ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. – James Nuckols, 41, of Rockwood, Tenn., will lead 30 of the nation’s top professional bass anglers into Friday’s second round of competition at the EverStart Batteries Series tournament on Lake Martin with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces.
Nuckols fished a small jig off deep banks using light line and a slow retrieve to catch all of his bass in Lake Martin’s 48-degree water.
“You don’t really feel them bite. Your line just gets heavy,” Nuckols said after catching five fish weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces Thursday to secure the lead over runner-up Brannon Hurst of Oxford, Ala., who caught nine bass weighing 15 pounds, 8 ounces over two days. “I hope it stays real tough. It would actually help me. My battle plan is to be patient and fish real slow.”
In the Co-Angler Division, Ronnie McDonough of Vestavia Hills, Ala., leads the field with a two-day total of six bass weighing 11-5.
Big bass for the day in the pro division went to Steve Misencik of Alexander City, Ala., for a 6-pound, 15-ounce largemouth that earned him $500. Big bass honors in the co-angler division and $300 went to Tom Burks of Okeechobee City, Fla., for a 3-pound, 12-ounce bass.
Rounding out the top five spots in the Pro Division were: Jason Quinn of Lake Wylie, S.C., with eight bass weighing 15-7; Trip Weldon of Wetumpka, Ala., with six bass weighing 14-12; and Donald Eaton of McDonough, Ga., with six bass weighing 14-6.
Finishing round one in second through fifth place in the Co-Angler Division were: Jack Sharp of Alexander City, Ala., with eight bass weighing 10-1; Terry Parnell of Sylacauga, Ala., with six bass weighing 9-14; Frank Divis Sr. of Fayetteville, Ark., with five bass weighing 9-10; and Charles Clemons of Hartselle, Ala., with five bass weighing 9-1.
The Co-Angler Division also featured a rare fish-off in which Jeff Taylor of Vernon, Ala., caught a 14-inch bass to claim the last spot in Friday’s second round over Fred Hill of Givsonville, N.C. In the case of a tie, a one-hour fish-off is used to determine who advances to the next round of competition. Prior to the fish-off, the men were tied at 5-4 each.
On Friday, anglers will start over and fish for one day to determine the top 10 pros and co-anglers who will compete in Saturday’s final round. The winning pro will receive $10,000 cash and an Evinrude-powered Ranger bass boat. The winning co-angler will collect $6,000.
Competition begins at 7 a.m. each day at Wind Creek State Park located at 4325 Alabama Highway 128 in Alexander City. Friday’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at Wind Creek State Park, and Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Highway 280 West in Alexander City at 4 p.m.
The three-year-old EverStart Series is comprised of two divisions, Eastern and Central, with four multi-day events per division. The top 75 pros and co-anglers from each division will advance to the year-end EverStart Invitational Challenge at Cypress Gardens, Fla., which features a $360,000 purse.
Over the course of the season, the EverStart Series awards anglers up to $1.7 million in cash and prizes. It also provides a pathway to the prestigious Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the richest tournament series in history. Winning anglers in the Pro and Co-Angler Divisions of each EverStart tournament, as well as the overall top 10 anglers, based on a system of points and pounds, receive automatic berths in the 2001 FLW Tour.
The series’ title sponsor, EverStart Batteries, is the No. 1 retail selling automotive and marine battery brand in the world. Supporting sponsors of the 2000 EverStart Series are: BFGoodrich Tires, Black & Decker, Chevy Trucks, CITGO, Coca-Cola, Coleman, Energizer, Evinrude, Frenzy, Fujifilm, Garmin, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Mitchell, Poulan/Weed Eater, Power Bait, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Spiderline, Timex, US Bank, Visa, Wal-Mart and Wrangler.