LA CROSSE, Wis. — The newly expanded EverStart Series will hold its first Northern Division tournament June 13-16 on the Mississippi River near La Crosse.

Up to 330 top bass anglers from 29 states and Canada will compete in the event for a share of $185,000, including first-place awards of $50,000 in cash and prizes in the Pro Division and $6,000 in the Co-Angler Division. The winning pro will receive $15,000 and a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat plus a $1,000 bonus from GARMIN if a fixed-mount GARMIN sonar product was used.

"We added a Northern Division to our 2001 schedule to accommodate growing demand in the region," said Jerry Stakely, EverStart Series tournament director. "Tournament fishing is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and our goal is to give as many bass anglers as possible the opportunity to be successful in the sport they love."

In addition to a new division, the EverStart Series increased the purse at each regular season event by $20,000 and introduced a no-entry-fee championship with a $325,000 purse. More than $2.5 million will be awarded this season.

The 4-year-old EverStart Series, which serves as a pathway to the $4.45 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour, includes three divisions — Eastern, Central and Northern — with four events each plus the year-end championship. The top 10 anglers from each division will qualify to compete in the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour where they could win up to $250,000 in a single event. Rankings are based on a points system that awards 200 points for a win, 199 points for second, 198 points for third and so on. Points will be awarded during all four qualifying events per division.

Anglers will compete on the Mississippi River for four days starting June 13. A full field of up to 165 pros and 165 co-anglers will compete for two days during the opening round. After the opening round, the field will be cut to the top 30 pros and top 30 co-anglers.

These competitors will start from zero and compete for one day in the semifinal round to determine the top 10 anglers in each division who will advance to the final round. Anglers will again start from zero for the final day of competition, and the winner of each division will be determined by the weight of that day's catch.

EverStart Series tournament winners and the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from the Eastern, Northern and Central divisions will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship presented by Conseco Nov. 7-10 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. There, the winning pro will receive a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat and $25,000. The top co-angler will win a Yamaha- or Mercury-powered Ranger boat and $10,000.

Northside Ramp is the site of each day's 5:30 a.m. take-off on the Mississippi River June 13-16. Weigh-ins for the first three days of competition will also be held at the ramp starting at 2:30 p.m. each day. The final weigh-in on Saturday, June 16, will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 1210 Crossing Meadows Drive in Onalaska, Wis., at 3:30 p.m.

There are still a limited number of pro and co-angler openings for the Mississippi River tournament. To enter, call Operation Bass at (270) 362-4880 or visit www.everstartseries.com for more information. For more information about EverStart Batteries, visit www.everstartbatteries.com.