TRENTON, Mich. – Fishing in the very first EverStart tournament of his career, Grant Hatfield of Wadsworth, Ohio, used a 15-pound, 14-ounce catch to outfish all other tour veterans and capture first place in the Co-angler Division on the Detroit River. Hatfield, who entered the tournament with very few expectations, said that he was overjoyed by success.
“I’m more seasick now than I have been all week,” joked Hatfield, who walked away with $5,000 in prize money for his victory. “It’s an unreal feeling. It’s unbelievable. I never imagined this could happen. I was just hoping to make the top-20 cut. That was my goal.”
Hatfield, who fished green tube baits with a 1/2-ounce weight in about 25 to 20 feet of water to land the majority of his catch, credited his pro partners with much of his success.
“I’ve had great partners from the beginning,” he said. “I’m just thankful that they shared their fish with me.”
Long after the trophy presentation, Hatfield was still amazed by his run of good fortune.
“This is the first EverStart tournament I’ve ever been to, and it’s the first tournament I’ve ever won,” he said. “This is definitely one of the best days of my career. It’s just been a great experience.”
The youngster doesn’t disappoint
Although day-three leader Andrew Lemle of Perrysburg, Ohio, wasn’t able to pull off a victory in the finals, his second-place finish was good enough to earn the respect of some of the most seasoned veterans on the tour. Using a catch of 14 pounds, 12 ounces, Lemle was able to walk away with $4,000 in prize money in his first-ever EverStart event. Not bad for an 18-year-old kid.
“This was totally unexpected,” said Lemle. “I just came here to have a couple of days of fun. It turned out better than I expected.”
Dixon nets strong finish
James Dixon of Southfield, Mich., parlayed a 13-pound, 11-ounce catch into a third-place finish and a check for $3,500.
“I had a really good time out there today,” he said. “I had to adapt to my pro partners all four days, but it all worked out in the end.”
Jancasz happy with result
Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich., finished the day in fourth place after landing a 13-pound, 10-ounce catch in the finals.
“It was really rough out there today, but overall, I had a great week of fishing,” said Jancasz, who earned $2,500 in prize money. “I was also very fortunate to have had some really good draws. My pros were great. Overall, I had a lot of fun.”
Best of the rest
Fifth place belonged to Mike Graalman of Genoa, Ohio, who recorded a total catch of 12 pounds, 6 ounces to take home $2,000 in prize money.
“It’s been an exciting week,” he said. “I had a really rough day out there today, and I didn’t catch my last fish until there were only 20 minutes left in the tournament. But it’s been a great week.”
Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finalists were Jim Parker (sixth) of Jonesville, Mich., with a catch of 12 pounds, 2 ounces; Virgil Grant (seventh) of Findlay, Ohio, with a catch of 10 pounds, 12 ounces; Troy Sprague (eighth) of Lincoln, Neb., with a catch of 9 pounds, 12 ounces; Dominic Gambardella (ninth) of North Haven, Conn., with a catch of 7 pounds, 6 ounces; and Philip Borsa (10th) of Redford, Mich., with a catch of 0 ounces.
EverStart Northern Division action resumes Aug. 20-23 at Lake Erie in Marblehead, Ohio.
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