Cagle Wins Top 150 Solo on the Harris Chain of Lakes

ATHENS, Ala. –Colbie Cagle won the 2024 American Bass Anglers Top 150 Solo, Presented by Caymas Boats, Florida Division 3 season tournament, held May 31ST – June 1ST, 2024, on the Harris Chain of Lakes.

Running out of Venetian Gardens Ski Beach in Leesburg, FL, the Edgewater, FL angler caught a two-day total of ten bass weighing 44.27 pounds, including an 8.01-pound kicker. For the victory, he took home a check for $10000 for his win and an additional $500 for the big bass award, which was a tie with Kevin Thomas.

“I ran over to Apopka first thing in the morning both days and fished some offshore grass out there, and I wanted to get a limit out of there, and then I’ll come back through and hit up Lake Dora. I fished a couple of brush piles in Lake Eustis and used a 3/4 oz spinnerbait, and they loved it. There was a lot of shad around, and I also used a ribbon-tail worm. I caught a couple on that worm, but many of the bigger ones are eating that spinnerbait. I caught that big bass in Apopka.” Cagle said.

Second place was Robert “Bobby” Bakewell of Orlando, FL, who landed ten bass weighing 42.96 pounds, including a 7.90-pound kicker, over two days. For his finish, Bakewell took home a check for $4500.

“Both days, I caught them Livescoping, and yesterday they bit. You throw out to them and they would react to it. Today, I swear I’ve got those fish trained by now. They know after one day, they won’t bite again, no matter what you do. So today, they didn’t, but I caught them on a plethora of baits. A Yo-Zuri jerk bait, a Bruiser Baits drop shot with Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon, and a braid as well. I really had to bring everything I had in that boat out just to try and catch a couple of those fish because they’re so smart out there. I had a lot of fun. That was a heck of a bag yesterday. My first 30 lb. bag alone, and I had a blast.” Bakewell said.

James “Danny” Inabnett of De Leon Springs, FL, took the third spot. He landed ten bass over two days, going 41.16 pounds, including a 6.69-pound kicker. He earned $3000 for the effort.

“I found these fish in practice on a frog, and I went to them, but they just wouldn’t have anything to do with me on day 1. So, I just panicked and went and threw a worm around and caught 11 lbs. just to have something to start with. I went back there today, and every time I threw the frog up there, they would submarine me. I thought, Oh, here we go. They were just one right after another. They just kept coming, so I stayed in 100-yard stretch and never moved. I’m like, OK, I’ll take that.” Inabnett said

The big bass award was a tie between winner Colbie Cagle of Edgewater, FL, and Kevin Thomas of Miramar, FL. Each angler had an 8.01-pound big bass and earned $500 for it.

“I caught that big bass on a Bruiser Bait Big Stick. It’s a stick bait, but it’s black and blue with a blue tail. Like I said earlier, I take it everywhere I go, even lakes out of state and out of town, I take it wherever I go. I Texas rig, and I’ll flip it at anything I can flip it in, and just so happened today I flipped in the Kissimmee grass, and the heavens opened up again,” Thomas said.

Finishing fourth, Jeremy Smith of Auburndale, FL, landed ten bass over two days, going 36.37 pounds. John Kremer of Orange City, FL, rounded out the top five with ten bass over two days, going 35.47 pounds.

At the end of the season, the top 15 anglers from each of the 4 divisions across the nation advance to the 2024 Top 150 Solo Championship to be held at Lake Logan Martin in November 2024.

About American Bass Anglers

American Bass Anglers, committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments, offers an exciting platform for individual angler progression. With the support of industry-leading companies, ABA continues to advance the sport of bass fishing.

For more information on the Military Team Bass Tournament and all other other series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.

American Bass Anglers is proud to be sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Power Pole, RT Outdoors, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.