CLAYTON, N.Y. – The third EverStart Series Northern Division tournament opened Wednesday on Thousand Islands with 312 bass anglers representing more than a dozen states. Pro Steven McGahan of Gales Ferry, Conn., took the lead with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 13 ounces.
McGahan, who is currently ranked eighth in EverStart Northern Division standings, caught his bass near the Canadian border using a tube.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “I hope it’s not too windy Thursday because the lake gets very dangerous, and I’m not sure if I can get out as far as I want to catch the fish.”
The $210,000 tournament features 156 pros who supply boats, control boat movements during competition and fish for a top award of more than $50,000 in cash and prizes and 156 co-anglers who fish from the back deck of each boat for a top award of $6,000 cash. If the winning pro’s boat is equipped with a fixed-mount GARMIN Fishfinder or combination GPS/Sounder, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from GARMIN.
Doug Amos of Ontario, Canada, finished opening day in second with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces. Mark Zona of Sturgis, Mich. (five bass, 17 pounds, 14 ounces); Jonathon Rogers of Loudon, N.H. (five bass, 17 pounds, 2 ounces); and Randy Yarnall of Womelsdorf, Pa., (five bass, 16 pounds, 12 ounces) rounded out the top five pros.
Co-angler Chris Wade of Preston, Conn., leads his division with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by Duane Rinkus of Amherst, N.Y., (five bass, 17 pounds, 8 ounces) in second and John Fawcett of Stow, Ohio, (five bass, 15 pounds, 5 ounces) in third.
McGahan and Wade, friends for more than 15 years, were pleasantly surprised to find themselves paired together for the tournament’s first day.
“We were both very shocked,” Wade said. “In fact, we forgot to write down our boat number. It was a good thing (McGahan’s) wife was there to write it down for us.”
A 5-pound, 6-ounce largemouth landed Rodney Ellis of Greentown, Ind., big-bass honors and $750 in the Pro Division, while a pair of 5-pound, 2-ounce largemouths landed Lloyd Block of Caruthersville, Mo., and David Smith Jr. of Edmond, Okla., big-bass honors and $125 each in the Co-angler Division.
For a shot at victory, anglers in both divisions must secure one of 20 slots in Friday’s semifinal round with their two-day opening round total. Anglers then start from zero and compete for one day to determine the top 10 pros and co-anglers who will fish in Saturday’s finale. Catch weights are cleared for the final day, and the winners are determined by that day’s catch.
Competition begins at 6 a.m. each morning at French Creek Marina in Clayton, N.Y. Thursday’s weigh-in will also be held at the marina starting at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located 20823 State Route 3 in Watertown, N.Y., starting at 4 p.m.
Now in its fifth season, the EverStart Series features three divisions – Eastern, Central and Northern – with four events each, plus the $325,000 EverStart Series Championship presented by Conseco. The top 50 pros and co-anglers from each division will be invited to the Championship for a shot at top pro awards of more than $60,000 in cash and prizes and top co-angler awards of more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. The top 10 pros and co-anglers from each division also receive priority entry into the 2003 Wal-Mart FLW Tour, where they could win as much as $500,000 and $40,000 in cash, respectively.