Everstart Series Southeast Division Continues on Lake Guntersville in Alabama
OutdoorHub 02.19.13
Umbrella-rig bite turning on as water clears
The EverStart Series is headed to Lake Guntersville Feb. 28-Mar. 2 for a tournament presented by Mercury when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers take to the water for the second of four stops in the Southeast Division.
“The fishing on Guntersville has been unbelievable,” said Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala. “In some local tournaments this past weekend there were three or four boats that weighed in over 30 pounds. Everybody is catching big weights right now, and the fishing is as good as it has been in years.
“The winter has been a lot colder than last year, and there has been a lot more rain,” Canterbury continued. “The lake had been pretty dirty. It started clearing up a few weeks ago, though, and since then the Alabama-rig bite has been on fire.”
Canterbury, who is fishing in this event, predicted that the tournament would most likely be won on the rig, or would at least be part of the winning angler’s arsenal.
“I don’t think that it can be won without weighing in some fish from the Alabama rig,” he said. “The Rat-L-Trap bite has been really good lately as well. You can easily catch 20 pounds throwing a Rat-L-Trap, but that’s not going to compete with the fish that people are catching on the rig. Those big fish just can’t resist it.”
Canterbury said that the fish are starting to move on Guntersville, and they can be found anywhere on the lake. He predicted a lot of traffic in the creeks and around the well-known Guntersville bridges.
“I’m excited. We’re going to see some really big weights in this tournament,” Canterbury went on to say. “I think it’s going to take over 80 pounds to win this one.”
Anglers will take off from Lake Guntersville State Park located at 7966 Alabama Hwy. 227 in Guntersville, Ala., at 7 a.m. each day. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at the take off site beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart located at 11697 U.S. Hwy. 431 in Guntersville beginning at 4 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 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 Lake Guntersville is being hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
