Kuphall Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division on Mississippi River
OutdoorHub 05.14.12
Caleb Kuphall of Mukwonago, Wis., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division event on the Mississippi River. For his victory, Kuphall earned $4,575.
“It was a beautiful day to be out on the river,” said Kuphall. “It was 75 degrees and sunny, not a whole lot of wind, it was great. We started in the morning launching out in Pool No. 8, and I decided that I was going to lock through to Pool No. 7. I had gotten a few days of practice coming in to this tournament, and I was catching more fish in Pool No. 8 but bigger fish in Pool No. 7. So we locked up to No. 7 near Lake Onawaska and I was able to pull a few nice fish out of there.
“I was working the weed and grass lines with my home-made green pumpkin and chartreuse-colored 3/8-ounce jig,” Kuphall continued. “I had it trailered with a green pumpkin Zoom Chunk Jr. I had the most success just working near this one grassy point. I would fish it, then leave for 30 minutes and come back and fish it again. Around 10 a.m. we locked back to Pool No. 8 and started flipping bushes. I was using a junebug-colored Reaction Innovations Trixie Shark there, and just fishing it in a lot of slop – algae mats and lilypads. We were fishing on the south end, near Lawrence Lake and I was able to catch a few there as well. I had the most success with that home-made jig, though. I flip it a lot back home, and I’ve won a lot of money using that thing.
“I wasn’t very confident when I was coming back to the scales,” Kuphall went on to say. “I figured I had around 16 to 16½ pounds, but I knew that last year in this event it took over 19 (pounds) to win. I figured I would get a check, but I was surprised to get the win. I got lucky and had a great co-angler draw as well, K.C. Shaible. He helped me out a lot, and definitely played a part in helping me get my victory today.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Doug Stanton, Winona, Minn., five bass, 16-12, $2,288
3rd: Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 16-6, $1,525
4th: Fernando Lobato, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 16-4, $1,068
5th: Dan Thill, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 16-1, $915
6th: Mike Gabel, Woodridge, Ill., five bass, 15-3, $839
7th: Mike Van Houten, Des Moines, Iowa, five bass, 14-9, $763
8th: Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 14-6, $648
8th: Bill Frisk, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 14-6, $648
10th: Kyle Schauf, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 14-4, $507
10th: Brent Schroeder, Caledonia, Minn., five bass, 14-4, $507
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Tong Lor of La Crosse, Wis., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $2,288 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Bryce Cejka, Prairie Du Chien, Wis., five bass, 13-14, $1,144
3rd: Brad Wessling, Milwaukee, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $762
4th: Ryan Neuhaus, Hartwick, Iowa, five bass, 12-13, $534
5th: Michael Parve, West Bend, Wis., five bass, 12-10, $458
6th: Kyle Rabelhofer, Silver Lake, Wis., five bass, 12-9, $419
7th: Andy Holst, Wauwatosa, Wis., five bass, 12-4, $362
7th: Charles Novotny, Mauston, Wis., five bass, 12-4, $362
9th: Frank Cipra, Prairie Du Chien, Wis., five bass, 12-2, $305
10th: Kris Brantner, Pepin, Wis., five bass, 12-0, $253
10th: K.C. Shaible, Machesney Park, Ill., five bass, 12-0, $253
The next BFL Great Lakes Division tournament is scheduled for June 16 on the Wolf River Chain of Lakes in Oshkosh, Wis. After the fifth Great Lakes Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 11-13 Regional Championship on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Ky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 40 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 presented by Chevy. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
