Those worries became reality when Smith was only able to compile 10 pounds, 8 ounces, while Evers brought in 14-7.
“I only caught six fish today,†Smith lamented, noting the conditions caused the few fish left in his area to spread out. “I caught my fifth (weigh) fish with five minutes left to fish.â€
Evers, on the other hand, boated the heaviest sack of the tournament by making a more than 2-hour run east and working his lures in and around vegetation.
“In the mornings the fish were roaming on the outsides of that grass, and I’d catch them on a spinner bait,†he said. “But my better fish came from undercut banks with vegetation.â€
Once the bite on the Bass Pro Shops Lazer Eye spinner bait turned off – usually less than an hour after he started fishing – Evers began punching water hyacinths on the undercut banks with a combination of a Yum Money Craw under a 1-ounce weight and a Yum Craw Papi topped with a 3/16-ounce weight.
The key to the entire tournament for Evers, however, came less than an hour into the first day of competition.
“I abandoned an area where I really felt I would catch fish, and moved on and really went looking,†he said. “That’s when I found this area I won the tournament in.â€
The area, which he refused to identify because it’s a potential target for the 2011 Bassmaster Classic set for New Orleans, was one he had seen in practice but never fished.
“I saw it and knew it looked good, but I didn’t fish it until the first day of competition,†Evers said. “I just figured, ‘I’ll give it 15 minutes and see what happens.’ It paid off.â€
Even though the veteran pro was confident he had the winning weight, Evers kept his fingers crossed on the long run back to the landing.
“I knew if I break down I have to get in on my own,†he said. “There were no other competitors to pick me up. That was my main concern.â€
The win marked Evers’ fifth Bassmaster win. With the victory, Evers earned more than $32,000.
“You just need to cherish each one,†he said. “They’re so hard to come by.â€
2009 BASSMASTER CENTRAL OPEN- ATCHAFALYA BASIN- FINAL STANDINGS- PRO
2009 Central 3 – Morgan City, LA BO 11/05-11/07 Atchafalaya River Basin, Morgan City La.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Edwin Evers Talala, Okla. 15 35-09 305 Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 14-03
2. Mark Smith West Monroe, La. 13 35-09 305
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 3 9-08
3. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, La. 15 32-00 290 $12,240.00
Day 1: 5 9-11 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 5 9-07
4. Wade Leblanc Gonzales, La. 12 29-12 285 $9,000.00
Day 1: 4 11-03 Day 2: 4 9-02 Day 3: 4 9-07
5. Scott Rook Little Rock, Ark. 14 29-07 280 $7,200.00
Day 1: 4 7-10 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 9-13
6. Danny Smith Monterey, La. 14 28-13 276 $6,480.00
Day 1: 5 9-01 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 4 9-12
7. Takahiro Omori Emory, Texas 14 28-01 272 $5,760.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 9-01 Day 3: 4 7-05
8. Kyle Fox Lakeland, Fla. 12 27-00 268 $5,040.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 4 8-15 Day 3: 3 6-03
9. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, Okla. 14 26-09 264 $4,320.00
Day 1: 4 7-08 Day 2: 5 10-09 Day 3: 5 8-08
10. James Niggemeyer Van, Texas 14 26-08 260 $3,600.00
Day 1: 4 6-05 Day 2: 5 10-09 Day 3: 5 9-10
11. James Biggs Bedford, Texas 10 26-06 257 $2,880.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 2 3-10 Day 3: 3 9-01
12. Keith Caka Huntsville, Texas 13 25-12 254 $2,520.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 3 7-03 Day 3: 5 8-05
13. Dale Jackson Van, Texas 11 25-09 251 $2,160.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 1 4-03
14. Lee Sisson Winter Haven, Fla. 11 25-09 248 $1,800.00
Day 1: 3 9-12 Day 2: 5 10-01 Day 3: 3 5-12
15. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla. 13 25-06 245 $1,620.00
Day 1: 4 8-01 Day 2: 4 7-14 Day 3: 5 9-07
16. Chris McCall Jasper, Texas 12 24-06 243 $1,440.00
Day 1: 5 9-09 Day 2: 3 5-14 Day 3: 4 8-15
17. Tommy Martin Hemphill, Texas 13 24-00 241 $1,404.00
Day 1: 5 7-09 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 3 6-05
18. Paul Ferguson Whitehouse, Texas 12 24-00 239 $1,368.00
Day 1: 5 9-08 Day 2: 5 9-12 Day 3: 2 4-12
19. Clark Reehm Russellville, Ark. 14 23-10 237 $1,332.00
Day 1: 5 8-01 Day 2: 4 6-15 Day 3: 5 8-10
20. Gary Key Laveen, Ariz. 12 23-08 235 $1,296.00
Day 1: 3 6-04 Day 2: 4 7-15 Day 3: 5 9-05
21. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, Ark. 11 23-00 233 $1,260.00
Day 1: 5 8-15 Day 2: 3 6-02 Day 3: 3 7-15
22. Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas 10 22-13 231 $1,224.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 3 7-13 Day 3: 2 3-00
23. Dustin Evans Eads, Tenn. 10 22-10 229 $1,188.00
Day 1: 4 8-08 Day 2: 3 7-13 Day 3: 3 6-05
24. Ken Iyobe Tokoname, Japan 9 21-13 227 $1,152.00
Day 1: 3 7-14 Day 2: 3 6-01 Day 3: 3 7-14
25. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, La. 9 18-05 225 $1,116.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 3 5-04 Day 3: 1 2-01
26. Zachary King Clarksville, Ark. 9 17-13 223 $1,080.00
Day 1: 3 5-11 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 1 1-08
27. Sam Swett Covington, La. 9 17-09 221 $1,044.00
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 3 4-13 Day 3: 1 2-00
28. Cliff Pace Petal, Miss. 8 17-08 219 $1,008.00
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 3 7-06 Day 3: 0 0-00
29. Dave Mansue Hemphill, Texas 8 15-11 217 $972.00
Day 1: 3 5-10 Day 2: 4 8-07 Day 3: 1 1-10
30. Duane Pittman Prairieville, La. 6 15-02 215 $936.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 1 2-01 Day 3: 0 0-00
———————————————————————–
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 26 285 578-06
2 17 244 478-10
3 9 94 200-12
———————————-
52 623 1257-12
2009 BASSMASTER CENTRAL OPEN- ATCHAFALYA BASIN- FINAL STANDINGS- CO-ANGLER
2009 Central 3 – Morgan City, LA NB 11/05-11/07 Atchafalaya River Basin, Morgan City La.
(NON-BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. David Cooper Vidalia, La. 9 21-11 315 $32,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 2 3-13 Day 3: 2 4-09
2. Jeff Wade Cabot, Ark. 9 21-11 295 $3,600.00
Day 1: 4 8-12 Day 2: 3 6-15 Day 3: 2 6-00
3. Charles Hewitt Prairieville, La. 8 19-12 290 $2,880.00
Day 1: 1 2-05 Day 2: 4 12-00 Day 3: 3 5-07
4. Brent Cutrer Natchez, Miss. 10 16-13 285 $2,160.00
Day 1: 5 8-15 Day 2: 1 1-09 Day 3: 4 6-05
5. Sammy Strong Orange, Texas 7 13-07 280 $1,800.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 2 3-01
6. Matt Guerin Zachary, La. 6 13-02 276 $1,620.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 1-10
7. John Moon Brookeland, Texas 7 13-00 272 $1,440.00
Day 1: 1 1-11 Day 2: 5 8-10 Day 3: 1 2-11
8. Dustin Wood Keithville, La. 5 12-10 268 $1,368.00
Day 1: 4 9-03 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 1 3-07
9. David Cortinas North Richland Hills, 6 12-06 264 $1,224.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 4 7-11 Day 3: 2 4-11
10. Tom Haynes Tulsa, Okla. 5 11-06 260 $936.00
Day 1: 3 6-13 Day 2: 2 4-09 Day 3: 0 0-00
11. Gerald Rome Donaldsonville, La. 4 11-06 257 $792.00
Day 1: 3 8-08 Day 2: 1 2-14 Day 3: 0 0-00
12. Terry Blackmon Covington, La. 6 10-13 254 $720.00
Day 1: 2 3-14 Day 2: 1 1-09 Day 3: 3 5-06
13. Josh Stewart Albany, La. 5 10-02 251 $648.00
Day 1: 2 4-03 Day 2: 3 5-15 Day 3: 0 0-00
14. Charles Major Morganza, La. 6 10-00 248 $576.00
Day 1: 3 4-14 Day 2: 3 5-02 Day 3: 0 0-00
15. Charles Poland Denham Springs, La. 6 10-00 245 $504.00
Day 1: 3 4-15 Day 2: 3 5-01 Day 3: 0 0-00
16. Richard Earle Youngsville, La. 4 9-05 243 $486.00
Day 1: 2 4-00 Day 2: 1 1-14 Day 3: 1 3-07
17. Randy Pitre Natchez, Miss. 5 8-13 241 $468.00
Day 1: 2 3-05 Day 2: 2 3-15 Day 3: 1 1-09
18. Bill McCarty Morgan City, La. 4 8-12 239 $450.00
Day 1: 3 7-00 Day 2: 1 1-12 Day 3: 0 0-00
19. Rodney Teel Ponchatoula, La. 4 8-06 237 $432.00
Day 1: 2 4-10 Day 2: 1 2-02 Day 3: 1 1-10
20. Brad Rodrigue Pierre Part, La. 4 8-05 235 $414.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 3 6-11 Day 3: 1 1-10
21. Will Major Port Allen, La. 4 7-08 233 $396.00
Day 1: 3 6-00 Day 2: 1 1-08 Day 3: 0 0-00
22. Dan Hester Keithville, La. 4 7-06 231 $360.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 4 7-06 Day 3: 0 0-00
23. Takuji Naruo Moriyama, Japan 2 7-05 229 $342.00
Day 1: 1 5-11 Day 2: 1 1-10 Day 3: 0 0-00
24. William Watts Beaumont, Texas 4 7-04 227 $324.00
Day 1: 3 5-02 Day 2: 1 2-02 Day 3: 0 0-00
25. Gary Fields New Orleans, La. 3 7-03 225 $306.00
Day 1: 2 4-14 Day 2: 1 2-05 Day 3: 0 0-00
26. Alan Sward Moss Point, Miss. 4 7-00 223 $288.00
Day 1: 2 3-01 Day 2: 1 2-06 Day 3: 1 1-09
27. Tom Atkeson New Orleans, La. 4 6-11 221 $270.00
Day 1: 1 1-07
