buelow La. 469
17 Vicki Henderson Ark. 455
18 Trish Levitt N.M. 447
19 Kim Petrowski Texas 444
20 Katie Hogan Tenn. 439
21 Barbara Gaskins Va. 434
22 Linda Walker Ark. 432
22 Kat Arnold La. 432
24 Lesley Childers S.C. 412
25 Lisa Diehl Pa. 411
26 Sabrina Thompson Texas 410
27 Kim Mendoza Texas 404
27 Linda Berry N.C. 404
27 Bertha Cavakis Ark. 404
30 Bonnie Ward Wash. 398
31 Susan Dameron Tenn. 388
31 Nancy Oliver La. 388
33 Barbara Ferge Tenn. 386
34 Melissa Bond N.M. 380
35 Elizabeth Sanders Miss. 370
35 Jill Matheis Ind. 370
37 Susan Wild Fla. 356
37 Neva Brown Texas 356
39 Diane Smith Ga. 350
39 Karol Whitehurst Texas 350
41 Denese Freeman Okla. 348
41 Pam Chism Ark. 348
41 Christine Martin Colo. 348
44 Jane Brunner Miss. 346
45 Debra Cook Ala. 338
46 Patti James Texas 336
46 Katie Ellis Miss. 336
46 Dawn Dudek Ill. 336
46 Patty Houston Ala. 336
50 Stacy Zhelesnik N.J. 305
51 Nancy Stumpe Fla. 276
52 Linda Higginbotham Fla. 272
53 Vicki Hester Ala. 251
54 Lori Steele Okla. 248
55 Lesli Lively Texas 245
56 Michele Gunderman N.C. 243
57 Kelly Wells Ga. 237
58 Cynthia Tayloe Texas 231
59 Bunny Hicks Ga. 227
60 Cheryl Sprayberry Fla. 221
61 Torrye Vineyard Texas 217
62 Brandi Frasier Ky. 211
63 Miriam Donohoo Fla. 209
64 Laura Bean Ala. 201
64 Judy Pate La. 201
66 Jada Tidmore Ala. 199
67 Sarah Davis La. 197
68 Inez Zeagler La. 195
69 Cynthia Bryan La. 191
70 Jennifer Blackwood Ga. 181
70 DeLynn Montez Calif. 181
70 Sharron Stone Texas 181
73 Juanita Blasingame Tenn. 179
74 LaShea Raynor S.C. 175
75 Leslie Anderson Mo. 169
76 Linda Rinker Fla. 167
77 Lisa Skelley Tenn. 153
78 Nancy Dugas Ala. 143
79 Petra Ramsey Texas 141
80 Jennifer Rice Ala. 135
81 Virginia Buckner Ala. 133
82 Marilyn Biszmaier Ky. 131
83 Cassie Hall Ala. 129
84 Sugar Walker Ala. 125
85 Mona Crawford Fla. 123
86 Kimberly White Ill. 117
87 Sharon Lawson Tenn. 113
88 Gerry Threadgill Texas 0
88 Caprice Cherry La. 0
88 Leanne Snowden Mich. 0
