GROVE, Okla. – Al Fisher of Hachett, Ark., landed more than $50,000 in cash and prizes including a Ranger boat Saturday on Grand Lake with five bass weighing 16 pounds in the EverStart Series’ second $210,000 Central Division tournament.
Fisher, who works for Norman Lure Company as a designer and promotions director, topped 165 Pro Division anglers after four days of competition and two elimination rounds. He made the top-20 cut Thursday in 15th place with a two-day, opening-round total of seven bass weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces. He then caught five more bass weighing 17 pounds, 2 ounces Friday to make the top-10 cut in first place. Catch weights were cleared for all competitors following each cut.
Faced with near freezing temperatures Wednesday and Thursday morning, Fisher caught his bass using 1/8-ounce and 1/4-ounce Norman crankbaits. When temperatures climbed Friday and Saturday, he stuck with the same lures, which he was throwing to shallow ditches, to claim his first EverStart Series victory. Saturday’s fishing, however, was not perfect for Fisher.
“I lost two giants right off, and I just knew I blew the tournament,” Fisher said. “I lost a 6-pounder right at the boat and my heart just sank. I must have thrown at that fish 150 times after that, but I never caught her again.”
While the bass are not yet spawning, Fisher says they seem to have staked out spawning areas, and they are protecting them. “I figured the cold weather would move the fish back to deep water, but they stayed shallow all week,” he said.
Jim Eakins of Nixa, Mo. (five bass, 15 pounds, 11 ounces, $10,000); Kellogg’s pro Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas (five bass, 13 pounds, 8 ounces, $9,000); Jeff Ransom of Muldrow, Okla. (four bass, 11 pounds, 5 ounces, $8,000); and Greg Hackney of Oak Ridge, La., (five bass, 11 pounds, 2 ounces, $7,500) rounded out the top five pros.
In the 165-competitor Co-angler Division, Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C., claimed his first win in six top-10 EverStart Series finishes. He claimed victory and $6,000 with three bass weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught on a green fluke while fishing with Fisher. Hill entered the final round as the No. 1 seed after landing four bass weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces in the semifinal round and four bass weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces in the two-day opening round. Like the Pro Division, catch weights were cleared at the start of each round.
“I wanted it bad, now I don’t know what to say,” said a slightly stunned Hill. “I finally got my win.”
Co-anglers Brian Tolley of Katy, Texas, (three bass, 7 pounds, 15 ounces, $4,000) and Keith Johnson of Moore, Okla., (three bass, 7 pounds, 4 ounces, $3,500) finished second and third respectively.
Overall, 53 bass weighing 142 pounds, 12 ounces were caught Saturday, including four five-bass limits. All of the fish were released alive.
The tournament began Wednesday with 330 anglers representing 24 states taking off from Red 11 Port in Grove. Kentucky Lake near Gilbertsville, Ky., will host the third Central Division EverStart Series tournament May 1-4. The third Eastern Division tournament runs April 10-13 on the Santee Cooper Lakes in Manning, S.C.
Now in its fifth season, the EverStart Series features three divisions – Eastern, Central and Northern – with four events each plus the $325,000 EverStart Series Championship presented by Conseco. The top 50 pros and co-anglers from each division will earn a spot in the no-entry-fee Championship for a shot at top pro awards of more than $60,000 in cash and prizes and top co-angler awards of more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. The top 10 pros and co-anglers from each division also receive priority entry into the 2003 Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series – where they will compete at the sport’s highest level for up to $260,000 and $40,000 in cash respectively.
More than $2.8 million will be awarded to bass anglers through the 2002 EverStart Series.
Sponsors of the 2002 EverStart Series are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods, BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, Coleman, Conseco, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, GARMIN, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Maxwell House, Minn Kota, Newell Rubbermaid, Pepsi, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers, Stanley Works, US Bank, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards. Associate sponsors are Abu Garcia, Berkley, Eagle Claw, Laker, Plano and Solar Bat.
FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing tournaments, manages the EverStart Series. The organization operates 170 tournaments through the EverStart Series, Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit and Ranger M1. FLW Outdoors will award anglers up to $22 million in 2002.