25 Jan 2014
OKEECHOBEE- Brovarney Baits Pro Staffer Dustin Smith of Maitland, FL started the 2014 season off in the right direction. He bested 51 other boaters in the ABA Weekend Series season opener on Lake Okeechobee. In his first tournament on the Big O, since moving to Florida from Wisconson in October of 2013, Smith caught 5 bass weighing 16.93 pounds. His 5.95 pound kicker secured the win and a check for $2,246.
“I caught all my fish flipping a black/blue Gambler B.B. Cricket with a 1.5 ounce weight,” Smith stated. He focused on matted hyacinths where there was a mixture of green and dead vegetation. “I got every fish on the fall. After a few hours of pumping with no bites, I stopped doing it and only let it fall, and then dropped it into a new spot.”
Cody Detweiler of Orlando, FL took 2nd, weighing in 5 bass for 16.48 pounds, worth $1,123. Detweiler caught all his fish flipping a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in Hematoma color, paired with a 1.5 ounce weight.
Big Bite Baits Pro Jason Smith of Albany, GA rounded out the top 3 boaters with a 5 bass limit weighing 16.14 pounds. “I was flipping a 2.25- and a 1.5-ounce tungsten weight with a Big Bite Baits Real Deal Craw,” stated Smith. It was enough to net him $748.
Joseph C. Campbell Jr. of Crystal River, FL, made his one bass count. The 7.68-pounder took Big Bass honors for the Boater division.
“The bass hit at 9:28 a.m.,” Campbell recalled. “The fish hit a Gambler`s original bait on the north end of the lake.”
The American Bass Anglers Weekend Series 2nd event is scheduled to be held March 8th on the Harris Chain of Lakes our of Hickory Point Recreational Facility. For more details on that event, click the link below.
https://floridatournamentreport.com/event/weekend-bass-series-harris-chain-of-lakes/
