ATHENS, Ala. –On a shortened tournament day due to a wind delay until 10:00AM, Charles “Charlie” Coleman Jr won the 2024 American Bass Anglers Professional League, Presented by Caymas Boats, Florida South Division 7 season opener tournament, held January 21ST, 2024 on Lake Okeechobee.
Running out of C. Scott Driver Park landing in Okeechobee, FL the Sebastian, FL angler caught five bass weighing 18.35 pounds including a 7.17-pound kicker. For the Boater Division victory, Coleman took home a check for $5000 for his win.
“Crazy thing is I had five bites all day and four of them. It was tough, I caught three fish in one area and made a move to a different spot that I had a few bites the previous day. I caught my last fish, the 7-pounder, in some reeds. “ Coleman said.
Second place for the boaters, Donald Tripoli of Webster, NY landed a 5-bass limit weighing 17.94 pounds. He earned $2500 for his catch.
“Because of the shortened day due to wind, I caught my fish on a shakey-head up the river from the boat ramp. I decided to stay close and I caught lots of fish, several little ones, but was able to catch a few decent fish.” Tripoli said.
Jared McMillan of Belle Glade, FL took the third spot for the boaters. He landed a 5-bass limit going 17.78 pounds. He earned $1700 for the effort.
“I ran down to the Harney pond area and threw a swim-jig. I was covering a lot of water searching for actively feeding fish. The fish started to turn on late in the day and I missed a few opportunities but overall a good day.” McMillan said
Finishing fourth, Stanley Hunt of Jacksonville, FL landed a 5- bass limit weighing 15.06 pounds. Rich Tate of West Palm Beach, FL rounded out the top five boaters landed only 2 fish weighing a total of 14.79 pounds including an 8.20-pound lunker that earned an additional $680 for the big bass award.
“I caught my fish throwing a Chatterbait and punching a mat. The big bass came late in the day on the Chatterbait.” Tate said
Top 20
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | PL | Angler | Fish | BB | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Charles T. Coleman Jr | 4 | 7.17 | 18.35 | 250 | $5,000 | ||||
| 2 | 2 | Donald Donald AOY S. Tripoli | 5 | 6.20 | 17.94 | 249 | $2,500 | ||||
| 3 | 3 | Jared W. McMillan | 5 | 17.78 | 248 | $1,700 | |||||
| 4 | 4 | Stanley F. Hunt | 5 | 15.06 | 247 | $900 | |||||
| 5 | 5 | Rich H. Tate | 2 | 8.20 | 14.79 | 246 | $1,380 | ||||
| 6 | 6 | Matthew Matt b. Wieteha | 5 | 14.48 | 245 | $500 | |||||
| 7 | 7 | James Danny D. Inabnett | 5 | 14.09 | 244 | $500 | |||||
| 8 | 8 | Nicholas R. Hoinig | 5 | 14.01 | 243 | $450 | |||||
| 9 | 9 | Eric J. Beaty | 5 | 13.20 | 242 | $425 | |||||
| 10 | 10 | Andrew Andy W. Director | 5 | 6.73 | 12.91 | 241 | $375 | ||||
| 11 | 11 | Ryan E. Martin | 5 | 12.16 | 240 | $350 | |||||
| 12 | 12 | Robert W. Branagh | 5 | 12.12 | 239 | $350 | |||||
| 13 | 13 | Todd A. Gilbert | 5 | 11.57 | 238 | $350 | |||||
| 14 | 14 | Casey O. Warren | 5 | 11.53 | 237 | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | Jamie M. Fountain | 5 | 5.93 | 11.50 | 236 | |||||
| 16 | 16 | Kyle P. Powers | 5 | 11.40 | 235 | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | Edward R. Layhew | 5 | 11.28 | 234 | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | James Jae A. Evans | 2 | 6.14 | 10.92 | 233 | |||||
| 19 | 19 | Tyler D. Carey | 5 | 10.36 | 232 | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | Benny J. Townend | 4 | 10.33 | 231 |
At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance to the 2024 Ray Scott Championship to be held at Lake Eufaula in April, 2025.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Power Pole, RT Outdoors, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and, at the same time, offering each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression.
For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Professional League, the American Fishing Tour, ABA Team Series, the American Couples Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
