Be sure to refresh your browser to be sure
you get the latest information.
Nuckols Wins EverStart Series Tournament,
Collects
$15,000 and New Ranger Boat
CLEWISTON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2001--James
Nuckols
Jr., 43, of Rockwood, Tenn., landed $50,000 in cash and prizes
Saturday for winning the EverStart Series Eastern Division opener
on
Lake Okeechobee with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces.
Nuckols survived four days of competition on the expansive
lake
before claiming victory over 165 competitors in the Pro Division.
Throughout the competition, he successfully caught bass using
blue/chartreuse and firetiger colored crankbaits in 6 to 12 feet
of
water. He spent most of the tournament fishing deep cuts near
spawning
flats at the south end of the lake. On Saturday, however, the
bites
didn't come as quickly as they had during previous days.
"I had to fight the urge to leave that spot," Nuckols
said after
winning $15,000 cash and a new Ranger boat. "The only thing
that kept
me there was knowing that I could catch a 7-or 8-pounder, and
I knew
that was what I needed to win."
With about one hour left to fish, Nuckols, who has been fishing
professionally for 17 years, landed a 6-pound, 8-ounce largemouth
and
a 5-pounder to seal his first EverStart Series victory.
Nuckols made the semifinal round cut to the top 30 pros Thursday
in 24th place with a two-day total of eight bass weighing 24
pounds, 2
ounces. He then jumped into first place Friday for the final
round cut
to the top 10 with five bass weighing 28 pounds, 3 ounces. Catch
weights were cleared for all competitors at the start of the
semifinal
and final rounds.
Second through fifth place in the Pro Division went to Rufus
Johnson of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., with five bass weighing
20
pounds, 2 ounces worth $10,000; Mark Rogers of Naples, Fla.,
with five
bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces worth $9,000; Mike Glazier
of
Frederick, Md., with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces worth
$8,000; and Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., with five bass
weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces worth $7,500.
Jim Kimball, 60, of Okeechobee, Fla., claimed first place
in the
165-person Co-Angler Division and collected $6,000 with five
bass
weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces. Tom Turner of Bowie, Md., finished
second in the Co-Angler Division and collected $4,000 with five
bass
weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces. Dale Warren of Newton Grove, N.C.,
finished third with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces worth
$3,500.
A total of 92 bass weighing 245 pounds, 11 ounces were caught
Saturday including 16 five-bass limits. Ninety-eight percent
of the
bass were released alive.
The tournament began Wednesday with 330 anglers taking off
from
Roland Martin's Marina in Clewiston to claim a piece of the event's
$185,000 purse. Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala., will be the next
Eastern Division EverStart Series stop Feb. 28-March 3.
Nuckols Leads Field into Final Round of
$185,000
EverStart Series Tournament
CLEWISTON, Fla.--(BW SportsWire)--Feb. 9, 2001--James
Nuckols Jr.,
43, of Rockwood, Tenn., claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot Friday
going
into the final round of the $185,000 EverStart Series tournament
on
Lake Okeechobee with five bass weighing 28 pounds, 3 ounces.
Nuckols, who caught two bass weighing a combined 13 pounds
on one
cast, will be competing Saturday against nine other finalists
in the
Pro Division for a top award of $15,000 cash and a new Ranger
boat.
All the finalists start on equal footing as weights from previous
rounds of competition are erased, and the winner is determined
by the
weight of Saturday's catch. The original field of 165 pros was
whittled to the top 30 Thursday and cut again to the top 10 Friday.
"When I hooked those fish I told my partner `I believe
I have a
10-pounder,'" said Nuckols, describing how he completed
his limit by
simultaneously hooking two bass on his crankbait. "Then,
I saw them
jump and my heart about hit the floor."
Just minutes later, at around 9:30 a.m., Nuckols landed an
8-pound, 8-ounce largemouth that allowed him to cull a 3-pounder
and
virtually ensured his place in the final round.
Nuckols caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 24 pounds,
2 ounces to make the semifinal round cut in 24th place Thursday.
Most
of his bass were caught in deep cuts leading to the main lake
where
bass were leaving and approaching spawning flats.
Rounding out the top five pros were opening round leader Rufus
Johnson of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., with five bass weighing
19 pounds,
11 ounces; Dwain Horton of Knoxville, Tenn., with five bass weighing
18 pounds, 10 ounces; Rodney Sorrell of Stokesdale, N.C., with
five
bass weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces; and Dan Jackson of Youngsville,
N.C., with five bass weighing 17 pounds.
Roy Altman Jr., 57, of Augusta, Ga., claimed the top qualifying
spot in the Co-Angler Division with five bass weighing 14 pounds,
13 ounces. He survived the semifinal round cut from 165 to 30
co-anglers Thursday in 29th place with a two-day total of five
bass
weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces.
Jim Kimball of Okeechobee, Fla., qualified in second place
with
five bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Tom Turner
of
Bowie, Md., with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces. Like
their
pro counterparts, co-anglers start from zero Saturday and compete
for
one day to determine the winner. The winning co-angler will receive
$6,000 cash.
A total of 245 bass weighing 586 pounds, 8 ounces were caught
Friday including 39 five-bass limits.
Saturday's action begins at 7 a.m. at Roland Martin's Marina
located at 920 East Del Monte Ave. The final weigh-in begins
at 4 p.m.
at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1005 West Sugarland Highway
Johnson Retains Lead Going Into Semifinal
Round
at $185,000 EverStart Series Tourney
CLEWISTON, Fla.--(BW SportsWire)--Feb. 8, 2001--Rufus
Johnson, 27,
of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., will lead 30 of the nation's top
professional bass anglers into Friday's semifinal round of competition
at the $185,000 EverStart Series tournament on Lake Okeechobee
with a
two-day total of 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 11 ounces.
Johnson caught five bass weighing 20 pounds Wednesday to finish
in
first place then turned in five bass weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces
Thursday to finish the opening round on top of the 165-angler
Pro
Division. Friday the top 30 pros and co-anglers will start from
zero
and fish for one day to determine the top 10 anglers who will
advance
to Saturday's final round for a shot at top awards of $15,000
cash and
a new Ranger boat in the Pro Division and $6,000 cash in the
Co-Angler
Division.
"This year's tournament is bigger and better," said
Johnson, who
is fishing his third year on the EverStart Series. "There
is a little
more competition out here this year, so I'm on cloud nine. I'm
king
for another day."
Johnson caught the majority of his bass on a crankbait while
fishing the mouth of a bay where bass are staging on the edge
of
shallow water.
Pro Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., caught 10 bass weighing
30
pounds, 15 ounces over two days to secure the No. 2 spot in Friday's
competition. Rounding out the top five pros were Pat Kelly of
Loxahatchee, Fla., with 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 14 ounces;
Scott
Browning of Franklin, N.C., with 10 bass weighing 28 pounds,
11
ounces; and Frank Poirier of Hopewell, Va., with eight bass weighing
28 pounds, 9 ounces.
In the 165-person Co-Angler Division, James Kimball, 60, of
Okeechobee, Fla., also retained the top spot with a two-day total
of
10 bass weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces. He caught the majority
of his
bass using a 3/16-ounce finesse jig.
Finishing in second and third place in the Co-Angler Division
were
Ralph Mulleins of Cumberland, Va., with eight bass weighing 22
pounds,
4 ounces and Carl Dillard of Columbia, S.C., with 10 bass weighing
22
pounds, 1 ounce.
Big bass and $750 in the Pro Division went to Browning for
an
8-pound, 6-ounce largemouth. Big bass and $250 in the Co-Angler
Division went to Dillard for a 7-pound, 9-ounce largemouth.
A total of 998 bass weighing 2,044 pounds, 4 ounces were caught
Thursday including 110 five-bass limits. More than 98 percent
of the
bass were released alive.
Competition begins at 7 a.m. each day at Roland Martin's Marina
located at 920 East Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston. Friday's weigh-in
begins at 3 p.m. at the marina, and Saturday's final weigh-in
will be
held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1005 West Sugarland
Highway at 4 p.m.
Johnson Takes Lead in EverStart Series
Eastern Division Opener on Lake Okeechobee
CLEWISTON, Fla.--(BW SportsWire)--Feb. 7, 2001--A full
field of
330 top bass anglers from around the country embarked on Lake
Okeechobee early Wednesday morning to start the expanded $2.5
million
2001 EverStart Series season. When the field returned for the
opening
day weigh-in, Rufus Johnson of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., led
the rest
with five bass weighing 20 pounds.
The $185,000 tournament features 165 pros and 165 co-anglers
probing the near-record low waters of Lake Okeechobee in hope
of
winning $15,000 cash and a Ranger bass boat in the Pro Division
and
$6,000 in the Co-Angler Division.
Frank Poirier of Hopewell, Va., finished opening day in second
place with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces. He was followed
by
Rusty Smith of Somerset, Ky., with five bass weighing 18 pounds,
1
ounce; George Lambeth of High Point, N.C., with five bass weighing
17
pounds, 12 ounces; and Ronald Wolfarth of Locust, N.C., with
five bass
weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces.
In the Co-Angler Division, James Kimball of Okeechobee, Fla.,
leads with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces followed by
Billy
Coleman of Holly Hill, Fla., with five bass weighing 15 pounds
and
Glen Childers of Buffalo, S.C., with five bass weighing 13 pounds,
4
ounces.
Big bass and $750 in the Pro Division went to Ricky Dale Smith
of
Anniston, Ala., for a 7-pound, 13-ounce largemouth. Big bass
and $250
in the Co-Angler Division went to Al Purvis of Moorehaven, Fla.,
for a
7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth.
A total of 925 bass weighing 1,898 pounds, 10 ounces were
caught
in both divisions including 104 five-bass limits. The majority
of the
bass were caught on jerkbaits, tubebaits and worms as the water
warmed
and bass headed to spawning beds. If the trend continues, spectators
can expect to see several large stingers at the weigh-ins.
For a shot at victory, anglers in both divisions must secure
one
of 30 slots available in Friday's semi-final round by catching
the
heaviest two-day total of bass in round one. During the semi-final
round, anglers start from zero and compete for one day to determine
the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers who will compete in Saturday's
finale. Catch weights are cleared again for the final day of
competition, and the winner of each division is determined by
the
weight of that day's catch.
Competition begins at 7 a.m. each morning at Roland Martin's
Marina located at 920 East Del Monte Ave in Clewiston. Weigh-ins
Thursday, Friday and Saturday will also be held at the marina
starting
at 3 p.m. each day. Saturday's final weigh-in will be held at
the
Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1005 West Sugarland Highway at
4 p.m.
EverStart Series Opens $2.5 Million Season
On Lake Okeechobee
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky.--Jan. 22, 2001--The newly
expanded EverStart Series will kick off its 2001 season Feb.
7 with a
$185,000 tournament on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla. A full
field
of 330 of the nation's top anglers is expected for the Eastern
Division opener.
Some of the circuits top pros including nuclear reactor technician
and 2000 EverStart Challenge Champion Alister Johnson of Cottondale,
Fla., will be among the competitors.
"Each year the level of competition seems to go up a
notch," said
Jerry Stakely, EverStart Series tournament director. "EverStart
anglers are some of the best bass fishermen in the world, so
I think
people are going see some nice fish brought to the scales."
Finding big bass, of course, is the name of the game, and
anglers
may be working more diligently than ever with nearly $20,000
more in
cash and prizes on the line during this year's tournament.
"We increased the rewards in all of our 2001 qualifiers
and
introduced a no-entry-fee championship with a $325,000 purse,"
Stakely
said. "We also added a new Northern Division to accommodate
growing
demand in that region. Tournament fishing is one of the fastest
growing sports in the country, and our goal is to give as many
bass
anglers as possible the opportunity to be successful in the sport
they
love."
The 4-year-old EverStart Series now includes three divisions
-
Eastern, Central and Northern - with four events each plus a
year-end
championship presented by Snickers Cruncher Bar. All told, the
series
will award more than $2.5 million to bass fishing enthusiasts
while
also providing a pathway to the $4.4 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour
- bass
fishing's most lucrative tournament series.
The top 10 anglers from each division will qualify to compete
in
the full 2002 FLW Tour series where they could win up to $250,000
in a
single event. Rankings are based on a points system that awards
200
points for a win, 199 points for second, 198 points for third
and so
on. Points will be awarded during all four qualifying events
per
division starting with the Lake Okeechobee tournament.
Anglers will compete on Lake Okeechobee for four days. The
full
field of 165 pro anglers and 165 co-anglers will compete for
two days
in the opening round. After the opening round, the field will
be cut
to the top 30 pros and top 30 co-anglers. These competitors will
start
from zero and compete for one day in the semi-final round to
determine
the top 10 anglers in each division who will advance to the final
round. Catch weights are again cleared for the final day of
competition, and the winner of each division is determined by
the
weight of that day's catch. The winning pro will receive $15,000
and a
Ranger boat, and the winning co-angler will receive $6,000.
Tournament winners and the top 50 pros and co-anglers from
the
Eastern, Northern and Central divisions will earn a spot in the
EverStart Series Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala.
There, the winning pro will go home with a Ranger boat and $25,000
cash. The winning co-angler will leave with a Ranger boat and
$10,000
cash.
Roland Martin's Marina located at 920 East Del Monte Ave.
is the
site of each day's 7 a.m. take-off on Lake Okeechobee Feb. 7-10.
Weigh-ins for the first three days of competition will also be
held at
the marina starting at 3 p.m. each day. The final weigh-in on
Saturday, Feb.10 will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located
at
1005 West Sugarland Highway at 4 p.m.
For more information about the EverStart Series, including
tournament entry, visit www.everstartseries.com or call 270-362-4880.
Back to Everstart News
EverStart Eastern Division
| EverStart Central Division
Circuit Tournament Results
Latest News | Reader's
Nook | Current Articles | Angler Archives
.
|
