WINNECONNE, Wis. (July 2, 2007) - Boater Steven Johnson of Lake Villa, Ill., won the Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Winneconne Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned Johnson $3,990 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.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Rob Leidholdt of Janesville, Wis. (five bass, 13-05, $2,348); Gary Schild of Mundelein, Ill. (five bass, 12-06, $1,330); Jeremiah Shaver of LaCrosse, Wis. (five bass, 12-06, $1,330); Larry Peterson II of Cambridge, Minn. (five bass, 12-05, $900) and Clayton Reitz of Morton, Ill. (five bass, 12-05, $900).
Wayne Meetz of Appleton, Wis., took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $700 for a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass.
David Goodyear of Beloit, Wis., earned $2,232 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 12 pounds, 6 ounces that he caught while fishing tubes in a creek channel.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Gregg Kizewski of Dallas, Wis. (five bass, 12-02, $1,116); Timothy Devolder of Coal Valley, Ill. (five bass, 11-05, $743); James Medved of Milwaukee, Wis. (four bass, 10-09, $521) and Steve Knight of Ankeny, Iowa (five bass, 10-03, $427).
Tom Cordes of La Crescent, Minn., earned $320 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 5-ounce bass.
The Great Lakes Division's next event will be July 21 on the Mississippi River in Wabasha, Minn., followed by a tournament Aug. 11 on Prairie Du Chien in Prairie Du Chien, Wis. The division's final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 on the Mississippi River in LaCrosse, Wis.