Ehrentraut Combs Grass Edges for Title

Cumbo nets co-angler title on Oneida

David Ehrentraut of Locke, New York, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the third FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on Oneida Lake presented by Navionics. For his victory, Ehrentraut received $4,463.

Ehrentraut says he spent the tournament combing through grass edges scattered around the lake. He preferred a specific type of cover and allotted 40 minutes for each area.

“I was looking for grass edges that had a little bit of a drop-off,” says Ehrentraut, who earned his first win in BFL competition. “In some areas the drop was 2 feet, in others it was less. Basically, I was looking for a hard bottom.

“On my first mid-lake stretch, I caught two keepers right away,” Ehrentraut continues. “I headed back toward the takeoff ramp and caught another before running near Lakeport to catch one more. After that I fished a couple of humps and ran the bank.”

Ehrentraut threw two baits during the event – a Gold Flash Minnow-colored Keitech Swing Impact Swimbait and a drop-shot rig with a Strike King KVD Dream Shot.

“The Dream Shot caught more fish, but the Keitech brought in the heaviest ones,” says Ehrentraut. “I caught about 16 fish throughout the day. I put the right things together out there and it worked for me.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          David Ehrentraut   Locke, N.Y., five bass, 18-9, $4,463

2^nd:         Randy Caruso, Liberty, N.Y., five bass, 17-12, $2,872

3^rd:          Ken Golub, Pittsford, N.Y., five bass, 17-1, $1,489

4^th:          Craig Nelson, Mather, Pa., five bass, 17-0, $1,041

5^th:          Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 16-12, $893

6^th:          Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 16-11, $818

7^th:          Robert Parmer, Linden, Pa., five bass, 16-5, $744

8^th:          Ian Renfrew, Phoenix, N.Y., five bass, 16-4, $669

9^th:          Ed Casey, Whiteford, Md., five bass, 16-1, $595

10^th:        Matt Stasiak, Pittsburgh, Pa., five bass, 15-15, $521

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. 

Caruso caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $640.

Cumbo wins co-angler title

Bryan Cumbo of West Wyoming, Pennsylvania, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,232.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Bryan Cumbo, West Wyoming, Pa., five bass, 16-13, $2,232

2^nd:         Michael Barton, Endicott, N.Y., five bass, 16-10, $1,116

3^rd:          Joseph Wood, Westport, Mass., five bass, 15-6, $743

4^th:          Daniel Hann, Williamson, N.Y., five bass, 15-5, $521

5^th:          Bill Klaips, Shavertown, Pa., five bass, 15-4, $446

6^th:          Drew Tiano, Hudson, N.Y., five bass, 14-5, $409

7^th:          Brian Setlock, Lancaster, Pa., five bass, 14-4, $372

8^th:          Andrew Benbenek, Cicero, N.Y., five bass, 13-10, $335

9^th:          Ken Maurer, Herndon, Pa., five bass, 13-7, $298

10^th:        Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., five bass, 13-6, $260

Daryl Christadore of Hampton, Connecticut, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $320.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. 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.