WINNECONNE, Wis. (June 9, 2008) - Boater Mike Gabel of Woodridge, Ill., won the Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Winneconne-Wolf River Chain Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces. The victory earned Gabel $3,531 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Kentucky-Barkley Lake Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 2-4, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"I've fished for 12 years, and to win this is like no other feeling in the world," said Gabel, who won in his BFL debut. "I didn't think I could compete at this level. I just have so much respect for the guys who fish the BFLs."
Gabel said he had a productive practice period before the event, but realized he needed to change his approach during the tournament.
"I was fishing kind of fast working down a bank when I realized I needed to slow up," Gabel said. "Also, I found the fish were hanging in deeper water."
Gabel said he caught a couple of fish on a soft jerkbait then switched to a jig that he flipped along shorelines. The jig produced his largest smallmouth in his limit.
With bad weather approaching, Gabel started his hour-long ride to the check-in site, but stopped at a rock point he was familiar with. The stop paid off for Gabel, who pulled two fish off of the point in the last 30 minutes of the tournament.
"I set the hook on that last fish, and when I did that, the reel came loose from the rod," Gabel said. "I threw the rod down and started cranking on the reel and cranked the fish in without the rod. My partner scooped the fish up and got him in the boat."
Rounding out the top five boaters are Joshua Duggan of Lodi, Wis. (five bass, 13-05, $2,078); Bill Sepke of Indian Head Park, Ill. (five bass, 12-13, $1,383); Wayne Meetz of Neenah, Wis. (five bass, 12-11, $970); Curtis Samo of Rochelle, Ill. (five bass, 12-05, $796) and Nick Schroeder of Oshkosh, Wis., (five bass, 12-05, $796).
Duggan took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $570 for a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught.
John Fischer of Adams, Wis., and Michael Gray of Stoddard, Wis., each earned $1,558 as the co-angler winners tied Saturday after they each caught five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Rory Ohse of Crestwood, Ill. (five bass, 9-13, $691); Ben Due of Mauston, Wis. (five bass, 9-12, $485) and Ronald Syverson of La Crosse, Wis. (four bass, 7-14, $416).
Glenn Walker of Verona, Wis., earned $285 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 3-pound, 12-ounce bass on a green pumpkin tube.
Great Lakes Division anglers will visit the Mississippi River at Wabasha, Minn., July 19, followed by a stop at the Mississippi River at Prairie Du Chien, Wis. A two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event, will be held at the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wis., Sept. 13-14.