Oneida Lake Bass Fishing League 13 Aug 16

[Mike Cork]

MARYLAND'S CASEY WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE NORTHEAST DIVISION EVENT ON ONEIDA LAKE PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE
Hann wins co-angler title
BREWERTON, N.Y. (Aug. 15, 2016) – Ed Casey of Whiteford, Maryland, weighed a five bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament of 2016 on Oneida Lake presented by Power-Pole. For his efforts, Casey took home $6,009.
Casey said he spent his day fishing mid-lake shoals that had a lot of mussels and scattered grass on them.
"The shoals were good in practice so I went back there figuring they'd still be holding fish," said Casey, who earned his second win in BFL competition. "I threw a drop-shot rig with a Baby Bass-colored Jackall Crosstail Shad and Dark Melon Goby-colored Strike King Coffee Tubes, and had a limit in the boat by 9 a.m."
Casey said that using baits with purple-fleck coloring was a crucial part of his success.
"I stayed out deep in 7 to 8 of water and worked my way toward shallow-water markers I call 'cans'," said Casey. "There was a lot of goby activity. If they were eating, I knew there were a lot of smallmouth bass in the area. I actually ended up weighing in four smallmouth."
With 25 minutes left to fish, Casey said he caught a 4-pound largemouth bass to seal the deal.
"I threw a swimjig to a grass bed and within two casts I had a 4-pounder," said Casey. "I was fortunate to catch some nice fish."
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
               1st:          Ed Casey, Whiteford, Md., five bass, 18-4, $4,009 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
               2nd:         Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 17-13, $2,205
               3rd:          Kraig Kettelkamp, Clifton Springs, N.Y., five bass, 17-11, $1,336
               4th:          Robert Parmer, Linden, Pa., five bass, 17-1, $935
               5th:          Jamie Hartman, Bridgeport, N.Y., five bass, 17-0, $868
               5th:          George Hutchinson, Mullica Hill, N.J., five bass, 17-0, $768
               7th:          Ian Renfrew, Phoenix, N.Y., five bass, 16-7, $668
               8th:          Mark Schafer, Williamstown, N.J., five bass, 16-4, $601
               9th:          Joseph Amberg Jr., Hawley, Pa., five bass, 16-0, $535
               10th:        Roy Goodwin, Macedon, N.Y., five bass, 15-10, $468
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
John Lorenzo of Kane, Pennsylvania, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day's Boater Big Bass award of $550.
Daniel Hann of Williamson, New York, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,005.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
               1st:          Daniel Hann, Williamson, N.Y., five bass, 16-11, $2,005
               2nd:         John Henning, Lansdale, Pa., five bass, 14-0, $1,002
               3rd:          Steve Cram, Williamstown, N.J., five bass, 13-6, $668
               4th:          Griffen Hurt, Bound Brook, N.J., five bass, 13-5, $468
               5th:          Joshua Hertzog, Lititz, Pa., five bass, 12-12, $401
               6th:          Bill Klaips, Shavertown, Pa., five bass, 12-10, $368
               7th:          Robert Hockley, Annville, Pa., four bass, 12-0, $317
               7th:          Travis Craig, Fairview, Pa., five bass, 12-0, $317
               9th:          Dylan Hartman, Lebanon, N.J., five bass, 11-12, $267
               10th:        Rebecca Diluzio, North East, Pa., four bass, 11-4, $234
Taurean Relyea of Fairport, New York, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the day's Co-angler Big Bass award of $275.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. 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.