Ty Fox of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, won the Jan 31. Gator Division event on Lake Okeechobee with a 23-pound, 9-ounce limit to claim an $8,000 payday.
Schuh wins co-angler title
CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 2, 2015) – Ty Fox of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Gator Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Okeechobee. For his victory, Fox earned $8,000.
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“It feels good,” said Fox. “I’ve been fishing for a long time and to win one of these tournaments is pretty special.”
To seal the deal, Fox spent his day flipping to the cattail clumps at the south end of the lake. Using a Heroic rod, he threw a watermelon-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw and a Tramp-Stamp-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.
“It was a tough morning. I only caught two fish between 8:30 and 9:30 (a.m.),” Fox said. “Thankfully things picked up as the day went on.”
Fox cited the northeast wind as being a big factor for the slow bite in the morning. He found a window of opportunity when the wind switched from the east.
“Between 1 and 2 p.m. I caught my big ones,” Fox said. “By 2:30 I reached my limit and knew I probably had enough to hold onto the lead.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Ty Fox, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., five bass, 23-9, $6,000 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Brianne McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 18-2, $3,000
3rd: Jesus Villegas, Virginia Gardens, Fla., five bass, 17-12, $2,000
4th: Keith Burden, Seminole, Fla., five bass, 17-8, $1,300
4th: John Tavano, Sebring, Fla., five bass, 17-8, $1,300
6th: Josh Bright, Delray Beach, Fla., five bass, 17-1, $1,100
7th: Gerry Brousseau, Naples, Fla., five bass, 17-0, $1,000
8th: Mike Keyso Jr., North Port, Fla., five bass, 16-12, $900
9th: Brian Divito, Saint Petersburg, Fla., five bass, 16-10, $800
10th: Johnny Walker, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 15-15, $700
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
A.J. Schuh of Mulberry, Florida, weighed in four bass totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win $3,000 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: A.J. Schuh, Mulberry, Fla., four bass, 16-11, $3,000
2nd: Scott Wright, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 15-10, $1,500
3rd: Eric Veilleux, Orlando, Fla., five bass, 15-3, $1,000
4th: Tony Manganello, Boynton Beach, Fla., five bass, 14-13, $700
5th: Steve Dial, Lehigh Acres, Fla., five bass, 14-0, $600
6th: Robert Turcotte, Naples, Fla., five bass, 13-4, $550
7th: James Sloan, Cooper City, Fla., five bass, 13-3, $500
8th: Albert Winter, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 13-1, $450
9th: Charles Hatherill, Vero Beach, Fla., five bass, 12-12, $400
10th: Joey Roberts, Jensen Beach, Fla., five bass, 12-1, $350
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
