This is it
Full field fishes final day in EverStart Series Texas event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir
JASPER, Texas – Things are looking brighter for the 115 EverStart Series Texas Division pros and as many co-anglers fishing Sam Rayburn Reservoir this week – literally. After extreme cold and wind led to the cancellation of day one Thursday, temperatures have been on the rise, and anglers will enjoy the best weather so far Saturday on the final day of this tournament.
Today’s expected high of 62 degrees is double the high temperature from Thursday and at least 10 degrees higher than the warmest hour Friday. Competitors will fish in sunny conditions with relatively little wind; conditions were calm as the field took off from Umphrey Family Pavilion at 8 a.m. today, and westerly winds are expected to max out at about 5 to 10 mph.
Not only will today’s conditions make things more comfortable for competitors out on the water, the fishing is likely to improve as well – not that some haven’t already found great success on Sam Rayburn.
Yesterday pro Bert Thompson of Benton, La., used 9- and 8-pound kicker bass to anchor a tournament-leading limit weighing 27 pounds, 13 ounces. About 6 1/2 pounds off the lead is Todd Castledine of Nacogdoches, Texas, with 21-4. After those two, the pro leaderboard tightens up considerably with third place separated from 10th by only 2 pounds, 2 ounces.
Leading the Co-angler Division is Hubert Davis of Kirbyville, Texas, with 17-4, and behind him is runner-up Brett Rachal of Monroe, La., with 16-6; 10th place is currently shared by two co-angler tied at 11-5.
Saturday marks the final day of competition on Sam Rayburn for the second Texas Division event of 2011, but it’s too early to guess how it will end, even with anglers holding remarkable leads. On a reservoir where the biggest bass in each division broke the 9-pound mark yesterday, almost any competitor could be one cast away from being in contention for the tournament title.
Event information
With Thursday’s opening day cancelled, it was decided the full field would compete Friday and Saturday as opposed to cutting the field to the top 10 Friday as usual. The winners in both the Pro Division and Co-angler Division will be determined Saturday by heaviest cumulative weight from both days. Pros will fish for a top award of $35,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with 200-horsepower outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger 177TR with 90-horsepower outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
Saturday’s weigh-in is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at Umphrey Family Pavilion, 5438 Recreation Rd., off of Highway 255 W., Sam Rayburn, Texas. The weigh-in is free and open to the public.
The EverStart Series tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir is being hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Chamber of Commerce.
About the EverStart Series
The EverStart Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of four tournaments, and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each 
division that could earn them the Angler of the Year title along with $5,000 for the pro and $2,000 for the co-angler. The top 40 pros and co-anglers from each respective division will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship that will be held on Kentucky Lake in Buchanan, Tenn., Oct. 27-30.
On the Web
For bass-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:04 a.m.
Temperature: 25 degrees
Expected high temperature: 62 degrees
Water temperature at the ramp: 43 to 47 degrees
Wind: calm
Maximum humidity: 71 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny with temperatures warming rapidly into the mid- to upper 50s; winds W at 5 to 10 mph