LAKEVIEW, Ohio (Sept. 17, 2012) – Craig Mills of Hamilton, Ohio, weighed a two-day total of nine bass totaling 17 pounds, 7 ounces to win the Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division super tournament on Indian Lake in Lakeview, Ohio, on Sunday. For his victory, Mills earned $7,270.
“I started off on day one fishing the rocks out on the main lake,” said Mills. “I was able to catch three on a black and blue-colored jig, and two on a white spinnerbait. I was only able to boat five keepers on the first day, and that put me 4 pounds out of the lead. I knew that if I wanted to win the tournament that I would need to change it up.”
With changing weather conditions and a fresh game plan for day two, Mills decided to investigate some areas where he had found success in the past.
“On day two, I went to some new areas that I had not fished in a while,” Mills continued. “It was very sunny, and the wind had picked up a little bit, so I targeted the windblown banks that had a little breeze pushing into them. I threw a frog and was able to boat two 3½-pounders fairly quickly. I switched back to the jig and was able to catch a couple more. It was pretty tough out there, but the frog bites turned out to be the key for me. I knew that in order to win I was going to have to swing for the fences, so that’s what I did.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Tony Newland, Hamilton, Ohio, nine bass, 17-6, $2,635
3rd: Jeremy Penwalte, Fort Jennings, Ohio, nine bass, 16-9, $1,758
4th: Nick Prvonozac, Warren, Ohio, nine bass, 16-7, $1,230
5th: Jason Schaurer, West Milton, Ohio, 10 bass, 15-10, $1,054
6th: Michael Manor, Sidney, Ohio, nine bass, 14-13, $966
7th: Gary Ginter, Maplewood, Ohio, six bass, 14-12, $878
8th: Mark Hurst, Troy, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-11, $790
9th: Dan Fry, Marysville, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-6, $703
10th: Bob Otto, Beavercreek, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-1, $615
Brett Warrick of Westerville, Ohio, weighed in seven bass totaling 10 pounds even Sunday to win $2,563 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: James McWhorter, Hamilton, Ohio, eight bass, 9-14, $1,281
3rd: Melvin McNeal, Circleville, Ohio, eight bass, 9-14, $853
4th: Brad Lyon, Columbus, Ohio, four bass, 9-7, $598
5th: Dave Davenport, Milford, Ohio, seven bass, 8-13, $513
6th: Trent Norman, Cincinnati, Ohio, seven bass, 8-5, $470
7th: George Ginter, Sidney, Ohio, seven bass, 8-3, $427
8th: Adam Smith, Napoleon, Ohio, five bass, 7-3, $384
9th: Gary Hammaker, Fort Recovery, Ohio, three bass, 5-14, $342
10th: Andre Roach, Findlay, Ohio, four bass, 5-4, $299
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 11-13 Regional Championship on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Ky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.