Fans in attendance at the Alabama CITGO BASSMASTER Tour event on Lake Guntersville will have the opportunity of cheering on one of daytime television's favorite detectives as he attempts to hunt down elusive bass instead of bad guys.
General Hospital's Lt. Taggert, Real Andrews, will be one of 150 amateur competitors in this event, which also features 150 of the world's top professional anglers.
"This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. It might sound cliche, but I literally eat, sleep, and dream fishing," says Andrews.
"When I'm not fishing, I am researching ways to catch "the big one" or I'm watching The CITGO BASSMASTERS to learn what the pros do."
Fans will be able to see the anglers, including Andrews, weigh-in their day's catch at
Guntersville State Park in Guntersville, Ala. The weigh-ins will take place Wednesday, April 10 through Saturday, April 13 at 3:00 p.m.
Andrews, an avid outdoorsman and fisherman, has focused solely on bass fishing the past two years. "I find them to be the most challenging," he says.
"I really like the fact that you have to become one with the bass and figure out where they are, what they want, and how they want it. I like the challenge."
Andrews is no stranger to tournament fishing, having competed in tournaments throughout California. He has been a participant in numerous charity bass tournaments as well, and is in the process of putting together his own charity tournament.
Anglers in the event will be competing for a share of the $478,000 purse. The top pro in the event will receive $110,000 and the top amateur $35,000.
The Alabama CITGO BASSMASTER Tour event on Lake Guntersville will be televised on ESPN2 Saturday, April 20 at 10:30 a.m. ET and will be re-aired on Friday, April 26 at 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET.
Additionally, a free CastingKids event, presented by Chevy Trucks and CITGO,
will be held there Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This fun-filled national program encourages children to perfect the skills of casting, pitching and flipping. Local B.A.S.S. clubs conduct the events and provide instruction to all youngsters.
By sanctioning over 20,000 tournaments worldwide through its B.A.S.S. Federation, B.A.S.S. is the world's largest fishing organization. The CITGO BASSMASTER Tournament Trail is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit. It continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism, and sportsmanship after more than three decades.
Sponsors of the Alabama CITGO BASSMASTER Tour include: CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Chevrolet Trucks, Mercury Marine, Yamaha Outboards, Triton Boats, Skeeter Boats, Lowrance Electronics, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, Stowaway Batteries, Kumho Tires, Long John Silver's, Gore-Tex Outerwear, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Bass Pro Shops, Armstrong Industrial Hand Tools, GMAC/ B.A.S.S. Vehicle & Boat Insurance, B.A.S.S. Platinum Visa/First USA.
Associate Sponsors include: Bass Cat Boats and G3 Boats
The Alabama CITGO BASSMASTER Tour event is presented locally by the State of Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel, the City of Guntersville, and the State of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources-State Parks Division.
"General Hospital" consistently ranks as the highest-rated Daytime drama among the key demographic of Women 18-49. In May of 2000 "General Hospital" made Daytime Emmy history as the only Daytime drama ever to receive the prestigious Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series a record seven times.
"General Hospital" airs MONDAY-FRIDAY from 3:00-4:00 p.m., ET/2:00-3:00 p.m., PT, on the ABC Television Network. Jill Farren Phelps is executive producer.
Alabama CITGO BASSMASTER Tour
Pro Entry List
Guntersville, AL Lake Guntersville
April 10-13, 2002
ALABAMA
Fred Bland, Birmingham
Dalton Bobo, Northport
Marty Carter, Hamilton
Rickie Harp, Cottondale
Tim Horton, Muscle Shoals
Randy Howell, Trussville
Roger Schofield, Killen
Gerald Swindle, Hayden
ARKANSAS
Stephen Browning, Hot Springs
George Cochran, Hot Springs
Mark Davis, Mount Ida
Doug Garrett, Cabot
Keith Green, Arkadelphia
Robert L. Kilby, Hot Springs
Mike McClelland, Springdale
Larry Nixon, Bee Branch
Scott Rook, Little Rock
Mark Rose, Marion
Ron Shuffield, Bismarck
Mike Wurm, Hot Springs
ARIZONA
Brett Hite, Phoenix
Ishama Monroe, Phoenix
John Murray, Phoenix
CALIFORNIA
Robert Lee, Angels Camp
Aaron Martens, Castaic
Skeet Reese, Auburn
Mark Rizk, Redding
Mark Tyler, Concord
Warren Wyman, Castaic
CONNECTICUT
Lee Bailey, Jr., Amston
Terry Baksay, Monroe
FLORIDA
Jim Bitter, Fruitland Park
Steve Daniel, Clewiston
Chet Douthit, Clewiston
Chuck Economou, Redington
Shaw E Grigsby, Jr, Gainesville
Larry Lazoen, Port Charlotte
Roland Martin, Clewiston
Bernie Schultz, Gainesville
Terry Segraves, Kissimmee
Peter E. Thliveros, Jacksonville
Charlie Youngers, Oviedo
GEORGIA
Mickey Bruce, Buford
Tony Couch, Buckhead
Paul Hanley, Hull
Mark Hardin, Canton
Michael Johnson, Talking Rock
Danny Kirk, Bartow
Johnny Lesesne, Blue Ridge
Tom Mann, Jr., Buford
Jimmy Millsaps, Canton
Jim Murray, Jr., Arabi
ILLINOIS
Tom Burns, Carbondale
INDIANA
Chip Harrison, Jr., Bremen
KANSAS
Brent Chapman, Shawnee
KENTUCKY
Mike Auten, Benton
Terry Bolton Jr., Paducah
Mark Menendez, Paducah
Dan Morehead, Paducah
Kevin Wirth, Crestwood
LOUISIANA
Roger Boler, Slidell
Homer Humphreys, Jr, Minden
Mark Sabbides, Pollock
Sam Swett, Covington
MASSACHUSSETS
Danny Correia, Marlboro
MARYLAND
Aaron A. Hastings, Boonsboro
MAINE
Dave Barnes Sr., Weeks Mills
MICHIGAN
Art Ferguson III, St. Clair Shores
Gerald Gostenik, Dearborn
Kim Stricker, Howell
Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo
MISSOURI
Basil E Bacon, Springfield
Randy Blaukat, Lamar
Denny Brauer, Camdenton
Chad Brauer, Osage Beach
Rick Clunn, Ava
Dion Hibdon, Stover
Stacey D. King, Reeds Spring
Tim Sainato, Branson
Brian Snowden, Springfield
Mark Tucker, Kirkwood
MISSISSIPPI
Paul L Elias, Pachuta
Tim Loper, Terry
Jeff Magee, Mendenhall
NORTH CAROLINA
Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia
Guy H. Eaker, Cherryville
Chris Elliott, Raleigh
Marty Fourkiller, Sylva
David Fritts, Lexington
Robert Graham, Mooresville
Doyle Hodgin, Durham
James A. Parker, Fayetteville
Joel G. Richardson, Kernersville
Marty Stone, Linden
Jeffrey Thomas, Broadway
Dustin Wilks, Raleigh
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Scott Canelas, Pelham
Rick Lillegard, Atkinson
NEW JERSEY
Pete Gluszek, Franklinville
Michael Iaconelli, Woodbury Heights
Kotaro Kiriyama, New Milford
NEW YORK
Tom Dolin, Palatine Bridge
OHIO
Charlie Hartley, Grove City
Frank Scalish, Cleveland
Joe Thomas, Milford
OKLAHOMA
Tom Biffle, Wagoner
Ken Cook, Meers
Edwin Evers, Mannsville
O. T. Fears III, Sallisaw
Kenyon Hill, Norman
Jimmy Houston, Cookson
Jeff Kriet, Ardmore
John Sappington, Wyandotte
Dave Smith, Del City
PENNSYLVANIA
David Hall, Kunkletown
SOUTH CAROLINA
Todd Auten, Lake Wylie
Davy Hite, Prosperity
Carl Maxfield, Summerville
Ray Sedgwick, Cross
TENNESSEE
Gary Alverson, Soddy Daisy
Rufus Johnson, Knoxville
Tommy Stiles, McMinnville
Jack L. Wade, Knoxville
David Walker, Sevierville
TEXAS
Cody Bird, Granbury
Randy Dearman, Onalaska
Todd Faircloth, Jasper
Alton Jones, Waco
Kelly Jordon, Mineola
Gary Klein, Weatherford
Lee Knight, Mineola
Elton Luce Jr., Nederland
Tommy Martin, Hemphill
Lendell Martin, Jr., Nacogdoches
Ben Matsubu, Himphill
Yusuke Miyazaki, Mineola
Takahiro Omori, Emory
Bud Pruitt, Spring
Dean Rojas, Grand Saline
Zell Rowland, Montgomery
Clark Wendlandt, Cedar Park
David Wharton, Sam Rayburn
Bill Wilcox, Burleson
Darren Wolf, Longview
Gary Yamamoto, Mineola
Jay Yelas, Tyler
VIRGINIA
Woo Daves, Spring Grove
Mike Hicks, Mineral
Curt Lytle, Suffolk
Rick Morris, Virginia Beach
Amateur Entry List
ALABAMA CITGO BASSMASTER Tour
Guntersville, AL Lake Guntersville
April 10-13, 2002
ALABAMA
Jason Ashley, Dora
Anthony Boyett, Seminole
David Cochran, Hayden
Butch Connell, Columbiana
David Cothran, Fultondale
Douglas Dever, Harvest
Michael Ferguson, Guntersville
Stanley E. Grett, Enterprise
Robert B. Heinisch, Huntsville
Ronald Hill, Trinity
Jeff Horton, Toney
Charles F. Johnson, Eastaboga
John Kilbourn, Huntsville
John David Kyle, Athens
Jerry Leeth, Albertville
Tim Martin, Guntersville
Carl R. McCaghren, Danville
Mark McGill, Locust Fork
Rabon B. Melson, Decatur
Carlos Miller, Albertville
Ron Morgan, Hayden
Mike Mostella, Albertville
Scott Myers, Huntsville
Brandon Norris, Haleyville
W.D. Perry, Crane Hill
Joey Peters, Florence
Ben Pickle, Beaverton
Wayne Pierce, Harvest
David Risk, Foley
Michael Roden, Woodville
Mark Shannon, Athens
David Showers, Brownsboro
Will Sims, Guntersville
Toni Sizemore, Trinity
Gordon D. Turner, Jr., Citronelle
Christopher Turner, Citronelle
Wes Ward, Danville
Tal White, Florence
Junior Williamson, Crossville
ARKANSAS
Clayton Hudson, W. Memphis
Scotty W. Pennington, Crossett
ARIZONA
Derek Yamamoto, Tempe
CALIFORNIA
Real Andrews, Santa Clarita
CANADA
David Morton, Ontario
CONNECTICUT
Louis Fox, Tolland
FLORIDA
Al Allen, Tampa
Justin Brown, Lake City
Tim Ezell, Key West
Jerald Heidgerhen, Orlando
Bill Mandikas, Tampa
Warren Sumner, Tallahassee
GEORGIA
Ken Allgood, Atlanta
Eddie Amos, Dalton
Charles H. Anderson, Rocky Face
Richard T. Blackwood, Stockbridge
Danny Brown, Ellabell
Lawrence Bruce, Dearing
Harry C. Bryan, Cartersville
Jerry Burford Jr., Buford
Marshall Cauthen, Carrollton
Ryan Coleman, Flowery Branch
Donald S. Dills, Mineral Bluff
Emory Dunahoo, Jr., Gainesville
Jeff Graham, Augusta
John W Hembree, Blue Ridge
Edward J. Hermoyian, Roswell
David A. Jennings, Ringgold
Rob Jones, Ringgold
Jamie Mills, Resaca
Chris Nunziato, Elberton
Jeff Palmer, Jasper
Curtis A Reeves, Riverdale
John H. Snyder, Marietta
Jeff Sparks, Chickamauga
Scotty C. Strickland, Douglasville
Michael Threlkeld, Elberton
Joel Warwick, Albany
IOWA
Tom E. Williams, Center Point
ILLINOIS
Gary Betts, DeSoto
Bud Goeke, Pinckneyville
Thomas Hart, Kirkwood
James G. McBride, Champaign
Jim Smith, Minooka
Richard D. Stevens, Galatia
Andrew Thiesse, Forest Park
INDIANA
Mitch Calhoun, Salem
Stephen G. Jones, New Castle
Frederick Santiago, Evansville
KANSAS
Tadjen M. Peterson, Olathe
KENTUCKY
Joe Bozarth, Gilbertsville
Larry Cundiff, Dunnville
Charles K. Hunt, Henderson
Gary Varney, McCarr
Denny Wyatt, London
LOUISIANA
Joe Hocke, Meraux
Kevin Louis Porche, Gretna
John M. Roberson, Shreveport
MASSACHUSSETS
Chip Malcolm, Natick
MICHIGAN
Larry Jones, Detroit
Paul Sacks, Waterford
Tim Thompson, Grand Rapids
MISSISSIPPI
Ronald Patterson, Pascagoula
Ronnie Roth, Ocean Springs
NORTH CAROLINA
Roy Bailey, Robbinsville
Jimmy Batts, Raleigh
Thomas Herr, Murphy
Richard Hogan, Troy
Randy Julian, Asheboro
NEBRASKA
Aaron Lee Jakub, Lincoln
OHIO
Kenneth Caudill, Delaware
Dennis Flynn, Fairview Park
Don Luckhaupt, Reynoldsburg
OKLAHOMA
Travis Christensen, Ardmore
PENNSYLVANIA
Paul Groney, Harbor Creek
Alan J. Weiss, Latrobe
SOUTH CAROLINA
Carlton Lemmond, Barnwell
Edward F Singleton, Anderson
TENNESSEE
Richard Bradley, Murfreesboro
Ricky Buckliew, Greenbrier
Gaylon Calahan, Winchester
Dwayne Davenport, Smyrna
Keith A. Dyer, Antioch
Tim Fox, Lawrenceburg
Randy Fullerton, Brentwood
Rod Gentry, White House
Sammy Goodner, Cleveland
David A. Hanson, Hendersonville
Earl E. Johnson, Powell
Greg O'Neal, Winchester
Johnny Pickett, Cleveland
Tim Prochaska, Portland
Ronald Riley, Hohenwald
Claude Robison, Loudon
Phillip Sullivan, Centerville
James Teat, Jackson
Terry Turner, Morrison
Jay Wall, Springfield
Raymond Weathers, Columbia
Scott Whitson, Erwin
TEXAS
Scott Darragh, Garland
Albert Hudson, Austin
Vincent L. Keasling, Mesquite
Dennis O'Neill, Houston
VIRGINIA