ESCANABA, Mich. (Aug. 25, 2005) - Pro Gary Adkins of Green Bay, Wis., caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 9 ounces to lead round one of the EverStart Series Northern Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Michigan near Escanaba.
"I ran about 27 miles and fished offshore humps," Adkins said. "Most of my bass came on green-pumpkin with purple-flake ISG tubes on jigheads in about 25 feet of water. I did move up and throw a spinnerbait in some shallow water to catch my limit fish."
All of Adkins's bass have come from the same general area, and he said he should have enough fish left to last the duration of the event.
Rounding out the top five pros are Robert Sherry of St. Charles, Ill. (10 bass, 32 pounds, 14 ounces); Derek Buchbinder of Rapid River (10 bass, 32 pounds, 5 ounces); Fred Roumbanis of Auburn, Calif. (10 bass, 32 pounds, 3 ounces); and David Gliebe of Benton, Ky. (eight bass, 31 pounds, 10 ounces).
Richard Lowitzki of St. Charles, Ill., earned the day's big-bass award in the Pro Division worth $400, thanks to a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass.
Jeff Bratonia of Rapid River caught eight bass weighing 24 pounds 11 ounces to lead the Co-angler Division. Bratonia threw green-pumpkin Hooker tubes and Booyah spinnerbaits around a shallow weed line to catch his bass.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Paul Nogalski of Germantown, Wis. (eight bass, 23 pounds, 10 ounces); Jim Jones of Big Bend, Wis. (eight bass, 23 pounds, 10 ounces); Andy Jenkins of Elkhart, Ind. (seven bass, 21 pounds, 14 ounces) and Jeff Zeisner of Arva, Ontario (six bass, 21 pounds, 10 ounces).
Tony Grubb of Ann Arbor caught a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass to win the big-bass award in the Co-angler Division, worth $180.
Anglers caught a total of 398 bass weighing 1,141 pounds, 13 ounces on the second day of the event.
Escanaba Harbor located in Ludington Park in Escanaba hosts the daily takeoffs at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 601 N. Lincoln in Escanaba beginning at 4 p.m.
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.