Co-Angler Title Goes to De Graff’s Whitsett

CELINA, Ohio (May 13, 2019) – Boater Scott Manson of Covington, Ohio, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces, to take top honors at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division opener on Grand Lake-St. Mary’s presented by Navionics. For his efforts, Manson netted $4,046.

“I was fishing rocks, boat docks and a little bit of weeds on the south side of the lake, mid-way down the lake,” said Manson, who notched his third win in BFL competition – second on Grand Lake-St. Marys. “I was in a couple of creeks. I had multiple areas, but most of the fish came out of those creeks.”

Manson said he caught six keepers – five of them on a black and blue-colored D&L jig with a Zoom Super Chunk Jr. trailer. The other, which he weighed, came on a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin Netbait Paca Craw.

“I’d switch back and forth between the two. Working it slowly was the key– just taking my time and hitting everything I could,” said Manson. “It was cold and windy so I knew it would be tough.”

Manson said his equipment included 7-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy Elite Series Black and Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Signature Series Casting rods and Abu Garcia Revo Rocket and Bass Pro Shops Pro qualifier reels.

“I’ve got to mention my Nitro Z21 boat and Mercury outboard motor as well – it’s a very efficient motor, and the Nitro is a great boat to fish out of,” said Manson. “I also need to thank Freedom Outdoors here in Ohio, they get me everything I need to get out there and compete.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Scott Manson, Covington, Ohio, five bass, 13-4, $4,046

2^nd:         Michael Manor, Sidney, Ohio, five bass, 13-3, $2,223

3^rd:          Curt Fiessinger, Minster, Ohio, five bass, 11-9, $1,348

4^th:          Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 11-5, $876

4^th:          B.J. Baxter, Willshire, Ohio, five bass, 11-5, $1,126

6^th:          Kevin Spears, New Boston, Ohio, four bass, 11-4, $742

7^th:          Gary Ginter, Lakeview, Ohio, five bass, 10-14, $774

8^th:          Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 10-13, $607

9^th:          Wes Campbell, Centerville, Ohio, five bass, 10-9, $689

10^th:        Dan Fry, Marysville, Ohio, four bass, 10-7, $472

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

David Hoheisel of Westerville, Ohio, caught a 4-pound, 4-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $555.

Jeff Whitsett of De Graff, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,300 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Jeff Whitsett, De Graff, Ohio, three bass, 10-4, $2,300

2^nd:         Mike Geisler, Oxford, Ohio, four bass, 8-5, $1,211

3^rd:          Brad Edwards, Huber Heights, Ohio, four bass, 7-5, $674

4^th:          Samuel Jones, Morgantown, W. Va., three bass, 7-1, $472

5^th:          Daniel Shuga, Botkins, Ohio, three bass, 6-14, $455

6^th:          Melvin McNeal, Circleville, Ohio, four bass, 5-10, $371

7^th:          John Long, New Bremen, Ohio, three bass, 5-2, $337

8^th:          Kenny Smith, Austin, Ind., three bass, 4-15, $303

9^th:          Kenny Mitchell, Franklin, Ohio, two bass, 4-13, $270

10^th:        Marcus Dudley, Twinsburg, Ohio, three bass, 4-10, $236

Whitsett also caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $277.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.