HENDERSON, N.C. – Pro Mark Rogers of Naples, Fla., landed the opening day lead among 324 hopeful bass anglers Wednesday in the final Eastern Division EverStart Series tournament of 2001. At stake in the event on Kerr Lake are top awards of $50,000 cash and prizes in the Pro Division and $6,000 in the Co-Angler Division plus eligibility to compete in the $325,000 EverStart Championship presented by Conseco.
Rogers took the lead with five bass weighing 19 pounds followed by Scott Dameron of Gahent, W.Va., with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 15 ounces. Rounding out the top five were Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 4 ounces; Arlie Napier of Middlesboro, Ky., with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces; and Roger Farmer of Dalton, Ga., with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces.
In the Co-Angler Division, Chris Brunn of Murray, Ky., took the early lead with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 10 ounces followed by Jimmy Hale Jr. of Rocky Mount, Va., with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces and Jonathan Johnson of Bessemer City, N.C., with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 14 ounces.
“I’m enjoying this quite a bit,” said Brunn, who is fishing his first full season on the EverStart Series. “I’ve been needing a good tournament.”
Last season, while fishing his first EverStart Series tournament, Brunn finished ninth on Lake Cumberland after leading the first two days of competition. It is his highest finish to date.
Big bass and $750 in the Pro Division went to Andrew Scitez of Kenova, W.Va., for a 6-pound, 2-ounce largemouth. Big bass and $250 in the Co-Angler Division went to James Benningfield of Jamestown, Ky., for a 4-pound, 15-ounce largemouth.
A total of 893 bass were caught Wednesday including 95 five-bass limits. More than 96 percent 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 5:30 a.m. each morning at Satterwhite Point in Henderson. Weigh-ins Thursday and Friday will also be held at Satterwhite Point starting at 2:30 p.m. each day. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 200 North Cooper Road in Henderson 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 go home with a Mercury- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat and $25,000 cash. The winning co-angler will receive a Mercury- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat and $10,000 cash. More than $2.5 million will be awarded during the 2001 EverStart Series season. The series also provides a pathway to the $4.45 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour-bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series.