JASPER, Ind. (July 27, 2009) - Ron Allen of Huntingburg, Ind., won the Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Patoka Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. The victory earned Allen $3,205 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 15-17, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"I felt it would take at least 20 pounds to win this tournament from what I had seen guys catching earlier in the week," said Allen. "We got hit by a bad storm heading in to the weigh-in. You couldn't even see the end of the boat because of the rain."
Allen had caught 15 pounds of his limit by 7:30 a.m., finishing out his winning weight by 1:30 p.m., before the storm rolled in. He had been fishing mid-lake with a Texas rigged 10-inch worm with a 1/2-ounce sinker on a 15-pound Sea Guard fluorocarbon line.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Tom Forrester of Bloomington, Ind. (five bass, 17-9, $1,603); Mark Dove of North Vernon, Ind. (five bass, 15-8, $1,068); Frank McClain of Scottsburg, Ind. (four bass, 14-10, $748) and Travis Edgar of North Webster, Ind. (four bass, 14-8, $641).
Ron Allen also took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $385 for a 6-pound, 5-ounce bass he caught.
Michael Leistner of Camby, Ind., earned $1,603 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to four bass weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught on a Zoom Super Hog with 1/2-ounce sinker.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Eric Herbert of Madison, Ind. (three bass, 8-4, $801); Richard Kirkland of Indianapolis, Ind. (three bass, 7-15, $533); Erich Hartman of Lebanon, Ind. (three bass, 6-10, $374); and Larry Kitchel of Monticello, Ind. (two bass, 6-2, $321).
Kevin Keltner of Pekin, Ind., earned $192 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass.
The next Hoosier Division event, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held on the Ohio River in Tell City, Ind., Sept. 19-20.