ATHENS, Ala. –Matt Wieteha won the 2024 American Bass Anglers Top 150 Solo, Presented by Caymas Boats, Florida Division 3 season opener tournament, held January 19TH – 20TH, 2024 on Lake Okeechobee.
Running out of C. Scott Driver Park landing in Okeechobee, FL the Miami, FL angler caught a two-day total of ten bass weighing 47.12 pounds including a 8.19-pound kicker. For the Boater Division victory, Wieteha took home a check for $13000 for his win.
“I caught my fish on day one on three different baits. One rod was rigged with a Golden Shiner Chatterbait with a Gambler Little EZ, on another rod I had a black/blue Chatterbait with a Gambler Burner worm cut in half, and the last rod was rigged with a 7-inch Gambler Burner worm in junebug. I did pretty much the same on day two. I burned some fuel each day. I love the ABA tournaments, I’ve won three of the regular season events but to win this one is something special.“ Wieteha said.
Second place for the boaters, Jason Blair of West Palm Beach, FL landed a two-day total of ten bass weighing 45.87 pounds including a big bass that weighed 9.55-pounds. For his finish, Blair took home a check for $5500 and an additional $1000 for the big bass award.
“I caught all my fish on a Golden Shiner Chatterbait with a Bruiser Bait Slimmer Swimmer trailer. I caught that big bass also in the Chatterbait.” Blair said.
Mason Boylan of Grant, FL took the third spot for the boaters. He landed a two-day total of ten bass going 44.55 pounds including a 7.63-pound kicker. He earned $4200 for the effort.
“On day one I ran all the way down the lake and caught my fish on a Chatterbait and on day 2 I stayed up north and caught my fish on a Chatterbait and flipping a Reaction Innovation Beaver.” Boylan said
Finishing fourth, Dale Tomazin of Gainesville, GA landed two-day total of ten bass going 43.83 pounds. Steve Lopez of Oconomowoc, WI rounded out the top five boaters with a two-day total of ten bass going 42.87 pounds.
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 | Matthew Matt b. Wieteha | 10 | 8.19 | 47.12 | 250 | $13,000 | ||||
| 2 | 2 | Jason P. Blair | 10 | 9.55 | 45.87 | 249 | $6,500 | ||||
| 3 | 3 | Mason J. Boylan | 10 | 7.63 | 44.55 | 248 | $4,200 | ||||
| 4 | 4 | Dale M. Tomazin | 10 | 7.00 | 43.83 | 247 | $2,500 | ||||
| 5 | 5 | Steve A. Lopez | 10 | 42.87 | 246 | $2,100 | |||||
| 6 | 6 | Kyle P. Powers | 10 | 6.96 | 40.88 | 245 | $1,300 | ||||
| 7 | 7 | Nicholas R. Hoinig | 10 | 40.08 | 244 | $1,200 | |||||
| 8 | 8 | Mike Kesyo1 Keyso Jr | 10 | 8.47 | 39.91 | 243 | $1,050 | ||||
| 9 | 9 | Brandon R. Allen | 10 | 37.76 | 242 | $1,000 | |||||
| 10 | 10 | Trevor M. Hamlin | 10 | 37.46 | 241 | $950 | |||||
| 11 | 11 | Rick Taylor | 10 | 6.80 | 37.32 | 240 | $850 | ||||
| 12 | 12 | Tommie Marshall | 10 | 6.71 | 35.69 | 239 | $800 | ||||
| 13 | 13 | Yoan F. Alvarez | 10 | 34.92 | 238 | $775 | |||||
| 14 | 14 | Chris A. McBeath | 10 | 6.29 | 34.79 | 237 | $750 | ||||
| 15 | 15 | David Frosty A. Frost | 8 | 7.35 | 34.67 | 236 | $725 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | Brandon S. Classon | 10 | 34.26 | 235 | $700 | |||||
| 17 | 17 | Anthony T. Ford | 10 | 34.15 | 234 | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | Dererk A. Savage | 10 | 5.55 | 32.41 | 233 | |||||
| 19 | 19 | Gary K. Milicevic | 10 | 31.46 | 232 | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | Hunter J. Weston | 10 | 31.33 | 231 |
At the end of the season, the top 15 anglers from each of the 4 divisions across the nation advance the 2024 Top 150 Solo Championship to be held at Lake Logan Martin in October, 2024.
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
