GREENVILLE, Miss. – As tropical depression Allison continued her trek inland over East Texas Wednesday, Roger Stegall of Iuka, Miss., endured the pounding rain she spun off to secure the EverStart Series lead on Lake Ferguson with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces.
The limit gives Stegall a leg up on the 165 Pro Division anglers going into day two of the tournament’s opening round. Anglers must place in the top 30 Thursday to continue their quest for a top award of $50,000 cash and prizes in the third Central Division tournament of the $2.5 million series.
Stegall stands to win $15,000 and a Mercury- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat if he retains his lead throughout the four-day event.
Jerry Daily of Tuscumbia, Ala., finished opening day in second place with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 1 ounce. He was followed by Harmon Davis of Marlow, Okla., with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces; Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces; and Joey Beevers of Cleveland, Miss., with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces.
In the Co-Angler Division, Keith Ray of Florence, Ala., leads the 165-angler field in the quest for a top award of $6,000 with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce followed by David Fontenot of Alexandria, La., with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 7 ounces and Terry Johnson of Cordova, Tenn., with five bass weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces.
Big bass and $750 in the Pro Division went to Daniel Robertson of Rolling Fork, Miss., for a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass. Big bass and $250 in the Co-Angler Division went to Ray for a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass.
A total of 477 bass were caught Wednesday including 31 five-bass limits. More than 97 percent of the bass were released alive.
For a shot at victory, anglers in both divisions must secure one of 30 slots available in Friday’s semifinal round by catching the heaviest two-day total of bass in round one. During the semifinal round, anglers start from zero and compete for one day to determine the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers who will compete in Saturday’s finale. Catch weights are cleared again for the final day of competition, and the winner of each division is determined by the weight of that day’s catch.
Competition begins at 5:30 a.m. each morning at the Washington Street Ramp in Greenville. Weigh-ins Thursday and Friday will also be held at the ramp starting at 2:30 p.m. each day. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1746 Highway 1 South in Greenville at 3:30 p.m.
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 presented by Conseco Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. There, the winning pro will receive a Mercury- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat and $25,000. The winning co-angler will receive a Mercury- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat and $10,000. More than $2.5 million will be awarded during the 2001 EverStart Series season. The series also provides a pathway to the $4.45 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour-bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series.