Blanchard Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Gator Division on Lake Okeechobee
OutdoorHub 01.16.12
Dan Blanchard of Sarasota, Fla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 30 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Gator Division event on Lake Okeechobee. For his victory, Blanchard earned $6,000.
“The cold front really shut the fish down,” said Blanchard. “But it was great for me and played to my strengths. I was able to flip under the mats and found an area on the north end of the lake holding big fish. I used craws and beaver-style baits to punch through the vegetation. Several guys came through where I was, but they were moving too fast. You really had to slow down out there.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
- 2nd: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 28-00, $3,000
- 3rd: Don Demott, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 27-13, $2,000
- 4th: Chris Brill, Lehigh Acres, Fla., five bass, 25-13, $1,400
- 5th: Clint Boyles, Deltona, Fla., five bass, 25-10, $1,200
- 6th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., four bass, 21-15, $1,100
- 7th: Robert Crosnoe, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 21-14, $1,000
- 8th: Kyle Walters, Grant Valkaria, Fla., five bass, 21-10, $900
- 9th: Charlie Evans, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 21-07, $800 + $1,000 – Evinrude Bonus
- 10th: Steve Fairtrace, Palm City, Fla., five bass, 20-15, $700
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Adam Trott of Sarasota, Fla., weighed in three bass totaling 19 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win $3,000 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
- 2nd: James Trudel, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 18-14, $1,500
- 3rd: James Brooks, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 17-08, $1,000
- 4th: Edwin Rivera, Orlando, Fla., five bass, 16-04, $700
- 5th: Ricky Timmerman, Umatilla, Fla., five bass, 12-10, $600
- 6th: Mike Cermak, Sorrento, Fla., five bass, 12-02, $550
- 7th: Quinn Stumpf, Davie, Fla., five bass, 11-10, $500
- 8th: Scott Crisafulli, Miramar, Fla., five bass, 11-06, $450
- 9th: Isidoro Delapaz, Fellsmere, Fla., four bass, 11-05, $400
- 10th: Dave Dickens, Sarasota, Fla., four bass, 10-13, $350
The next BFL Gator Division tournament is scheduled for Feb. 18 on Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Fla. After the fifth Gator Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 4 – 6 Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Ga. 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.
