Tracy Press

A pro angler was on his way to turn in a hefty day's work in a tournament qualifier. But his hopes were dashed when his engine blew up.

A professional angler from Tracy just missed his chance at a $125,000 prize Friday after he caught enough bass to qualify for the final round of the Wal-Mart FLW Series National Guard Western Division tournament, but didn’t make it to the weigh-in on time.

Rob Reihl, who was in first place in the tournament as of Thursday evening, said he caught 15 fish for a total of 69 pounds, 11 ounces, well over the qualifying cut of 67 pounds. But the motor on his boat blew up and made him six minutes late to the weigh in at Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island.

The six-pound penalty put him in 15th place, which is good for a $12,000 purse in the event.

"Had I made the top-10 cut I was confident I could have won it with the conditions we had," Reihl said.

The event is the first of four in a series that will also include tournaments on Lake Mead, the Columbia River and Shasta Lake, which will qualify anglers for a national tournament in North Carolina that offers a $1 million prize for the first-place finisher.

Reihl said he has already qualified for this year’s event, which will be in August in North Carolina, and his finish this time puts him on his way to qualify for the 2009 event.

Reihl said the Delta is part of the circuit because it is one of the top three places in the nation for catch-and-release bass fishing. He said he usually fishes out of local marinas, and for this event, he caught fish near the River’s End Marina and Old River. In professional bass fishing tournaments, all fish are released back into the waterways after the weigh-in.

Reihl added that being out of the tournament is a disappointment, because he expects someone will catch more than 100 pounds over the four-day event, which is rare in the sport.

The tournament started with 190 professionals and 190 amateurs. The top 10 pros will compete Saturday, and the final weigh-in will be at 4 p.m. at Wal-Mart in Antioch.

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