PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (Sept. 17, 2005) - Pro Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa., caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 38 pounds, 6 ounces to win the EverStart Series Northeast Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Champlain near Plattsburgh - the division's final event of the season. Knapp, who won the Co-angler Division title of the 2004 FLW Tour Lake Champlain event, earned a Ranger 519VX plus $9,600 cash. In addition, Knapp earned the $10,000 Ranger contingency bonus, the $3,000 Ranger Cup award and $1,500 Powered by Yamaha award for a total of $64,100 in cash and prizes.
As is usually the case at Lake Champlain, anglers experienced outstanding fishing conditions. Day two's total weight of nearly 3,900 pounds was only about 100 pounds off circuit's one-day weight record, which was set on Lake Champlain. Over the course of the tournament, more than 50 limits were caught that weighed 17-plus pounds.
"The first three days, I was catching a limit of smallmouths, then going flipping for big largemouths," Knapp said. "I had one largemouth each day. But I knew that wasn't going to win with mostly smallmouths, so today I went for largemouths all day and ended up with four, along with one smallmouth. My biggest fish weighed 5 pounds.
"I caught the largemouths with a green-pumpkin Mizmo tube with a 3/4- to 1-ounce weight and 50-pound braided line. I just flipped grass in 1 to 3 feet of water in the north end of the lake."
Rounding out the top five pros were Larry Allard of Ware, Mass. (10 bass, 34 pounds, 3 ounces); Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, Va. (10 bass, 34 pounds); Warren Wolk of Jamison, Pa. (10 bass, 33 pounds, 13 ounces) and Gerald Beck of Lexington, N.C. (10 bass, 32 pounds, 7 ounces). Jason Sherwood of Germantown, Md., caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds 12 ounces to win the Co-angler Division. Sherwood earned $4,850 for the win.
"I fished with Larry Allard yesterday," Sherwood said, "and he really showed me a lot about fishing with a spinnerbait. Today, I fished with Jacob Powroznik and went to the same type of water. So I was able to throw a spinnerbait and catch two or three quality fish. The spinnerbait was 1/2 ounce and the body and blades were chartreuse. I finished my limit today by throwing a drop-shot in 30 feet of water. I used a 4-inch green Robo worm."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jon Newman of Anderson, S.C. (10 bass, 304 pounds, 13 ounce); Chad Hicks of Rockville, Va. (10 bass, 30 pounds, 1 ounces); Rex Magargle of Turbotville, Pa. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 14 ounces); and Bobbie Barfield of Spring Grove, Va. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 10 ounces).
Anglers caught 92 bass Saturday weighing 279 pounds, 15 ounces. The 20 anglers competing Saturday caught 17 limits.
Aaron Hastings of Middletown, Md., earned 745 points win the Northeast Division points race in the Northeast Division. He had three top-15 finishes, and his worst finish of the season was 30th place. Ryan Bowman of Seneca, S.C., won the co-angler points title for the division with 738 points. He never finished lower than 33rd place in the season's four events.
EverStart Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers - based on two-day accumulated weights - advance to the final round. Anglers start at zero Friday, and pro and co-angler winners are determined Saturday based on two-day accumulated weights.