ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (Oct. 16, 2002) - With the $325,000 EverStart Series Championship looming, the cream of the EverStart Series crop are gearing up for a shot at the tournament's top pro award of $60,000 in cash and prizes Nov. 6-9 on Lake Martin near Alexander City, Ala.
Many well-known bass pros will be competing in hopes of adding "EverStart Series Champion" to their already impressive resumes. Don't count out the less familiar names, however; all competitors qualified for the championship by finishing in the top 50 in their respective divisions - Eastern, Central or Northern - and, on Lake Martin, it's anybody's game.
In the Central Division, Wesley Burnett of Hot Springs, Ark., leads the pack thanks to a solid season in which he never finished outside the top 25. His best finish in 2002 was a sixth-place effort on the Red River in Louisiana in June. Burnett is also an accomplished Wal-Mart FLW Tour angler, earning Co-angler of the Year status in 2001 before moving to the Pro Division in 2002.
Leading the Eastern Division is Pat Fisher of Stone Mountain, Ga. Fisher has performed exceptionally well in both the EverStart series and the FLW Tour in 2002, fishing both series on the pro side. Fisher's EverStart season includes a win on Alabama's Lake Eufaula in March and another top-10 effort on Lake Guntersville in June. He prevailed over a tough slot limit and competitive bracket-style format to claim fourth place at the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship on Louisiana's Cross Lake in September. He finished 12th in the 2002 FLW Tour points standings.
Marcel Veenstra of Newtown, Pa., leads all Northern Division anglers after putting together a consistent season full of strong finishes. Veenstra never finished lower than 17th in 2002, and his best showing was a third-place effort on New York's Lake Champlain in July. Veenstra switched over to the Northern Division after two years fishing the Eastern Division.
Other outstanding EverStart Series anglers who will fish in the championship include the venerable Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., 2002 All-American contender Dick Shaffer of Celina, Ohio, and newcomer Karen Savik of St. Louis Park, Minn. Lefebre ranks second in Northern Division standings thanks to a win on the Mississippi River in June and a top-five performance on New York's Thousand Islands in August. Shaffer led the opening round of the 2002 All-American on Cross Lake with an impressive catch of eight bass weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce before ultimately finishing eighth. He will enter the championship as the No. 17 angler from the EverStart Series Central Division. Savik, who fishes for Team Land O'Lakes, earned a championship slot as well as the distinction of being the first woman to fish as a pro in any FLW Outdoors bass-fishing championship thanks to three solid finishes in 2002. She will enter the championship from the No. 15 spot in the EverStart Series Northern Division standings.
Kevin Vida of Clare, Mich., leads the new Banana Boat team into the championship from the No. 5 spot in Northern Division standings. Team Kellogg's pros Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas, and Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla., qualified for the championship from the Central Division, where they finished second and 48th, respectively. Carl Svebek III joins Savik to represent Team Land O'Lakes. The Siloam Springs, Ark., pro is ranked eighth in the Central Division. Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., and Sean Stickler of For Lauderdale, Fla., will represent Team Fujifilm. Both men qualified through the Eastern Division in 28th and 33rd place, respectively. Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., will represent Team Castrol after finishing 44th in the Central Division.
The 150 pros and 150 co-anglers appearing in the championship secured their spots based on year-end points standings after four regular-season tournaments in each division. 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. Pro anglers will fish for a top award of $60,000, which includes $25,000 cash plus a Ranger boat equipped with an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, Garmin electronics, Minn Kota trolling motor and EverStart batteries. Co-anglers will compete for a top award of $40,000, which includes $10,000 cash and a Ranger boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha.
Competitors will launch from Wind Creek State Park, which is part of the Alabama Bass Trail featuring accommodations, facilities and activities to complement every fishing outing from weekend getaways to the nation's premier bass tournaments. Weigh-ins for the first two days of competition will also be held at the marina starting at 2:30 p.m. each day. Weigh-ins Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8 and 9, will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 2643 Highway 280 W. in Alexander City starting at 4:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. A family fun zone featuring children's games and product displays will open at Wal-Mart at 3 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.
Championship competitors will make a national television appearance when the tournament is broadcast to 45 million Outdoor Life Network subscribers Nov. 17 at 9:30 a.m. EST as part of the "FLW Outdoors" cable television series.