WHAT:
A boating accident occurred Tuesday, March 19, during Day 1 of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series on the Harris Chain of Lakes. No serious injuries were reported, but upon investigation of the circumstances surrounding the accident, MLF determined that both boaters intentionally violated a no-wake zone, which resulted in a collision between the boats.
WHERE:
Ski Beach at Venetian Gardens
201 E. Lake Harris Drive
Leesburg, Fla.
NOTES:
Boater Mark Succi of Cataula, Georgia, and his co-angler Jeff Cox of Saline, Michigan, along with boater Douglas Reed of Bridgeton, New Jersey, and his co-angler Mitch Hayes of Chipley, Florida, were involved in the accident. Both boaters were in violation of MLF Toyota Series Rule No. 9. Specifically, Succi and Reed operated their boats in an unsafe manner and violated a posted no-wake area. Succi and Reed have been suspended from all MLF tournaments for at least one year.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
