LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (July 17, 2017) – Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division tournament on the Ohio River Saturday after catching five bass weighing 9 pounds, 2 ounces. For his efforts, Martinkovic took home $6,640.
“I only fished about five miles from the takeoff ramp because the main river is flooded and there was a lot of debris,” said Martinkovic, who notched his fifth career-win in BFL competition – third on the Ohio River. “I picked apart flooded wood in less than 2 feet of water and caught 10 to 15 keepers.
“The majority of my fish were caught on a black (D&L Tackle) Advantage Jig with a black (Zoom) Super Chunk Jr. trailer,” continued Martinkovic. “I hit about 20 small areas with debris and logjams and did a lot of culling.”
Martinkovic said his personal history on the river was a crucial part of his success.
“It’s my home pool, so I know just about every piece of wood out there,” said Martinkovic. “When it’s muddy like that you have to put your head down and fish. There weren’t too many secrets out there.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 9-2, $4,640 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., five bass, 7-7, $1,730
2nd: James Hailstones, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 7-7, $1,730
4th: Sean Wieda, Florence, Ky., five bass, 7-5, $970
5th: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, five bass, 7-2, $931
6th: Cody Seeger, Lewistown, Ohio, five bass, 6-15, $762
7th: Mike Combs, Frenchburg, Ky., five bass, 6-14, $693
8th: Dave Fricke, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 6-11, $623
9th: Josh Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 6-10, $554
10th: Craig Burwell, North Baltimore, Ohio, five bass, 6-7, $485
Martinkovic’s limit included a 3-pound, 11-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $285. Colton Lindsey of Raymond, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,178 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Colton Lindsey, Raymond, Ohio, four bass, 5-11, $2,178
2nd: Kenny Mitchell, Franklin, Ohio, five bass, 5-7, $1,039
3rd: Gary Hoffman, Stoutsville, Ohio, three bass, 5-6, $691
4th: Jeffrey Yost, Zanesfield, Ohio, three bass, 4-15, $770
5th: Lawrence Clontz, Middletown, Ohio, four bass, 4-5, $416
6th: Brett Warrick, Westerville, Ohio, four bass, 4-2, $431
7th: Bill Cordle, London, Ohio, two bass, 3-14, $346
8th: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 3-13, $312
9th: Hunter Fillmore, Waynesville, Ohio, two bass, 3-8, $277
10th: Herbert Jones, Cincinnati, Ohio, two bass, 3-5, $242
Yost caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 3 ounces – and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $285.