Cashton native fish weighed in at 16 pounds, 13 ounces
Travis Brueggen weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 13 ounces Sunday to win the pro division of the Walmart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division Super Tournament on the Mississippi River.
The Cashton, Wis., native finished with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 2 ounces. Brueggen came home with a $6,362 pay day and has now won $31,281 in his career with three tournament wins and 13 Top-10 finishes.
“I was able to find some areas where the bass were active during practice,” Brueggen said. “The trick was following them as they moved out to deeper water in the afternoon sun.
“It was kind of goofy. The fish weren’t necessarily on certain cover as I expected. I had to be dialed in on the right spot with the right structure at the right time. Luckily it ended up working out as planned.”
Brueggen said he ended up catching nearly 42 keepers over the course of the tournament – 12 on Day 1 and about 30 on Day 2.
“I concentrated on bank cuts, points, and deep sides of sloughs,” Brueggen said. “I threw a shad-colored Heddon Zara Spook each morning and switched to a swimbait and a Rat-L-Trap in the afternoon. I knew I would need to adjust my approach as the bass transitioned to deeper water.”
Coming in second over the weekend was Sparta, Wis., native Brandon Gann with a 31-pound, 6-ounce total and a $3,181 payday. Doug Stanton of Winona, Minn., was third (31 lbs., 4 oz.-$2,122).
The biggest bass came in at 4 pounds, 8 ounces, earning Weyauwega, Wis., native John Berrens $900.
In the co-angler division, Max Weiss of Wabasha, Minn., came away with a $3,181 payday with a two-day total of 26 pounds, 2 ounces. Prairie du Chien, Wis., native Frank Cipra was third (24 lbs. 8 oz.-$1,061).
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now qualify for the Oct. 15-17 regional championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ken. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.