Month: July 2019

July 8, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) and Kayak Bass Fishing, LLC, (KBF), in conjunction with Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, announced Monday that the inaugural Dee Zee FLW/KBF Cup presented by YakAttack, the world championship of kayak bass fishing, will be held on Lake Ouachita, Aug. 9-10, 2019. The event will be held in Hot Springs in conjunction with the 2019 FLW Cup, featuring the sport’s top professional bass-fishing anglers competing on Lake Hamilton. Hot Springs is the first venue to host back-to-back Cups in the 24-year modern history of FLW.

The Dee Zee FLW/KBF Cup presented by YakAttack will feature up to 238 of the top kayak bass anglers from around the country who have qualified for the event through the FLW/KBF Kayak Open, the KBF National Championship, the KBF Trail and the KBF Pro Tour. They will be competing for a for a total prize package of $18,000 – a $3,000 Dee Zee gift card and $15,000 in cash.

“Hot Springs is very excited to partner with FLW on another great event that features a rapidly-growing segment of fishing,” said Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs. “Fishing fans in Arkansas and across the world will now get to see two FLW Champions crowned on two of our best lakes – Lake Hamilton and Lake Ouachita.”

In addition to the kayak event, the FLW Cup will also again bring the three-day FLW Expo to the Hot Springs Convention Center. Hundreds of exhibitors – including multiple kayak-fishing companies in the Expo’s new Kayak Village – will be on-site to showcase the latest and greatest gear and products along with games, fun and giveaways for the entire family. Following the Expo, fans are only steps away from Bank OZK Arena where the top anglers from around the world – and country music superstar Trace Adkins – will put on a show for the Arkansas crowd.

“Kayak fishing is the fastest-growing segment of the sport fishing market,” said KBF Founder and President Chad Hoover. “By partnering with the KBF to add kayak bass fishing to its mix, FLW offers its Competitor Members more options to compete than ever before. FLW is able to shine a spotlight on top kayak bass anglers to showcase their talents, abilities and accomplishments.”

After an extremely successful inaugural launch season in 2019, FLW and KBF are already hard at work at growing the FLW/KBF Kayak Series for 2020. Additional details, including an expanded schedule, increased payouts and new rules will be announced soon.

KBF was formed in 2009 to offer kayak anglers the opportunity to compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes at premier fisheries around the country. Currently in its seventh season for live events, KBF offers more than 25 professional-level bass-fishing tournaments to kayak anglers. For complete KBF details, schedules and updated information, visit KayakBassFishing.com.

For complete details and updated information about FLW, visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (July 1, 2019) Photo courtesy of FLW – Boater Michael Harlin of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, caught five bass Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake of the Ozarks. Harlin pocketed $4,463 for his win in the event and 250 points in the Ozark Division presented by Bassing Bob standings. The winner of the division’s Angler of the Year title after five tournaments will win $3,000.

“I basically fished from the dam to the mouth of the Gravois arm,” said Harlin, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I had spent my practice mainly idling around and graphing, looking for schools that were off the beaten path. I had found five or six good spots that had fish on them and weren’t getting pressured, and Saturday they were there.

“I had around 15 keepers and was pretty much done fishing by 10:30 (a.m.),” Harlin continued. “I was throwing back 3-pounders like they were nothing. I lost a couple of big ones, too. I’m very confident I could have weighed in 26 pounds if everything had stayed buttoned up.”

Harlin said that all of his fish came on a chartreuse and powder blue-colored Strike King 6XD crankbait.

“The key was really my electronics and throwing a specific line,” Harlin went on to say. “I wasn’t fishing around spots – I was making exact casts and bringing my crankbait right through the school. I was catching them every single cast.”

.The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

              1^st:          Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., five bass, 24-9, $4,463

              2^nd:         Brad Jelinek, Deepwater, Mo., five bass, 21-3, $2,232

              3^rd:         Austin Lowrey, Webb City, Mo., five bass, 20-15, $1,489

              4^th:         Kirk Smith, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 20-13, $1,041

              5^th:         Rick Johnston, Webb City, Mo., five bass, 20-4, $893

              6^th:         Chuck Austin, Saint Peters, Mo., five bass, 19-14, $818

              6^th:         Mike Roller, Purdy, Mo., five bass, 19-9, $944

              8^th:         Larry Stoafer, Leavenworth, Kan., five bass, 19-8, $1,019

              9^th:         Brett Govreau, House Springs, Mo., five bass, 18-15, $595

              10^th:       Rob Bueltmann, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 18-10, $473

              10^th:       Cory Steckler, Rocky Mount, Mo., five bass, 18-10, $473

              10^th:       Mark Wiese, High Ridge, Mo., five bass, 18-10, $473

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Raymond Bates of Lake Quivira, Kansas, caught a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $640.

Kevin McKnight of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, won the Co-angler Division and $2,232 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

              1^st:          Kevin McKnight, Sunrise Beach, Mo., five bass, 19-8, $2,232

              2^nd:         Andrew Messina, Valley Park, Mo., five bass, 17-8, $1,116

              3^rd:         Anthony Johnson, Excelsior Springs, Mo., five bass, 16-14, $743

              4^th:         Matthew Hargarten, Bolivar, Mo., five bass, 16-10, $841

              5^th:         Dillon Saffle, Ballwin, Mo., five bass, 16-9, $446

              6^th:         Dennis Young, Olathe, Kan., five bass, 16-6, $659

              7^th:         Ralph Laney, Rogersville, Mo., five bass, 16-0, $372

              8^th:         Bruce Lyford, Liberty, Mo., five bass, 15-15, $366

              9^th:         Dewey Lewis, Asbury, Mo., five bass, 15-15, $316

              10^th:       Michael Fey Sr., Cuba, Mo., five bass, 15-8, $260

Hargarten caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $320.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

FALLS OF ROUGH, Ky. (July 1, 2019) Photo courtesy of FLW – Boater Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, won the rescheduled T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Rough River Lake presented by Navionics Sunday after catching four bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Campbell earned $5,703 for his win.

“I should have won the BFL tournament on Saturday as well, but I had a few dead fish penalties – it was very hot – and I finished second,” said Campbell, who earned his third BFL victory of the season on Sunday. “I went back out on a mission.

“I started the day targeting early-morning schooling fish by the dam for an hour or so, then I ran up to the North Fork area and flipped flooded willow bushes,” Campbell said. “I caught around 20 fish in that first hour, but there were a lot of little ones. North Fork was a lot tougher, and I only had three or four bites there.”

Campbell said he threw a Heddon Zara Spook and a fluke while targeting the schooling fish, then flipped a green-pumpkin-colored Strike King Rodent and a ½-ounce peanut butter and jelly-colored jig with a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Craw trailer to the willow bushes.

“I think the key to my victory was just capitalizing on the bites that I did get,” Campbell went on to say. “I was around fish, but I only had four or five keeper bites all day. It was tough, it was hot. And it was important that I landed every keeper fish that bit.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

              1^st:          Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, four bass, 7-13, $3,703 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

              2^nd:         Bob Drake, Noblesville, Ind., four bass, 7-4, $1,602

              3^rd:         Bryce Kalen, Greenwood, Ind., two bass, 6-10, $1,401

              4^th:         Matt McCoy, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 6-7, $931

              5^th:         Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., three bass, 6-4, $641

              6^th:         Chris Gable, Hopkinsville, Ky., three bass, 5-14, $646

              7^th:         Jake Morris, McKee, Ky., three bass, 5-7, $451

              8^th:         Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., three bass, 5-6, $405

              9^th:         Jimmy Shepherd, Indianapolis, Ind., four bass, 5-4, $360

              10^th:       Todd Hensley, New Albany, Ind., three bass, 5-3, $315

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Kalen caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.

Ryan Sykes of Hamilton, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $1,547 Sunday after catching four bass weighing 7 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

              1^st:          Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 7-14, $1,547

              2^nd:         Mark Dehart, Brownstown, Ind., four bass, 6-8, $674

              3^rd:         Jordan Loveless, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 5-0, $381

              3^rd:         Gary Critser, Covington, Ind., two bass, 5-0, $526

              5^th:         John Young, Franklin, Ind., three bass, 4-15, $269

              6^th:         Leroy Miller, Napoleon, Ohio, two bass, 4-4, $247

              7^th:         Mark Redman, Pendleton, Ky., two bass, 3-15, $213

              7^th:         Bo Bivins, Evansville, Ind., two bass, 3-15, $213

              9^th:         Michael Dehart, Franklin, Ind., two bass, 3-11, $180

              10^th:       Brant Gish, Evansville, Ind., two bass, 3-10, $157

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship presented by Evinrude on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

GADSDEN, Ala. (July 1, 2019) Photo courtesy of FLW – Boater Andy Kilgore of Kingston, Georgia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Neely Henry. Kilgore pocketed $4,426 for his win in the event and earned 250 points in the Bama Division Angler of the Year (AOY) standings. The winner of the division’s AOY title after five tournaments will win $3,000.

“Everything that I caught on Saturday came flipping,” said Kilgore, who earned his first career BFL victory. “I was fishing grass in the lower lake in around 2-feet of water. I threw a frog around a little bit, but I never did have any blowups. I caught them flipping a beaver-style bait in black and blue and green pumpkin.”

Kilgore said he caught eight fish throughout the day, including a spotted bass that Kilgore joked, “was lost.” He described his key area as a shallow grass flat with a ditch in front of it. He had his boat sitting in four feet of water and was flipping into two feet of water.

“I think the key was the precise location,” he said. “There were other boats fishing around and I guess I just got lucky.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

              1^st:          Andy Kilgore, Kingston, Ga., five bass, 19-7, $4,426

              2^nd:         Terry Fisher, Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 15-15, $1,427

              2^nd:         Kris Colley, Ragland, Ala., five bass, 15-15, $1,427

              4^th:         Adam Brown, Rainbow City, Ala., five bass, 15-14, $799

              5^th:         Kyle Dorsett, Odenville, Ala., five bass, 14-7, $685

              6^th:         Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 13-4, $828

              6^th:         Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 13-0, $571

              8^th:         Kenny Pannell, Springville, Ala., five bass, 12-12, $514

              9^th:         Brent Reaves, Alexander City, Ala., five bass, 12-11, $457

              10^th:       Jeff Kitchens, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 12-10, $500

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Scott Daughtry of Abbeville, Alabama, caught a 6-pound bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $430.

Cameron Isbell of Ashville, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and $1,713 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 10 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

              1^st:          Cameron Isbell, Ashville, Ala., five bass, 10-1, $1,713

              2^nd:         Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., four bass, 10-0, $1,056

              3^rd:         Roman Robinson, Steele, Ala., five bass, 9-10, $571

              4^th:         Marcus Corbett, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 9-9, $571

              4^th:         Matthew Haizel, Dallas, Ga., five bass, 9-9, $371

              6^th:         Lew Moore, Roanoke, Ala., five bass, 9-8, $314

              7^th:         Jacob Davis, Talladega, Ala., five bass, 9-6, $285

              8^th:         Jeremy Carter, Harpersville, Ala., four bass, 9-5, $257

              9^th:         Michael Corbett, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 8-12, $328

              10^th:       Ty Story, Prattville, Ala., five bass, 8-9, $200

Sean Allen of Phenix City, Alabama caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $215.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

HUDDLESTON, Va. (July 1, 2019) Photo courtesy of FLW – Boater Dennis Siggers of Danville, Virginia, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division tournament on Smith Mountain Lake Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce. For his victory, Siggers earned $2,585 for his victory.

“I would say the key to my win was my 30 years of experience on this lake,” said Siggers, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “On Tuesday they filled the lake up, and I saw the bass swimming on the bank lines. So I started working down the bank lines, just throwing a topwater. I knew I’d catch them – I didn’t know that I’d catch 19 pounds – but it all worked out nicely.”

Siggers said he threw a Rebel Pop-R topwater bait until 10:30 a.m., then switched to a green-pumpkin and purple-colored Zoom Trick Worm. 

“I would say that I caught around 10 keepers, and of the five that I brought to the scale, three came on the topwater bait and two came on the Trick Worm. My big one came on the Pop-R,” Siggers went on to say.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

              1^st:          Dennis Siggers, Danville, Va., five bass, 19-1, $2,585

              2^nd:         Dennis Burdette, Pembroke, Va., five bass, 16-11, $1,375

              3^rd:         Rick Hawkins, Roanoke, Va., five bass, 15-7, $784

              4^th:         William Johnson, Moneta, Va., five bass, 14-7, $548

              5^th:         Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 13-15, $720

              6^th:         Trevis Towe, Daleville, La., five bass, 13-12, $531

              7^th:         Ryan Spicer, Narrows, Va., four bass, 13-10, $392

              8^th:         Timothy Kowalewski, Bumpass, Va., five bass, 13-5, $502

              9^th:         Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., four bass, 13-3, $613

              10^th:       Michael Delvisco, Dandridge, Tenn., four bass, 13-1

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Siggers also earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $235 after weighing in a bass totaling 5 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division.

Bobby Rakes of Max Meadows, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,250 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

              1^st:          Bobby Rakes, Max Meadows, Va., five bass, 12-5, $1,250

              2^nd:         Austin Burdette, Pembroke, Va., five bass, 10-14, $625

              3^rd:         J.C. Miller, Washington, Pa., five bass, 9-5, $384

              4^th:         Jarrod Egolf, Frederick, Md., five bass, 8-11, $268

              5^th:         Joshua Dudley, Rustburg, Va., four bass, 8-1, $230

              6^th:         Billy Brown, Dahlgren, Va., two bass, 6-8, $361

              7^th:         David Deciucis, Chester, Va., four bass, 6-1, $192

              8^th:         Anthony Shanz, Selbyville, Del., three bass, 5-9, $272

              9^th:         Guy Maupin, Barboursville, Va., two bass, 5-8, $153

              10^th:       Matt Leicester, Hertford, N.C., three bass, 5-4

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional Championship presented by Navionics on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

WHITTINGTON, Ill. (July 1, 2019) – Boater Derek Jenkel of Pinckneyville, Illinois, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Rend Lake Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 8 ounces. Jenkel earned $4,384 for his victory.

“I was flipping bushes in the mid-lake region,” said Jenkel, who earned his third career win in BFL competition. “I didn’t have a specific bay or creek or anything like that, but I figured out a pattern flipping buck brush and I was able to replicate it in multiple areas.

“Traditionally, the bass on Rend Lake love to be shallow – like fins sticking out of the water ridiculously shallow,” Jenkel continued. “However, they just weren’t there. I figured out that the fish were holding on deeper bushes, which really was odd to me. They were not supposed to be there. But they were, and once I figured that out I was able to apply that in multiple different areas.”

Jenkel said that the fishing was a little slow, as he and his co-angler only had about 13 keeper bites throughout the day. He said he fished six different areas, mainly flipping a watermelon-red-colored Zoom Brush Hog, but also adding one keeper on a Strike King Rage Bug.

“The key, honestly, was figuring out the depth,” Jenkel went on to say. “It had to be bushes in three feet of water.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

              1^st:          Derek Jenkel, Pinckneyville, Ill., five bass, 15-8, $4,384

              2^nd:         Jerry Walker, Zeigler, Ill., five bass, 14-1, $1,767

              3^rd:         Terry Holsapple, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 13-8, $1,077

              4^th:         James Powell, Murphysboro, Ill., five bass, 13-6, $684

              5^th:         Mike Barnes, Mackinaw, Ill., five bass, 12-7, $587

              6^th:         Brad Porter, Bluford, Ill., five bass, 11-15, $538

              7^th:         Ray Cortivo, Troy, Ill., four bass, 11-13, $824

              8^th:         Toby Corn, Calvert City, Ky., five bass, 11-3, $590

              9^th:         James Williams, Neoga, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $366

              9^th:         Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $366

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Cortivo caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $335.

Gabe Campbell of West Frankfort, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $1,602 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

              1^st:          Gabe Campbell, West Frankfort, Ill., four bass, 11-3, $1,602

              2^nd:         Dave Dobill, Royalton, Ill., four bass, 10-12, $721

              3^rd:         Amanda Black, Greenup, Ill., four bass, 9-2, $633

              4^th:         Jacob Greco, Edwardsville, Ill., five bass, 8-12, $336

              5^th:         Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., three bass, 8-8, $488

              6^th:         Tad Cain, La Place, Ill., three bass, 7-4, $264

              7^th:         James Lang, Benton, Ill., three bass, 6-14, $240

              8^th:         Drew Cress, Highland, Ill., two bass, 5-13, $216

              9^th:         Eugene Kim, Lindenhurst, Ill., three bass, 5-9, $230

              9^th:         Jamie Ebbert, Canton, Ill., two bass, 5-9, $230

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

FALLS OF ROUGH, Ky. (July 1, 2019) Photo courtesy of FLW – Boater John Melton of Corydon, Indiana, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Rough River Lake Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces. Melton netted $4,838 for his win.

According to post-tournament reports, Melton caught his limit near the dam, throwing a topwater lure and soft plastics.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

              1^st:          John Melton, Corydon, Ind., five bass, 13-12, $2,838 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

              2^nd:         Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 13-9, $1,734

              3^rd:         Todd Hensley, New Albany, Ind., four bass, 9-10, $1,255

              4^th:         Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 9-10, $805

              5^th:         Rob Flowers, Lawrenceburg, Ind., four bass, 9-2, $718

              6^th:         Jake Morris, McKee, Ky., four bass, 8-6, $520

              7^th:         Jay Ellis, Celina, Ohio, five bass, 7-10, $573

              8^th:         Richard Ison, New Washington, Ind., three bass, 7-6, $426

              9^th:         Scott Bateman, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 7-5, $378

              10^th:       Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., four bass, 6-13, $331

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Campbell caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $315.

Michael Pruitt of Martinsville, Indiana, won the Co-angler Division and $1,374 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

              1^st:          Michael Pruitt, Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 8-9, $1,374

              2^nd:         Roger Seitzinger, Lawrenceville, Ill., three bass, 7-12, $989

              3^rd:         Talmadge Marcum, McKee, Ky., three bass, 6-12, $459

              4^th:         Mike Hamaker, Cicero, Ind., three bass, 6-4, $321

              5^th:         Jordan Loveless, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 5-15, $275

              6^th:         Ronnie Gill, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 5-4, $252

              7^th:         Leroy Miller, Napoleon, Ohio, three bass, 4-8, $229

              8^th:         William Kissinger, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 4-7, $206

              9^th:         James McWhorter, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 4-6, $183

              10^th:       Tim McCue, New Whiteland, Ind., three bass, 4-3, $160

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship presented by Evinrude on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.