FLW confirmed Thursday night that a boat with two anglers that was competing in the Costa FLW Series event on Lake Okeechobee did not check in at the designated weigh-in location Thursday at C. Scott Driver Park in Okeechobee, Florida.
The boat belonged to pro Bill Kisiah of Slidell, Louisiana. Also in the boat was co-angler Nik Kayler of Apopka, Florida. Kisiah was found alive Thursday night around 11 p.m. local time. Kayler has not yet been located and the search remains ongoing.
Kisiah is a nine-year veteran boater of FLW Series competition, while Kayler had fished in 61 previous FLW events as a co-angler.
At this time, air search and rescue operations are being conducted under the guidance of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Department, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard. FLW is assisting the search operations.
Tournament competition is expected to resume Saturday, with the full field competing. The tournament winner will be determined based on a two-day weight total.
We will continue to release information as it becomes available.