Wausau’s Mataczynski Wins FLW Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division Opener on Mississippi River Presented By Power-Pole

Pettit wins co-angler title

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Jared Mataczynski of Wausau, Wisconsin, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Mataczynski took home $4,830.

“I spent the day in Pool No. 8 fishing what I call a ‘current slick’,” said Mataczynski, who earned his first win in BFL competition. “It’s basically an area where two currents merge back together behind an island. It had a little bit of everything – a sand bar, a wing dam – it was pretty much smallmouth heaven.

“The first hour was pretty chaotic,” continued Mataczynski. “I threw a Summer Sexy Shad-colored Strike King Red Eye Shad Crankbait and brought in keepers just about every time I drifted from the spot. I nosed up between the currents and bombed it close to the island, and then drifted.”

Mataczynski said he ended up catching the majority of his 15 keepers within the first hour.

“The heaviest fish were right on the knob of the wing dam right before it dropped into deep water,” said Mataczynski. “My last big one came in at 9:30 a.m. The area was so active I had no reason to leave and go to another pool. It was a great day.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

               1^st:          Jared Mataczynski, Wausau, Wis., five bass, 20-15, $4,830

               2^nd:         Rick Bosshard, Hartland, Wis., five bass, 15-6, $2,415

               3^rd:          Cade Laufenberg, Winona, Minn., five bass, 15-4, $1,609

               4^th:          Fernando Lobato, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 14-13, $1,127

               5^th:          Kevin Wolfram, Wheaton, Ill., five bass, 14-7, $966

               6^th:          Chris Welch, Fall River, Wis., five bass, 14-4, $885

               7^th:          Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-11, $805

               8^th:          Devin Teigen, Eau Claire, Wis., five bass, 13-9, $724

               9^th:          Brandon Gann, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 13-7, $644

               10^th:        Caleb Kuphall, Mukwonago, Wis., five bass, 13-5, $535

               10^th:        Ben Potaracke, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-5, $535

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.  

Glenn Walker of Savage, Minnesota, caught a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $720.

Christian Pettit of Marinette, Wisconsin, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds even Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,415.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1^st:          Christian Pettit, Marinette, Wis., five bass, 14-0, $2,415

               2^nd:         David Halverson, Necedah, Wis., five bass, 13-12, $1,207

               3^rd:          Stefan Marginean, Glenview, Ill., five bass, 13-10, $806

               4^th:          Jason Brenic, Pewaukee, Wis., five bass, 13-9, $563

               5^th:          Brad Goetz, Medinah, Ill., five bass, 12-9, $483

               6^th:          Matthew Frisk, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 11-13, $443

               7^th:          Michael Taylor, Tipton, Iowa, five bass, 11-7, $402

               8^th:          Cody Hackett, Stoddard, Wis., five bass, 11-5, $362

               9^th:          Chuck Davis, Farmington, Ill., five bass, 10-15, $322

               10^th:        Lor Vue, La Crosse, Wis., four bass, 10-12, $282

K.C. Shaible of Machesney Park, Illinois, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $360.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C 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 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.

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