OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (March 20, 2006) - Boater Jeff Simms of Punta Gorda, Fla., earned $4,235 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Everglades Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Okeechobee. The tournament was the third of five regular-season Everglades Division events and earned Simms 200 points in the Boater Division.
Simms' winning catch of five bass weighed 26 pounds, 14 ounces. He fished a junebug Gambler worm in Moonshine Bay to catch his bass.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Lee McCracken of Ocala, Fla. (five bass, 24 pounds, 14 ounces, $2,118); Bill Clifton of Brandon, Fla. (five bass, 22 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,413); Don Demott of Boca Raton, Fla. (five bass, 22 pounds, 3 ounces, $988) and Edwin Kimbrough of Sebastian, Fla. (five bass, 21 pounds, 3 ounces, $847).
Kimbrough took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $590 for a 9-pound, 2-ounce bass he caught on a watermelon red Zoom Fluke.
McCracken earned an additional $500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.
Mike Krause of Okeechobee, Fla., earned $2,078 as the co-angler winner, thanks to four bass weighing 15 pounds that he caught flipping a blue Sweet Beaver.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Dave King of Clewiston, Fla. (five bass, 14 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,039); Kenneth Petitti of Palm Bay, Fla., (three bass, 14 pounds, 8 ounces, $691) James Trudel of Lighthouse Point, Fla., (five bass, 14 pounds, 5 ounces, $485) and Brad Fraser of Vero Beach, Fla. (five bass, 14 pounds, 3 ounces, $416).
Linda Paul of Cape Coral, Fla., earned $285 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 9-pound bass that fell for a Bass Assassin twitch bait.
Everglades Division anglers will visit Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee April 22 for their fourth regular-season event. A two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event, will be held on Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee Sept. 30-31. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com.