RED WING, Minn. – Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot Friday going into the final round of the $210,000 EverStart Series tournament on the Mississippi River with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 11 ounces.
Monsoor, who won this same event last season, will compete Saturday against nine other finalists in the Pro Division for a top award of $50,000 in cash and prizes, including an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat. If his boat is equipped with a fixed-mount GARMIN Fishfinder or combination GPS/Sounder, he will also receive a $1,000 bonus from GARMIN.
Finalists start on equal footing as weights from previous rounds are erased, and the winner is determined by the weight of Saturday’s catch. The original field of 154 pros was whittled to the top 20 Thursday and cut to the top 10 Friday.
“It doesn’t matter until Saturday because Saturday is the day that counts,” Monsoor said. “The will is there, but the fish have to be willing. If they’re willing, I’m willing.”
Monsoor caught his bass Friday using a homemade “swimming” jig that he used to win last year’s tournament. In the opening round, he caught a two-day total of seven bass weighing 16 pounds, 15 ounces to make the top-20 cut in 11th place.
John Johnson of Winnebago, Ill. (five bass, 11 pounds, 5 ounces); Richie Eaves of Nauvoo, Ill. (five bass, 10 pounds, 10 ounces); Mike Feldermann of Galena, Ill. (five bass, 10 pounds, 2 ounces); and Aaron Larocque of Wabasha, Minn., (five bass, 10 pounds) rounded out the top five pros.
Robert Oines of Beaver Dam, Wis., claimed the top co-angler spot Friday with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 1 ounce. He survived the semifinal round cut from 154 to 20 co-anglers Thursday in sixth place with a two-day total of five bass weighing 10 pounds, 10 ounces.
“I thought the tournament was over after three days for co-anglers, so I need to pay attention more,” said Oines, who fished last year’s tournament on the pro side. “I guess that’s a nice problem to deal with.”
Ron Gerstenmaier of Uniontown, Ohio, qualified in second with five bass weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Dick Bowman of Thornville, Ohio, with five bass weighing 9 pounds, 1 ounce.
Like their pro counterparts, co-anglers start from zero Saturday with the winner determined by the day’s heaviest catch. The winning co-angler receives $6,000 cash.
A total of 122 bass were caught Friday including 12 five-bass limits.
Saturday’s action begins at 6 a.m. at Treasure Island Casino and Resort in Welch, Minn. The final weigh-in will be held at Treasure Island Casino at 3 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 in cash, respectively.
More than $2.8 million will be awarded to bass anglers through the 2002 EverStart Series.