MANNING, S.C. – A full field of 330 top bass anglers from around the country embarked on Lake Santee Cooper early Wednesday morning to start the third Eastern Division tournament of the $2.5 million 2001 EverStart Series season. When the field returned for the opening day weigh-in, Jay Kendrick, 33, of Kingston, Ga., led the pack with five bass weighing 27 pounds, 2 ounces.
Kendrick, who is fishing his first season on the EverStart Series after qualifying for competition through the Red Man Tournament Trail (now Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League), caught the majority of his bass in a single area of Lake Marion where they were staging on the edge of shallow water. Despite concerns that overnight temperatures, which dipped into the high 20s, would move staging fish back into deepwater cover, he found the water temperature had not changed in the area.
“I’m really not too concerned about running out of fish,” Kendrick said. “I caught 27 pounds in one spot and I have three other spots just like it. It really feels great to be in this position. I’ve never led an EverStart tournament, and I think it’s time for my number to come up.”
The $185,000 tournament features 165 pros and 165 co-anglers fishing lakes Marion and Moultrie, which comprise the 156,000 acre Lake Santee Cooper system, in the hope of winning $15,000 cash and a Ranger bass boat in the Pro Division and $6,000 in the Co-Angler Division.
David Tanner of Gainesville, Fla., finished opening day in second place with five bass weighing 24 pounds, 12 ounces. He also won the Big Bass award of $750 in the Pro Division with an 8-pound, 11-ounce largemouth. Bill Holmes of Summerville, S.C., placed third with five bass weighing 22 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Greg Pugh of Cullman, Ala., with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces and David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces.
In the Co-Angler Division, Roy Altman, 57, of Augusta, Ga., leads with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces followed by Bryan Moeller of Columbia, S.C., with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces and John Presnell of Shelby, N.C., with three bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces. Presnell also took Big Bass honors and $250 in the Co-Angler Division with a 7-pound, 9-ounce largemouth.
“I really didn’t think the fishing would go very well today,” said Altman, referring to wind conditions that stirred up four-foot waves on the lakes. “We dunked the boat a couple of times and got wet, but we were cranked up and ready to go fishing when we got to our spot.”
A total of 482 bass were caught including 31 five-bass limits. All of the bass were released alive.
For a shot at victory, anglers in both divisions must secure one of 30 slots available in Friday’s semifinal round by catching the heaviest two-day total of bass in round one. During the semifinal round, anglers start from zero and compete for one day to determine the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers who will compete in Saturday’s finale. Catch weights are cleared again for the final day of competition, and the winner of each division is determined by the weight of that day’s catch.
Competition begins at 6:30 a.m. each morning at John C. Land III Boating and Sportfishing Facility near Summerton. Weigh-ins Thursday and Friday will also be held at the facility starting at 2:30 p.m. each day. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 481 West Boyce Street in Manning at 3:30 p.m.
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 receive a Ranger boat and $25,000 cash. The winning co-angler will collect 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.