EverStart Series Western Division Headed to Arizona’s Lake Havasu
OutdoorHub 02.15.12
Lake Havasu, AZ– The EverStart Series is headed to Lake Havasu Feb. 23-25 when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers take to the water for the second of four stops in the Western Division.
“The fishing on Lake Havasu is really good right now,” said National Guard pro Brett Hite of Phoenix. “We’ve had an unseasonably warm winter down here. The bass are in a pre-spawn mode right now, and by tournament time there will be some bass spawning, so you’re going to have both playing a role in this tournament.
“Havasu has always been real versatile,” Hite went on to say. “You can power fish or finesse fish. If you like power fishing, you can go up the Colorado River and get into the back waters and go flipping. If you like to finesse fish you can get out on the main lake and have results there as well. The water clarity is very clear, so you’re going to have guys fishing right on the bank down to about 25 feet. I think the guy that wins this tournament will have a mixed bag of both smallmouth and largemouth bass.
“Drop-shotting with a Roboworm would be a really good choice here,” Hite continued. “If it’s breezy you can throw crankbaits or spinnerbaits, or basically any type of reaction bait. Because the water is so clear on Havasu you really need that breeze in order for the bass to hit that reaction bait really good. Of course, sight fishing will also play a role in this tournament as well. Based on what I’ve been seeing lately, I predict it will take over 50 pounds to win this event.”
Anglers will take off from Lake Havasu State Park located at 699 London Bridge Rd. in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., at 7 a.m. Saturday. Weigh-ins will be held daily at the take off site beginning at 3:00 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $35,000 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 177TR 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 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 EverStart Series tournament on Lake Havasu is being hosted by the Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the EverStart Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
