Torsch torches docks for victory on Grand River

Tourre wins co-angler title

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – John Torsch of Battle Creek, Mich., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division event on the Grand River. For his victory, Torsch earned $2,748.

“The morning started out pretty slow,” said Torsch. “During my practice for this tournament, I had found a pretty good spinnerbait bite. So we started out fishing spinnerbaits on the river and fished for a solid two hours. We had zero bites and I knew we had to change it up. I decided to run to Spring Lake and once there I had some more success.

“Finally, at 10 a.m. I got my first bite. She was a 4-pound, 13-ounce beauty,” Torsch continued. “It came off of a yellow and black-colored Snag Proof frog. Then I started working the main lake docks in 3 feet of water. Most of them came on a gilley-colored 3/8-ounce Pepper jig, which you can find on my website at www.hogbass.com. I also got one with a cotton candy-colored trick worm.

“I think the key for me was definitely moving to the docks,” Torsch went on to say. “There wasn’t nearly as much pressure on them, and that’s where the bigger fish were hanging out.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: Marc Snyder, St. John’s, Mich., five bass, 14-3, $1,374

3rd: Donald Watts, Gowen, Mich., five bass, 13-1, $916

4th: John Black, Monclova, Ohio, five bass, 12-15, $641

5th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 12-7, $550 + $1,000 Evinrude Bonus

6th: Josh Fulks, Cedar Springs, Mich., five bass, 11-12, $481

6th: David Reault, Livonia, Mich., five bass, 11-12, $481

8th: Brian Feutz, Ada, Mich., five bass, 11-9, $412

9th: Craig Stanley, Westville, Ind., five bass, 11-5, $366

10th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 10-11, $321

Complete results can be found here.

Tourre takes co-angler title

Eric Tourre of Traverse City, Mich., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 9 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win $1,374 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Patrick Lesniewski, Oregon, Ohio, four bass, 9-10, $687

3rd: Joey Miller, Syracuse, Ind., five bass, 9-8, $459

4th: Marvin Anderson, Russell Springs, Ky., three bass, 8-5, $321

5th: Benny Gray, Ypsilanti, Mich., five bass, 7-13, $275

6th: Allan Stephens, Florence, Ky., three bass, 7-1, $252

7th: Steve Morrow, Sparta, Mich., two bass, 5-9, $229

8th: Brandon Stanley, Elkhart, Ind., three bass, 5-7, $206

9th: Kevin Webb, Xenia, Ohio, two bass, 5-5, $183

10th: Jon Witt, Kalamazoo, Mich., three bass, 5-0, $160

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The next BFL Michigan Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 15-16 on the Detroit River in Trenton, Mich. After the fifth Michigan Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 11-13 Regional Championship on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Ky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

About FLW

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.