Four Fish Good Enough for Davidson

Konopacki takes co-angler title on Patoka Lake

Calvin Davidson of Plainfield, Indiana, weighed in four bass totaling 16 pounds even Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament of 2016 on Patoka Lake. For his victory, Davidson took home $6,652.

“The weather was forecast to be calm, but by 10 a.m. we had 30 to 40 mph winds,” says Davidson, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “It affected some of my decisions, but I was able to remain fairly consistent.”

Davidson dialed in on bass along points near the Patoka Lake dam.

“I fished 50-yard stretches of rock or wood, in 4 to 5 feet of water,” says Davidson. “I concentrated on a few small areas; basically anywhere I could still feel my tube and stay out of the wind.”

Davidson said he used one bait to catch his fish – a green-pumpkin-colored Secret Lures Stupid Tube.

“This time of year, we rig it to mimic a crawfish,” said Davidson. “I dragged it around, and hopped it here and there, which gave it some erratic action.”

The Indiana angler says the fish he weighed in were the only four bites he had the entire day.

“I had three of them by 10 a.m., and the fourth around 1 p.m.,” says Davidson. “I kept thinking that I’d need a fifth for a limit but luckily they were the right kind of bites.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Calvin Davidson, Plainfield, Ind., four bass, 16-0, $4,652 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Jerad Schwedler, Noblesville, Ind., five bass, 15-15, $2,326

3^rd:          Richard Hardebeck, Elwood, Ind., three bass, 14-15, $2,236

4^th:          Eric Moore, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 14-6, $1,086

5^th:          Kevin Reece, Elizabeth, Ind., four bass, 14-0, $930

6^th:          Mario Mills, Valparaiso, Ind., three bass, 13-2, $853

7^th:          Ted Scheeter, Jasper, Ind., four bass, 12-8, $775

8^th:          Ray Brunner, Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 11-14, $998

9^th:          Eric Johnson, Columbus, Ind., two bass, 11-10, $620

10^th:        Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 11-9, $543

Complete results can be found here.  

Hardeback caught a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $685.

Konopacki wins co-angler title

Michael Konopacki of Valparaiso, Indiana, weighed in three bass totaling 18 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to earn $2,629 and win the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Michael Konopacki, Valparaiso, Ind., three bass, 18-10, $2,629

2^nd:         Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 12-12, $1,146

3^rd:          Nathaniel Hester, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 10-0, $765

4^th:          Marshall Lachecki, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 8-0, $535

5^th:          James Wathen, Louisville, Ky., two bass, 6-15, $458

6^th:          Charlie Kuebler, Jasper, Ind., two bass, 6-4, $420

7^th:          Scott Moon, Beech Grove, Ind., two bass, 6-0, $382

8^th:          Arthur Stahlhut, Garrett, Ind., one bass, 5-13, $344

9^th:          Bob Ungren, Jeffersonville, Ind., one bass, 5-11, $306

10^th:        Shane Oxford, Saint Meinrad, Ind., two bass, 5-9, $254

10^th:        J.P. Lamphere, Bloomington, Ind., two bass, 5-9, $254

Konopacki also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $337.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. 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.