Keyso and Perry win Qualifier #4 of the Roland Martin Marine Center Series with a Buzzer Beater.
CLEWISTON, FL - The final qualifier of the 2020 Roland Martin Marine Center Series presented by HUK required one more thing to win that Lake Okeechobee is famously known for — a big bass. Culling up with a seven pounder at the end of the day landed Mike Keyso and John Perry in 1st place and the big check for $6,000.
“We caught about 25 or 30 fish today and had about 20 pounds most of the day,” Keyso said. “Then I caught the seven pounder at the end of the day to give us 25 pounds.”
With the big cull pushing their total to 25.35 pounds, they took a nearly 4 pound lead to the winner circle. A familiar pattern put the team in a familiar position for Keyso.
“I was pitching isolated mats with a black and blue Reaction Beaver and a one ounce weight,” Keyso admitted. “That’s just what I do and I’m comfortable doing it. I started off casting because I caught 50 bass a day casting in practice. But I knew it wasn’t going to be enough to win since they were only two or three pounders. If I was going to win it was going to be with a mat rod in my hands.”
That proved to be the winning strategy, 3rd win for Keyso in the series and a $6,000 kicker to the bank account.
In second place with 21.17 pounds was the team of Curtis Lewis and Steve Fairtrace. Although they started with topwater baits, it was pitching that filled their livewell and earned them the second place check of $3,000. Rounding out the top three was the team of Kelly Autrey and Arnold Moore that cranked their way to 21.4 pounds and collected the 3rd-place check for $1,800.
The water is up on Lake Okeechobee and the teams admitted there was fish everywhere that you could catch on a variety of patterns. Over 60% of the teams brought 5 fish limits to the stage. But in the end, Keyso, the 3-time champ, knew just what to do to get 5 bigger bites than the rest.
As the highest paying team tournament trail in Florida, the payouts continued deep into the 136-team field. Curtis Lewis added $1,000 Ranger Cup bucks to his winnings. The US Sugar Big Bass award of $500 went to Ken Rymut for his 7.59 pound bass. The 2nd big bass earned the team of Neimi and Ellerbee $100 Gambler Bucks. Arnold Moore collected another $250 as the highest finishing angler to cross the stage in HUK gear. Keyso added $250 to his winnings with the Mercury contingency. Luke Slipy also collected $100 from Mercury as the highest finishing youth angler. The highest finishing female angler, Angie Holley, collected $100 from Mary Ann Martin. And going small paid off big for the team of Arnold and Meadors, collecting $300 from AV Inspection for the smallest limit award.
With all four qualifiers of the 2020 season in the books, it's CHAMPIONSHIP TIME! We’re gearing up to make this the best Championship Weekend yet. For our teams that qualified by fishing 3 of the 4 qualifiers, we’ll keep you posted with Championship details for the 2-day final event. So mark your calendars, make your reservations and we’ll see you in Clewiston for the 2020 Roland Martin Marine Center Series Championship on December 5th & 6th.