Vida wins Wal-Mart BFL Michigan Division tournament

Kevin Vida of Clare topped 185 BFL competitors June 28 on Lake St. Clair with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him 200 points in the Boater Division. Angler: Kevin Vida.

July 12, 2003 • MLF • Archives

TRENTON, Mich. – Kevin Vida of Clare claimed $4,126 as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division’s second regular-season stop, held Saturday on the Detroit River near Trenton. Vida led the field of 155 boaters with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces.

Vida caught his bass Saturday using a watermelon/chartreuse Mizmo tube. As the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Vida 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 Steve Filkins of Kalamazoo (five bass, 16 pounds, 10 ounces, $2,063); Kent Hart of Westland (five bass, 15 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,403); Michael Patterson of Bloomdale, Ohio (five bass, 15 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,073); and Barry Dagen of Muskegon (five bass, 15 pounds, 12 ounces, $908).

Randy Barclay of Hilliard, Ohio, topped 155 Co-angler Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught using a Venom tube. Barclay earned $2,063 for the win.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Andy White of Westland (five bass, 14 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,031); Bruce Hunter of Auburn, Ind. (five bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounce, $701); Gary Michalski of Naperville, Ill. (five bass, 14 pounds, $536); and Ronald Dera Jr. of Clinton Township (five bass, 13 pounds, 8 ounces, $454).

Lawrence Leonardi of Clinton Township earned boater big-bass honors and $775 with a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass, and Ron Norris of Portage earned co-angler big-bass honors and $388 in his division with a 4-pound, 4-ounce bass.

The Michigan Division will make its third regular-season stop Aug. 2 on the Grand River in West Olive followed by an event on the Detroit River in Trenton Aug. 23. The final regular-season event, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held Sept. 27-28 on the Detroit River in Trenton. 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 Michigan Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 7-11 on Lake Chautauqua near Jamestown, N.Y.., where they will go up against top competitors from the Buckeye, Northeast and Shenandoah 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.