The LERA Bass Club's July 25th tournament out of Mullet Lake Park on the St. John's river started with members from at least 5 teams stuck on I-95 just north of Fiske Blvd due to a fatal crash that happened about 4am that shut down all the northbound lanes for almost two hours[1]. As it turned out, two of the top three tournament finishers were stuck in this gridlock, so maybe it wasn't all bad after all. Steve Bistarkey of Palm Bay fishing with alternate Terry Walker of Melbourne won the tournament with a 5 bass limit that weighed a total of 16.77 pounds. Second place was earned by Larry Cruce of Titusville and Tim Iler of Port St. John who sacked the tournament's only other limit to tip the scales at 10.09 pounds. Richard Boogaerts of Cocoa and alternate Charlie Owens of Rockledge finished in 3rd place with a solid 9.65 pounds in only 3 fish. Their weight included a 6.46 pounder caught by Owens which earned big bass honors for the tournament.
Rumor has it that the tournament's winning weight came from an isolated grass line in Lake Monroe.
[1] From WESH:
ROCKLEDGE, Fla. -- Florida Highway Patrol officials investigated a fatal crash on Interstate 95 in Brevard County Sunday morning.
The crash happened near mile marker 197 in Rockledge at about 4 a.m.
Investigators said the driver of a 2003 Ford two-door car died after a crash with a 2003 Cadillac.
They said both vehicles were traveling northbound on I-95 from Fiske Boulevard, and the Ford was ahead of the Cadillac when, for an unknown reason, the Cadillac rear-ended the Ford.
At that point, the Ford caught on fire and came to rest on the east shoulder of I-95. Police said the driver of the Ford was pronounced dead at the scene and has not yet been identified.
All northbound lanes of I-95 were blocked for almost two hours due to the crash. FHP troopers diverted traffic at Fiske Boulevard.
Police said the crash remains under investigation. They said charges are pending against the driver of the Cadillac, Ryan C. Kremer, 22, of Rockledge, who suffered only minor injuries.