McClain outruns competition on Ohio River
Bierman bags co-angler title
LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. – Frank McClain of Scottsburg, Ind., weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass for 17 pounds, 15 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division Super Tournament on the Ohio River at Tanner’s Creek. For his victory, McClain earned $7,446.
McClain notched his fifth BFL win by literally outrunning the competition.
“I had a good practice,” said McClain. “I found some bigger fish up by the dam in practice. It’s about a 40-mile run one way. I don’t like fishing in crowds, so I tried to get away from everybody else and find fish that are easier to catch.
“I had a really good first day,” continued McClain. “I caught the big bass of the tournament at around 1:30, and I stopped fishing because I knew I’d probably made the cut.
“The second day, we had a 2 1/2-hour fog delay, and that scared me from making the run to the dam. So I went back and fished around the launch to try to catch some release fish,” said McClain. “I caught two, but they weren’t very big, so I ran down to the dam to try to wrap it up. Luckily, within about two hours I managed to catch the biggest bag on the second day, too.
“A lot of people don’t like to run,” said McClain. “I didn’t see a single boat around where I was fishing. It’s awesome to win. Getting that trophy and getting the win is what I live for.”
McClain said he targeted isolated wood in 2 feet or less of water on bare banks that nobody else was fishing.
McClain said he caught his fish on a Hawgback Lures spinnerbait.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Matt McCoy, Indianapolis, Ind., eight bass, 13-7, $2,723 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
3rd: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., eight bass, 13-2, $1,816
4th: Aaron Singleton, LaGrange, Ky., nine bass, 11-14, $1,271
5th: Tom Forrester, Bloomington, Ind., 10 bass, 11-12, $1,089
6th: Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky., seven bass, 10-8, $998
7th: Scott Spayd, Ferdinand, Ind., six bass, 9-14, $908
8th: Ronnie Smith, Walton, Ky., nine bass, 9-13, $817 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
9th: Bill Lowen, Brookville, Ind., eight bass, 9-11, $726
10th: Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, seven bass, 9-8, $635
Complete results can be found here.
Bierman wins co-angler title
Gregg Bierman of Cincinnati, Ohio, weighed in a two-day total of seven bass totaling 8 pounds, 12 ounces Sunday to win $2,723 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Lucas McDaniel, Fishers, Ind., four bass, 7-12, $1,361
3rd: Ryan Utnage, Bloomington, Ind., three bass, 7-4, $908
4th: Wayne Fackler, Scottsburg, Ind., three bass, 6-14, $635
5th: Kevin Freese, Danville, Ind., five bass, 5-8, $545
6th: Darrell Carroll, Independence, Ky., three bass, 5-6, $499
7th: Dylan Christenberry, Bloomington, Ind., two bass, 5-3, $454
8th: Gerald Shaw, Pendleton, Ind., four bass, 5-2, $408
9th: Barry Gunter, Trafalgar, Ind., four bass, 5-1, $363
10th: Ronald Akin, Indianapolis, Ind., four bass, 4-15, $318
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. 10-12 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, 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 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.