TRENTON, Mich. (Sept. 17, 2018) – Boater Ronnie Goshen Sr. of Belleville, Michigan, won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 51 pounds, 10 ounces. Goshen earned $5,329 for his win.
“This is like a dream come true – I’ve always wanted to win a BFL event,” said Goshen, who had three previous top-10 finishes on the Detroit River in BFL competition. “I used tubes, swimbaits and spinnerbaits and fished rocks and current all over the river.”
Goshen said he used a green pumpkin-colored Impulse Fatty Tube, a LIVETARGET Goby Paddle Tail Swimbait with a ¾-ounce head and a ¾-ounce chartreuse and white-colored custom bullet head spinnerbait. He noted that he was able to catch 25 to 30 keepers each day.
“I’ve got three or four favorite baits and if they wouldn’t hit one I’d throw another,” said Goshen. “I fished in 4- to 15-foot depths and covered a lot of water. It was a run and gun thing – I’d get one here and one there.”
Goshen said he experienced engine problems at the conclusion of the day Saturday, and that his son let him use his boat for the remainder of the event Sunday.
“I was really blessed. Without his help, I would’ve had to use my trolling motor all day (Sunday),” said Goshen.
Goshen said that the Spot-Lock feature on his Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor was crucial to helping him stay put in the current Saturday, and that his Lowrance electronics helped him pinpoint specific spots to fish.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Ronnie Goshen Sr., Belleville, Mich., 10 bass, 51-10, $5,329
2nd: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., 10 bass, 49-1, $2,864
3rd: Joshua Barr, Stow, Ohio, 10 bass, 45-11, $1,877
4th: Scott Davis, Coloma, Mich., 10 bass, 45-5, $1,243
5th: Troy Stokes, Brownstown, Mich., 10 bass, 45-1, $1,066
6th: Mark Flick, Plainwell, Mich., 10 bass, 45-1, $977
7th: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., 10 bass, 44-0, $888
8th: Randy Ramsey, Burlington, Mich., 10 bass, 43-13, $799
9th: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., 10 bass, 43-11, $1,010
10th: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., 10 bass, 43-9, $622
Jerry Arnett of Mexico, Indiana, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $682. John Lovin of Fayetteville, Ohio, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,664.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: John Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, 10 bass, 44-13, $2,664
2nd: Darwin Griva, Hamilton, Ind., 10 bass, 42-1, $1,332
3rd: John Martin, Caledonia, Mich., 10 bass, 41-3, $889
4th: Erik Jacques, Marine City, Mich., 10 bass, 40-14, $822
5th: Mike Eldridge, Blacklick, Pa., 10 bass, 36-10, $533
6th: Tony Mitchell, Plainwell, Mich., 10 bass, 36-6, $538
7th: Clint Joyner, Metamora, Mich., 10 bass, 34-3, $444
8th: Jeffrey Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., nine bass, 32-1, $400
9th: Dayton Land, Coatesville, Ind., nine bass, 32-1, $355
10th: Michael Kokoska, Findlay, Ohio, eight bass, 31-7, $311
Eric Wild of Brooklyn, Michigan, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 9 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $341.