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Wisconsin Pro Claims Victory In His First B.A.S.S. Event
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn.- Little-known pro Cary Bever used the strength of a
final day limit of 8 pounds and 2 ounces to boost his three-day total to
24-7 and claim to first place in the $232,000 BASSMASTER Tennessee Eastern
Invitational held on Old Hickory Lake. The event was the first B.A.S.S.
sponsored tournament that the Wisconsin pro had ever entered. The win was
worth $51,000.
"I don't know that I have ever felt this way in a tournament, and I have
been fishing tournaments for about 15 years," said Bever. "I
really don't
know what to say, it is overwhelming."
Bever took the overall lead on day two with a 9-2 limit and entered
Saturday with only an 8-ounce lead over two-time BASS Master Classic
champion George Cochran. His final limit on Saturday put him firmly into
first, while Arkansas pro Cochran was only able to bring in 6-11. Cochran
finished second with a 22-8 total, which was worth $32,000. North
Carolina's Chris Elliot came in third with 21-5, winning $30,000. Roger
Stegall of Mississippi was fourth at 18-7 and Tennessee's Rufus Johnson
rounded out the top five at 17-10.
"I'm disappointed," said Cochran. "I thought I would be able to
win it. I
really did. On the second and third days I never really caught a good
fish."
Bever says that he used a slightly different approach to fishing the lake
to claim the victory.
"In practice I was able to narrow it down to a real specific crankbait that
was just better than the other ones I was throwing, he said. "I caught a
lot of fish on a spinnerbait during practice, but I switched because I
figured that there are so many spinnerbait fisherman-like there always are
- that I thought catching the fish would be tough on a spinnerbait. Even
though it is always scary catching fish on a crankbait in a tournament - I
had a couple come off and I lost a 3 pounder at the net - that crankbait
made all the difference.
"All three days, my partners struggled,. My first day partner didn't catch
any keepers. My other two partners each had two. Today, I had 7 and the
other two days I had 10. I fished it a lot different I was staying out on
the breaks, although I did catch some fish shallow. The crankbait will only
run down about 4 feet, but if you get them tuned in just right, you can
reel them extremely fast, and it gives them a real wide wobble and a big
profile. The fish would eat it even behind other people."
Bever believes that the hot summer and the transition into cooler weather
had a lot to do with the lower weights. "I think that if this tournament
was held next week the weights would be a lot different," he said.
"The
shad are really starting to move into the backs of the creeks, but I don't
think that the big fish have. It has been really hot here for a lot of
weeks and the water temperature is just starting to drop. I think that you
will see bigger fish from here on out."
The BASSMASTER Tournament Trail will return to action September 20-23 when
it returns to New Orleans for the Louisiana BASSMASTER Top 150.
The 32-year-old BASSMASTER Tournament Trail is the oldest and most
prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit. It has set the standard
for credibility, professionalism, and sportsmanship for more than three
decades.
Sponsors of the 2000 Tennessee BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational include:
Ranger Boats, RangerTrail Trailers, Mercury Outboards, Chevy Trucks,
ACDelco Batteries, Worldwaters.com, Humminbird/Zercom Marine, Pennzoil
Marine, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, First USA/B.A.S.S. Platinum Visa,
MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Gore-Tex Outerwear, GMAC Insurance.
The event is sponsored locally by the United Chambers of Sumner County.
For more information contact:
B.A.S.S. Communications at
(334) 272-9530 or On site Contact Chris Murray
at 1-888-822-8470.
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