Desforges collects on Erie calm

Ontario pro Mike Desforges capitalizes on still day to lead EverStart Northern opener

TRENTON, Mich. – On a day when only 7 ounces separated first place from fourth, there was little room for error, and it was Canadian Mike Desforges who found a flawless pattern to lead day one of the EverStart Series Northern opener on the Detroit River.

The Burlington, Ontario, angler traveled about 40 miles from the launch site to execute his successful pattern on Lake Erie, hauling in a five-fish limit of smallmouth bass weighing 22 pounds, 4 ounces. He anchored the sack with a hefty 4-11 kicker, only half a pound off the big-bass mark.

“They hit sporadically throughout the day … I’m fishing in about three different areas,” Desforges said of his bounty of 4-pound-plus bass. “I got a flurry once in a while, but I only caught eight fish, and my co-angler caught four.”

The depth and baits that brought on the bite for Desforges were consistent, however. He caught all his fish on the bottom in about 20 feet of water on either a straight-tail worm drop-shot rig or a Bass Pro Shop tube.

Desforges just finished competing in the Bassmaster Northern Open that took place on Lake Erie at Sandusky, Ohio, where he placed seventh. He said that, coupled with the fact that he only lives about three hours from Erie on the Detroit River side, definitely worked to his advantage today. However, he only got to Trenton three days ahead of the EverStart event, so he didn’t get to prefish as much as he would have liked.

“I’m pretty familiar with this area,” he said, “but I only had two days on Lake Erie before this tournament; one day the wind blew so bad you couldn’t get out there.”

So for Desforges, the calm conditions Wednesday were welcome, where some anglers who fished Erie bemoaned the lack of breeze, saying they were not used to such conditions.

As for Thursday’s game plan, Desforges said he will resume his working strategy until he believes he has enough weight to make the top-10 cut.

“Tomorrow I’m going to fish until I get about 16 pounds, and then I’m going to prefish,” he said.

Second Coates

Bryan Coates of Amherst, Ohio, also used a strong Erie smallmouth bite to grab the second slot in the Pro Division. He cast a watermelon-colored Phoenix tube to catch his five-bass limit, weighing 21-9, in water anywhere from 16 to 32 feet deep near the north shore of Erie about 30 miles from the launch.

“It was pretty steady all day; there was no time that was real hot,” Coates said.

Coates, whose partner reeled in the co-angler lead with a 21-pound catch, said he definitely intends to revisit his pattern Thursday, hoping for a repeat of today’s success.

“I got an early draw, so I’ll run right back,” he said. “It’s going to be tough, though. I’ve still got to go out and catch five fish. You can’t let up with this format.”

Shaffer finds familiar territory

Pro Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, only lost one place compared to his performance on the Detroit River in last year’s EverStart Northern event, where he sat in second to end day one. But if the 2003 EverStart Series Championship winner felt any sting in the slight downgrade, he can take solace this year in the fact that he bagged the day-one big-bass award. Shaffer’s 5-3 lunker matched one from Art Ferguson III, so they split the winnings, earning $287 apiece.

Shaffer’s five-bass sack weighed 21 pounds, 4 ounces, constituting a 2-pound, 2-ounce improvement over his day-one weight in 2004. Shaffer went on to finish the 2004 tournament as runner-up, so he’s definitely one to watch this year as well.

Emery pulls up fourth

Scott Emery is the only pro from Michigan to make the top five on day one, having placed fourth with 20-13. But a littler further down the line looks like a Wolverine State anglers’ convention, with Michigan pros occupying sixth place and then eighth through 11th place.

Emery won a Michigan-based EverStart Northern event on Lake Erie in 2001, and – like deja vu – he found himself right behind Shaffer at the Detroit River event last year, finishing third.

Kiriyama finds fifth

Western angler and EverStart rookie Kota Kiriyama of Irvine, Calif., collected the fifth slot after day one of competition on the Detroit River. He managed a five-bass stringer weighing 20-11, despite having sustained an 8-ounce dead-fish penalty.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 on day one of the EverStart Series Northern event on the Detroit River:

6th: Cecil Cole of Durand, Mich., five bass, 20-1

7th: Chris Cox of Appleton, Wis., five bass, 19-9

8th: Ben Felton of Marshall, Mich., five bass, 19-8

9th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 19-7

9th (tie): Ferguson of St. Clair Shores, Mich., five bass, 19-7

Lawson leads strong co-angler pack

The co-anglers gave the pros a run for their money on day one of the EverStart Series Northern Division opener, snagging the biggest bass of the day and registering some hefty weights that would have landed top-10 status on the other end of the boat. Leading the charge was David Lawson of Richmond, Ky.

Lawson landed an impressive five-bass, 21-pound stringer to lead the Co-angler Division before the second half of the opening round commences Thursday. Lawson fished with today’s second-place pro and nearly matched his weight, trailing Coates by only 9 ounces. But Lawson was not competing with his boater; he only had complimentary things to say about him.

“He is A-No. 1; he’s a gentleman,” Lawson said of Coates. “He gave me all the opportunity I needed to catch my fish.”

Like his pro partner, Lawson said he was casting tubes in Lake Erie and catching fish at various depths up to about 35 feet.

Of his pattern, Lawson humbly said, “To be honest with you, it was just the pattern my pro was using.”

The second- and third-place co-anglers also registered enviable weights: Mike Krikke of Hudsonville, Mich., bagged five bass for 19-8 and Charles Hasty of Toledo, Ohio, registered a 19-7 limit.

In fourth place after day one was Kevin Webb of Xenia, Ohio, who caught five bass for an 18-2 weight.

Gene Hall of Angola, Ind., was the fifth-place co-angler with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers on day one:

6th: Kenneth Taylor of Shelby Township, Mich., four bass, 16-6

7th: Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich., five bass, 16-4

8th: Renee Hensley of Edwardsburg, Mich., five bass, 16-3

9th: Richard Johnson of Akron, Ohio, five bass, 16-0

10th: Jeff Hahn of Alliance, Ohio, five bass, 15-5

EverStart Series Northern action resumes Thursday when the full field of 167 pros and 167 co-anglers takes off from Elizabeth Park Marina in Trenton, Mich., at 6:30 a.m. Eastern to vie for the top-10 cut in each division, which will take place at tomorrow’s weigh-in.