MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 29, 2013) – FLW has announced the 2014 EverStart Series schedule, which now features three events in each division with significantly increased payouts plus a no-entry-fee championship.
The top 30 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each division after three qualifying tournaments will advance to the 2014 EverStart Series Championship provided they fished all three qualifiers in a division. The highest finishing pro and co-angler from each of the five EverStart Series divisions based on final results at the 2014 EverStart Series Championship qualify for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup along with the top five overall finishers for a total of 10 EverStart Series pros and 10 EverStart Series co-anglers advancing to the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup based on their finish at the 2014 EverStart Series Championship.
Entry fees have increased to $1,500 per qualifier for pros and $500 per qualifier for co-anglers.
“While we’ve raised entry fees to significantly increase payouts in each tournament and add a no-entry-fee championship, we’ve kept the overall cost of participation the same by eliminating one event per division,” said FLW President of Operations Kathy Fennel. “We believe the increased payouts, relatively low cost of participation and opportunity for 10 pros and 10 co-anglers, including guaranteed spots in each of our five EverStart Series divisions, to advance to the Forrest Wood Cup make the EverStart Series an attractive option for FLW Tour pros looking to fish more than six tournaments while also providing the best possible payouts and advancement opportunities to our loyal EverStart Series anglers.”
Additional changes of note include increasing the number of rods co-anglers can carry into a pros boat from five to seven and restricting umbrella rigs to a maximum of five wires, five spinners and five lures, only three of which can have hooks.
The top 40 pros and co-anglers from each division of the 2013 EverStart Series and the top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division of the 2013 BFL may enter beginning Sept. 9 and must pay their deposits for all three tournaments in a division by Nov. 11, 2013 in order to secure their priority entry position. For Ranger boat owners (Ranger owners with current registrations who will use their Ranger boat in EverStart Series competition) and sponsor entries (FLW may reserve sponsor spots in each qualifying tournament), deposits will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. CT, Nov. 12, 2013. For TBF members, deposits will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. CT, Nov. 13, 2013. For other entries, deposits will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. CT, Nov. 14, 2013. Top entry priority goes to pros and co-anglers who enter all three EverStart Series tournaments in a division by Dec. 18, 2013 for the Southeast, Texas and Western divisions and Feb. 5, 2014 for the Central and Northern Divisions. All other entry priority will be assigned by the date and time of entry. Entries may be made either by mail, phone or on the Internet at FLWOutdoors.com. Each tournament will be limited to 150 pros and 150 co-anglers.
The EverStart Series serves as a qualifying circuit for the FLW Tour with the top 10 pros and co-anglers from each division receiving priority entry for the 2015 FLW Tour.
2014 EverStart Series Schedule
Central Division
April 3-5 Grand Lake
May 29-31 Kentucky Lake
Sept. 18-20 Mississippi River-La Crosse
Northern Division
May 1-3 James River
June 19-21 Potomac River
July 24-26 Lake Champlain
Southeastern Division
Jan. 9-11 Lake Okeechobee
March 13-15 Santee-Cooper
April 24-26 Lake Guntersville
Texas Division
Jan. 23-25 Sam Rayburn Reservoir
March 20-22 Toledo Bend
Oct. 2-4 Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Western Division
Jan. 30-Feb. 1 Lake Havasu
May 15-17 California Delta
Oct. 9-11 Clear Lake
EverStart Championship
Oct. 30-Nov.1 Wheeler Lake
2014 EverStart Series Qualifier PAYOUTS:
Place Pro Ranger Cup Co-angler Ranger Cup
1 $40,000 Ranger Z518C Ranger Z117 $5,000
with 200 HP outboard with 90 HP outboard
2 15,500 5,000
3 12,000 4,000
4 10,000 3,500
5 9,000 3,000
6 8,000 2,500
7 7,000 2,000
8 6,000 1,750
9 5,000 1,500
10 4,000 1,250
11 3,750 1,000
12 3,500 1,000
13 3,000 1,000
14 3,000 1,000
15 3,000 1,000
16-20 3,000 800
21-25 2,750 700
26-30 2,500 600
31-40 2,000 500
Big Bass: Day 1 300 200
Big Bass: Day 2 300 200
Entry Fee $1,500 $500
* Payback is based on the number of paid entries for each tournament.
Strike King Angler of the Year and Co-angler of the Year:
Angler of the Year
$2,000 prize package, including deposits for the 2015 season
Co-angler of the Year
$800 prize package, including deposits for the 2015 season
The top pro and co-angler from the point standings in each division after three events win the Strike King Angler of the Year and Co-angler of the Year titles, respectively.
2014 EverStart Series Championship PAYOUT:
Place Pro Ranger Cup Co-angler Ranger Cup
1 $50,000 Ranger Z518C Ranger Z117 $5,000
with 200 HP outboard with 90 HP outboard
2 20,000 $5,000 9,000
3 15,000 3,500 7,500
4 12,000 2,000 6,000
5 10,000 1,000 5,000
6 8,000 4,000
7 7,000 3,500
8 6,000 3,000
9 5,000 2,500
10 4,500 2,000
11-15 4,000 1,500
16-20 3,500 1,000
21-25 3,000 900
26-30 2,500 800
31-40 2,000 700