GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (May 14, 1999) – After three days of competition in Operation Bass’ EverStart Series bass tournament on Kentucky Lake, 10 professional anglers and 10 co-anglers have advanced to Saturday’s final round. There they will compete for the heaviest day’s catch weight to determine the winners of the pro and co-angler divisions, along with a first place prize in the pro division consisting of $10,000 and an Evinrude-powered Ranger boat. First place in the co-angler division is $5,000.
The event is the fourth Central Division tournament of the 10-venue EverStart Series of bass tournaments that features two divisions, Central and Eastern, and will award anglers over $1.8 million in cash and prizes during 1999. The series also provides a pathway for top anglers to the prestigious Wal-Mart FLW Tour professional bass series, the $4 million, seven-event tour that is the most lucrative series in fishing history. The winning angler in the professional and co-angler division, along with the top 10 anglers based on points and pounds, for the year will receive priority entry into the prestigious Wal-Mart FLW Tour professional bass tournaments in 2000.
The highest-finishing Ranger boat owner in each tournament will qualify to enter the $3.5 million Ranger M1 Millennium tournament, the richest bass event in history, with a $1 million first-place cash prize at stake. The Ranger owner who catches the largest bass in each division over the course of the season will also qualify for the Ranger Millennium tournament, which is scheduled to held in November at a site to be named.
The EverStart Series consists of eight regular events, four in the Eastern and four in the Central Division, and two EverStart Challenge tournaments. The Challenge events, one per division, feature the same format as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour tournaments. The 150-man pro and co-angler fields are cut to the top 10 after two days. Co-angler competition is ended at the conclusion of day three, with only the top five pros left to compete on the
final day. Each of the EverStart Challenge events are filmed for a future television special that will air on ESPN2.
EverStart™ batteries are marketed exclusively through Wal-Mart stores. EverStart is the world’s largest recycler of batteries. Sponsors of the EverStart Series bass tournaments include: EverStart Batteries, Chevy Trucks, CITGO Petroleum, Ranger Boats, Evinrude Outboards and Electrics, Black & Decker, Coca-Cola, Coleman, Eveready, Land O’Lakes, Mitchell, SpiderWire, Uniroyal, Wal-Mart, Chex Mix, Hamburger Helper, Wrangler, USA Bank-VISA, and Wheaties.