Camdenton’s Strohkirch Takes Co-angler Title
Local angler Marcus Sykora of Osage Beach, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 37 pounds, 14 ounces. For his victory, Sykora earned $7,071.
According to post-tournament reports, Sykora caught his fish in 14 feet of water near mid-lake brush piles using an unnamed crankbait and a Zoom Brush Hog.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 37-14, $7,071
2nd: Roger Cook, Lebanon, Mo., 10 bass, 36-8, $3,436
3rd: Adam Boehle, Warrenton, Mo., 10 bass, 35-9, $2,796
4th: Greg Glandt, Fenton, Mo., 10 bass, 35-1, $1,603
5th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 34-1, $1,374
6th: David McCormick, Lee’s Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 32-15, $1,360
7th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 32-5, $1,145
8th: Mark Tucker, Kirkwood, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2, $1,031
9th: Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2, $916
10th: Bob Bueltmann, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 31-9, $802
Boehle caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $506.
Aaron Strohkirch of Camdenton, Missouri, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 28 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,436.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Aaron Strohkirch, Camdenton, Mo., eight bass, 28-1, $3,436
2nd: Reid Kesel, Bonnots Mill, Mo., 10 bass, 27-1, $1,918
3rd: Ray Larson, Springfield, Ill., 10 bass, 23-1, $1,195
4th: Nathan Portell, Festus, Mo., nine bass, 22-11, $802
5th: Charles Frick, Saint Louis, Mo., eight bass, 19-2, $687
6th: Jordan Williams, Oak Grove, Mo., eight bass, 19-1, $630
7th: Stephen Delgado, Lee’s Summit, Mo., eight bass, 18-13, $573
8th: Brandon Hecker, Camdenton, Mo., six bass, 17-15, $515
9th: Ernie Wooten, New London, Mo., eight bass, 17-12, $458
10th: Taylor Harris, Paola, Kan., seven bass, 17-0, $401
Bob Keeth of Dixon, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $506.
The T-H Marine FLW BFL Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association/Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they 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 performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the 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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 258 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa 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
