Indian Lake Bass Fishing League 18 June 16

[Mike Cork]

WOOSTER'S VITARO WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION EVENT ON INDIAN LAKE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Long wins co-angler title
LAKEVIEW, Ohio (June 20, 2016) – Jim Vitaro of Wooster, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division tournament on Indian Lake presented by Navionics. For his victory, Vitaro took home $7,422.
"I actually fished the Costa Series event on the Potomac River this weekend, so I didn't get a chance to practice," said Vitaro, who earned the third win of his FLW career. "I ended up driving all night and got into town at 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning. With no up-to-date knowledge of the lake, I just went fishing and hoped for the best.
"I spent the day up north on a 30-yard section of flat lily pads with milfoil mixed in," Vitaro continued. "The bass were between the pads and the rock on the bank, so I picked up a frog and got to work."
Vitaro said he caught his limit using a Leopard-colored Strike King KVD "woops"y Frog.
"I threw the frog to the bank and would walk it three times," said Vitaro. "That's when they'd bite. I gave them three seconds, then would cast again. I did that all day."
With 10 minutes left to compete, Vitaro said he caught a 5-pounder – the largest bass of the tournament.
"With less than an hour to go, I knew I was going to catch a big one," said Vitaro. "I threw the frog to some pads about 15 yards from my primary stretch and the fish blew up on it in a hole. I can't believe how well my tournament went considering the circumstances."
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
               1st:          Jim Vitaro, Wooster, Ohio, five bass, 13-1, $5,422 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
               2nd:         Dan Fry, Marysville, Ohio, five bass, 11-11, $2,236
               3rd:          Dan Moran, London, Ohio, five bass, 10-9, $1,492
               4th:          Sean Wieda, Florence, Ky., five bass, 10-8, $1,043
               5th:          Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 10-1, $894
               6th:          Gary Edwards, Milton, Ky., five bass, 9-14, $820
               7th:          Chris Bulaw, Wheaton, Ill., five bass, 9-13, $745
               8th:          Jeremiah Sall, Wintersville, Ohio, five bass, 9-7, $671
               9th:          Mike Combs, Frenchburg, Ky., five bass, 9-5, $596
               10th:        Steve Hatfield, Ashland, Ohio, five bass, 9-3, $522
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Vitaro's 5-pound, 2-ounce kicker bass earned him the day's Boater Big Bass award of $650.
John Long of New Bremen, Ohio, weighed in five bass totaling 9 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,236.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
               1st:          John Long, New Bremen, Ohio, five bass, 9-2, $2,236
               2nd:         Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, five bass, 8-12, $1,118
               3rd:          Ryan Rich, Eaton, Ohio, five bass, 8-5, $745
               4th:          Brett Warrick, Westerville, Ohio, five bass, 8-1, $522
               5th:          Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 7-15, $447
               6th:          Keith Stewart, Fort Jennings, Ohio, five bass, 7-11, $391
               6th:          Robert Fulton, Ray, Ohio, five bass, 7-11, $391
               8th:          Pat White, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 7-4, $335
               9th:          Jeffrey Yost, Zanesfield, Ohio, five bass, 7-2, $298
               10th:        Mat Smiddy, Wauseon, Ohio, five bass, 7-1, $261
Dylan Sibley of Strasburg, Ohio, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces and earned the day's Co-angler Big Bass award of $325.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. 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 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.