EverStart Series Central Division Heads to Kentucky Lake
OutdoorHub 06.04.13
The EverStart Series is headed to Kentucky Lake June 13-15 for a tournament presented by Evinrude when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers take to the water in the third of four regular-season events of the 2013 season in the Southeast Division.
“This tournament is going to be good,” said OFF! pro Terry Bolton of Paducah, Ky., who has 24 top-10 finishes in FLW competition on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. “There are still some fish in the spawning phase, but there are a lot more post-spawn fish and the water should continue to warm with the recent rainfalls. The fish are wanting to get out to the ledges and I think that this event will be hitting it at just about the right time.”
Bolton said that the late winter has slowed everything down, and that there are still quite a few more fish up shallow than there was last year at this time. When he last fished the lake, he said that the bass that had moved deep and were in a bit of a “sick phase”, but those bass should be healed up by tournament time.
“Even though there are quite a few fish up shallow, I think that the majority of guys will be fishing out a little deeper in this tournament,” Bolton said. “We’re going to have anglers scattered all up and down the lake, though, all the way from New Johnsonville to the dam. Some will choose to make the run to Barkley. It’s such a big body of water that anglers will really fan out.”
Bolton said that popular baits used by anglers in this tournament would be Rapala DT 20 crankbaits, spoons, big worms and football jigs.
“I think it’ll take 15½ to 17½ pounds each day to make the cut,” Bolton went on to say. “I think in order to win, it’ll probably take a 20 pound average and the winner should have right around 60 pounds.”
Anglers will take off from Kenlake State Resort Park at 542 Kenlake Road in Hardin, Ky., at 6 a.m. each day. Weigh-in will be held at the takeoff location on Thursday and Friday beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart located at 310 W. 5th St. in Benton, Ky. beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The EverStart Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of four tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the Strike King Angler of the Year title, which allows them to fish the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup.
The EverStart Series tournament on Kentucky Lake is being hosted by the Marshall County Tourist Commission.
