Teper Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division Event on the Detroit River
OutdoorHub 07.15.14
Arthur Teper of Lake Orion, Mich., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds even Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament of 2014 on the Detroit River. For his victory, Teper earned $4,428.
“A lot of hard work went into this,” said Teper. “I made a 40-mile run into St. Clair to my main area. My co-angler caught a 4-pounder on the first cast.
“I caught my limit by 9:30 a.m. and then upgraded throughout the day,” Teper continued. “I was targeting a sand and gravel transition with weed clumps in 14 to 18 feet of water.”
Teper estimated that he caught about 40 percent of his fish on a Lifted Jigs True Goby Tube Jig with a smoke and purple flake-colored tube. He caught the rest on a drop-shot rig, with either a green pumpkin-colored Strike King Dream Shot or a smoke gold purple-colored Nemesis Baits Goby.
“I was hoping to win, but there are a lot of good sticks in the Michigan Division,” said Teper. “I’ve fished these places all my life and I knew I could do it. Putting it all together was the hard part.
“I did a lot of praying to God all day long and I give a lot of credit to Him,” Teper finished. “I knew when I had around 21 pounds I might actually get the win.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Mark Modrak, China Township, Mich., five bass, 21-0, $2,214 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
3rd: Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 20-13, $1,478
4th: Kevin Yancey, Newport, Mich., five bass, 19-4, $1,033 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
5th: Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, five bass, 19-3, $886
6th: Curt Fiessinger, Minster, Ohio, five bass, 19-2, $775
6th: Todd Steele, Port Huron, Mich., five bass, 19-2, $775
8th: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 19-1, $664
9th: Wayne Macklin, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 18-6, $590
10th: Freddy Hurley, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 18-3, $491
10th: Bob Priest, Clarklake, Mich., five bass, 18-3, $491
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Cyril Haxton of Peru, Ind., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds even Saturday to win $2,214 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 18-9, $1,107
3rd: Bob Evans, Elkhart, Ind., five bass, 18-8, $738
4th: Cody Kelley, Delton, Mich., five bass, 17-11, $517
5th: Kyle Boe, Lake Orion, Mich., five bass, 17-10, $443
6th: Brian Ruetz, Toledo, Ohio, five bass, 17-8, $406
7th: Mark Goetsch, Gibralter, Mich., five bass, 17-6, $369
8th: Erik Jacques, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 17-0, $313
8th: Joey Miller, Syracuse, Ind., five bass, 17-0, $313
10th: Billy Crider Jr., Kettering, Ohio, five bass, 16-14, $245
10th: Christopher Majerle, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 16-14, $245
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, 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 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
