HENDERSON, Nev. – Nevada’s Lake Mead provided a sunny site for opening day of the second-ever EverStart Series Western Division event, with pro Mike Folkstad of Yorba Linda, Calif., taking an early lead in the four-day tournament with his catch Wednesday of five bass weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces. One hundred and nineteen pros and 119 co-anglers descended upon Lake Mead to kick off the event, which will pay out $185,220 in cash and prizes.
Anglers could not have asked for more perfect weather, as sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s warmed competitors who searched the vast desert reservoir for their first-day catch. Folkestad caught his limit on a Roboworm.
These favorable conditions allowed the field to catch 192 bass, including three five-bass limits. More than 99 percent were released alive.
“I caught my limit in 30 to 40 feet of water,” Folkestad said. “The weather was really pleasant today.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Tim Klinger of Boulder City, Colo. (four bass, 8 pounds, 4 ounces); Clint Johanson of Benton City, Wash. (four bass, 7 pounds, 15 ounces); Marc Knudsen of Henderson (five bass, 7 pounds, 12 ounces); and Bobby Lanham of Scottsdale, Ariz. (four bass, 6 pounds, 5 ounces).
Dale Merry of Phoenix led the Co-angler Division with a three-bass catch weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces.
“I was fishing on a drop-shot,” said Merry, who caught his bass on a plastic worm. “I am new to tournament fishing so being in the lead is very exciting.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Ron Chambers of Phoenix (three bass, 5 pounds, 12 ounces); Tim Barrett of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (three bass, 5 pounds, 5 ounces); Robert Brokdyke of Las Vegas (two bass, 4 pounds, 3 ounces); and Rusty Rath of Page, Ariz. (two bass, 3 pounds, 14 ounces).
Ed Legan of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., earned $500 as the Pro Division big-bass winner thanks to his 4-pound, 6-ounce bass. Phil Gangwer of Brentwood, Calif., took Co-angler Division big-bass honors with a 3-pound, 6-ounce bass that earned him $200.
Anglers take off each morning from Callville Bay Resort in Las Vegas at 7 a.m. Daily weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. and are also held at Callville Bay. The community is encouraged to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins.
Following Thursday’s conclusion of the opening round, the top 20 pros and 20 co-anglers based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Friday’s semifinal round. Weights are cleared for Friday’s competition, and the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers advance to Saturday’s final round based on Friday’s total weight. Weights are again cleared for Saturday’s competition, and anglers compete for the heaviest one-day weight.
The winning pro will take home a guaranteed cash award of $7,000 plus a new Ranger 519VS Comanche equipped with Garmin electronics and powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard. If the winner is the original owner of a Ranger boat, he will receive an additional $10,000 cash bonus from Ranger for a total of $58,900 in cash and prizes. Ranger will also award an additional $3,000 to the winner if he is a Ranger Cup participant, and Garmin will award $1,000 to the winner if his boat is equipped with a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/Sounder.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $3,600 cash. If the winning co-angler is a registered Ranger owner, he will also receive a new Ranger 519VS Comanche for a total of $26,400 in cash and prizes.
Four divisions – Eastern, Central, Northern and Western – comprise the 2003 EverStart Series. Each division stages four regular-season tournaments leading up to the no-entry-fee $335,975 EverStart Series Championship, which will be held on Old Hickory Lake near Gallatin, Tenn., Oct. 29-Nov. 1.
In EverStart Series competition, pros supply the boats, control boat movement and fish from the front of each boat against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back of each boat and compete against other co-anglers.
FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing, administers the EverStart Series. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League. FLW Outdoors will award as much as $20 million through 175 tournaments in 2003.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.