Pickett grabs pro lead heading into EverStart finals on Sam Rayburn

Roberts takes over top spot in Co-angler Division

JASPER, Texas – Despite fishing in only his first full season on the EvertStart circuit, Lloyd Pickett Jr., of Bartlett, Tenn., continued his mastery of Sam Rayburn Reservoir, landing a stellar catch of 17 pounds, 9 ounces to net the overall lead heading into Saturday’s finals. And he couldn’t have had more fun doing it.

“This is working out really well. I’m having a lot of fun,” said Pickett. “So far, I haven’t let the pressure get to me. This is just a phenomenal lake. I had 17 pounds in the first two hours today. There’s a lot of great fish here.”

Pickett said that he is continuing to fish as slowly as possible, throwing Carolina rigs and jigs while targeting secondary points.

“I’ve just been taking my time and fishing as slowly as I can. The slower, the better,” said Pickett. “I think another big key is the color of bait I’m throwing. I locked onto a color and they’re hitting it really good. I went to three different spots today and I still have three more areas I can go to tomorrow.”

As for his chances in the finals, Pickett believes it could be a slug fest.

“The pre-spawn females are fixing to move up, so the fishing could really pick up tomorrow,” he said. “But I feel really good about my chances. I really do. I’m just going to go out there and hit the water hard. Hopefully, things will hold up.”

Martin right behind

Lendell Martin Jr., of Nacogdoches, Texas, finished the semifinal round of competition in second place after landing a catch of 16 pounds, 3 ounces. But while Martin is in great shape for the finals, he said that the tournament is up for grabs given the healthy bass bite on Rayburn over the past week.

“I feel like I can catch another 16 pounds tomorrow, but what worries me is that somebody is going to come back here with a 25-pound sack. I definitely could happen,” said Martin. “But I feel like I have a good chance of winning if I do all of the right things tomorrow.”

According to Martin, his most successful pattern so far has been flipping willow trees.

“I’m pretty much going to stay with the same strategy tomorrow, but I’ll probably go to a couple of different places,” he said. “Tomorrow, I’m going for the win. That’s my strategy.”

Day-two leader Stringer ready for finals

Local favorite Bradley Stringer of Huntington, Texas, used a catch of 16 pounds, 1 ounce to grab third place overall in the Pro Division heading into tomorrow’s finals. However, Stringer acknowledged that he could have had a much better day had he been able to bring in a five-fish limit.

“I only weighed in four fish today and I really wish I would have had that fifth one,” he said. “That probably would have given me 20 pounds instead of 16. But overall, I’m not complaining. I’ll take it.”

Best of the rest

David Truax of Beaumont, Texas, finished in fourth place in the semifinals after landing a total catch of 15 pounds, 8 ounces. Meanwhile, Slade Dearman of Sam Rayburn, Texas, grabbed the fifth spot overall after netting a catch of 13 pounds, 14 ounces.

Rounding out the top-10 pros are Bobby Curtis (sixth) of Siloam Springs, Ark., with a catch of 13 pounds, 7 ounces; Gerrit Tepastte (seventh) of Allendale, Mich., with a catch of 13 pounds, 4 ounces; Chad Griffin (eighth) of Cresson, Texas, with a catch of 12 pounds, 11 ounces; Larry Lovell (ninth) of Emory Texas, with a catch of 11 pounds, 7 ounces and Chris Luedtke (10th) of Chisago City, Minn., with a catch of 10 pounds, 1 ounce.

Co-angler Roberts calms the nerves, lands top spot

By his own admission, Darren Roberts of Nacogdoches, Texas, had very few expectations heading into the Sam Rayburn tournament. However, after landing a total catch of 13 pounds, 11 ounces in the semifinals, things are changing.

“I’m pretty nervous,” said Roberts. “I just came here looking to get a check. But things have worked out. I’ve been fortunate enough to have drawn some good guys who are on a lot of fish. It’s a lot of fun. Now, I’m ready to go out there tomorrow and see what happens. But the key for me is being patient.”

Roberts, who is throwing a Carolina rig almost exclusively, agreed with many anglers that the bite should improve in the finals.

“I think the bite will be a little bit better tomorrow,” he said. “My goal is to go out there and catch about 15 pounds. If I do that, I think I can win.”

Armstrong finishes second … again

” border=”1″ align=”left” />Call him Mr. Consistency. Defying the odds, Daniel Armstrong of Fayetteville, Ark., completed the semifinals in a very familiar position – finishing in second place for the third day in a row.

“I’ve been in second place all week,” said Armstrong, who landed a 13-pound, 6-ounce stringer in today’s competition. “But tomorrow, I’m getting first.”

Fishing in the very first EverStart tournament of his career, Armstrong said that he was enjoying every minute of it.

“This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” he said. “It’s awesome.”

Best of the rest

Third place in the Co-angler Division belonged to Bill Gift of Alix, Ark., who landed a total catch of 12 pounds, 6 ounces.

Day-two leader Frank Divis, Sr., of Fayetteville, Ark., found himself in fourth place with a catch of 11 pounds, 8 ounces; while Scotty Villines of Compton, Ark., grabbed fifth place with a catch of 8 pounds, 10 ounces.

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are Ronny Webb (sixth) of Dyersburg, Tenn., with a catch of 7 pounds, 14 ounces; Mark Everett (seventh) of Tyler, Texas, with a catch of 7 pounds, 2 ounces; William Campbell (eighth) of Monticello, Ill., with a catch of 6 pounds; Stephen Francis (ninth) of Brookeland, Texas, with a catch of 5 pounds, 12 ounces; and Charlie Porter (10th) of Malvern, Ark., with a catch of 4 pounds, 13 ounces.

EverStart Central Division action continues at tomorrow’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. at the Twin Dikes Marina, located at Highway 255 in Brookeland, Texas.