PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (Aug. 20, 2018) – Boater Kevin Ruh of Onalaska, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien. For the win, Ruh earned the top prize of $5,594.
“I was fishing sand bars, looking specifically for areas that had the right current,” said Ruh, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I started out fishing in Pool 9, but locked up to Pool 10. The majority of my weight came from one spot there.”
Ruh said his key bait Saturday was a swing head jig with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog, but he also caught some keepers dragging a Carolina rig. He estimated that he caught nine keepers throughout the day.
“The fish were grouped up and once I got the school fired up they started biting. Within 20 minutes I had done my damage,” Ruh said. “The fish had been moving throughout the week chasing baitfish, so I knew where they would end up.
“Another big key for me on Saturday was the wind setting up right,” Ruh continued. “The water level was dropping and the current wasn’t flowing as hard, so the wind helped to fire those fish up.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Kevin Ruh, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 16-2, $5,594
2nd: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 15-6, $2,197
3rd: Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 15-4, $1,244
3rd: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 15-4, $1,344
5th: Tom Howland, Riceville, Iowa, five bass, 14-14, $879
6th: Jim Caulum, Bangor, Wis., five bass, 14-13, $805
7th: Jeremiah Shaver, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 14-12, $732
8th: Rick Miller, Eastman, Wis., five bass, 14-8, $659
9th: Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, five bass, 14-5, $586
10th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 14-4, $513
Jim Tomsovic of Sparta, Wisconsin, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 6 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the Boater’s Big Bass award of $315. Dennis Duffy of Westmont, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces. Duffy earned $2,297 for his victory.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Dennis Duffy, Westmont, Ill., five bass, 12-8, $2,297
2nd: Edward Elkins, Pacific, Mo., five bass, 12-6, $1,148
3rd: Michael Taylor, Tipton, Iowa, five bass, 12-1, $733
4th: Zuteus Sevenants, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 11-12, $513
5th: Kevin Reardon, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 11-9, $439
6th: Hector Garcia, Elgin, Ill., five bass, 11-6, $403
7th: Rick Beck, Roscoe, Ill., five bass, 11-3, $366
8th: Jason Swanson, Waterloo, Iowa, five bass, 11-2, $330
9th: K.C. Shaible, Machesney Park, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $274
9th: Ben Rockey, West Bend, Wis., five bass, 11-1, $274
Ron Check of Prairie du Chien earned the Co-Angler Big Bass Award of $315 after bringing a bass weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces to the scale.