BFL Super Tournament on Mississippi River won by Stanton

Douglas Stanton of Winona, Minn., caught 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 10 ounces to win the BFL Great Lakes Division Super Tournament, held Sept. 6-7 on the Mississippi River near Welch. Angler: Doug Stanton.

September 7, 2003 • MLF • Archives

WELCH, Minn. – Douglas Stanton of Winona caught 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 10 ounces to win $5,478 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on the Mississippi River near Welch. Stanton bested 82 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Great Lakes Division event of the regular season.

Stanton caught five bass Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces to finish third on day one and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces to earn the win. He earned another $1,000 from Bombardier for using an Evinrude Direct Injection outboard.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jason Leuenberger of La Crosse, Wis. (10 bass, 26 pounds, 6 ounces); Bob Matthies of Cicero, Ill. (10 bass, 24 pounds, 10 ounces); Greg Fedie of Arcadia, Wis. (10 bass, 24 pounds, 10 ounces); and Dustin Avenarius of Yorkville, Ill. (10 bass, 24 pounds, 3 ounces).

As the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Matthies also claimed a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats.

Rob Leidholdt of Racine, Wis., claimed $820 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 4-pound, 1-ounce bass.

David Ondrla of Elmhurst, Ill., led 82 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $2,739 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught five bass Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces to finish first and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces to earn the win.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mike Riley of Wonder Lake, Ill. (nine bass, 22 pounds, 4 ounces); Craig Fanning of Elwood, Ill. (10 bass, 22 pounds, 2 ounces); Luke Ledvina of Necedah, Wis. (nine bass, 21 pounds, 5 ounces); and Michael Huffman of Fort Madison, Iowa (seven bass, 17 pounds, 1 ounce).

Troy Markling of Avalon, Wis., took co-angler big-bass honors and $410 with a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass.

Jeff Ritter of Prairie du Chien, Wis., is the Great Lakes Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 1,046 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Huffman is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1,004 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Great Lakes Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 21-25 on Beaver Lake near Rogers, Ark., where they will go up against top competitors from the LBL, Okie and Ozark divisions for a shot at qualifying for the BFL All-American, one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

The BFL comprises 24 divisions nationwide, each featuring five regular-season events that lead to one of six regionals. Four of the regular-season tournaments are one-day events, while the final event, a Super Tournament, is a two-day tournament that will award as much as $70,950 to participating anglers. Anglers who enter all five regular-season events in a division but do not advance to a regional may enter the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for a shot at qualifying for the All-American. The All-American field comprises 84 competitors – six boaters and six co-anglers from six regionals plus six boaters and six co-anglers from the Wild Card.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Each year the top 30 boaters and co-anglers from each BFL division are eligible to advance to the EverStart Series, and the All-American champions are eligible for Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition. The top 15 pros and co-anglers from the Central, Eastern and Northern divisions of the EverStart Series (top 10 from the Western Division) are eligible to advance to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Chevy pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.