Meckes wins BFL Northeast Division tournament

Dean Meckes of Clayton, N.Y., won the BFL Northeast Division’s third regular-season stop, held Aug. 2 on Cayuga Lake near Seneca Falls. Meckes led the field of 202 boaters with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce. Angler: Dean Meckes.

August 2, 2003 • MLF • Archives

SENECA FALLS, N.Y. – Dean Meckes of Clayton claimed $5,000 as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division’s third regular-season stop, held Saturday on Cayuga Lake near Seneca Falls. Meckes led the field of 202 boaters with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce.

Meckes caught his bass Saturday using a 4-inch Gambler tube. As the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Meckes also claimed a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Todd Cole of Geneseo (five bass, 17 pounds, 10 ounces, $2,500); Ken Golub of Pittsford (five bass, 16 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,700); William Slavis of Torrington, Conn. (five bass, 15 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,300); and David Livingston of Scottsville (five bass, 15 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,100).

Rick Morici of Haskell, N.J., topped 198 Co-angler Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 9 ounces that he caught using a finesse worm. Morici earned $2,493 for the win.

In second place was Patrick Casey of Waverly with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces that earned him $1,247. Third place was Lynn Baciuska of Afton with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces that earned him $848. Fourth place was Charles Kolb of Shickshinny, Pa., with a five-bass catch weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces that earned him $648. Tied for fifth place were Dominic Despirito of Hazelton, Pa., and Geoff Trickler of Waterloo with a five-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces. Each received $498 for their catch.

Mike Trickler of Waterloo earned boater big-bass honors and $1,000 with a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass, and Kolb earned co-angler big-bass honors and $495 in his division with a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass.

The Northeast Division will make its fourth regular-season stop Sept. 6 on Thousand Islands in Clayton. The final regular-season event, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held Sept. 20-21 on Cayuga Lake in Seneca Falls. Following the regular season, the boater with the most points will be declared the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader and awarded $1,000. The co-angler with the most points following the regular season will earn $500.

The top 30 Northeast Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 7-11 on Lake Chautauqua near Jamestown, N.Y., where they will go up against top competitors from the Buckeye, Michigan and Shenandoah divisions for a shot at qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

As much as $6 million will be awarded in the 2003 Wal-Mart BFL.

Editor’s Note: Ranger Cup award winners are pending verification by Ranger Boats and thus are unofficial at this time.