Martinkovic Hunts Down Postspawners for Win

Read claims co-angler title on Patoka

Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Patoka Lake presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Martinkovic received $5,879.

“I started the morning mid-lake throwing a bone-colored Heddon Zara Spook to bass up shallow,” says Martinkovic, who earned the fourth win of his FLW career. “I ran a 100-yard stretch of bluegill beds and pulled the Spook fairly quickly. The water was clear so you didn’t want them to have a chance to look at it. I caught two of my better ones, and ended up with three in the boat by 8:30 a.m.

“After that I fished points for the rest of the day,” Martinkovic continues. “The ones I hit were long and protruding from the spawning pockets. I probably ran through 30 of them. I used a green-pumpkin football-head jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer.”

Martinkovic went three hours without a bite, but managed to wrangle in two more fish by 1 p.m. to complete his limit. He finished the day with just six keeper bites.

“The boat traffic made it tough out there,” says Martinkovic. “I also spent a lot of my time going for those big postspawn fish. I’m just thankful I had enough to win.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 18-14, $3,879 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Jeremy Knepp, Montgomery, Ind., four bass, 15-2, $1,940

3^rd:          John Schroering, Dubois, Ind., four bass, 15-1, $1,293

4^th:          Charlie Hentrup, New Albany, Ind., five bass, 14-9, $905

5^th:          Scott Spayd, Ferdinand, Ind., four bass, 14-5, $776

6^th:          Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 13-10, $711

7^th:          Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 12-15, $647

8^th:          John Melton, Corydon, Ind., four bass, 12-13, $582

9^th:          Ted Scheeter, Jasper, Ind., four bass, 11-13, $517

10^th:        Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., five bass, 11-8, $453

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. 

Tim Barkley of Indianapolis, Indiana, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $515.

Read wins co-angler title

Darron Read of Elizabethtown, Indiana, weighed in three bass totaling 8 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,940.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Darron Read, Elizabethtown, Ind., three bass, 8-4, $1,940

2^nd:         Chad Jackson, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 7-8, $970

3^rd:          Shane Oxford, Saint Meinrad, Ind., two bass, 5-15, $646

4^th:          Jim Betts, Fort Wayne, Ind., two bass, 5-12, $453

5^th:          Rod Yoder, West Lafayette, Ind., two bass, 5-11, $388

6^th:          Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 5-9, $356

7^th:          Jim Krider, North Vernon, Ind., one bass, 5-5, $580

8^th:          Brian Liming, Dilsboro, Ind., two bass, 5-4, $275

8^th:          Robert Revalee, Connersville, Ind., one bass, 5-4, $275

10^th:        Kenny Mitchell, Franklin, Ohio, one bass, 4-5, $226

Krider caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.

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.