Divis jigs his way to co-angler title

Arkansas angler’s winning prediction comes true at EverStart Series Central Division event

Before the start of the Kentucky Lake EverStart event, Frank Divis Sr. of Fayetteville, Ark., said privately that he had an overwhelming feeling that he was going to win the tournament – and he did, with a two-day total of 28 pounds, 3 ounces.

“Anyone who knows me knows I’m never speechless – I always have something to say,” he joked on stage. “But at this moment I’m truly speechless.”

Divis’ tremendous confidence stemmed from the fact that he had put in 11 days of practice time on Kentucky Lake before the event.

“I can finally relax now,” he said. “I’ve spent 11 days out here since the FLW studying these fish on these ledges and learning how to catch them on my jig. By the time the tournament started, I had so much confidence in that jig; I felt that no matter where my pro took me, I was going to catch big fish.”

Divis’ jig is a 3/4-ounce PJ’s football-head jig with a brown skirt and a purple twin-tail trailer.

“After much experimentation, I have found the perfect setup for it,” he explained. “I fish it on 12-pound-test Seaguar fluorocarbon line and a BassMedics 2IG Extreme rod, which is an extra-heavy action rod for increased sensitivity and instant hook sets in deep water.”

Divis won $5,000 cash, and since he is a Ranger owner, he also won a Ranger Boat.

Jon Lessard of Tullahoma, Tenn., finished in second place with a two-day total of 26 pounds.

Keith Newsom of Memphis, Tenn., finished in third place with a two-day total of 24 pounds, 9 ounces.

David Fields of Sikeston, Mo., finished in fourth place with a two-day total of 22 pounds, 11 ounces.

Woody Clark of Bandera, Texas, finished in fifth place with a two-day total of 21 pounds, 8 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers in the Kentucky Lake EverStart are Ron Bricker of Indianapolis, finishing in sixth place with a two-day total of 20 pounds, 12 ounces; Bryan Harmon of Batesville, Ark., finishing in seventh place with a two-day total of 18 pounds; Tim Webb of Olpe, Kan., finishing in eighth place with a two-day total of 16 pounds, 11 ounces; Aaron McManaway of Altamont, Ill., finishing in ninth place with a two-day total of 14 pounds, 12 ounces; and Doug Fraser of Ashland City, Tenn., finishing in 10th place with a two-day total of 11 pounds, 5 ounces.

Co-angler of the Year

Bill Gift of Alix, Ark., won the co-angler points title in the EverStart Series Central Division with 703 points.