HARTMAN WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE NORTHEAST DIVISION FINALE ON CHESAPEAKE BAY

                                                                                          

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NORTH EAST, Md. (Sept. 21, 2015) – Jamie Hartman of Newport, New York, weighed four bass totaling 9 pounds, 10 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division Super Tournament on Chesapeake Bay with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 30 pounds, 5 ounces. For his victory, Hartman earned $5,004.

“I decided to target a series of docks and wood in the northeast arm,” said Hartman, who earned his seventh career BFL win. “I rotated through spots and it ended up coming together.”

Hartman said he used a Tidal Blue-colored Riot Baits Instigator Jig with a green-pumpkin Riot Baits “R” Craw, a Strike King KVD Square Bill Crankbait and a finesse worm to catch his fish.

“When choosing a bait, it depended on how much water was around the dock,” said Hartman. “If it was deep I used the jig. If it was shallow, I reached for the crankbait and the finesse worm. I caught about 15 fish throughout the day on Saturday.”

Hartman said the bite was much more difficult on Sunday due to a strong north wind blowing tidal water out from his area.

“I could only hit half of the wood and docks that I did on Saturday because it was so shallow,” said Hartman. “Luckily, I was using a Cashion rod that was unbelievably sensitive. There were barely any fight to these fish and the rod really helped me yank them in.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Jamie Hartman, Newport, N.Y., nine bass, 30-5, $5,004

2^nd:         William   Barlow, West Grove, Pa., 10 bass, 28-13, $2,502

3^rd:          Michael Sentore, Gloucester City, N.J., 10 bass, 27-14, $1,666

4^th:          Joe Hunt, Lincoln University, Pa., 10 bass, 26-1, $1,168

5^th:          Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., eight bass, 25-3, $1,001

6^th:          Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., seven bass, 24-15, $917

7^th:          John Vanore, Mullica Hill, N.J., eight bass, 20-15, $834

8^th:          Randy Caruso, Liberty, N.Y., seven bass, 19-11, $751

9^th:          George Acord Jr., Columbia, Pa., six bass, 17-6, $667

10^th:        Harry Nurk, Elkton, Md., six bass,16 0, $584

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Hartman also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday. The fish weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $615.

Thomas Dellinger of Myerstown, Pennsylvania, won the co-angler division and $2,502 with a two-day total of five bass weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Thomas  Dellinger , Myerstown, Pa., five bass , 21-6, $2,502

2^nd:         Ben Wright, Peru, N.Y., eight bass, 21-1, $1,251

3^rd:          Joe Poms, Paramus, N.J., six bass, 17-0, $834

4^th:          Robert Wedding, Welcome, Md., five bass, 14-6, $584

5^th:          Brett Holmes, Claverack, N.Y., six bass, 14-5, $500

6^th:          Robert Bruguiere, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 11-14, $459

7^th:          Jason McDonald, Lawrenceville, N.J., four bass, 11-2, $417

8^th:          Henry McKee, Haddon Heights, N.J., five bass, 9-12, $375

9^th:          John Detweiler, Harleysville, Pa., three bass, 9-7, $334

10^th:        James Karwacki, Roebling, N.J., three bass, 8-8, $292

Dellinger also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $307.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. 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.