Lewistown’s Jacob Alltop leads the points standings in the Strike King co-angler category in the Buckeye Division of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) through three tournaments.
Photo courtesy of Jacob Alltop
Consistency has put relative newcomer Jacob Alltop atop the Major League Fishing (MLF) Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) co-angler points standings through three tournaments.
The 34-year-old Alltop of Lewistown has finished in the top 20 of all three tourneys. He has 711 points while current runner-up Austin Thome has 698 points with two events left on the schedule. Before last Saturday’s tourney on the Ohio River out of Maysville, Kentucky, Alltop was second behind Brian Zolinkstas, who now is in third place.
Surprisingly, Alltop has fished only five BFL events in his career.
His results this year are completely different than when he tried the BFL tour two years ago and “did absolutely terrible.” This year he has finished second, 20th and tie for 20th.
“I think my consistency is coming from actually putting time in on the water and practicing before each tournament. I usually go down a day early and spend a full day on the water,” Alltop said.
He had a plan once he decided to get back on the BFL trail.
“When I decided to get back in it, I wanted to fish them all and really put the time in on the water and practice to fish well in these tournaments,” Alltop said. “Cody Seeger (another Lewistown bass angler) is the one that got me started in it and had a lot of confidence that I would do well so that was my push to really get into them.
“Cody has really helped me along with my bass fishing technique and this season I’ve spent a lot of time practicing with Greg Hawk (A BFL basser from Vandalia) who has infinite experience and I have learned a ton from him practicing the last two tournaments. Also, I picked up a few things from everyone that I’ve been paired with this season.”
He also credited his dad (Mike) and uncle (Dewey) for teaching him the most about fishing.
“I have been bass fishing my entire life. Everyone in my family fishes so that was always a big thing for us,” Alltop said.
He admitted what he has accomplished thus far on the BFL has been a surprise.
“I did not imagine I would be this successful in BFL this season. As far as our schedule goes, I’ve only been to one of these bodies of water. The fact that I am catching consistently in each tournament is a surprise to me,” he said. “I think what is helping me be successful thus far is the fact that I fish a lot of different bodies of water — rivers, creeks and lakes. I see a lot of different things so I feel like I adapt well to fishing what is in front of me.
“As a co-angler, I don’t get to choose where we go, so I make sure I’m prepared for anything. I really do like fishing as a co-angler for the fact that I learn something new from each person I fish with. These people have been doing it a lot longer than me so it’s a really great experience to pick up knowledge. If I continue to be successful for a few years, I would consider fishing on the boater side but I still have a lot to learn,” Alltop said.
He caught two bass last Saturday that weighed 2 pounds, 6 ounces to tie for 20th on the Ohio River, which is known for not yielding a plethora of keeper bass.
Dick Shaffer of Rockford, who has fished the circuit for a few decades, finished fourth in the boater category with four bass that weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces. He is 13th in the points standings. He also is 13th in the Hoosier Division standings. He has fished both divisions for several years.
Also in the boater category, Bob Logan of Waynesfield is 17th in the standings while Kyle Weisenburger of Columbus Grove is 20th. Logan caught one bass that weighed 1 pounds, 6 ounces and finished 65th in the tourney. Weisenburger caught one bass that weighed 1 pounds, 11 ounces and finished 59th in the tourney.
On the co-angler side, Brandon Good of Fort Jennings finished 17th in the tourney with a pair of bass that weighed 2 pounds, 13 ounces. Ron Weisenburger of Continental and Bryan Hofstetter of Lewistown also finished in the top 50 of the tourney. Weisenburger was 45th with one bass that weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces while Hofstetter was 49th with one bass that weighed 1 pound, 6 ounces. Hofstetter is 23rd in the points standings.
The next Buckeye Division tourney is set for Aug. 13 on the Ohio River out of Tanners Creek in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The final event will be a two-day tourney Sept. 10-11 at Mosquito Lake.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
