Bowen blitzes pro field, grabs EverStart tourney lead
Buterbaugh bags Big Bass award with monster catch
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – Local fishing pro Billy Bowen of Ocala, Fla., used a 14-pound, 9-ounce catch to run away from the pack on the first day of EverStart Eastern Division competition on Lake Okeechobee. While the rest of the pro field struggled mightily in unseasonably cool temperatures – only four anglers caught five-fish limits all day – Bowen fell back on his years of angling experience on Lake Okeechobee to take a commanding lead heading into tomorrow’s contest.
“Because of the cold front, it was a really tough bite out there today,” said Bowen, who finished in third place in the 2001 Eastern Division EverStart standings. “But I’ve fished Okeechobee for years and I think it really paid off today. I feel right at home with conditions like this. For me, the tougher the bite, the better.”
Although temperatures are expected to rise tomorrow, Bowen – who has nearly a 3-pound advantage on the rest of the competition – said he has no plans on changing strategy anytime soon.
“I backed off a little bit today. And at the time, I didn’t know if it was a good strategy or not,” said Bowen, who landed his five-fish limit by 2 p.m. “But I’m going to fish the same way tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be enough to get me to the next round.”
Not surprisingly, Bowen said that he likes his chances of making Friday’s top-20 cut.
“I don’t want to get overconfident because there are a lot of fishermen who know this lake as well or better than I do,” he said. “But overall, I think I’m in a pretty good position. I have a couple of (fishing) spots I’m saving for later and I know no one has found them yet.”
Randall battles cold temps, flu to land second-place finish
Despite suffering through a week-long bout with the flu, Brian Randall of McCalla, Ala., spearheaded an 11-pound, 11-ounce catch to grab second place heading into tomorrow’s competition.
“Considering the fact that I’ve been battling the flu for the last week and only had one bite in four days of practice, it feels pretty good to be in second place,” said Randall. “Coming into this tournament, I didn’t have a lot of confidence. But I decided to slow down my approach and work the areas more carefully. Clearly, it worked out.
Concentrating on shallow-water vegetation, Randall found success with Lake Fork mega weights and soft plastic baits.
“I’m going to do the same thing on Friday,” said Randall. “I’m going back to the same places and I’m going to fish the same way. If I catch a few fish tomorrow, I should make the cut. But at the same time, you have to be very careful on this lake. A guy can land an 8-pound bass with one cast. You can’t afford to be overconfident.”
Pat Fisher of Stone Mountain, Ga., grabbed third place with a catch of 11 pounds, 5 ounces. Tommy Chumley of Jasper, Ga., and Vince Ingle of Maryville, Tenn., rounded out the top five with identical catches of 9 pounds, 2 ounces.
Despite the intense competition, Keith Buterbaugh of Douglasville, Ga., may have stolen the show with a whopping one-bass catch weighing in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces. With that catch, Buterbaugh won the day’s Big Bass award and a check for $650.
Bowersock snags lead in Co-angler Division
David Bowersock of Lake Worth, Fla., used a 6-pound, 13-ounce catch to grab first place in the Co-angler Division. However, the story of the day among the amateurs fell to Randy Webster of Brilliant, Ala. Although Webster only caught one fish, it was good enough to win the day’s Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division as well as put him in second place heading into tomorrow’s competition.
“Today was my very first time fishing Lake Okeechobee,” said Webster. “I only had one bite all day. But luckily for me, it was a 4-pound, 12-ounce fish. To tell you the truth, I’m still kind of in shock.”
Because of the tough conditions, only seven co-anglers managed to bring in more than one fish all day. Consequently, Webster’s lone fish put him in great position to make the top-20 cut.
“I didn’t think (my weight) would hold up,” said Webster, who fished rattletraps and spinnerbaits almost exclusively. “But I had a really good partner. Overall, I’m having a lot of fun so far.”
Rounding out the top five were Sam Wisnewski (third place) of Kill Devil Hills, N.C., with a catch of 4 pounds, 2 ounces; Ed Clark (fourth) of Wayne, W.Va., with a catch of 3 pounds, 14 ounces; and Ed Sankowski (fifth) of Riverview, Fla., with a catch of 3 pounds, 13 ounces.
Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. at the Okee-Tantie marina located at 10430 Highway 78 West in Okeechobee.
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