Everstart Series Central Division to host on Lake of the Ozarks
Weather will dictate bite
OSAGE BEACH, Mo – The EverStart Series is headed to Lake of the Ozarks March 10-12 for the first of four stops in the Central Division. The tournament will feature as many as 300 pros and co-anglers competing for top awards up to $35,000 plus a Ranger boat with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard for the pro and a Ranger boat with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard plus $5,000 for the co-angler.
“Weather is going to be key in this tournament,” said Walmart FLW Tour pro Chad Brauer of Osage Beach, Mo. “If the warming trend continues the catch will be up, if a cold front goes through it will make the fishing really tough. Most of the fish will still be in a wintertime pattern so suspending a jerkbait should work really well. The fish are starting to move up into prespawn stage so a shallower bite could come in to play.
“The fish are going to change every day. Lake of the Ozarks is a pattern lake so once you figure out where the fish are, look for similar areas and you should do well,” Brauer went on to say. “I very rarely run the same water every day in a tournament on this lake.
“With water temperatures this low the guys that are going to do well are the guys that have the patience to fish very slowly. If a guy can average 17 pounds per day he is going to be hard to beat
Anglers will take off from Grand Glaize Recreation Area – P.B. #2 in Osage Beach, Mo., at 7 each morning. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. daily. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart, 4252 Highway 54 in Osage Beach at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $35,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger 177TR with 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
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 Strike King 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.
The EverStart Series tournament on Lake of the Ozarks is being hosted by Tri-County Lodging Association.
About FLW Outdoors
FLW Outdoors is the largest tournament-fishing organization in the world, offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing at FantasyFishing.com, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge.