Big win for Goble

North Carolina co-angler saves best for last at EverStart Championship

FLORENCE, Ala. – Talk about tough fishing – Pickwick Lake turned awfully stingy on the final day of competition for the top 10 co-anglers vying for the title in the EverStart Series Championship.

Considering that only three co-anglers managed to boat keeper bass today, the stage was set for a come-from-behind performance by Jerry Goble of Sherrills Ford, N.C., who won the event with four bass weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces.

“This is the best feeling I’ve ever had,” said Goble, who owns a lawn and landscape company in North Carolina. “All day long I’ve had cold chills running out of me – like the hair was standing up on my head. Now I know why.”

Goble qualified in the 10th position in the Co-angler Division Thursday by 1 ounce.

“It’s amazing how I got here,” he recounted. “Yesterday, my pro pulled up on the last spot with about five minutes to fish, and I caught a 2 1/2-pound largemouth on a pink buzzbait on my last cast.”

Today, Goble fished with pro Gabe Bolivar of Ramona, Calif., and used a wooden, homemade crankbait called a Little Pig, fished fished on 8-pound-test line, to catch all of his fish.

“We fished riprap all day long,” Goble said. “That bait gets down about 6 feet, and that’s the depth most of my fish came from.”

Goble, whose previous highest EverStart finish was third, collected $62,500 for his win.

James Chapman of Cedartown, Ga., finished second with two bass weighing 3 pounds, 6 ounces and collected $16,500.

Mark Guin of Crossett, Ark., caught just one 12-ounce keeper bass today, but it was enough to grab third place worth $10,500.

Since the rest of the top 10 co-anglers zeroed, they finished in the order that they qualified after round one. That left Gilbert Herald of Pittsburg, Texas, in fourth place and Paul Bailey of Agoura Hills, Calif., in fifth place.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers in the EverStart Championship on Pickwick Lake:

6th: Steven Christensen of Ferron, Utah, 0-0

7th: Matthew Parker of Whitesburg, Ga., 0-0

8th: Donna Newberry of Van Buren, Ark., 0-0

9th: Arch Cornett of Huntsville, Ala., 0-0

10: Lewis Southard of Chandler, Ariz., 0-0