BREWERTON, N.Y. (July 11, 2016) – David Ehrentraut of Locke, New York, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament on Oneida Lake. For his victory, Ehrentraut received $4,463.
Ehrentraut said he spent the tournament combing through grass edges scattered around the lake. He said he preferred a specific type of cover and allotted 40 minutes for each area.
“I was looking for grass edges that had a little bit of a drop-off,” said Ehrentraut, who earned his first win in BFL competition. “In some areas the drop was 2 feet, in others it was less. Basically, I was looking for a hard bottom.
“On my first mid-lake stretch, I caught two keepers right away,” Ehrentraut continued. “I headed back toward the takeoff ramp and caught another before running near Lakeport to catch one more. After that I fished a couple of humps and ran the bank.”
Ehrentraut said he threw two baits during the event – a Gold Flash Minnow-colored Keitech Swing Impact Swimbait and a drop-shot rig with a Strike King KVD Dream Shot.
“The Dream Shot caught more fish, but the Keitech brought in the heaviest ones,” said Ehrentraut. “I caught about 16 fish throughout the day. I put the right things together out there and it worked for me.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: David Ehrentraut Locke, N.Y., five bass, 18-9, $4,463
2nd: Randy Caruso, Liberty, N.Y., five bass, 17-12, $2,872
3rd: Ken Golub, Pittsford, N.Y., five bass, 17-1, $1,489
4th: Craig Nelson, Mather, Pa., five bass, 17-0, $1,041
5th: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 16-12, $893
6th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 16-11, $818
7th: Robert Parmer, Linden, Pa., five bass, 16-5, $744
8th: Ian Renfrew, Phoenix, N.Y., five bass, 16-4, $669
9th: Ed Casey, Whiteford, Md., five bass, 16-1, $595
10th: Matt Stasiak, Pittsburgh, Pa., five bass, 15-15, $521
Caruso caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $640. Bryan Cumbo of West Wyoming, Pennsylvania, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,232. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Bryan Cumbo, West Wyoming, Pa., five bass, 16-13, $2,232
2nd: Michael Barton, Endicott, N.Y., five bass, 16-10, $1,116
3rd: Joseph Wood, Westport, Mass., five bass, 15-6, $743
4th: Daniel Hann, Williamson, N.Y., five bass, 15-5, $521
5th: Bill Klaips, Shavertown, Pa., five bass, 15-4, $446
6th: Drew Tiano, Hudson, N.Y., five bass, 14-5, $409
7th: Brian Setlock, Lancaster, Pa., five bass, 14-4, $372
8th: Andrew Benbenek, Cicero, N.Y., five bass, 13-10, $335
9th: Ken Maurer, Herndon, Pa., five bass, 13-7, $298
10th: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., five bass, 13-6, $260
Daryl Christadore of Hampton, Connecticut, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $320.