OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Sept. 9, 2013) – Joe Brantley of Willard, Mo., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 35 pounds, 13 ounces to win the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division super tournament on Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday. For his victory, Brantley earned $5,632.
“It was really a mental game,” said Brantley. “It was tough to stay patient. It was very, very slow fishing and it really made you mentally tired. To fish against the caliber of anglers that were in this tournament, and to do something different and figure out the better fish feels really good.”
Brantley said that he ran up the river and flipped docks to catch his bass each day. He flipped jigs in both light and dark colors, but was only able to produce an estimated eight keepers each day.
“I was really keying on the docks that had a lot of big shad around them,” Brantley said. “My weight was better on day two, but I really had better fish on day one. I should have had around 20 to 21 pounds on day one. I really went for it, though. I wasn’t fishing for points or second place. I was there to win.”
Brantley is no stranger to winning. He won the BFL super tournament when it was held on Lake of the Ozarks in 2011 as well.
“I live around 100 miles from the lake,” Brantley said. “I don’t get to fish it as much as I would like to, but I am pretty familiar with the area. To come out here and get the win against the quality of anglers competing in this event… what more can you ask for.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Brett Govreau, House Springs, Mo., 10 bass, 33-1, $2,816
3rd: Chris Bunk, Sullivan, Mo., 10 bass, 31-7, $1,877
4th: Randy Krull, Ballwin, Mo., 10 bass, 31-0, $1,314
5th: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 30-7, $1,126
6th: Theo Corcoran, Independence, Mo., 10 bass, 29-15, $1,033
7th: Brian Maloney, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 29-6, $939 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
8th: Jeremy Medina, Camdenton, Mo., eight bass, 27-13, $845
9th: Dewayne Fitzpatrick, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 27-10, $751
10th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 27-1, $657
Jake Seifert of Jefferson City, Mo., weighed in six bass totaling 19 pounds, 12 ounces Sunday to win $2,816 in the co-angler division. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Tom Lloyd, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 18-15, $1,408
3rd: William Hoffert, Columbia, Mo., seven bass, 18-7, $941
4th: Tom O’Connor, Eureka, Mo., five bass, 14-14, $657
5th: Joe Waggoner, Carthage, Mo., five bass, 14-13, $563
6th: Johnnie Cook, Houston Lake, Mo., four bass, 13-6, $516
7th: Jamie Eynard, Holts Summit, Mo., four bass, 10-13, $469
8th: Jeremy Rushton, Lees Summit, Mo., four bass, 10-9, $422
9th: John Buchanan, Jefferson City, Mo., five bass, 9-15, $375
10th: Seth Holder, Centerton, Ark., five bass, 9-10, $329
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.