Rookie Bowersock slams ‘em for co-angler victory

Israel, second in all-time EverStart top-10s, places fourth

EUFAULA, Ala. – In a remarkable display of skill from the back of the boat, the Co-Angler Division nearly outfished the pros in today’s final round of the EverStart Series Eastern Division event at Lake Eufaula. Leading the co-angler charge was winner Bruce Bowersock, who actually did beat all the pros with a five-bass weight of 20 pounds, 10 ounces.

The co-anglers – who, like the pros, all weighed in a five-fish limit today – fell just 9 pounds, 8 ounces short of tallying more total weight than their pro counterparts in the final round. The Co-Angler Division weighed in 142 pounds, 10 ounces while the Pro Division weighed in 153 pounds, 2 ounces.

However, in an unusual twist, Bowersock’s 20-pound, 10-ounce stringer outweighed pro winner Mark Shepard’s 20-pound, 5-ounce total weight.

The 47-year-old co-angler winner from Lake Worth, Fla., said he wasn’t surprised by the co-anglers’ success today. He explained that the bass moving up onto the shallows left plenty of fish for everybody.

“It didn’t make any difference where you fished from in this lake,” he said. “Since the bass aren’t locked on, the guy in the back of the boat had just as good a shot as the front. We were just using a fan cast.”

But Bowersock says the secret to his success in the final round wasn’t just fan-casting, it was something he figured out the night before about his bait.

“Last night, I got to thinking that most of the good fish that bit on a white spinnerbait – everybody’s been using a white spinnerbait – are gone,” he said. So he switched to a double willow leaf spinnerbait rigged with a red skirt and chartreuse French fry trailer. “I caught them all on the ugliest bait you’ve ever seen.”

For Bowersock, it wasn’t just his first win, this tournament was the first time he’d ever cracked the top 30. He collected $6,000 for his efforts.

“All in all, it’s been a great tournament,” he said.

It was also a great tournament for co-angler Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla. She weighed in 16 pounds, 11 ounces today and finished in fourth place. More importantly, she has established herself as more than just one of the tour’s leading lady co-anglers, she is one of the tour’s leading co-anglers, period. She ranks second behind Fred Hill of Roxboro, N.C. – who now competes as a pro – in terms of career top-10 appearances. This was her fourth top-10.

Part of the reason for her success, she readily admits, is that Israel has knack for learning quickly. In fact, following a suggestion by a pro, this week she caught many of her big fish using a buzzbait, a technique with which she had never caught a bass before. Today, her pro partner Jacob Pawroznik of Hopewell, Va., showed her how to speed-reel a worm, and she caught 4 pounds, 11 ounces more bass then he did.

“I can feel every tick that happens,” she said, describing her technique. “So I always know what fish are around me. And I never stop throwing.”

Rounding out the top five finishers in the Co-Angler Division were Bowersock; James Richardson Sr. of Harrison, Ohio, with a weight of 19 pounds 3 ounces; Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky., with 17-12; Israel; and Terry Pennington of Tallahassee, Fla., with 13-10.

The next EverStart Series event is an Eastern Division event scheduled for Lake Santee Cooper, S.C., March 28-31.

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