OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (April 23, 2005) - Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 2 ounces to win the EverStart Series Central Division bass fishing tournament on Lake of the Ozarks near Osage Beach. He was awarded a fully rigged Ranger 519 VX plus $10,000 cash. Troy Eakins of Nixa won an additional $1500 for being the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant as well as an additional $750 for meeting the Powered by Yamaha requirements.
"I had been sight fishing the first three days of the tournament," Morehead said. He anticipated, after leaving the FLW Tour Wal-Mart Open on nearby Beaver Lake last week, that this tournament would be won sight fishing. On day three, however, he caught a good keeper on a spinnerbait at the end of the day in the Grand Glaize area. "I'd been catching bass all week on a white Mann's lizard and a white Mann's tube in another part of the lake, but that spinnerbait fish lead me to change areas."
Morehead started in Grand Glaize on Saturday but found the fish wouldn't chase his spinnerbait anymore. After the cold front moved through, the temperatures on Saturday morning were in the low 30s. "I started throwing a green pumpkin FLW finesse jig made by Mann's this morning, and by 8:30, I already had 18 pounds," he said. "I probably caught 13 keepers Saturday and culled a few times to get to the 19 pounds, 15 ounces I weighed."
Rounding out the top-five pros are Troy Eakins of Nixa (10 bass, 29 pounds, 4 ounces); Danny Burns of Ozark (eight bass, 25 pounds, 13 ounces); Dave Donham of Highlandville (10 bass, 25 pounds, 4 ounces); and Paul Tormanen of Lees Summit (nine bass, 19 pounds, 1 ounce).
Tom Medlock of Licking caught a two-day total of seven bass weighing 19 pounds, 13 ounces to win the Co-Angler Division and earn $5,000.
"I was throwing a Texas-rigged Zoom Trick Worm with a 1/8-ounce sinker along with a Zoom Brush Hog," Medlock said. "The key was you had to work it slowly and let it just sit on the bottom for a long time to get a bite."
Rounding out the top-five co-anglers are Mark Taylor of Mansfield (six bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces); Jim McDevitt of Eldon (five bass, 10 pounds, 13 ounces); Mark King of Gurdon, Ark. (four bass, 8 pounds); and Brett Pinion of Webb City (one bass, 6 pounds, 1 ounce).
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.
For more information on the EverStart Series or any of FLW Outdoors' eight tournament trails, visit FLWOutdoors.com.