Crosnoe Wins BFL at Lake Okeechobee

Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 9 ounces, Sunday to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Gator Division Super Tournament on Lake Okeechobee, with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 43 pounds, 13 ounces. For his win, Crosnoe took home $8,254.

“I caught all of my fish flipping a Hematoma-colored Reaction Innovations Kinky Beaver,” says Crosnoe, who earned his third career BFL win as a boater in FLW competition. “I had it rigged with a 1½-ounce tungsten weight on a 7’8” Fitzgerald Titan HD rod. I was also using PermaLine Braid Paint from Fitzgerald Fishing. I was painting my braid from the hook to 4 feet up the line, camouflaging my line. I believe the Braid Paint was the difference maker.”

Crosnoe flipped super heavy cover in several areas at the very back of Harney Pond. He estimated that he caught around 40 fish throughout the two-day event but only one area produced his bigger fish. Crosnoe caught four 7-pounders from the same spot.

“I caught two 7-pounders on Saturday and two more on Sunday,” Crosnoe says. “It was a ¼-mile stretch of the muddiest, slimiest, deadest water that you could find. There was some hyacinth that had recently been sprayed and was blown in. The bluegill were popping in the hyacinth and the big bass were there eating the bluegill.”

The top 10 boaters:

1st: Robert Crosnoe, Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 43-13, $8,254

2nd: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 37-9, $3,627

3rd: Fred George, Okeechobee, Fla., 10 bass, 36-5, $2,417

4th: Kyle Monti, Okeechobee, Fla., 10 bass, 36-4, $1,693

5th: Mason Boylan, Melbourne, Fla., 10 bass, 34-1, $1,451

6th: Gary Milicevic, Labelle, Fla., 10 bass, 33-13, $2,625

7th: Tony Bennett, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 10 bass, 32-12, $1,209

8th: Brian Divito, Saint Petersburg, Fla., 10 bass, 32-6, $1,188

9th: Cedric Perry, Cross City, Fla., 10 bass, 31-7, $967

10th: Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., 10 bass, 31-7, $1,146