SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (Sept. 9, 2019) – Boater Bradley Smith of Saint Jacob, Illinois, took home the win at the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Lake Shelbyville Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces. For his win, Smith pocketed $7,310.
“I took off each morning with one rod on the deck,” said Smith, who notched his first win as a boater in BFL competition. “I was pitching to shallow wood, mid-lake. I fished a 3-mile section, anywhere from 2 to 10 feet of water. The first day was sunny, with no wind. The second day we had clouds and rain. I was pretty worried the wood pattern wouldn’t hold up but it ended up working out.”
Smith said he flipped a Texas-rigged, green pumpkin-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver with a 3/8-ounce Strike King Tour Grade tungsten weight.
“The fish were in transition from summer to fall patterns – the bites were hard to come by,” said Smith. “It was sporadic each day. I was able to get a lot in practice that I ended up shaking off. Fortunately, a lot of those fish bit during the tournament.”
Smith said he caught five keepers Saturday and seven on Sunday.
“The best anglers in Illinois compete in this division, so to get a win – especially at a two-day event – was pretty special for me.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Bradley Smith, Saint Jacob, Ill., 10 bass, 23-7, $5,310 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Daniel Nussmeyer, Cisne, Ill., eight bass, 22-15, $2,155
3rd: Andrew Harper, Shelbyville, Ill., 10 bass, 20-5, $1,669
4th: Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., nine bass, 19-2, $1,209
5th: John Wright, Windsor, Ill., eight bass, 18-12, $822
6th: Garrett McDowell, Mattoon, Ill., nine bass, 17-4, $754
7th: Bobby McMullin, Pevely, Mo., eight bass, 16-15, $685
8th: Travis Wilson, La Harpe, Ill., four bass, 14-2, $1,059
9th: James Williams, Neoga, Ill., seven bass, 12-8, $548
10th: Chad Diedrich, Nashville, Ill., seven bass, 12-2, $480
Wilson caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $442. Ryan Murphy of Paris, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $2,055 Sunday after catching a two-day total of seven bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Ryan Murphy, Paris, Ill., seven bass , 21-15, $2,055
2nd: Dave Dobill, Royalton, Ill., eight bass, 14-10, $1,028
3rd: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., six bass, 11-13, $884
4th: Drew Coleman, Jackson, Mo., four bass, 9-14, $480
5th: Ryan Fancher, Olney, Ill., five bass, 8-15, $461
6th: Mike Swetland, Tamaroa, Ill., three bass, 7-9, $527
7th: Eugene Kim, Lindenhurst, Ill., three bass, 6-4, $343
8th: Dillon Saffle, Ballwin, Mo., two bass, 6-3, $308
9th: Jeff Kirby, Philo, Ill., two bass, 4-15, $274
10th: Ross Davis, St. Elmo, Ill., one bass, 4-13, $461
Davis caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $221.