EUFAULA, Ala. – Heavy cloud cover and scattered showers over Lake Eufaula greeted 330 of the nation’s top bass anglers early Wednesday morning for the start of the second Eastern Division tournament of 2001 in the $2.5 million EverStart Series. The conditions didn’t hamper the field, though, as 180 anglers returned with five-bass limits.
Pro James Nuckols Jr. led the charge with five bass weighing 22 pounds, 14 ounces. The 43-year-old pro from Rockwood, Tenn., has already racked up a $50,000 win this season at the EverStart Series opener on Lake Okeechobee Feb. 10. A win here would boost his season earnings to $100,000 in cash and prizes.
Jim Russell of Statham, Ga., finished the day in second place with five bass weighing 22 pounds. He was followed by Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C., with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 2 ounces; Jamie Horton of Centerville, Ala., with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 13 ounces; and Jeff Turner of Plainville, Ill., with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces.
Most of the 165 pros and 165 co-anglers are searching the lake for spawning fish as the water temperature climbs past 60 degrees and the bass head for shallow water. The top pro after four days of competition will receive $15,000 cash and a Ranger bass boat, and the winning co-angler will collect $6,000. A total of $185,000 will be awarded to the top 30 anglers in each division at the end of the tournament.
Wayne Sherbet, 39, of Pell City, Ala., leads the Co-Angler Division with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces. Sherbet’s limit included a 6 pound, 9 ounce bass that earned him $250 as the biggest bass in his division.
Co-angler Jeff Taylor of Vernon, Ala., finished the day in second place with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 13 ounces, and Mike Birge of Florala, Ala., finished in third place with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces.
Big bass and $750 in the Pro Division went to Mark Mauldin of Knoxville, Tenn., for a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass.
A total of 1,227 bass weighing 3,199 pounds, 2 ounces were caught Wednesday. If that pace continues Thursday, a new opening round weight record will be set. The record – set on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas, last season – currently stands at 6,094 pounds, 11 ounces. More than 99 percent of the bass caught Wednesday were released alive.
For a shot at victory, anglers in both divisions must secure one of 30 slots available in Friday’s semifinal round by catching the heaviest two-day total of bass in round one. During the semifinal round, anglers start from zero and compete for one day to determine the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers who will compete in Saturday’s finale. Catch weights are cleared again for the final day of competition, and the winner of each division is determined by the weight of that day’s catch.
Competition begins at 7 a.m. each morning at Lake Point State Park located at 104 Lake Point Drive in Eufaula. Weigh-ins Thursday and Friday will also be held at the marina starting at 3 p.m. each day. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1218 South Eufaula Ave. in Eufaula at 4 p.m.
The 4-year-old EverStart Series now includes three divisions – Eastern, Central and Northern – with four events each plus a year-end championship. Tournament winners and the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from each division will earn a spot in the championship, which will be held Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. There, the winning pro will go home with a Ranger boat and $25,000 cash. The winning co-angler will receive a Ranger boat and $10,000 cash. More than $2.5 million will be awarded to bass fishing enthusiasts during the 2001 EverStart Series season. The series also provides a pathway to the $4.4 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series.