Kreiger retains lead in $164,000 EverStart tournament
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Koby Kreiger of Osceola, Ind., will lead 30 of the nation’s top professional bass anglers into Friday’s second round at the EverStart Batteries Series tournament on Kentucky Lake after weighing in the heaviest catch for the second consecutive day.
Kreiger’s pattern of fishing shallow pockets off of main creek channels held up Thursday, producing five bass that weighed 16 pounds, 13 ounces and giving him a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 13 ounces.
“I didn’t fish a single place that I’ve been fishing, but I did hit several places that fit the pattern,” Kreiger said. “I’ve got four or five more pockets to fish (Friday), so hopefully I’ll catch a few. If I get 12 pounds, I think I’ll be in good shape to make the top 10.”
Kreiger’s impressive performance gave him a secure lead over runner-up Randy Millender of Teague, Texas, who caught 28 pounds, 3 ounces over two days. He will, however, have to repeat his early success Friday as weights are cleared for round two.
In the Co-Angler Division, Chuck Rounds of Benton, Ky., leads the field with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 19-3.
“I owe it all to my partner (Duane Snyder of Madisonville, Ky.),” said Rounds, who caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces Thursday to jump from 24th place into the top spot. Like Kreiger, Rounds was casting an 8-inch Zoom lizard into shallow water.
Big bass for the day in the Pro Division went to Steve Floyd of Sabina, Ohio, for a 6-pound, 5-ounce bass that earned him $500. Big bass honors in the Co-Angler Division and $300 went to Fred Pentecost of Goodlettsville, Tenn., for a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass.
Rounding out the top five spots in the Pro Division were Shawn Penn of Benton, Ky., with 28-0; Keith Smith of Crystal Springs, Miss., with 27-15; and Keith Monson of Burgin, Ky., with 25-5.
Finishing round one in second through fifth place in the Co-Angler Division were Chris Douglas of Belleville, Ill., with 16-6; Wesley Burnett of Hot Springs, Ark., with 15-10; Fred Hill of Gibsonville, N.C., with 14-7; and Ken Keys of Evansville, Ind., with 14-3.
Overall, 512 bass weighing 1,360 pounds, 14 ounces where caught Thursday, including 18 five-bass limits.
On Friday, anglers will start over and fish for one day to determine the top 10 pros and co-anglers who will compete in Saturday’s final round. The winning pro will receive $10,000 cash and an Evinrude- or Johnson-powered Ranger bass boat. The winning co-angler will collect $6,000.
Competition begins at 7 a.m. each day at Moors Resort in Gilbertsville. Friday’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at Moors, and Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Benton, Ky., Wal-Mart at 4 p.m.
The three-year-old EverStart Series is comprised of two divisions, Eastern and Central, with four multi-day events per division. The top 75 pros and co-anglers from each division will advance to the year-end EverStart Invitational Challenge at Cypress Gardens, Fla., which features a $360,000 purse.
Over the course of the season, the EverStart Batteries Series awards anglers up to $1.7 million in cash and prizes. It also provides a pathway to the prestigious Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the richest tournament series in history. Winning anglers in the Pro and Co-Angler Divisions of each EverStart tournament, as well as the overall top 10 anglers, based on a system of points and pounds, receive priority entry in the 2001 FLW Tour.
The series’ title sponsor, EverStart Batteries, is the No. 1 retail selling automotive and marine battery brand in the world.