Van Houten wins BFL event at Mississippi River-La Crosse - Major League Fishing

Van Houten wins BFL event at Mississippi River-La Crosse

Gerz wins co-angler title during May 18 Great Lakes Division contest
Image for Van Houten wins BFL event at Mississippi River-La Crosse
Boater Mike Van Houten of Des Moines, Iowa, won the May 18 Walmart BFL Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River with a catch weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces. For his efforts, Van Houten walked away with over $4,700 in prize money.
May 18, 2013 • MLF • Archives

LA CROSSE Wis. – Mike Van Houten of Des Moines, Iowa, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River-La Crosse. For his victory, Van Houten earned $4,720.

Despite the fact that Van Houten couldn’t see the beds due to murky water, he was targeting rock and sand gravel bottoms which can be ideal spawning areas for bass.

“I was slowly pulling my bait rather than letting it bounce off the bottom because it was hard for me to feel the bite,” said Van Houten. “I was probably pulling over beds, but it was hard to tell.

“I had intended to stay on my first spot only for a short time but then I caught a 17-incher and followed that up with a 31/2-pounder so we hung around there a little longer than I had originally planned,” continued Van Houten. “I was fishing a 50-yard stretch that had a gradual slope. The boat was in 16 to 20 feet of water and I was casting into about 2 feet of water. My primary bait was a Strike King Rage Craw in pumpkin seed.”

Van Houten said that he and his co-angler, Don Gerz – who won the title in the Co-angler Division – both had their limit by 8:45 a.m. They bounced around to a few other spots and Gerz was able to upgrade. But Van Houten said that he could never get anything big enough to cull with, adding that they did lose several big fish. Ironically he and Gerz were paired together at last year’s BFL tournament on the Mississippi River.

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: Doug Stanton, Winona, Minn., five bass, 15-10, $2,360

3rd: Dan McGarry, Tomah, Wis., five bass, 15-9, $1,574

4th: Brandon Gann, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 14-9, $1,101

5th: Troy Anderson, Galesville, Wis., five bass, 14-6, $944

6th: Rich Lindgren, Lakeville, Minn., five bass, 14-2, $865

7th: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 14-1, $747

7th: Bill Sepke, Indian Head Park, Ill., five bass, 14-1, $747

9th: Mike Gabel, Woodridge, Ill., five bass, 13-7, $629

10th: Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 13-6, $551

For a complete list of boater results, click here.

Gerz snares co-angler crown

Co-angler Don Gerz of Oshkosh, Wisc., won the May 18 Walmart BFL Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi/La Crosse rivers with a total catch of 15 pounds. Gerz secured over $2,300 in winnings.Don Gerz of Oshkosh, Wis., weighed five bass totaling 15 pounds Saturday to win the co-angler division. Gerz earned $2,360 for his victory.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Frank Cipra, Prairie Du Chien, Wis., five bass, 13-11, $1,180

3rd: Nathan Kromke, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-3, $787

4th: Christian Burzynski, Milwaukee, Wis., five bass, 12-15, $551

5th: Jeff Christensen, Franklin, Wis., five bass, 12-11, $452

5th: Tong Lor, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 12-11, $452

7th: John Thao, Milwaukee, Wis., four bass, 12-7, $393

8th: Kevin Anderson, Ettrick, Wis., five bass, 11-13, $354

9th: Joe Wilcox, Brodhead, Wis., five bass, 11-4, $315

10th: Nick Zimbauer, Eau Claire, Wis., five bass, 10-13, $275

For a complete list of co-angler results, click here.

The next BFL Great Lakes Division tournament is scheduled for June 15 on the Wolf River Chain in Winneconne, Wis. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 Regional Championship on Kentucky/Barkley lakes in Gilbertsville, 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 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27-29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. 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 anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.

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