*UPDATE*
The boater Bill Kisiah has been located, alive. The search is continuing for co-angler Nik Kaylor. Additional news will be posted as it is available.
Original Statement:
Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) regrets to confirm that a boat with two anglers that was competing today in the Costa FLW Series event on Lake Okeechobee did not check in at the designated weigh-in location at C. Scott Driver Park in Okeechobee, Florida, and has not yet been located.
The boat belonged to pro Bill Kisiah of Slidell, Louisiana, and co-angler Nik Kaylor of Apopka, Florida. The boat that the anglers were competing is a dark-colored Ranger Z521 with a red Evinrude G2 outboard. It is believed that the boaters had planned to travel to the South Bay area from the north end of the lake.
Kisiah is a nine-year veteran boater of FLW Series competition, while Kaylor had fished in 61 previous FLW events as a co-angler.
At this time, search and rescue operations are being conducted under the guidance of the Okeechobee Police Department, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard assisting. Cell phone providers have been contacted and the search is continuing from the air. FLW is cooperating fully and assisting the investigation in every possible way.