EverStart anglers to focus on suspended bass
In the pre-dawn light of Wednesday morning, Nov. 8, the day after the presidential election, a large group of people in central Florida will be focused less on the nation’s political current and more on the current of the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes – as well as its temperature, depth, clarity and water level. That’s when some 300 of the nation’s top bass anglers hit the water for the first day of competition in the 2000 EverStart Series Invitational Challenge to be held at Cypress Gardens.
This year’s Invitational could indeed prove to be quite a challenge for the best of the season’s EverStart anglers. While Florida fisheries are generally renowned for their supply of gargantuan largemouth bass, the Chain of Lakes in and around Winter Haven could be somewhat stingier to tournament anglers.
To begin, the total surface area of the tourney waters is small by pro tournament standards. At roughly 6,000 acres the Chain of Lakes – a series of 14 or so lakes connected by navigable canals – is considerably smaller than other tournament sites, like Sam Rayburn Reservoir at 114,000 acres, Kentucky and Barkley lakes at 218,000 acres, and the chain’s big neighbor to the south, Lake Okeechobee at 448,000 acres. For a recreational angler fishing on the weekend, 6,000 acres are plenty; but when several hundred tournament anglers are all maneuvering to find the best spots, it’s kind of like putting an Olympic water polo team in a bathtub.
“These lakes have lots of big fish in them,” said EverStart Tournament Director Jerry Stakely, “but not a lot of size.”
Brannon Hurst of Oxford, Ala., the Eastern Division points leader and one of the favorites to win the standings title, anticipates crowded conditions on the water. “It’s not going to be easy to catch those bass, especially with 10-12 boats per lake the first two days,” he said. “I’m sure there’s fish there, but when you put that many boats on those small lakes, it makes it harder.”
And it’s not just the crowded conditions the competitors will be battling. Conventional wisdom has it that the bass will likely be suspended and schooling for the duration of the tournament.
“When they’re suspended it makes it harder to catch them,” said Hurst, who, at age 23, is in just his first full year on the EverStart Series. “I’m probably going to use a spinnerbait, small crankbait and a plastic worm, and I’m going to try to find fish off the banks. I believe I can adapt down there by using open-faced rods and reels and using light tackle. I’m just going to try and make the cut.”
But by no means will the Challenge be fruitless. On the contrary, Cypress Gardens has been home to some of the more exciting pro tournaments in recent years.
One angler whose chances look good on the Chain of Lakes is Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla. Last November, he won the million-dollar Ranger Millennium M1 tournament at Cypress Gardens by focusing on one 50-yard stretch of water that he found to be productive. With this year’s Challenge also falling in November, Robertson plans on returning to his secret spot and fishing much the same way as he did in that lucrative event.
“It’s not going to be great guns and big stringers,” he said. “But I’ve got enough confidence in that place that I’m probably not going to go down there (to practice) until the tournament,” he said.
Not practice? There may be method to his madness. Robertson’s pro fishing career is marked by his penchant for coming up big at big tournaments, especially at the end of the year. In addition to the M1, the Oklahoma cattle rancher came out of nowhere to win the 1999 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship in Wagoner, Okla. This year, after a relatively lackluster performance during the FLW regular season, he made the final round again at the FLW Championship, this time in Shreveport, La., and placed fifth.
Not only that, Robertson led the EverStart Central Division standings after the first three tournaments of this season. Currently in sixth, he’s in a good position to make a run at the points title at Cypress Gardens.
“To tell the truth, I haven’t even thought about anyone else really,” Robertson said of his chances at taking the points title. “I’m going to be worried about one person – myself – and that’s all.”
A sound strategy, to be sure. But Robertson and the rest of the pro field will have to worry about some of the other anglers atop the leader board, like Carl Svebek III of Sam Rayburn, Texas, if they want to make a serious run at the points title. Svebek is coming into the Challenge on a hot streak, making this year’s FLW top 10 twice, including a sixth-place finish at the Championship in September, and the final five once, a third-place finish at Beaver Lake, Ark. Plus, he finished third at the EverStart event on his home lake of Sam Rayburn this year and is sitting in third place overall in the Central Division standings.
And if the numbers aren’t enough of a motivating factor for Svebek, his appreciation for this particular tournament series may be just the kick he needs for him fish his best. After deciding to quit competitive fishing in early 1998, he entered what would have been the last tournament of his career, an EverStart event on Sam Rayburn, and he won. From there, Svebek’s career has taken off on both the EverStart and FLW circuits.
“The EverStart holds a special place in my heart because, without it, I wouldn’t even be able to dream of fishing professionally,” he said. “It’s given me the opportunity to grow into the FLW.”
Having competed in the M1 tournament, Svebek is confident in his fishing approach at Cypress Gardens and how to conquer what could be some tricky conditions. “This year I’m really excited about it. I almost know what not to do,” he said. “I’m going to downsize the baits and I’m going to work really hard mentally not to let all the boats affect me.”
When it comes to fishing tournaments, it’s always a sound bet to put your money on the locals. A contender to watch out for is Robert Beatty. In January the Clermont, Fla., native won the first EverStart Series event of the year, on Lake Okeechobee, and is celebrated for his fishing techniques in central Florida. Also keep an eye on Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., who finished in second behind Beatty on Okeechobee.
Whoever comes out ahead, look for the Challenge to be a compelling competition. While the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes might appear warm and inviting on a picture postcard, come Nov. 8 it will be a battleground. This is no ordinary EverStart tourney; this is the EverStart Series Invitational Challenge – with ESPN cameras, a Family Fun Zone, even a Charlie Daniel’s Band concert – where everything is ratcheted to another level. At stake is $300,000 in total cash, a whole lot of exposure and an immeasurable amount of pride.
As Stakely put it simply, “If you win, it means you’re the best.”
More on the EverStart Series Invitational Challenge:
Cypress Gardens to host EverStart Series Invitational Challenge
EverStart Series year in review
Event Details
Pro field
Co-angler field