CORTLAND, Ohio – Ray Brunner of Hamilton, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 11 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division event on Mosquito Lake. For his victory, Brunner earned $6,082.
“I started out the day fishing a big grass flat, throwing a spook,” said Brunner. “Once the sun came up, I moved out to the outside edges of the bed and had more success. I was using a green pumpkin-colored ½-ounce football head jig and a Lucky Craft deep-diving crankbait. I think I had the most success using the jig, but I definitely caught a few on the crankbait as well. We were fishing anywhere from 8 to 14 feet of water and I caught around 15 fish on the day, with eight or nine keepers. I had around four different weed areas that I was working, and I just rotated around between them.
“I had one day of practice coming into this event,” Brunner continued. “My practice partner actually helped me to key in on the right pattern for this week. I also think that my Lowrance electronics were a huge key to my win. The grass wasn’t really defined very well, but using the down-imaging and the side scan allowed me to find the right areas. I also want to thank Dixie Marine and Ranger Boats.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Curt Fiessinger, Ft. Loramie, Ohio, five bass, 11-1, $2,041
3rd: James Hailstones, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 10-15, $1,362
4th: Nick Prvonozac, Warren, Ohio, five bass, 10-14, $952
5th: Ken Garbe, Loveland, Ohio, five bass, 10-4, $816
6th: Dominic Ragazzine, North Jackson, Ohio, five bass, 9-14, $748
7th: Rich Glavac, Mentor, Ohio, five bass, 9-13, $680
8th: Clint Bissonett, Beavercreek, Ohio, five bass, 9-10, $612
9th: Adam Bayliche, Freedom, Pa., five bass, 9-5, $544
10th: Adam Koch, Grove City, Ohio, four bass, 9-4, $476
Complete results can be found here.
Miller nets co-angler title
Mark Miller of Baltic, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win $2,041 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Jason Wilkins, Weston, Ohio, five bass, 10-4, $1,021
3rd: Ray Philhower, Milford, Ohio, five bass, 9-2, $683
4th: Doug Rode, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 8-13, $476
5th: Robert Hayes, Galloway, Ohio, five bass, 8-10, $408
6th: Mike Jones, Okeana, Ohio, five bass, 8-5, $374
7th: Dave Davenport, Milford, Ohio, five bass, 8-0, $340
8th: Levi Northup, Tipp City, Ohio, five bass, 7-14, $306
9th: Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio., five bass, 7-11, $272
10th: Kenneth Garrison, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 7-4, $238
Complete co-angler results can be found here.
The next BFL Buckeye Division tournament is scheduled for July 14 on the Ohio River in Maysville, Ky. After the fifth Buckeye Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 11-13 Regional Championship on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Ky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
About FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.
