HENDERSON, Nev. – Pro Mike Folkestad of Yorba Linda, Calif., caught seven bass weighing 16 pounds over two days to lead the four-day, $185,220 EverStart Series event on Nevada’s Lake Mead Thursday, as the original field of 119 pros and 119 co-anglers was whittled to the top 20 in both divisions.
Tough conditions prevailed at Lake Mead again Thursday despite another day of near-perfect weather. Folkestad triumphed over the challenging conditions with a two-bass catch weighing 4 pounds, 1 ounce Thursday to prop up his opening day catch of five bass weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces. He caught his bass on a Roboworm in deep water.
“I fished all new water [Thursday],” said Folkestad, who also lead Wednesday’s opening day. “I feel very fortunate to be leading this tournament.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. (10 bass, 14 pounds, 9 ounces); Clint Johanson of Benton City, Wash. (seven bass, 13 pounds, 14 ounces); Sean Minderman of Post Falls, Idaho (seven bass, 13 pounds, 8 ounces); and Scott Nielsen of Salt Lake City (five bass, 10 pounds, 8 ounces).
Ron Chambers of Phoenix leads the Co-angler Division heading into Friday’s semifinal round thanks to his two-day total of five bass weighing 10 pounds. Chambers used a Roboworm in deep water to catch two bass weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces Thursday.
“I was fishing slow in water about 30 to 40 feet deep,” said Chambers, who is fishing on Lake Mead for the first time. “It feels great to be in the lead. I love to fish so this is a lot of fun.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jeff Dean of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. (five bass, 8 pounds); Jed Bozeman of Peoria, Ariz. (five bass, 8 pounds); Dale Merry of Phoenix (three bass, 7 pounds, 11 ounces); and Rusty Rath of Page, Ariz. (three bass, 5 pounds, 6 ounces).
Keisuke Wakunga of Castaic, Calif., earned $500 as the pro division big-bass winner. His big bass weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce. Danny Phillips of Temecula, Calif., earned co-angler big-bass honors and $200 for his 2-pound, 8-ounze bass
A total of 138 bass were caught Thursday, including two five-bass limits. More than 99 percent were released alive.
Anglers will take off Friday and Saturday from Callville Bay Resort in Las Vegas at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Callville Bay beginning at 4 p.m.
Anglers will start at zero Friday, and the top 10 anglers in both divisions will advance to Saturday’s final round based on their one-day weight. Weights are cleared for Saturday’s competition as well, and anglers compete for position and prize money.
The winning pro will take home a guaranteed cash award of $7,000 plus a new Ranger 519VS Comanche equipped with Garmin electronics and powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard. If the winner is the original owner of a Ranger boat, he will receive an additional $10,000 cash bonus from Ranger for a total of $58,900 in cash and prizes. Ranger will also award an additional $3,000 to the winner if he is a Ranger Cup participant, and Garmin will award $1,000 to the winner if his boat is equipped with a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/Sounder.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $3,600 cash. If the winning co-angler is a registered Ranger owner, he will also receive a new Ranger 519VS Comanche for a total of $26,400 in cash and prizes.
Four divisions – Eastern, Central, Northern and Western – comprise the 2003 EverStart Series. Each division stages four regular-season tournaments leading up to the no-entry-fee $335,975 EverStart Series Championship, which will be held on Old Hickory Lake near Gallatin, Tenn., Oct. 29-Nov. 1.
In EverStart Series competition, pros supply the boats, control boat movement and fish from the front of each boat against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back of each boat and compete against other co-anglers.
FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing, administers the EverStart Series. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League. FLW Outdoors will award as much as $20 million through 175 tournaments in 2003.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.