Dallas City, IL – August 27th, 2023. Brian Sopko, from Hershey, IL, won the American Fishing Tour (IL 39) tournament, presented by American Bass Anglers, held at the Dallas City public ramp along the Mississippi River. Sopko was the only angler who managed to land the only five-fish limit among the competitors. His cumulative catch of six keepers weighed in at 13.60 pounds.
Adding to the tournament’s highlights, Gregg Buda of New Lennox, IL, secured the 3rd position with a catch weighing 7.77 pounds, thus cementing his status as the IL Division 39 Angler of the Year for the second consecutive year. The race for this title was particularly competitive, with Buda narrowly surpassing David Blume of Bloomington, IL. Congratulations are in order for Gregg Buda’s achievement.
Claiming second place was David Blume, representing Bloomington, IL. Over the course of the two days, Blume managed to reel in five fish, culminating in a total weight of 12.14 pounds. Additionally, Blume stood out by clinching the Big Bass distinction, thanks to a sizable 2.97-pound largemouth catch.
The tournament unfolded under challenging fishing conditions, with the event closely following a week marked by intense heat, pushing heat indexes to 110-115 degrees. This elevated the water temperatures to nearly 90 degrees, resulting in a temporary slowdown in bass activity. As the weekend arrived, the weather improved, albeit with intermittent clouds, gusty winds, and sporadic light rain on Saturday. The preceding extreme heat made the pool’s fishing conditions notably more demanding than initially anticipated.
For those seeking further information about the event or its division, they can reach out to local Director Dave Blume at 309-824-9999 or visit the official event website at www.americanbassanglers.com.
Competing in these tournaments allows anglers to accumulate valuable points toward the coveted title of Divisional Angler of the Year. The points champion from each division will have the opportunity to compete in the highly anticipated American Bass Anglers AFT Angler of The Year Final Round at the AFT Championship. Furthermore, the top 500 anglers from different divisions will earn the privilege of participating in the prestigious three-day ABA, AFT National Championship tournament.
American Bass Anglers is proud to be supported by a range of esteemed sponsors, including 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 dedicated to providing affordable and locally-accessible tournaments tailored for weekend anglers. These events also offer a progressive pathway for individual angler development.
For more information about American Bass Anglers, including the Open Series, American Fishing Tour, American Couples Series, annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and Top 150 Solo Tour, all proudly presented by Caymas Boats, please visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.
