Martinkovic Wins Bass Fishing League Tournament at Mosquito Lake

CORTLAND, Ohio (Sept. 15, 2025) – Boater Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 5 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament at Mosquito Lake. The tournament was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Buckeye Division. Martinkovic earned $5,782 for his victory.

Martinkovic’s winning game plan was less about finding a secret spot and more about avoiding the crowd. With Mosquito Lake only about 14 miles long and heavy fishing pressure from the field, he focused on covering water and targeting overlooked stretches. 

“I just tried to go where all the other boats weren’t,” Martinkovic said. “It’s a small lake, so I wanted to stay away from the pressure.”

His approach turned into a classic case of junk fishing, rotating through multiple techniques depending on the cover in front of him. Milfoil, lily pads and grass beds all played a role, and Martinkovic mixed a frog, a ChatterBait, and a flipping jig to trigger bites. 

“Frogging and flipping a jig in the pads was probably the most productive for me,” he explained. “But I caught some key fish on a ChatterBait, too. It was all kind of mixed in.”

The pattern delivered steady action throughout the weekend, with Martinkovic boating an estimated 25 keepers on Day 1 and another 15 on Championship Sunday, despite a two-hour fog delay. 

“The first day was definitely better for me, both in numbers and size,” he said. “Day 2 was tougher, and losing a 4-pounder really hurt because I ended up weighing one that was only about a pound and a half.”

Even with the missed opportunity, Martinkovic felt he had a chance at the win as weigh-in approached. 

“When I lost that big one, I thought I might have lost the tournament right there,” he admitted. “But I also knew I had a good shot with what I had.” 

The victory was especially meaningful for Martinkovic, as after a five-year stretch of BFL wins each season, he went through a bit of a drought as his last win was 2017. 

“It feels good, because I’ve probably had 10 second-place finishes in the last five years,” he said. “It felt like I’ve been the king of second place. These wins are so hard to come by — everything’s got to go just right. To finally get it done after eight years feels great.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Chris Martinkovic, Joplin, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 30-5, $5,782
2nd:      Dan Moran, London, Ohio, 10 bass, 28-4, $2,341
3rd:       Mervin Miller, Sugarcreek, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-8, $2,124
4th:        Brandon Smith, Mason, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-6, $1,092
5th:        Zak Wiseman, Macedonia, Ohio, 10 bass, 23-7, $936
6th:        Nick Morgan, Gallipolis, Ohio, 10 bass, 23-3, $1,108
7th:        Dave Fricke, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 22-9, $780
8th:        Joel Berelsman, Minster, Ohio, 10 bass, 21-9, $702
9th:        Richard Knoll, Pittsburgh, Pa., 10 bass, 21-2, $624
10th:     Mike Blake, Carrollton, Ohio, 10 bass, 20-13, $1,046 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)

Mervin Miller of Sugarcreek, Ohio, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $562. Ryan Sykes of Hamilton, Ohio, won the co-angler division and $2,922 after bringing six bass to the scales that totaled 20 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 8-6, $1,504
2nd:      Steven Logan, Hugo, Okla., five bass, 8-6, $1,504
3rd:       Markus Mills, Norman, Okla., six bass, 8-4, $668
4th:        Mason Eudy, Muskogee, Okla., six bass, 8-2, $468
5th:        Bryan Schuster, Oklahoma City, Okla., six bass, 7-14, $401
6th:        Mark Johnson, Weleetka, Okla., four bass, 7-12, $351
7th:        Ryan Doel, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 7-12, $351
8th:        Fred Fielder, Afton, Okla., five bass, 7-11, $284
9th:        Robert Shedrick, Blanchard, Okla., six bass, 7-11, $284
10th:     Berton Pritchett, Gentry, Ark., six bass, 7-10, $234

Sykes also earned the Big Bass co-angler award of $281, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, clinched the Fishing Clash Buckeye Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,350 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Ryan Sykes of Hamilton, Ohio, won the Fishing Clash Buckeye Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,292 points and earned the $500 payout.