TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 1, 2016) – Michael Sitko of Pinckney, Michigan, weighed a five bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River. Sitko took home $6,463 for his win. Sitko said he ran to Lake St. Clair and targeted isolated weed patches along a mid-lake stretch that he estimated at 200 yards long by 50 yards wide.
“I dragged minnow baits on a drop-shot rig and then I would snap tubes,” said Sitko, who earned his second win in FLW competition. “The water was rough so I stayed in one area throughout the day.”
Sitko said he used a Yamamoto Baits Shad Shape Worm on the drop-shot rig and a 4-inch green-pumpkin-colored Poor Boys Tube.
“The drop-shot was more of a search-type bait,” said Sitko. “I dragged it through the cover, and when I got hung up on weeds, I flipped the tube in there and snapped it a couple of times.”
The Michigan angler said he was able to wrangle in 15 to 20 keepers throughout his day.
“I put a 5-pounder in the boat at 11 a.m. on the tube,” said Sitko. “Once you find them on Lake St. Clair this time of year, you can work them a bit. That’s what I did out there.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 23-9, $4,463 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Todd Schmitz, Goshen, Ind., five bass, 21-0, $1,981
3rd: Jon Witt, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 20-13, $1,322
4th: Mike Trombly, Belleville, Mich., five bass, 20-10, $1,460
5th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 20-7, $893
6th: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 20-6, $727
7th: Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 20-1, $660
8th: Steve Clapper, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 19-12, $594
9th: Derrick Soulliere, Belle River, Ontario, five bass, 19-11, $528
10th: Matthew Malmquist, White Lake, Mich., five bass, 18-12, $439
10th: Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 18-12, $439
Trombly caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 9 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $535. Jason Kopczyk of Fenton, Michigan, weighed in five bass totaling 20 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,248. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jason Kopczyk, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 20-11, $2,248
2nd: Mark Kemp, Hilliard, Ohio, five bass, 20-3, $826
2nd: Brad Lyon, Columbus, Ohio, five bass, 20-3, $826
4th: Harbor Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, five bass, 19-12, $429
4th: Aaron Wehmeyer, Odell, Ill., five bass, 19-12, $429
6th: John Murphy, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 19-9, $563
7th: Brian Ruetz, Toledo, Ohio, five bass, 18-8, $330
8th: Kenneth Lesner, Westland, Mich., five bass, 18-6, $297
9th: Randy Westerfield, Constantine, Mich., five bass, 18-4, $264
10th: John Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, five bass, 18-1, $231
Kopczyk also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $267. 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.