Balog Best BFL Boater on Saint Clair RiverBrian Bennett tops all co-anglers (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/images/balogbflstclr09.jpg)
Boater Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Mich., won the
Aug. 8 BFL Michigan Division tournament on the Saint Clair
River to earn $3,766.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. 08.Aug.2009 — Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Mich., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament on the Saint Clair River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 20 pounds, 13 ounces. The victory earned Balog $3,766 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Mississippi River Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 1-3, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Balog said he caught his limit on a drop-shot Berkley Gulp Fry through grassy areas.
Rounding out the top five boaters are David Reault of Livonia, Mich. (five bass, 20-9, $1,883); Hans Dahlerup of Clarkston, Mich. (five bass, 19-9, $1,256); Todd Asher of North Vernon, Ind. (five bass, 18-10, $879); and Todd Schmitz of Goshen, Ind. (five bass, 18-5, $753).
Hans Dahlerup took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $500 for a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass he caught.
(http://www.greatlakesbass.com/images/bennettbflstcl09.jpg)
Brian Bennett of Almont, Mich., earned $1,878 as
the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass
weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are David Dieling of Elmhurst, Ill. (five bass, 19-3, $939); Joshua Heintschel of Oregon, Ohio (five bass, 18-14, $627); Jim Hippensteel of Rochester, Ind. (five bass, 18-3, $438); and Justin Brandenburg of Richmond, Ky. (five bass, 17-9, $376).
Joshua Heintschel earned $245 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass.
The next Michigan Division event will be held on the Detroit River in Trenton, Mich., Aug. 29.
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL's 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.
The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.
In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
As the nation's leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour – bass fishing's most lucrative tournament circuit.
Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player's Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com (http://www.flwoutdoors.com) or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player's Advantage, visit
.
Photos courtesy of FLW Outdoors