Balog Back on Top

Borsa busts 20 pounds for co-angler win

Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Michigan, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament on Lake St. Clair. For his victory, Balog earned $6,418.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve won a BFL tournament so it feels pretty good,” said Balog, who has 36 career top-10 finishes in FLW competition. “I caught around 20 keepers so it was a great day of fishing.

“I spent my day targeting a deep-water area in the middle of the lake,” continued Balog. “The stretch I liked had isolated, sandy grass spots in about 20 feet of water.”

Balog said he used a variety of baits to catch his keepers including a green Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm on a drop-shot rig, a jig and a swimbait.

“I caught a big fish on the swimbait,” said Balog. “I was throwing some other lures and wasn’t getting any bites so I picked it up on a whim and caught a 5-pounder. That was a key move for me.”

With 30 minutes left in his day, Balog said he caught his final keeper and culled.

“I probably gained 8 ounces from that fish so it essentially gave me the win,” said Balog.

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Joe Balog, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 21-8, $3,418 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus + $1,000 Mercury Bonus

2^nd:         Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, five bass, 21-1, $1,709

3^rd:          Jonathon Dewey, Port Huron, Mich., five bass, 20-2, $1,138

4^th:          Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 19-5, $798

5^th:          Wayne Macklin, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 19-3, $684

6^th:          Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 18-15, $627

7^th:          Tony Yancey, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 18-9, $570

8^th:          David Reault, Livonia, Mich., five bass, 18-0, $513

9^th:          Todd Steele, Port Huron, Mich., five bass. 16-12, $456

10^th:        Jennifer Degrie, Adrian, Mich., five bass, 16-9, $379

10^th:        Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 16-9, $379              

Complete results can be found here. 

Macklin caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $420.

Borsa wins co-angler division

Philip Borsa of Redford, Michigan, weighed in five bass totaling 20 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win $1,709 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Philip Borsa, Redford, Mich., five bass, 20-9, $1,709

2^nd:         David Michaelis, Commerce, Mich., five bass, 18-9, $855

3^rd:          Jay Shaffer, Bath, Mich., five bass, 17-14, $570

4^th:          David Bell, Edon, Ohio, five bass, 17-6, $399

5^th:          Jon Witt, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 17-1, $342

6^th:          Kevin Paduk, New Boston, Mich., five bass, 16-8, $313

7^th:          Beau Bickford, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 16-7, $285

8^th:          Jason Wallace, Lizton, Ind., five bass, 16-6, $256

9^th:          Bill Fox, Waterford, Mich., five bass, 16-0, $202

9^th:          Mark Lyons, Marion, Ind., five bass, 16-0, $202

9^th:          Paul Porento, Highland, Ind., five bass, 16-0, $202

Michaelis caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $210.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.