OKEECHOBEE, Fla. - Boater Earl Ellerbee Jr. of Lake Placid, Fla., earned $4,463 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Everglades Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Okeechobee. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Everglades Division events and earned Ellerbee 200 points in the Boater Division.
Ellerbee's winning catch of five bass weighed 23 pounds, 4 ounces. Anglers had rainy conditions on Saturday, but Ellerbee said he began catching bass that morning and went on to catch them all day. He threw a spinnerbait in Moonshine Bay to get his bites. Ellerbee earned an additional $1,000 for being qualified for the Ranger Cup contingency award. Rounding out the top five boaters are Chris Rand of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (five bass, 22 pounds, 7 ounces, $2,232); Bill Rucker of Cocoa, Fla. (five bass, 21 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,489); Richard Held of Lake Worth, Fla. (five bass, 21 pounds, $1,041) and Gary Niemi of Lake Placid (five bass, 20 pounds, 14 ounces, $893).
Bruce Spencer of Jacksonville, Fla., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $640 for an 8-pound, 4-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on an Ugly Otter.
Craig Lovely of Fort Myers, Fla., earned $2,214 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces that he caught on a black and blue jig and trailer in the South Bay. Lovely earned an additional $317 for the big-bass award in the Co-angler Division, thanks to an 8-pound, 13-ounce bass.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jim Joseph of Oakland Park, Fla. (five bass, 16 pounds, $1,107); Alan Retter of Margate, Fla. (five bass, 14 pounds, 13 ounces, $738); Chris Prowant of Gainesville, Fla. (five bass, 13 pounds, 5 ounces, $517); and Jeffrey Vest of Okeechobee, Fla. (five bass, 12 pounds, 12 ounces, $443).
All the regular-season Everglades Division events will be held on Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee. The next event will be held Feb. 25, followed by an event March 18 and another event April 22. A two-day Super Tournament, the Everglades Division's fifth and final event, will be held Sept. 30-31.