Parker parlays day-two lead into Co-angler Division title

Texas native easily outdistances rest of field en route to first-place finish during EverStart Series event on Toledo Bend

HEMPHILL, Texas – Over the course of his career, Rick Parker of Kaufman, Texas, had come close to winning a tournament on numerous occasions. Unfortunately for him, he had always fallen short when it counted most – that was, until today. Bolstered by a three-day catch of 50 pounds, 4 ounces, Parker final got what he’d been searching for for years – a tournament title. And he couldn’t have been happier.

“I had never won one of these tournaments before,” said Parker. “I’ve come close, but I was never able to seal the deal. Now, I really don’t know what to say. I know I’ve worked awfully hard to get this. It just feels really good right now. This is the biggest moment of my career.”

After the first day of competition, Parker found himself in second place. By day two, he had claimed the top spot on the leaderboard. And from there, he never looked back.

“This has just been an awesome week,” he said. “I really enjoyed myself. I had a lot of great partners and they really helped me out as well.”

Parker said that he caught the majority of his catch fishing a Zoom fluke, pitching it around shallow spawning areas. But in the end, he said without his partner’s help, the title might have eluded him yet again.

“But I have to say that I fished with Todd (Castledine) today and I really owe a lot of this to him,” said Parker. “He helped me out tremendously today. He’s just a great fisherman.”

For his efforts, Parker took home $5,000 in prize money as well as a fully rigged Ranger boat.

Hope springs eternal

After a string of disappointing tournaments, Steve Hope of Ovilla, Texas, just wanted to get a bit of redemption at the EverStart Series event on the Toledo Bend Reservoir. In the end, he did much more than that. Not only did he end his final-day tournament drought, he did so emphatically – finishing in second place overall.

“I was so happy just to catch fish this week,” he said. “I’ve been fishing so badly this year. I really needed a good week, so it feels really good to finish in second. I had some bad tournaments heading into this one and it’s nice to get that monkey off of your back. A finish like this really helps your confidence.”

Hope ultimately parlayed a 47-pound, 4-ounce catch into $3,700 in winnings.

“I really had a lot of fun this week,” he said. `I targeted standing timber and most of my fish came on a Zoom Baby Brush Hog and a Senko. As far as depth, anything within 7 feet worked out well for me.”

Honeycutt finishes finals in third

Day-one co-angler leader Keith Honeycutt of Temple, Texas, ultimately finished the Toledo Bend event in third place with a total catch of 43 pounds, 15 ounces.

“I had a good day, but it seemed like it was tougher today than it was all week,” he said. “It’s been a really great tournament though. And I’ve had some really great partners as well.”

Honeycutt credited pro partner, Lendell Martin, Jr., for at least part of his nice finish during the finals.

“We were driving around and Lendell pointed out a fish at the end of the day and he let me catch it,” he said. “I didn’t think it was that big until I hooked into it. Then I yelled out, `Old man, get the net!’ Lendell was a great partner to have and I have to give him credit. He’s a great sight-fisherman as well – as good as they come.”

For his efforts, Honeycutt took home a check for nearly $3,500.

Broussard nets fourth place

On the strength of a total catch of 42 pounds, 12 ounces, Brent Broussard of Nacogdoches, Texas, finished the Toledo Bend event in fourth place – walking away with nearly $3,000 in winnings in the process.

“I had a great week,” said Broussard. “I drew some great anglers and we’re able to catch some pretty good fish.”

Broussard said that he threw a combination of Strike Pro crankbaits, targeting bass on grass-laden banks for the majority of his catch.

Best of the rest

Co-angler Eric Richey of Paradise, Texas, parlayed a two-day catch of 42 pounds, 8-ounces into a fifth-place finish. Richey took home more than $2,500 in winnings.

The remaining top-10 co-angler finalists included:

6th: Robert Moffett of Silsbee, Texas, 38-0

7th: Randy Coyle of Nederland, Texas, 34-11

8th: Rich Dalbey of Greenville, Texas, 33-9

9th: Kevin Carter of Spring, Texas, 32-10

10th: Stephen Francis of Brookeland, Texas, 30-10

EverStart Series Texas Division action resumes May 12-14 at Lake Texoma in Denison, Texas.