Freeman Wins Everstart Series Texas Division Event on Toledo Bend
OutdoorHub 06.03.12
Glen Freeman of Converse, La., weighed a five bass limit on Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 12 ounces to win the EverStart Series Texas Division on Toledo Bend presented by Mercury. His three-day total of 15 bass weighed 68 pounds, 15 ounces and earned him $28,898 plus a Ranger Z518 with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor for his victory.
With the wind playing a major factor during the tournament, Freeman was able to make daily adjustments that helped lead him to victory. According to Freeman the fish never moved, he simply had to position and hold the boat in the correct locations.
“The wind blew in different directions every day,” said Freeman. “I was a little worried this morning with the wind coming out of the south, something it hadn’t done all week. I really didn’t know what to expect; but it turned out to be a good day. Today I caught all my bass within the first hour and a half of takeoff.
Freeman went on to say that he was targeting deep structure that was a natural pathway for the bass to travel. Every day the fish seemed to pull up; he was fishing 20 to 25 feet the first day, 15 feet the second and by Saturday the bass were only 8 to 9 feet deep. He attributed his electronics for helping him locate the bass.
“Going into the tournament everyone was saying that you would need 17 to 18 pounds to make the top-10 cut,” Freeman continued. “Then the first day guys were bringing in 22 and 24 pounds bag. I think that made us fish harder. I was fortunate in that I had several spots that I could go to, a luxury many of the other anglers didn’t have. They only had three of four spots to go to whereas I was running to 10 or 15 holes per day. I was able to leave holes, try another, and then go back.”
Thanking FLW for putting on a great tournament, Freeman said that being made to feel like he was at home showed on the water. He was able to relax and be comfortable with his fishing.
Freeman said that his go to baits all week were YUM soft plastics with a BOOYAH jig.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Tim Reneau, Del Rio Texas, 15 bass, 59-7, $9,908
3rd: David Harvey, Beaumont, Texas, 15 bass, 58-4, $8,256
4th: Lamonte Loyd, Gilmer, Texas, 15 bass, 55-3, $7,431
5th: Ryan Pinkston, Center, Texas, 15 bass, 52-1, $6,605
6th: James Elliott, Center, Texas, 15 bass, 52-1, $5,780
7th: Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, 15 bass, 51-5, $4,954
8th: George Jeane, Jr., Evans, La., 15 bass, 49-7, $4,128
9th: Kris Wilson, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 48-8, $3,303
10th: Phil Marks, Dallas, Texas., 13 bass, 40-11, $2,477
Jeane Jr., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Thursday – a 13-pound, 4-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $226.
Scott Bailey of Longview, Texas, won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 46 pound, 1 ounce. For his efforts Bailey won a Ranger 177TR with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Benny Aylor, Round Rock, Texas, 15 bass, 37-2, $3,864
3rd: Kerry Barnett, Waldron, Ark., 13 bass, 33-3, $3,435
4th: James Callaghan, De Berry, Texas, nine bass, 29-1, $3,006
5th: Neil Herline, Silsbee, Texas, 12 bass, 27-8, $2,576
6th: Randy Hicks, Lumberton, Texas, 13 bass, 26-15, $2,147
7th: Kenny Moser, Alba, Texas, 11 bass, 26-13, $1,718
8th: Buddy Hicks, Port Neches, Texas, 12 bass, 25-8, $1,288
9th: Mark Howard, Mesquite, Texas, 11 bass, 23-8, $859
10th: Bennie Anderson, Grand Prairie, Texas, 10 bass, 22-9, $687
Callaghan caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday – a 8-pound, 4-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $150.
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 along with $5,000 for the pro and $2,000 for the co-angler. The top 40 pros and co-anglers from each respective division will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship that will be held on the Ouachita River in Monroe, La., Nov. 1-4.
The next EverStart Series Texas Division tournament will be Oct. 4-6 at Lake of the Pines in Longview, Texas. Longview Convention & Visitors Bureau will host the event.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com.
