Rhode Dominates on Erie
Itoh wins co-angler title in Michigan Division Super Tournament
Jared Rhode of Port Clinton, Ohio, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 49 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the two-day T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division super-tournament on the Detroit River Sunday. Rhode earned $7,604 for his efforts.
“The first day I caught over 100 keepers – it was one of the biggest schools of fish that I have ever been on in my life,” says Rhode, who earned his fourth career victory in BFL competition. “I caught at least 10, 20-pound limits of smallmouth. It was pretty awesome.
“I fished near the Lake Erie islands, just rotating through 10 to 12 spots and targeting deeper structure – 18 to 25 feet,” Rhode continues. “The majority came on a drop-shot, but I also caught some throwing a tube and a swimbait.”
On day two, the wind picked up drastically and competitors were faced with 3- to 4-foot waves.
“It took me a long time to get to my area on day two, but I had one spot that I had saved,” Rhode continues. “My Ranger 620 boat turned out to be the key to my win, because it allowed me to get back out there on the second day when it was very rough.”
Rhode says his drop-shot arsenal included a Z-Man TRD worm, a 3-inch Berkley Gulp! Minnow and a 3-inch Berkley Gulp! Fish Fry. His swimbait of choice was a Keitech 3.8 with a ½-ounce head, and his 4-inch goby-colored tube was also fished on a ½-ounce jig.
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, 10 bass, 49-5, $5,604 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., 10 bass, 42-13, $2,502
3rd: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., 10 bass, 42-5, $1,886
4th: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., 10 bass, 41-10, $1,524
5th: Randy Ramsey, Burlington, Mich., 10 bass, 41-6, $921
6th: Mike Trombly, Belleville, Mich., 10 bass, 40-14, $844
7th: David Reault, Livonia, Mich., 10 bass, 40-4, $767
8th: Jeremy Antrup, Fremont, Ind., 10 bass, 39-12, $691
9th: Dan Mittlestat, Woodhaven, Mich., 10 bass, 38-9, $614
10th: Todd Schmitz, Coldwater, Mich., nine bass, 35-11, $537
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Tom Beale of Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, caught a 6-pound, 3-ounce smallmouth bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the event’s Boater Big Bass award of $540.
Itoh wins co-angler title
Beverly Hills, Michigan’s Jorji Itoh won the Co-angler Division and $2,502 Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 43 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Jorji Itoh, Beverly Hills, Mich., 10 bass, 43-3, $2,502
2nd: Zach Laupp, Plainwell, Mich., eight bass, 36-14, $1,151
3rd: Darwin Griva, Hamilton, Ind., 10 bass, 33-8, $767
4th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, 10 bass, 33-1, $587
5th: Mike Eldridge, Blairsville, Penn., eight bass, 31-13, $460
6th: Matthew Kime, Holland, Ohio, nine bass, 28-3, $422
7th: Neil Heisler, Plymouth, Mich., eight bass, 26-7, $384
8th: James Wathen, Richmond, Ky., seven bass, 26-1, $345
9th: Nicholas Ireland, Grand Blanc, Mich., eight bass, 25-7, $307
10th: Arron Kowalczyk, Newport, Mich., seven bass, 24-5, $269
Jeremy Pinkowski of Oak Forest, Illinois, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the event’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $270.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake presented by Evinrude in Buchanan, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.