Mitchell wins co-angler title
unds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Patoka. For his victory, Abplanalp earned $5,541.
“I did a lot of homework to prepare for this tournament,” said Abplanalp, a 12-year BFL Hoosier division veteran with 10 career top-10 finishes. “There are a lot of talented anglers out here so being well-prepared is key.”
Abplanalp said he pulled into his first spot around 6:45 a.m. and caught two fish.
“That spot was only about two minutes from the takeoff ramp,” said Abplanalp. “I liked the way the weeds were setting up so I began targeting fish in the 7 to 13 foot depths.
“My bait of choice was a plum- or watermelon-colored Zoom Baits ‘Ol Monster Worm,” continued Ablpanalp. “I would also throw a football-head jig here and there, but my main fish came on the Zoom worm.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Michael Abplanalp, Cleves, Ohio, five bass, 16-6, $4,541 + $1,000 Mercury Bonus
2nd: Scott Spayd, Ferdinand, Ind., five bass, 14-12, $2,270
3rd: Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, four bass, 14-1, $1,514
4th: Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky., five bass, 13-10, $1,060
5th: Rich Fye, Galveston, Ind., four bass, 12-14, $908
6th: Kevin Tschudy, Batavia, Ohio, four bass, 12-6, $833
7th: Nick Teeters, Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 12-4, $757
8th: David Helming Jr., Celestone, Ind., four bass, 10-14, $681
9th: Ronald Nutter, Newark, Ohio, three bass, 10-11, $605
10th: Garry Kincaid, Martinsville, Ind., three bass, 10-3, $530
John Voyles of Petersburg, Indiana, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 9 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $660.
Kenny Mitchell of Franklin, Ohio, weighed in four bass totaling 9 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win $2,193 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Kenny Mitchell, Franklin, Ohio, four bass, 9-11, $2,193
2nd” Matt Orschell, Lawrenceburg, Ind., three bass, 9-4, $1,096
3rd: Mark Dehart, Brownstown, Ind., three bass, 8-4, $730
4th: Mike Rosemeyer, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 8-2, $512
5th: Andrew Matuszak, Montgomery, Ind., three bass, 8-0, $439
6th: Robert Sherron, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 6-10, $402
7th: Justin Clift, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 6-2, $365
8th: Rod Yoder, West Lafayette, Ind., two bass, 6-0, $329
9th: Ronnie Constant, Muncie, Ind., two bass, 5-12, $292
10th: Aaron Clayton, Hanover, Ind., two bass, 5-7, $256
Rosemeyer caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $310.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 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 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW 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 2015 over the course of 240 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.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
