LA CROSSE, Wis. (Sept. 10, 2018) – Local boater T.J. Maglio of La Crosse, Wisconsin, won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 3 ounces. For his win, Maglio earned $6,295.
“I’ve been looking forward to this Super Tournament all year. This tournament is one of my favorites because it’s in the fall and provides a bigger payout,” said Maglio, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “The river rose about a foot from takeoff on Saturday to weigh-in on Sunday – it definitely made it tougher.”
Maglio stated that the water he was fishing in Pool No. 8 managed to stay clear during the two days of competition. He said he caught all of his fish on moving baits – ChatterBaits, Rat-L-Traps and swimjigs, all in white or shad colors.
“In my rotation I would hit spots two or three times a day with different bait presentations,” said Maglio. “I caught fish from three different areas – grass, current seams and rocks. The largest shad were in the areas I was fishing and that is what the bass were feeding on.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: T.J. Maglio, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 31-3, $6,295
2nd: Cade Laufenberg, Goodview, Minn., 10 bass, 30-6, $3,348
3rd: Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., 10 bass, 29-5, $2,096
4th: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 29-4, $1,469
5th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., 10 bass, 28-1, $1,359
6th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 28-0, $1,154
7th: Devin Teigen, Eau Claire, Wis., 10 bass, 27-7, $1,049
8th: Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 10 bass, 27-4, $944
9th: Kyle Von Ruden, Stoddard, Wis., 10 bass, 26-14, $839
10th: John Engler, Vinton, Iowa, 10 bass, 26-10, $734
Kevin Johnson of Sparta, Wisconsin, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $877. Tom Rothering of Cochrane, Wisconsin, caught a two-day total of nine bass weighing 24 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,148.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Tom Rothering, Cochrane, Wis., nine bass, 24-4, $3,148
2nd: Nathan Huss, Elkhart Lake, Wis., eight bass, 22-14, $1,574
3rd: Pelli Lee, La Crosse, Wis., nine bass, 21-8, $1,050
4th: Jason Swanson, Waterloo, Iowa, 10 bass, 20-8, $934
5th: Josh Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, nine bass, 20-5, $630
6th: Matt Knox, Metamora, Ill., eight bass, 19-15, $577
7th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., seven bass, 18-1, $575
8th: Rick Ragner, La Crosse, Wis., six bass, 17-1, $472
9th: Arden Damberg, Wheatland, Iowa, seven bass, 15-15, $420
10th: Kristian Dus, Chicago, Ill., seven bass, 15-11, $367
Andrew Hegerty of Colgate, Wisconsin, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $439.