ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (Nov. 8, 2002) - Craig Workman of Fort Worth, Texas, leads 10 Pro Division anglers who will fish Saturday for the top pro award of $60,000 in cash and prizes at the $325,000 EverStart Series Championship bass fishing tournament on Lake Martin near Alexander City, Ala. Workman caught five bass Friday weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces to survive another day and inch closer to the top prize of $25,000 cash plus an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger bass boat.
"I've been catching my limits pretty quickly, but it's taking me longer every day," said Workman, who caught only the fourth 11-pound sack of the tournament by throwing six different baits in 2 to 15 feet of water. "I caught more than I did any other day, and I hope I didn't overdo it. I'm sure a lot of guys backed off. I think I have enough fish left. Who knows?"
Workman caught five bass weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces Wednesday to place 15th and followed that up Thursday with five more bass weighing 9 pounds, 14 ounces to place fourth. He leads opening-round leader Jason Quinn of Lake Wylie, S.C., by 3 pounds, 6 ounces heading into the final round, but weights are cleared and anglers will start at zero Saturday. "Catching fish is not a problem," said Quinn, who caught five bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces Friday. "I'm going for broke Saturday."
The original field of 150 pros was cut to 20 following Thursday's competition and whittled down to 10 following Friday's semifinal round. The final 10 pros will be paired with an Outdoor Life Network cameraman Saturday for the upcoming "FLW Outdoors" program highlighting EverStart Series Championship action. The program will air Nov. 17 at 8:30 a.m. CST and will be broadcast to OLN's 55 million subscribers nationwide.
Rounding out the top five pros are Vince Ingle of Maryville, Tenn. (five bass, 7 pounds, 6 ounces); Koby Kreiger of Osceola, Ind. (five bass, 7 pounds, 4 ounces); and Tom Dolin of Palatine Bridge, N.Y., (five bass, 7 pounds, 3 ounces).
Co-angler competition concluded Friday with Steve Marler of Fenton, Mo., emerging as the 2002 EverStart Series Co-angler Champion thanks to a five-bass catch weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces. For the win, Marler earned $40,000 in cash and prizes, including a fully-rigged Ranger bass boat.
"My goal was to win but also just to make the cut," said Marler, who caught his limit on a Carolina rig. "I culled one fish and thought I had a realistic chance, but I was sweating it. I'm headed to Disneyland, I guess." Marler hopes to fish the pro side of the EverStart Series next season.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jon Carlile of Broken Arrow, Okla. (five bass, 6 pounds, 7 ounces); Stephen Francis of Brookeland, Texas (four bass, 6 pounds, 7 ounces); John Pellegrino of Smithtown, N.Y. (five bass, 6 pounds, 5 ounces); and Warren Thomas of Lakewood, Wis., (five bass, 5 pounds, 5 ounces).
The remaining 10 pros will stage their final takeoff Saturday at 6:30 a.m. from Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City. Wind Creek State Park 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. The final tournament weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located on Highway 280 West in Alexander City. The community is invited to attend the takeoff and weigh-in as well as visit the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 11 a.m. Saturday. Located outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot, the Family Fun Zone features games, product giveaways and interactive displays for the entire family to enjoy. Portions of "FLW Outdoors" on OLN will be filmed during the final weigh-in, and fishing fans are encouraged to attend and be part of the broadcast.
One hundred and fifty pro anglers and 150 co-anglers descended upon Wind Creek State Park Wednesday for the championship's opening round. These anglers earned their championship berth by finishing in the top 50 in final points standings in one of three EverStart Series divisions - Eastern, Central or Northern. Every angler who received weight credit in any regular-season tournament earned points. Each division features four regular-season tournaments followed by the season-ending championship.