Following DeFoe

Young DeFoe leads top 20 onto water Friday

EUFAULA, Ala. – Eighteen-year-old EverStart Series rookie Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn., is trying to break into the big leagues of bass fishing. After weighing in 41 pounds of bass over the last two days at the Lake Eufaula Eastern Division event, young Defoe is leading – briefly.

Today, the top 20 pros and 20 co-anglers essentially begin a new tournament. All of their weights have been zeroed and the top-10 anglers after today will go on to fish tomorrow.

If DeFoe wants to make an early mark on his fishing career, he still has a long way to go. Also in the top-20 field are a host of angling veterans and Eufaula locals that are happy to have DeFoe’s lead erased.

DeFoe’s competition includes these pros:

• Rodger Beaver of Leesburg, Ga., a well-known Lake Eufaula local and past EverStart Champion.

• Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., a past FLW Tour champion who knows a thing or two about Eufaula.

• Koby Krieger of Okeechobee, Fla., who has an EverStart Championship title to his credit.

• Derrick Millirons of Seale, Ala., who won a Lake Eufaula EverStart in 1999.

All of these pros, as well as 15 others, will be breathing down DeFoe’s neck today. In addition, he will also have to contend with a bit of a weather change. Even though the morning dawned calm, a south wind is forecasted to kick up into the 10 to 20 mph range.

Despite the pressures, DeFoe remains focused and intent on making an early mark on his fishing career.

Can the young angler fend off the veterans to fish another day? Today will tell the tale.

The day-three weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. CST at the Eufaula Wal-Mart.

Friday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 6 a.m.

Air temperature: 61 degrees

Water temperature: 58 degrees

Wind: south 10 to 20 mph

Day’s outlook: cloudy, windy and possible thundershowers this afternoon