Spencer wins co-angler title
Dennis Berhorst of Holts Summit, Missouri, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Truman. For his victory, Berhorst earned $5,963.
Berhorst said he spent his day targeting two different areas of the lake in the Osage Arm.
“First I focused on flat banks, that were littered with grass, at the end of bluff lines in 10 feet of water,” said Berhorst. “I used a black Omega Alpha Shad Buzzbait and was able to catch five keepers in the first hour.”
After the sun came out, Berhorst said he switched techniques to flipping willow bushes in 5- to 6-foot depths using a creature bait similar to a Zoom Brush Hog.
“What I used was a bit skinnier than a Brush Hog and it did really well,” said Berhorst. “Three of the fish I weighed in came from the bushes including a 4- and a 5-pounder.”
Berhorst said he caught approximately 11 keepers over the course of the tournament.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 16-12, $3,963 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: David Ryan, Levasy, Mo., five bass, 14-6, $1,981
3rd: Ron McLain, Independence, Mo., five bass, 13-9, $1,322
4th: Todd Knaack, Lawson, Mo., five bass, 13-1, $925
5th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., five bass, 12-9, $793
6th: B.J. Davis, Mountain Home, Ark., five bass, 12-7, $727
7th: Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 12-6, $660
8th: Doyle Isom Jr., Bourbon, Mo., five bass, 12-2, $594
9th: Brett Govreau, House Springs, Mo., five bass, 11-7, $528
10th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 10-1, $462
Fitzpatrick caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $535.
Josh Spencer of Saint Charles, Missouri, weighed in three bass totaling 8 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $1,981 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Josh Spencer, Saint Charles, Mo., three bass, 8-15, $1,981
2nd: Dewey Larson, Fayetteville, Ark., three bass, 7-13, $991
3rd: Dennis Spell, Bonne Terre, Mo., two bass, 7-6, $662
4th: Judd Weible, Desloge, Mo., three bass, 7-5, $462
5th: Rob Bueltmann, Osage Beach, Mo., two bass, 6-1, $396
6th: Mark Anderson, Nixa, Mo., three bass, 6-0, $363
7th: Bobbie Green, Lees Summit, Mo., two bass, 5-7, $313
7th: Frank Williams, Saint Charles, Mo., two bass, 5-7, $313
9th: Tom O’ Connor, Eureka, Mo., two bass, 4-15, $264
10th: Sam Bremmerkamp, Joplin, Mo., two bass, 4-14, $231
Spell caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $267.
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
