Tucker tops at Lake of the Ozarks

Patterson wins co-angler title
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Mark Tucker of Kirkwood, Mo., won the April 6 Ozark Division event on Lake of the Ozarks with a limit that weighed 21 pounds. Tucker took home a check worth over $5,700 for his victory. Angler: Mark Tucker.
April 6, 2013 • MLF • Archives

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – Mark Tucker of Kirkwood, Mo., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds even Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division event on Lake of the Ozarks. For his victory, Tucker earned $5,720.

“I caught all of my fish on a spinnerbait,” said Tucker. “The fish weren’t relating to the bank. They were around 6 to 7 feet deep, over about 15 to 17 feet of water. I was just slowly rolling either a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce spinnerbait that had a Colorado- and willow-leaf configuration for the blades. I was throwing it on 17-pound monofilament line, so that it would float a bit more than if I had used fluorocarbon. I was trying to keep the boat in about 15 to 17 feet of water while I made parallel casts to the bank.

“It was really key if you could find some lay-downs on a 45-degree bank,” Tucker continued. “It was even better if those lay-downs stretched down deep and had a few limbs sticking up. The fish weren’t relating to the wood, but they were just off the end of the wood, suspending out in front of it. I could see the fish on my graph.

“The water temperatures started in the high 40’s and ended in the low 50’s,” Tucker went on to say. “The water had some color in it, and you could see the spinnerbait down about a foot or so. On Saturday, we had 30 mph winds and it was overcast. That really helped the spinnerbait bite. After the sun came out at around 1:30, I never got another good bite.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: Andre Dickneite, Freeburg, Mo., five bass, 19-11, $2,360

3rd: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., five bass, 17-15, $1,574

4th: Jim Kopff, Old Monroe, Mo., five bass, 16-14, $1,101

5th: Larry Stoafer, Leavenworth, Kan., four bass, 16-0, $944

6th: Bruce Parsons, Moravia, Iowa, five bass, 15-10, $865

7th: Jim Stamper, Montreal, Mo., five bass, 14-13, $787

8th: Tim Fleetwood, Forsyth, Mo., five bass, 14-7, $708 + $300 Evinrude Bonus

9th: Aaron Whittle, Lohman, Mo., five bass, 13-12, $629

10th: Doug Henzlik, Overland Park., Kan., three bass, 13-10, $551

Complete results can be found here.

Patterson wins co-angler title

Co-angler Brandon Patterson of Manhattan, Kan., won the April 6 Ozark Division event on Lake of the Ozarks with five-bass limit that weighed 18 pounds, 2 ounces. Patterson was awarded over $2,300 in tournament winnings for his victory. Brandon Patterson of Manhattan, Kan., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $2,360 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Seth Holder, Centerton, Ark., four bass, 15-10, $1,180

3rd: Chris Klenke, Labadie, Mo., two bass, 12-2, $787

4th: Michael Ratz, Hudson, Wis., four bass, 12-0, $551

5th: Robert Loyd, Springfield, Mo., four bass, 11-3, $472

6th: Tommy Lowery, O’Fallon, Mo., two bass, 10-11, $433

7th: Joshua Pullins, Mineral Point, Mo., three bass, 9-4, $393

8th: James Kelley, Maryland Heights, Mo., three bass, 9-0, $354

9th: Clay Messmer, Ballwin, Mo., four bass, 8-12, $315

10th: Alan Quick, Springfield, Mo., two bass, 8-11, $275

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The next BFL Ozark Division tournament is scheduled for April 27 on Stockton Lake in Stockton, Mo. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27-29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

About FLW

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.