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Kansas Fishing Records

Copyright 1999-2001

For complete results, visit www.everstartseries.com.

Graham Leads EverStart Series Tournament on Lake Ontario
Clayton, N.Y. (July 25, 2001) - Jason Graham of Coleman, Mich., topped more than 290 bass anglers from the United States and Canada Wednesday afternoon with five largemouth bass weighing 20 pounds, 5 ounces following opening day of the $185,000 EverStart Series Northern Division tournament on Lake Ontario.

Graham, who is competing in his second year on the EverStart Series, opted to fish for largemouth in shallow water while the majority of competitors targeted smallmouth bass.
"I'm pretty confident (going into day two)," Graham said. "I don't think I can catch 20 pounds again. But I can make the cut, and that's the goal. I only hit three of my spots today, and I have nine more to fish."

The tournament, which is part of the $2.5 million EverStart Series, features 146 pros and 146 co-anglers searching the waters near Thousand Islands for trophy bass in the hope of winning $15,000 cash and a Mercury- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat with GARMIN Electronics in the Pro Division and $6,000 in the Co-Angler Division.
Scott Dobson of Waterford, Mich., finished opening day in second place with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 11 ounces. He was followed by David Lauer of South Bend, Ind., (five bass, 18 pounds, 4 ounces) and Dean Meckes of Clayton, N.Y. (five bass, 18 pounds, 2 ounces). Neil Vandebiezen of Portage, Mich., and Mark Zona of Sturgis, Mich., tied for fifth place with five bass weighing 18 pounds.

In the Co-Angler Division, Rick Kazmierczak of Orchard Park, N.Y., leads with five smallmouth bass weighing 17 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Warren Thomas of Lakewood, Wis. (five bass, 17 pounds, 2 ounces), and Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa. (five bass, 16 pounds, 14 ounces).
Big bass and $750 in the Pro Division went to Meckes for a 6-pound, bass. Big bass and $250 in the Co-Angler Division went to Ken Garbe of Batavia, Ohio, for a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass.

Anglers in both divisions must secure one of 30 slots available in Friday's semifinal round by catching the heaviest two-day total of bass in round one. During the semifinal 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 6 a.m. each morning at French Creek Marina in Clayton. Weigh-ins Thursday and Friday 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 on Arsenal Street in Watertown, N.Y., at 4 p.m.
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 Conseco. Tournament winners and the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from each division will earn a spot in the championship, which will be held Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala.

More than $2.5 million will be awarded to bass fishing enthusiasts during the 2001 EverStart Series season. The series also provides a pathway to the $4.45 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour-bass fishing's most lucrative tournament series. Top EverStart competitors may also qualify for the Ranger M1 tournament in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 27-March 2, 2002, where they can win up to $1 million in the world's richest freshwater tournament.

Sponsors of the EverStart Series are ALPO Pet Foods, BFGoodrich Tires, Black and Decker, Chevy Trucks, CITGO, Coleman, Conseco, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, Garmin, Kellogg's, Land O'Lakes, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Pepsi, Plano Tackle Systems, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers Cruncher Bar, Timex, US Bank, Visa, Wal-Mart, Weed Eater, Wrangler and Yamaha Outboards.

Sandusky Bay Next Stop For EverStart Series
Sandusky, Ohio (July 24, 2001) - The newly expanded EverStart Series will
hold its third Northern Division tournament Aug. 22-25 on Lake Erie's
Sandusky Bay.

Up to 330 top bass anglers from the United States and Canada will compete in
the event for a share of $185,000, including first place awards of $50,000
in cash and prizes in the Pro Division and $6,000 in the Co-Angler Division.
The winning pro will receive $15,000 and a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger
boat with GARMIN Electronics plus a $1,000 bonus if one of the firm's
fixed-mount sonar products was used.

"We added a Northern Division to our 2001 schedule to accommodate growing
demand in the region," said Jerry Stakely, EverStart Series tournament
director. "Our first Northern Division tournament was held in June on the
Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wis., and the second tournament was held
at Thousand Islands on Lake Ontario near Clayton, N.Y. We are looking
forward to our visit to Sandusky and another great event."

In addition to a new division, the EverStart Series increased the purse at
each regular season event by $20,000 and introduced a no-entry-fee
championship with a $325,000 purse for the 2001 season. More than $2.5
million will be awarded this year.

The 4-year-old EverStart Series, which serves as a pathway to the $4.45
million Wal-Mart FLW Tour, includes three divisions-Eastern, Central and
Northern-with four events each plus the year-end championship. The top 10
anglers from each division will qualify to compete in the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW
Tour where they could win up to $250,000 in a single event. Top EverStart
competitors may also qualify for the Ranger M1 Millennium tournament in
Mobile, Ala., Feb. 27-March 2, 2002, where they can win up to $1 million in
the world's richest freshwater tournament.

EverStart Series 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.

Anglers will compete on Sandusky Bay for four days starting Aug. 22. A full
field of up to 165 pros and 165 co-anglers will compete for two days during
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 semifinal round to determine the top 10 anglers
in each division who will advance to the final round. Anglers will again
start from zero for the final day of competition, and the winner of each
division will be determined by the weight of that day's catch.

EverStart Series tournament winners and the top 50 pros and top 50
co-anglers from the Eastern, Northern and Central divisions will qualify for
the EverStart Series Championship presented by Conseco Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick
Lake in Florence, Ala. There, the winning pro will receive a Yamaha- or
Mercury-powered Ranger boat with GARMIN electronics and $25,000. The top
co-angler will win a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat with GARMIN
electronics and $10,000.

Bickely's Boat Dock in Sandusky is the site of each day's 6 a.m. take-off on
Sandusky Bay Aug. 22-25. Weigh-ins for the first three days of competition
will also be held at Bickely's starting at 3 p.m. each day. The final
weigh-in on Saturday, Aug. 25, will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 5500
Milan Road in Sandusky at 4 p.m.

Sponsors of the 2001 EverStart Series are ALPO Pet Foods, BFGoodrich Tires,
Black and Decker, Chevy Trucks, CITGO, Coleman, Conseco, Energizer,
EverStart Batteries, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, GARMIN, Kellogg's, Land O'Lakes,
Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Pepsi, Plano Tackle Systems, Poulan, Ranger
Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers Cruncher Bar, Timex, US Bank, Visa, Wal-Mart, Weed
Eater, Wrangler and Yamaha Outboards.

There are still a limited number of pro and co-angler openings for the
Sandusky Bay tournament. To enter, call Operation Bass at 270-362-4880 or
visit www.everstartseries.com for more information.