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SYKORA WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS

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September 19, 2017

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SYKORA WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS

Camdenton’s Strohkirch Takes Co-angler Title

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OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Local angler Marcus Sykora of Osage Beach, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 37 pounds, 14 ounces. For his victory, Sykora earned $7,071.

According to post-tournament reports, Sykora caught his fish in 14 feet of water near mid-lake brush piles using an unnamed crankbait and a Zoom Brush Hog.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 37-14, $7,071

2^nd: Roger Cook, Lebanon, Mo., 10 bass, 36-8, $3,436

3^rd: Adam Boehle, Warrenton, Mo., 10 bass, 35-9, $2,796

4^th: Greg Glandt, Fenton, Mo., 10 bass, 35-1, $1,603

5^th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 34-1, $1,374

6^th: David McCormick, Lee’s Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 32-15, $1,360

7^th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 32-5, $1,145

8^th: Mark Tucker, Kirkwood, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2, $1,031

9^th: Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2, $916

10^th: Bob Bueltmann, Osage Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 31-9, $802

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Boehle caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $506.

Aaron Strohkirch of Camdenton, Missouri, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 28 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,436.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Aaron Strohkirch, Camdenton, Mo., eight bass, 28-1, $3,436

2^nd: Reid Kesel, Bonnots Mill, Mo., 10 bass, 27-1, $1,918

3^rd: Ray Larson, Springfield, Ill., 10 bass, 23-1, $1,195

4^th: Nathan Portell, Festus, Mo., nine bass, 22-11, $802

5^th: Charles Frick, Saint Louis, Mo., eight bass, 19-2, $687

6^th: Jordan Williams, Oak Grove, Mo., eight bass, 19-1, $630

7^th: Stephen Delgado, Lee’s Summit, Mo., eight bass, 18-13, $573

8^th: Brandon Hecker, Camdenton, Mo., six bass, 17-15, $515

9^th: Ernie Wooten, New London, Mo., eight bass, 17-12, $458

10^th: Taylor Harris, Paola, Kan., seven bass, 17-0, $401

Bob Keeth of Dixon, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $506.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Ozark Division tournament on Lake of the Ozarks was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association/Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

LIBERTY’S RAMPEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE HARTWELL

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September 19, 2017

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LIBERTY’S RAMPEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE HARTWELL

Missouri’s Govreau Nabs Co-angler Title

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ANDERSON, S.C. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Jayme Rampey of Liberty, South Carolina, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Hartwell Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 6 ounces. For his win, Rampey pocketed $7,112.

“I caught them from the clear main-lake water to all the way up the Tugaloo River,” said Rampey, who logged his sixth career-win in BFL competition. “I fished fast and shallow along a 30-mile stretch and threw to whatever looked good.”

Rampey said he focused on stumps, wood and docks. He said he ended up weighing eight keepers from a white Zoom Horny Toad, and two from a Buckeye Lures jig with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer.

“There wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to what I was doing,” said Rampey. “The wind and rain from the outskirts of Hurricane Irma had the fish spread out. I don’t think they were adjusted back to normal weather conditions yet.”

Rampey’s two-day total was highlighted by a 6-pound, 4-ouncer, which he caught Saturday on the Horny Toad near a laydown.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 26-6, $7,112

2^nd: Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., 10 bass, 25-6, $3,121

3^rd: Brad Fowler, Townville, S.C., 10 bass, 23-12, $2,282

4^th: Kerry Partain, Elberton, Ga., 10 bass, 23-11, $1,456

5^th: Brad Benfield, Cornelia, Ga., 10 bass, 22-14, $1,248

6^th: Joey Nichols, Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 22-13, $1,444

7^th: Franklin Ramey III, Abbeville, S.C., 10 bass, 22-7, $1,140

8^th: Taylor Ashley, Warrior, Ala., 10 bass, 22-2, $936

9^th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 10 bass, 21-14, $832

10^th: Todd Goade, Suwanee, Ga., 10 bass, 21-1, $728

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Rampey’s 6-pound, 4-ounce bass was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned him the Big Bass award of $870.

Beau Govreau of Cedar Hill, Missouri, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 20 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,121.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Beau Govreau, Cedar Hill, Mo., 10 bass, 20-9, $3,121

2^nd: Darren Jeter, Marshall, N.C., 10 bass, 20-5, $1,660

3^rd: Jimmi Leuthner, Tamassee, S.C., 10 bass, 19-8, $1,092

4^th: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 10 bass, 19-6, $728

5^th: Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., 10 bass, 19-6, $624

6^th: Michael Miller, Greenville, S.C., 10 bass, 18-10, $572

7^th: Keith Lewis, Franklin, N.C., eight bass, 18-9, $955

8^th: Tim Watson, Martin, Ga., eight bass, 17-6, $468

9^th: Kevin Landreth, Seneca, S.C., nine bass, 17-6, $416

10^th: Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., 10 bass, 17-6, $364

Lewis caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $435.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Hartwell was hosted by the Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

Classic Bracket Starts Strong On Pokegama Lake

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September 19, 2017

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Classic Bracket Starts Strong On Pokegama Lake

Jacob Powroznik of Port Haywood, Va., caught the most weight — a 13 pound, 7 ounce limit of bass — on the first day of the Bassmaster Classic Bracket held on Pokegama Lake. The quarterfinals will continue Sept. 20 with Match Three (VanDam vs. Monroe) and Match Four (Iaconelli vs. Avena) fishing in the morning and Match One (Kennedy vs. Powroznik) and Match Two (Jaye vs. Lefebre) moving to the afternoon.

Photo by B.A.S.S.

Sept. 19, 2017

Classic Bracket Starts Strong On Pokegama Lake

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GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — Last week, 39 anglers qualified for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods through the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship.

But eight more barely missed their shot at a Classic berth — and they’re getting one more chance this week with all of the action shown on Bassmaster LIVE.

The Classic Bracket at Pokegama Lake features the first eight anglers to miss Classic qualification battling it out in a head-to-head, match-style format. Every fish caught during the catch-weigh-release event will be aired live on Bassmaster.com — and when the dust settles on Friday, the final angler standing will receive an automatic berth into the Classic, which will be held on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell next March.

Competition began Monday with two three-hour sessions, with four anglers competing in the morning, followed by the remaining four anglers competing in the afternoon. All eight anglers will advance to Wednesday’s second round, with only the four match winners moving onto Thursday’s semifinals.

Morning matches

No. 1 Steve Kennedy vs. No. 8 Jacob Powroznik

Top-seeded Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., found a few decent bass during his allotted three hours and claimed a good early lead in his matchup with eighth-seeded Jacob Powroznik of Virginia. But Powroznik kept chipping away and finished the morning session in the lead with 13 pounds, 7 ounces.

Kennedy trails by almost 2 pounds with a mark of 11-9.

“Things started off a little slow, but it just got steadily better,” Powroznik said after using a wacky-rigged worm and a drop-shot rig to catch all largemouth in a Pokegama Lake fishery that features both largemouth and smallmouth.

Kennedy, the Alabama pro who earned his fifth career B.A.S.S. victory on Lake Dardanelle earlier this year, started his day with a swimbait in an area where he’d been seeing fish break the surface. His decision resulted in a 4-2 smallmouth on his first cast and a 2-15 largemouth just minutes later, but he boated only two small keepers after that.

“That was right where my waypoint was, and they gave themselves away by jumping,” Kennedy said. “That was the biggest school of fish I could find. I never expected (to start with those big fish).”

Powroznik started slow, with a flurry of small fish around docks before 8:30 a.m. But he began steadily culling up 30 minutes later and finished with a flurry, landing a 3-3 and 2-4 back to back as time was expiring.

No. 4 Kelley Jaye vs. No. 5 Dave Lefebre

Pennsylvania pro Dave Lefebre finished the morning session with five bass that weighed 12-13. That gave him more than a 3-pound lead over Alabamian Kelley Jaye who weighed in only 9-3.

Lefebre got on the board quickly with a 2-8 smallmouth on a Senko and then seemed to find larger fish than Jaye throughout the day.

While Jaye said he was intent on “1-pounding Lefebre to death,” Lefebre switched back and forth between a drop-shot rig and a jig to catch better bass, including a 2-6 from under a dock at 10:17 a.m. and a 3-8 as time literally expired.

“That was a clutch fish right there,” Lefebre said. “It’s early yet, but that could be a Classic fish. This was fun. Give me three hours tomorrow, and it’ll be a different ball game.”

Afternoon matches

No. 3 Jonathon VanDam vs No. 6 Ish Monroe

The conditions seemed to play right into Ish Monroe’s hands, as the California pro who’s known for fishing a jig and a plastic frog was able to do both with great success.

Monroe fished a black Ike’s 3/4-ounce Flip-Out jig with a Missile Baits D-Bomb for a trailer and the Ish’s Phat Matt Daddy Frog that he designed for River2Sea. The frog was also in a black pattern.

He started slowly with a couple of 15-ouncers that bit under boat docks just after the session began. But just after 1:15 p.m., he made a perfect cast under a dock with his frog and landed a nice largemouth that weighed 3-3.

After pulling one more good fish from beneath a dock, he moved to shoreline grass and put on a show with the frog, landing a 1-10, a 2-9, a 2-14 and a 2-7. Monroe’s five best fish from the round weighed 12-15.

Meanwhile, Michigan pro Jonathon VanDam applied a vastly different approach and didn’t fare quite as well. VanDam targeted mainly offshore cover in search of smallmouth and brought back only two fish that weighed 3-8.

No. 2 Michael Iaconelli vs. No. 7 Adrian Avena

In a battle of New Jersey pros, the veteran Michael Iaconelli seemed to be the more comfortable of the two from the start.

The 18-time Classic qualifier used a Missile Baits Mini-Flip 1/2-ounce jig to catch fish repeatedly around windblown docks. He caught a 1-13 at 12:52 p.m., a 1-14 at 1:43, a 1-3 smallmouth at 3:13 around offshore reeds and a 2-11 at 3:25 from those same reeds.

“That last fish (the 2-11) was big for me in more ways than one,” Iaconelli said. “Obviously, it helps me today. But it also tells me a lot about what I need to be doing tomorrow.”

Avena, who never quite seemed comfortable after changing locations before he made a single cast, caught just four fish that weighed 7-12.

“I’ve got to do something totally different tomorrow,” said Avena, who is attempting to earn his first Classic berth. “Maybe I’ll run points and hope to run into five quality ones. With us fishing in the morning, maybe those boat docks will be good. They haven’t been for me yet.”

All eight anglers will fish again Wednesday with the schedule inverted. The Iaconelli-Avena and Monroe-VanDam matchups will begin at 7:30 a.m. CT, while the Kennedy-Powroznik and Lefebre-Jaye matchups will shift to the afternoon at 12:30 p.m.

The local host for this event is Visit Grand Rapids.

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Nitro Boats, Mercury, Minn Kota, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird

2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Advance Auto Parts, Livingston Lures, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Shimano

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Series presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

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Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, jmatth[email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, dprecht@bassmaster.com

2017 Bassmaster Classic Bracket 9/19-9/22
Pokegama Lake, Grand Rapids, Minn.
Standings Day 1Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz

Steve Kennedy Auburn, Ala. 4/11-9

Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, Va. 5/13-7

Kelly Jaye Dadeville, Ala. 5/9-3

Dave Lefebre Erie, Pa. 5/12-13

Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich. 2/3-8

Ish Monroe Hughson, Calif. 5/12-15

Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, N.J. 5/10-0

Adrian Avena Vineland, N.J. 4/7-12

Eric Silverstrim of Indian Mound, TN won the American Bass Anglers, RAM Truck Open Series Area 1 two-day Championship, held on September 9th-10th 2017 on Lake Chickamauga

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September 19, 2017

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Eric Silverstrim of Indian Mound, TN won the American Bass Anglers, RAM Truck Open Series Area 1 two-day Championship, held on September 9th-10th 2017 on Lake Chickamauga. Running out Dayton Boat Dock in Dayton, TN Eric brought back a five-fish limit that locked in the scales at 13.26 lbs. On day two he stayed consistent and brought in another five-fish limit that went for 17.51 lbs. giving him a two- day total weight of 30.77 lbs. Eric took home a check for $10,000 for his first-place finish.

“I caught all my fish on a Fishing 45 football head jig in Texas Craw. I was just flipping that’s how I caught all my fish this weekend. That Fishing 45 Jig with the Trokar hooks just kept them hooked up, and that little bit of chartreuse just drew them out of that scattered brush.” Said Silverstrim. “My Mercury Pro XS got a good work out this week, and I can’t thank Mercury Marine enough. That Pro XS is by far the best motor on the market and it really showed it this week. I also want to thank C&O Marine, and Fishing 45, with those Trokar hooks and their swim bait lines there’s just nothing any better out there. I want to thank the ABA for the tournament series they put on and I feel grateful, it’s a lot of hard work and it just worked out this weekend.”

Taking Second was Wayne Boyd of Rome, Ga. On day one Wayne brought back 5 keepers that locked in at 16.75 lbs. Day, he landed 5 more to add 11.55 lbs. to his total weight, giving him a two-day total of 28.30 lbs. Wayne took home $1100 dollars for his efforts.

“I Fished clean for two days, I didn’t lose any fish at all. I caught all my fish on a white chatter bait in scattered grass. It was a grind out there.” Said Boyd.

Third place was claimed by Matt Stanley of Alexandria, TN. Matt brought back a 5-fish limit both days for a two-day total weight of 27.69 lbs. Matt pocketed $900 for his placement.

“I was flipping grass, wood, and rock banks. I just kept moving and trying to find the fish.” Said Stanley.

Fourth was taken by Steve Barnes of Harrison, TN. Steve landed a limit both days for a total weight of 23.07 lbs.

Brad Harmon rounded out the top 5 with 8 fish over two days for a total weight of 22.06 lbs.
Douglas Webster of Pinson, AL took big fish honors with a gorgeous 7.60 lb. largemouth. Douglas took home $700 for that fish.

Taking First for the Co-Anglers was Joseph Casey of Trenton, GA. Joseph managed to bring in 5 fish over the two days for a total weight of 16.15 lbs. He anchored his catch with a 4.40 lb. kicker sealing his victory. He took home a check for $5000 for his victory.

“I caught all my key fish deep on edge breaks where the grass would stop, on a strike king cutter worm Texas rigged. I fished the river and Hiwassee both days. I caught all my bigger fish in the first 15-20 minutes both days. I want to thank my wife, my family, and my friend from work Harley.” Said Casey.

Second amongst the Co-Anglers was Herbert Hall of Harrison, TN. Herbert brought in 4 fish during the tournament for a total weight of 12.03 lbs. He Anchored his catch with a beautiful 6.96 lb. largemouth, which also took Co-Angler Big Bass. Herbert took home a $350 for his placement and an additional $240 for his Big Bass.

“I was using a white Cho Cho custom jig, but I got hung up and lost it. I couldn’t find another one, but I had the same jig in a different color. I tied it on and that’s what I caught the big one on. I thought I was hung up again, until it started moving back, it was a fun fish to catch.” Said Hall.

Taking third for the Co-Anglers was Kevin Shrader of Valley Head, AL. He brought in a total of 5 fish, they locked in the scales for a two-total weight of 11.92 lbs. Kevin took home a check for $250 for his efforts.

“I caught every one of my fish on square bill crank bait. I was jerking it through the grass like a rattle trap. I probably caught 35 fish total, just not a lot of big ones.” Said Shrader.

Fourth place was claimed by Robert Henze of Lavergne, TN. He brought in a 3-fish limit both days for a total weight of 11.03 lbs.

Rounding out the top 5 was Jake Cross of Byrdstown, TN with a two-day total weight of 10.24 lbs.

The next tournament will be the Ray Scott Championship. The best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana in April 2018.

For more information on this tournament, call Kristin Malott, tournament manager, at 256-771-3709 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.

American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Carlisle Tires, GEICO, Berkley, Abu Garcia, T-H Marine, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Maui Jim, Power Pole, LiT Coolers, Simms, Garmin, Divide-It, and SiriusXM Marine Weather. American Bass Anglers, Inc. can be contacted at (256) 232-0406 or by visiting americanbassanglers.com

MOUNT VERNON’S MULLINS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE ILLINI DIVISION FINALE ON REND LAKE

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September 19, 2017

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MOUNT VERNON’S MULLINS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE ILLINI DIVISION FINALE ON REND LAKE

Paris’ Eslinger Grabs Co-angler Title

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WHITTINGTON, Ill. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Greg Mullins of Mount Vernon, Illinois, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Rend Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 10 ounces. Mullins was awarded $4,869 for his win.

Mullins said he spent the event fishing four stretches – each 200 to 300 yards long – on the north end of the lake. He said he targeted bass on banks that had a combination of riprap and wood, and was able to catch 13 keepers.

“There weren’t as many bites up there compared to the main lake, but they were good-sized fish,” said Mullins, who logged his first career win as a boater in BFL competition. “I think the fish were up against those hard banks to feed because there were a lot of shad. They weren’t schooling up yet, though.”

Mullins said he used a 3/8-ounce chartreuse and white-colored Z-Man ChatterBait with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Super Chunk to catch the majority of his fish. He added that his largest bass Saturday came on a green-pumpkin Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm.

“I threw the ChatterBait any time I came to a good piece of wood, then flipped the worm to it,” said Mullins. “Most of the fish were in 6 inches of water, while I sat in anywhere from 6 inches to 2½ feet of water. My Crestliner was really key in helping me navigate the shallows.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Greg Mullins, Mount Vernon, Ill., 10 bass, 28-10, $4,869

2^nd: Neil McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., 10 bass, 25-9, $3,219

3^rd: Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 24-0, $1,623

4^th: Timothy Rivest, Champaign, Ill., eight bass, 21-7, $1,136

5^th: Brian Futch, Vienna, Ill., 10 bass, 21-1, $1,074

6^th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., nine bass, 19-15, $893

7^th: Mike Barnes, Mackinaw, Ill., 10 bass, 19-9, $1,111

8^th: Mike McGill, Findlay, Ill., nine bass, 19-5, $730

9^th: Toby Corn, Calvert City, Ky., 10 bass, 19-4, $649

10^th: Jerry Walker, Zeigler, Ill., seven bass, 19-3, $568

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

McCord caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $585.

Archie Eslinger of Paris, Illinois, caught a two-day total of nine bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,372.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Archie Eslinger, Paris, Illinois, nine bass, 19-11, $2,372

2^nd: Jim Brown, Coulterville, Ill., six bass, 11-10, $1,186

3^rd: Jacob Bovara, Wadsworth, Ill., five bass, 10-14, $1,077

4^th: Jeffrey Lee, Olney, Ill., five bass, 10-10, $553

5^th: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., four bass, 9-12, $674

6^th: Scott Strausbaugh, Hillsboro, Ill., five bass, 9-8, $435

7^th: Steve Kehrer, Woodlawn, Ill., five bass, 9-4, $395

8^th: Ryan Fancher, Olney, Ill., four bass, 9-3, $406

9^th: Phil Santefort, Roberts, Ill., four bass, 8-8, $316

10^th: Adam Brookman, Bonnie, Ill., four bass, 8-5, $277

Bovara caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $285.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALE SET FOR CLEAR LAKE

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September 19, 2017

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YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALE SET FOR CLEAR LAKE

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LAKEPORT, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2017) – YETI FLW College Fishing is heading to Clear Lake on Sept. 30 for the third and final regular-season stop in the Western Conference. A full field of college fishing clubs will be competing for the top award of a $2,000 club scholarship and a berth into the 2018 College Fishing National Championship, which will be hosted on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, next May.

“Clear Lake can be tough, because everything looks so good,” said Costa FLW Series pro Jeff Michels of Lakehead, California, the back-to-back 2012 and 2013 Western Division Angler of the Year and a two-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “Even though this tournament is a little later than usual we’ve had some abnormally warm weather and the bass are still right in the transition period between summer and fall patterns.

“Teams are going to catch them real shallow on topwater baits all the way down to 30 to 35 feet cranking deep rock piles,” Michels continued. “This tournament could literally be won at any depth right now.”

Michels said that Strike King 8XD and 10XD crankbaits would work really well deep cranking, while a Lucky Craft squarebill crankbait would be effective up shallow.

“This time of the year, Clear Lake really sets up similar to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Rivers out east,” Michels said. “If you can find a mega-school on a rock pile or two, you’re going to be really tough to beat.”

Michels predicted that the winning club would bring a five-bass limit in excess of 20 pounds to the scale.

“I think 20 to 22 pounds will put you right there to win it,” he said. “My advice would be to find a school of fish and if you do, don’t leave them. The bite may slow down, but it will pick back up. If you want to win, don’t go running and gunning in this tournament.”

Anglers will take off from the Konocti Vista Casino Resort and Marina, located at 2755 Mission Rancheria Road, in Lakeport, at 7:30 a.m. PDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 2 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.

Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.

Schools currently registered to compete in the Clear Lake tournament, which is hosted by the Konocti Vista Casino Resort and Marina, include:

California Polytechnic State University – Clayton Lauchland, Lodi, Calif., and Christopher LeClair, Santa Clarita, Calif

California Polytechnic State University – Nick Rinauro, San Jose, Calif., and Alec Pitts, Santa Rosa, Calif.

California State University-Chico– Austin Crane and David Griswold, both of Oroville, Calif.

California State University-Chico – Tyler Firebaugh, Danville, Calif., and Chad Sweitzer, Chico, Calif.

California State University-Chico – Jakob Conlan and Frank Tomasello, both of Morgan Hill, Calif.

California State University-Chico – Travis Strain and Sean Huber, both of Chico, Calif.

California State University-Chico – Travis Gonsalves, Modesto, Calif., and Thoma Avilla, Escalon, Calif.

Grand Canyon University – Joseph Dwyer, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Cody Blood, Galt, Ariz.

Sonoma State University – B.J. Kendrick, Morgan Hill, Calif., and Josh Hanna, Danville, Calif.

Sonoma State University – Jake Banuelos, Pinole, Calif., and Peter Bizzini, Modesto, Calif.

University of California-Merced – Gregory Dooman, Castro Valley, Calif., and Herbie LeBlanc, Gilroy, Calif.

FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Red River, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.

College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.

Chris & Been Eads Win Second Annual Friends Of Claytor Lake Fall Classic September 16,2017

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September 19, 2017

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Chris & Been Eads Win Second Annual Friends Of Claytor Lake Fall Classic September 16,2017

We would like to thank everyone that took the time to fish the second annual FOCL event. One Hundred & seventy-three teams crashed on the 4,500-acre lake for their chance at winning 50,000. Now the day did not start as planned due to a couple hours fog delay but for those that knew what was going on their were a few good bags of fish weighed in. Now would this had been the deciding factor for a lot of anglers we will never know. But congratulations to the team of Chris & Been Eads. See you all again in 2018.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS

Castaway Anglers Classic Qualifiers – September 19,2017

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September 19, 2017

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Hey Everybody,

This weekend is our Castaway Classic on Leesville Lake (Saturday September 23^rd) and Smith Mt. Lake (Sunday September 24^th). Below is the list of qualifiers and blast off order for Saturday. Saturday we are going out of Leesville Lake Marina from 7AM to 4PM and Sunday we are going out of Smith Mt. Lake State Park from 7AM to 4PM. Entry fee is $70, which includes big fish for both days. Coffer/Coffer gets free entry into the Classic for winning the club points championship, but will have to pay $20 for big fish for tournament. Everybody will need to pay a $5 ramp fee for Saturday, which the tournament director will collect and turn into the marina on behalf of the club. Sundays ramp fees are up to each boat to take care of themselves. Blast off order for Sunday will be determined by standings from Saturday.

Off limits on Saturday will be inside the no wake zone at Leesville Lake Marina for the first hour and on Sunday will be inside the no wake zone at the state park for the first hour. Tournament limits will be 2 –12 inch fish and 3 – 14 inch fish each day. Life jackets must be worn while boat is on plane. All other tournament rules apply. Let’s be courteous to one another and don’t encroach on another boat as they are fishing. Let’s have a great tournament. Let me know if you have any questions and please let me know if you will not be fishing. We will try to blast off early if we can and can’t if we are waiting for someone who is not planning on fishing the tournament. Try to be there and on the water around 6:30AM so there are no delays in blast off. Hope everybody has a great week. See you all Saturday morning.

Jimmy

Blast off order:

Coffer/Coffer

Funk/Restivo
Thomas/Slayton

Wood/Harris
Mayhew/Rowland
Dudley/Farmer
Davis/Milam
Weeks/McCoy
Orange/Walker
West/Irby
Taylor/Connelly
Dalton/Rowland
Tyree/Taylor
Dalton/Barker
Slagle/Day
Johnson

Langford/Griffin
Carter/Carter
Davis/Farrow
Gannell/Hunt
Blair/Martin

ZANESFIELD’S COLWELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE ERIE

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September 18, 2017

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ZANESFIELD’S COLWELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE ERIE

Kentucky’s Howard Takes Co-angler Title

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SANDUSKY, Ohio (Sept. 18, 2017) – Hunter Colwell of Zanesfield, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division tournament on Lake Erie Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 10 ounces. For his win, Colwell earned $5,126.

“It was awesome to get the win,” said Colwell, who earned his first career victory in BFL competition. “Both days I was just dragging a drop-shot rig around Middle Bass Island. I was fishing in 8 to 14 feet of water, rotating through four different rock piles.”

Colwell estimated that he caught 8 bass on Saturday and 12 to 13 bass on Sunday – all smallmouth. He said that he rigged his drop-shot with a Smoke-colored Strike King KVD Dream Shot.

“I could see the fish on my Lowrance graphs,” Colwell said. “The key was being able to follow the fish and adjust, because they were moving from one rock pile to the next. I had only found one rock pile in practice coming into the tournament, but I was able to find the other three on the first day by just fishing around the area with my electronics on.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Hunter Colwell, Zanesfield, Ohio, 10 bass, 35-10, $5,126

2^nd: Steve Hatfield, Ashland, Ohio, 10 bass, 34-13, $2,563

3^rd: Scott Manson, Covington, Ohio, 10 bass, 33-10, $1,709

4^th: Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, 10 bass, 33-7, $1,196

5^th: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, 10 bass, 33-3, $1,225

6^th: Cody Seeger, Lewistown, Ohio, 10 bass, 32-1, $1,040

7^th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, nine bass, 29-14, $1,484

8^th: Sean Wieda, Florence, Ky., 10 bass, 29-12, $769

9^th: Kyle Lackey, Tipp City, Ohio, 10 bass, 29-6, $683

10^th: Josh Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, eight bass, 29-4, $598

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Martinkovic caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $630.

Trevor Howard of Union, Kentucky, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,563.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Trevor Howard, Union, Ky., 10 bass, 28-11, $2,563

2^nd: Billy Crider Jr., Kettering, Ohio, 10 bass, 28-2, $1,281

3^rd: Alfie Bricker, West Portsmouth, Ohio, nine bass, 27-9, $1,053

4^th: Brian Kich, Berea, Ohio, nine bass, 26-12, $648

5^th: Mark Miller, Baltic, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-7, $513

6^th: Eric Thompson, Otway, Ohio, eight bass, 24-3, $470

7^th: Dan Minor, Norwalk, Ohio, eight bass, 23-3, $427

8^th: Daniel Hurst, Troy, Ohio, eight bass, 22-1, $384

9^th: Ron Weisenburger, Continental, Ohio, eight bass, 19-3, $342

10^th: Ethan Reese, Clayton, Ohio, nine bass, 19-1, $299

Jeremiah Sall of Wintersville, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $315.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Buckeye Division tournament on Lake Erie was hosted by the City of Sandusky.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

OHIO’S BARR WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION FINALE ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

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September 18, 2017

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OHIO’S BARR WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION FINALE ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Milan’s Polenz Takes Co-angler Title

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TRENTON, Mich. (Sept. 18, 2017) – Joshua Barr of Stow, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River presented by Navionics Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 49 pounds, 1 ounce. Barr pocketed $7,397 for his win.

“It was really satisfying to come out on top of such a competitive field,” said Barr, who earned his first career win after three prior top-10 finishes on the Detroit River in FLW competition. “I knew that I was on a couple of good schools in practice, but I didn’t realize how big they were. It was a pleasant surprise come tournament time.”

Barr committed each day to making a run south to Lake Erie.

“I live in the Cleveland area, so I was spending a lot of time around the Ohio and Pelee Islands,” said Barr. “I was fishing the typical off-shore Lake Erie isolated rock piles. I caught most of my fish on Day One with a drop-shot rig. On Day Two, all of my quality fish came on a tube.”

Barr said that he fished a perch-colored fluke-style bait on his drop-shot rig Saturday, but opted for a standard 3½-inch green pumpkin tube on Sunday.

“I don’t think the color really mattered,” Barr said. “My co-angler and I both caught 6-pounders on a tube and he had a different color.”

Barr estimated that he caught 10 to 15 smallmouth on Day One and around 20 on Day Two.

“Finding the right schools meant everything,” Barr went on to say. “When I would idle over the rocks, I couldn’t see them very well on my electronics. I’m not sure if my motor was spooking them, but when I would turn it off and drift over them my graphs would light up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Joshua Barr, Stow, Ohio, 10 bass, 49-1, $5,397 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, 10 bass, 47-3, $2,598

3^rd: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., 10 bass, 46-4, $1,833

4^th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 10 bass, 45-12, $1,513

5^th: Jamie Jacobus, Johnstown, Ohio, 10 bass, 44-2, $1,039

6^th: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., 10 bass, 43-15, $953

7^th: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., 10 bass, 41-5, $866

8^th: Aaron Stumpf, Johnstown, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-7, $780

9^th: Mike Cunningham, Fenton, Mich., 10 bass, 40-4, $693

10^th: Eric Cook, Marblehead, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-1, $606

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Charles Mackintosh of Brighton, Michigan, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $652.

Gary Polenz of Milan, Michigan, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 43 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,669.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Gary Polenz, Milan, Mich., 10 bass, 43-7, $2,669

2^nd: Tony Mitchell, Plainwell, Mich., 10 bass, 42-2, $1,284

3^rd: Cody Bertrand, Dyer, Ind., 10 bass, 41-12, $858

4^th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, 10 bass, 39-3, $649

5^th: Christopher Slone, Shelby Township, Mich., 10 bass, 39-1, $514

6^th: Steve Pinkerton, Anderson, Ind., 10 bass, 38-9, $471

7^th: Justin Sawyer, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 10 bass, 38-3, $750

8^th: Erik Jacques. Harrison Township, Mich., 10 bass, 38-0, $385

9^th: Mike Eldridge, Blacklick, Pa., 10 bass, 36-7, $342

10^th: Kenneth Johnson, Canton, Mich., 10 bass, 35-2, $300

Sawyer caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $322.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

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SYKORA WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OZARK DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS

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Classic Bracket Starts Strong On Pokegama Lake

Eric Silverstrim of Indian Mound, TN won the American Bass Anglers, RAM Truck Open Series Area 1 two-day Championship, held on September 9th-10th 2017 on Lake Chickamauga

MOUNT VERNON’S MULLINS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE ILLINI DIVISION FINALE ON REND LAKE

YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALE SET FOR CLEAR LAKE

Chris & Been Eads Win Second Annual Friends Of Claytor Lake Fall Classic September 16,2017

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS

Castaway Anglers Classic Qualifiers – September 19,2017

ZANESFIELD’S COLWELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE ERIE

OHIO’S BARR WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION FINALE ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

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