Benson, Brueggen tie in BFL tourney on Mississippi River - Major League Fishing

Benson, Brueggen tie in BFL tourney on Mississippi River

Due top co-angler
Image for Benson, Brueggen tie in BFL tourney on Mississippi River
Boaters Jeff Benson (right) of Holmen, Wis., and Travis Brueggen of Cashton, Wis., tied as winners of the July 18 BFL Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River, each earning $2,972. Anglers: Travis Brueggen, Jeff Benson.
July 18, 2009 • MLF • Archives

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. – Jeff Benson of Holmen, Wis., and Travis Brueggen of Cashton, Wis., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River Saturday each with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces. The victory earned Benson and Brueggen $2,972 each and placed them one step closer to qualifying for the Mississippi River Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 1-3, where they could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jeff Herburger of Dubuque, Iowa (five bass, 14-4, $1,322); Randy Wieczorek of Buffalo City, Wis. (five bass, 14-3, $925); and Scott Harrell of Elgin, Ill. (five bass, 13-14, $793).

Brett Payton of Waterloo, Iowa, took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $535 for a 4-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught.

Ben Due of Mauston, Wis., earned $1,981 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass Ben Due of Mauston, Wis., earned $1,981 as the co-angler winner of the July 18 BFL Great Lakes Division event.weighing 13 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught on a finesse jig.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are James Medved of Milwaukee, Wis. (five bass, 12-13, $991); Jim Schleifer of Onalaska, Wis. (five bass, 12-6, $662); Robby Tufte of Winona, Minn. (five bass, 12-1, $462); and John Branley of Poynette, Wis. (five bass, 11-12, $396).

Edward Kamrowski Sr. of La Crosse, Wis., earned $267 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass.

The next Great Lakes Division event will be held on the Mississippi River in Wabasha, Wis., Aug. 8.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee 2010 Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

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 Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.