DETROIT – The newly expanded $2.5 million EverStart Series will hold its fourth and final Northern Division tournament of 2001 Sept. 26-29 on Lake Erie near Detroit.
Up to 330 top bass anglers from the United States and Canada will compete in the event for a share of $185,000, including first place awards of $50,000 in cash and prizes in the Pro Division and $6,000 in the Co-Angler Division. The winning pro will receive $15,000 cash and a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat with GARMIN electronics plus a $1,000 bonus if one of the firm’s fixed-mount sonar products was used.
“We added a Northern Division to our 2001 schedule to accommodate growing demand in the region,” said Jerry Stakely, EverStart Series tournament director. “We already had one tournament on Lake Erie at Sandusky Bay in August, and we are looking forward to another great event on Lake Erie when we visit Detroit.”
In addition to a new division, the EverStart Series increased the purse at each regular season event by $20,000 and introduced a no-entry-fee championship with a $325,000 purse. More than $2.5 million will be awarded to EverStart Series competitors this year.
The 4-year-old EverStart Series, which serves as a pathway to the $4.45 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour, includes three divisions-Eastern, Central and Northern-with four events each plus the year-end championship. The top 10 anglers from each division will qualify to compete in the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour where they could win up to $250,000 in a single event. Top EverStart competitors may also qualify for the Ranger M1 tournament in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 27-March 2, 2002, where they can win up to $1 million in the world’s richest freshwater tournament.
EverStart Series rankings are based on a points system that awards 200 points for a win, 199 points for second, 198 points for third and so on. Points are awarded during all four qualifying events per division.
Anglers will compete on Lake Erie for four days starting Sept. 26. A full field of up to 165 pros and 165 co-anglers will compete for two days during the opening round. After the opening round, the field will be cut to the top 30 pros and top 30 co-anglers. These competitors will start from zero and compete for one day in the semifinal round to determine the top 10 anglers in each division who will advance to the final round. Anglers will again start from zero for the final day of competition, and the winner of each division will be determined by the weight of that day’s catch.
EverStart Series tournament winners and the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from the Eastern, Northern and Central divisions will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship presented by Conseco Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. There, the winning pro will receive a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat with GARMIN electronics and $25,000 cash. The top co-angler will win a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat with GARMIN electronics and $10,000 cash.
Lake Erie Metropark in Brownstown, Mich., is the site of each day’s 6 a.m. take-off on Lake Erie Sept. 26-29. Weigh-ins for the first three days of competition will also be held at Metropark starting at 3 p.m. each day. The final weigh-in on Saturday, Sept. 29, will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 2155 Telegraph Road in Monroe, Mich., at 4 p.m.
There may still be a limited number of pro and co-angler openings for the Lake Erie tournament. To enter, call Operation Bass at (270) 362-4880. For more information about EverStart Batteries, visit everstartbatteries.com.
Related links: