PITTSBURGH (April 26, 2005) – The big boys came to play in this year’s CITGO Bassmaster Classic. And the Lucky Craft Pro Staff was right in the middle of it, wrapping up impressive finishes on Pittsburgh’s Three River system.

On this weekend, Gerald Swindle was one of the biggest stars. His tenacious work ethic and aggressive style led to a supreme effort, as the Alabama star finished a mere 1 pound and 2 ounces shy of Kevin VanDam’s winning weight of 12 pounds, 15 ounces – the lowest in the Classic’s 35 years of competition.

Despite capturing the best Classic finish of his flourishing career, Swindle wasn’t satisfied.

“Losing the Classic this way is like going to a buffet with a muzzle on,” Swindle said. “When you go out there and compete like I did, it’s hard to swallow. I have taken this loss personally. I have the greatest sponsors in the world - like Lucky Craft - and I want to win one of these so badly for them.

Swindle’s success was based on a Lucky Craft strategy and a couple key areas of suspended fish.

“I fished a really small Lucky Craft Bevy Crank 45 DR and the Lucky Craft G-Splash,” said the 2004 CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “I threw a Ghost Minnow the first day and then threw something similar to Shell White the final two days – they seemed to bite that better.”

California’sSkeet Reese was also in the hunt all the way up until the final weigh-in. During Sunday’s competition, Reese had played out in his head what he needed to do, which included catching at least one ‘kicker’ type fish.

When it was said and done however, Reese came home in eighth with an overall weight of 9 pounds and 4 ounces.

“I felt I had a chance to win it going out there on the final day,” Reese said. “I needed to catch a big one though, but the possibilities were there. I felt if I could have caught five pounds and the others ahead of me stubbed their toe a little bit – I would have had an opportunity.

“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen,” Reese continued. “They beat me fair and square, so I can’t complain. I’m disappointed I couldn’t catch more fish and finish higher in the tournament than I did. I don’t like to get beat.”

Reese focused on smaller lures to generate bites.

“I was able to catch fish on a Lucky Craft Combat Crank in Ghost Minnow color,” Reese continued. “I have a feeling, with the lack of current coming down the river, the lower pools were where they ended up catching them. Those areas had a lot more boat traffic and they stirred up the water a little, which generated some bites.

“I never rushed myself and fished very slowly,” Reese said. “If I were to look back on my tournament, I would have gone back down to the lower pools.”

“It was a big year for me,” said Stone, who is also qualified for the 2006 Classic held on Lake Toho next February. “I worked the entire year to qualify for these two Classics. I really put in the effort and almost won the Angler of the Year as well. To me, a real milestone in anyone’s career is making it to 10 Bassmaster Classics.

“I love fishing in Classics,” Stone continued. “If your adrenaline doesn’t get pumping when you go through that arena, it might never pump for you. I wish everyone could feel what I do when you go through those Coliseum doors. This has been a challenging Classic, but a fun one as well. A lot of guys may think I’m nuts when I say this, but I would come back tomorrow to compete for a Classic here. It’s an even playing field.

Stone utilized a Lucky Craft strategy as well.

“I actually used an older Lucky Craft lure,” Stone said. “It’s one of my favorites and I should have pulled it out a lot earlier than I did. When everything started happening and making sense right at the end, I knew these fish wanted to react.

“I threw the Lucky Craft CB-001,” Stone added. “It’s a shallow runner, going about 10 inches deep and it’s great for river systems and tidal water. When you need the fish to fire and you’re dealing with shallow water, that lure doesn’t take a backseat to anyone. I was throwing it in Pearl Ayu, which is also one of my favorite colors for rivers.”

Defending Classic champ Takahiro Omori didn’t have the tournament he was hoping for. The Texas resident landed in the 35 th position after boating two fish for the weekend, weighing in at two pounds.

Omori was asked if he felt any extra pressure after last year’s performance in Charlotte, N.C.

“I did feel it a little,” said Omori, who followed up his Classic success with a Tour victory during the season-opening event on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes earlier this year. “I really didn’t have a good practice here a month ago, catching five keepers in my five days out on the water.