A Kentucky Lake finale
Last EverStart Central event of 2004 begins at Kentucky Lake
BENTON, Ky. – Several weeks ago the Wal-Mart FLW Tour tested the waters of Kentucky and Barkley lakes; this week the Central Division anglers of the EverStart Series have rolled into town to try their luck on the two lakes.
At 6 a.m. Central this morning, a full field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers blasted off from Moors Resort Marina on Kentucky Lake to begin the tournament.
This is the final EverStart Central event of the 2004 season. Not only is a tournament victory up for grabs but so are valuable EverStart Series Championship points that will send the top 40 pros and 40 co-anglers from the Central Division to the no-entry-fee championship in November.
For anglers that competed in the FLW Tour event several weeks ago, this EverStart will be like deja vu.
“Not much has changed,” said Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky. “The water temperature is about the same – 77 to 80 degrees. The water level is about the same. And the wind is about the same: blowing every day.”
Morehead is a perennial favorite on Kentucky Lake. He won the FLW Tour event here in 1998 and an EverStart Series event in 2002.
“Several weeks ago, I missed the cut in the FLW by an ounce,” he said this morning. “I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since – these fish owe me.”
Another Kentucky Lake favorite is David Young of Mayfield, Ky. Young won last year’s EverStart with 20 pounds, 15 ounces.
“The fish are still real scattered,” Young said. “Some fish are still in pockets, some are on the 6- to 8-foot drops and some are on the 10- to 12-foot drops. There are even a few way out deep where I like to catch them.”
Young says it’s not uncommon to catch 15 to 20 bass in as many minutes when the offshore bite is really happening on Kentucky Lake.
“I haven’t found them really wadded up on any one place like I usually do,” he said. “I’ll catch one or two from a spot, but not a bunch like it should be. Then again, I have about six places that I didn’t check during practice.”
Young predicts it will take 24 to 26 pounds to make the top-20 cut after two days but only 32 to 34 pounds to win after two days.
“The first couple of days I think you’ll see a few 20-pound bags,” he said. “But I think weights will fall off in the finals from fishing pressure. Since the holiday (Memorial Day) the lake has had a lot of traffic. Summer is here and the lake will be crowded again this weekend.”
Those choosing to fish offshore will also have to deal with high winds – at least for today – as forecasts are calling for west winds at 10 to 20 mph.
Past Kentucky Lake winners
Since the inception of the EverStart Series, Kentucky Lake has been a perennial stop on the Central schedule. Here’s a look at the past EverStart winners:
6/3-6/6/98: John Wright of Effingham, Ill., (5 bass) 17 pounds, 3 ounces
5/12-5/15/99: Bill McDonald of Indianapolis, Ind., (5 bass) 15 pounds, 12 ounces
5/3-5/6/00: Keith Monson of Burgin, Ky., (5 bass) 19 pounds, 1 ounce
5/2-5/5/01: Koby Kreiger of Okeechobee, Fla., (5 bass) 14 pounds, 1 ounce
5/1-5/4/02: Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., (5 bass) 21 pounds, 4 ounces
4/30-5/3/02: David Young of Mayfield, Ky., (5 bass) 20 pounds, 15 ounces
Wednesday’s conditions:
Air temperature: 67 degrees
Water temperature: 76 degrees
Wind: forecasted 10 to 20 mph from the west
Day’s outlook: sunny in the morning, 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, high of 80 degrees
The day-one weigh-in of the final EverStart Central Division tournament will begin at 2:30 p.m. at Moors Resort and Marina.