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Big fish continue to show up during February
February 27, 2020 by Brian Stahl
Land O’ Lakes, FL- It’s no secret that big bass show up this time of the year in Florida. We’ve seen multiple fish over 8 pounds already come across the scales in events over the first half of February, and that trend continued into the end of the month.
The Suwannee River division continued to have a solid showing, with 48 teams competing out of the Fanning Springs boat ramp on February 9th. Derek Manning and Austin Manning topped the field with a 14.02 pound, 5 bass limit. They anchored their winning bag with an 8.24 pound TrophyCatch, and took home $1900.00 in total winnings. Chris Lee and Kris Pearson finished close behind in second place.
John Horsfield and Kyle Turner-1st Place Tarpon
Their bag weighed 13.97 pounds and earned the team $850.00. Lee Folsom and Tyler Akers rounded out the top 3 with 12.79 pounds and won $640.00 for third place.
The Lochloosa division saw a large crowd at the Marjorie Rawlings boat ramp as well with 41 teams competing on February 15th. Cory Kempton and Winston Kicklighter set the hook on 23.38 pounds worth of bass to take the top spot in the field. They anchored their bag with an 11.90 pound giant to secure $1,650.00 in total winnings. Tyler Griffis and Deryl Williams finished the day in second place with 20.75 pounds and won $740.00. Third place went to Joe Yarborough and Dewayne Moore. Yarborough and Moore weighed 5 bass for 19.02 pounds and earned $520.00
The Lake Tarpon division held their first event of the 2020 season on February 15th. 16 teams showed up to battle it out, but John Horsefield and Kyle Turner won the battle with 20.08 pounds. They anchored their 5 bass bag with a 5.54 pound kicker to win big bass honors, taking home $850.00 collectively. Richard Anthony and Tim Stacy inked a second place finish with 18.04 pounds, earning $300.00. Christian Greico and Casey Marsh rounded out the top 3 with 17.36 pounds and took home $200.00
Lonny Mead and Jim Topmiller topped the 36 boat field at Lake Toho on February 16th. Mead and Topmiller
Lonny Mead and Jim Topmiller had Big Bass at Toho
weighed a 22.05 pound, 5 bass bag in their victory. They also earned the big bass honors with a 9.25 pound TrophyCatch. That fish helped them to a $1,540.00 payday. Jerrod Albright and Rich Howes had a TrophyCatch of their own with a 9.15 pound lunker. That fish anchored their 19.70 pound bag, securing a second place finish and $700.00. Jeff Worth and Jamie Gillespie rounded out the top 3 with 16.50 pounds and took home $480.00.
The month of February saw 257 teams compete throughout all Xtreme events across the state. The Harris Chain divisional’s first event was rescheduled due to weather and schedule conflict, and is rescheduled for March 1st.
The Xtreme Bass Series 2020 championship will be held on Lake Kissimmee. Hosted by Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina, and RV Resort, qualifying anglers will have the opportunity to compete for a new Blazer 595 Pro Elite powered by a 200 HP Mercury Pro XS valued at $40,000.00. To qualify, members must have competed in 7 of 9 events in any one division, or 8 events in a combination of any division. For more information visit the rules page at www.xbseries.com. More photos can be found on the Xtreme Bass Series Facebook page.
Cover Photo: Cory Kempton and Winston Kickligher show off their winning bag, including an 11.90 pound lunker
