Bylotas Wins Walmart BFL At 1000 Islands

CLAYTON, N.Y.- Brian Bylotas of Scott Township, Pa., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 48 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division super tournament at 1000 Islands on Sunday. For his victory, Bylotas earned $5,817.

“This was a really nice way to end the season,” said Bylotas, who also wrapped up the BFL Northeast division points title with his victory. “I own my own business, so I didn’t get to really do much pre-fishing for this tournament. I was able to make it out a couple of weeks ago, and I think that was definitely a part of my success.

“On the first day, I wanted to make the run and go fish Lake Ontario, but it was too windy, so I stayed in the St. Lawrence River,” Bylotas continued. “I found a nice area right near the mouth of the river and ended up staying all day. My first fish was a nice 6-pound smallmouth. I had a solid limit by 10:30 a.m., and I must have caught 20 to 30 fish throughout the day.

“On day two I went back to the same area near the mouth of the river, but a strong northeast wind had shut them down,” Bylotas said. “After 45 minutes, I decided that I needed to change it up, and I went to Lake Ontario. I found a rock pile around 20 to 25 feet deep in Henderson Harbor and was able to catch my fish there. It really slowed down, though, and I only caught around 10 fish for the day.”

Bylotas said that eight of the 10 fish that he weighed in came via drop-shotting a Berkley Gulp! Goby. He said that he moved to the shallow flats for a bit on day two and boated two keepers on a chartreuse-colored spinnerbait as well.

“Making the right decisions on day two ended up being the key for me,” Bylotas went on to say.

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Joseph Fonzi, Gasport, N.Y., 10 bass, 43-12, $2,909
3rd: Robert Reesey, Newfoundland, Pa., 10 bass, 43-5, $1,939
4th: Cory Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 42-3, $1,357
5th: Michael Drumsta, Clarks Summit, Pa., 10 bass, 41-13, $1,163
6th: Jamie Hartman, Newport, N.Y., 10 bass, 39-14, $1,066 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
7th: Scott Silver, Dexter, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-10, $970
8th: Christopher Panetta, Red Hook, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-4, $873
9th: Chris Flint, Potsdam, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-3, $776
10th: Jordon Davis, De Kalb Junction, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-2, $679

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Greg Collins of Perth Road, Ontario, Canada, weighed in 10 bass totaling 43 pounds, 1 ounce Sunday to win $2,909 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: Corey Bechtel, Macungie, Pa., 10 bass, 36-14, $1,454
3rd: Wyatt Morris, Little Falls, N.Y., 10 bass, 36-0, $970
4th: Roxanne Przelski, Poland, N.Y., 10 bass, 34-15, $679
5th: Jesse Uppstrom, Madrid, N.Y., 10 bass, 31-12, $582
6th: John Ciavaglia, Pittsford, N.Y., 10 bass, 31-8, $533
7th: Terry Beck, Lock Haven, Pa., 10 bass, 31-8, $485
8th: Troy Todd, Six Mile Run, Pa., 10 bass, 31-5, $436
9th: Maurice Campbell, Leominster, Mass., eight bass, 29-13, $388
10th: Richard Levesque, Swanton, Vt., 10 bass, 29-3, $339

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.