GOLCONDA -- Angler Nathan Murphy of Harrisburg took second place honors at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Illini Division tournament on the Ohio River at Golconda Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds 5 ounces.
For his efforts, Murphy took home $1,442.
Mike Keller of Metropolis won the tournament with a bag weighing 16 pounds 14 ounces. Terry Marucco of Sullivan caught a bass weighing 5 pounds even -- the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division -- and earned the day's Boater Big Bass award of $320.
Aaron Arning of Walnut Hill won the Co-angler Division and $1,642 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top 10 boaters are:
• 1st: Mike Keller, Metropolis, five bass, 16-14, $3,083
• 2nd: Nathan Murphy, Harrisburg, five bass, 13-5, $1,442
• 3rd: Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, five bass, 12-2, $1,310
• 4th: Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, five bass, 11-15, $673
• 5th: Riley Walk, Neoga, five bass, 11-9, $577
• 6th: Toby Corn, Calvert City, Kentucky, five bass, 10-7, $679
• 7th: Hilton Jones, Westfield, five bass, 9-12, $481
• 8th: Robert Neff, Roodhouse, five bass, 9-11, $408
• 8th: Matt Weber, Glen Carbon, four bass, 9-11, $408
• 10th: Mike Barnes, Mackinaw, five bass, 9-6, $636
The top 10 co-anglers are:
• 1st: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, four bass, 11-5, $1,642
• 2nd: Lewis Mallory, Martinsville, Indiana, five bass, 10-15, $721
• 3rd: Nathan Day, Jewett, four bass, 8-13, $409
• 3rd: Dale Renth, Mascoutah, five bass, 8-13, $459
• 5th: Jacob Greco, Edwardsville, three bass, 6-14, $288
• 6th: Matt Chumbler, Carbondale, three bass, 6-12, $264
• 7th: Jason Piper, Collinsville, four bass, 6-9, $240
• 8th: Dave Dobill, Royalton, three bass, 5-13, $216
• 9th: Ryan Fancher, Olney, four bass, 5-4, $192
• 10th: Ryan Cain, Decatur, one bass, 5-3, $328
Cain caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day's Co-angler Big Bass award of $160.
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they 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. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW's social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
