MANNING, S.C., – Edward Trovato, 48, of Johnstown, Pa., is leading the pro field with an opening day catch of five bass weighing 19 pounds, 13 ounce at the $164,000 EverStart Batteries Series tournament on Lake Santee Cooper.
Trovato, a grocery store owner, had to use a variety of tactics to catch his limit, which included a 6-pound, 15-ounce largemouth. “It was rough out there,” he said. “I only had the five bites, and they all came on different lures. It’s really strange. I’d catch one in 6 inches of water then catch another in 10 feet. There’s no real pattern.”
Trovato fished exclusively on Lake Moultrie, the lower end of Santee Cooper – site of the heaviest two-day EverStart catch in history, 43-4, set by Ken Ellis of Bowman, S.C., in 1998.
The lucrative bass competition has attracted 350 of North America’s top bass anglers – 175 pros and 175 co-anglers – to Manning, S.C., including Gary Gaussiran of Canada who made the trip in hopes of winning $10,000 cash and an Evinrude-powered Ranger bass boat. EverStart Eastern Division points leader, Sandy Melvin of Boca Grande, Fla., also is among the pro competitors.
In the Co-Angler Division, Tommy Dillon of Eutawville, S.C., is leading the field in a bid for the top prize of $6,000 with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 3 ounces.
For a shot at victory, anglers in both divisions must secure one of 30 slots available in Friday’s second round by catching the heaviest two-day total of bass in round one. During the second round, anglers start over, competing for one day to determine the top 10 pros and co-anglers who will compete in Saturday’s final round.
Competition begins at 7 a.m. each morning at the John C. Land III Boating and Sportfishing Facility located on Logjam Landing Road in Summerton, S.C. Thursday’s and Friday’s weigh-in begin at 3 p.m. at the same location. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 481 West Boyce Street in Manning, S.C., at 4 p.m.
The three-year-old, nine-event EverStart Series is comprised of two divisions, Eastern and Central, with four multi-day events per division. The top 75 pros and co-anglers from each division will advance to the year-end EverStart Invitational Challenge at Cypress Gardens, Fla., which features a purse of $360,000.
Over the course of the season, the series awards anglers up to $1.7 million in cash and prizes. It also provides a pathway to the prestigious Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the richest tournament series in history. Winning anglers in the Pro and Co-Angler Divisions of each EverStart tournament, as well as the overall top 10 anglers, based on a system of points and pounds, receive automatic berths in the 2001 FLW Tour.