KING WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION FINALE ON DETROIT RIVER

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TRENTON, Mich. (Sept. 21, 2015) – Chris King of South Amherst, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 4 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division Super Tournament on the Detroit River with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 1 ounce. For his victory, King earned $6,668.

“On Saturday morning I changed my strategy at the last minute, which made for an interesting start,” said King of his second career win in FLW competition. “Normally I head to Lake Erie, but I ended up on Lake St. Clair because I felt like I had some better spots there.

“I focused on hitting taller weeds,” continued King. “I was sitting in about 16 feet of water and was drop-shotting minnow baits.”

King said he preferred using a Berkley Gulp Minnow and Strike King Shad on his drop-shot rig.

“On Saturday the wind switched and shortened our day, a bit but I was still able to bring in around 15 keepers,” said King.

On Sunday, King said he ran to Lake Erie and targeted deep structure using the drop-shot rig.

“I don’t know if it was the time of day or the particular spot I was on, but I was able to dial in on a school of fish around 11 a.m.,” said King. “My co-angler and I caught nearly 40 fish and I ended up catching enough weight to win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, 10 bass, 44-1, $4,668 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Mike Trombly, Perrysburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 43-15, $2,334

3rd:          David Reault, Livonia, Mich., 10 bass, 42-8, $1,557

4th:          Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., 10 bass, 40-12, $1,089

5th:          Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., 10 bass, 40-11, $934

6th:          Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., 10 bass, 40-8, $856

7th:          Terry Bucciarelli, Ypsilanti, Mich., 10 bass, 40-5, $778

8th:          Tom Beale, Rochester Hills, Mich., 10 bass, 39-6, $700

9th:          Charles Mackintosh, Brighton, Mich., 10 bass, 38-6, $622

10th:        John Devries, Fishers, Ind., 10 bass, 37-11, $545

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

King also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $547.

Brian Ruetz of Toledo, Ohio, won the co-angler division and $2,334 with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 41 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Brian Ruetz, Toledo, Ohio, 10 bass, 41-2, $2,334

2nd:         Justin Sawyer, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 10 bass, 38-2, $1,167

3rd:          David Michaelis, Commerce, Mich., 10 bass, 37-8, $779

4th:          Mark Lyons, Marion, Ind., 10 bass, 36-15, $545

5th:          Tony Mitchell, Plainwell, Mich., 10 bass, 33-3, $467

6th:          Adam Suliman, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., 10 bass, 32-15, $428

7th:          James Shetler, Newcomerstown, Ohio, 10 bass, 31-10, $389

8th:          Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., 10 bass, 30-2, $350

9th:          Tom Cooley, Novi, Mich., 10 bass, 29-15, $311

10th:        Steven Hatala, Saint Clair Shores, Mich., nine bass, 29-14, $272

Lyons caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $274.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, 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 50 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

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