Brueggen Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division Event on the Mississippi River
OutdoorHub 09.15.14
Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wis., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 31 pounds, 9 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division super tournament on the Mississippi River Sunday. For his victory, Brueggen earned $8,066.
“I was just swimming a jig on weedlines, and I ran into two groups of fish where the current was different,” said Brueggen, who wanted to divulge only a limited amount of information because he is also planning on fishing the upcoming Rayovac FLW Series event on the river.
“I weighed in all largemouth, and I did pretty much the same thing both days,” Brueggen continued. “The only difference was that I caught a 4-pounder on Sunday. I didn’t think I had a chance to win with largemouth. I don’t know why the smallmouth didn’t bite on Sunday, but if I’m going to win the upcoming Rayovac tournament I’ll definitely need to find some smallmouth.
“It felt amazing to win,” said Brueggen. “A win is hard to beat, especially with the $2,000 Ranger Cup bonus. I also got an extra $1,000 for winning the points title in the Great Lakes Division.”
Brueggen said that he caught all his fish on swimjigs, in two different colors.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Jimmy Johnson, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 28-11, $3,033
3rd: Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 27-1, $2,024 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
4th: Joe Pollak, Lake Geneva, Wis., 10 bass, 26-4, $1,415
5th: Kyle Schauf, Onalaska, Wis., 10 bass, 26-1, $1,213
6th: Kyle Von Ruden, Stoddard, Wis., 10 bass, 25-11, $1,112
7th: Troy Anderson, Galesville, Wis., eight bass, 25-3, $1,011
8th: Michael Mengeling, Woodstock, Ill., 10 bass, 25-1, $910
9th: Kevin Wolfram, Sugar Grove, Ill., 10 bass, 25-0, $809
10th: Josh Keeney, Greenville, Wis., 10 bass, 24-15, $708
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Jason Swanson of Waterloo, Iowa, weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 23 pounds, 9 ounces to win $3,033 in the co-angler division Sunday.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Matt Knox, Metamora, Ill., nine bass, 21-12, $1,517
3rd: Michael Gray, Stoddard, Wis., nine bass, 19-15, $1,010
4th: Jason Howland, Albert Lea, Minn., nine bass, 19-8, $708
5th: Tyler Fitch, Oregon, Wis., eight bass, 18-7, $607
6th: Mongshoua Xiong, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 15-8, $556
7th: Jared Greninger, Rockford, Ill., seven bass, 15-3, $506
8th: Adam Barnard, Burlington, Wis., seven bass, 14-11, $455
9th: Tyler Rocke, Peoria, Ill., seven bass, 14-0, $404
10th: Ryan Coon, Bettendorf, Iowa, six bass, 13-14, $354
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.
Contact:
JODY WHITE
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
o: 612.337.1948 c: 802.233.6094
e. jody.white@flwfishing.com
twitter: @jodyblanco
www.flwfishing.com
