EverStart regular season wraps up Saturday
Top money on the line as anglers say goodbye to Champlain
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The glorious weather seen all week in upstate New York and Vermont took a downturn for Saturday’s final round of EverStart Series Northern Division competition at Lake Champlain. But the overcast skies likely won’t produce much rain, and at this world-class bass fishery, the dock talk after fishing today will probably focus on who loves New York the most.
Art Ferguson of St. Clair Shores, Mich., leads the pro field by almost 2 pounds, and the other nine finalists are in a tight group behind him. Local angler Kenneth Witter of Pine Valley, N.Y., has been strong all week on the co-angler side and leads by 4 ounces. Since they also led the opening round, both anglers have been paired together for the second day in a row.
Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh 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 that will be presented at the EverStart Series Championship.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:45 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 62 degrees
Expected high temperature: 75 degrees
Water temperature: 61-64 degrees
Wind: from the east at 9 mph
Maximum humidity: 71 percent
Day’s outlook: isolated thunderstorms
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