LA CROSSE, Wis. – Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., topped 115 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on the Mississippi River with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him $3,367 and 200 points in the Boater Division.
Monsoor caught his limit in 4 to 6 feet of water using a jig. The catch topped second-place boater Nathan Huss of Plymouth, Wis., by 3 ounces. Huss finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces worth $1,683. Monsoor also received a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program and another $1,000 from GARMIN for using a fixed-mount GARMIN GPS/sounder.
Curtis Samo of Creston, Ill. (five bass, 14 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,010); Terry Farley of Davenport, Iowa (five bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounces, $808); and Rick Miller of Blue Grass, Iowa, (five bass, 13 pounds, 15 ounces, $741) rounded out the top five boaters.
Jason Howland of Albert Lea, Minn., earned boater big-bass honors and $575 with a 4-pound, 5-ounce bass that he caught on a white spinner bait. He finished in 80th place overall thanks to the one bass.
Mike Sather of Rothschild, Wis., claimed first place and $1,683 in the 115-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces. Two anglers, Richard Bryson of Arcadia, Wis., and Neal Wozney of Arcadia, Wis., tied for second place with an 11-pound, 10-ounce five-bass catch. Each angler received $674 for his catch.
Scott Mrozinski of Sullivan, Wis., (five bass, 11 pounds, 8 ounces, $404) and Ken Haslam of Mukwonago, Wis., (five bass, 11 pounds, 1 ounce, $370) rounded out the top five co-anglers.
Co-angler Charlie Benson of La Crosse, Wis., earned big-bass honors and $288 in his division with a 4-pound bass that put him in 48th place overall.
Overall, 64 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.
The Wal-Mart BFL will visit the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien Sept. 14-15 for the Great Lakes Division’s final regular-season event, a two-day Super Tournament. The boater with the most points after the Super Tournament will be declared the Yamaha “Be the Best” Points Leader and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.
The top 30 Great Lakes Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition presented by Yamaha Oct. 15-19 on Kentucky Lake near Gilbertsville, Ky., where they will go up against top competitors from the Hoosier, Illini and Michigan divisions for a shot at qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.
2002 BFL awards could reach $7 million based on full fields.
Sponsors of the 2002 Wal-Mart BFL are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods, BC Powder, BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, Conseco, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory, Frito-Lay, FujiFilm, GARMIN, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Minn Kota, Newell Rubbermaid, Pepsi, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers, Stanley Works, Stren, U.S. Bank, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards.