BFL Super Tournament on Detroit River won by Vida

TRENTON, Mich. – Kevin Vida of Clare caught 10 bass weighing 42 pounds, 4 ounces to win $6,370 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on the Detroit River near Trenton. Vida bested 102 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Michigan Division event of the regular season.

Vida caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces and caught another five weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces Sunday to win the event. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a green pumpkin Mizmo tube. He earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he earned another $1,000 from Garmin for using a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/sounder during the event.

Rounding out the top five boaters are David Reault of Livonia (10 bass, 37 pounds, 8 ounces); Don Amari of Fort Wayne, Ind. (10 bass, 36 pounds, 7 ounces); Derek Cummings of Leslie (10 bass, 35 pounds, 15 ounces); and Jim Liechty of Fort Wayne, Ind. (10 bass, 35 pounds, 13 ounces).

Amari tied with Jim Parker of Jonesville for Boater Division big-bass award honors. Both caught a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass that earned them $510.

Bill Schroeder of Jonesville led 102 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $3,185 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught five bass Saturday weighing 13 pounds and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces to earn the win. He caught his tournament-winning bass dragging a brown and purple tube.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Richard Erskine of Lincoln Park (nine bass, 28 pounds, 11 ounces); Homer Stephens of Noblesville, Ind. (10 bass, 28 pounds, 2 ounces); Michael Syjud of Elmhurst, Ill. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 15 ounces); and Jeffrey Zuhlsdorf of Bowling Green, Ohio (10 bass, 27 pounds, 13 ounces).

David Valentine of Wolcottville, Ind., and Jason Madigan of Southgate tied for co-angler big-bass honors with a 4-pound, 12-ounce bass. Each earned $255 for their big bass.

Vida is the Michigan Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 1,068 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Stephens is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1,051 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Michigan Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 7-11 on Chautauqua Lake 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 BFL All-American, one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

The BFL comprises 24 divisions nationwide, each featuring five regular-season events that lead to one of six regionals. Four of the regular-season tournaments are one-day events, while the final event, a Super Tournament, is a two-day tournament that will award as much as $70,950 to participating anglers. Anglers who enter all five regular-season events in a division but do not advance to a regional may enter the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for a shot at qualifying for the All-American. The All-American field comprises 84 competitors – six boaters and six co-anglers from six regionals plus six boaters and six co-anglers from the Wild Card.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Each year the top 30 boaters and co-anglers from each BFL division are eligible to advance to the EverStart Series, and the All-American champions are eligible for Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition. The top 15 pros and co-anglers from the Central, Eastern and Northern divisions of the EverStart Series (top 10 from the Western Division) are eligible to advance to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Chevy pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.