Athens, AL, This weekend, Saturday, February 24, the Professional League will hold a tournament on Okeechobee out of the Famed Roland Martin Marina and Resort, and on Sunday, February 25, the ABA Team Series will run a Team tournament on Okeechobee out of Scott Driver.
Okeechobee continues to hold its title as one of the best fisheries in the world. In January, the Top 150 Solo showed how strong the Big O is with two-day totals of 47.19 brought in by Matt Wieteha out of Miami. Matt’s largest bass was 8.19, and he earned a check for $13,000.
“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 winning this one is something special. “Wieteha said.
Jason Blair of West Palm Beach caught the largest bass, weighing 9.55 pounds, and earned $5,500 for second place and an additional $1,000 for big bass for a $6,500 total.
That same weekend on Sunday, at the Professional League tournament, Charlie Coleman brought in a one-day total of 18.35 pounds with 7.17 big bass earning $5,000. Stanley Hunt caught the largest bass in the event at 8.20 pounds.
“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 where I had a few bites the previous day. I caught my last fish, the 7-pounder, in some reeds. “Coleman said.
There seem to have been common patterns in both events, with anglers using chatterbaits, swim jigs, and flipping. The swim jigs and chatterbaits used to cover a lot of water, whereas flipping was utilized in the punch-the-mat approach.
Anglers can still register for the Professional League online through Friday noon. After noon, anglers will need to register onsite. (LINK)
For the Sunday Team Series event, teams will need to register onsite with Rick Southerland (321)200-6787 on Sunday morning at Scott Driver Park located at 10100 W Hwy 78, Okeechobee, FL 34974, Okeechobee, FL 34974.
Lake Okeechobee, often dubbed the “Big O,” is a legendary freshwater haven for anglers, particularly renowned for its exceptional bass fishing opportunities. This vast lake in southern Florida spans over 730 square miles, making it the second-largest freshwater lake entirely within the United States. Its shallow waters, abundant vegetation, and diverse ecosystems create an ideal habitat for various fish species, with the largemouth bass being the prized catch.
American Bass Anglers is proud to be sponsored by industry-leading companies, including Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, T-H Marine, Power Pole, RT Outdoors, Optima Batteries, HotelPlanner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
About American Bass Anglers: Committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for weekend anglers, American Bass Anglers offers an exciting platform for individual angler progression.
For more information about American Bass Anglers and its various series, including the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, the Team Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, the Top 150 Solo Tour, and the Professional League, presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406 for more information.
