LaCrosse, Wis. (June 11, 2007) - Boater Jeff Benson of Holmen, Wis., won the Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division bass fishing tournament on the Mississippi River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces. The victory earned Benson $4,169 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Mississippi River Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 4-6, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Tim Pettit of Moline, Ill. (five bass, 16-4, $2,453); Robert Heilman of Dakota, Minn. (five bass, 15-15, $1,635); Chet Hawkins of LaCrosse, Wis. (five bass, 15-9, $1,145) and Jim Johnson of LaCrosse, Wis. (five bass, 14-8, $981).
Benson took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $740 for a 5-pound bass.
Josh Reynolds of Holmen, Wis., earned $2,453 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces that he caught while throwing a crankbait near weeds.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are K.C. Scabley of Machesney Park, Ill. (five bass, 13-0, $1,226); Jamie Gomez of Onalaska, Wis. (five bass, 12-5, $816); Chad Smith of Erie, Ill. (five bass, 12-2, $572) and Brian Caulum of Holmen, Wis. (five bass, 12-1, $491).
Smith earned $370 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 8-ounce bass.
The Great Lakes Division's next event will be June 30 on Lake Winneconne in Winneconne, Wis., followed by a tournament July 21 on the Mississippi River in Wabasha, Minn. The division's fourth event will be held Aug. 11 on Prairie Du Chien in Prairie Du Chien, Wis., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 on the Mississippi River in LaCrosse, Wis.