Hanselman/Welch Team Wins over $35K at Lake Amistad Tournament
OutdoorHub 08.18.14
79 teams descended upon beautiful Lake Amistad in Del Rio, TX, to compete in the third Platinum Team Trail tournament of the 2013-2014 season. Platinum Team Trail is a one of a kind team bass tournament series where each event is limited to 100 teams, and has a $1,000 entry fee with an optional $500 side pot (the side pot is 100% payback), with the biggest pure cash payout structure of any team tournament series to date.
1st Place Champions: Ray Hanselman and Will Welch wieghed in 18.05 pounds on Day 1, putting them in the top spot. On Day 2 they brought in the largest five fish limit of the tournament weighing 23.18 pounds, giving them a final two day weight of 41.23 pounds and securing them as the Platinum Team Trail Lake Amistad Champions with a first place payout of $35,895.
“A lot of guys have been waiting for a team tournament trail like this, and the field for Platinum is stacked. It’s a real honor to win such a big event like this, and we’re really looking forward to the final one at Lake Texoma, and going after the $5,000 GoPro Angler of the Year bonus,” said Hanselman and Welch.
Ray Hanselman wishes to thank Skeeter, Yamaha, Power Tackle, Power Pole, Hummingbird, Minn Kota, Strike King, Platinum Team Trail, and Bonehead Tackle for their big bass bonus. Will Welch wishes to thank Skeeter, Yamaha, Dean’s Marine, Pro-line Trolling Motors, Power Pole, and Power Tackle, Platinum Team Trail, and Bonehead Tackle for their big bass bonus.
2nd Place: Russell Lee and Landan Ware brought four fish to the scales on Day 1, but those four fish were enough to leave them sitting in 4th place. With a five fish limit on Day 2, Lee and Ware moved into 2nd Place with 29.99 pounds and took home a $19,200 payout.
“Russell and I fish a lot of tournaments together and we jumped at the opportunity to fish together in Platinum. It has been an awesome experience,” said Ware. “We’re looking forward to the final event of the season on Texoma. It’s going to be a really big deal for whoever adds that AOY title to their belt,” added Lee.
Russell Lee and Landan Ware wish to thank R.D. Quinn Pipeline Construction, Power Tackle Rods, Warrior Baits, and Platinum Team Trail.
3rd Place: Russell Cecil and Todd Castledine weighed 11.63 pounds on Day 1, despite having boat problems, and were then able to put together a 16.94 pound limit on Day 2, moving them into 3rd Place with 28.54 pounds, and a $13,000 payday.
“Our tournament was almost cut short when we had boat problems early on Day 1, but we were able to call a fellow competitor, Andew Upshaw, and he got us back to the launch site where we grabbed an extra boat from the team of Broussard/Owens,” said Cecil. Castledine added, “That’s one of the neat things about this tournament… It’s a team deal… Most of these big events, we come down here as an individual… You go without a boat and you’re done. It’s nice that guys have boats here ready for someone else to go use, so it’s a pretty neat deal.”
Russell Cecil wishes to thank Humminbird, Minn Kota, Evinrude, Ranger Boats, Costa Sunglasses, Big Bite Baits, Falcon Rods, Buckeye, and Bandit. Todd Castledine wishes to thank Farmers Insurance (John Salamone and the incentive program), Legend Boats, Mercury, Power Pole, Sixth Sense Baits, Kickerfish, Combat Jigs, Topwater Clothing, Phillip Crelia at Hometown Tackle, Lews, Sunline, Cul-m-rite and Owner Hooks.
AOY Race: The third place finish at Amistad moved Cecil and Castledine into the number one spot on the AOY Race with just one tournament left at Lake Texoma. Sitting in second place is Bebber and Wilson, who pulled off back to back wins at the first two Platinum events of the season. Lee and Ware are sitting in a close third with two Top 10 finishes this season.
The final Platinum Team Trail event of the year will take place on September 20th & 21st, 2014, at Lake Texoma. The team with the highest overall points after all four events will be crowned Angler of the Year and will receive a $5,000 GoPro AOY Bonus.
For more information on Platinum Team Trail, visit: http://www.platinumteamtrail.com/ or www.usafishingtrails.com/PlatinumTeamTrail.
TOURNAMENT CONTACTS:
Bryan Davis, Director of Tournaments, USA Fishing Trails (469) 955-7808 or bryan.davis@usabasstrails.com
Scott Gordon, Master of Ceremonies, USA Fishing Trails (214) 801-2611
PRESS CONTACT:
Chris Davis, USA Fishing Trails (214) 616-5693 or chris.davis@usabasstrails.com
