MIDLAND, Ontario, Canada - Brian Runyon soared from sixth place on day two to win the BASS Federation Northern Divisional bass fishing tournament on Georgian Bay Friday.
Runyon, an electrician from McArthur, Ohio, brought in a total catch of 50 pounds, 11 ounces. The whopping catch not only won the tournament, but also bought Runyon a ticket to the BASS Federation Championship.
"It's gong to have to have time to sink in," Runyon said. "All I wanted to do today was put together a 10-pound sack to make sure I get a spot in the championship."
The Divisional pits Federation teams and their anglers against one another. The top angler from each of the nine competing Federations will head to the championship for a chance to win one of the BASS Federation's five traditional berths at the Bassmaster Classic.
Runyon will be joined by South Dakota's Jami Fralkick (49-7), Indiana's Rodney Hardwick (43-12), Michigan's Edward Rogers (41-11), Minnesota's Ken Milender (41-6), Ontario's Jamie Janzen (38-11), Wisconsin's Jeremy Foster (38-7), Iowa's Thad Takes (35-5) and Illinois' Steve Tatum (32-11).
Although the competition was stiff, it didn't quite qualify as cutthroat, with anglers cooperating in a spirit best exemplified by what Runyon said was his best decision of the week.
"I worked with my co-anglers," he said, referring to the partners who shared his boat throughout the three-day tournament. "We'd go over what they were fishing, we'd go over what I was doing, and we worked together. That's how I put together the fish I caught."
Runyon said he and his partners all caught their smallmouth bass by fishing around rocks in water between 2 and 5 feet deep. His lucky lure for the week was a Picasso spinnerbait in white chartreuse. Runyon credited it with catching 13 of the 14 fish he brought to the scales.
BASS FEDERATION TOURNAMENT TRAIL 2003 NORTHERN DIVISIONAL 09/24-09/26 GEORGIAN BAY, MIDLAND ONTARION, CN S T A N D I N G S D A Y 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PLACE NAME CITY STATE FISH LBS-OZ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Brian Runyon McArthur, OH OH 14 50-11 2 Jami Fralick Tyndall, SD SD 15 49- 7 3 Rodney Hardwick Connersville, IN IN 15 43-12 4 Edward Rogers Grand Rapids, MI MI 15 41-11 5 Ken Milender Ham Lake, MN MN 13 41- 6 6 Jamie Janzen St Catherines, ON ON 13 38-11 7 Jeremy Foster Weyauwega, WI WI 15 38- 7 8 Michael Augot Petawawa, ON ON 12 37- 5 9 Monty Fralick Martin, SD SD 15 36-11 10 Bryan Cain Wowboy, SD WI 12 36- 9 11 Greg Roth Cambridge, ON ON 13 36- 4 12 Ronald Pillars Kalamazoo, MI MI 12 35- 7 13 Thad Takes Center Point, IA IA 13 35- 5 14 Rob McKill Orangeville, ON ON 12 34-11 15 Dustin Baker Plensentville, OH OH 12 33- 1 16 Steve Tatum Pontiac, IL IL 11 32-11 17 Larry Russell Bloomington, IL IL 10 32- 1 18 Dave Bairstow Hastings, ON ON 11 32- 0 19 Jimmy Johnson LaCrosse, WI WI 10 31- 6 20 Jason Johnson Troy, MI MI 10 30-11 20 Warren Thomas Lakewood, WI WI 11 30-11 22 Matt Hubble Peterborough, ON ON 9 30- 3 22 Steven Radisewitz Princeton, MN MN 12 30- 3 24 Brady Farrell Ft Atkinson, WI WI 10 30- 0 25 Shawn Robitaille Penet, ON ON 10 29-13 26 Phillip Jones Holland, MI MI 11 28-14 27 Gary Kubik Hartland, WI WI 9 28-11 28 Ron Goodwin Waterloo, IA IA 10 26-12 29 Scott McIntyre Decatur, IL IL 11 26-10 29 Martin Yoder Brook, IN IN 10 26-10 31 John Stears Rochester, MN MN 9 26- 5 32 Kent Oakley Decatur, IL IL 11 25-14 33 Jeff Baird Dayton, OH OH 8 24-10 34 Bill Bauer Carmel, IN IN 8 24- 9 35 Paul Shenep Fort McCoy, WI WI 7 24- 3 36 David Lagle Mitchell, IN IN 10 23-15 37 Chad Ekroth Yankton, SD SD 10 23- 9 38 Dan Parker Coultenberg, IA IA 9 23- 7 38 Richard Wiehe Mt Gilead, OH OH 9 23- 7 40 Bob Backstrom Woodburn, IA IA 10 21-12 41 Matt Elkins Fairfield, OH OH 9 21-11 41 Max Egley Ft. Wayne, IN IN 9 21-11 43 Douglas Polasek Comstock Pk, MI MI 9 21- 7 44 Terry Crawford Midland, ON ON 8 21- 6 45 Tom McMahon Calamus, IA IA 8 21- 5 46 Jim McLaren Perkinsfield, ON ON 8 21- 2 46 Daniel Elsner Greenbay, WI WI 8 21- 2 48 Don Hagen Spring Grove, MN MN 8 21- 1 49 Jay Green St Louis Park, MN MN 6 20-15 50 Brian Plank Mt. Zion, IL IL 10 20-13 51 Doug Brownridge Milton, ON ON 6 19-13 52 Shane Oltjenbruns Neligh, NE SD 9 19- 8 53 Brian Koch Metamora, IL IL 8 19- 4 54 Steven Linzmeyer Suring, WI WI 6 18- 9 54 Ken Kryger Green Bay, WI WI 7 18- 9 56 Franklin Janzen St Catherine, ON ON 7 18- 7 57 Kevin Wells South Shore, KY OH 9 18- 6 58 Christopher Clemence Maple Htgs, OH OH 9 18- 0 59 Rick Billings Rochester, MN MN 5 17-11 60 Robert Bayless Indpls., IN IN 5 16-14 61 Greg Silberg Auburn, IN IN 7 16-11 62 Paul Hollabaugh Ft Wayne, IN IN 6 16- 4 63 William Buckner Scottsburg, IN IN 6 16- 2 64 Clinton Layne Tabor, SD SD 7 15-15 65 Jack Morse Decatur, IL IL 7 15-14 65 Robert Luttke Stevensville, MI MI 6 15-14 67 George Bright Branden, SD SD 6 15-13 68 Michael Nowak Muskrgo, WI WI 8 15-12 69 David Goodman Franklin, IN IN 6 15- 9 70 David Makarewicz Davison, MI MI 5 15- 7 71 Lonny Walker Newton, IA IA 7 15- 1 72 David Hefflefinger Cedar Rapids, IA IA 7 14-13 72 Al Valencour Boyceville, WI MN 5 14-13 74 Jim Severson Breezy Point, MN MN 5 14-12 74 William Grove Cedar Rapids, IN IA 7 14-12 76 Michael Weidman Burton, MI MI 7 14-10 77 Wayne Pacyga Brooklyn Pk, MN MN 6 14- 9 78 Darin Reed Pekin, IL IL 6 14- 5 79 Rob Wing Waterforo, MI MI 6 14- 4 80 David Schneider Indianapolis, IN IN 5 13-12 81 Charles Cutting Pekin, IL IL 4 13-11 82 Pat Campbell Cedar Falls, IA IA 5 13- 8 83 Thomas James Borkowski Savage, MN MN 5 13- 6 84 Hank Jones Hardinsburg, IN IN 6 13- 4 85 John Barton Streator, IL IL 5 13- 3 86 Bob Cox Tippecanoe, OH OH 6 13- 2 86 Andy Sommerfelt Denver, IA IA 4 13- 2 88 Jeff Homkes Holland, MI MI 5 12-14 89 Jimmy Fryer Grove City, OH OH 5 12- 9 90 Tad Tinlin Des Moines, IA IA 4 12- 6 91 Ken Thompson Waterloo, IA IA 5 10-11 92 Brian Berriault Midland, ON ON 3 10- 5 93 Jim Gacke Inwood, IA SD 3 10- 1 94 Gregg Lindblom N Branch, MN MN 3 9- 9 95 Terry Imus Mitchell, SD SD 3 9- 6 95 Herb Bouyack Bellevue, OH OH 3 9- 6 97 Joseph Kopke Green Bay, WI WI 3 9- 4 98 Phil Risnes Hartford, SD SD 3 8-12 99 David Carter Chesterfield, MI MI 3 8- 9 100 Michael Hines Quincy, IL IL 3 8- 7 101 Gary Steichen Woonsocket, SD SD 3 8- 6 102 Mike Toht Centerville, OH OH 6 8- 2 103 Michael Perfetti Pekin, IL IL 3 7-14 104 Larry Beeman Portage, MI MI 3 7- 2 105 Wayne Lindgren Columbia Hgts, MN MN 3 7- 0 106 Greg Konda Parker, SD SD 3 6- 4 107 Robert Reinbold Timber Lake, SD SD 3 3- 8 108 Roger Adams Centerville, OH OH 1 2-14 109 David Chong Thomhill, ON ON 1 2- 4 DAY BIG BASS NAME CITY STATE CASH --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 5/ 2 Ken Milender Ham Lake, MN MN 200.00 2 4/10 Wayne Lindgren Columbia Hgts, MN MN 100.00 2 4/10 Andy Sommerfelt Denver, IA IA 100.00 3 5/ 2 Gary Kubik Hartland, WI WI 200.00 DAY # FISH # LIMITS LBS/OZ ------------------------------------------- 1 282 27 815/12 2 244 17 600/ 9 3 307 33 843/ 7 ------------------------------------------- 833 77 2259/12