Fabulous Fabiszak

Indiana native takes Stren Midwest Kentucky Lake co-angler title in dominant fashion

BENTON, Ky. – It was huge victories all around today at the Stren Series Midwest Division opener on Kentucky Lake, as, like his pro partner Sam Lashlee, co-angler Ron Fabiszak took home the crown with a near-7-pound-margin of victory.

By virtue of his day-three top-of-the-ladder status, Fabiszak went out in boat No. 1 this morning with Lashlee, and though the fish didn’t come as easily as they may have earlier in the week, they still practically leapt into Lashlee’s Stratos. Fabiszak’s personal haul was a limit weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces that brought his two-day total to 35 pounds, 12 ounces, earning him $5,000.

“Sam is the man,” Fabiszak said. “I was dragging a Carolina rig all week, but today I switched to a jig and a big worm, and that was it.”

Like pretty much everyone else, Fabiszak has caught his fish deep all week. He credits his success to his pro partners – in addition to Lashlee, he also fished with runner-up pro Yancy Windham.

“It’s luck of the draw,” he said.

This is not Fabiszak’s first time at the top of the Stren Series leaderboard, as he claimed victory five years ago on the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wis. Fabiszak is from South Bend, Ind., and Northern anglers all week have talked about how the deep-water pattern so prevalent on Kentucky-Barkley in the summer is practically nonexistent at home. But Fabiszak credits his Northern background with his Southern success, which also includes a top-10 performance three years ago on Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake at the Stren Series Championship.

“Where we’re from, you learn a lot,” he said. “It helps you be more universal.”

Sifers takes second

Opening-round leader Jeramiah Sifers ended the tournament in the No. 2 spot with a two-day catch of 28 pounds, 13 ounces. His 17-pound, 10-ounce day-three catch was followed up today with a four-bass catch that weighed 11 pounds, 3 ounces.

“Yesterday I just came unbuttoned cranking on the ledges – you know how that goes,” Sifers said. “Today the high pressure killed it.”

While a jig seemed to be the most-mentioned bait earlier in the week, several reported catching them on a worm today, and Sifers was no exception.

“I just slowed down,” he said. “I had to catch them on a worm. It was really tough.”

Sifers earned $4,000 as the runner-up co-angler.

Wolfe claims third

Finishing the tournament in third place is Nelson, Wis., co-angler Jesse Wolfe with a two-day total catch of 27 pounds. He caught 15-6 yesterday and followed that up today with another 11 pounds, 10 ounces.

“I fished with a great partner,” said Wolfe, who fished with No. 9 pro Bobby Kilzer on day four. “I had great draws all week. Billy Schroeder taught me how to stroke a jig, and the rest went easy. I had a ton of confidence.”

Schroeder was Wolfe’s day-two pro partner, and he ultimately finished the tournament in 13th place. His experience today with Kilzer, a known local stick, went well despite Kilzer’s well drying up.

“He put me on fish, but a lot of his spots were used up,” Wolfe said. “We still managed to scrape out a limit early. I had to fish my confidence bait, which is the jig. I don’t get to fish deep at home; I’m used to fishing shallow. It’s just different.”

Wolfe, 25, earned $3,500 as the third-place co-angler.

Murphy, McCormick round out top five

In the fourth spot is Brendan Murphy of Cape Girardeau, Mo., with a two-day catch of 25 pounds, 13 ounces that earned him $2,500. He caught only three bass today, but it was enough for a top-five finish.

“I jumped off one that weighed about 3 pounds, and those are the only four I stuck,” Murphy said, noting he caught all his on a 10-inch Berkley Power Worm.

Fred McCormick of Greenville, Ind., landed in the No. 5 position with a two-day catch of 21 pounds, 12 ounces worth $2,000.

“Today it was all about operator error,” McCormick said. “My partner put me on fish, but I didn’t have a game plan. I could not set the hook for some reason.”

Rest of the best



Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers on Kentucky Lake:

6th: Scott Cloutier, Rochester, Minn., eight bass, 20-4, $1,900

7th: Chuck Rounds, Benton, Ky., five bass, 18-13, $1,800

8th: Rick Pelletier, Anoka, Minn., seven bass, 18-13, $1,700

9th: Bill Sims, Paducah, Ky., seven bass, 17-1, $1,600

10th: Richard Meuth, Henderson, Ky., eight bass, 16-14, $1,500

Coming up

The Stren Series will next visit the Mississippi River in Onalaska, Wis., July 12-15, which is another Midwest Division event.