Brandon Gann of Sparta, Wis., weighed a three-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River at La Crosse. For his victory, Gann earned $4,472.
Gann said he caught a smallmouth that weighed more than 5 pounds in practice, and kept rolling with more than a 4-pound average for his first-place limit during the tournament.
“I found two main river points in practice, and I fished them the whole tournament,” said Gann. “I cast my jig onto the upstream side of the point, and the fish would bite when I dragged it off the lip and into the trough.”
The Sparta Wisconsin pro also caught the big bass of the tournament, a 5-3 smallmouth. “When I caught her, I knew I had a good chance to win,” said Gann.
Gann said he used a watermelon/green pumpkin Yank ‘Em jig tipped with a Gene Larew Biffle Bug to catch his fish. “I had the fish I weighed in by 10:30. After that, I just started working my way back down so I’d be close to the weigh-in.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
| 2nd: | Travis Brueggen | Cashton, Wis. | three bass | 12-3 | $2,236 |
| 3rd: | Tom Howland | Riceville, Iowa | three bass | 11-13 | $1,492 |
| 4th: | Jesse Kassera | Sparta, Wis. | three bass | 10-6 | $968 |
| 4th: | Darren Zumach | Onalaska, Wis. | three bass | 10-6 | $968 |
| 6th: | Dan McGary | Tomah, Wis. | three bass | 10-5 | $782 |
| 6th: | Clayton Reitz | Morton, lll. | three bass | 10-5 | $782 |
| 8th: | Jesse Wolfe | Nelson, Wis. | three bass | 10-1 | $671 |
| 9th: | Mike Brueggen | La Crosse, Wis. | three bass | 10-0 | $559 |
| 9th: | Jimmy Johnson | La Crosse, Wis. | three bass | 10-0 | $559 |
Mitchell Booth of Boyceville, Wis., weighed a three-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win $2,236 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
| 2nd: | Randy Warner | Elmwood, Ill. | three bass | 10- | $1,118 |
| 3rd: | Jason Brenic | Sussex, Wis. | three bass | 9-12 | $745 |
| 4th: | Ben Rockey | Milwaukee, Wis. | three bass | 8-13 | $522 |
| 5th: | Jared Greninger | Rockford, Ill. | three bass | 8-3 | $447 |
| 6th: | Nick Zimbauer | Eau Claire, Wis. | three bass | 8-2 | $410 |
| 7th: | Ted Joyce | Ixonia, Wis. | three bass | 7-15 | $316 |
| 7th: | Matt Knox | Washington, Ill. | three bass | 7-15 | $316 |
| 7th: | Dan McAdams | Nekoosa, Wis. | three bass | 7-15 | $316 |
| 7th: | Paul Vonwald | La Crosse, Wis. | three bass | 7-15 | $316 |
The next BFL Great Lakes Division tournament is scheduled for August 24 on the Mississippi River in Prairie Du Chien, Wis. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 Regional Championship on Kentucky/Barkley lakes in Gilbertsville, 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 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: Jody White, Communications Specialist / FLW Outdoors
