Hayward wins co-angler title
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (July 18, 2016) – Kyle Greene of Ortonville, Michigan, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds even Saturday to win the second FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament of 2016 on Lake St. Clair. For his victory, Greene took home $6,155.
Greene said he spent his day on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, targeting scattered weeds. He said he moved along a 300-yard stretch and fished in 6 to 10 feet of water.
“I used two baits – a Fiesta Melon-colored PROvider Performance Series Tube and a natural-colored swimbait,” said Greene, who earned the first win of his FLW career. “The weed patches had holes in the middle of them. I casted the swimbait up into the weeds and reeled it in slow, or let the tube lay on the bottom.
“I caught a 5-pounder on the swimbait to start things out, but the tube did the rest of the damage,” Greene continued. “I ended up catching nearly 40 keepers throughout the event.”
Green said he had most of his winning weight by 9:30 a.m.
“Over the past few years I’ve had strong finishes at BFL events, but have never won,” said Greene, who started fishing BFL events in 1995. “This feels pretty good. I guess it was my time.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 23-0, $4,155 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Tim Rachoy, Crown Point, Ind., five bass, 21-15, $2,078
3rd: Dan Mason, Pain Court, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 21-1, $1,953
4th: Tony Hansen, Vermontville, Mich., five bass, 20-0, $970
5th: Frank Novock, Rockwood, Mich., five bass, 19-14, $831
6th: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., five bass, 19-4, $762
7th: Steve Clapper, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 19-1, $693
8th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 19-0, $888
8th: Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, five bass, 19-0, $588
10th: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 18-13, $485
Mason caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $570.
Jason Hayward of Plainwell, Michigan, weighed in five bass totaling 23 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,363.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jason Hayward, Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 23-4, $2,363
2nd: Mike Raber, Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 19-10, $1,039
3rd: Brian Ruetz, Toledo, Ohio, five bass, 19-3, $691
4th: Paul Porento, Highland, Ind., five bass, 18-8, $450
4th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 18-8, $450
6th: Mark Lyons, Marion, Ind., five bass, 17-13, $381
7th: Mark Saunders, Medina, Ohio, five bass, 17-8, $346
8th: Jeff Napier, Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 17-7, $312
9th: Garry Lloyd, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., five bass, 17-4, $277
10th: Bill Dodge, Laingsburg, Mich., four bass, 17-2, $242
Hayward also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $285.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C 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 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
