Geiger wins Wal-Mart BFL Buckeye Division tournament

Boater Jason Geiger of Arcanum topped 163 BFL competitors May 10 on Grand Lake with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces. Angler: Jason Geiger.

May 10, 2003 • MLF • Archives

SAINT MARY’S, Ohio – Jason Geiger of Arcanum, topped 163 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Grand Lake with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him $4,291 and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Geiger’s catch topped second-place boater Butch Dobransky of Canton by 2 pounds, 3 ounces. Dobransky finished the one-day tournament with a four-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 8 ounces worth $2,145. Dobransky earned a $500 bonus from Ranger for being the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Dobransky also earned $815 as the big-bass winner, thanks to a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass.

Gary Dees of Hamilton (three bass, 11 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,459); Jesse Stienecker of New Bremen (five bass, 10 pounds, $1,116); and Blake Birt of Greenville (five bass, 9 pounds, 14 ounces, $944) rounded out the top five boaters.

Mike Hamberg of Celina earned first place and $1,953 with a two-bass catch weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces, in the 143-competitor Co-angler Division. He surpassed second-place co-angler Eddie Frye of Gallipolis by 4 ounces. Frye finished with a two-bass catch weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces worth $976. Hamberg also earned big-bass honors and $358 in his division with a 5-pound bass.

Chuck Elson of Zanesville (three bass, 5 pounds, 3 ounces, $664); Daniel Dobransky of Waynesburg (two bass, 5 pounds, 1 ounce, $508); and Ryan Rich of Eaton (three bass, 4 pounds, 14 ounces, $430) rounded out the top five boaters.

The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Lake Erie June 7 for the second of five Buckeye Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 13-14 on Lake Erie, will be declared the Yamaha “Be the Best” Points Leader and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.

The top 30 Buckeye Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 7-11 on Lake Chautauqua near Jamestown, N.Y., where they will go up against top competitors from the Michigan, Northeast and Shenandoah divisions for a shot at qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

As much as $6 million will be awarded in the 2003 Wal-Mart BFL.

Editor’s Note: Ranger Cup award winners are pending verification by Ranger Boats and thus are unofficial at this time.