HANSEN WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS

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OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (April 13, 2015) – Brian Hansen of Fenton, Missouri, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division tournament of 2015 on Lake of the Ozarks. For his victory, Hansen earned $4,507.

“It feels great to grab a check at this point in the season,” said Hansen.

Hansen started his day off flipping a Crock-O-Gator jig around docks, but couldn’t find the bite.

“The Crock-O-Gator worked well in practice throughout the week before the tournament,” said Hansen. “But after a couple of hours I just couldn’t get a bite.”

Hansen switched to a white War Eagle spinnerbait – the lure he would use to finish out his day.

“I found a little wind and started targeting secondary points leading into spawning pockets,” said Hansen. “I also fished in between docks. Usually on this lake the bass are under the docks, but that wasn’t the case this time.

The key to bringing in this stringer was the full presentation,” Hansen continued. “The slow retrieve helped as well.

Hansen said that he caught just five keepers, one every 90 minutes or so throughout the tournament.

“I caught my last fish just a few minutes before I had to leave for weigh-in. Luckily, the five bass I had weighed enough for me to edge the second place finisher and get the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Brian Hansen, Fenton, Mo., five bass, 18-7, $4,507

2^nd:         Mark Tucker, Kirkwood, Mo., five bass, 18-2, $2,253

3^rd:          Tom Silber, Labadie, Mo., five bass, 17-1, $1,277

3^rd:          Scotty Villines, Ponca, Ark., five bass, 17-1, $1,277

5^th:          Lawson Hibdon, Versailles, Mo., five bass, 16-15, $901

6^th:          Chuck Austin, Saint Peters, Mo., five bass, 16-9, $826

7^th:          Will Spurgeon, Jefferson City, Mo., five bass, 15-14, $751

8^th:          Reggie Crabdree, Park Hills, Mo., five bass, 15-4, $676

9^th:          Todd Knaack, Lawson, Mo., five bass, 15-2, $601

10^th:        Jim Young, House Springs, Mo., five bass, 14-8, $526

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Dennis Strauser of Sullivan, Missouri, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $655.

Denise Dill of Laurie, Missouri, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win $2,253 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Denise Dill, Laurie, Mo., five bass, 17-9, $2,253

2^nd:         Daniel Ashby, Independence, Mo., five bass, 13-3, $1,127

3^rd:          Timothy Chierek, St. Louis, Mo., five bass, 12-8, $751

4^th:          Sam Bremmerkamp, Joplin, Mo., four bass, 12-2, $526

5^th:          Quinton Booth, Ozark, Mo., four bass, 10-6, $451

6^th:          Troy Enke, Nixa, Mo., three bass, 9-10, $413

7^th:          Tom O’ Connor, Eureka, Mo., three bass, 9-5, $376

8^th:          Rich Carpenter, Parkville, Mo., three bass, 9-2, $338

9^th:          Reggie Britt, Prairie Village, Kan., two bass, 8-9, $300

10^th:        Mark Anderson, Nixa, Mo., four bass, 8-7, $263

Billy Hicks of Richmond, Missouri, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $327.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. 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.