FLORENCE, Ala. – The $2.5 million 2001 EverStart Series will draw to a dramatic close Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick Lake with 324 anglers from 32 states and Canada casting for a share of $325,000 in the circuit’s championship event presented by Conseco.
Anglers in the Pro Division will fish for a first-place award of $60,000 in cash and prizes while co-anglers compete for a top award of $40,000 in cash and prizes. The top pro award includes $25,000 cash and a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat with GARMIN electronics, EverStart batteries and Minn Kota trolling motor. The top co-angler award includes $10,000 cash and a Ranger boat.
“We are looking forward to a tremendous event on Pickwick Lake,” said Jerry Stakely, EverStart Series tournament director. “This is the first year for our no-entry-fee championship, and with $325,000 to be awarded over four days, it’s bound to be a thriller.”
In addition to the championship, the EverStart Series increased the purse at each of its 12 qualifying events by $20,000 and introduced a Northern Division. The 4-year-old series is now comprised of three divisions – Eastern, Central and Northern – with four qualifying events each. The qualifiers each feature a $185,000 purse.
Regular-season tournament winners and the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from the Eastern, Northern and Central divisions qualified for the EverStart Series Championship. The top 10 anglers from each division are also eligible 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.
Anglers will compete on Pickwick Lake for four days starting Nov. 7. A full field of up to 162 pros and 162 co-anglers will compete for two days during the opening round. After the opening round, the field will be cut to the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers. These competitors will start from zero and compete for one day in the semifinal round to determine the top five pros who will advance to the final round. The pros will again start from zero for the final day of competition, and the winner will be determined by the weight of that day’s catch. Co-angler competition concludes with the semifinal round.
McFarland Park in Florence is the site of the 6:30 a.m. take off Nov. 7, 8 and 10. Takeoff Nov. 9 begins at 8 a.m. Weigh-ins for the first two days of competition will also be held at the park starting at 2:30 p.m. each day. The semifinal weigh-in Nov. 9 will start at 5 p.m. at the Florence Wal-Mart Supercenter on Hough Road. The final weigh-in on Nov. 10 will be held at Wal-Mart starting at 3:30 p.m.
Related links:
2001 EverStart Series Championship pro field
2001 EverStart Series Championship co-angler field