Samo Wins at Wolf River Chain
Rockey, Puterbaugh tie for co-angler title
Curtis Samo of Rochelle, Illinois, won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Wolf River Chain of Lakes with five bass weighing 15 pounds even. For his win, Samo took home $5,794.
According to post-tournament reports, Samo caught his fish flipping Chompers tubes and running buzzbaits on Lake Winneconne.
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., five bass, 15-0, $3,794 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Joe Pollak, Lake Geneva, Wis., five bass, 14-6, $2,097
3rd: Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $1,565
4th: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., five bass, 13-3, $885
5th: Jason Skutt, Menomonie, Wis., five bass, 12-10, $759
6th: Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 12-9, $696
7th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 12-5, $982
8th: Chris Aswegan, Tiffin, Iowa, five bass, 12-3, $537
8th: William Schultz, Viroqua, Wis., five bass, 12-3, $537
10th: Dylan Drephal, Black Creek, Wis., five bass, 12-1, $593
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 2 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $495.
Rockey, Puterbaugh tie for co-angler title
Mike Puterbaugh of Montello, Wisconsin, and Joe Rockey of Schaumburg, Illinois, each caught 13 pounds, 4 ounces, worth of bass Saturday to tie for the win in the Co-angler Division. For their efforts, each angler took home $1,423.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Mike Puterbaugh, Montello, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $1,423
1st: Joe Rockey, Schaumburg, Ill., five bass, 13-4, $1,423
3rd: Josh Yonak, Big Lake, Minn., five bass, 12-0, $983
4th: Rick Ragner, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 11-8, $443
5th: Andy Heisler, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 11-6, $379
6th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., five bass, 10-14, $498
7th: Tom Lyskawka, Arlington Heights, Ill., four bass, 10-9, $316
8th: Gage Griffin, Lake Forest, Ill., five bass, 10-1, $285
9th: Andrew Hegerty, Colgate, Wis., five bass, 9-14, $253
10th: Brad Bernau, Caledonia, Minn., five bass, 9-13, $221
Josh Mohn of Lansing, Iowa, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $247.
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 and Barkley lakes in Buchanan, Tennessee, presented by Evinrude. 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.