OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (April 13, 2015) – Brian Hansen of Fenton, Missouri, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks. For his victory, Hansen earned $4,507.
“It feels great to grab a check at this point in the season,” said Hansen.
Hansen started his day off flipping a Crock-O-Gator jig around docks, but couldn’t find the bite.
“The Crock-O-Gator worked well in practice throughout the week before the tournament,” said Hansen. “But after a couple of hours I just couldn’t get a bite.”
Hansen switched to a white War Eagle spinnerbait – the lure he would use to finish out his day.
“I found a little wind and started targeting secondary points leading into spawning pockets,” said Hansen. “I also fished in between docks. Usually on this lake the bass are under the docks, but that wasn’t the case this time.
The key to bringing in this stringer was the full presentation,” Hansen continued. “The slow retrieve helped as well.
Hansen said that he caught just five keepers, one every 90 minutes or so throughout the tournament.
“I caught my last fish just a few minutes before I had to leave for weigh-in. Luckily, the five bass I had weighed enough for me to edge the second place finisher and get the win.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brian Hansen, Fenton, Mo., five bass, 18-7, $4,507
2nd: Mark Tucker, Kirkwood, Mo., five bass, 18-2, $2,253
3rd: Tom Silber, Labadie, Mo., five bass, 17-1, $1,277
3rd: Scotty Villines, Ponca, Ark., five bass, 17-1, $1,277
5th: Lawson Hibdon, Versailles, Mo., five bass, 16-15, $901
6th: Chuck Austin, Saint Peters, Mo., five bass, 16-9, $826
7th: Will Spurgeon, Jefferson City, Mo., five bass, 15-14, $751
8th: Reggie Crabdree, Park Hills, Mo., five bass, 15-4, $676
9th: Todd Knaack, Lawson, Mo., five bass, 15-2, $601
10th: Jim Young, House Springs, Mo., five bass, 14-8, $526
Dennis Strauser of Sullivan, Missouri, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $655. Denise Dill of Laurie, Missouri, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win $2,253 in the co-angler division. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Denise Dill, Laurie, Mo., five bass, 17-9, $2,253
2nd: Daniel Ashby, Independence, Mo., five bass, 13-3, $1,127
3rd: Timothy Chierek, St. Louis, Mo., five bass, 12-8, $751
4th: Sam Bremmerkamp, Joplin, Mo., four bass, 12-2, $526
5th: Quinton Booth, Ozark, Mo., four bass, 10-6, $451
6th: Troy Enke, Nixa, Mo., three bass, 9-10, $413
7th: Tom O’ Connor, Eureka, Mo., three bass, 9-5, $376
8th: Rich Carpenter, Parkville, Mo., three bass, 9-2, $338
9th: Reggie Britt, Prairie Village, Kan., two bass, 8-9, $300
10th: Mark Anderson, Nixa, Mo., four bass, 8-7, $263
Billy Hicks of Richmond, Missouri, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $327.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.