Great Lakes Division tournament won by Reitz

Clayton Reitz of Morton, Ill., won the BFL Great Lakes Division’s third regular-season stop, held July 12 on Lake Winneconne near Winneconne, Wis. Reitz led the field of 144 boaters with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 9 ounces. Angler: Clayton Reitz.

July 12, 2003 • MLF • Archives

WINNECONNE, Wis. – Clayton Reitz of Morton, Ill., claimed $3,933 as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division’s third regular-season stop, held Saturday on Lake Winneconne near Winneconne. Reitz led the field of 144 boaters with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 9 ounces.

Reitz caught his bass Saturday using a brown tube. As the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Reitz also claimed a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats, and he earned another $1,000 from Garmin for using a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/sounder.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Mike Mayan of Rosendale (five bass, 12 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,967); Dustin Avenarius of Yorkville, Ill. (four bass, 11 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,023); Matt Bichanich of Mukwonago (five bass, 11 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,023); and Ed Sanders of Fremont (five bass, 11 pounds, 7 ounces, $865).

Kevin Candahl of Onalaska topped 144 Co-angler Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught using a buzzbait. Candahl earned $1,967 for the win.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kevin Villhauer of Iowa City, Iowa (five bass, 8 pounds, 8 ounces, $983); Ryan Sacia of Holman (three bass, 7 pounds, 7 ounces, $669); Matt Felton of Wisconsin Dells (four bass, 7 pounds, 4 ounces, $511); and Dave Norton of Burlington (two bass, 6 pounds, $1,097).

Avenarius earned boater big-bass honors and $720 with a 4-pound, 6-ounce bass, and Matt Nogalski of Hartford earned co-angler big-bass honors and $360 in his division with a 3-pound, 11-ounce bass.

The Great Lakes Division will make its fourth regular-season stop Aug. 2 on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien. The final regular-season event, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held Sept. 6-7 on the Mississippi River in Welch, Minn. 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 Great Lakes Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 14-18 on Beaver Lake near Rogers, Ark., where they will go up against top competitors from the LBL, Okie and Ozark 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.