The LERA Bass Club held its final regular season tournament on July 31st at East Lake Tohopekaliga. The summertime heat was oppressive and the fish were mostly uncooperative, but as always seems to be the case, some of the competitors figured out how to catch them. Mike Calloway of Titusville, fishing with two handicaps, brought the only 5 fish limit of the tournament to the scales to win the event with a total of 11.48 pounds. This win is even more impressive because he fished without a partner and invited a fellow club member to fish out of his boat as a competing team. Calloway's catch included a 3.94 pounder that edged out two other competitors by a tenth of a pound or less to take big bass honors for the tournament. Second place was earned by the team of Larry Cruce of Titusville and Tim Iler of Port St. John who weighed 4 fish for a total of 10.56 pounds. Third place went to Bob Barnette of Port St. John and Dwayne Haga of Titusville with 4 fish for 7.72 pounds.
This tournament marks the end of the club's eleven tournament regular season. The top ten teams in points will compete in the club's annual Classic which will be held on Lake Cypress at the end of August. Then the club will start the 2011-2012 season in September.
Weather Conditions: Mostly Sunny, Highs in the mid 90s, Wind SSW 0-5 MPH
The winners reported catching their fish using the following tricks:
- 1st Place & Big Bass: an assortment of topwater baits and senkos fishing open water pepper grass at depths of 6-7 ft in East Lake Tohopekaliga
- 2nd Place: an assortment of topwater baits and watermelon Super Flukes fishing assorted shoreline cover in 3-4 feet of water in East Lake Tohopekaliga
- 3rd Place: probably Zoom trick worms but these guys opted to keep all their secrets to themselves