Pettit wins co-angler title
Jared Mataczynski of Wausau, Wisconsin, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Mataczynski took home $4,830.
“I spent the day in Pool No. 8 fishing what I call a ‘current slick’,” said Mataczynski, who earned his first win in BFL competition. “It’s basically an area where two currents merge back together behind an island. It had a little bit of everything – a sand bar, a wing dam – it was pretty much smallmouth heaven.
“The first hour was pretty chaotic,” continued Mataczynski. “I threw a Summer Sexy Shad-colored Strike King Red Eye Shad Crankbait and brought in keepers just about every time I drifted from the spot. I nosed up between the currents and bombed it close to the island, and then drifted.”
Mataczynski said he ended up catching the majority of his 15 keepers within the first hour.
“The heaviest fish were right on the knob of the wing dam right before it dropped into deep water,” said Mataczynski. “My last big one came in at 9:30 a.m. The area was so active I had no reason to leave and go to another pool. It was a great day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jared Mataczynski, Wausau, Wis., five bass, 20-15, $4,830
2nd: Rick Bosshard, Hartland, Wis., five bass, 15-6, $2,415
3rd: Cade Laufenberg, Winona, Minn., five bass, 15-4, $1,609
4th: Fernando Lobato, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 14-13, $1,127
5th: Kevin Wolfram, Wheaton, Ill., five bass, 14-7, $966
6th: Chris Welch, Fall River, Wis., five bass, 14-4, $885
7th: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-11, $805
8th: Devin Teigen, Eau Claire, Wis., five bass, 13-9, $724
9th: Brandon Gann, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 13-7, $644
10th: Caleb Kuphall, Mukwonago, Wis., five bass, 13-5, $535
10th: Ben Potaracke, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-5, $535
Glenn Walker of Savage, Minnesota, caught a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $720.
Christian Pettit of Marinette, Wisconsin, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds even Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,415.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Christian Pettit, Marinette, Wis., five bass, 14-0, $2,415
2nd: David Halverson, Necedah, Wis., five bass, 13-12, $1,207
3rd: Stefan Marginean, Glenview, Ill., five bass, 13-10, $806
4th: Jason Brenic, Pewaukee, Wis., five bass, 13-9, $563
5th: Brad Goetz, Medinah, Ill., five bass, 12-9, $483
6th: Matthew Frisk, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 11-13, $443
7th: Michael Taylor, Tipton, Iowa, five bass, 11-7, $402
8th: Cody Hackett, Stoddard, Wis., five bass, 11-5, $362
9th: Chuck Davis, Farmington, Ill., five bass, 10-15, $322
10th: Lor Vue, La Crosse, Wis., four bass, 10-12, $282
K.C. Shaible of Machesney Park, Illinois, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $360.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 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 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 winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart 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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico 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
