Caulum capitalizes on the Mighty Mississippi - Major League Fishing

Caulum capitalizes on the Mighty Mississippi

Syverson wins co-angler title
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Jim Caulum of Rockland, Wis., won the Aug. 25 Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River with a 15-pound, 2-ounce limit. For his efforts, Caulum was awarded over $4,000 in winnings.
August 25, 2012 • MLF • Archives

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. – Jim Caulum of Rockland, Wis., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River at Prairie Du Chien. For his victory, Caulum earned $4,119.

“I caught all of my fish Saturday on a white Lethal Weapon swimjig,” said Caulum. “Right away we locked from pool 10 to pool 9 and ran to an area that I knew from practice. I was able to get four from there, but I only had one decent keeper, a nice 3 1/2 -pound smallie. I then moved to my second spot, and caught between 60 to 70 fish. There were a lot of shorts there, but every now and then you would pop a nice keeper.

“I sat at that spot for the rest of the day and was able to weed through them,” Caulum continued. “I ended up with around 10 keepers throughout the day. It was pretty tough to get the size. I was fishing in the eelgrass from 3- to 6-feet deep.

“I’d really had a terrible practice coming in to this tournament,” Caulum went on to say. “I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to find a limit, but I’m really happy that it turned out well for me. That was the key to my victory – the confidence that I was doing the right thing despite the tough practice. I just stuck with what I knew.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: Caleb Kuphall, Mukwonago, Wis., five bass, 14-12, $2,059

3rd: Jimmy Johnson, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 14-10, $1,374

4th: Gary Haskell, McHenry, Ill., five bass, 14-3, $961

5th: Kevin Wolfram, Sugar Grove, Ill., five bass, 13-9, $824

6th: Chris Aswegan, Lisbon, Iowa, five bass, 12-15, $755

7th: Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 12-11, $686

8th: Dennis Rhead, Elmwood, Wis., five bass, 12-8, $618 + $1,000 Evinrude Bonus

9th: Adam Hermsen, Marion, Iowa, five bass, 12-3, $549

10th: Ronald Cherkas, Grimes, Iowa, five bass, 12-1, $480

Complete results can be found here.

Syverson crowned co-angler champion

Co-angler Ronald Syverson of La Crosse, Wis., won the Aug. 25 Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River with a total catch of 12 pounds, 10 ounces. He walked away with over $2,000 in prize money. Ronald Syverson of La Crosse, Wis., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win $2,059 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Scott Kircher, Pepin, Wis., five bass, 11-7, $1,030

3rd: Rex McTier, Endeavor, Wis., five bass, 11-6, $687

4th: Jason Ferge, Markesan, Wis., five bass, 11-4, $480

5th: Chad Kerr, Burlington, Iowa, four bass, 10-6, $412

6th: Neil Lemaster, Fort Madison, Iowa, five bass, 10-3, $378

7th: Kyle Rabelhofer, Silver Lake, Wis., five bass, 9-6, $343

8th: Jerry Propst, Jasper, Texas, four bass, 9-2, $309

9th: Nick Zimbauer, Eau Claire, Wis., four bass, 8-11, $275

10th: Chad Schultz, Loves Park, Ill., four bass, 8-2, $240

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The final 2012 BFL Great Lakes Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 22-23 on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis. After that 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.