CLEWISTON -- Roland Martin Marine Center's tournament series started May 18. [Photo courtesy Roland Martin Marine Center]

CLEWISTON -- The Roland Martin Marine Center Series kicked off the new season with a qualifying tournament on May 18. [Photo courtesy Roland Martin Marine Center]

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CLEWISTON -- The first qualifier of the Roland Martin Marine Center Series 2024 season presented by HUK on May 18, 2024 was a hot one. Not just because the tournament had the first "Dirty-30" of the season but checking the weather APP – HEAT INDEX 110° F!

Nick Hoinig and Matt Wieteha not only felt the heat, but they brought it as well. With a winning weight of 31.02 pounds of Lake Okeechobee bass, they let the field of 155 teams know that their game is on point.

“We were pretty excited because we knew we had over 30,” admitted Hoinig. “But we had a two pounder and we were stressing about that all afternoon.”

“We started the morning off on a shad span,” Wieteha said. “Then moved to a frog and caught two of our big ones doing that and then started cycling with the chatterbait which added another seven and six. We were mostly targeting bream beds.”

Giving up the juice, they admitted the Gambler Frog in Killer Gill did it for them.

“If you don’t have a Gambler Frog, you gotta go out and get one,” said Hoinig. “It’s been like a year and half in the making to get the pop right and it’s just lights out on this lake.”

A familiar duo on the RMMC Series leaderboard, the team raised the big check for $6,000 and added another $375 in contingencies to start the season.

Another power duo familiar to the series faithful is the team of Justin Morgan and Garrett Folbrecht that brought 26.97 pounds to the scale and collected $3,000 plus contingencies.

“We were casting a Bass Assassin Tapout around isolated cover and throwing a Spro Popping Frog,” said Morgan. “I’ve been throwing a Spro Frog for years and it’s been good to me so I stick with it.”

And the teamwork is just as strong.

“We’ve been fishing together since we were 12 years old,” said Folbrecht. “We pretty much know what each other is doing and feed off each other.”

In the spirit of familiar teams, the successful duo of Gerald Califano and Robert Haff round out our top three with 25 pounds and take home $1,600 for the third-place finish.

Even on a tough day, Lake Okeechobee produces respectable numbers with the top 15 teams weighing 20-pound plus bags. And as the highest paying team tournament trail in Florida, the payouts continued deep into the 155 boat field.

The U.S. Sugar Big Bass of 8.06 pounds earned Jae Evans $500. The highest finishing team earned Hoinig and Wieteha an additional $150 Bruiser Bucks while Wieteha also collected another $250 as the highest finisher crossing the stage in HUK gear. Justin Morgan collected $250 as the highest finishing Gilbert Chevrolet owner. Evan Vick collected $100 from the Roland Martin Marina as the highest finishing Youth Angler. The highest finishing Female Angler earned Kylee King $100 from Mary Ann Martin. And winning big for going small, the team of John Tavano and Ernie Johnson turned the smallest limit of 5.49 pounds into $300 from AV Inspection.

Next up is Qualifier #2 on July 20. Teams must fish three of the four qualifiers to qualify for the Championship in December where $35K+ goes to the winning team. It’s Big Bass and Big Checks all season long with the Roland Martin Marine Center Series.