SESSER, Ill. (Sept. 9, 2024) – Boater Lonnie Bowlin of Benton, Illinois, caught a two-day total of nine bass weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Bass Fishing League (BFL) Super Tournament on Rend Lake, which concluded Sunday. The tournament was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Illini Division. Bowlin earned $4,579 for his victory.
For Bowlin, this is obviously a big win – his first in BFL competition – but he was hesitant to reveal the winning details because he’s hoping to keep the success rolling in another fall regional event scheduled for Rend Lake next weekend. What he would reveal is that changing seasons and heavy fishing pressure are making it tough to pattern the fish.
“The fish are moving around, and some want to be halfway deep, some want to be shallow,” he said. “Yesterday (Saturday) we had the wind, so that’s what really helped me. I fished the windy banks yesterday. Then today it kind of got a little bit slicker.”
The difference maker for Bowlin was a 6-pound, 7-ounce bass that boosted his day-one total to 14-13. The kicker earned him the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $457. A fish like that is clutch anywhere, but especially on Rend Lake.
“Especially when it ain’t been taking much to win,” Bowlin said. “It was probably about 10:30 or 11
(when he caught it). I was thinking please give me two more bites because at that time I had only three fish.
“It was tough. I just got fortunate and got enough bites.”
Of note, the champ’s son, Jordan Bowlin, actually won the co-angler side of the 2023 Illini Division Super Tournament, which was held on Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, making it two in a row for the Bowlin family.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Lonnie Bowlin, Benton, Ill., nine bass, 23-11, $4,579
2nd: Riley Walk, Neoga, Ill., six bass, 20-13, $2,061
3rd: Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., seven bass, 17-13, $1,499
4th: Toby Corn, Paducah, Ky., seven bass, 17-3, $962
5th: Travis Boley, Weldon, Ill., eight bass, 16-11, $824
6th: Joshua Tyner, Spencer, Ind., five bass, 15-10, $756
7th: William Walker, Mulkeytown, Ill., six bass, 15-4, $987
8th: Richard Skiff, Edwardsville, Ill., five bass, 14-5, $618
9th: Cecil Downing, Mount Carmel, Ill., six bass, 14-4, $550
10th: Andrew Harper, Shelbyville, Ill., five bass, 11-13, $481
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Matt Chumbler of Carbondale, Illinois, won the co-angler division and $2,061 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of seven bass to the scale that weighed 17 pounds, 14 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Matt Chumbler, Carbondale, Ill., seven bass, 17-14, $2,061
2nd: Marion Cordes, Sullivan, Ill., five bass, 12-3, $1,031
3rd: Myles Louthan, Mattoon, Ill., four bass, 12-2, $915
4th: David Workman, Harrisburg, Ill., four bass, 10-13, $631
5th: Jack Ryan, Salem, Ill., five bass, 10-7, $412
6th: Eric Mahn, Herculaneum, Mo., four bass, 9-11, $378
7th: Troy Boley, Mahomet, Ill., four bass, 9-7, $344
8th: Roman Perun, St. Louis, Mo., two bass, 7-6, $309
9th: Michael Kinkade, Benton, Ill., three bass, 6-9, $275
10th: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., one bass, 4-12, $240
Myles Louthan of Mattoon, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $229, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
At the conclusion of the event, Adam Brookman of Bonnie, Illinois, was crowned the Fishing Clash Illini Division Angler of the Year (AOY) with 1,311 points and earned the $1,000 payout, while Ryan Murphy of Paris, Illinois, won the Fishing Clash Illini Division Co-Angler of the Year race and the $500 prize with 1,322 points.
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