Month: August 2019

Categories
MLF BIG-5

ORTONVILLE’S GREENE WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON LAKE ST. CLAIR

August 5, 2019  by FLW Communications

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Boater Kyle Greene of Ortonville, Michigan, took top honors at Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on Lake St. Clair after catching five bass weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces. Greene took home $5,753 for his win.

“I was fishing the Canadian side of the lake in 16 to 22 feet of water, throwing a tube and a drop-shot rig and I caught over 50 keepers,” said Greene, who earned his third career victory in BFL competition on Lake St. Clair – second in 2019. “I had a 2-mile radius that had little sweet spots here and there, with  a mixture of sand and grass.”

Greene said he used a 4-inch, Fiesta Melon-colored Provider Tackle Tube – the same bait that helped him win the BFL tournament on Lake St. Clair in June – and various 3-inch Berkley Gulp! Minnow Baits on a drop-shot rig, adding that he weighed all smallmouth. He rigged the baits on Lew’s CXP40 Spinning reels and Dobyns DX 743SF Spinning rods.

“There was no rhyme or reason [to my drop-shots] – I’d catch one on one kind of [Gulp!] bait and one on another,” said Greene. “I rotated between the tube and drop-shot to change it up when they weren’t biting. It was a little slow at first, but it picked up from 9:30 [a.m.] to 1 [p.m.]. It was a great day out there.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 23-7, $3,753 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

 2nd: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 22-8, $2,632

 3rd: William Cisler, Delton, Mich., five bass, 22-6, $1,007

 3rd: Gary Solomon, Clinton Township, Mich., five bass, 22-6, $1,007

 5th: Troy Stokes, Brownstown, Mich., five bass, 22-3, $711

 6th: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 21-15, $651

 7th: Cameron Moore, Howe, Ind., five bass, 21-3, $592

 8th: Amon Jay Troyer, Millersburg, Ind., five bass, 20-14, $533

 9th: Jeremy Antrup, Fremont, Ind., five bass, 20-13, $474

 10th: Brad Ballew, Macomb Township, Mich., five bass, 20-8, $415

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Dobson caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $455.

Jeremy Pinkowski of Oak Forest, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $2,127 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Jeremy Pinkowski, Oak Forest, Ill., five bass, 21-15, $2,127

 2nd: Austin Freed, Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 21-7, $888

 3rd: Larry Salisbury, Oxford, Mich., five bass, 21-4, $742

 4th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 21-0, $385

 4th: Jim Stone, Greenwood, Ind., five bass, 21-0, $385

 6th: Mark Saunders, Valley City, Ohio, five bass, 20-12, $326

 7th: Tom Stark, Angola, Ind., five bass, 20-8, $281

 7th: Gordon Reilly, Indianapolis, Ind., five bass, 20-8, $281

 9th: Kendra Mueller, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 19-15, $222

 9th: Alex Redwine, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 19-15, $222

Bill Deverny of Wellston, Michigan, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $227.

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 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Buchanan, Tennessee, presented by Evinrude. 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.

Categories
MLF BIG-5

PENNSYLVANIA’S BUCK WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON ONEIDA LAKE

August 5, 2019  by FLW Communications

BREWERTON, N.Y. – FLW Tour pro Grae Buck of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on Oneida Lake Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces. For his win, Buck earned $5,471 and 250 points in the Northeast Division presented by Gajo Baits standings. The winner of the division’s Angler of the Year title after five tournaments will win $3,000.

“I was working in 8 to 12 feet of water and targeting areas that had a mix of rock and grass,” said Buck, who earned his fourth career win in BFL competition – second on Oneida Lake. “I ran around and probably hit 20 different spots. I never found a school – I was plucking them off here and there. There are a bunch of small perch fry in those areas right now, so I was looking for the bait and matching the hatch.”

Buck said he used a Tennessee Shad-colored and Purple-colored Cornerstone Baits Shimmy Shot on a drop-shot rig with a No. 2 Hayabusa DSR 132 hook and a ¼-ounce Eco Pro Tungsten Full Contact Drop Shot weight. His line was 18-pound-test Gliss Supersmooth Monotex Yellow Line, with a 12-inch, 8-pound-test Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon leader. Buck’s setup was rigged on Dobyns DX 703SF Champion Extreme rods and Ardent C-Force 3000 reels.

“I caught all of my fish on the Shimmy Shot – probably 15 or so total. It’s got a piece of foil on the belly which gives it a little extra glimmer,” said Buck. “When I casted out there I’d let it sit on the bottom, and then let the slack out without moving the rig. It was a subtle bite, but I could see the line start moving away. They’re finicky when they are eating perch fry.”

Buck also credited his Lowrance HDS electronics and Navionics chip with helping him identify productive areas around the lake with ease, and said all of the fish he weighed were smallmouth.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 16-13, $5,471

 2nd: Andrew Heivly, Malvern, Pa., five bass, 16-8, $2,486

 3rd: Mandel Pettus, Rocky Point, N.Y., five bass, 16-5, $1,424

 4th: Ed Casey, Whiteford, Md., five bass, 15-12, $997

 5th: Michael Cooper, Sellersville, Pa., five bass, 15-10, $854

 6th: Robert Parmer, Linden, Pa., five bass, 15-1, $783

 7th: Trevor Topken, Warwick, N.Y., five bass, 15-0, $712

 8th: Joe LaBarbera, Montrose, Pa., five bass, 14-11, $641

 9th: Chris Caravan, Pottsville, Pa., five bass, 14-6, $569

 10th: Nick Diamandas Jr., Oak Ridge, N.J., five bass, 14-5, $498

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Tyler Morgan of Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 9 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $595.

Steve Cram of Williamstown, New Jersey, won the Co-angler Division and $2,100 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Steve Cram, Williamstown, N.J., five bass, 16-0, $2,100

 2nd: Jeff Straka, Kenmore, N.Y., five bass, 15-7, $1,342

 3rd: Greg Rzeplinski, Wellsville, Pa., five bass, 15-1, $701

 4th: Jacob Weisman, Indian Head, Md., five bass, 14-10, $590

 5th: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., five bass, 14-3, $470

 6th: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., five bass, 14-2, $535

 7th: Jeff Morton, Baldwinsville, N.Y., five bass, 13-9, $350

 8th: Dylan Boyle, Coopersburg, Pa., five bass, 13-0, $315

 9th: Chris Sanno, Shermans Dale, Pa., five bass, 12-12, $280

 10th: Chad Bushnaq, Buffalo, N.Y., five bass, 12-0, $345

Straka caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $252.

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 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. 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.

Categories
BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

WISCONSIN’S TEIGEN SOLVES CHANGING MISSISSIPPI RIVER FOR BASSMASTER CENTRAL OPEN WIN

LA CROSSE, Wis. —

The Mississippi River delivered two surprises to Devin Teigen, who won the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open with a three-day total weight of 43 pounds, 3 ounces. The most significant delivery was the opportunity for the Nelson, Wis., angler to hold a first-place trophy in the first B.A.S.S. event he ever fished.

“It feels like a dream; can somebody pinch me?” Teigen said. “I never saw this coming.”

En route to claiming the win, Teigen had to reckon with changing river conditions that required a new game plan. After several weeks of high water, the Mississippi lost about 3 1/2 feet since the weekend prior to the tournament. This repositioned fish and shook up several of the patterns that had been working in the higher conditions.

“A week and a half ago, I felt pretty good with smallmouth stuff — until I saw the forecast for the river dropping,” he said. “The first day, I was going to run it and see what happened and I literally caught five smallmouth before 7:30. Luckily, four were good ones.”

Day 2, the river proved less generous and, with no fish in his livewell at 11 o’clock, Teigen shifted gears to a largemouth pattern — throwing frogs into shallow vegetation. Quickly securing three keepers in Pool 7, he returned to Pool 8 and finished his limit.

“I ran that pattern today and caught 15 keepers,” Teigen said. “They were all good quality fish. I only weighed one fish because the first four that I flipped into the boat, I thought they were all over 3 pounds.”

Teigen caught his winning fish on a Spro Bronzeye frog. He threw frogs with white, yellow and darker bellies, with the lighter baits producing most of his bites. Teigen fished a 7-6 heavy rod with braided line.

Teigen placed ninth on Day 1 with 13-15 and held that same spot a day later by adding 12-7. Adding 16-13 — the tournament’s heaviest bag — on Day 3 sealed the deal. Admittedly, a big loss earlier in the day had Teigen concerned he may have seen his opportunity wither.

“I started the day with three frog rods on my deck and after two hours, I had one left,” he said. “I messed up the reel on one and with the second one, I threw into a little pocket in the duck weed, the fish boiled on it one time and I could see it was a good one, so I threw back in there.

“He smoked the frog and when I gave it to him, my rod blew up in three places. It broke right at the reel seat, so I had no way to fight the fish. I tried pulling it in with my hand and it came off.”

Fortunately, Teigen amassed enough weight to secure the victory and a $39,600 prize by an 11-ounce margin.

Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wis., finished second with 42-8. He placed 15th on Day 1 with a limit of 13-9 and rose to fourth the next day by adding 14-15. Capping his performance with 14 pounds pushed him up two more spots.

Brueggen caught his bass on a 1/4-ounce white swim jig with a boot-tail trailer and a variety of topwater frogs. The week’s changing conditions pulled the fish out of more accessible areas, but Brueggen said he still had to mind his stealth.

“I had to stay away, cast far and get them to react to the moving bait,” he said. “I spooled the reel every time. Speed was key, but it’s hard not to tight-line them when they bite, so it was kind of a fine line.”

After leading for two days, Wes Logan of Springville, Ala., finished third with 42-4. After catching his fish on a 5/8-ounce Dirty Jigs Scott Canterbury Flipping Jig, Logan switched to a frog today when he realized his big-fish bait was unproductive.

“When I got bit today, it was a 2-pounder instead of a 3- or 4-pounder like the last two days,” he said. “I knew I probably couldn’t win the tournament on a frog, but I had to make sure I didn’t fall on my face. I thought I could catch some 2-pounders and I finally caught five.”

Kenta Kimura of Osaka, Japan, won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with a 5-8.

Fernando, Lobato of Sparta, Wis., won the co-angler division with 20-8. His daily weights of 7-1, 6-11 and 6-12 earned him a $19,800 first prize.

“I think the key was that I practiced for this tournament by watching were I saw the pros practicing,” Lobato said. “I would go fish right behind them and try to figure out how to get bites behind them.

“I found a couple of baits that would get those extra bites. I fished a Zoom Speed Craw on the back of a 1/4-ounce swim jig and on a Carolina rig. I think that smaller profile was key.”

Thaddaeus Vettrus of Chippewa Falls, Wis., won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-4.

The event was hosted by Explorelacrosse.com

Categories
BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens Uncategorized

LOGAN HOLDS LEAD AT BASSMASTER CENTRAL OPEN FOR SECOND STRAIGHT DAY

LA CROSSE, Wis. —

Wes Logan of Springville, Ala., backed up his Day 1 leading weight of 16 pounds, 10 ounces with a Day 2 catch of 15-3 to maintain the top spot at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open on the Mississippi River with a two-day total of 31-13.

“I had the chance to have a really big bag today, but I had some missed opportunities,” Logan said after losing a bass he estimated at 5 pounds Friday. “I’m still not getting many bites; I only caught eight or nine fish today.”

Weighing a mixed bag of smallmouth and largemouth, Logan said the key to his success has been targeting areas of strong current, where fish are staking out feeding spots near water-deflecting structures. He caught his fish from three different spots within an area about 2 to 3 miles long, but could not locate the optimal scenario elsewhere.

“I weighed in three of today’s fish from the same stretch where I caught two or three fish yesterday,” Logan said. “I hope it keeps replenishing.

“I tried to expand on my area today in case I make it to the final day, but it just doesn’t set up the same,” he said. “I came back to my area and caught a 3-pounder, so I guess I’m going to bunker in there tomorrow and fish it for all it’s worth.

The same mix of reaction baits and slower presentations Logan used on Day 1 produced again today. The biggest difference was that he got by on one trolling motor battery.

The current in his area is so strong Logan is unable to drift fish his spots. The most effective technique — using his Minn Kota Ultrex to hold himself in the flow — drained one of his Day 1 trolling motor batteries.

“I got up twice last night to put a single charger on my batteries, while my main charger was running to make sure they got as full as they could.”

Logan said he enjoyed his better action in the morning. The bite seemed to die around noon, with another afternoon flurry.

“They’re biting everywhere, but I think they set up better where you can catch them later in the day,” Logan said.

As for his Day 3 expectations, Logan had this to say: “I’m just looking for five bites; I’m not going to catch 40.”

Kyle Dorsett of Odenville, Ala., is in second place with 29-3. His daily weights of 14-9 and 14-10 were the event’s most consistent, but Dorsett said his catches are simply a result of grinding.

“I think I have a couple of areas that have some fish, and I’m just putting my head down and fishing,” he said. “There were a lot of boats in my area today, so I had to make a little adjustment. I caught three of the ones I weighed in today differently than I caught them yesterday.

“I have a little deal figured out how I can catch them on a topwater. It’s not really obvious; it took me five days of practice to figure it out.”

John Engler of Vinton, Iowa, is in third place with 28-12. After weighing 12-12 on Day 1, he turned in a significantly stronger Day 2 performance with a 16-pound limit — the day’s biggest bag.

“I went to Pool 9 today; yesterday I stayed on Pool 8,” Engler said. “Pool 9 just offered new water for me; Pool 8 got beaten up pretty bad all week with a lot of boats and I just wanted to get away from them.

“It wasn’t a fast bite. It was one here, one there. I was flipping points and grass banks.”

Kenta Kimura of Livingston, Texas, is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-8.

John Goebel of Lumberton, Texas, leads the co-angler division with 14-0. Adding 6-6 to his 7-10 from Day 1, he described a slow, grind that yielded only three bites.

“Fortunately, I was able to fish clean today,” Goebel said. “The plan was to go down to Pool 7 today, but the traffic didn’t allow us to make that run. It was a tough day for me, but I was able to get three decent fish. I caught all of my fish on a finesse rig over shell beds.”

Thaddaeus Vettrus of Chippewa Falls, Wis., holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-4.

Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. CT at Veterans Freedom Park. The Top 12 remaining anglers will weigh in back at the park at 2 p.m.

The event is hosted by Explorelacrosse.com.

Categories
BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

ALABAMA ANGLER LOGAN TAKES LEAD AT BASSMASTER CENTRAL OPEN ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER

LA CROSSE, Wis. —

Wes Logan of Springville, Ala., found a falling Mississippi River presenting a very different scenario than he saw in practice. But adjusting to the conditions allowed him to catch a five-bass limit of 16 pounds, 10 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open.

“I was just blessed today; I wasn’t on anything, but I’d get a bite and it would be a 3-pounder,” he said.

With the river dropping significantly since the weekend, Logan said he struggled to find consistency. Doing so required him to leverage the flow — without much company.

“I got here on Saturday and started practicing, and I think it’s dropped 3 1/2 feet since Saturday,” he said. “Obviously, it’s the Mississippi River, so you catch them on a frog, but most of those places are dry ground now.

“This really screwed up my plan from practice, so I just went on a whim. I think I figured something out, but I think it’s more that I got into an area without a lot of boat pressure. When the water fell, there are only so many places they’re going to get on and those places are getting pounded.”

Logan said he’s looking for the hardest current he can find. Moving water always bodes well for bass anglers, but the extremely swift areas, he said, delivered the biggest bites.

“I only had seven bites, but it seems to me that you got better quality bites,” Logan said. “Tomorrow, I could get two or three bites. But if I get one, I think it will be a better-quality fish.”

Efficiency and proper presentation can be challenging when fishing heavy current, but Logan made sure he was properly prepared for a day of water resistance.

“The key is a good trolling motor battery,” he said. “I took an extra one for my Minn Kota Ultrex and switched it over about 1 o’clock. At home on the Coosa River, sometimes you can drift with it, but here it’s way too hard to float with it because you’re flying too fast.

“You have to go against it and most people’s batteries have been done by 11-12 o’clock, and then you’re dead in the water.”

Logan said he caught fish on reaction baits and plastics. Neither option outperformed the other, but Logan noted that he determined a color preference.

“If the bait just happens to flow in front of a fish’s face, he’ll bite it,” he said. “I fished five places and got one of my keepers per spot.”

Kenta Kimura of Livingston, Texas, is in second place with 15-1. He said he started out fishing the same types of banks most of the field is targeting. But his day came together quickly once he figured out a key adjustment.

“About 10 o’clock, I moved a little farther off the bank,” Kimura said. “I think because the water level dropped, the bigger ones moved offshore. I know what I have to do tomorrow.”

Kimura said he caught his fish on a mix of swimbaits, Texas-rigged worms and a 3/8-ounce jig with a chunk trailer.

Kazuki Kitajama of Orlando, Fla., is in third place with 14-15. He said he dealt with the changing water level by staying in Pool 8 and picking apart the area he knew.

“I caught my fish on a frog over grass in an area with a little bit of current,” he said. “I caught fish all day; I got about 10 keepers.”

Kimura is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with a 5-8.

Howard Lee of Brooklyn Park, Minn., leads the co-angler division with 9-12. He caught all of his fish on the hand-tied swim jigs he makes. Lee used a variety of trailers and fished banks with grass.

“When we got into areas of current, smallies will sit in or near that current,” he said. “Slow, lift, slow was the best retrieve.”

Thaddaeus Vettrus of Chippewa Falls, Wis., holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-4.

Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. CT at Veterans Freedom Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 2 p.m.

The event is hosted by Explorelacrosse.com.