Markley and Markley win Qualifier #1.
CLEWISTON, FL – With winter in the rearview mirror, you know what that means? Hello big bass and big checks. The Roland Martin Marine Center Series 2019 Season presented by HUK is on! Let the battle begin.
That’s what 127 boats had to say Saturday morning as the teams launched on Lake Okeechobee out of Roland Martin Marina for Qualifier #1 of the 2019 RMMC Series Season. And it was the husband and wife team of Adam and Melinda Markley that caught 28.04 pounds of Lake Okeechobee bass and ended up raising the big check(s).
“We caught them on everything today,” said Adam Markley. “We caught them on topwater, on Rat-L-Traps, flipping. It was a good day. We caught a lot of fish.”
The team even bagged the 2nd big bass of the event with an 8.4 Okeechobee monster they caught flipping.
“We knew we had a good day and were hoping to just bring home a check,” said Melinda Markley. “It ended up being a great day and we enjoyed every minute of it.”
That’s because they took home $6,000 for first place and added the HUK top angler award, Mary Ann Martin’s Top Lady Angler award, Gambler Lures 2nd Big Bass and the Bruiser Baits Mega Bag. That all added up to checks totaling $6,450 for the day on the lake. With 100% payback to our anglers, the big bass and big checks continued.
In second place, the team of Durand Locke and Josh Bright caught 26.56 pounds and received $3,000. Third place was the team of Tim King and Miriam Haupt with 26.54 and a check for $1,500. Considering they got married the next day on Sunday, that made a nice wedding present. And another top finish for a Lady Angler that made Mary Ann Martin proud.
That’s Qualifier #1. Stay tuned for more as the season continues June 1st for Qualifier #2. It all leads up to the highest paying team tournament trail Championship in Florida where anglers do battle for a possible $25,000 payday. Remember, teams must fish 3 of the 4 qualifiers to qualify for the Championship so check the schedule and make sure your team is locked in to win.
Thanks again to all our anglers and families that showed up at the weigh-in to help make our event a success. And a special thanks to our sponsors that make it all possible. Thank you and we’ll see you in June.
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