ROGERS, Ark. – Bunky Long, 60, of Walnut Grove, Mo., tried almost everything in his tackle box to catch five bass weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces during a rain- and sleet-filled opening round at the $164,000 EverStart Batteries Series tournament on Beaver Lake.
Long’s catch, however, was strong enough to grab the Pro Division lead over such accomplished anglers as Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., who in 1999 won $600,000 in the Ranger M1 Millennium at Cypress Gardens, Fla., and Carl Svebek III, who took 10th place two weeks ago in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C.
Long caught his bass along timber- and rock-filled banks using a Wiggle Wart, spinnerbait and Carolina-rigged plastic worm.
“It was a good day on Beaver,” says Long, who has his sights set on the $10,000 cash and Evinrude- or Johnson-powered Ranger bass boat that will be awarded to the winning pro. “Whatever I picked up seemed to catch a fish, but you never know about tomorrow. There’s always a little luck involved.”
Rounding out the top spots in the Pro Division were Svebek and George Toalson, who tied for second with five bass weighing 15-3; Jeff Stevens, who placed fourth with five bass weighing 14-15; and Tim Poe, who placed fifth with four bass weighing 14-14.
Robertson finished opening day in a six-way tie for 38th place with five bass weighing 8-7.
In the Co-Angler Division, Cary Lodl, 49, of Scribner, Neb., is leading the field in a bid for the top prize of $6,000 with four bass weighing 12-14. Trailing Lodl in second and third place respectively were Hoot Gibson with five bass weighing 9-9 and Charles Holton Jr. with five bass weighing 9-8.
Big bass for the day in the Pro Division and $500 went to Donnie Williams of Paris, Tenn., for a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass. Big bass in the Co-Angler Division was a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass caught by Randy Fraser of High Ridge, Mo., worth $300.
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 Prairie Creek Marina on Prairie Creek Drive in Rogers, Ark. The Thursday and Friday weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. at the same location. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 2110 West Walnut in Rogers 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 priority entry in the 2001 FLW Tour.
The series’ title sponsor, EverStart Batteries, is the No. 1 retail selling automotive and marine battery brand in the world.