EverStart Series ‘cranks up’ FLW season on Lake Okeechobee
Big catches expected in Big O opener
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – It’s official: The 2011 FLW Outdoors season is under way. As clouds and misty rain broke over an Okeechobee dawn this morning, bass boats roared down the Kissimmee River, leaving a trail of renewed optimism about the new season hanging in the air.
For starters, the EverStart flag is back, flying high over the FLW Outdoors’ midlevel fishing series once again. With it is the return of the popular EverStart Series Championship – a no-entry-fee event for those who qualify in their respective divisions.
Also, the EverStart Series now offers an Angler of the Year Award as well as a Co-angler of the Year award in each division, consisting of $5,000 cash for the pro and $2,000 for the co-angler.
And in other good news, as the first EverStart of 2011 kicked off this morning, it sported a full field – actually over a full field – with 164 pros and 164 co-anglers competing.
Even more optimism surrounded Lake Okeechobee’s fishing conditions with several pros reporting huge bass moving up on beds.
The last two days have been picture perfect for ushering big females up onto beds out on the Big O. Warm, calm conditions have pushed the water temperatures up some 10 to 15 degrees in a matter of days. Toss in a new moon and you have a recipe for giant bags of bass being weighed.
Several of Okeechobee’s best pros reported seeing bass that would test the limits of believability.
“I’ve seen three bass over 10 pounds,” said local pro Koby Kreiger. “Yesterday I Power-Poled down in one place and could count seven giant bass all swimming around me within casting distance. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
“If conditions were right tomorrow, you could see a Rojas scenario here,” said Kreiger, referring to the record-smashing limit BASS pro Dean Rojas weighed in on Toho years ago. “They might not weigh 45 pounds, but five fish that go 35 is not out of the question.”
Similar stories were reported by sight-fishing ace Greg Pugh and EverStart pro Randall Tharp. Both anglers said that at some point during the last day of practice, they had 35 pounds of bass swimming around their boats.
However, there is one problem: A new cold front is barreling its way across Okeechobee this morning, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds – not exactly the best sight-fishing conditions.
“The heavy rain and wind might cut back some of the top weights, but it’s not going to deter the sheer number of limits you will see here the next several days,” Kreiger added. “Rat-L-Traps, topwaters, weightless baits, pitching – you name it and you can catch a bass on it right now on Okeechobee.”
Logistics
Anglers will take off from C. Scott Driver Park located at 10100 W. Highway 78 in Okeechobee, Fla., at 7:30 each morning.
Weigh-ins will be held at C. Scott Driver Park beginning at 3:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 2101 S. Parrott Ave. in Okeechobee starting at 4 p.m.
Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Conditions
Temperature at takeoff: 65 degrees
Expected high temperature: 73 degrees
Water temperature: 71 degrees
Wind: W at 14 mph
Day’s outlook: thunderstorms and windy