May 6th, 2023 Southbury, CT, American Fishing Tour Division 6 Connecticut anglers launched from the state ramp on Lake Zoar.  Only 4 of those anglers brought back five-fish limits to the scales, but when the scales closed Dean Diviesti from Walden, NY took the victory with 18.37 lbs.
Diviesti accredited his win to targeting staging prespawn smallmouth in 6-12ft with a swimbait and late in the day culled with 2 nice largemouth fishing very shallow. For the win, Dean took home $522 in prize money.
Second among the competitors was Joey Friend with 5 fish that locked in the scales at 15.27 lbs. Joey said he caught most of his fish spending the day rotating a spider grub, swimbait, and crank in 5-15 feet of water, targeting spawning areas and current breaks. For his efforts, he took home $308 in prize money.
Third place was claimed by Travis Miller with 5 fish and a total weight of 10.09 lbs. Travis said he caught most his fish targeting suspending fish with a jerkbait pattern. For his efforts, he took home $101.
The Biggest Bass of the tournament was caught by Joey Friend. His fish locked in the scales at 5.04 earning him $90 in prize money.
| PL | Angler | Fish | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dean J. Diviesti | 5 | 18.37 | 200 | 522 | |
| 2 | Joey Friend | 5 | 5.04 | 15.27 | 199 | 308 |
| 3 | Travis D. Miller | 5 | 10.09 | 198 | 101 | |
| 4 | Devon Devon J. Grisham | 5 | 8.88 | 197 | ||
| 5 | Christoph Chris Weber | 4 | 7.52 | 196 | ||
| 6 | Rick C. Holmberg | 3 | 6.87 | 195 | ||
| 7 | AJ AJ M. Said | 3 | 4.32 | 6.47 | 194 | |
| 8 | Andrew Slegona | 3 | 3.31 | 5.76 | 193 | |
| 9 | Ernest M. Lally | 1 | 4.90 | 4.90 | 192 | |
| 10 | Louis R. Cooper | 3 | 3.98 | 191 |
The next tournament in this division will take place on 5/6/23 at Mansfield Hollow launching from the state ramp.
For more information on this event or division please AJ Said (845)596-6089 or visit www.americanbassanglers.com
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.
The American Fishing Tour offers low-cost, close-to-home bass tournaments that are designed for the weekend angler. All anglers fish for both money and points. The points advance the angler to their divisional championship and the top 500 anglers in the US will be invited to the American Fishing Tour National Championship next October at Lake Hartwell.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, 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.
