Erie EverStart ensues
Third Northern Division event of season fires up during dog days of August
PORT CLINTON, Ohio – Big Lake Erie greeted EverStart Series anglers with relatively calm waters and the prospect of agreeable weather for the first day of tournament action at the third Northern Division event of the year.
While the August weather conditions and pre-winter feeding patterns of the bass in limit-friendly Lake Erie generally make for some appetizing fishing, anglers say the bite right now is somewhat diminished for this time of year. Cooler water temperatures seemed to have shut down a lot of the smallmouth activity during practice, and anglers might have to make some long runs to find an active bite. Some competitors have been going all the way across the lake to the Canadian shore to find their fish.
But it’s all relative. Tournament fishermen from this area are used to the long runs on the big water, and, regardless of the apparent drop-off in bass activity, they all know it’s going to take a solid limit of good fish every day to contend for the title on Lake Erie. To that end, look for some of the leading stringers to come off of humps near Pelee Island, which has historically been the destination of choice for winning tournaments here.
Green, brown and watermelon tubes are the moneymaking baits in these waters, but some anglers might try to shake it up and go for a big bite with a jig or a spoon.
The big angler to watch this week is Mark Zona. The pro from Sturgis, Mich., has finished second in the last two Northern Division tournaments, holds a comfortable lead in the standings and is looking to stay hot.
Also keep your eye on David Hayward of Sylvania, Ohio, who won the July Northern Division event held just around the corner of Lake Erie on the Detroit River, and David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., who missed the last Northern event but won the first one at Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion.
Other local favorites include Kevin Vida of Clare, Mich., who won on these waters in 2002 (Detroit River), and the always-dangerous Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio. And don’t forget about Stover, Missouri’s Dion Hibdon. The former Wal-Mart FLW Tour champion top-10ed at the first two Northern Division tournaments this year – his first full season on the circuit – and is currently second in the standings.
Tournament logistics
The four-day tournament lasts through Saturday. The full field of 179 pros and 179 co-anglers will compete for two days to determine the 20 anglers who will advance to Friday’s semifinal round based on their two-day accumulated weight. Anglers will start at zero Friday and compete for one of 10 slots in Saturday’s final round. Weights are again cleared for Saturday’s competition, and anglers compete for position and prize money.
The winning pro is guaranteed $10,000 cash and an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 519VS Comanche bass boat equipped with EverStart batteries, a Minn Kota trolling motor and Garmin electronics. If the winner is the original owner of a Ranger boat, Ranger will award an additional $10,000 cash bonus for a total prize package of $61,900. The winning co-angler is guaranteed $5,000 cash. If the co-angler winner is a registered Ranger boat owner, Ranger will also award a new Ranger 519VS Comanche bass boat.
Wednesday’s weigh-in begins at 2:30 p.m. at Dempsey State Access located on Bayshore Road in Marblehead, Ohio.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:45 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 62 degrees
Expected high temperature: 84 degrees
Wind: from the south-southeast at 5 mph
Relative humidity: 96 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny
Day-one links: