SARASOTA, Fla. — Hydra-Sports boats continued to tear up the tournament trail, as Team Hydra-Sports' Capt. Phillip Gootee and Lee Anderson won $50,000 in the November 4 contest of the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series, held in Cambridge, MD. The news was announced in a press release from Hydra-Sports.

"Thanks to the tournament bonuses from Hydra-Sports and Yamaha, this turned out to be a lucrative fishing trip for us despite the small fish and slow fishing," said Gootee. The $50,000 purse included a $20,000 prize and a $15,000 bonus each from Hydra-Sports and Yamaha."

The Team Hydra-Sports boat is a Hydra-Sports Vector 2500CC powered by twin Yamaha 250 outboards. This Kevlar?-reinforced hull design was inspired by the venerable 3300CC, but in a more compact version that is ideal for striper and other competition.

"This boat comes well-equipped for tournament fishing right out of the shrink wrap," said Gootee, whose family owns Gootee's Marine (www.gootees.com), a top-performing Hydra-Sports dealer located on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

"My 2500CC is a work horse," said Gootee. "It's a big, seaworthy 25 with 360-degree fishability, plenty of fuel and storage, plus a huge baitwell. With twin Yamaha 250s, it is one of the fastest center consoles in its class. This boat is quick, sturdy and incredibly well designed for the way I fish."

The team's two-fish total was 13 pounds, 11 ounces—a slow day by tournament standards, but good considering that many of the fish the teams caught did not make the slot limit. Both fish were weighed and released alive in accordance with tournament regulations.

The next stop on the FLW Striper tour is the $150,000 Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series Championship in Virginia Beach, Va., scheduled for Dec. 7-9.

The new $1 million FLW Striper Series featured seven qualifying tournaments this season. Teams, ranging in size from two to four anglers each, competed for a guaranteed top award of $20,000 cash in each qualifier and as much as $50,000 cash based on boat and engine bonuses from Hydra-Sports, Seaswirl, Wellcraft, Evinrude and Yamaha. The top 25 teams from each qualifier advance to the no-entry-fee FLW Striper Series Championship for a shot at a top award of $50,000 cash on FSN (Fox Sports Net).

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors features kingfish, redfish, bass, walleye and other contests worth millions.