FINDLAY, Ill. (June 25, 2007) - Boater John Wright of Shelbyville, Ill., won the Bass Fishing League Illini Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Shelbyville Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned Wright $3,697 plus a $652 Ranger Boat contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Mississippi River Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa on Oct. 4-6, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Wright fished a dale green jig on point drops 10 to 18 feet deep at the lower end of the lake to get his large catches.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Mike Barnes of Mackinaw, Ill. (five bass, 14-06, $2,175); Brad Peters of Taylorville, Ill. (five bass, 13-10, $1,451); Danny Livingston of Advance, Mo. (four bass, 13-01, $1,015) and Colby Schrumpf of Highland, Ill. (four bass, 12-00, $870).
Shane Haslett of Beecher City, Ill., took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $615 for a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass.
Bill Higgins of Albers, Ill., earned $2,175 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Matt Micnheimer of Coffeen, Ill. (three bass, 13-05, $1,088); Chuck Teegardin of St. Louis, Mo. (three bass, 12-10, $726); Scott Ham of Palestine, Ill. (four bass, 9-09, $507) and Michael Houle of Midlothian, Ill. (three bass, 9-05, $435).
Higgins earned $307 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass.
The Illini Division's next event will be July 14 on the Ohio River in Golconda, Ill., followed by a tournament Aug. 11 on Lake Shelbyville in Findlay, Ill. The division's final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 on the Ohio River in Golconda, Ill.