Area Fishermen Finish In Top of Tourney on Lake Shelbyville

SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (Sept. 19, 2016) – Dan Shoraga of West Frankfort, Illinois, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 1 ounce, Sunday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division Super Tournament on Lake Shelbyville, with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 14 ounces. For his win, Shoraga took home $8,204.

“I caught my fish this week in areas around the State Park,” said Shoraga, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “I would start my mornings fishing a rock pile in Eagle Creek and would fish my way down to the Finley area. I would leave the rock pile between 8:30 and 9 a.m. and fish laydowns for the rest of the day.

“I didn’t have many bites,” Shoraga continued. “I only had 7 or 8 keepers on Day One, and only 5 keepers on Day Two. The rock pile that I would start on was a community hole, but I had a good boat draw and was one of the first boats there. Then I had around 4 or 5 different laydowns that I would cycle through.”

Shoraga said that he caught the majority of his fish on a Texas-rigged black and blue Yamamoto Senko, but also managed to put a few fish in the boat with a green-pumpkin-colored tube as well.

“I think the Senko was the key for me,” Shoraga went on to say. “I was fishing around a dozen or so other boats and they were not catching them as good as I was. I think the Senko was the difference.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

                1st:           Dan Shoraga, West Frankfort, Ill., 10 bass, 23-14, $6,204 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

                2nd:          Andrew Harper, Shelbyville, Ill., 10 bass, 21-1, $2,902

                3rd:          John Wright, Windsor, Ill., 10 bass, 20-13, $1,666

                4th:           Keith Bailey, Simpson, Ill., eight bass, 17-6, $1,168

                5th:           Edward Gettys, Paris, Tenn., nine bass, 16-10, $1,001

                6th:           Terry Holsapple, Greenup, Ill., seven bass, 15-15, $917

                7th:           Marion Cordes, Sullivan, Ill., nine bass, 15-9, $834

                8th:           Derek Jenkel, Pinckneyville, Ill., eight bass, 14-13, $751

                9th:           Toby Corn, Calvert City, Ky., five bass, 14-12, $1,282

                10th:        Travis Gillett, Salem, Ill., seven bass, 14-9, $584

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Corn caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $615.

Dave Dobill of Royalton, Illinois, won the co-angler division and earned $2,502 with a two-day cumulative catch of six bass weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

                1st:           Dave Dobill, Royalton, Ill., six bass, 17-13, $2,502

                2nd:          Tim Renth, Hoyleton, Ill., six bass, 13-6, $1,251

                3rd:          David Jones, Machinaw, Ill., six bass, 12-15, $834

                4th:           Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $584

                5th:           Jeffrey Lee, Olney, Ill., four bass, 7-9, $500

                6th:           Jarred Metje, Woodlawn, Ill., four bass, 7-9, $459

                7th:           Bruce O”Brien, Normal, Ill., four bass, 7-2, $417

                8th:           Chuck Sabia, Ottawa, Ill., two bass, 6-11, $575

                9th:           Gary Denney, Livingston, Ill., two bass, 6-11, $334

                10th:        Steve Bowcock, Bridgeport, Ill., four bass, 6-7, $292

Bill Higgins of Albers, Illinois, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $307.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. 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.