The Space Coast Bass Finatics hauled their boats and dreams down to the mythical waters of Lake Okeechobee for the nearly annual two day tournament on March 23-24. This installment saw higher waters and lower weights than recent years but the big lake is still a place of wonder and bewilderment where on any cast an angler feels a sense of tempered excitement as though a giant fish may strike at any moment.
Alan Elder, of Melbourne, out fished the field of two person teams by himself to win the event with a two day total of 27.22 pounds. He weighed the tournament's heaviest bag of 17.57 pounds on the first day which included the tournament's biggest fish, a 6.93 pound beauty. Alan also caught the biggest fish on the wind blown second day, a 3.88 pounder. Everything didn't go in Elder's favor however. On the first day, one of his fish got a bit of revenge, but Alan had the last laugh. Elder hooked into a 5 pound fish and as he fought it up next to the boat with one hand and reached down to scoop it with the net in his other hand, the fish made a surge which threw Alan off balance and he wound up in the lake. Although his iPhone will never be the same and his prescription sunglasses have taken up residence on the bottom of Lake Okeechobee, Alan managed to get back in the boat with pole in hand and land the fish.
Mike Calloway, of Titusville, and Cliff Semonski, of Oak Hill, earned second with a two day total of 25.55 pounds. Ed Brewer and Don Francoeur, both of Titusville, took third with a total of 17.79 pounds.
Most of the people who did well in this event were fishing the an eel grass and hydrilla flat near islands in the north east part of Fish Eating Bay.
Water:
- Level: 11.53 ft at weather station #5 near the Dupree Bar (L005)
- Temperature: mid 60s to mid 70s
Weather Conditions:
- Saturday: partly cloudy, 5-10 S wind with air temperature ranging from mid 60s to mid 70s
- Sunday: mostly cloudy, 10-32 SSW gusting to 40+ wind with air temperature ranging from mid 60s to upper 80s
The winners reported catching their fish using the following tricks:
- 1st Place and both Big Bass: dead sticking Zoom Super Flukes
- 2nd Place: spinner baits, Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers, Rat-l-traps, and Zoom Horny Toads
- 3rd Place: Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers
