TICONDEROGA, N.Y. – Tom Dolin of Palatine Bridge, N.Y., landed more than $50,000 in cash and prizes including an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat Saturday with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces in the EverStart Series Northern Division tournament on Lake Champlain.
Dolin, fishing in only his second EverStart Series tournament, topped 166 Pro Division anglers after four days of competition and two elimination rounds. He made the top-20 cut Thursday in seventh place with a two-day, opening-round total of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds. He then caught five more bass weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces Friday to make the top-10 cut in 10th place. Catch weights were cleared for all competitors following each cut.
“I had a group of winning fish in an area, and I was paranoid about somebody finding them,” said Dolin, who caught his bass pitching a jig. “I forced myself to leave them alone until the last day because I believed the tournament could be won there. I still thought I blew it because I lost two big fish, but it was enough, and for that reason, it feels extra great. I’m still shaking.”
Jeff Limbaugh of Sikeston, Mo. (five bass, 16 pounds, 9 ounces, $10,000); Marcel Veenstra of Newtown, Pa. (five bass, 15 pounds, 6 ounces, $9,000); Kevin Bishop of Hilton, N.Y. (five bass, 15 pounds, 2 ounces, $8,000); and Steven McGahan of Gales Ferry, Conn., (five bass, 14 pounds, 10 ounces, $7,500) rounded out the top five pros.
In the 166-competitor Co-angler Division, Stan Wehr of Huntingburg, Ind., claimed first place and $6,000 with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce. He was the No. 3 seed in the final round after landing five bass weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces in the semifinal round and 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 14 ounces in the two-day opening round. Catch weights were cleared at the start of each round.
“Winning is pretty fantastic, but I don’t think it has sunk in yet because I’m dead on my feet,” said Wehr, who caught his limit using a Zoom Brush Hog. “It was a great tournament and a great lake with great scenery and great people. I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Co-anglers Dan Luman of Manchester, Conn. (five bass, 14 pounds, 14 ounces, $4,000); and Homer Stephens of Noblesville, Ind., (five bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounce, $3,500) finished second and third, respectively.
More than 98 percent of the 96 bass caught Saturday were released alive.
The tournament began Wednesday with 332 anglers taking off from Ticonderoga City Ramp in Ticonderoga, N.Y., to claim a piece of the event’s $210,000 purse. Thousand Islands in Clayton, N.Y., will be the next Northern Division EverStart Series stop Aug. 21-24.
Now in its fifth season, the EverStart Series features three divisions – Eastern, Central and Northern – with four events each plus the $325,000 EverStart Series Championship presented by Conseco. The top 50 pros and co-anglers from each division will be invited to the Championship for a shot at top pro awards of more than $60,000 in cash and prizes and top co-angler awards of more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. The top 10 pros and co-anglers from each division also receive priority entry into the 2003 Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series – where they could win as much as $500,000 and $40,000 in cash, respectively.
More than $2.8 million will be awarded to bass anglers through the 2002 EverStart Series.