MANNING, S.C. (March 4, 2005) - Rookie pro Allan Glasgow of Ashville, Ala., the leader after round one, fought through tough fishing conditions Saturday to win the EverStart Series Southeast Division bass fishing tournament on the Santee Cooper lakes. Glasgow tied J.T. Kenney of Frostburg, Md., with a final round weight 25 pounds, 6 ounces - Glasgow on eight bass and Kenney with nine bass. Glasgow, however, won the tiebreaker to earn a Ranger 519 VX plus $10,000 cash.
Glasgow set an EverStart Series one-day weight record on day one with five bass weighing 32 pounds, 13 ounces. Ironically, the former one-day record holder was Kenney, who caught five bass weighing 32 pounds, 12 ounces on Lake Okeechobee in January.
"I stuck with what I had been doing all week," Glasgow said. "I threw a Shad Rap, flipped grass mats with a tube and craw and today I threw a spinnerbait a little to catch my fifth keeper. The boat was sitting in 6-8 feet of water and the fish were coming from water a little shallower. Rounding out the top-five pros were Alex Ormand of Bessemer City, Ala. (six bass, 21 pounds, 7 ounces); Mark Mauldin of Cleveland, Tenn. (six bass, 20 pounds, 2 ounces); and Warren Wyman of Calera, Ala. (five bass, 16 pounds, 6 ounces).
Kenney won the Ranger Cup Award worth $1,500.
Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., failed to catch a keeper Saturday but still managed to win by more than 5 pounds. He caught a two-day total of two bass weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces to earn $5,000 cash.
"I really didn't expect to win this thing with zero fish today," Thrift said. "I figured someone would at least catch one big one that would put them in the lead. But the top three co-anglers from yesterday didn't catch anything today. I caught a bass yesterday that weighed almost 8 pounds, and that won it for me. I caught it behind a cypress tree on a 1/2-ounce brown and green jig."
Rounding out the top-five co-anglers were Derek Schlotterback of Simpsonville (two bass, 3 pounds, 7 ounces); Cliff Cantey of Olanta (one bass, 3 pounds, 1 ounces); Matthew Parker of Whitesburg (two bass, 3 pounds, 1 ounces); and Arch Cornett of Huntsville, Ala. (one bass, 2 pounds, 5 ounces).
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.
The next EverStart Series Southeast Division event will be held April 27-30 on Lake Eufaula near Eufaula, Ala.