Fox Flips Up Big O Victory

Schuh tops co-angler field

CLEWISTON, Fla. – Ty Fox of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Gator Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Okeechobee. For his victory, Fox earned $8,000.

“It feels good,” said Fox. “I’ve been fishing for a long time and to win one of these tournaments is pretty special.”

To seal the deal, Fox spent his day flipping to the cattail clumps at the south end of the lake. Using a Heroic rod, he threw a watermelon-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw and a Tramp-Stamp-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.

“It was a tough morning. I only caught two fish between 8:30 and 9:30 (a.m.),” Fox said. “Thankfully things picked up as the day went on.”

Fox cited the northeast wind as being a big factor for the slow bite in the morning. He found a window of opportunity when the wind switched from the east.

“Between 1 and 2 p.m. I caught my big ones,” Fox said. “By 2:30 I reached my limit and knew I probably had enough to hold onto the lead.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:           Ty Fox, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., five bass, 23-9, $6,000 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:          Brianne McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 18-2, $3,000

3^rd:          Jesus Villegas, Virginia Gardens, Fla., five bass, 17-12, $2,000

4^th:           Keith Burden, Seminole, Fla., five bass, 17-8, $1,300

4^th:           John Tavano, Sebring, Fla., five bass, 17-8, $1,300

6^th:           Josh Bright, Delray Beach, Fla., five bass, 17-1, $1,100

7^th:           Gerry Brousseau, Naples, Fla., five bass, 17-0, $1,000

8^th:           Mike Keyso Jr., North Port, Fla., five bass, 16-12, $900

9^th:           Brian Divito, Saint Petersburg, Fla., five bass, 16-10, $800

10^th:        Johnny Walker, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 15-15, $700             

Complete results can be found here.

Schuh claims co-angler title

A.J. Schuh of Mulberry, Florida, weighed in four bass totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win $3,000 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:           A.J. Schuh, Mulberry, Fla., four bass, 16-11, $3,000

2^nd:          Scott Wright, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 15-10, $1,500

3^rd:          Eric Veilleux, Orlando, Fla., five bass, 15-3, $1,000

4^th:           Tony Manganello, Boynton Beach, Fla., five bass, 14-13, $700

5^th:           Steve Dial, Lehigh Acres, Fla., five bass, 14-0, $600

6^th:           Robert Turcotte, Naples, Fla., five bass, 13-4, $550

7^th:           James Sloan, Cooper City, Fla., five bass, 13-3, $500

8^th:           Albert Winter, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 13-1, $450

9^th:           Charles Hatherill, Vero Beach, Fla., five bass, 12-12, $400

10^th:        Joey Roberts, Jensen Beach, Fla., five bass, 12-1, $350

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. 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.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.