For the second tournament in a row, LERA Bass Club competitors braved interesting conditions brought on by a tropical storm. This time around Tropical Storm Debby was stalled about 250 miles west of the Lake Tohopekaliga tournament site and produced constant, albeit of varying intensity, rains and gusty winds throughout the day. Ten boats accepted the challenge and launched onto Lake Tohopekaliga out of Whaley's Landing on June 24. Bob Barnette, of Port St. John, and Dwayne Haga, of Titusville, lobbied to shorten the tournament to 2 pm due to the inclement weather prior to the start of the event. Their request was denied and they would take advantage of that ruling more than anyone else. They sacked a five fish limit totaling 20.34 pounds to win the event. Their catch included an 8.87 pound lunker Haga caught around 2:45 pm which ended up being the tournament's biggest fish and propelling them to the win. Mike Hampton, of Malabar, and Tim Kopf, of Melbourne, took second with 5 fish totaling 16.05 pounds. Mike Calloway, of Titusville, and Cliff Semonski, of Oak Hill, finished third with 5 fish for 14.28 pounds.
Air Temperature: mid 70s
Water Temperature: upper 70s
Wind: SSE 5-10 gusting to 20+
Conditions: rained all day of varying intensity from a drizzle to downpour
Tropical Storm Debby was about 250 miles west of the tournament site and mostly remaining stationary throughout the day.
The winners reported catching their fish using the following tricks:
- 1st Place & Big Bass: Carolina rigged Zoom Trick Worms in Toho
- 2nd Place: Chug Bugs, Zoom Super Flukes, Skinny Dippers, and Rat-l-traps in Lake Cypress
- 3rd Place: Yum Dingers and Rat-l-traps in Toho
