Hostetler Jr. Earns Co-angler Win
Tiebreaker decides the winner
Sacking up limits worth 12 pounds, 2 ounces on day one and 14-15 on day two, followed by four fish for 10-9 on the final day, Brad Hostetler Jr. totaled 37-10 and earned the win on the co-angler side of the Costa FLW Series event presented by Evinrude at Lake of the Ozarks. Scott Parsons, who tied by total weight, finished second as Hostetler’s big day-two bag secured the tiebreaker. For the win, Hostetler will take home $5,000 and a fully rigged Ranger Z117 with a 90-hp Evinrude outboard.
Hostetler, who hails from Franklin, Ind., has little familiarity with Lake of the Ozarks, but was able to adjust each day nonetheless.
“On day one my pro was fishing shallow wood, and we actually caught some fish out on a point,” says Hostetler. “But we never fished the first dock or the first deep pile.”
On the first day, Hostetler says that his key baits were a buzzbait, a homemade jig with a Lake Fork Tackle Creature as the trailer and a green pumpkin tube. On days two and three, he used a red bug Zoom Ol’ Monster and a green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog with the tips dyed chartreuse.
“The second day, we fished deep brush that was out in front of those main-lake docks, and the worm was the ticket on day two,” says Hostetler. “I tried to throw the worm today [Saturday], but they just wouldn’t eat it. So, I went to the Brush Hog, and they would eat that.”
“I jumped in these this year because I liked the schedule, and I wanted something different,” says Hostetler, who is a regular in FLW Bass Fishing League events. “We kind of made this a vacation. My whole family is here, and I brought my bass boat down and actually practiced.
“I’m just blessed. I’ve got a brand new daughter, and she’s awesome. This couldn’t have happened at a better time.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Brad Hostetler Jr. – Franklin, Ind. – 37-10 (14) – $5,000 and a new Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude
2. Scott Parsons – Rogers, Ark. – 37-10 (14) – $4,500
3. John Bach – Salem, Mo. – 31-12 (12) – $3,600
4. Arnold Payne Jr. – Kokomo, Ind. – 29-10 (12) – $3,150
5. Jacques Fleischmann – Lampe, Mo. – 27-12 (9) – $2,784
6. Michael Carter – Raytown, Mo. – 26-8 (11) – $2,250
7. Brian Futch – Vienna, Ill. – 25-14 (12) – $1,800
8. Derrick Wright – Carl Junction, Mo. – 24-14 (9) – $1,743
9. James Ingram – Quitman, Ark. – 23-15 (13) – $1,450
10. Chris Dunlap – Foristell, Mo. – 20-1 (8) – $1,125