WINNECONNE, Wis. (June 17, 2019) – Boater Curtis Samo of Rochelle, Illinois, won Saturday’s Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Wolf River Chain of Lakes with five bass weighing 15 pounds even. For his win, Samo took home $5,794. According to post-tournament reports, Samo caught his fish flipping Chompers tubes and running buzzbaits on Lake Winneconne.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., five bass, 15-0, $3,794 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Joe Pollak, Lake Geneva, Wis., five bass, 14-6, $2,097
3rd: Kyler Chelminiak, Franklin, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $1,565
4th: Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., five bass, 13-3, $885
5th: Jason Skutt, Menomonie, Wis., five bass, 12-10, $759
6th: Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 12-9, $696
7th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 12-5, $982
8th: Chris Aswegan, Tiffin, Iowa, five bass, 12-3, $537
8th: William Schultz, Viroqua, Wis., five bass, 12-3, $537
10th: Dylan Drephal, Black Creek, Wis., five bass, 12-1, $593
Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 2 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $495. Mike Puterbaugh of Montello, Wisconsin, and Joe Rockey of Schaumburg, Illinois, each caught 13 pounds, 4 ounces, worth of bass Saturday to tie for the win in the Co-angler Division. For their efforts, each angler took home $1,423.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Mike Puterbaugh, Montello, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $1,423
1st: Joe Rockey, Schaumburg, Ill., five bass, 13-4, $1,423
3rd: Josh Yonak, Big Lake, Minn., five bass, 12-0, $983
4th: Rick Ragner, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 11-8, $443
5th: Andy Heisler, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 11-6, $379
6th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., five bass, 10-14, $498
7th: Tom Lyskawka, Arlington Heights, Ill., four bass, 10-9, $316
8th: Gage Griffin, Lake Forest, Ill., five bass, 10-1, $285
9th: Andrew Hegerty, Colgate, Wis., five bass, 9-14, $253
10th: Brad Bernau, Caledonia, Minn., five bass, 9-13, $221
Josh Mohn of Lansing, Iowa, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $247.