Canterbury’s conundrum
Should he stay or should he go?
EUFAULA, Ala. – Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala., has a 10-pound lead in the EverStart Series on Lake Eufaula, however, the fish he has been catching are 120 miles away in Lake Seminole. This now leads to a difficult decision for Canterbury on the final day of the event.
He can either stay put in Eufaula, try to catch about 8 to 10 pounds to hold off Lake Eufaula’s top stick, Ryan Ingram, or gamble it all and make the long haul to Seminole, spending most of his day riding the Chattahoochee River.
“It’s a tough choice, but one I’m glad to be making,” Canterbury said. “The way this lake (Eufaula) has been fishing, the best weight I think someone can catch here is 17 or 18 pounds. I’ve got a 10-pound lead, so really, if I can just catch 7 or 8 pounds today I think I can win and I think I can do that right here. That makes the long run to Seminole look like a huge gamble.”
Canterbury said he is going to fish in Eufaula for a little while this morning and see what happens. If he catches two or three keepers quickly, then he’s going to stay put. If not, the long run will be in order.
“They don’t open the lock until 7 a.m.,” Canterbury said just before takeoff. “So I’ve been fishing in Eufaula for a while every morning. In fact, I’ve caught a couple of keepers here each morning, but I’ve culled them out once I got to Seminole. So I don’t know right now. But, like I said, if I can catch three pretty quick here this morning, I’m staying put.”
Either way, Canterbury’s has a big problem breathing down his neck in the form of Ryan Ingram, his closest pursuer. Ask anyone standing at the dock about Ingram and they will tell you he “wins everything on Eufaula.” Ingram may humbly disagree that he wins “everything,” but the fact is he knows a tremendous amount about Eufaula bass and how to catch them and he has a previous EverStart win and two runner-ups to prove it.
Ingram was quietly smiling this morning knowing all the pressure now rests on Canterbury and the conundrum that he has in terms of deciding what to do. One thing is for sure, if Canterbury falters, Ingram will be there to take advantage of it. Ten pounds is a sizeable lead, but Ingram plays tournament strategy exceptionally well on Eufaula.
In third is another Straight Talk pro, JT Kenney, who is having a blast this week experimenting with deep cranking and liking it. Kenney’s got the big deep divers tied on and weighed 17 pounds, 7 ounces on them yesterday.
“Each day I’ve figured out a little bit more about how they’re positioned and what it takes to trigger them to bite,” Kenney said. “The biggest problem I’m having is keeping them on.” 
“I actually went to the hardware store last night to buy some stuff to try and add more hooks to the bait,” he laughed. “That didn’t work out so well.”
The final day weigh-in of the EverStart Series will begin at 4 p.m. CST at the Walmart Supercenter located at 3176 S Eufaula Ave, Eufaula, AL 36027. Come early to enjoy boat simulators, games for the kids and giveaways.
Saturday’s conditions
Temperature at takeoff: 52 degrees
Expected high temperature: 86 degrees
Water temperature: 80 degrees
Wind: SE 5 to 10
Day’s outlook: warm and pleasant