Ruh Runs Sand Bars on Mighty Miss
Duffy takes co-angler title in Great Lakes Division
Kevin Ruh of Onalaska, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the 2018 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien. For the win, Ruh earned the top prize of $5,594.
“I was fishing sand bars, looking specifically for areas that had the right current,” says Ruh, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I started out fishing in Pool 9, but locked up to Pool 10. The majority of my weight came from one spot there.”
Ruh says his key bait Saturday was a swing head jig with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog, but he also caught some keepers dragging a Carolina rig. He estimates that he caught nine keepers throughout the day.
“The fish were grouped up and once I got the school fired up they started biting. Within 20 minutes I had done my damage,” Ruh says. “The fish had been moving throughout the week chasing baitfish, so I knew where they would end up.
“Another big key for me on Saturday was the wind setting up right,” Ruh continues. “The water level was dropping and the current wasn’t flowing as hard, so the wind helped to fire those fish up.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Kevin Ruh, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 16-2, $5,594
2nd: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 15-6, $2,197
3rd: Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 15-4, $1,244
3rd: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 15-4, $1,344
5th: Tom Howland, Riceville, Iowa, five bass, 14-14, $879
6th: Jim Caulum, Bangor, Wis., five bass, 14-13, $805
7th: Jeremiah Shaver, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 14-12, $732
8th: Rick Miller, Eastman, Wis., five bass, 14-8, $659
9th: Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, five bass, 14-5, $586
10th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 14-4, $513
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Jim Tomsovic of Sparta, Wisconsin, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 6 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the Boater’s Big Bass award of $315.
Duffy wins co-angler title
Dennis Duffy of Westmont, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces. Duffy earned $2,297 for his victory.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Dennis Duffy, Westmont, Ill., five bass, 12-8, $2,297
2nd: Edward Elkins, Pacific, Mo., five bass, 12-6, $1,148
3rd: Michael Taylor, Tipton, Iowa, five bass, 12-1, $733
4th: Zuteus Sevenants, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 11-12, $513
5th: Kevin Reardon, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 11-9, $439
6th: Hector Garcia, Elgin, Ill., five bass, 11-6, $403
7th: Rick Beck, Roscoe, Ill., five bass, 11-3, $366
8th: Jason Swanson, Waterloo, Iowa, five bass, 11-2, $330
9th: K.C. Shaible, Machesney Park, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $274
9th: Ben Rockey, West Bend, Wis., five bass, 11-1, $274
Ron Check of Prairie du Chien earned the Co-Angler Big Bass Award of $315 after bringing a bass weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces to the scale.
The 2018 T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien was hosted by the Prairie du Chien Tourism Council.
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. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on the Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Mo. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.