Kuphall wins season opener on Mississippi River - Major League Fishing

Kuphall wins season opener on Mississippi River

Lor nets co-angler title
Image for Kuphall wins season opener on Mississippi River
Caleb Kuphall of Mukwonago, Wis., won the May 12 Great Lakes Division event of the year on the Mississippi River in La Crosse with a weight of 17 pounds, 4 ounces. Kuphall took home a check for over $4,500.
May 12, 2012 • MLF • Archives

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Caleb Kuphall of Mukwonago, Wis., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River. For his victory, Kuphall earned $4,575.

“It was a beautiful day to be out on the river,” said Kuphall. “It was 75 degrees and sunny, not a whole lot of wind, it was great. We started in the morning launching out in Pool No. 8, and I decided that I was going to lock through to Pool No. 7. I had gotten a few days of practice coming in to this tournament, and I was catching more fish in Pool No. 8 but bigger fish in Pool No. 7. So we locked up to No. 7 near Lake Onawaska and I was able to pull a few nice fish out of there.

“I was working the weed and grass lines with my home-made green pumpkin and chartreuse-colored 3/8-ounce jig,” Kuphall continued. “I had it trailered with a green pumpkin Zoom Chunk Jr. I had the most success just working near this one grassy point. I would fish it, then leave for 30 minutes and come back and fish it again. Around 10 a.m. we locked back to Pool No. 8 and started flipping bushes. I was using a junebug-colored Reaction Innovations Trixie Shark there, and just fishing it in a lot of slop – algae mats and lilypads. We were fishing on the south end, near Lawrence Lake and I was able to catch a few there as well. I had the most success with that home-made jig, though. I flip it a lot back home, and I’ve won a lot of money using that thing.

“I wasn’t very confident when I was coming back to the scales,” Kuphall went on to say. “I figured I had around 16 to 161/2 pounds, but I knew that last year in this event it took over 19 (pounds) to win. I figured I would get a check, but I was surprised to get the win. I got lucky and had a great co-angler draw as well, K.C. Shaible. He helped me out a lot, and definitely played a part in helping me get my victory today.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: Doug Stanton, Winona, Minn., five bass, 16-12, $2,288

3rd: Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 16-6, $1,525

4th: Fernando Lobato, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 16-4, $1,068

5th: Dan Thill, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 16-1, $915

6th: Mike Gabel, Woodridge, Ill., five bass, 15-3, $839

7th: Mike Van Houten, Des Moines, Iowa, five bass, 14-9, $763

8th: Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 14-6, $648

8th: Bill Frisk, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 14-6, $648

10th: Kyle Schauf, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 14-4, $507

10th: Brent Schroeder, Caledonia, Minn., five bass, 14-4, $507

Complete results can be found here.

Lor grabs co-angler crown

Co-angler Tong Lor of La Crosse, Wis., won the title at the May 12 Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River with a total weight of 13 pounds, 15 ounces. For his efforts he was awarded close to $2,300. Tong Lor of La Crosse, Wis., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $2,288 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Bryce Cejka, Prairie Du Chien, Wis., five bass, 13-14, $1,144

3rd: Brad Wessling, Milwaukee, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $762

4th: Ryan Neuhaus, Hartwick, Iowa, five bass, 12-13, $534

5th: Michael Parve, West Bend, Wis., five bass, 12-10, $458

6th: Kyle Rabelhofer, Silver Lake, Wis., five bass, 12-9, $419

7th: Andy Holst, Wauwatosa, Wis., five bass, 12-4, $362

7th: Charles Novotny, Mauston, Wis., five bass, 12-4, $362

9th: Frank Cipra, Prairie Du Chien, Wis., five bass, 12-2, $305

10th: Kris Brantner, Pepin, Wis., five bass, 12-0, $253

10th: K.C. Shaible, Machesney Park, Ill., five bass, 12-0, $253

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The next BFL Great Lakes Division tournament is scheduled for June 16 on the Wolf River Chain of Lakes in Oshkosh, Wis. After the fifth Great Lakes Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 11-13 Regional Championship on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Ky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

About FLW

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.