OKEECHOBEE, Fla. - Boater Division competitor James Medlin of West Palm Beach earned $5,000 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Gator Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Gator Division events. The regular season will wrap up Sept. 25-26 with a two-day Super Tournament that will also be held on Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee.
Medlin bested 200 Boater Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 26 pounds, 7 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a Gambler lure.
Rounding out the top five boaters are John Peters of Boynton Beach (five bass, 26 pounds, 3 ounces, $2,500); Richard Held of Lake Worth (five bass, 25 pounds, $1,700); Bobby Lane of Lakeland (five bass, 22 pounds, 9 ounces, $1,300); and Joseph Kremer of Osteen (five bass, 21 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,100).
Held earned $500 from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. John Hendry of Lakeland earned $1,000 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with an 8-pound, 8-ounce bass.
Chuck Hyer of Clermont won the 200-competitor Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 11 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass casting worms on 15-pound-test Trilene. He earned $2,500 for the win.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mark Brader of Loxahatchee (five bass, 16 pounds, $1,250); Randy Vriesman of Oviedo (five bass, 14 pounds, 5 ounces, $850); Lloyd Meyers Jr. of Jacksonville (five bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounce, $650); and Mark Linn of Sarasota (five bass, 14 pounds, $550).
Brader caught a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass to win Co-angler Division big-bass honors and $500.
Following the regular season, the top 30 Gator Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Seminole regional near Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 5-9. They will compete against qualifying anglers from the Bama, Mississippi and Piedmont divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. The winning boater at the All-American will take home $100,000 cash, and the winning co-angler will earn $50,000 cash.