OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (March 31, 2008) - Boater Dave Turner of Crystal River, Fla., won the Bass Fishing League Everglades Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Okeechobee Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 26 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned Turner $3,013 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Seminole Regional Championship in Bainbridge, Fla., Oct. 16-18, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Turner caught his fish throwing a swimbait near the south end of Lake Okeechobee.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Don Demott of Boca Raton, Fla. (five bass, 21-13, $1,773); Dale Walker of Miami, Fla. (five bass, 20-07, $1,181); Sean Stickler of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (five bass, 19-06, $827) and Steven Lake of Clewiston, Fla. (five bass, 19-05, $709).
John Peters of Okeechobee, Fla., took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $445 for a 8-pound, 2-ounce bass he caught throwing a worm off ledges.
Moses Wilson of Clewiston, Fla., earned $1,648 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 19 pounds, 15 ounces that he caught on a June-bug worm.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Michael Davis of Celebration, Fla. (five bass, 19-04, $824); Mark Brader of Loxahatchee, Fla. (five bass, 18-03, $549); Elmore Watkins of Boynton Beach, Fla. (five bass, 16-15, $385) and Tyler Brinks of Fort Myers, Fla. (five bass, 14-14, $330).
Wilson earned $202 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 8-pound, 11-ounce bass he caught on a shaky head.
The division's fourth qualifying event will be held on the Kissimmee River in Lake Wales, Fla., April 19. A two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event, will be held on Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Sept. 27-28.