HENDERSON, N.C. – With two consistent limits in the final round, Shannon Fletcher of Honaker, Va., took top honors in the Co-angler Division of EverStart Series Northeast Division competition at Kerr Lake. An EverStart rookie, he won $5,000 and a Ranger boat in his first event.
“I love it. This is my first one,” he said. “I had a good day today, and I had four good partners this week. That’s what it’s all about. I had a great week.”
Fletcher caught a limit weighing 10 pounds, 2 ounces Friday and another one weighing 11-15 Saturday for a tournament-winning total of 22-1. He was the only co-angler to catch limits both days of the final round.
The key, he said, was his ability to play off his pro partners. Each day, fishing flats off points, he started throwing a Zoom fluke. Then he would alternate that with a Carolina rig.
“I did the same thing all week because all the pros were throwing a topwater,” he said. “I was just trying to mix it up. Wherever the herring is, that’s where the bass are. Pete (Gluszek) was a great partner today. We had a ball.”
Second place went to co-angler Mark Cummings of Pembroke, N.C., who led day three, with a final weigh of 19 pounds, 13 ounces. He earned $4,000 and earned his third top-10 finish in three EverStarts fished.
“Yeah, I’m always short,” he said. “Maybe one of these days I’m going to win one.”
Ryan Bowman of Seneca, S.C., caught 16 pounds, 8 ounces in the final round and finished third for the co-anglers. He earned $3,500.
Andy Staple of Youngsville, N.C., finished fourth and collected $2,500 with a two-day total of 14 pounds, 1 ounces.
Co-angler Douglas Grant of Manchester, Conn., finished fifth with a weight of 13 pounds, 8 ounces. He won $2,000.
Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finishers at Kerr Lake:
6th: Alan Hench of Lititz, Pa., 10-1, $1,900
7th: Tony Dorman of Springville, Pa., 9-0, $1,800
8th: Jeff Slute of Seagrave, Ontario, 8-11, $1,700
9th: Miller Castle of Abingdon, Va., 5-12, $1,600
10th: Kenneth Roderick of Norwich, Conn., 4-0, $1,500
Coming up
The next EverStart Series event is a Central Division contest at Kentucky Lake near Benton, Ky., June 15-18.
The next Northeast Division tournament will be held on Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio, July 27-30.