ABPLANALP WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE HOOSIER DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE PATOKA

BIRDSEYE, Ind. (June 1, 2015) – Michael Abplanalp of Cleves, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Patoka. For his victory, Abplanalp earned $5,541.

“I did a lot of homework to prepare for this tournament,” said Abplanalp, a 12-year BFL Hoosier division veteran with 10 career top-10 finishes. “There are a lot of talented anglers out here so being well-prepared is key.”

Abplanalp said he pulled into his first spot around 6:45 a.m. and caught two fish.

“That spot was only about two minutes from the takeoff ramp,” said Abplanalp. “I liked the way the weeds were setting up so I began targeting fish in the 7 to 13 foot depths.

“My bait of choice was a plum- or watermelon-colored Zoom Baits ‘Ol Monster Worm,” continued Ablpanalp. “I would also throw a football-head jig here and there, but my main fish came on the Zoom worm.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Michael Abplanalp, Cleves, Ohio, five bass, 16-6, $4,541 + $1,000 Mercury Bonus

2^nd:         Scott Spayd, Ferdinand, Ind., five bass, 14-12, $2,270

3^rd:          Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, four bass, 14-1, $1,514

4^th:          Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky., five bass, 13-10, $1,060

5^th:          Rich Fye, Galveston, Ind., four bass, 12-14, $908

6^th:          Kevin Tschudy, Batavia, Ohio, four bass, 12-6, $833

7^th:          Nick Teeters, Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 12-4, $757

8^th:          David Helming Jr., Celestone, Ind., four bass, 10-14, $681

9^th:          Ronald Nutter, Newark, Ohio, three bass, 10-11, $605

10^th:        Garry Kincaid, Martinsville, Ind., three bass, 10-3, $530

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

John Voyles of Petersburg, Indiana, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 9 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $660.

Kenny Mitchell of Franklin, Ohio, weighed in four bass totaling 9 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win $2,193 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Kenny Mitchell, Franklin, Ohio, four bass, 9-11, $2,193

2^nd”         Matt Orschell, Lawrenceburg, Ind., three bass, 9-4, $1,096

3^rd:          Mark Dehart, Brownstown, Ind., three bass, 8-4, $730

4^th:          Mike Rosemeyer, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 8-2, $512

5^th:          Andrew Matuszak, Montgomery, Ind., three bass, 8-0, $439

6^th:          Robert Sherron, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 6-10, $402

7^th:          Justin Clift, Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 6-2, $365

8^th:          Rod Yoder, West Lafayette, Ind., two bass, 6-0, $329

9^th:          Ronnie Constant, Muncie, Ind., two bass, 5-12, $292

10^th:        Aaron Clayton, Hanover, Ind., two bass, 5-7, $256

Rosemeyer caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $310.

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.