Old Hickory Lake to host EverStart Series Championship
GALLATIN, Tenn. – When the EverStart Series visits Old Hickory Lake Oct. 29-Nov. 1 for its $335,975 EverStart Series Championship, one lucky pro will walk away with a fully rigged Ranger 519VS Comanche and as much as $35,000 in cash. To land the lucrative top prize, however, the winner will have to outfish a field of 150 anglers comprised of the year’s best among four EverStart Series divisions.
The top 40 anglers from the Eastern, Central and Northern divisions based on year-end points standings advanced to the championship, as did the top 30 from the Western Division. Each division featured four regular-season events in which anglers accumulated points that determined angler standings. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points.
According to Wal-Mart FLW Tour and EverStart Series Central Division pro Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, the key to winning on Old Hickory is to target docks on the lake’s southern end. Pro Basil Bacon of Springfield, Mo., winner of the 2002 FLW Tour event on Old Hickory, says chartreuse-colored baits should be productive, particularly in grassy areas in the backs of coves, in creeks by the dam, along logs and stumps in the main lake, and in the Cumberland River. Wendlandt also recommends milking the Cumberland for limits of bass, due to its abundance of shallow cover, laydowns and flats.
Leading the Central Division into the championship is Jackie Davis of Willard, Mo. Davis, a standout in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, enjoyed his best EverStart season to date in 2003 with no finishes outside the top 13. Fujifilm pro Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., led the Eastern Division in points thanks to three top-10 finishes. This was his second season in the Eastern Division. Mark Zona of Sturgis, Mich., led the Northern Division on the strength of three top-10 finishes – all of them second-place runs – and Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., was the first-ever Western Division points leader thanks to three consecutive third-place finishes. Each of these anglers will compete in the championship.
Anglers take off each morning from the Bull Creek marina at 7 a.m. except for Friday, when takeoff will be at 8 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-in will also be held at Bull Creek beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1112 Nashville Pike in Gallatin beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday. The community is encouraged to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins where some of the nation’s top pros will be available for autographs and photos.
The full field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers will compete for two days for one of 20 semifinal-round spots. Weights are cleared for Friday’s competition, and co-anglers fish for one day with the winner crowned following Friday’s weigh-in. The top 10 pros based on Friday’s catch weight advance to Saturday’s final round, where weights are again cleared and anglers compete for position and prize money. The EverStart Series Championship will be broadcast to 55 million subscribers of the Outdoor Life Network on the “FLW Outdoors” television program Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. Central time and Nov. 9 at noon Central time. The final weigh-in Nov. 1 will also be broadcast live to Wal-Mart Stores nationwide.
The winning pro is guaranteed $25,000 cash plus an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat equipped with Garmin electronics, a Minn Kota trolling motor and EverStart batteries. If the winner is an original owner of a Ranger boat, he will receive a $10,000 bonus for a top pro award of $76,900. The winning co-angler is guaranteed $10,000 cash and a fully rigged Ranger boat.
The EverStart Series features a pro/co-angler format with pros supplying the boats, fishing from the front deck against other pros and controlling boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck and compete against other co-anglers.
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