Pollak Plays Current for Big Muddy W
Krienke wins co-angler title in Great Lakes Division event
Joe Pollak of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce. For his win, Pollack netted $4,586.
“I was able to catch a limit fairly quick fishing between the middle and the north side of Pool No. 9, south of Lansing,” says Pollak, who logged his second career victory in BFL competition – both on the Mississippi River. “I had a bunch of spots that had schools of fish on them – probably a dozen or so points that were current-related.”
Pollack fished in 1 to 5 feet of water, casting a ¼-ounce white and chartreuse-colored Dirty Jigs swimjig with a 4-inch white Zoom Paddle Tail swimbait trailer, as well as some reaction baits including a white Heddon Zara Spook Jr.
“Around 11 [a.m.], I locked back down to [Pool No.] 10 and sat on another current-related point on the north end and was able to cull out two or three fish using the same baits,” says Pollak. “I upgraded by about 2 pounds which gave me enough to win the tournament.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Joe Pollak, Lake Geneva, Wis., five bass, 15-1, $4,586
2nd: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 15-0, $1,793
3rd: Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 14-10, $1,554
4th: Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., five bass, 14-9, $1,090
5th: Kyle Von Ruden, Stoddard, Wis., five bass, 14-6, $677
6th: Robby Tufte, Fountain City, Wis., five bass, 14-5, $771
7th: Terry Fitzpatrick, Waukon, Iowa, five bass, 13-15, $536
7th: Steven Johnson, Lake Villa, Ill., five bass, 13-15, $536
9th: Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., five bass, 13-10, $451
10th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 13-9, $395
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Fitzpatrick caught a bass weighing 3 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $425.
Krienke wins co-angler title
Kory Krienke of Annandale, Minnesota, won the Co-angler Division and $1,893 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Kory Krienke, Annandale, Minn., five bass, 12-4, $1,893
2nd: Bradley Thacher, Preston, Minn., five bass, 11-8, $846
3rd: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., five bass, 11-5, $764
4th: Rene Luis, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 11-3, $395
5th: Richard Conrad, Arcadia, Wis., five bass, 11-0, $439
6th: Thomas Roberts, Waunakee, Wis., five bass, 10-7, $310
7th: Josh Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 10-4, $282
8th: Mike Toft, Belleville, Wis., five bass, 9-12, $254
9th: Joe Perez, Chanhassen, Minn., five bass, 9-8, $226
10th: Matt Finkeldei, Davenport, Iowa, five bass, 9-6, $198
Jared Greninger of Byron, Illinois, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $212.
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.