CLEWISTON, Fla. – James Nuckols Jr., 43, of Rockwood, Tenn., claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot Friday going into the final round of the $185,000 EverStart Series tournament on Lake Okeechobee with five bass weighing 28 pounds, 3 ounces.
Nuckols, who caught two bass weighing a combined 13 pounds on one cast, will be competing Saturday against nine other finalists in the Pro Division for a top award of $15,000 cash and a new Ranger boat. All the finalists start on equal footing as weights from previous rounds of competition are erased, and the winner is determined by the weight of Saturday’s catch. The original field of 165 pros was whittled to the top 30 Thursday and cut again to the top 10 Friday.
“When I hooked those fish I told my partner `I believe I have a 10-pounder,'” said Nuckols, describing how he completed his limit by simultaneously hooking two bass on his crankbait. “Then, I saw them jump and my heart about hit the floor.”
Just minutes later, at around 9:30 a.m., Nuckols landed an 8-pound, 8-ounce largemouth that allowed him to cull a 3-pounder and virtually ensured his place in the final round. “I’ve never won an EverStart before,” said Nuckols, who also used a Carolina-rigged worm and lizard. “I’ve led on the second and third days before but never on the fourth day, so that’s my goal.”
Nuckols caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 24 pounds, 2 ounces to make the semifinal-round cut in 24th place Thursday. Most of his bass were caught in deep cuts leading to the main lake where bass were leaving and approaching spawning flats.
Rounding out the top five pros were opening round leader Rufus Johnson of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces; Dwain Horton of Knoxville, Tenn., with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces; Rodney Sorrell of Stokesdale, N.C., with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces; and Dan Jackson of Youngsville, N.C., with five bass weighing 17 pounds.
Roy Altman Jr., 57, of Augusta, Ga., claimed the top qualifying spot in the Co-Angler Division with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces. He survived the semifinal round cut from 165 to 30 co-anglers Thursday in 29th place with a two-day total of five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces.
“I take very little credit for this,” said Altman, who fished with Horton Friday during first EverStart tournament. “I drew a super partner and, as a co-angler, that is very important. When we got in the fish, he gave me a bait and waited until I got my limit.”
Jim Kimball of Okeechobee, Fla., qualified in second place with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Tom Turner of Bowie, Md., with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces. Like their pro counterparts, co-anglers start from zero Saturday and compete for one day to determine the winner. The winning co-angler will receive $6,000 cash.
A total of 245 bass weighing 586 pounds, 8 ounces were caught Friday including 39 five-bass limits. More than 99 percent of the bass were released alive.
Saturday’s action begins at 7 a.m. at Roland Martin’s Marina located at 920 East Del Monte Ave. The final weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1005 West Sugarland Highway.
The 4-year-old EverStart Series now includes three divisions – Eastern, Central and Northern – with four events each plus a year-end championship. Tournament winners and the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from each division will earn a spot in the championship, which will be held Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. There, the winning pro will go home with a Ranger boat and $25,000 cash. The winning co-angler will receive a Ranger boat and $10,000 cash. More than $2.5 million will be awarded to bass fishing enthusiasts during the 2001 EverStart Series season. The series also provides a pathway to the $4.4 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series.