GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – John Wyrick of Middletown, Ohio, will lead 20 of the nation’s top professional bass anglers into Friday’s semifinal round at the $210,000 EverStart Series tournament on Guntersville Lake with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 7 ounces.
Wyrick caught five bass weighing 10 pounds Wednesday to place 81st. He then landed five bass weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces Thursday to jump into the lead.
Pro Michael Brown of Chatsworth, Ga., caught 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 4 ounces in two days to secure the No. 2 spot in the semifinal round. Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., is in third with a total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 3 ounces; Edward Gettys of Stevenson, Ala., is fourth with 10 bass weighing 34 pounds; and Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., is fifth with 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 6 ounces.
On Friday the top 20 pros and co-anglers will start from zero and fish for one day to determine the top 10 anglers advancing to Saturday’s final round for a shot at more than $50,000 in cash and prizes and $6,000 cash, respectively.
Co-angler Charlie Reed Jr. of Hayes, Va., claimed the top spot in his division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 14 ounces. He caught the majority of his bass using top-water baits and 10-inch worms near grass beds.
Finishing in second and third place were co-anglers Tony Hill of Chatsworth, Ga., with eight bass weighing 27 pounds, 13 ounces, and Lance Henderson of Fort Ogden, Fla., with 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 3 ounces.
Competition begins at 5:30 a.m. each morning at Guntersville State Park in Guntersville. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Guntersville Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 11697 U.S. Highway 431 South starting at 3:30 p.m.
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 be invited to the 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 could win up to $260,000 and $40,000 cash, respectively.
More than $2.8 million will be awarded to bass anglers through the 2002 EverStart Series.