BIRDSEYE, Ind. (May 24, 2004) - Boater John Borges of Cincinnati earned $4,631 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division bass fishing tournament on Patoka Lake. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Hoosier Division events and featured 181 boaters vying for the win, which earned Borges 200 points in the Boater Division.
Borges' winning catch of five bass weighed 16 pounds, 1 ounce, and he caught them flipping a tube to shallow stumps. He also received a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.
Finishing second was Chris Myers of Madison with five bass weighing 14 pounds that earned him $2,316. Jeff Wehner of Noblesville claimed $1,575 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces. In fourth was Frank McClain of Scottsburg with four bass weighing 13 pounds, 8 ounces worth $1,204, and finishing fifth and earning $1,019 was Todd Hensley of New Albany with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces.
Dan Pardue of Morgantown took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $905 for a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a Zara Spook Junior.
Thomas Cottle of Lebanon, Ohio, bested 177 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,285 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces that he caught on a Zara Spook Junior.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kenneth Smith of Austin (four bass, 10 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,142); Jason Fromme of Jasper (three bass, 9 pounds, 6 ounces, $777); Jim Deisher of Indianapolis (three bass, 9 pounds, $594); and Barry Gunter of Trafalgar (three bass, 8 pounds, 14 ounces, $503).
Mike Barr of Otisco and Chris Gable of Brandenburg, Ky., tied for co-angler big-bass honors. Both anglers caught a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass to earn $222 each.
The Hoosier Division's next event will be held June 12 on the Ohio River near Cannelton, followed by an event on Lake Monroe in Bloomington Aug. 28. The Hoosier Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 18-19 with a two-day Super Tournament that will also be held on the Ohio River near Cannelton.