Venue: Lake Okeechobee
Date: Oct 22-23, 2016
By: Ly Nguyen
Our club concluded the 2016 season with a 2-day classic on Lake Okeechobee over the weekend of Oct 22-23. The windy conditions made fishing somewhat tough but a few teams found success in areas protected from the winds.
To start off the event, our day 1 leaders were the team of Dick Morgan and John Bennett with 3 fish limit weighing 9.46 lb. That bag was anchored with a 5.3 lb beauty that secured them the prizes of big fish of the day and Day 1 weight winners. Those honors won them $200.
Day 2 started with only 4 pounds separating the top 5 teams in the 2-day event. The lake was slightly less windy with clear blue skies. The big winners of Day 2 was the team of Mike Winker and Jr. Cook. They arrived at the weigh-in with a 3 fish limit weighing 7.28 lb. That bag secured the big bag for day 2 and the $100 prize for that. Within that bag they had a 3.81 lb. fish that won the prize for big bass Day 2.
After 2 tough days fishing Lake Okeechobee, the team of Dick Morgan and John Bennett rose above the rest to finish in 1st place with a total weight of 15.05 lb and winning $730. Second place was claimed by the team of Joe Conley and Norman Riggles after catching a tournament weight of 13.92 netting them $365. Rounding out the podium was the team of Mike WInker and Jr. Cook. They were edged out of second by ounces with a weight of 13.81 lb. In all, over $1600 was paid out over the 2 days. All fish were released alive and well to fight another day and everyone seemed to have a great time. Thanks again to everyone that was part of our club and look forward to seeing everyone again in January when our 2017 trail is set to begin!
First Place: Dick Morgan & John Bennett, 15.05 lbs
Second Place: Joe Conley & Norman Riggles, 13.92 lbs
Third Place: Mike Winker & Jr. Cook, 13.81 lbs
Big Fish: Dick Morgan & John Bennett, 5.3 lbs
Next Tournament: The 2017 season begins in January so visit our facebook page (www.facebook.com/highlandsbassanglers) for details and the 2017 schedule.
