|
Jun22012
|
Baertsch Wins Fed Nation Western Divisional
Flaming Gorge bass fishing tournament
|
At 9 o’clock yesterday morning, Shane Baertsch caught his last fish. The next five grueling hours of no bites made him think he had lost the 2012 Cabela’s Bassmaster Federation Nation Western Divisional on Wyoming’s Flaming Gorge. But as it turned out, the second-day leader had an entire pound on the competition, and he was crowned the champion at the weigh-in.
“I really thought I had lost it,” said the member of Montana’s Big Sky Bassers. “I caught one bass in the bedding area I found yesterday, then moved up to the weedbed where I had caught some of my other fish with a lipless crankbait and caught two there. I went back to the first cove and was finally able to pull that last spooky bass off the bed, and that was my last bite.”
Baertsch won with a total of 33 pounds, 6 ounces, including the 9 pounds, 7 ounces he caught today. He won the overall competition in the Western Divisional, plus an invitation to the 2012 Cabela’s Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship on Alabama’s Lake Wheeler in October.
Just behind him were Andy Bravence of Arizona with 32 pounds, 6 ounces; Jason Hemminger, California, 32-3; Josh Polfer, Idaho, 32-0; and Brent Shores, Idaho, and Bill Golightly, Wyoming, both with 31-10.
Baertsch caught his bigger fish in a cove off the main river channel north of the launch ramp on the Green River using a Yo-Zuri Rattlin’ Vibe (silver with gold back). He fished it on 10-pound-test Berkley Trilene XL monofilament using a 7-foot Shimano Compre medium action rod with a Quantum Accurist AC501PT baitcast reel with a 6.2:1 gear ratio. He caught his bedding fish drop shotting a 3-inch Yamamoto Senko (watermelon/black flake), 8-pound Trilene XL, a Shimano Spirex 1000 spinning reel and the Shimano Compre rod.
“Going to the championship means everything,” said Baertsch. It’s his first trip to the championship after qualifying for four divisionals.
Bravence, Hemminger, Polfer and Golightly will be joining him at the championship, as well as the following anglers who also were tops on their state teams: Frank Villa, Colorado; Timothy Klinger, Nevada; Franco Vallejos, New Mexico; David Mays, Oregon; Tyler Swaney, Utah; and Jeremy Percifield, Washington.
Drop shotting was a popular tactic in this event, as was fishing with reaction baits. The no-cull rule that made it challenging for anglers to decide whether to keep smaller fish early or hold out for bigger bites proved to be a game-changer for some, including Washington’s Jake Cook. “I threw back a 12 1/2-inch fish early this morning that probably weighed 1 to 1 1/2 pounds.” Had Cook kept that fish, he would be going to the championship instead of Percifield.
Individual anglers combine their weights for their state team as well, and the state with the most weight wins a Triton/Yamaha/MotorGuide/Lowrance boat package worth $35,000. The winning state today was the tournament’s host state of Wyoming with 252 pounds, 1 ounce. Washington was in second with 244-7, followed by Utah with 242-0.
In the Junior Bassmaster competition, Tyler Evans of Montana won the younger age division, ages 11 to 14, with a limit that weighed 6-9. Washington’s Nik Autrey won the 15- to 18-year-olds age group with five fish that weighed 11-5. Both have qualified for the 2012 Bassmaster Junior World Championship, which is held in conjunction with the Federation Nation Championship in October.
|
FULL STANDINGS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
City, State
|
# Fish
|
# Live
|
Lbs - Oz
|
# Fish
|
# Live
|
Lbs - Oz
|
PTS
|
|
|
1
|
Shane Baertsch
|
Lolo, MT
|
4
|
4
|
9- 7
|
14
|
14
|
33- 6
|
0
|
|
2
|
Andy Bravence
|
Globe, AZ
|
4
|
4
|
8-14
|
14
|
14
|
32- 6
|
0
|
|
3
|
Jason Hemminger
|
Oxnard, CA
|
5
|
5
|
9-11
|
15
|
15
|
32- 3
|
0
|
|
4
|
Josh Polfer
|
Nampa, ID
|
4
|
3
|
8- 6
|
14
|
13
|
32- 0
|
0
|
|
5
|
Brent Shores
|
Boise, ID
|
5
|
5
|
10-12
|
15
|
15
|
31-10
|
0
|
|
6
|
Bill Golightly
|
Preston, WY
|
5
|
5
|
9- 2
|
15
|
15
|
31-10
|
0
|
|
7
|
Tyler Swaney
|
Fort Collins, CO
|
5
|
5
|
12- 4
|
13
|
13
|
31- 8
|
0
|
|
8
|
Franco Vallejos
|
Albuquerque, NM
|
5
|
5
|
7-14
|
15
|
15
|
31- 2
|
0
|
|
9
|
Chad Kaiser
|
Hayden, ID
|
5
|
5
|
11- 4
|
14
|
14
|
30- 0
|
0
|
|
10
|
Frank Villa
|
Windsor, CO
|
4
|
4
|
6- 8
|
14
|
14
|
29-12
|
0
|
|
11
|
Stephen Siddoway
|
Teton, ID
|
3
|
3
|
5- 6
|
13
|
13
|
29- 1
|
0
|
|
12
|
Mike Lavallee
|
Sandy, UT
|
5
|
5
|
8-14
|
14
|
14
|
28-12
|
0
|
|
13
|
Kent Thomson
|
Millville, UT
|
5
|
5
|
10-14
|
14
|
14
|
28- 7
|
0
|
|
14
|
Timothy Klinger
|
Boulder City, NV
|
5
|
5
|
8- 7
|
14
|
14
|
28- 0
|
0
|
|
15
|
Randy Gust
|
Osburn, ID
|
4
|
4
|
8- 9
|
13
|
13
|
27-15
|
0
|
|
16
|
Bob Lechel
|
Los Alamos, NM
|
5
|
5
|
9- 3
|
15
|
15
|
27-11
|
0
|
|
17
|
Jeremy Percifield
|
Kennewick, WA
|
5
|
5
|
8-11
|
14
|
14
|
27-11
|
0
|
|
18
|
Seth Garrison
|
Farmington, NM
|
5
|
5
|
9- 4
|
13
|
13
|
27- 7
|
0
|
|
19
|
Jake Cook
|
Kennewick, WA
|
4
|
4
|
8-12
|
12
|
12
|
27- 0
|
0
|
|
20
|
Jerry Frahm
|
Brigham City, UT
|
5
|
5
|
10-12
|
12
|
12
|
26-11
|
0
|
|
21
|
Mike Powell
|
Heber City, UT
|
5
|
5
|
8-14
|
14
|
14
|
26-10
|
0
|
|
22
|
Gene Batey Jr.
|
Pasco, WA
|
4
|
4
|
7-14
|
12
|
12
|
26- 9
|
0
|
|
23
|
Karl Beltz
|
Tucson, AZ
|
5
|
5
|
12-15
|
11
|
11
|
26- 8
|
0
|
|
24
|
Tony Lind
|
Auburn , WA
|
4
|
4
|
11- 0
|
11
|
10
|
26- 1
|
0
|
|
25
|
Don Hull
|
Mead, WA
|
4
|
4
|
9-15
|
11
|
11
|
26- 0
|
0
|
|
26
|
Boyd C Golightly
|
Preston, ID
|
5
|
5
|
11- 6
|
13
|
13
|
25-14
|
0
|
|
27
|
Jeff Jones
|
Denver, CO
|
5
|
5
|
10- 7
|
13
|
13
|
25-14
|
0
|
|
28
|
Aaron Echternkamp
|
Moses Lake, WA
|
5
|
5
|
10-10
|
11
|
11
|
25-11
|
0
|
|
29
|
Chris Lambert
|
Olympia, WA
|
5
|
5
|
12- 6
|
10
|
10
|
25- 8
|
0
|
|
30
|
Kasey Thomas
|
Green River, WY
|
5
|
5
|
11-10
|
11
|
11
|
24-11
|
0
|
|
31
|
Tory Thomas
|
Rock Springs, WY
|
5
|
5
|
8-12
|
12
|
12
|
24- 4
|
0
|
|
32
|
Bret Nagelhout
|
Red Rock, AZ
|
5
|
5
|
7-15
|
14
|
14
|
24- 3
|
0
|
|
33
|
David Mays
|
Portland, OR
|
5
|
5
|
10- 3
|
11
|
11
|
24- 2
|
0
|
|
34
|
Bobby Forster
|
Spokane , WA
|
3
|
3
|
6- 1
|
12
|
12
|
24- 1
|
0
|
|
35
|
Shawn Jones
|
Rio Rancho, NM
|
2
|
2
|
4-11
|
11
|
11
|
23-15
|
0
|
|
36
|
Nicholas Fitzsimmons
|
Lyle, WA
|
3
|
3
|
6- 5
|
12
|
12
|
23-11
|
0
|
|
37
|
Bubba O'Neill
|
Evanston, WY
|
3
|
3
|
5-12
|
11
|
11
|
23- 6
|
0
|
|
38
|
Mike Kramer
|
Lehi, UT
|
5
|
5
|
14- 1
|
8
|
8
|
23- 3
|
0
|
|
39
|
Tyler Wilson
|
Carlsbad, NM
|
5
|
5
|
11- 3
|
10
|
10
|
23- 0
|
0
|
|
40
|
Dan Jordan
|
Florence, OR
|
3
|
3
|
7- 0
|
9
|
8
|
22-13
|
0
|
|
41
|
Kenny Oldham
|
Coalville, UT
|
4
|
4
|
8-13
|
12
|
12
|
22- 6
|
0
|
|
42
|
Chris Dombkowski
|
Cibolo, TX
|
5
|
5
|
11- 3
|
10
|
10
|
21-11
|
0
|
|
43
|
Ryan Furno
|
Aloha, OR
|
0
|
0
|
0- 0
|
9
|
9
|
21-10
|
0
|
|
44
|
Brett Felter
|
Malad, ID
|
2
|
2
|
4- 4
|
10
|
10
|
21- 9
|
0
|
|
45
|
Byron Chaves
|
Salem, OR
|
4
|
4
|
7- 9
|
11
|
11
|
21- 5
|
0
|
|
46
|
Dave Gerhardt
|
Durango, CO
|
5
|
5
|
11-15
|
10
|
10
|
21- 1
|
0
|
|
47
|
John C Myers Jr.
|
La Luz, NM
|
4
|
4
|
9- 4
|
9
|
9
|
20-14
|
0
|
|
48
|
Allan Gillum
|
San Clementa, CA
|
5
|
5
|
9- 7
|
11
|
11
|
20-12
|
0
|
|
49
|
Shawn Arthur Stutzke
|
Osburn, ID
|
3
|
3
|
6- 5
|
10
|
10
|
20-10
|
0
|
|
50
|
Jay Evans
|
Corvallis, MT
|
2
|
2
|
3- 6
|
10
|
10
|
19-13
|
0
|
|
51
|
Alan Zamora
|
Las Vegas, NV
|
3
|
3
|
6-12
|
10
|
10
|
19-12
|
0
|
|
52
|
Ed McCaw
|
Ingacio, CO
|
3
|
3
|
6-10
|
9
|
9
|
19-10
|
0
|
|
53
|
Larry Wilkins
|
Green River, WY
|
2
|
2
|
3-13
|
8
|
8
|
18-13
|
0
|
|
54
|
David Naugle
|
Las Vegas, NV
|
1
|
1
|
2- 6
|
9
|
9
|
18-12
|
0
|
|
55
|
Earl Conway
|
Albuquerque, NM
|
4
|
4
|
7-10
|
10
|
10
|
18- 9
|
0
|
|
56
|
Mike Dominick
|
Alberton, MT
|
2
|
2
|
3- 7
|
11
|
11
|
18- 0
|
0
|
|
57
|
Stan Fisher
|
Trout Creek, MT
|
2
|
2
|
3- 4
|
9
|
9
|
17-11
|
0
|
|
58
|
Robert Turpin
|
Coeur D Alene, ID
|
4
|
3
|
7- 1
|
10
|
9
|
17- 7
|
0
|
|
59
|
Kevin Pangle
|
Bend, OR
|
3
|
3
|
6- 5
|
10
|
10
|
17- 2
|
0
|
|
60
|
Aaron Leon
|
Henderson, NV
|
5
|
5
|
8- 5
|
9
|
9
|
17- 2
|
0
|
|
61
|
Paul Hemsley
|
North Las Vegas, NV
|
1
|
1
|
1- 2
|
9
|
9
|
16-14
|
0
|
|
62
|
Todd Woolard
|
Salem, OR
|
3
|
3
|
7-15
|
8
|
8
|
16-12
|
0
|
|
63
|
Bob Brantlinger
|
Durango, CO
|
4
|
4
|
8- 2
|
8
|
8
|
16-10
|
0
|
|
64
|
Rob Johnson
|
Murray, UT
|
2
|
2
|
2- 5
|
9
|
9
|
16- 7
|
0
|
|
65
|
Gerald Kimzey
|
Willcox, AZ
|
1
|
1
|
1-14
|
9
|
9
|
16- 1
|
0
|
|
66
|
Andrew Sayles
|
Galt, CA
|
1
|
1
|
2-11
|
6
|
6
|
15-13
|
0
|
|
67
|
Don Collins
|
Kalispell, MT
|
4
|
4
|
7- 7
|
9
|
9
|
15- 5
|
0
|
|
68
|
Ken Day
|
Kennewick, WA
|
2
|
2
|
4- 1
|
7
|
7
|
15- 4
|
0
|
|
69
|
Herb Turner
|
Westminster, CO
|
3
|
3
|
5-12
|
9
|
9
|
15- 3
|
0
|
|
70
|
Lynn Swaney
|
Craig, CO
|
3
|
3
|
3-11
|
9
|
9
|
15- 1
|
0
|
|
71
|
Anthony Crivelli
|
Point Reyes Station, CA
|
2
|
2
|
4- 7
|
7
|
7
|
15- 0
|
0
|
|
72
|
Jerry Lake
|
Cottage Grove, OR
|
2
|
2
|
3-13
|
7
|
7
|
14-14
|
0
|
|
73
|
Kenny Hansel
|
Los Alamos, NM
|
5
|
5
|
9-11
|
8
|
8
|
14- 8
|
0
|
|
74
|
Donald Welch
|
Morgan Hill, CA
|
2
|
2
|
2- 6
|
10
|
10
|
14- 3
|
0
|
|
75
|
Jeremy Kimberling
|
Rathdrum, ID
|
5
|
5
|
11- 4
|
6
|
6
|
13- 4
|
0
|
|
76
|
Rodney Scott
|
Newhall, CA
|
0
|
0
|
0- 0
|
7
|
7
|
12-15
|
0
|
|
77
|
Dennis Seward
|
Payette, ID
|
3
|
3
|
6- 1
|
8
|
8
|
12- 7
|
0
|
|
|
