Sickle wins co-angler title
David Lauer of McConnelsville, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division tournament of 2015 on the Ohio River. For his victory, Lauer earned $6,289.
According to tournament reports, Lauer caught his fish by targeting shallow areas in creeks using a swimbait and a jig.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, five bass, 12- 5, $3,289 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus + $1,000 Mercury Bonus
2nd: Ronald Nutter, Newark, Ohio, five bass, 6-12, $1,644
3rd: Tom Uber, Columbus, Ohio, five bass, 5-7, $1,097
4th: Neal Ramsey, Harrison, Ohio, three bass, 5-2, $767
5th: Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, three bass, 4-13, $658
6th: Bob Otto, Beavercreek, Ohio, two bass, 4-2, $603
7th: Bret Languell, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 3-15, $520
7th: Clyde McNaron, Trenton, Ohio, three bass, 3-15, $520
9th: Mike Arnold, Batavia, Ohio, three bass, 3-9, $438
10th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 3-4, $364
Lauer also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $395.
Jeff Sickles of Hamilton, Ohio, weighed in two bass totaling 6 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to win $1,644 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jeff Sickles, Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 6-3, $1,644
2nd: Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, five bass, 5-9, $822
3rd: Brock Spencer, Waynesfield, Ohio, two bass, 4-6, $549
4th: James Mayle, Newark, Ohio, two bass, 4-1, $356
4th: Logan Willoughby, New Philadelphia, Ohio, three bass, 4-1, $356
6th: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 3-10, $301
7th: Nicole Foor, Hagerstown, Ind., one bass, 3-4, $274
8th: Seth Fricke, Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 3-3, $233
8th: Gerald Shaw, Pendleton, Ind., two bass, 3-3, $233
10th: Daniel Hurst, Troy, Ohio, two bass, 3-2, $192
Sickles also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $197.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. 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
