On April 7, 2023, New Jersey Division 10 anglers launched on Lake Hopatcong from Lee’s Marina. Of the participants, 9 brought back five-fish limits to the scales. However, Don Philpot, hailing from Shohola, PA emerged victorious with a total weight of 14.90 pounds. Philpot attributed his win to the use of shallow running jerk baits. Philpot was awarded $559 in prize money.
Coming in second place was Art Vitale, whose five fish totaled 13.02. Vitale earned a prize of $331 for his efforts. Thomas Gilroy took third place with a total weight of 11.58, also with five fish, and received a prize of $108.
Ray Rios caught the biggest bass of the tournament, which weighed in at 5.90 and earned him $105 in prize money.
| PL | Angler | Fish | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donald Don Philpot | 5 | 3.49 | 14.95 | 200 | 559 |
| 2 | Art M. Vitale | 5 | 3.94 | 13.02 | 199 | 331 |
| 3 | Thomas A. Gilroy | 5 | 2.85 | 11.58 | 198 | 108 |
| 4 | Greg A. Del Russo | 5 | 3.18 | 11.39 | 197 | 79 |
| 5 | Bryan A. Mantie | 5 | 11.36 | 196 | ||
| 6 | Michael Kloss | 5 | 11.27 | 195 | ||
| 7 | Giovanni Martino | 5 | 10.45 | 194 | ||
| 8 | Nicholas A. Chaballa | 5 | 9.75 | 193 | ||
| 9 | Albert A. Pallavicini | 5 | 9.70 | 192 | ||
| 10 | Karl A. Lightner | 4 | 7.91 | 191 |
The next tournament in this division is scheduled for April 14, 2023, on Lake Hopatcong launching from Lee’s Marina.
For more information on this event or division, please get in touch with Nick Chaballa (908) 210-4125 or visit www.americanbassanglers.com
These anglers earn valuable points toward the divisional angler of the year title. The points champion from each division will compete in the annual American Bass Anglers AFT Angler of The Year Final Round at the AFT Championship. In addition, the top 500 anglers from the various divisions will earn the right to compete in the three-day ABA, AFT National Championship tournament.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Power Pole, RT Outdoors, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and, at the same time, offering each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression.
For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Open Series, the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
