BFL Report
Boater Jesse Richardson of Ligonier, Indiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) on the Detroit River Presented by Lew’s. Richardson edged out second-place Nicholas Seitz of Maumee, Ohio , by one ounce to win the fourth event of the season for the BFL Michigan Division. Richardson earned $3,889 for his victory.
“I went north to Anchor Bay in Lake St. Clair and knew it was going to be tough with all the pressure the water had seen lately,” Richardson said. “I knew the fish were still there, but they were finicky and tough to get to bite.”
Richardson said he focused on Anchor Bay and targeted large weed beds in 10 ½ to 12 feet of water. He said he searched for clean spots, 100 feet off of the weed beds, with forward-facing sonar and picked up wolfpacks as well as single large bass. His bait of choice was a 6-inch minnow, although a drop-shot rig tipped with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm accounted for a couple of keepers.
Although Richardson knew he had a decent bag, a win in his first BFL Michigan event wasn’t in his mind as he headed to weigh-in.
“I didn’t have a good practice,” Richardson said. “I did have a couple of quality fish, and I thought if I could get 20 pounds, I could maybe get a Top 10. It turns out everybody was right up there with 20 to 20 ½ pounds, but I figured somebody would have had at least 22 or 23 pounds.
“Anybody can run into giants on that fishery,” Richardson added. “It just happens.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jessee Richardson, Ligonier, Ind., five bass, 20-12, $3,889
2nd: Nicholas Seitz, Maumee, Ohio, five bass, 20-11, $2,544 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
3rd: Dan Mittlestat, Woodhaven, Mich., five bass, 20-10, $1,297
4th: Nolan Mandel, Kimball, Mich., five bass, 20-7, $907
5th: Derek Rodriguez, Okemos, Mich., five bass, 20-5, $778
6th: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 20-3, $713
7th: Jeremy Reese, Powell, Ohio, five bass, 20-1, $615
7th: Noah Stauffer, Gowen, Mich., five bass, 20-1, $615
9th: Hunter Colwell, Zanesfield, Ohio, five bass, 20-0, $519
10th: Jeff Copley, Morengo, Ohio, five bass, 19-7, $454
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Matt Vermilyea of Perrysburg, Ohio, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $525.
Matthew Sharp of Troy, Ohio, won the co-angler division and $1,944 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Matthew Sharp, Troy, Ohio, three bass, 12-2, $1,944
2nd: Charles Williams, Heath, Ohio, three bass, 11-9, $1,234
3rd: Terry Bucciarelli, Ypsilanti, Mich., three bass, 10-6, $799
4th: Anthony Shields, Harrison, Mich., three bass, 10-5, $454
5th: Billy Crider Jr., Kettering, Ohio, three bass, 10-4, $389
6th: Karmen McKenna, Kalamazoo, Mich., three bass, 10-3, $356
7th: Scott Davis, Morenci, Mich., three bass, 10-2, $308
7th: Jacob Cox, Corunna, Mich., three bass, 10-2, $308
9th: Rece Kimmel, Lewiston, Ohio, three bass, 9-15, $259
10th: Robert Busby, Fenton, Mich., three bass, 9-14, $227
Charles Williams of Heath, Ohio, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $262, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 14 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Nolan Mandel of Kimball, Michigan, leads the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 992 points, while Brian Ruetz of Toledo, Ohio, leads the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 944 points.
The next event for BFL Michigan Division anglers will be the two-day Super Tournament Presented by Lew’s, held Sept. 6-7, at the Detroit River in Trenton, Michigan. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-4 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Erie Presented by Lew’s in Sandusky, Ohio. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.