St. Clair or Erie?
EverStart anglers part ways as they take off for final Northern Division tourney of the season
TRENTON, Mich. – There are only two directions for anglers to go when they put their boats in at Elizabeth Park Marina on the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River: up or down. If you run up the river, you’re headed straight for Lake St. Clair – one of the nation’s premier smallmouth bass fisheries. Downriver, and you’re venturing out onto large Lake Erie, where the bass are big and nearly as plentiful.
By the looks of things Wednesday morning, 165 EverStart boats were split by about a 2-to-1 margin on where they were going. Light wind allowed the majority of anglers to head south toward Lake Erie.
Much is at stake here on the Detroit drainage this week. In addition to the $50,000 in cash and prizes for the pro winner and $6,000 in cash for the top co-angler, it’s the last chance for Northern Division anglers to muscle into the top 50 in the standings and earn a berth into the EverStart Series Championship.
Contending pros are also looking to topple Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., who holds the No. 1 spot in the division standings by 10 points over Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa. Monsoor has finished in the top 10 at every Northern Division event of 2002, and Lefebre has made all but one final round.
It’s going to be a fun Northern Division finish with lots of bass expected at St. Clair and Erie. Following a bountiful pre-fishing session, some pros projected that the two-day cut weight will be as high as 25 or 26 pounds.
Day-one weigh-in ensues at 3 p.m. at Elizabeth Park in Trenton.
Today’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:23 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 47 degrees
Expected high temperature: 72 degrees
Wind: from the northeast at 7 mph
Relative humidity: 77 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny
Day-one link: