MANNING, S.C. – Steve Miller, 51, of Mechanicsville, Va., 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 the Santee Cooper Lakes with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 42 pounds, 15 ounces.
Miller, an EverStart Series rookie, caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces Wednesday to finish in 24th place then turned in five bass weighing 27 pounds, 3 ounces Thursday to finish the opening round on top of the 165-angler Pro Division. His opening-round weight fell just 1 pound short of the EverStart Series record of 43 pounds, 15 ounces set on Lake Okeechobee in 2000 by Rick Gunter of Holly Hill, Fla.
“It was a great day,” said Miller, who missed the top-30 cut by 4 ounces earlier this month on Lake Eufaula in Alabama. “I had all the fish I needed by 11 a.m., and I quit fishing. In a tournament like this you don’t want to catch all of your fish too early. Tomorrow is the day you really need to be on top.”
Prompted by the day’s warm rain and cloud cover, which had big bass on the move, Miller changed tactics from pitching tubes into tight cover to casting Berkley Powerbaits and spinnerbaits into shallow water.
Pro Mark Rogers of Naples, Fla., caught nine bass weighing 42 pounds, 14 ounces over two days to secure the No. 2 spot in Friday’s competition. Rounding out the top five pros were Jamie Horton of Centerville, Ala., with nine bass weighing 40 pounds, 1 ounce; Raymond Rumpf of Quakertown, Pa., with eight bass weighing 39 pounds, 7 ounces; and David Tanner of Gainesville, Fla., with 10 bass weighing 38 pounds, 9 ounces.
In the 165-person Co-Angler Division, David Geeter of Augusta, Ga., claimed the top spot with a two-day total of six bass weighing 33 pounds, 2 ounces. He caught the majority of his bass Thursday fishing a prespawn staging pattern.
Finishing second and third place in the Co-Angler Division were Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky., with eight bass weighing 31 pounds, 2 ounces and Gary Fint of Frankfort, Ky., with seven bass weighing 25 pounds, 8 ounces.
Big bass and $750 in the Pro Division went to Larry Inman of Greensboro, N.C., for an 8-pound, 6-ounce largemouth. Big bass and $250 in the Co-Angler Division went to Al Reed of Tequesta, Fla., for an 8-pound, 11-ounce largemouth.
A total of 663 bass were caught Thursday including 54 five-bass limits. More than 99 percent of the bass were released alive.
Friday the top 30 pros and co-anglers will start from zero and fish for one day to determine the top 10 anglers who will advance to Saturday’s final round for a shot at top awards of $15,000 and a new Ranger boat in the Pro Division and $6,000 in the Co-Angler Division.
Competition begins at 6:30 a.m. each day at the John C. Land III Boating and Sportfishing Facility located near Summerton. Friday’s weigh-in begins at 2:30 p.m. at the facility, and Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 481 West Boyce Street in Manning at 3:30 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 receive a Ranger boat and $25,000. The winning co-angler will receive a Ranger boat and $10,000. 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.