Close to the Vest
Okeechobee angler wins Co-angler Division at Santee Cooper
MANNING, S.C. – In Friday’s semifinal round of EverStart Series Eastern Division competition at Santee Cooper lakes, co-angler Doug Vest wore a t-shirt that said “World’s Coolest Dad.” Saturday his shirt should have read “World’s Hottest Co-angler,” since he soundly defeated the rest of the field with a five-bass, 17-pound, 2-ounce performance to take home the trophy. He collected $6,000 for the win.
Vest probably seemed like the world’s coolest dad to his son, who was in the audience at the weigh-in, when he said, “My boy was the one who taught me how to fish.”
Whoever is responsible for his fishing prowess, it worked here at Santee Cooper. Vest, a restaurateur from Okeechobee, Fla., credited his pro partners throughout the week for putting him on areas that he knew how to fish.
“They went to these little bays that looked like Okeechobee,” he said. “I just went pitching and flipping with my watermelon-colored flapping shad.”
Fishing with pro Cecil Wolfe of Goose Creek, S.C., Vest caught his first three bass in the first 15 minutes of Saturday’s competition. He then proceeded to lose seven in a row before filling out his full stringer.
“I just got lucky later in the day and caught two more fish,” he said.
It proved to be the difference. Joseph Webster, a 27-year-old out of Brilliant, Ala., followed up Vest’s weight with a 14-pound, 1-ounce, four-bass effort of his own.
“I fished with (Roger) Crafton (of Boca Raton, Fla.) and he gave me lots of room to fish with plenty of Cypress trees,” said Webster, who earned $4,000 for second place. “Roger and I both thought I had it won.”
The opening-round co-angler leader, John Presnell of Shelby, N.C., wrapped up the tournament with a decent outing. He came in with three bass weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces and finished third. He collected $3,500.
Rounding out the top five finishers in the Co-angler Division were Ed Dixon (4th place, $3,000) of Cookeville, Tenn., with one bass weighing 3 pounds, 3 ounces and Roger Brown (5th, $2,500) of Tallassee, Ala., with two bass weighing 2-10.
What’s next
The next EverStart Series tournament is a Central Division affair to be held at Kentucky Lake, Ky., May 1-4.
The next Eastern Division tournament is the fourth and final one of the season. It is scheduled for Guntersville Lake, Ala., June 5-8.
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