Smith Lands Largest Bag So Far At Kissimmee 

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Jeremy D. Smith won the Boater Division in the American Bass Anglers Open Series, Presented by Caymas Boats, Florida Central Division 6 tournament, held Feb. 26, 2022, on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.

Launching at Kissimmee Lakefront Park in the town of Kissimmee, the Auburndale angler landed the largest bag caught so far in the 2022 tournament season. Smith brought in a 5-bass tournament limit for 29.04 pounds. That gave him an impressive 5.81-pound average and a $5,200 check for the victory.

“The luck of the draw was in my favor,” Smith commented. “I got out quickly and got to my spot in Lake Kissimmee early. I started catching fish instantly. All my fish came off a Gambler Fat Ace stick bait with a 3/16-ounce weight. I was just casting it around pads up shallow. I culled a few fish.”

In second among the 82 boaters, Benjamin W. McCann from Bradenton also landed his 5-bass limit. He put 23.81 pounds on the scales to pick up $1,200.

“I caught about 20 fish,” McCann recalled. “I missed one bite, but didn’t lose any fish,” McCann revealed. “I culled about 10 times. I ran all the way down to Lake Kissimmee. I caught my first fish really quickly and it weighed about six pounds. I kept running the trolling motor slowly and did figure eights around my area until about 1 p.m. In a good spot, I put the Power Poles down and fan-casted. I was fishing small swim jigs in junebug or black and blue. I fished it really slowly letting it sink into the grass and then ripping it out.”

Kyle L. Stafford of Lakeland found five keepers for the scales with one of them taking the tournament lunker title. The only double-digit largemouth seen so far in this tournament season weighed 10.26 pounds. Stafford finished third with five bass at 22.28 pounds. He pocketed $900 for third place and a $780 bonus for the giant bass. 

“I ran down to Lake Kissimmee and caught a ton of fish,” Stafford said. “I caught most of my fish on a Gambler Burner Worm. On my last cast of the day, I threw a Chatterbait and caught that big fish. I was just throwing the Chatterbait around a spawning flat and she was there.”

Taking fourth among the boaters, Marlon Crowder came over from Tampa to catch five bass for 21.78 pounds. Shelton A. Smith from Saint Cloud took the fifth spot with a five-bass limit going 19.78 pounds. He anchored that catch with a 7.89-pounder.

In the Co-Angler Division, Tyler Nekolny from Coral Springs landed a 3-bass division limit. His catch weighed 14.45 pounds for a 4.82-pound average. He greatly upped that average by landing an 8.18-pound Largemouth for the big bass in the division. Nekolny pocketed $1,500 for the win and a $330 lunker bonus.

“I fished the south end of Toho and dragged a 10-inch ribbontail worm or a large Gambler Fat Ace all day,” Nekolny stated. “The hard bottom was the key for me. The big bass hit the ribbontail at about 9 a.m. I was fishing it in a little ditch that runs through the hydrilla beds. The fish were biting all day. I had all my weigh fish by 10 a.m.”

Bradley J. Watson of Saint Cloud finished second among the co-anglers. He brought in three bass for a 12.25-pound sack that included a 5.54-pound kicker. Watson went home with an extra $700 in his pocket.

“It was an awesome day!,” Watson exclaimed. “I used different techniques. I started throwing a watermelon fluke close to the landing and caught the big one early. I caught most of my fish on a junebug and red Zoom Speed Worm with a 3/16-ounce tungsten weight. I also caught some on a 1/8-ounce Zoom watermelon shaky head. I started flipping grass with a 1.5-ounce weight and started culling like crazy near the end. That put me in second place. It was a team effort between myself and my boater. He showed me some stuff and I showed him some stuff. We caught fish in every spot we fished.”

In third for the co-anglers, Shawn M. York from Sarasota brought in three keepers for 12.05 pounds. One of them dropped the scales to 7.59-pounds. He collected $550 for the effort.

“We fished the North Cove of Lake Kissimmee,” York revealed. “My big fish came on a Big Bite Baits Tour Swim Worm. I caught the other fish on Big Bite Baits Trick Sticks or a Jackhammer bladed jig with a Kamikaze Swimon trailer. I didn’t miss any fish and culled some.”

In the fourth spot, Deantre R. Burch of High Springs caught a 3-bass limit weighing 11.13 pounds with a 6.09-pound kicker. Rounding out the top three, Bobby E. Taylor of Saint Cloud found two good fish for 10.49 pounds. One of them weighed 6.61-pounds. 

The division wraps up the regular season on April 30. The anglers will fish the Harris Chain of Lakes out of the Venetian Gardens Park ramp in Leesburg. To register for this event, Click Here .

Each ABA Open Series division offers four one-day qualifying events in a boater/co-angler format. Boaters pay an entry fee of $210 for each event while co-anglers pay $105. The top 20 percent of registered anglers in each tournament receive cash payouts based on the total number of entries. If at least 60 boaters enter the tournament, the Boater Division winner will receive a minimum of $5,000.

In addition, anglers may qualify for bonus money offered by such tournament sponsors as Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, the T-H Marine Atlas Awards program, MotorGuide, and Power Pole. Anyone who qualifies for Caymas Cash rewards could receive up to $7,000 for winning any ABA Open Series event. If the winning boat carries a Mercury motor, the angler could receive an extra $1,000 in cash from Mercury Marine. If that boat comes with a MotorGuide Trolling Motor, the angler could win an additional $500.

See each manufacturer’s website for details, rules, and qualifications for more information on their contingency programs.

The top anglers could also earn invitations to fish area championship tournaments with a guaranteed $6,000 to the winning boater for a field of at least 60 boats. If 100 or more boaters participate, the winning boater in a championship event will take home a guaranteed minimum of $10,000.

For more information about this tournament, call the tournament director, Billy Benedetti, at (256) 230-5632. For more information about any American Bass Anglers tournament series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.

American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Garmin Electronics, Power Pole, Lucas Oil, Monster Energy, REKS Sunglasses, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.

This story was written by ABA staff writer John N. Felsher. To submit articles of interest email info@americanbassanglers.com.