GILBERTSVILLE, Ky., (May 3, 2001) – Carl Svebek III of Sam Rayburn, Texas, will lead 30 of the nation’s top professional bass anglers into Friday’s semifinal round at the $185,000 EverStart Series tournament on Kentucky Lake with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 5 ounces.
Svebek caught five bass weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces Wednesday to finish in 22nd place then turned in five bass weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces Thursday to finish the opening round on top of the 165-angler Pro Division. 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 cash and a new Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat in the Pro Division and $6,000 cash in the Co-Angler Division.
“With me at this stage in the game, I know that I have to concentrate,” said Svebek, who caught the majority of his bass fishing a “Swacky” finesse worm of his own design. “There is bound to be a lull (tomorrow) and I can’t psych myself out when it happens. I feel that I can catch 12 to 14 pounds if everything works out.”
This is Svebek’s first visit to Kentucky Lake, but he is no stranger to the leaderboard. He has had six top-10 finishes in the EverStart Series and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour in the last three seasons. He also won the first Operation Bass Texas Tournament Trail event in his hometown of Sam Rayburn earlier this year and pocketed $70,000 in cash and prizes.
Pro Greg Hackney of Oak Ridge, La., caught 29 pounds, 1 ounce over two days to secure the No. 2 spot in Friday’s competition. Rounding out the top five pros were Cody Bird of Granbury, Texas, with 29 pounds; Koby Kreiger of Osceola, Ind., with 28 pounds, 13 ounces; and Stephen Johnston of Hemphill, Texas, with 28 pounds, 12 ounces.
In the 165-person Co-Angler Division, Dennis Huggins of Broken Arrow, Okla., claimed the top spot with a two-day total of 23 pounds, 7 ounces.
Finishing in second and third place in the Co-Angler Division were Tyrone Phillips of Little Rock, Ark., with 20 pounds, 15 ounces and Jerry Wade of Indianapolis, Ind., with 17 pounds, 11 ounces.
Big bass and $750 in the Pro Division went to Svebek for a 6-pound, 11-ounce bass. Big bass and $250 in the Co-Angler Division went to Richard Rhodes of Calvert City, Ky., for a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass.
A total of 574 bass were caught Thursday including 27 five-bass limits. More than 98 percent of the bass were released alive.
Competition begins at 6 a.m. each day at Moors Resort in Gilbertsville. Friday’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at Moors, and Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the new Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 310 West 5th Street in Benton, Ky., 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 receive a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat and $25,000 cash. The winning co-angler will receive a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat and $10,000 cash. More than $2.5 million will be awarded during the 2001 season. The series also provides a pathway to the $4.45 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour-bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series.