Lone Lake of the Ozarks Spotted Bass Earns AOY Title for Alan Bernicky

Illinois Co-Angler Wins 2023 MLF Toyota Series Plains Division Angler of the Year

Alan Bernicky of Joiet, Illinois has been fishing competitively for 15 years. “I started out fishing as a boater in Bass Federation events, then switched to fishing as a co-angler in the Toyota Series in 2013,” he says. “I’ve also fished the MLF BFL several years and went to my 3rd All-American this year.”

Bernicky says he focused on the MLF Toyota Series in the Plains Division this season to attempt to win an AOY title, something he’s come close to in the past but finally accomplished on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks last Sunday.

Bernicky finished third in the first Plains Division event of the 2023 season last March at Grand Lake, and 20th in the second event at Kentucky-Barkley Lake in April, keeping him in the hunt for AOY going into the final Plains Division event at Lake of the Ozarks last week.

“I caught three bass for 6-02 on Day 1 and three for 9-05 on Day 2 for a total of 15-07 going into the third and final day,” Bernicky says. “That third day turned out to be a strange one. I only needed one fish, but all the largemouth I was catching were short of the 15” minimum,” he recalls. “My boater, Tony Hatten, was great. He knew I only needed one keeper to win Angler of the Year, so when he saw I was hooked up with a legal-sized spotted bass, he was quick to grab the net and scoop it up for me!”

That single Lake of the Ozarks spotted bass – the only legal fish Bernicky caught that day – weighed a mere 1-01 but was indeed enough to accomplish Bernicky’s goal of winning Angler of the Year.

A St. Croix Rod pro-staffer, Bernicky says he’s happy and proud to have accomplished his goal. “Fishing as a co-angler really does make you a better angler,” he says. “Not having  control over boat position forces you to constantly adapt and fish creatively.” For Bernicky, that often means finesse presentations.

“I’ll fish whatever the circumstances dictate, but it’s hard to beat a weedless wacky rig in many situations from the back of the boat,” Bernicky says. He fishes wacky rigs on a 7’1” St. Croix Victory Series, medium-heavy power MAX-FINESSE spinning rod (VTS71MHF). “I can make long, accurate casts with this rod, and – as its name implies – it excels at finesse presentations but has the necessary power to keep the fish I hook away from trouble.”

Bernicky says other go-to presentations that helped deliver success this season include light Texas rigs and finesse jigs fished on the Victory 7’3” medium-heavy THE MARSHAL casting rod (VTC73MHF), and buzzbaits on the versatile Victory 7’4” heavy power FULL CONTACT casting rod.

Bernicky offers some baseline advice for anyone who may be considering fishing competitively as a co-angler. “Always adjust to the circumstances,” he says. “And don’t fish for the same fish your boater is targeting. Stay out of their way. Do that and your boater will be more relaxed and better able to stay focused on their game. That focus puts both of you on fish, and you’ll find they’ll open up water for you. If you are fishing down a bank, keep one eye on your boater and the other on your own casting. Pick locations or cover they didn’t cast to or hit the targets from a different angle.”

Bernicky says a boater’s use of forward-facing sonar can also benefit co-anglers. “When you get a really good boater with forward-facing sonar, they are constantly chasing fish around, so it opens up unfished water for their co-angler at the back of the boat.”

What’s next for Alan Bernicky? “I’m laying over in Arkansas for a few days with my girlfriend, Sarah, then were headed to Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma for a BFL regional, then another BFL regional on Dale Hollow. After that, we’ll head to Table Rock in November for the Toyota Series Championship.”

Follow all the action at the Toyota Series Championship, scheduled for November 2-4 at Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, at majorleaguefishing.com.

About St. Croix Rod
Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Best Rods on Earth” for 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major producer to still build rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and operates duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Legend Xtreme®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world.