(Sep. 18, 2012 - LAKEVIEW, Ohio)... Craig Mills of Hamilton, Ohio, weighed a two-day total of nine bass totaling 17 pounds, 7 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division super tournament on Indian Lake in Lakeview, Ohio, on Sunday. For his victory, Mills earned $7,270.
"I started off on day one fishing the rocks out on the main lake," said Mills.
"I was able to catch three on a black and blue-colored jig, and two on a white spinnerbait. I was only able to boat five keepers on the first day, and that put me 4 pounds out of the lead. I knew that if I wanted to win the tournament that I would need to change it up."
With changing weather conditions and a fresh game plan for day two, Mills decided to investigate some areas where he had found success in the past.
"On day two, I went to some new areas that I had not fished in a while," Mills continued. "It was very sunny, and the wind had picked up a little bit, so I targeted the windblown banks that had a little breeze pushing into them. I threw a frog and was able to boat two 3 1/2-pounders fairly quickly. I switched back to the jig and was able to catch a couple more. It was pretty tough out there, but the frog bites turned out to be the key for me. I knew that in order to win I was going to have to swing for the fences, so that?s what I did."
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
| 2nd: | Tony Newland | Hamilton, Ohi | nine bass | 17-6 | $2,635 |
| 3rd: | Jeremy Penwalte | Fort Jennings, Ohio | nine bass | 16-9 | $1,758 |
| 4th: | Nick Prvonozac | Warren, Ohio | nine bass | 16-7 | $1,230 |
| 5th: | Jason Schaurer | West Milton, Ohio | 10 bass | 15-10 | $1,054 |
| 6th: | Michael Manor | Sidney, Ohio | nine bass | 14-13 | $966 |
| 7th: | Gary Ginter | Maplewood, Ohio | six bass | 14-12 | $878 |
| 8th: | Mark Hurst | Troy, Ohio | 10 bass | 13-11 | $790 |
| 9th: | Dan Fry | Marysville, Ohio | 10 bass | 13-6 | $703 |
| 10th: | Bob Otto | Beavercreek, Ohio | 10 bass | 13-1 | $615 |
Brett Warrick of Westerville, Ohio, weighed in seven bass totaling 10 pounds even Sunday to win $2,563 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
| 2nd: | James McWhorter | Hamilton, Ohio | eight bass | 9-14 | $1,281 |
| 3rd: | Melvin McNeal | Circleville, Ohio | eight bass | 9-14 | $853 |
| 4th: | Brad Lyon | Columbus, Ohio | four bass | 9-7 | $598 |
| 5th: | Dave Davenport | Milford, Ohio | seven bass | 8-13 | $513 |
| 6th: | Trent Norman | Cincinnati, Ohio | seven bass | 8-5 | $470 |
| 7th: | George Ginter | Sidney, Ohio | seven bass | 8-3 | $427 |
| 8th: | Adam Smith | Napoleon, Ohio | five bass | 7-3 | $384 |
| 9th: | Gary Hammaker | Fort Recovery, Ohio | three bass | 5-14 | $342 |
| 10th: | Andre Roach | Findlay, Ohio | four bass | 5-4 | $299 |
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 11-13 Regional Championship on Lake Barkley in Kuttawa, Ky. 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.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy -the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the "Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water," through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game -FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit the FLWOutdoors or FantasyFishing websites and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.
