Carmell wins Everstart Series Northern Division event on Kerr Lake

David Martinez wins co-angler title

HENDERSON, N.C. – With only three bass that weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces on the final day of competition Christopher Carmell of Moyock, N.C., was able to hold on and win the EverStart Series Northern Division on Kerr Lake. His three-day total of 13 bass weighed 36 pounds, 1 ounce and earned him $26,749 for his victory.

Pulling all his fish from one area, the Kerr Lake veteran Carmell found the sweetest hole of all with his Lowrance Structure Scan. It was at the mouth of Nutbush Creek had a couple of stumps with a big log running through the middle and a little grass around it that produced the winning pattern for him. Describing the 19-foot hole as an ambush point he said the fishing was fast and furious for the first two days of competition.

“I had my limit by 8 a.m. on the first two days of the tournament,” said Carmell. “Today I struggled, I think I may have caught too many from the hole yesterday . . . but maybe not, I was still able to win. On Thursday I caught a decent sack and then moved off the area because I didn’t want to burn all my fish. On the second day I caught another early limit, left the area and then went back about 1 o’clock and that’s when I caught my 5 1/2-pounder that pretty much solidified the tournament for me. It really was one of those spots you dream about.”

Catching all his fish on Reaction Innovations 10 inch worms in green pumpkin and a 3/8 inch triple color jig, Carmell, who lost the 2005 BFL regional by ounces, said that the win felt good. He was just waiting for an opportunity to redeem himself.

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Nick Gainey, Charleston, S.C., 14 bass, 35-11, $9,171

3rd: George Lambeth, Thomasville, N.C., 15 bass, 34-13, $7,642

4th: Brian DiVito, Trafford, Pa., 12 bass, 33-3, $6,878

5th: Snapple pro Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., 15 bass, 32-6, $6,114

6th: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, 15 bass, 31-12, $5,350

7th: Tom Wilkinson, Oxford, N.C., 15 bass, 29-7, $4,585

8th: Bill Chapman, Salt Rock, W. Va., 15 bass, 29-1, $3,821

9th: Cavin Young, Prince George, Va., 12 bass, 28-5, $3,057

10th: Joseph Wood, Westport, Ma., 11 bass, 22-15, $2,293

Mike Hoskings of Spotsylvania, Va., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Thursday – a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $202.

David Martinez of Brooklyn Heights, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 23 pound, 4 ounces. For his efforts Martinez won a Ranger 177TR with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: George (Jack) Boyce, Fuquay Varina, N.C., 13 bass, 23-2, $3,639 3rd: Chris Girouard, Epson, N.H., 12 bass, 21-15, $3,235

4th: David Ball, Cedar Grove, N.C., eight bass, 17-6, $2,831

5th: Lee Williams, Durham, N.C., eight bass, 17-1, $2,426

6th: Thomas Shafer, Pine City, N.Y., nine bass, 16-15, $2,022

7th: Dean Majors, Durham, N.C., seven bass, 16-3, $1,617

8th: William Tager, Gunpowder, Md., eight bass, 15-9, $1,213

9th: Billy Carroll, Fayetteville, N.C., eight bass, 14-15, $809

10th: Joe Wilkerson, Falls Church, Va., seven bass, 14-4, $647

Stephen Kocell of Waxhaw, N.C., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday – a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $134.

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 the Ouachita River in Monroe, La., Nov. 1-4.

The next EverStart Series Northern Division tournament will be July 19-21 at Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., the City of Plattsburgh will host the event.