LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Clyde McNaron of Trenton, Ohio, won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on the Ohio River Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds even. For his efforts, McNaron took home $8,143.
“I started out Saturday flipping a (Zoom) Brush Hog and (Mizmo) Tube in Tanner’s Creek and caught three keepers,” said McNaron, who earned his second career-win on the Ohio River in BFL competition. “The water was low, so I fished laydowns off the bank and started catching them off the ends. They fish were pretty close to the channel.
“As the day went on, the water got clearer and I started fishing flats,” continued McNaron. “I casted a topwater bait to some laydowns and stumps and put a 4-pounder in the boat.”
McNaron said the water got muddier as he progressed down the creek, so he switched back to flipping and caught a 3-pound bass.
“I culled my last fish in Hogan’s Creek and that’s what I had for the day,” said McNaron.
On Sunday, McNaron said he began his day in Tanner’s Creek throwing a topwater, but couldn’t get any bites. He said he switched to flipping the Brush Hog and was able to catch three within 90 minutes.
“I flipped bushier trees and caught them off the ends again,” said McNaron. “I moved to a small creek mouth within Tanner’s Creek and picked up one on a spinnerbait, and then another one from the same area a while later around 10:15 (a.m.) After that I couldn’t get anything else to cull, so I brought in what I had.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Clyde McNaron, Trenton, Ohio, 10 bass, 18-0, $6,143 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., 10 bass, 15-7, $2,723
3rd: Bryce Kalen, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 bass, 15-1, $2,016
4th: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 14-11, $1,271
5th: Lucas McDaniel, Fishers, Ind., nine bass, 14-0, $1,389
6th: Michael Powell Jr., Greendale, Ind., 10 bass, 13-12, $1,098
7th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., 10 bass, 12-13, $908
8th: Daniel Langton, Haubstadt, Ind., eight bass, 12-10, $817
9th: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., eight bass, 10-9, $726
10th: Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky. seven bass, 9-7, $635
McNaron’s 4-pound, 1-ounce bass was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $697. Jim Krider of North Vernon, Indiana, caught a two-day total of five bass weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,005.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jim Krider, North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 11-2, $3,005
2nd: Benjamin Barker, Loveland, Ohio, seven bass, 7-9, $1,332
3rd: Nicole Foor, Greens Fork, Ind., six bass, 7-6, $1,089
4th: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 7-3, $672
5th: Travis Edgar, North Webster, Ind., six bass, 7-2, $533
6th: Brandon Knapmeyer, Union, Ky., five bass, 5-14, $488
7th: Kenny Smith, Austin, Ind., three bass, 5-11, $444
8th: Scottie Davis, Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 5-0, $400
9th: Brian Liming, Dilsboro, Ind., three bass, 4-11, $355
10th: Kevin Spivey, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 4-9, $311
Krider caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $341.