JASPER, Texas (Feb. 26, 2005) - Pro Jerry Green of Justiceburg caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces to win the EverStart Series Central Division bass fishing tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir near Jasper. He was awarded a fully rigged Ranger 519 VX plus $10,000 cash. He also won an additional $10,000 from Ranger for being a registered Ranger owner and another $3,000 for being the highest Ranger Cup finisher.
The clouds rolled back in and the bite got a little better on Saturday. Nine limits were caught by anglers as opposed to the three caught Friday. However, in the end, Green's consistent limits were the difference. With a Wal-Mart FLW Tour top 10 at Okeechobee under his belt already this year, Green was all smiles on Saturday.
"I just slow rolled a spinnerbait all four days," Green said. "It seemed like everyday I had to roll it a little slower to get the bites. I only had six bites on Saturday, but they were all keepers." The clouds and breeze helped the bite a little on Saturday, but he credited his area with being the main factor. Green threw a 1/2-ounce, willow-leaf Boogerman spinnerbait with a white skirt around buck brush and milfoil 2-6 feet deep. "I was fishing a small pocket in the mid lake area between the launch ramp and the Highway 147 Bridge."
Rounding out the top-five pros were David Curtis of Trinity (10 bass, 23 pounds, 15 ouncs); Castrol pro Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla. (eight bass, 23 pounds, 11 ounces); Travis Loyd of Vienna, Ill. (six bass, 20 pounds, 2 ounces); and Zack Bull of Memphis, Tenn. (eight bass, 19 pounds, 3 ounces).
Bobby Lebert of Brookeland caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces to win the Co-angler Division and earn $5,000 cash.
Rounding out the top-five co-anglers were Bill Rogers of Jasper (six bass, 14 pounds, 5 ounces); Ernie Hillebrandt of Sam Rayburn (five bass, 13 pounds, 2 ounces); Randy Coffman of Corydon, Ind. (three bass, 9 pounds, 15 ounces); and Gilbert Herald of Pittsburg (three bass, 6 pounds, 1 ounce).
Anglers caught 62 bass weighing 153 pounds, 7 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 Central Division event will be March 16-19 at Columbus Pool in Columbus, Miss.