Drop-Shot Does it for King

Ruetz nets co-angler title in Michigan Super Tournament

Chris King of South Amherst, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 4 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division Super Tournament on the Detroit River with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 1 ounce. For his victory, King earned $6,668.

“On Saturday morning I changed my strategy at the last minute, which made for an interesting start,” said King of his second career win in FLW competition. “Normally I head to Lake Erie, but I ended up on Lake St. Clair because I felt like I had some better spots there.

“I focused on hitting taller weeds,” continued King. “I was sitting in about 16 feet of water and was drop-shotting minnow baits.”

King said he preferred using a Berkley Gulp Minnow and Strike King Caffeine Shad on his drop-shot rig.

“On Saturday the wind switched and shortened our day, a bit but I was still able to bring in around 15 keepers,” said King.

On Sunday, King said he ran to Lake Erie and targeted deep structure using the drop-shot rig.

“I don’t know if it was the time of day or the particular spot I was on, but I was able to dial in on a school of fish around 11 a.m.,” said King. “My co-angler and I caught nearly 40 fish and I ended up catching enough weight to win.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, 10 bass, 44-1, $4,668 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Mike Trombly, Perrysburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 43-15, $2,334

3^rd:          David Reault, Livonia, Mich., 10 bass, 42-8, $1,557

4^th:          Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., 10 bass, 40-12, $1,089

5^th:          Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., 10 bass, 40-11, $934

6^th:          Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., 10 bass, 40-8, $856

7^th:          Terry Bucciarelli, Ypsilanti, Mich., 10 bass, 40-5, $778

8^th:          Tom Beale, Rochester Hills, Mich., 10 bass, 39-6, $700

9^th:          Charles Mackintosh, Brighton, Mich., 10 bass, 38-6, $622

10^th:        John Devries, Fishers, Ind., 10 bass, 37-11, $545              

Complete results can be found here. 

King also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $547.

Reutz wins co-angler title

Brian Ruetz of Toledo, Ohio, won the co-angler division and $2,334 with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 41 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Brian Ruetz, Toledo, Ohio, 10 bass, 41-2, $2,334

2^nd:         Justin Sawyer, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 10 bass, 38-2, $1,167

3^rd:          David Michaelis, Commerce, Mich., 10 bass, 37-8, $779

4^th:          Mark Lyons, Marion, Ind., 10 bass, 36-15, $545

5^th:          Tony Mitchell, Plainwell, Mich., 10 bass, 33-3, $467

6^th:          Adam Suliman, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., 10 bass, 32-15, $428

7^th:          James Shetler, Newcomerstown, Ohio, 10 bass, 31-10, $389

8^th:          Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., 10 bass, 30-2, $350

9^th:          Tom Cooley, Novi, Mich., 10 bass, 29-15, $311

10^th:        Steven Hatala, Saint Clair Shores, Mich., nine bass, 29-14, $272

Lyons caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $274.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now 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.