Female co-angler advances to top 30
EUFAULA, Ala. – Jeff Turner, 32, of Plainfield, Ill., will lead 30 of the nation’s top professional bass anglers into Friday’s semifinal round of competition at the $185,000 EverStart Series tournament on Lake Eufaula with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 41 pounds, 4 ounces.
Turner caught five of the bass weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces Wednesday to finish in fifth place then turned in five more bass weighing 20 pounds, 13 ounces Thursday to take the lead. Turner said the majority of his bass were caught in less than 2 feet of water on spinnerbaits and plastic worms.
“I had a limit by probably eight this morning, then I stopped fishing around nine,” said Turner, who estimates it will take 17 pounds to make Friday’s cut to the top 10. “I started (fishing) again around noon and fished for another 45 minutes.”
Pro Vince Ingle of Maryville, Tenn., caught 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 7 ounces over two days to secure the No. 2 spot in Friday’s competition. Rounding out the top five pros were Jeffery Thomas of Broadway, N.C., with 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 10 ounces; Jim Russell of Statham, Ga., with 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 3 ounces; and David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., with 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 30 pros and co-anglers will start from zero Friday and fish for one day to determine the top 10 anglers who will advance to Saturday’s final round. The winning pro will receive $15,000 cash and a new Ranger boat ($35,000 value), and the winning co-angler will collect $6,000 cash.
In the Co-Angler Division, Billy Coleman of Holly Hill, Fla., claimed the top spot with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 6 ounces. He caught the majority of his bass using spinnerbaits and brush hogs. He used a buzzbait, however, to land his biggest bass, which weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces.
Second and third place in the Co-Angler Division went to Paul Kaptis of Boynton Beach, Fla., with 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 12 ounces and Mike Birge of Florala, Ala., with 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 9 ounces.
Co-Angler Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., also advanced to the semifinal round in 17th place with 24 pounds, 11 ounces. A top 10 finish here would be her fourth on the EverStart Series. It would also mover her into second place in terms of career top 10 finishes. Only Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C., has more top 10 finishes as a co-angler. He has placed 10th or better five times. In 1999, Israel placed second on Lake Eufaula. That same year, co-angler Nobie Lebert of Brookeland, Texas, became the first woman to win an EverStart tournament. Lebert won on Toledo Bend Reservoir.
Marcel Veenstra of Newtown, Pa., won $750 with 7-pound, 12-ounce largemouth that ranked as the biggest bass in the Pro Division. Big bass honors and $250 in the Co-Angler Division went to Gary Fint of Frankfort, Ky., for a 7-pound, 12-ounce largemouth.
A total of 1,143 bass weighing 2,801 pounds, 3 ounces were caught Thursday including 143 five-bass limits. More than 98 percent of the bass were released alive.
Competition begins at 7 a.m. each day at Lake Point State Park located at 104 Lake Point Drive in Eufaula. Friday’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at the park, and 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 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 receive 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.