Jason Lambert caught a 12-12 sack on Satruday to win the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division opener at Florida's Lake Okeechobee with a 3-day total of 44-12. For his win, Lambert earned $60,000 and a new Ranger Z518 bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard engine.
“I’m feeling a lot of different emotions right now,” said Lambert, who earned his first win in Costa FLW Series competition. “I’m tired and relieved. This tournament was a great opportunity for me to learn more and prepare for the FLW Tour event happening here in a few weeks.”
Lambert said he primarily focused on one area all 3 days – a 600-yard stretch of submerged hydrilla on the lake’s north shore. He said the area was rich with pre-spawn bass that were transitioning off of the main lake.
“I’d fish over and around the hydrilla before letting certain spots rest for an hour, then I’d head back over it again,” he said. “The fish were replenishing well so I knew it was where I wanted to stay.”
Lambert said that of the 15 fish he brought to the scale, 10 were caught using a black and blue V&M Pacemaker swimjig and a mouse-colored War Eagle spinnerbait.
“The majority of pros were flipping jigs, but I’m a power fisherman, so I felt a lot more confident with moving baits,” said Lambert. “I was catching a lot of fish in practice so all I needed to do was find the big ones.”
He said the spinnerbait performed well when there was a lot of wind, especially during the first 2 days of competition, while the swimjig excelled when the water was calm.
“I covered a lot of water at this tournament,” said Lambert. “And after catching nearly 40 keepers, I felt it was my time to win.”
Full details of his winning pattern, as well as those of the 2nd- and 3rd-place finishers, will be published in the coming days.
Here are the final totals for the Top 10:
1. Jason Lambert: 44-12
2. Glenn Browne: 43-04
3. Joseph Kremer: 40-14
4. Bryan Honnerlaw: 39-00
5. Justin Morgan: 37-00
6. Peter Cherkas: 36-03
7. Jimmy Brewer: 35-09
8. Steve Brown: 34-07
9. Pat Fisher: 31-10
10. Cole Bailey: 30-12
