Category: MLF BIG-5

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.

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.

Noraas Earns Co-Angler Title

MARBURY, Md. (July 29, 2019) – Boater Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Virginia, won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division tournament on the Potomac River presented by Navionics after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces. For his day on the water, Crowder earned $4,454.

“I fished a mile or so of a main-river grass line. It was mid-river, about 15 minutes from the boat ramp and was the only place I went,” said Crowder, who earned his fifth career win on the Potomac River in BFL competition – second as a boater. “I just went back and forth all day. Most of the fish were on the edge, dropped off in 4 to 6 feet of water, and I was sitting 6 to 7 of water. It doesn’t fall off really steep – it’s more of a flat. The hydrilla is so thick that when the tide gets low it moves the fish to the edge.

“I had about seven keeper bites. There were 17 or 18 boats on the stretch, but I got the right bites,” continued Crowder. “I caught them on a variety of baits – one on a topwater, one of the big ones on a jig and flipping a couple of different creature baits.”

Crowder’s key baits included a black-colored Spro 65 Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog, a 3/8-ounce, green pumpkin Sooper Bait jig with a 3-inch Mud Puppy craw, and a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin Mud Puppy creature bait.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Kermit Crowder, Matoaca, Va., five bass, 13-12, $2,454 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Barton Wines, Marshall, Va., five bass, 13-7, $1,227

3^rd: Thomas Svec, Chesapeake, Va., five bass, 12-15, $750

4^th: Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., five bass, 12-14, $1,076

5^th: Joe Dixon, Bel Alton, Md., five bass, 12-10, $451

6^th: Travis Lugar, McGaheysville, Va., five bass, 12-3, $413

7^th: Brandon Stapleton, Temperanceville, Va., five bass, 12-2, $357

7^th: Ryan Ingalls, Fairfax, Va., five bass, 12-2, $357

9^th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 11-13

10^th: Josh Willard, Carrollton, Va., five bass, 11-12

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

John Bitter of Maitland, Florida, caught a 4-pound, 8-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $215.

Matthew Noraas of Pamplin, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,227 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Matthew Noraas, Pamplin, Va., five bass, 11-3, $1,227

2^nd: J.C. Miller, Washington, Pa., five bass, 9-8, $613

3^rd: Shawn Huwar, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 9-6, $319

3^rd: Jeff Mellott, Warfordsburg, Pa., five bass, 9-6, $319

5^th: Jamie Newton, Falls Church, Va., five bass, 9-2, $225

6^th: Brad Melton, Manassas, Va., five bass, 8-12, $207

7^th: Chris Jackson, Front Royal, Va., five bass, 8-10, $188

8^th: Costas Melendez, Shenandoah, Va., four bass, 8-8, $169

9^th: Keith Allen, Sumerduck, Va., five bass, 8-4

10^th: Jerry Comperatore, Tarentum, Pa., five bass, 8-1

John Castro of Lorton, Virginia, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $107.

The tournament was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.

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. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina, presented by Navionics. 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 visitFLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outletsat Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

July 20, 2019 by FLW Communications

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – FLW Tour pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces, to lead the event from start to finish and win the three-day Costa FLW Series on Lake Champlain presented by Polaris.

The tournament was the first event of the season for anglers competing in the Costa FLW Series Northern Division presented by Gajo Baits. Thrift’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 57 pounds even was enough to earn him the victory by an 8-ounce margin over second-place angler Edward Levin of Westerville, Ohio, and earn him $89,200.

“I can’t really say this win is any more special than the others – they’re all pretty great – but this event was awesome because it was the first time that I was truly in contention up north,” said Thrift, a 13-time FLW Cup qualifier and considered by many to be the best angler in the world. “I’ve had a couple of chances to win this year and it’s seemed to slip through my fingers, so it’s a really good feeling to get one back.”

Thrift estimated he caught around 60 keepers throughout the three-day event, mainly throwing 4- and 5-inch Damiki Stingers.

“I think I might have weighed in one on a topwater, but the rest came on the Stinger,” Thrift said. “My key colors were watermelon candy and green pumpkin, and I threw it Texas-rigged, wacky-rigged and Neko-rigged with a 1/8-ounce Damiki Neko sinker.

“I was kind of scared, because the first day I caught around 50 bass – 30 to 35 keepers – and I thought I may have caught too many and burned them up,” Thrift continued. “It was calm today, though, so I was able to hit some new stuff today and basically run everything that I had. If it was windy, there is no way I would have won.”

Thrift said that the key to winning the tournament came to him when he realized that he had to comb through the smaller fish.

“I realized pretty early on in the event that I could weed through a bunch of little ones and eventually I’d catch a big one,” Thrift said. “They were not at all grouped up by size. Normally if I caught a bunch of small fish, I’d leave the spot and look for the big fish areas. This week, the big fish were mixed in with the small fish and you just had to keep combing through them to find the big ones.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Champlain finished:

1st: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 57-0, $89,200

2nd: Edward Levin, Westerville, Ohio, 15 bass, 56-9, $17,300

3rd: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 53-7, $12,850

4th: Brandt Tumberg, Moore, S.C., 15 bass, 52-9, $10,750

5th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 15 bass, 52-5, $9,750

6th: Jason Bacon, Nutting Lake, Mass., 15 bass, 52-4, $8,375

7th: Wayne Vaughan, Chester, Va., 15 bass, 51-2, $7,300

8th: Joseph Wood, Westport, Mass., 15 bass, 49-4, $6,600

9th: Casey Smith, Macedon, N.Y., 15 bass, 49-1, $5,300

10th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 48-8, $4,200

A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Wood weighed a 5-pound, 10-ounce largemouth bass Thursday – the heaviest of the tournament in the Pro Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.

Henry McKee of Haddon Heights, New Jersey, won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds, 8 ounces. For his win, McKee took home the top prize package of a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Champlain finished:

1st: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., 15 bass, 47-8, $28,050

2nd: Gary Haraguchi, Antioch, Calif., 15 bass, 46-10, $5,575

3rd: Robert Fulton, Ray, Ohio, 15 bass, 44-2, $4,300

4th: Mark Howard, Mesquite, Texas, 14 bass, 44-1, $3,650

5th: Louis Martinez, Annapolis, Md., 14 bass, 40-11, $3,150

6th: Chad Bushnaq, Buffalo, N.Y., 15 bass, 40-3, $2,650

7th: Michael McNicholas, Allentown, Pa., 14 bass, 39-2, $2,250

8th: Kyle Sabourin, Milton, Vt., 14 bass, 37-0, $1,825

9th: Chad Brousseau, Colchester, Vt., 12 bass, 33-4, $1,530

10th: Pete Dirado, Holland, N.Y., 11 bass, 31-7, $1,290

McKee also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces. He earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.

The Costa FLW Series on Lake Champlain presented by Polaris was hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau. It was the first of three tournaments in the 2019 regular season for Northern Division presented by Gajo Baits anglers. The next tournament for FLW Series anglers will also be in the Northern Division presented by Gajo Baits, the Costa FLW Series at the Potomac River presented by Lowrance, held Aug. 22-24 in Marbury, Maryland. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.

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

July 15, 2019  by FLW Communications

HENRICO, Va. – Boater Bryan Elrod of Mechanicsville, Virginia, won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on the James River after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces. For his efforts, Elrod took home $3,637.

Elrod said he fished on the lower end of the James River.

“I probably fished 8 to 10 different places during the day – all shallow to mid-depth wood in 4 to 6 feet of water,” said Elrod, who earned his fourth win BFL competition – third on the James River. “It’s about a 30 minute run down there [from takeoff] and, for the most part, the areas were within a few miles of each other.

“I targeted crabs on wood, which is what they were feeding on,” continued Elrod. “I was just running the tide, trying to stay with the low water and flipping wood. I did that for as long as we could but by the end of the day the water was high.”

Elrod said his limit came on a Texas-rigged 3½-inch green pumpkin-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw. He said he caught 10 keepers throughout the tournament.

“I have a lot of local knowledge, and I know which pieces of wood can be more productive than others,” said Elrod.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Bryan Elrod, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 16-10, $3,637

 2nd: Austin Burton, Hopewell, Va., five bass, 15-0, $1,868

 3rd: Mike Cherry, Hampton, Va., four bass, 14-12, $1,622

 4th: Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., five bass, 14-9, $1,029

 5th: Rick Tilley, Moneta, Va., five bass, 13-7, $667

 6th: Michael Belter, Reidsville, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $762

 7th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $556

 8th: Otto Hecht, Sneads Ferry, N.C., five bass, 12-11, $501

 9th: Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 12-1, $445

 10th: Chris Brummett, Lynch Station, Va., five bass, 11-12, $389

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Cherry caught a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $410.

Gary Peters of Surveyor, West Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,873 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Gary Peters, Surveyor, W. Va., five bass, 13-0, $1,873

 2nd: Bill Naron, Beaverdam, Va., five bass, 12-13, $834

 3rd: Ernest McIntyre, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 11-14, $558

 4th: Brad Hendrix, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 10-14, $561

 4th: Preston Hale, Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 10-14, $361

 6th: Timothy Kinder, Manassas, Va., five bass, 10-4, $356

 7th: Jamie Newton, Falls Church, Va., three bass, 9-13, $278

 8th: Andre Wynn, Windsor Mill, Md., five bass, 9-8, $236

 8th: Bud Amend, Pleasant Garden, N.C., five bass, 9-8, $386

 10th: David DeCiucis, Chester, Va., four bass, 9-7, $195

Peters also caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $205.

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.

July 15, 2019  by FLW Communications

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Boater Dan Mittlestat of Woodhaven, Michigan, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on Lake St. Clair presented by Navionics Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 7 ounces. Mittlestat netted $6,552 for his win.

“I fished mid-lake in 21 feet of water on Lake St. Clair all day,” said Mittlestat, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “I got one big one early on an umbrella rig – it was about 4½ pounds. I also lost a really big one.”

Mittlestat said he used a Shane’s Baits umbrella rig with 4-inch, Ayu-colored Strike King Rage Swimmers to catch his first one. The rest of his limit came on a Melon or Erie Green-colored Mizmo Baby Tube on a ¼-ounce custom jighead.

“The sun wasn’t high enough to penetrate through the water and there were 2-foot waves – I don’t think they could see the boat,” said Mittlestat. “The waves pulled the mayflies down into the water column and I think they were feeding on them.”

Mittlestat said the bite slowed down by 10:30 a.m. At that time, he said, the sun was high enough to reposition the fish into scattered grass beds. When it was lower, he figured the fish were feeding on the cleaner spots between them.

“I made long casts into the beds because they likely could see the boat and ended up plucking them out one after another,” said Mittlestat. “I’d keep tension on the line, and when I didn’t feel the tube hit the ground, that’s when I knew they had it – they didn’t hit it aggressively.”

Mittlestat said he caught around 25 keepers during the tournament. His biggest fish bit the tube around 11:15 a.m., and ended up being the heaviest of the event. He used a 7-foot, 11-inch iRod Bama Rig Special Heavy rod and 20-pound-test Sunline Super FC Sniper fluorocarbon line.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Dan Mittlestat, Woodhaven, Mich., five bass, 22-7, $4,552 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

 2nd: Cameron Moore, Howe, Ind., five bass, 21-5, $2,021

 3rd: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 20-13, $1,582

 4th: Dominic Ortiz, Midland, Mich., five bass, 20-11, $896

 5th: Ross Rhodes, Paw Paw, Mich., five bass, 20-8, $768

 6th: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 20-6, $704

 7th: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 20-4, $890

 8th: Ron Scharphorn, Grand Haven, Mich., five bass, 20-2, $576

 9th: Jamie Elliott, Warsaw, Ind., five bass, 19-13, $662

 10th: Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 19-6, $448

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mittlestat’s largest fish weighed 5-pounds, 3-ounces and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $510.

Michael Kokoska of Findlay, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,021 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 23 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Michael Kokoska, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 23-5, $2,021

 2nd: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 21-1, $1,010

 3rd: Mike Eldridge, Blairsville, Pa., five bass, 20-11, $641

 4th: Dan O’Neil, Canton, Mich., five bass, 20-7, $448

 5th: Tony Grubb, Ann Arbor, Mich., five bass, 20-4, $384

 6th: Ryan Hochstetler, Shipshewana, Ind., five bass, 19-3, $352

 7th: Craig Fanning, Elwood, Ill., five bass, 19-2, $320

 8th: Jim Betts, Fort Wayne, Ind., five bass, 18-8, $543

 9th: Riley Welch, Beecher, Ill., five bass, 17-15, $256

 10th: Matthew Snyder, Pinckney, Mich., four bass, 17-1, $224

Betts caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $255.

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.

July 15, 2019  by FLW Communications

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – FLW Tour pro Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Champlain presented by Navionics after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces. For his win, Schmitt earned $7,209 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.

Schmitt spent the tournament fishing the north end of the lake in Malletts Bay. He said he ended up weighing a mixed limit – three largemouth and two smallmouth.

“I just ran and checked a lot of stuff that I fished in the Tour event, and a lot of it had gotten better,” said Schmitt, who notched his fifth win in BFL competition. “During the tournament I hit eight spots – I would catch a few on each place and kept it moving.

“I ran some topwater early on some points for smallmouth and got one really good one – a heavy 3-pounder, and then I was just running. They’re heavy on bluegills right now. I was fishing real shallow, inside grass, docks, that kind of thing. There was mixed species up shallow and I would just kind of fancast a Neko rig all around those areas.”

Schmitt’s topwater fish came in on a Bone-colored Heddon Zara Spook. On his Neko rig, he used a green-pumpkin-colored Missile Baits 48 stickbait worm with a 1/0-sized Hayabusa Spin Muscle Guard hook.

“I caught another smallmouth on the Neko rig, just kind of aimlessly fishing some sparse weeds in like 5 to 6 feet of water – I consider it a pretty lucky bite. My game was bluegill largies, though,” said Schmitt. “The key was super light 8-pound-test P-Line Ultimate Fluorocarbon line – the water is clean up there, so long casts and light line was important.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., five bass, 19-10, $5,209 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

 2nd: Brent Heyn, South Hero, Vt., five bass, 18-12, $2,105

 3rd: Cameron Chase, Conway, Mass., five bass, 18-6, $1,886

 4th: Joe Zombek II, Scranton, Pa., five bass, 18-3, $935

 5th: Andrew Bechard, Champlain, N.Y., five bass, 17-15, $768

 5th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 17-15, $768

 7th: Tom Balachvili, Scarsdale, N.Y., five bass, 17-8, $934

 7th: Adam Poplaski, Adams, Mass., five bass, 17-8, $634

 9th: Andrew Heivly, Malvern, Pa., five bass, 17-4, $785

 10th: David Wilder, Middle River, Md., five bass, 17-2, $468

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Chase caught a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $550.

Thomas Dellinger of Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and $2,005 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Thomas Dellinger, Womelsdorf, Pa., five bass, 16-5, $2,005

 2nd: Chad Dorney, Macungie, Pa., five bass, 16-0, $1,002

 3rd: Bradley Petrie, Johnstown, N.Y., five bass, 15-12, $868

 4th: Tony Bellissimo, Chelmsford, Mass., five bass, 15-11, $468

 5th: Casey Gut, Chichester, N.H., five bass, 14-14, $451

 6th: Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., five bass, 14-6, $518

 7th: Alexandre Jelev, Petawawa, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 14-5, $334

 8th: Chris Sanno, Shermans Dale, Pa., five bass, 14-3, $267

 8th: Mark Bilodeau, Burlington, Vt., five bass, 14-3, $267

 8th: John Henning, Lansdale, Pa., five bass, 14-3, $267

Robert Wedding of Welcome, Maryland, 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 $275.

The tournament was hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

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.

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.