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

                                                                                          

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LA CROSSE, Wis. (Sept. 14, 2015) – Travis Brueggen of Cashton, Wisconsin, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 13 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division Super Tournament on the Mississippi River with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 2 ounces. For his victory, Brueggen earned $6,362.

“I was able to find some areas where the bass were active during practice,” said Brueggen of his third win in FLW competition. “The trick was following them as they moved out to deeper water in the afternoon sun.

“I concentrated on bank cuts, points, and deep sides of sloughs,” continued Brueggen. “I threw a shad-colored Heddon Zara Spook each morning and switched to a swimbait and a Rat-L-Trap in the afternoon. I knew I would need to adjust my approach as the bass transitioned to deeper water.”

Brueggen said he ended up catching nearly 42 keepers over the course of the tournament – 12 on day one and about 30 on day two.

“It was kind of goofy,” said Brueggen. “The fish weren’t necessarily on certain cover as I expected. I had to be dialed in on the right spot with the right structure at the right time. Luckily it ended up working out as planned.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Travis Brueggen, Cashton, Wis., 10 bass, 33-2, $6,362

2^nd:         Brandon Gann, Sparta, Wis., 10 bass, 31-6, $3,181

3^rd:          Doug Stanton, Winona, Minn., 10 bass, 31-4, $2,122

4^th:          Chris Aswegan, Tiffin, Iowa, 10 bass, 29-13, $1,485

5^th:          Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., 10 bass, 27-15, $1,272

6^th:          Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 27-14, $1,166

7^th:          Bill Frisk, Holmen, Wis., eight bass, 27-7, $1,060

8^th:          Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 27-7, $954

9^th:          Kary Ray, Tiffin, Iowa, 10 bass, 27-5, $848

10^th:        Bob Bungard, Holmen, Wis., 10 bass, 26-13, $742

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

John Berrens of Weyauwega, Wisconsin, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $900.

Max Weiss of Wabasha, Minnesota, won the co-angler division and $3,181 with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Max Weiss, Wabasha, Minn., 10 bass, 26-5, $3,181

2^nd:         Craig Fanning, Elwood, Ill., 10 bass, 25-5, $1,591

3^rd:          Frank Cipra, Prairie du Chien, Wis., 10 bass, 24-8, $1,061

4^th:          Adam Douglas, Tripoli, Iowa, seven bass 22-14, $742

5^th:          Matt Knox, Metamora, Ill., 10 bass, 21-12, $636

6^th:          Kyle Rabelhofer, Silver Lake, Wis., nine bass, 21-11, $583

7^th:          Bill McBride, Rockford, Ill., 10 bass, 21-4, $530

8^th:          Matthew Frisk, Sparta, Wis., 10 bass, 20-15, $477

9^th:          Tony Kromke, La Crosse, Wis., nine bass, 19-14, $424

10^th:        Paul VonWald, La Crosse, Wis., nine bass, 19-3, $371

Ben Rockey of Westbend, Wisconsin, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $450.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now 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.