Bylotas claims title at 1000 Islands
Collins wins co-angler crown
CLAYTON, N.Y. – Brian Bylotas of Scott Township, Pa., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass for 48 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division Super Tournament at 1000 Islands on Sunday. For his victory, Bylotas earned $5,817.
“This was a really nice way to end the season,” said Bylotas, who also wrapped up the BFL Northeast Division points title with his victory. “I own my own business, so I didn’t get to really do much prefishing for this tournament. I was able to make it out a couple of weeks ago, and I think that was definitely a part of my success.
“On the first day, I wanted to make the run and go fish Lake Ontario, but it was too windy, so I stayed in the St. Lawrence River,” Bylotas continued. “I found a nice area right near the mouth of the river and ended up staying all day. My first fish was a nice 6-pound smallmouth. I had a solid limit by 10:30 a.m., and I must have caught 20 to 30 fish throughout the day.
“On day two I went back to the same area near the mouth of the river, but a strong northeast wind had shut them down,” Bylotas said. “After 45 minutes, I decided that I needed to change it up, and I went to Lake Ontario. I found a rock pile around 20- to 25-feet deep in Henderson Harbor and was able to catch my fish there. It really slowed down, though, and I only caught around 10 fish for the day.”
Bylotas said that eight of the 10 fish that he weighed in came via drop-shotting a Berkley Gulp Goby. He said that he moved to the shallow flats for a bit on day two and boated two keepers on a chartreuse-colored spinnerbait as well.
“Making the right decisions on day two ended up being the key for me,” Bylotas went on to say.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Joseph Fonzi, Gasport, N.Y., 10 bass, 43-12, $2,909
3rd: Robert Reesey, Newfoundland, Pa., 10 bass, 43-5, $1,939
4th: Cory Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 42-3, $1,357
5th: Michael Drumsta, Clarks Summit, Pa., 10 bass, 41-13, $1,163
6th: Jamie Hartman, Newport, N.Y., 10 bass, 39-14, $1,066 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
7th: Scott Silver, Dexter, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-10, $970
8th: Christopher Panetta, Red Hook, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-4, $873
9th: Chris Flint, Potsdam, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-3, $776
10th: Jordon Davis, De Kalb Junction, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-2, $679
Complete results can be found here.
Collins tops co-angler field
Greg Collins of Perth Road, Ontario, Canada, weighed in 10 bass totaling 43 pounds, 1 ounce Sunday to win $2,909 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Corey Bechtel, Macungie, Pa., 10 bass, 36-14, $1,454
3rd: Wyatt Morris, Little Falls, N.Y., 10 bass, 36-0, $970
4th: Roxanne Przelski, Poland, N.Y., 10 bass, 34-15, $679
5th: Jesse Uppstrom, Madrid, N.Y., 10 bass, 31-12, $582
6th: John Ciavaglia, Pittsford, N.Y., 10 bass, 31-8, $533
7th: Terry Beck, Lock Haven, Pa., 10 bass, 31-8, $485
8th: Troy Todd, Six Mile Run, Pa., 10 bass, 31-5, $436
9th: Maurice Campbell, Leominster, Mass., eight bass, 29-13, $388
10th: Richard Levesque, Swanton, Vt., 10 bass, 29-3, $339
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. 3-5 Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md. 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 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.