Ben Todd of Pierson, Fla. closed out a wire-to-wire victory at the Lake Okeechobee Southeastern EverStart Saturday with a 16-03 final-day bag that gave him a 3-day total of 59-03. Trevor Fitzgerald, who caught a day-best 25-10, equaled Todd's total, but Todd won the tiebreaker by virtue of a higher placement in the day-2 standings.
“I’m speechless,” said Todd, whose bags on both the first (31-07) and last days contained a 9-pound fish. “After (Friday), I thought my fish were gone and I had slipped. This still hasn’t set in for me.”
He said he targeted eelgrass and reeds on a half-mile stretch between J&S Park and the Henry Creek locks. His primary baits were a Gambler Fat Ace and a Tighlines UVenko. Full details of his winning pattern will be published soon.
Here are the totals for the Top-10 finishers:
1. Ben Todd: 59-03
2. Trevor Fitzgerald: 59-03
3. Brandon McMillan: 56-03
4. Paul Malone: 55-08
5. Chris Brill: 48-04
6. Casey Martin: 46-04
7. Kyle Monti: 46-02
8. Brandon Medlock: 45-09
9. Preston Clark: 44-15
