The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Championship at the Kissimmee Chain features a sterling field, and while everyone in the field has the talent to win, there are a handful of favorites. But most of those high on the list aren’t from Florida – this year’s Toyota Series event on Kissimmee was won by Northeasterner Alec Morrison, and he weighed more than 90 pounds for three days and caught them entirely in his three-hour forward-facing sonar periods. Lately in Florida, that’s a big part of the game, and some of the best Florida talent in the field isn’t likely to lead the pack in productive screen time. Terry Scroggins and Bobby Lane know all there is to know about the Kissimmee Chain, but Drew Gill and Brody Campbell are probably better suited to a sonar-heavy event on the chain these days.
However, there is one Floridian in the field who is locked in on his sonar game; in fact, he’s one of the trendsetters for the state, and he calls Orlando home. Though the competition will be stiff, there might be nobody more suited for success in this event than Bobby Bakewell, and he’s way overdue to win one in his home state.
Ready for the challenge
Bakewell has a stellar history in Florida, with eight Top 10 finishes to his credit in the Sunshine State. So, while some were sweating it out in pre-practice heat, he stayed in the north, ready to apply all his knowledge and skills the week of the event.
“I’ve been trying to not stress about it,” he said. “September is weird; there’s a lot of things that could be going on, and they’re very scenario-based. It’s the same as the rest of the country. For instance, ledge fishing – when they first get out on the ledges, it’s wide open. Then, it slows down. We have a longer summer than anywhere else, so a lot of the fish that are where they are have been there a long time. They’re super pressured, but our guys are good enough; they’re going to be able to trick ‘em into biting.”…