Double take

Johnson, Kimball claim top spot in respective EverStart fields for second day in a row

CLEWISTON, Fla. – After Thursday’s crucial EverStart Series weigh-in had been completed, you could excuse Rufus Johnson and Jim Kimball for having a serious case of deja vu. You see, both picked up right where they left off on Wednesday. Not only did both anglers survive the all-important top-30 cut, but they also finished in first place in their respective divisions yet again.

Johnson, a native of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., used a solid 16-pound, 11-ounce catch to vault him into the top spot by almost 6 pounds. Johnson had a two-day catch of 36 pounds, 11 ounces.

Clearly, Johnson – who caught his limit by 7:30 a.m., a mere half-hour after takeoff – is on a roll.

“I’m feeling really confident right now,” said Johnson, who had fished in two previous EverStart tournaments on Lake Okeechobee without winning so much as a nickel in prize money. “But to tell you the truth, I’ve been pretty lucky so far. There’s a lot of big fish in this lake and a lot of good anglers out there. I’m just happy to be where I am.”

As a testament to his fishing prowess and good sportsmanship, Johnson has also demonstrated an amazing knack for helping out his co-anglers. On day one, Johnson’s partner, Garry Collins, was able to land a catch of 13 pounds, 2 ounces – a feat good enough for fourth place overall in the Co-Angler Division on Wednesday. Today, Johnson’s co-angler, David Sadler, landed a catch of 11 pounds, 14 ounces. Although Sadler missed the top-30 cut by 3 ounces, it was mainly due to the fact that he only managed one fish for 1 pound, 11 ounces on the first day.

“I’ll tell you what, Rufus sure knows how to catch them,” said Sadler, who finished in 31st place. “He had his limit before I even caught my first fish. Then, Rufus gave me one of his lures and I caught my limit by 9:30 a.m.”

While Johnson has been the talk of the tournament so far, the Tennesee native said he must continue to look ahead and stay focused.

“It’s a new ballgame tomorrow,” said Johnson, who divulged that he will continue throwing crankbaits as fast and furious as he can for the remainder of the tournament. “I think I’m going to need 14 to 16 pounds of fish to make tomorrow’s final cut.”

Despite not knowing what tomorrow will bring, Johnson said that the trip to Okeechobee has already been a worthwhile experience.

“I haven’t done too well here over the last few years, so it’s a great feeling to know I’m already in the money,” he said. “I want to win, but I’m not putting any pressure on myself. I’ve had a great time and a bunch of great partners. I’m very happy right now.”

Buoyed by a whopping 20-pound catch on Thursday, Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., finished in second place with a total two-day catch of 30 pounds, 15 ounces. Crafton was followed in the standings by Pat Kelly of Loxahatchee, Fla., who was in third place with a total catch of 29 pounds, 14 ounces. Rounding out the top-five pros were Scott Browning of Franklin, N.C., with a total catch of 28 pounds, 11 ounces; and Frank Poirier of Hopewell, Va., with a total catch of 28 pounds, 9 ounces. Browning also won the Pro Division Big Bass award and a check for $500 after catching the largest fish in the tournament to date – an 8-pound, 6-ounce largemouth.

Kimball does it again

Kimball, who was in first place after the first day of competition, used a 7-pound, 4-ounce catch on day two to eek out another top ranking in the Co-Angler Division standings heading into Friday’s semifinal round.

However, it wasn’t easy. Due to the different strategy employed by his day-two pro partner, Kimball felt he was in unfamiliar angling territory, literally and figuratively.

“When I first heard where we were going, I was a little nervous,” said Kimball, a native of Okeechobee, Fla. “But when we both caught fish within the first 10 minutes, I started to relax. As it turned out, I had a really great partner.”

Kimball, who had never fished in an EverStart tournament before yesterday, said he was ecstatic with his performance so far.

“It feels great,” said Kimball, who turned in a total two-day catch of 22-pounds, 13 ounces. “I really didn’t think I had enough fish to be in first place after today’s weigh-in. So I’m very pleased. It can’t get much better than this.”

As far as strategy goes, Kimball said he’s taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I really have to figure out what my partner wants to do before I know what strategy to take,” he said. “I’m just going to find out what (my partner) is throwing and try to do the same. And from what I hear, he’s doing quite well. So that should really help.”

Ralph Mulleins of Cumberland, Va., was in second place with a total catch of 22 pounds, 4 ounces. Carl Dillard of Columbia, S.C., finished in third place with a total catch of 22 pounds, 1 ounce. Dillard also won the Co-Angler Big Bass award and a check for $300 for catching a 7-pound, 9-ounce largemouth.

Rounding out the top five were Gary Fint of Frankfort, Ky., with a total catch of 21 pounds, 12 ounces; and Glen Childers of Buffalo, S.C., with a total catch of 20 pounds, 14 ounces.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. at Roland Martin’s Marina located at 920 East Del Monte Ave., Clewiston, Fla.

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