Vanover wins co-angler title
Dan Fry of Marysville, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division event on Mosquito Lake. For his victory, Fry earned $3,641 plus a $2,000 Ranger Cup bonus.
The severe storms that were supposed to take place on Saturday never developed, however, the wind was heavy and the fishable areas of Mosquito Lake were limited according to Fry. He stayed on the west side of the lake and tried to fish “where others weren’t”.
“I jumped around a lot from the ramp, north to the bridge,” said Fry. “Everyone knew the fish were in pockets and the trick was to find places where others weren’t fishing. I was targeting grass and other vegetation just outside the pockets with buzzbaits, tubes and worms.
“I got my limit using a buzzbait, but then I was able to upgrade with one I caught on a tube and one I got on a worm,” continued Fry. “You can catch little fish all you want on Mosquito Lake, but it’s hard to get those decent sized bass.”
Fry’s game plan going into the tournament was to use topwater baits. He knew that he would have fewer bites with the topwater baits, but he also knew the bites that he did get would be better quality.
“It was hard sticking to my game plan,” added Fry. “I was watching guys all around me catch fish after fish, but I stuck with my original plan and it worked.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd Lucas Allen New Wilmington, Pa. five bass 9-13 $1,820
3rd: Andrew Berger Clinton, Ohio five bass 9-10 $1,214
4th: David Spivey Hamilton, Ohio five bass 9-7 $850 plus $300 Evinrude bonus
5th: Donald Jason Medina, Ohio five bass 9-5 $728
6th: Jim Lovelace Liberty Township, Ohio five bass 9-3 $668
7h: Christopher Miller Twinsburg, Ohio five bass 8-11 $576
7th: Keith Wheelock Beaver Creek, Ohio five bass, 8-11 $576
9th: Ronald O’Farrell Akron, Ohio five bass 8-9 $485
10th: Jay Ellis, Celina Ohio five bass 8-6 $425
Gary Vanover of Cincinnati, Ohio, weighed five bass totaling 10 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division. Vanover earned $1,820 for his victory.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Mike Otto , Kettering, Ohio five bass 9-1 $910
3rd: Jeremie Barker Middletown, Ohio five bass 9-0 $607
4th: Brent Jones Okeana, Ohio five bass 8-7, $425
5th: J.R. Selke, Springboro, Ohio, five bass, 8-1 $364
6th: Daniel Bancroft Canfield, Ohio five bass 7-15 $334
7th: Greg Bierman Cincinnati, Ohio five bass 7-14 $303
8th: Ron Feits New Brighton, Pa. five bass 7-12 $273
9th: Nathan Roush Delaware, Ohio five bass 7-6 $243
10th: Heath Rogers Monroe, Ohio five bass 7-4 $212
The next BFL Buckeye Division tournament is scheduled for July 13 on the Ohio River-Tanner’s Creek in Lawrenceburg, Ind. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 Regional Championship on Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md. 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. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27-29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. 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 anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit the FLWOutdoors website and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.
By: Julie Huber,
