Guntersville gambit

EverStart Eastern Division anglers commence opening-round action on Guntersville Lake, vie for share of $210,000 in prize money

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – The final EverStart Eastern Division event of the 2002 regular season has begun. Shortly after 5:30 a.m., 330 of the nation’s premier bass anglers left the picturesque confines of Guntersville State Park Marina with one goal in mind – to position themselves atop the leaderboard after today’s opening round of competition.

While anglers were greeted with a beautiful sunrise, balmy temperatures, low winds and near-perfect conditions at takeoff, the National Weather Service has put a damper on the rest of today’s outlook – calling for isolated thunderstorms throughout the day. How today’s conditions will interfere with the carefully planned strategies of the anglers remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear: The competition will be intense.

Not surprisingly, there is a lot on line during June 5-8 Guntersville Lake contest. For starters, anglers will be competing for valuable first-place prize money – $15,000 and a brand new Ranger boat in the Pro Division and $6,000 in the Co-angler Division. In addition, both fields will be battling to qualify for the prestigious 2002 EverStart Championship.

In order to qualify for the championship – which will take place Nov. 6-9 on Lake Martin in Alexander City, Ala. – Eastern Division competitors must finish in the top 50 of their respective divisions at the conclusion of the Guntersville Lake tournament. Currently Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., and Vince Ingle of Maryville, Tenn., share the lead in the Pro Division with 579 year-end standings points. Pro Pat Fisher of Stone Mountain, Ga., is in third place with 559 points. In the Co-angler Division, Ken Karoll of Lake Placid, Fla., is in first place with 542 year-end standings points. Jeff Taylor of Vernon, Ala., with 527 points, and Ralph Mulleins of Cumberland, Va., with 521 points, round out the top three.

EverStart action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at Guntersville State Park, located at 1155 Lodge Drive in Guntersville, Ala.

Vital statistics:

Sunrise: 5:33 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 68 degrees
Expected high temperature: 87 degrees
Water temperature: 63 degrees
Wind: from the southeast at 5 mph
Relative humidity: 89 percent
Day’s outlook: hazy sunshine, chance of isolated thunderstorms

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