Tyler Rivet hooked into a good one. He turned to the camera and said, “That’s an 8. I’m going to win this tournament if I get this one in.” And get it in he did.
Rivet may very well have the best chance to win the 2023 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite on Lake Okeechobee. There’s no doubt current leader Brandon Cobb is having a magical day, and on a solid pattern, as are several other top contenders like Drew Cook. But a lot of variables are coming.
Tomorrow’s high is predicted to drop 10 to 15 degrees, though the nightly lows (which are more important) will stay stable in the lower 60s. The real shift will be in the wind. The 10- to 15- mile per hour wind out of the southwest today will shift to a 10- to 20- mile per hour wind out of the north/northeast tomorrow.
This won’t greatly affect anglers like Brandon Cobb, who are fishing the northwest shore of Okeechobee around Tin House. But a lot of the anglers further south will suffer greatly from the shift in the winds. And these winds will make running way south a hassle.
Rivet is much more protected in the Kissimmee River. And taking into consideration the fish River’s targeting are 10- to 20- feet deep, it looks like Rivet may have the upper hand. Furthermore, it takes very little variation in conditions to shut down Okeechobee bass on the shallow spawning flats. Though the same finicky Florida strain bass live in the river, these bass being deeper should bite a little better.
And, Rivet has no company. He’s the only angler doing what he’s doing. But, the crowd around Codd and others like Cook will grow significantly as local anglers head out in droves tomorrow and Sunday.
