SANDUSKY, Ohio (Sept. 13, 2004) - Boater Jim Hull of Sidney earned $5,741 Sunday as winner of the two-day, season-ending Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division Super Bass Tournament on Lake Erie. His two-day total of 44 pounds, 5 ounces topped 88 fellow competitors in the Boater Division.
Hull caught 22 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to advance to Sunday's competition, where he caught 21 pounds, 11 ounces to post the heaviest two-day weight and claim the win. He also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he earned another $1,000 from Garmin for using Garmin electronics exclusively during the event.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Dick Shaffer of Rockford (42 pounds, 3 ounces, $2,870); Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Mich. (42 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,555); Jack Dalzell of Amherst (40 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,316); and Jerry Cross of Marysville (38 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,076).
Steve Redwine of Blue Ash earned $880 as the Boater Division big-bass winner, thanks to a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass he caught on a drop-shot in the Pelee area.
Ryan Zwick of Harrison earned $2,870 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 42 pounds, 11 ounces. This is Zwick's first season to compete in the BFL.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Albert Schaaf Sr. of Waynesville (34 pounds, 9 ounces, $1,435); Jim Murphy of Canton (34 pounds, 7 ounces, $777); Rob Webber of Elyria (33 pounds, 13 ounces, $658); and William Redmond of Sciotoville (32 pounds, 1 ounce, $538).
Kenneth Watson of Piqua claimed co-angler big-bass honors with a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass he caught on a watermelon tube. He earned $440 for his big bass.
Each of the BFL's 24 nationwide divisions features four one-day tournaments and one two-day Super Tournament within the regular season. In Super Tournament competition, the entire field competes on day one and the top 20 percent advances to day two, with the winners determined by the heaviest two-day catch weights. More money is awarded at Super Tournaments as well as more points that count toward year-end angler standings. In a Super Tournament, 300 points are awarded for first place, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on.
Steve Floyd of Sabina earned $1,000 as the Yamaha "Be the Best" boater points champion in the Buckeye Division with 1,053 points for the season. Aaron Stahley of Milford earned Yamaha "Be the Best" points champion honors and $500 in the Co-angler Division. He earned 1,007 points this season.
The top 30 boaters and co-anglers in the Buckeye Division will advance to the Kerr Lake regional, which will be held Oct. 5-9 in Henderson, N.C. There they will compete against qualifying anglers from the Carolina, Northeast and Savannah River divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. The All-American awards a $100,000 cash prize to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler.
Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to fish the Wild Card for an All-American berth. Six nationwide regionals plus the Wild Card will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total field of 84 competitors.