Champlain showdown
EverStart Northern Division anglers hit water in search of tournament title, lucrative payday
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The wind was blowing again Saturday morning, but this time it wasn’t strong enough to put a damper on the competition. After witnessing a whole tournament day wiped out due to Mother Nature’s wrath on Thursday, the top 10 finalists shrugged off the National Weather Service’s prediction of 16 to 21 mph winds and hit the open waters of Lake Champlain shortly after 6:30 Saturday morning.
“It’s going to be rough out there today, but at least it won’t be dangerous,” said EverStart tournament director Chris Jones, noting that today’s wind paled in comparison to the 30 mph gusts anglers would have faced on Thursday had competition gone off as planned. “We’re going to let the fishing decide the outcome of this tournament, not the weather.”
To be sure, there is a lot at stake during today’s competition. For starters, pro anglers will be battling for a top prize of nearly $62,000, assuming all contingency awards are met. Specifically, the winning pro is guaranteed $10,000 cash and an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 519VS Comanche bass boat equipped with EverStart batteries, a Minn Kota trolling motor and Garmin electronics. If the pro winner is the original owner of a Ranger boat, Ranger will also award an additional $10,000 cash bonus. Meanwhile, the first-place co-angler in today’s competition is guaranteed at least $5,000 cash. However, if that co-angler is a registered Ranger boat owner, Ranger will also award a new Ranger 519VS Comanche bass boat – valued at around $25,000.
Per tournament rules, all anglers’ weights were zeroed out before the start of today’s competition.
In addition, today’s action will officially determine the outcome of the 2003 EverStart Northern Division Angler of the Year competition. Heading into the tournament, Dan Mansky of Youngstown, Ohio, was leading all pros in the year-end standings with 566 total points. In the co-angler race, Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich., had the lead with 587 points.
But if a tournament title and angler-of-the-year race weren’t enough to motivate the competition, today’s event also represents the last chance for anglers to qualify for the 2003 EverStart Championship. Only the top 40 pros and co-anglers, as determined by the year-end standings, will be eligible to compete in the $336,000 event – slated to take place from Oct. 29-Nov. 1 on Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin, Tenn.
EverStart action continues at today’s final weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m. at the City of Plattsburgh parking lot, located at 41 City Hall Place in Plattsburgh, N.Y. The weigh-in site is adjacent to the farmers market.
Vital statistics:
Sunrise: 6:47 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 63 degrees
Expected high temperature: 77 degrees
Water temperature: 65-68 degrees
Wind: from the southeast at 16 mph, gusting to 21
Relative humidity: 68 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy
Related links:
Photos
Day-four pairings
Day-three results