HAMBURG, N.Y. – The final day of EverStart Series Northern Division competition is under way at Lake Erie. The top 10 pros and co-anglers took off from NFTA Boat Harbor in Buffalo at 7 a.m. with their hopes pinned on a better bass bite Saturday than they had Friday.
“I’m sure the local people are like, `Man, these guys stink,'” pro finalist Joe Balog said about Friday’s qualifying catch weights, which mostly hovered around 15 to 17 pounds. “Especially in October, they catch 20 pounds around here like it’s nothing.”
The lack of wind caused problems for anglers Friday and it appears the water is equally as calm today. However, thunderstorms are in the forecast, which could stir things up a bit and prod the fish to bite. Nevertheless, expect limits from most of the pros in the finals despite the weights.
Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 4255 McKinley Parkway in Hamburg beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern time. Friday’s weights carry over to Saturday, and each division’s winner will be determined by two-day combined weight.
The winning pro is guaranteed $10,000 cash plus an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 519 VS equipped with Garmin electronics, a Minn Kota trolling motor and EverStart batteries. If the winner is the original owner of a Ranger boat, he will receive a $10,000 bonus from Ranger for a top pro award worth $61,900. If he is a qualifying participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Ranger will award another $3,000 cash (or $1,500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner), and Yamaha will match 50 percent of Ranger Cup winnings if the angler’s boat is powered by a Yamaha outboard. Garmin will award the winning pro $1,000 if he uses only Garmin electronics and at least one unit is a qualifying unit.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $5,000 cash, and if he is a Ranger boat owner, Ranger will award him a new Ranger 519 VS for a total prize package worth $35,000. Co-anglers who make the final round of each regular-season EverStart Series event and wear an EverStart/Evinrude shirt and cap on stage are awarded points toward the EverStart Batteries and Evinrude Outboard Engines Co-angler Award. The co-angler receiving the most points by the end of the season receives a 2004 Evinrude 225HO Direct Injection outboard engine rigged on a Ranger boat equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor and EverStart batteries.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:36 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 70 degrees
Expected high temperature: 77 degrees
Water temperature: 66-70 degrees
Wind: from the west-southwest at 9 mph
Maximum humidity: 84 percent
Day’s outlook: thunderstorms