January 18, 2023
Land O’ Lakes, FL- The 2023 season is under way and anglers from across the state have begun to set the bar for their respective divisions. Getting the year started with a solid finish can be crucial at the end of the season as points races narrow and the season winds down. But one sub-par event isn’t a make or break for most teams.
The North River divisional event went out of Rodman Reservoir January 7th with a 25 boat field to get the season started. David Thomas and Nicky Gay topped the field with a 20.30 pound, 5 bass limit to take home $960.00 for the win. Tony Davis fished the event solo and brought a 13.87 pound, 5 bass limit to the scales to earn a second place finish and $500.00. Brandon Williams and Jesse Williams earned a third place finish with a 13.66 pound, 5 bass limit, anchoring their bag with a 6.60 pound kicker to also earn the Big Bass side pot. The brothers took home $520.00 collectively. Michael Hall and John Cowart secured a 4th place finish with a 12.85 pound, 5 bass limit and took home $200.00 for their efforts. The next North River divisional event is scheduled for Saturday February 4th on the St. John’s River. Full results here.
David Thomas (L) and Nicky Gay (R) top the North River division at Rodman
Bryson O’ Steen and Joey Wood picked up right where they left off in 2022. The reigning Suwannee River divisional points champions started their season out with a victory at the January 8th event out of Fanning Springs. O’Steen and Wood topped the 38 boat field with a 14.96 pound, 5 bass limit, taking home $1,220.00. B.J. Shirah and Tim Webb were close behind in second place with a 14.55 pound, 5 bass limit. Shirah and Webb took home $740.00 for the runner up spot. Third place went to the team of Joe Yarborough and Travis Blucher with 13.52 pounds, earning them $500.00 . Fourth place was anchored by the team of Logan Pate and Chris Lee with an 11.90 pound, 5 bass limit to take home $300.00. Anchoring the Top 5 was the team of James Morrison and Austin Markham with 11.33 pounds. They anchored their bag with a 6.67 pound kicker to also secure the Big Bass award, earning the team a total of $580.00. The next Suwanee River event is scheduled for Sunday January 29th out of Sandy Point. Full results here.
Bryson O’ Steen (L) & Joey Wood (R) take the win at Suwannee
The first South River divisional event out of Lake Monroe only saw 6 boats for the inaugural event for the division. The southern stretch of the river has been fishing very tough in the wake of record high waters following hurricanes Ian and Nicole. Brian Wethington topped the field with a 7.43 pound, 5 bass limit, earning $280.00. Mike Laws and Ken Carter finished in second place with 2 fish weighing 3.77 pounds and took home the Big Bass side pot with a 2.76 pounder to earn $170.00. John Kremer and Earl Lytle rounded out the Top 3 with 3.52 pounds. The next South River event is scheduled for Sunday February 5th out of Lake Monroe Park. Full results here.
Brian Wethington wins the Inaugural South River event out of Monroe
Raymond Burdine and James Creutz started the year atop the Istokpoga division, besting the 17 boat field. The duo swept the field with 18.26 pounds for the win, anchoring their winning bag with a 7.64 pound kicker to also take Big Bass honors and a $900.00 payday. Tom McGinnis and Dave Maurice secured a second place finish with 16.25 pounds, earning $320.00. Eric Gaines and Troy Brown rounded out the Top 3 with a 15.15 pound bag worth $220.00. The next event for the Istokpoga division is scheduled for Sunday February 5th. Full results here.
Raymond Burdine (R) & James Creutz (L) sweep the Istokpoga field
Andrew Hall fished the opening John’s Lake divisional event solo and topped the 22 boat field. Hall weighed a 25.79 pound, 5 bass limit, eclipsing second place by almost 10 pounds to win $880.00. Zak Jordan and David Kassar weighed 15.99 pounds to finish the day in second place, earning $440.00. Third place went to the team of Devin Von Dalen & Tim Von Dalen who weighed a 14.80 pound, 5 bass limit and earned $220.00. Fourth place went to the team of Justin Jones and Robert Glass with 14.59 pounds, giving them $140.00. Big Bass of the event went to the team of Mark Wollum and Greg Lewis with a 7.63 pound kicker, earning the team $210.00. The next John’s Lake divisional event is scheduled for Sunday February 5th. Full results here.
Andrew Hall walked away with the win at John’s Lake
Howard Lowery and Juan Manriquez bested a 15 boat field at Lake Garcia on January 14th. Lowery and Manriquez weighed a 15.15 pound, 5 bass limit to take the win and $740.00. Mike Akers and Scott Funnell finished the day in second place with 12.20 pounds, taking home $250.00. Third place went to the team of Pat Kelly and Kevin Wolfram with 11.30 pounds worth $130.00. Brian Stahl caught the event’s Big Bass, a 6.28 pound kicker, to take home $140.00. The next Lake Garcia divisional event is scheduled for Saturday February 4th. Full results here
Howard Lowery (L) and Juan Manriquez (R) earned the win at Garcia
Reigning 2022 XBS Classic Champion Chris Maxwell teamed up with Jacob Eaton for the first event of the Kissimmee division to keep the momentum rolling and take home the win. Maxwell and Eaton weighed an 18.33 pound, 5 bass limit to top the 36 boat field, earning $1,180.00 for the victory. Travis Tucker and Bobby Miller finished the day in second place with a 17.68 pound, 5 bass limit, earning $700.00. Third place went to the team of Andrew Hall and Will Brown with a 17.54 pound, 5 bass limit. Rounding out the Top 5 were Rodney Glunt and John Armour in fourth place with 17.09 pounds ($260.00), and Jason Brewer and Steve Coleman in fifth place with 15.81 pounds ($180.00). The next scheduled Kissimmee divisional event is set for Sunday February 12th at Camp Mack. Full results here.
Chris Maxwell (R) and Jacob Eaton (L) earned a victory at Kissimmee
Upcoming Events
Saturday January 21st: Orange Lake
Saturday January 21st: Lake Tarpon
Sunday January 22nd: Central-Lake Parker
Sunday January 29th: Citrus-Lake Panasoffkee
Sunday January 29th: Suwannee River-Sandy Point
Announcement of Rescheduled Events
Suwannee River has two dates rescheduled. The February 19th event will now be held on March 26th. The March 5th event will now be held on May 7th.
Citrus Division has one date rescheduled. The April 24th event at Lake Henderson has been pushed to April 30th.
About Xtreme Bass Series
The Xtreme Bass Series is the largest grassroots bass tournament trail across Florida, featuring 12 divisions and 108 events throughout the season. Anglers can compete in close-to-home events on local bodies of water, keeping costs down and affording them the opportunity to compete in the end of season championship. Teams who compete in 7 of 9 events in one division, or 8 events in a combination of divisions will qualify for the end of season championship event. The 2023 Championship will be held November 2-4 on the Harris Chain of Lakes.
Xtreme Bass Series is proud to partner with Blazer Boats, Mercury Marine, Power-Pole, Omnia Fishing, Fitzgerald Fishing, Catch Commander, and Visit Lake County
For complete details and updated information, visit www.XtremeBassSeries.com. For continuous updates, results, photos, information, tournament news, and more, follow Xtreme Bass Series social media on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
