GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 14, 2013) – Toby Corn of West Frankfort Ill., won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional tournament on Kentucky Lake with a three-day total of 15 bass totaling 65 pounds, 6 ounces. For his victory, Corn won a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard plus a Chevy 1500 Silverado and entry into the BFL All-American. This regional tournament featured the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each of the Great Lakes, Hoosier, Illini and Mississippi divisions.
Corn picked up his second BFL win of 2013 by milking a single school of bass on the south end of Kentucky Lake.
“Going into the tournament, everybody knew you had to go to the grass,” said Corn. “I drew a line on the map and started working my way back.
“Practicing on Sunday, I lucked out and found a patch of grass on the edge of the river. They were schooling on it and it held up through the tournament.
“It was a high spot off the main river,” continued Corn. “Basically an underwater island. It had about 6 feet of water on top and 12 to 15 feet on the sides.
“The first day was pretty good. I probably caught a dozen keepers in three hours. The second day I only caught the five I weighed in.
“The third day was when everything really happened,” said Corn. “My co-angler and I both caught seven or eight keepers. In the last 10 minutes before I had to leave I caught a 7-pounder. We both felt like it was meant to be.
“I was running an hour and 10 minutes each way,” continued Corn. “The weather was perfect and my Ranger boat and Mercury outboard did excellent.
“None of it has really sunk in yet,” Corn said of his win. “It’s always been a dream, but it hasn’t really sunk in.”
Corn said he caught most of his fish on a chartreuse and white Hawg Caller spinnerbait. The top six boaters that qualified for the BFL All-American were:
1st: Toby Corn, West Frankfort, Ill., 15 bass, 65-6, Ranger Z518 with 200-horsepower outboard + Chevy 1500 Silverado
2nd: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 56-14, $1,500
3rd: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Ten., 15 bass, 53-12, $1,100
4th: Marion Cordes, Sullivan, Ill., 15 bass, 51-1, $1,000
5th: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., 13 bass, 48-12, $900
6th: Grant Galloway, Houlka, Miss., 15 bass, 44-6, $800
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
7th: James Vitaro, Wooster, Ohio, 15 bass, 42-15, $700
8th: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottowa, Ohio, 15 bass, 41-8, $650
9th: Jason Cordell, Pelahatchie, Miss., 15 bass, 39-7, $600
10th: Roger Stegall, Iuka, Miss., 10 bass, 33-13, $550
Lucas McDaniel of Fishers, Ind., won the co-angler division with a three-day total of 10 bass totaling 46 pounds, 13 ounces. For his efforts, McDaniel took home a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard along with a berth in the BFL All-American Championship tournament.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the BFL All-American were:
1st: Lucas McDaniel, Fishers, Ind., 10 bass, 46-13, Ranger Z518 with 200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Tom Lindsay, Glenview, Ill., 12 bass, 29-6, $750
3rd: Dale Renth, Albers, Ill., 11 bass, 28-13, $550
4th: Jim Budde, Waterloo, Ill., eight bass, 24-11, $500
5th: Kyle Rabelhoffer, Silver Lake, Wis., 12 bass, 24-2, $450
6th: Mark Sollman, Haubstadt, Ind., nine bass, 21-7, $400
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
7th: Tony Kromke, La Crosse, Wis., seven bass, 20-2, $350
8th: Mike Anderson, Woodlawn, Ill, seven bass, 17-0, $325
9th: Brett Wysock, Wilmington, Ill., six bass, 16-15, $300
10th: Chad Brimm, Dupo, Ill., seven bass, 16-7, $275
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.