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New Orleans, LA, July 31, 1999 -Davy Hite, a 34-year-old pro from the aptly named town of Prosperity, S.C., brought his second consecutive 19-pound-plus five-bass limit of Louisiana Delta bass to the scales Saturday to run away with the most important title in competitive fishing, the 29th annual BASS Masters Classic, in front of an estimated 28,000 fishing fans in the famed Superdome.
Hite^s catch of 19 pounds, 14 ounces secured the biggest victory of his career by nearly 10 pounds. His three-day total of 55 pounds, 10 ounces outdistance defending Classic champion Denny Brauer of Missouri (45-11).
"This is a dream come true," said Hite, a former B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and runner-up in the 1996 Classic. "This is the greatest thing that a tournament fisherman could even hope to accomplish.
"This really makes up for finishing second back in 1996. In that tournament, I thought I had it won and back off of my fish late on the last day. But this time, I wasn^t about to let that happen again. I fished hard until the end of the day."
Hite^s success came on a junebug-colored 7-inch Gambler Bacon Rind, a strange-looking soft-plastic crawfish imitation flipped into shallow, floating vegetation. Ironically, it was an area that Hite first located when he spotted a group of about 20 3- to 5-pound bass floating dead on the surface.
"I was fortunate to have a unique little area all to myself, which is a real luxury in a tournament like this," said Hite who pocketed the $100,000 top prize. "And I was able to catch a better stringer each day."
Brauer^s success came on a 1/2-ounce black-and-blue Strike King Pro Model jig with a small prototype plastic crawfish trailer tied to 25-pound line. His Saturday catch of 17-9 enabled him to jump from fifth to second. "I worked hard this week and things went well," he said. "This is probably the one of the best tournaments I^ve ever fished in my whole career."
Former Classic champion Larry Nixon of Arkansas finished third with 43-14, followed by Texan Gary Klein (42-10) and Ron Shuffield of Missouri (40-4).
"It was a good tournament for me," said Nixon, who scored on a Strike King jig teamed with a Berkley Power Pulse Worm trailer. "I^m satisfied with my performance based on how I fished my way into the top when I really didn^t have much going for me early."
Nixon won Saturday^s Pennzoil $1,000 daily big-bass award with a 5-pound largemouth.
Statistics, background information and photos that can be downloaded are available on the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society website at www.bassmaster.com.
Sponsors of the BASS Masters Classic: Ranger Boats, RangerTrail Trailers, Mercury Outboards, Chevrolet Trucks, ACDelco Voyager Batteries, Kmart, Humminbird/Zercom, JERZEES American ActiveWear, Pennzoil, Wrangler Rugged Wear, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, Plano Tackle Systems, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, City of New Orleans, State of Louisiana, Jefferson Parish and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.
Uploaded: 8/1/1999
Uploaded: 8/1/1999