Everstart Series Bass Fishing Action Kicks Off on Lake Okeechobee
Clewiston, Fla. (Jan. 5, 2005) - In a day that saw nearly 3,000 pounds of
bass brought to the scale, pro J.T. Kenney of Frostburg, Md., came out on
top with a five-bass limit weighing 32 pounds, 12 ounces. The $262,125
tournament, which is hosted by Roland and Mary Ann Martin's Marina and
Resort, concludes Saturday with the winning pro earning as much as $60,000
and the winning co-angler earning as much as $35,000.
Kenney's stringer broke the previous EverStart Series record by more than
2 pounds. The previous record of 30 pounds, 5 ounces was set by Rick
Gunter of Holly Hill, Fla., on Okeechobee in 2002. Kenney is known for
having won the FLW Tour Okeechobee event in 2002.
Kenney said there were only two clear areas in the lake; one in the South
Bay and one in the Monkey's Box area. The rest of the lake was murky from
the grass killed by the recent hurricanes. Kenney was fishing 18 miles
from the boat ramp, and he was flipping a creature bait near heavy grass.
On his third flip of the morning, he landed an 8-pound, 3-ounce bass. He
said he only caught seven fish all day, but four of them were huge.
"It was just my day. Four or five of the other top 10 guys were right
beside me," Kenney said, adding that there were 50 or so boats in the
area. "So I'm not going to save the spot. We probably won't catch the fish
in there tomorrow that we did today, but I'm going to do the same thing
each morning of the tournament."
Lake Okeechobee, considered one of the top lakes in the country for
largemouth bass, presented anglers with fewer choices of presentation than
normal on Wednesday because of the unusually murkey waters and smaller
amount of vegetation. With highs in the 80s and a moderate southeasterly
wind, water temperatures are mild, and bass are in prespawn, spawn and
postspawn patterns.
Rounding out the top five pros are David Williams of Maiden, N.C., (five
bass, 26 pounds, 9 ounces); Daryl Deka of Wellington, Fla. (five bass, 24
pounds, 15 ounces); Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill. (five bass, 21
pounds, 7 ounces) and Larry Pinder of Port Charlotte, Fla. (five bass, 21
pounds).
The top co-angler of the day, Kenneth Owens of Wise, Va., also had a good
day on the water, with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 13 ounces.
"It seemed like a lot of the fish were bunched up," Owens said. "I got
the big bite early and probably caught a dozen or so keepers during the
day." Owen's largest fish was an 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth. He said the
fish were mostly on a prespawn pattern, and they were caught mainly on
soft plastics.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Johnnie Parker from Elkhorn, Ky.
(five bass, 17 pounds, 6 ounces); Lloyd Meyers Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.
(five bass, 16 pounds, 12 ounces); Aymon Wilcox of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.
(five bass, 15 pounds, 14 ounces); and Ed Hembree of Berea, Ky. (four
bass, 15 pounds, 8 ounces).
Anglers caught 1,635 bass that weighed a total of 2,905 pounds.
Pinder earned $750 as Wednesday's Snickers Big Bass award winner in the
Pro Division thanks to a 9-pound, 8-ounce lunker. Bill Hullet of Broken
Arrow, Okla., earned the $250 Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler
Division with a 10-pound, 8-ounce behemoth largemouth.
Roland and Mary Ann Martin's Marina and Resort, located at 920 E. Del
Monte Ave. in Clewiston, hosts daily takeoffs at 7 a.m. each morning.
Thursday's weigh-in will also be held at the marina, beginning at 3 p.m.
Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located
at 1005 W. Sugarland Hwy. in Clewiston, 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.
For more information on the EverStart Series or any of FLW Outdoors'
eight tournament trails, visit FLWOutdoors.com.
