A search and rescue operation is underway in Florida after a world class fisherman was reported missing on Friday.
Professional angler Nik Kayler, 38, has not been seen over the past 24 hours after his boat capsized on Lake Okeechobee on Thursday.
CBS affiliate WPEC-TV reports that one angler on the boat was rescued following the incident. Bill Kisiah is currently being treated in Belle Glade and is in serious condition.
Professional angler Nik Kayler (pictured) has not been seen over the past 24 hours after his boat capsized on Lake Okeechobee on Thursday
Bill Kisiah (pictured) is currently being treated for sever hypothermia in Belle Glade and in serious condition
The veteran anglers were competing in the Costa Fishing League Worldwide tournament when their boat overturned.
‘Kisiah is a nine-year veteran boater of FLW Series competition, while Kayler had fished in 61 previous FLW events as a co-angler,’ the tournament said in a statement.
The boat belonging Kisiah was discovered by search crews on Friday morning nearly 50 miles away (pictured: Lake Okeechobee)
Fishing League Worldwide alerted authorities to the situation after they failed to return to a ‘designated weigh-in location’ at C. Scott Driver Park, according to WPEC-TV.
The boat belonging to Kisiah, 51, was discovered by search crews on Friday morning nearly 50 miles away, close to Pahokee.
Fellow angler Mike Jones told WPEC-TV that Kisiah was found alive clinging to the boat around 11pm Thursday night.
‘He had hypothermia real bad,’ Jones said. ‘He was really really out of it, I don’t know if he even knew where he was at, when he washed up on the bank.’
The broadcaster reported that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard continue to search for Kayler.
Fishing League Worldwide alerted authorities to the situation after they failed to return to a ‘designated weigh-in location’