MANNING, S.C. – Ricky Shumpert, 40, of Lexington, S.C., landed a new EverStart Series final round weight record and $50,000 in cash and prizes Saturday on the Santee Cooper Lakes with five bass weighing 28 pounds, 2 ounces. The record tops the previous mark of 21 pounds, 3 ounces set on the lakes last season by William Smith of Moncks Corner, S.C.
Shumpert, who also competes on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and is currently one point behind Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year points leader, Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., caught his limit Saturday fishing the shallow backwaters of Lake Marion. He used a combination of tactics including flipping pearl white and green pumpkin-colored tubebaits and casting buzzbaits to catch the bass as the weather shifted intermittently between bright sunshine and light rain.
Shumpert survived four days of competition on the lakes before claiming victory over 165 competitors in the Pro Division. He made the semifinal round cut to the top 30 pros Thursday in eighth place with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 35 pounds, 13 ounces. He then made the final round cut to the top 10 Friday in third place with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces. Catch weights were cleared for all competitors at the start of the semifinal and final rounds.
“I was confident that I could catch a good solid limit,” Shumpert said after winning $15,000 and a new Ranger boat. “I figured I could catch 18 to 19 pounds fairly easily, but I never really thought I would bust a 28-pound sack. Everything just played out perfectly.”
Second through fifth place in the Pro Division went to Koby Kreiger of Osceola, Ind., with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 8 ounces worth $10,000; Billy Bowen Jr. of Ocala, Fla., with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces worth $9,000; David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces worth $8,000; and Greg Pugh of Cullman, Ala., with four bass weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces worth $7,500.
Tom Burks, 67, of Okeechobee, Fla., claimed first place in the 165-person Co-Angler Division and collected $6,000 with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 9 ounces. David Geeter of Augusta, Ga., finished second in the Co-Angler Division and collected $4,000 with three bass weighing 12 pounds, 11 ounces. Rounding out the top five were Al Reed of Tequesta, Fla., with three bass weighing 12 pounds worth $3,500; Charles Clemons of Hartselle, Ala., with four bass weighing 11 pounds, 8 ounces worth $3,000; and Mitch Pierson of Newton, N.J., with three bass weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce worth $2,500.
“I had a good feeling about today,” said Burks, whose first bass of the day was a 7 1/2-pounder. “I just outdistanced the field by so much that I was pretty sure I had it won, but you’re always a little nervous until weigh-in time.”
A total of 64 bass were caught Saturday including seven five-bass limits. All of the bass were released alive.
The tournament began Wednesday with 330 anglers taking off from the John C. Land III Boating and Sportfishing Facility near Summerton to claim a piece of the event’s $185,000 purse. Kerr Lake near Henderson, N.C., will be the next Eastern Division EverStart Series stop May 30-June 2.
The 4-year-old EverStart Series now includes three divisions-Eastern, Central and Northern-with four events each plus a year-end championship. Tournament winners and the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from each division will earn a spot in the championship, which will be held Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. There, the winning pro will receive a Ranger boat and $25,000. The winning co-angler will receive a Ranger boat and $10,000. More than $2.5 million will be awarded to bass fishing enthusiasts during the 2001 EverStart Series season. The series also provides a pathway to the $4.4 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour-bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series.