King’s Run Paid Off
Witt claims co-angler title on Detroit River
TRENTON, Mich. – Chris King of South Amherst, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament of 2014 on the Detroit River. For his victory, King earned $5,842.
“I fished in Lake Erie and I was fishing offshore structure, rock piles and drop-offs,” said King. “I probably caught 12 or 15 bass. I lost a few fish early in the day, before I had my limit. You don’t usually win when you lose fish.
“I would fish an area and catch a few and then have to move on to the next spot,” King continued. “Some of the spots were about 28-feet deep but some came up shallower, into 18 feet of water. They all had deep water around them.”
King said that he caught most of his fish with a shad-style finesse bait on a drop-shot rig, and that he made a 50 mile run to get to his area.
“This was my first win. It feels great” said King. “I’ve been fishing BFL events for 12 years now and I’ve been close a few times. I’m glad it finally worked out.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Wayne Macklin, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 22-3, $1,921
3rd: Charles Mackintosh, Brighton, Mich., five bass, 21-11, $1,089
3rd: Michael Sitko, Farmington Hills, Mich., five bass, 21-11, $1,089 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
5th: Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 21-7, $768
6th: Mark Flick, Delton, Mich., five bass, 20-12, $704
7th: Dewayne Eck, Angola, Ind., five bass, 20-10, $640
8th: Matt Vermilyea, Perrysburg, Ohio, five bass, 19-6, $576
9th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 19-2, $512 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
10th: Freddy Hurley, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 18-5, $425
10th: Arthur Teper, Lake Orion, Mich., five bass, 18-5, $425
Complete results can be found by clicking here.
Witt wins co-angler division
Jon Witt of Kalamazoo, Mich., weighed in a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win $1,921 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Jeffery Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., five bass, 20-8, $960
3rd: Mark Miller, Baltic, Ohio, five bass, 20-3, $641
4th: Ronnie Calhoun, Eaton Rapids, Mich., five bass, 19-11, $448
5th: Marc Gallion, Lyons, Ill., five bass, 19-2, $368
5th: Jon Swartz, Three Rivers, Mich., five bass, 19-2, $368
7th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 18-14, $320
8th: Erik Jacques, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 18-7, $288
9th: Bryan Seymour, Goshen, Ind., four bass, 17-14, $256
10th: Edward Huddleston, Dearborn Heights, Mich., five bass, 17-9, $224
Complete co-angler results can be found by clicking here.
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C 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 Rayovac FLW 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 2014 over the course of 229 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. For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.