16 year old leads Co Angler / Potomac River

GRIGGS LEADS STREN SERIES EVENT ON POTOMAC RIVER

Sixteen-year-old leads co-anglers, television star catches biggest bass

LA PLATA, Md. (Aug. 16, 2006) - Ranger Pro Eddie Griggs of Richmond, Va., caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces to lead day one of the Stren Series Northeast Division event on the Potomac River.
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.
"I fished a combination of grass and hard cover up and down the river," said Griggs, who also competes on the FLW Tour as a co-angler. "The better fish were biting the first hour and a half of the incoming tide and I wanted to stay with it."
Griggs started his day at Potomac Creek and ran north to within sight of the nation's capitol to fish certain areas at the same tide flow. He targeted clumps of hydrilla and milfoil using a black and blue Booyah jig with a green pumpkin Yum trailer and a Spot Sticker jig with a green pumpkin Yum Houdini worm to catch his tournament-leading limit. He also targeted hard cover, such as docks and lay-downs using the same baits.
"I would run five or six miles and stop to fish," he said. "Then I would run five or six more miles. I repeated that process all the way to the Swan Creek area."
Rounding out the top five pros are Charlie Hartley of Grove City, Ohio (five bass, 16 pounds, 14 ounces); Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C. (five bass, 16 pounds, 2 ounces); Mike Hoskings of Dumfries, Va. (five bass, 15 pounds, 7 ounces); and James Kemper of Frankfort, Ky. (five bass, 15 pounds, 6 ounces).
Wayne Burchett of Pulaski, Va., earned $650 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 6-pound, largemouth bass.
Sixteen-year-old Mark Condron of Wilton, Conn., 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 15 pounds, 13 ounces while fishing with pro Timothy Penhollow of Oxford, S.C.
"It feels awesome to be leading," said Condron, who is fishing is just his third Stren Series event. "It hasn't really sunk in yet, but it feels great."
Condron used a Texas-rigged trick worm around vegetation in 3 to 4 feet of water to catch the majority of his bass.
Team Gain member Real Andrews of Milford, Conn., earned $230 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 6-pound, 2-ounce largemouth bass.
Andrews may look familiar to those who see him, as he originated the role of Marcus Taggert on the popular soap opera General Hospital. Before joining General Hospital, Andrews also completed roles in the films such as Born on the Fourth of July, with Tom Cruise, and Rocky V, with Sylvester Stallone.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Ryan Bowman of Seneca, S.C. (five bass, 12 pounds, 8 ounces); Shane Lehew of Charlotte, N.C. (five bass, 12 pounds); Gary Gulliams of Troutville, Va. (five bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces); and Butch Zadlo of Boone, N.C. (five bass, 11 pounds, 13 ounces).
Anglers will take off from Smallwood State Park 6:30 each morning. Thursday's weigh-in will be held at the marina, which is located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, Md., beginning at 3p.m. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 40 Drury Road in La Plata beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
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.
The Potomac River Stren Series event is hosted by the Charles County Office of Tourism in cooperation with the Maryland Office of Tourism. For more information, call 1-800-766-3386.
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 presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 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.