Jeremy Smith and Joseph Seaman beat a thunderstorm and brought in nearly 41 pounds of bass during the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, Florida Division 6 tournament, held June 5, 2010, on the Harris Chain of Lakes near Leesburg.
Launching out of Venetian Gardens, the pair fished Big Lake Harris, at about 15,500 acres the largest in the chain of nine natural lakes encompassing more than 76,000 acres of central Florida. With all the fish they needed, Smith and Seaman cut short their fishing and headed for the landing before a sudden afternoon thunderstorm hit slightly more than an hour before weigh-in time.
Smith, 33, of Plant City won the Boater Division with five bass weighing an amazing 27.18 pounds. Putting together an incredible 5.43-pound average, he beat his nearest competitor by more than 10 pounds. With his biggest bass hitting 7.80 pounds, Smith took won $2,349.
"We started flipping grass, and then moved out to a little deeper water," Smith said. "We found some hydrilla growing in the middle of the lake and threw deep-diving Strike King Series 5 firetiger crankbaits and 10-inch junebug worms in 8 to 13 feet of water. We caught about eight bass, but they were all good fish."
Seaman, 36, of Floral City won the Co-Angler Division with three bass going 13.69 pounds with one 4.82-pounder. Tallying a 4.56-pound average, Seaman took home a check for $1,174.
"This was only the second time I fished the Harris Chain," Seaman said. "I was following the leader. Jeremy put me on fish. I caught my fish on a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Tail worm in red and black."
In second for the 49 boaters, Bobby Johnson of Gainesville caught a http://www.abaproam.com/storypics/fl04bt02.jpgtournament limit of five bass going 16.85 pounds to collect $1,174. He fished a pocket in Big Lake Harris, catching a limit by 7:30 a.m.
"I caught about 20 bass with most of my fish hitting a junebug worm Texas-rigged with a 1/8-ounce weight," Johnson said. "I had one bigger fish on. My partner swears it was about 11 pounds. I don't think it was quite that big, but it was a big bass. That's fishing."
Ted Sullivan of Deleon Springs fished Lake Griffin and placed third with a five-bass bag weighing 14.99 pounds. His bag included an 8.01-pound tournament lunker. For third place, he collected $783 and added $245 for the bucketmouth.
"I caught the big bass five minutes after I reached my first spot," Sullivan said. "I caught my bass by swimming a junebug magnum speed worm through the grass really slowly. When the lily pads move, set the hook. That big one moved the lilies a lot. I stayed with the worm most of the day, but threw a few topwaters. I finished the limit in the last hour with a large Producto Buzz Tail shad."
Thomas Walsh of Eustis landed five bass weighing 13.96 pounds, but a penalty knocked him back to an official weight of 13.46 pounds. Don Fousek of Saint Cloud finished fifth with five bass for 12.50 pounds.
Bruce Scarborough, 65, Clermont took second in the Co-Angler Division with three bass for 8.45 pounds. One weighed 5.53 pounds. He caught four fish in Lake Griffin and picked up a check for $587.
"We threw frogs and worms in the marsh down on the Griffin side of the Griffin Canal lock," Scarborough said. "I caught all my fish on a Zoom pumpkinseed worm Texas-rigged with a 3/16-inch weight in about three to four feet of water."
In third for the non-boaters, Kenneth Hunnicutt of Jacksonville caught two bass at 7.17 pounds with one 5.87-pound division lunker. The big one didn't hit until about 2:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the weigh-in started. He collected $391 for third place and another $123 for the big bass. Catching about seven fish, he fished Big Lake Harris.
"We flipped grass all day long," Hunnicutt said. "We used a Bitters junebug trick worm with a 3/8-ounce weight. The trick worm slides through the grass a little better. We fished slightly deeper grass in about four to five feet of water."
Ronnie Seets lll of Davenport landed in fourth with a division limit of three bass going 7.06 pounds. One weighed 3.85 pounds. Rounding out the top five non-boaters, Warren Chancey, Jr. of Folkston, Ga., caught three bass going 6.70 pounds.
Final Results
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers offers over 1,000 tournaments per year in 40 states that are designed for the weekend angler. American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, The American 150 Series or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment