Final countdown

EverStart finalists hit Guntersville Lake in search of tournament title

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – With 310 anglers already eliminated from competition, the remaining top 10 finalists in each division made their way past Guntersville State Park Marina shortly after 5:20 a.m. in search of victory in the final EverStart Eastern Division event of the 2002 regular season.

To be sure, there is a lot at stake during today’s action. For starters, the finalists in the Pro Division will be competing for a first-place prize of $15,000 and a brand new Ranger boat valued anywhere between $30,000 and $35,000 while co-anglers will be gunning for the top prize of $6,000. In addition, anglers will have one last chance to accumulate as many tournament standings points as possible in an effort to qualify for the 2002 EverStart Championship scheduled to take place Nov. 6-9 on Lake Martin in Alexander City, Ala. The top 50 pros and co-anglers from each EverStart division – Eastern, Central and Northern – will receive an automatic berth in this year’s $325,000 championship.

Heading into today’s action, Koby Kreiger of Osceola, Ind., was in first place in the Pro Division after landing a total catch of 16 pounds, 7 ounces in yesterday’s semifinals. Meanwhile, Jeff Taylor of Vernon, Ala., held the lead in the Co-angler Division after netting a total catch of 13 pounds, 15 ounces.

In yesterday’s action, Pro Pat Fisher of Stone Mountain, Ga., wrapped up the year-end points title in the Eastern Division by qualifying for today’s finals. Fisher, who will finish the year with no less than 750 points, barely edged out fellow competitor Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., who ended the regular season with 749 points via his 31st-place finish on Guntersville Lake.

However, the race for the Eastern Division points title in the Co-angler Division won’t be decided until the final outcome is known in today’s competition. Currently, Ken Karoll of Lake Placid, Fla., is in the lead with 726 points by virtue of his 17th-place finish on Guntersville Lake. However, co-angler Jeff Taylor can wind up with 727 total points with a victory in today’s competition.

EverStart action concludes at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, located at 11697 U.S. Highway 431 South in Guntersville, Ala.

Vital statistics:

Sunrise: 5:33 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 72 degrees
Expected high temperature: 77 degrees
Water temperature: 74 degrees
Wind: from the southeast at 7 mph
Relative humidity: 90 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy with chance of isolated thunderstorms

Related links:
Photos
Day-three results
Day-four pairings