Eric Panzironi Casselberry, Florida won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Florida Central Division tournament, held March 25th on the Harris Chain.
Running out of Hickory Point Recreation Facility in Tavares, Florida, Eric caught five bass weighing 23.29 pounds including a big bass that weighed 8.01-pounds. For the Boater division victory, Eric took home a check for $5,000 for his win and an additional $660 for the big bass. Panzironi also walked away with a new Abu Garcia Revo SX spinning reel for the big bass.
“I ran over to Dora first thing this morning and started fishing some eel grass and it wasn’t working out for me at first so I ran around and found one section that was loaded. I was done by 9:00am. I didn’t catch another fish the rest of the day. The big bass was my second fish this morning and I caught her around 7:45am this morning.” Panzironi said.
In second for the Boaters, Keith Carson of Palm Harbor, Florida landed a five-bass tournament limit going 19.57 pounds. He collected $1,250 for his catch. “I also ran to Dora and I had some fish marked out on the bed. Most of them pulled off, I lost an 8-pounder and lost a 5-pounder. At 1:00pm I didn’t have any fish. So I ran to an area that I haven’t fished before and I caught all my fish in about one hour.” Carson said.
John Kremer of Sanford, Florida landed five bass going 16.46 pounds. He collected $900 for his catch. “I thought I was on some fantastic fish and at 12:00 pm, I only had three little ones. So I just went fishing. I was flipping a craw around Kissimmee grass.” Kremer said.
In fourth place among the Boaters, Neil Davis of Clermont, Florida brought in five bass for 15.66 pounds.
Scott Wilbanks of Groveland, Florida finished in fifth place with five bass at 15.15 pounds.
In the Co-Angler Division, Wes Whitfield of Davenport, Florida won with three bass going 10.25 pounds with a 4.23-pound kicker. He pocketed a check for $1,800 for his win.
“I caught about eight fish today and I was able to cull up a few times. We stayed on little Lake Harris and big Lake Harris. My boater, Sam Carroll, was a great guy and we just threw a hollow-body frog most of the day. We tried a trap but couldn’t get anything going so went back to the frog. I ran out of frogs so I picked up a Gambler Big EZ and was going over some lily pads and that’s when I caught that 4-pounder.” Whitfield said.
Taking second for the Co-Anglers, Bryan Jones of Zephyrhills, Florida brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 9.43 pounds anchored by a 4.18-pound kicker and collected $650 for his catch. “I caught all my fish today on a worm in the hydrilla fishing it slow. We stayed on Lake Harris today.” Jones said.
Jesus “Buck” Gutierrez of Haines City, Florida placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass going 9.39 pounds. He earned $450 for his catch. “I also stayed on Lake Harris and I caught my fish on a hollow-body frog.” Gutierrez said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Adam Sangster of Lake Mary, FL brought in three bass for 9.12 pounds.
Jeff Chastain of Tavares, FL finished in fifth place with three bass at 8.17 pounds.
The biggest bass for the co-anglers was caught by Brian Carman of Mascotte, FL that weighed 5.09 pounds and pocketed $335 for the big bass award.
“I was fishing little Lake Harris and caught that fish on a lipless crank-bait. I caught her about noon today.” Carman said.
Slated for May 20th, the next tournament will be held on Lake Toho out of Kissimmee Lakefront Park in Kissimmee, FL. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, to be held on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at 256-230-5632 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
