FLORENCE, Ala. – Pro Jonathan Newton of Rogersville proved tougher than the tough conditions on Alabama’s Pickwick Lake and collected five bass weighing 12 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the four-day, $253,325 EverStart Series Central Division event. Newton collected $64,900 in cash and prizes for the win, his first on the EverStart Series.
The sun went into hiding and the winds picked up for the 10 final-round pros and 10 co-anglers, who had been faced with a smorgasbord of changing weather and water conditions over the course of the event. Newton used a jig and a spinner bait in mid-lake pockets to be the last man standing at the Central Division’s second regular-season event.
Newton claims he didn’t expect his local knowledge to help him on Pickwick Lake. “This is usually the toughest tournament, the home tournament, but I somehow pulled it off,” said Newton, who finished sixth at the Central Division event on Texas’ Sam Rayburn Reservoir last month. “The fish were trying to move into the spawn, and I was catching them as they were staging. As the water came down, the fish moved out and it took me a while to relocate them and catch them again. (Saturday) was by far the best day – not weight-wise, but I fished well and visualized well. Everything was smooth.”
For the win, Newton earned $10,000 cash plus an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 519VS Comanche equipped with EverStart batteries, Garmin electronics and a Minn Kota trolling motor. Because he is the original owner of a Ranger boat, Newton also received a $10,000 bonus from Ranger Boats, and as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Newton was awarded another $3,000 from Ranger for a total of $64,900 in cash and prizes.
Rounding out the top five pros are Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas (five bass, 9 pounds, 15 ounces, $10,000); Eric Holt of Galena, Mo. (five bass, 8 pounds, 11 ounces, $9,000); Troy Eakins of Nixa, Mo. (five bass, 8 pounds, 7 ounces, $8,000); and Craig Powers of Rockwood, Tenn. (four bass, 8 pounds, 6 ounces, $7,500).
Darrell Beasley of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., emerged as Co-angler Division champion thanks to his catch Saturday of five bass weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces. As the winner, Beasley claimed $5,000 cash.
“Originally I wasn’t even in the tournament; I was on the waiting list,” said Beasley, who caught his tournament-winning bass on a Zoom Brush Hog. “I came to registration, and it just so happened that I got lucky enough to get in. One thing led to another, and I wound up winning.” Beasley said he caught his bass late in the day throughout the tournament in both shallow and deep water.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Clark Wolfe of Grove City, Ohio (five bass, 7 pounds, 7 ounces, $4,000); Don Houston of Saltillo, Miss. (one bass, 3 pounds, 6 ounces, $3,500); Bruce Dale of Jamestown, Ohio (three bass, 3 pounds, 2 ounces, $2,500); and Kerry Barnett of Waldron, Ark. (one bass, 2 pounds, 3 ounces, $2,000).
A total of 61 bass were caught Saturday, including nine five-bass limits. One hundred percent were released alive.
The EverStart Series Central Division will make its third stop April 30-May 3 on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky. Four divisions – Eastern, Central, Northern and Western – comprise the $3.88 million 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.
A field of 198 pros and 198 co-anglers took off from McFarland Park in Florence Wednesday to kick off the event. The field was cut from 200 to 20 following Thursday’s competition. Weights were cleared for Friday’s semifinal round, and the top 20 pros and 20 co-anglers competed Friday for one of 10 slots in Saturday’s final round. Weights were again cleared for Saturday’s competition, and the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers competed for position and prize money.
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. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please explore FLWOutdoors.com.
FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.