Brantley rises to top on Lake of the Ozarks
Seifert claims co-angler crown
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – Joe Brantley of Willard, Mo., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass for 35 pounds, 13 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division Super Tournament on Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday. For his victory, Brantley earned $5,632.
“It was really a mental game,” said Brantley. “It was tough to stay patient. It was very, very slow fishing and it really made you mentally tired. To fish against the caliber of anglers that were in this tournament, and to do something different and figure out the better fish feels really good.”
Brantley said that he ran up the river and flipped docks to catch his bass each day. He flipped jigs in both light and dark colors, but was only able to produce an estimated eight keepers each day.
“I was really keying on the docks that had a lot of big shad around them,” Brantley said. “My weight was better on day two, but I really had better fish on day one. I should have had around 20 to 21 pounds on day one. I really went for it, though. I wasn’t fishing for points or second place. I was there to win.”
Brantley is no stranger to winning. He won the BFL Super Tournament when it was held on Lake of the Ozarks in 2011 as well.
“I live around 100 miles from the lake,” Brantley said. “I don’t get to fish it as much as I would like to, but I am pretty familiar with the area. To come out here and get the win against the quality of anglers competing in this event… what more can you ask for.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Brett Govreau, House Springs, Mo., 10 bass, 33-1, $2,816
3rd: Chris Bunk, Sullivan, Mo., 10 bass, 31-7, $1,877
4th: Randy Krull, Ballwin, Mo., 10 bass, 31-0, $1,314
5th: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 30-7, $1,126
6th: Theo Corcoran, Independence, Mo., 10 bass, 29-15, $1,033
7th: Brian Maloney, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 29-6, $939 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
8th: Jeremy Medina, Camdenton, Mo., eight bass, 27-13, $845
9th: Dewayne Fitzpatrick, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 27-10, $751
10th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 27-1, $657
Complete results can be found here.
Seifert wins co-angler title
Jake Seifert of Jefferson City, Mo., weighed in six bass totaling 19 pounds, 12 ounces Sunday to win $2,816 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Tom Lloyd, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 18-15, $1,408
3rd: William Hoffert, Columbia, Mo., seven bass, 18-7, $941
4th: Tom O’Connor, Eureka, Mo., five bass, 14-14, $657
5th: Joe Waggoner, Carthage, Mo., five bass, 14-13, $563
6th: Johnnie Cook, Houston Lake, Mo., four bass, 13-6, $516
7th: Jamie Eynard, Holts Summit, Mo., four bass, 10-13, $469
8th: Jeremy Rushton, Lees Summit, Mo., four bass, 10-9, $422
9th: John Buchanan, Jefferson City, Mo., five bass, 9-15, $375
10th: Seth Holder, Centerton, Ark., five bass, 9-10, $329
Complete co-angler results can be found here.
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. 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. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27-29 on Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. 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 anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.