Cox attempts first major win

Sight-fishing expert hoping to hold on for victory in FLW Series event

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – For three days, John Cox of Debary, Fla., has led the FLW Series event on Lake Okeechobee. Each day he has increased the distance between he and his competition with catches of 25-1, 22-14 and 14-2. He now enters the final day with nearly an 11-pound lead and the opportunity to win his first big tournament.

But who is John Cox? Where did he come from?

Cox hails from Debary, a small town north of Orlando, where he makes a living painting apartments and guiding on Central Florida lakes (johncoxprobassguide.com).

Early in life Cox fell victim to one of fishing’s most intense addictions: sight-fishing for bass on bed. And having lived in Central Florida all his life, he has honed his sight-fishing skills to perfection on places like the St. Johns River, Lake Monroe, Toho and Kissimmee.

“I live for the for moon in January,” Cox said before takeoff this morning as the January full moon was setting in the pre-dawn darkness behind him.

“See that?” he questioned pointing to the perfect glowing orb in the sky. “I’ve never been able to sleep on full moons this time of year because all I think about is sight-fishing. In Florida, big females move in on the full moon and I can’t wait to get out there.”

Cox, however, has been well-schooled in the art of sight-fishing by his mentor, tournament veteran Joseph Kremer from Osteen, Fla.

Kremer has been fishing FLW Outdoors tournaments for years in the Sunshine State and his track record includes 19 top-10’s. He, too, loves to sight-fish.

“He taught me a lot of what I know about the details of sight-fishing,” Cox said of Kremer this morning. “His voice has been in my head quite a bit the last few days, telling me to slow down and be patient.”

Cox himself has a pretty solid BFL record in Florida, including nine top-10’s and two wins. But today he wants the big “W.”

Ironically, though, Okeechobee has never been a renowned sight-fishing lake for tournament anglers. Yes, sight-fishing can certainly be done on Okeechobee, but other techniques such has pitching to holes in vegetation or casting to reed clumps often proves to be more efficient ways of catching bass.

According to Cox, sight-fishing is a better deal right now because of the lake’s level and water clarity.

“Okeechobee is real clear right now in a lot of places, especially in places where you can’t normally see the bottom,” Cox said. “That helps tremendously. It looks more like Toho right now, which is where I really love to sight-fish. The last few days I’ve felt like I was right on there Toho.”

Cox candidly admits that when a fish is on bed and defending the nest aggressively, it will attack just about anything that comes its way. To him sight-fishing is not necessarily about bait selection.

With that being said, he was still open about the lures he’s been using this week. His arsenal all comes from the Berkley Power Bait line and includes the Power Worm, a small Power Craw and a Crazy-legged Chigger Craw.

As for his chances of holding onto to victory today, Cox likes them. But he doesn’t want to count his money just yet.

“I’m not really thinking about that,” he said. “I’m thinking about the place I found late yesterday that had 5- to 8-pounders swimming around everywhere in it. And I’m a little concerned about this wind. (High southwest winds are in the forecast for today) I’m probably going to have to do more blind-casting to places where I know where beds are instead of actually looking at the fish. But that’s okay because I know they’re there. I can’t wait.”

The final day weigh-in of the FLW Series will be held at Gilbert Chevrolet Company located at 3550 Hwy. 441 S. in Okeechobee beginning at 4 p.m.

FLW Outdoors will host a Family Fun Zone before the weigh-in starting at noon. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. Also, there will be a drawing for a $300 Cabela’s gift card and drawings for rod and reel combos will be held every 30 minutes during the event. All activities are free and open to the public.

Saturday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:12 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 57 degrees

Expected high temperature: 80 degrees

Water temperature: 70 degrees

Wind: SSW 15 to 20 mph

Day’s outlook: sunny and breezy