June 24, 2019 by FLW Communications
HARRISON TOWSHIP, Mich. – Boaters Kyle Greene of Ortonville, Michigan, and Angel Rosario of Kalamazoo, Michigan, each caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces, to tie for the win at Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division opener on Lake St. Clair. For their efforts, Greene took home $3,376 while Rosario pocketed $5,176 after contingency awards.
“I fished a jerkbait and a tube on the main lake and pretty much the entire lower half of the St. Clair River,” said Greene, who earned his second career win in BFL competition on Lake St. Clair. “I worked scattered weeds in 6 to 10 feet of water on the lake and targeted grass in similar depths on the river. I just bounced around and probably hit 20 places throughout the day.”
Greene said he used a Lucky Craft Pointer 100 jerkbait and a Fiesta Melon-colored Provider tube with a ¼-ounce jig inserted into it.
“I caught over 30 keepers. The sun was crucial – we haven’t had good sunshine for about two months,” Greene went on to say. “It helped me see a little better and positon the fish.”
Rosario said he preferred a Duo Realis Spinbait 90 spybait, and that he caught around 15 keepers throughout the day.
“I fished deeper – around 16 feet of water with a spybait for the most part,” said Rosario, who notched his first win in FLW competition. “It was a half-mile stretch on the north side of the main lake and I was targeting grass. My Humminbird electronics really helped me figure it out.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 23-7, $3,376
1st: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 23-7, $3,176 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
3rd: Tom Beale, St. Clair Shores, Mich., five bass, 22-0, $2,003
4th: Hugh Cosculluela, The Woodlands, Texas, five bass, 21-15, $1,088
5th: Jason Elliott, Warsaw, Ind., five bass, 21-8, $847
6th: Jason Root, Fostoria, Ohio, five bass, 21-5, $776
7th: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., five bass, 21-4, $670
7th: Derwin Thomas, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 21-4, $670
9th: Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 21-2, $529
9th: Steve York, Bronson, Mich., five bass, 21-2, $529
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Beale caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $590.
Craig Fanning of Elwood, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $2,118 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Craig Fanning, Elwood, Ill., five bass, 21-13, $2,118
2nd: Jeffrey Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., five bass, 21-6, $1,059
3rd: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 20-12, $906
4th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 20-6, $544
5th: Nicholas Veselka, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 20-2, $574
6th: Joshua Yeazel, Plymouth, Ind., five bass, 19-14, $388
7th: Greg Medell, Grand Haven, Mich., five bass, 19-8, $353
8th: Andy White, Canton, Mich., five bass, 19-7, $318
9th: Edison Prendi, Fraser, Mich., five bass, 19-6, $282
10th: Robert Keller, Chesterfield, Mich., five bass, 19-4, $247
Thomas Matual of Chicago, Illinois, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $295.
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 lake 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.
