LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (May 19, 2025) – Boater Greg Scythes of Marysville, Ohio, caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on the Ohio River. The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Buckeye Division. Scythes earned $4,026 for his victory.
Fluctuating water conditions throughout the Ohio Valley have challenged anglers this spring. It was no different in the Buckeye Division opener. The weekend before the tournament, the water was 5 to 6 feet high around Tanners Creek. By Wednesday, levels had returned to normal. Then by the tournament, it was back up a foot and a half or so and climbing.
“That kind of drop (mid-week) really freaks out those river fish and pulls them off the bank,” Scythes said. “But we also last Monday night had the full moon, so these fish are just dying to get on the bed. But none of the fish I caught were on the bed. They were cruising.”
Knowing the fish might be in a funk from all the weather changes, Scythes slowed way down. He spent the entire day working over the same 40-yard stretch, pitching soft plastics and slowly dragging them back. Some of his fish were right on the bank. The deepest came from about 2 feet of water.
“Honestly, I didn’t think there was that much there, so I ran straight there and I sat on it all day,” Scythes said. “I just worked back and forth, back and forth. My co-angler caught his last fish at 1 o’clock. I culled most of the day until my smallest one was 1-15, and it’s pretty hard to cull a 1-15 on the river.”
According to Scythes, the winning spot was flooded riprap. But more importantly, it had all the right ingredients for this time of year – cleaner water, hard bottom, a good spawning area and it was full of shad. He said a tube was his primary lure.
“I think just not leaving the fish, really, that was the key,” he said. “I think we’ve all done this; I’ve definitely done it in the past – went to an area, caught a couple and left it. I caught my two biggest ones off that bank after I already had a limit.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Greg Scythes, Marysville, Ohio, five bass, 12-5, $4,026
2nd: Jamie Cunnagin, New Lebanon, Ohio, five bass, 11-2, $1,963
3rd: Nick Leonard, Amelia, Ohio, five bass, 10-0, $1,309
4th: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., five bass, 9-4, $916
5th: Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 9-0, $785
6th: Dave Fricke, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 8-15, $687
6th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 8-15, $1,312
8th: Nick Ryan, Cleves, Ohio, five bass, 8-12, $556
8th: Stacey Edwards, Milton, Ky., five bass, 8-12, $556
10th: Nico Urso, Union, Ky., five bass, 8-11, $458
Jonathan Hall of Florence, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $530. Dan Schlegel of Cincinnati, Ohio, won the co-angler division and $1,963 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 5 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Dan Schlegel, Cincinnati, Ohio, three bass, 5-6, $1,963
2nd: Travis Cole, Somerville, Ohio, three bass, 5-5, $981
3rd: Jeff Campbell, Fairfield, Ohio, three bass, 4-15, $655
4th: Jesse Foster, Franklin, Ohio, three bass, 4-12, $425
4th: Brandon Houston, Lakeside Park, Ky., three bass, 4-12, $425
6th: Travis Lakes, Miamisburg, Ohio, three bass, 4-11, $360
7th: Jim Feathers, Vermilion, Ohio, three bass, 4-9, $327
8th: Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, three bass, 4-8, $444
9th: Jordan Smith, Middletown, Ohio, three bass, 4-7, $262
10th: Nate Kelly, Mason, Ohio, one bass, 4-6, $494
Nate Kelly of Mason, Ohio, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $265, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 6 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
In addition to winning the event, Scythes now has the early lead in the Fishing Clash Buckeye Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Dan Schlegel of Cinncinati, Ohio, leads the Fishing Clash Buckeye Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 250 points.
The next event for BFL Buckeye Division anglers will be held June 14, at Mosquito Lake out of Cortland, Ohio.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-ohio-51925.html
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