Wilkinson Wins Walmart BFL on Ohio River

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind., – Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Ind., weighed a 10-bass limit totaling 16 pounds even Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division event on the Ohio River at Tanner’s Creek. For his victory, Wilkinson earned $4,540.

Chris Wilkinson continued a successful summer by averaging exactly 8 pounds a day in his BFL win. “I’ve always done well on the river,” said Wilkinson. “But, I’m super excited to win. This is the first time I’ve been able to pull it off.”

Wilkinson said he targeted laydowns in the backs of creeks. “It seemed like the fish were on the ends of laydowns that were next to deeper water. The water was dropping, and that positioned the fish on the down-current side.

“I was the only one to come in with about 8 pounds per day,” said Wilkinson. “Being consistent both days was definitely key.”

Despite Wilkinson’s steady weights, he said he nearly stumbled on day-two. “I didn’t have a fish until 11 a.m. on the second day. I was getting a little nervous,” said Wilkinson. “But I caught three of my best fish with about 30 minutes to go. After the first one I felt a lot better.”

Wilkinson said he caught his fish on a tube and a buzzbait from Hawgback Lures.

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Larry Sisk, Evansville, Ind., nine bass, 15-15, $2,270
3rd: James Hailstones, Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 bass, 14-12, $1,515
4th: Brian Cambell, Oxford, Ohio, eight bass, 11-13, $1,059
5th: Robert Scaggs Jr., Waverly, Ohio, eight bass, 11-0, $908
6th: Keith Wheelock, Beaver Creek, Ohio, eight bass, 10-12, $832
7th: James Vitaro, Wooster, Ohio, seven bass, 10-08, $757
8th: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, seven bass, 10-4, $681
9th: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., six bass, 10-0, $605
10th: Henry Martin, Independence, Ky., seven bass, 9-11, $438

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Eric Gates of Laurel, lnd., weighed an eight-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 10 ounces Sunday to win $1,135 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: Tom Csepe, Norton, Ohio, seven bass, 9-1, $1,135
3rd: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, eight bass, 8-12, $757
4th: Eddie Dean, Ashton, W. Va., six bass, 8-4, $530
5th: William Killilea, Chillicothe, Ohio, six bass, 7-11, $454
6th: Matt Huddle, Mount Orab, Ohio, seven bass, 7-10, $416
7th: Daniel Hurst, Troy, Ohio, four bass, 7-9, $378
8th: Roger Hahn, Fairfield, Ohio, five bass, 6-15, $341
9th: Ray Yocum, Dayton, Ohio, five bass, 6-7, $303
10th: Dennis Robinson, Oxford, Ohio, four bass, 5-12, $265

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 Northeast, 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.