FELDERMANN WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE GREAT LAKES DIVISION EVENT ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (June 1, 2015) – Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds even Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division tournament of 2015 on the Mississippi River. For his victory, Feldermann earned $6,498.

“It feels great,” said Feldermann, a 21-year BFL Great Lakes division veteran with eight career victories. “I know this area of the river really well so when I see my strategy fall into place it is really gratifying.”

Feldermann said he targeted bass in Pool No. 9 using a homemade white and chartreuse-colored spinnerbait.

“I was fishing the flooded reeds and grass in 2 to 3 feet of water the entire day,” Feldermann said. “I caught a quick limit at my first spot before heading north around 9 a.m.”

Feldermann said the biggest difference in his spots was the amount of fish he would catch, as well as their size.

“I caught the 4-pound, 12-ouncer – the biggest bass of the tournament – at about 11:15,” Feldermann said. “Those northern spots didn’t have tons of fish like the southern ones did, but the fish I brought in were large. If you want to win a tournament you’ve got to head up north.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 15-0, $4,498 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Jimmy Johnson, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-10, $2,249

3^rd:          Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 12-8, $1,498

4^th:          Josh Keeney, Greenville, Wis., five bass, 12-4, $1,050

5^th:          Rick Miller, Eastman, Wis., five bass, 12-3, $900

6^th:          Chase Clausen, Prairie du Chien, Wis., four bass, 11-12, $787

6^th:          Kyle Von Ruden, Stoddard, Wis., five bass, 11-12, $787

8^th:          Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 11-11, $675

9^th:          Harold Therault, Grayslake, Ill., five bass, 11-0, $600

10^th:        Dustin Drath, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 10-15, $498

10^th:        Wells Kaiser, Cuba City, Wis., five bass, 10-15, $498

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Feldermann also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $645.

Ben Fisher of Waterloo, Iowa, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win $2,249 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Ben Fisher, Waterloo, Iowa, five bass, 12-1, $2,249

2^nd:         Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., five bass, 11-13, $1,125

3^rd:          Bill McBride, Rockford, Ill., five bass, 10-9, $752

4^th:          Frank Cipra, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 10-7, $525

5^th:          Michael Meier, Dodgeville, Wis., five bass, 10-3, $450

6^th:          Bill Gabel, Willowbrook, Ill., five bass, 10-1, $393

6^th:          Chad Schultz, Roscoe, Ill., five bass, 10-1, $393

8^th:          John Morales, Tinley Park, Ill., four bass, 9-15, $337

9^th:          Tony Seiler, River Falls, Wis., five bass, 9-8, $300

10^th:        Greg Tacheny, Harris, Minn., five bass, 9-5, $262

Tony Kromke of La Crosse, Wisconsin, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $322.

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.