Shaffer reasserts dominance on Detroit River

Detroit dream team emerges on second day of EverStart Series Northern opener

TRENTON, Mich. – The man who had racked up seven Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors top-10s on the waters being fished this week in the EverStart Series Northern opener is at it again. Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, topped all Pro Division competitors Thursday to lead the opening round with a two-day total of 41 pounds, 13 ounces, earning himself yet another top-10 finish in the process.

Shaffer – whose track record on the Detroit River, Lake Erie or Lake St. Clair includes a win (St. Clair) and four runner-up finishes in FLW Outdoors events – took second place on the Detroit River last year. So there is little doubt the 2003 EverStart Series Championship winner will be gunning harder than ever to pick up his first EverStart win on this particular body of water.

Shaffer caught his 20-9 sack today throwing an ISG Dream tube and an ISG gobie in 18 to 28 feet of water on Lake Erie. Many EverStart competitors have been fishing near Pelee Island, and he allowed that he was “in the area.”

“I was saving it for the finals or desperation, but when I blew my motor first thing in the morning yesterday, I figured that was desperation,” he said.

Shaffer did not take his first cast until 12:40 p.m. Wednesday due to engine trouble, and then he “lost giants” on his first two casts. But clearly that misfortune has not deterred Shaffer from taking a commanding lead in the tournament.

“I’m going to start there tomorrow,” he said. “There’s been a couple boats out there (in his specific area), but one guy is out (of the tournament) I know. But I have several places; it just depends on whether I can get the bite.”

And in a turn of events that couldn’t be written better if it were fiction, a Detroit River dream team has emerged to fish at least the first half of the final round. Shaffer is teamed tomorrow with Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich., who is fresh off his co-angler victory last week at the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s Forrest L. Wood Championship.

So the two past champions will share a boat Friday, but that’s just the half of it. One year ago this week at the EverStart Northern tournament on the same fishery, the Detroit specialists were paired together on the last day of the event – each having ridden into the final day in first place. But whereas Jancasz emerged victorious, Shaffer had to settle for second place, only 12 ounces behind winner Jim Liechty.

The Shaffer-Jancasz combo appears to prove that “dream teams” can exist in tournament bass fishing. Of course weights are zeroed for the final round, so the team will have to prove their mettle once again. And if they both stay on top, there is the potential they will fish together again on the final day. Friday will tell whether this duo will indeed dominate on the Detroit River.

Kiriyama claims second

Kota Kiriyama of Irvine, Calif., improved his standings by three places and landed the second slot with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 3 ounces. He managed his impressive day-two weight of 19-8 with only four fish, which he caught by making the 45-mile run to Pelee Island.

“That’s the party place,” he said.

Kiriyama caught his bass in 15 to 30 feet of water by casting tubes and drop-shots.

“They move a lot, so I have to follow,” he said of his fish, adding that tomorrow he will “do the same thing, probably.”

Coates drops a slot

Bryan Coates of Amherst, Ohio, dropped one place from his Wednesday position to finish the opening round Thursday in third place. He added a five-bass sack weighing 17-12 to his opening-round total today for a combined weight of 39-5.

Coates is another master of Michigan and Ohio fisheries, having earned two Wal-Mart BFL top-10s on the Detroit River and three, including one win, on Lake Erie from the Sandusky site.

Struif stakes out fourth

It was Eric Struif of Lake Villa, Ill., who nailed down the fourth slot to conclude the two-day opening round of the EverStart Northern event on the Detroit River. He will start at zero tomorrow with the rest of the top-10ers, but he managed to bag the second-heaviest stringer of the day today, 21-1, for a two-day total of 39 pounds, 1 ounce. He also earned the day’s big-bass honors with a 5-2 fish worth $575.

Struif is another angler who has seen success on the Detroit River. His only other FLW Outdoors top-10 finish came just a couple of weeks ago on the Detroit River in a BFL Michigan Division event.

Cox’s consistency earns fifth

Appleton, Wis., pro Chris Cox nearly matched his day-one weight of 19 pounds, 9 ounces with a catch of 19-5 Thursday for a two-day total of 38-14. But the unbelievable thing is that his weight today comprised only three fish as opposed to his day-one limit.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10, who will fish in the two-day finals, on day two of the EverStart Series Northern event on the Detroit River:

6th: Scott Emery of Livonia, Mich., 10 bass, 38-13

7th: Art Ferguson III of St. Clair Shores, Mich., 10 bass, 38-1

8th: Charlie Hartley of Grove City, Ohio, eight bass, 37-5

9th: Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio, 10 bass, 36-13

10th: Michael Woolley of West Bloomfield, Mich., eight bass, 36-3

Jancasz on fire

This young man just keeps adding more milestones to his career. His crowning achievement came last week when he won the co-angler side of the Forrest L. Wood Championship on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark., and he earned another FLW Tour top-10 earlier in the season. He was the Co-angler of the Year in 2003 in the EverStart Series Northern Division, where he has earned an astonishing six top-10s including last year’s win here on the Detroit River. He seems poised to do it again.

“I guess I must be on a roll,” he said in the understatement of the year.

His pro partner today, Bruce Dale of Jamestown, Ohio, was quicker to sing Jancasz’s praises.

“I was back-boated,” Dale, who finished the tournament today in 106th place, said. “I can see why he won the FLW Championship.”

Jancasz and Dale were drifting tubes today on Lake Erie near Hen Island. The co-angler said he isn’t sure why he outfished his pro partner 5-to-1 for smallies, but he knows he caught them both days by using a 1/2-ounce Bite Me jig with a Big Dude jighead. Today’s bounty came in about 20 to 30 feet of water.

“When the wind picked up, they were biting,” Jancasz said. “I had everything by 10:30 a.m. No one out there (in our area) caught’em; I just caught’em tubin’.”

Second place in the Co-angler Division went to Del Smith of Castalia, Ohio, who hauled in a two-day total of 33 pounds, 10 ounces.

In third place after the opening round on the Detroit River was Berea, Kentucky’s Mike Devere, who registered 31-9 over the opening round.

Fourth place in the opening round belonged to Andrew Bray of Clinton Township, Mich., who bagged 30-9 over two days, while fifth place went to Charles Hasty of Toledo, Ohio, for his 29-14 total catch.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers on day two, all of which will fish the two-day final round:

6th: Andrew Lemle of Perrysburg, Ohio, eight bass, 29-8

7th: Kenneth Taylor of Shelby Township, Mich., nine bass, 28-9

8th: Jeff Hahn of Alliance, Ohio, nine bass, 28-2

9th: Peter Merckx of Westland, Mich., six bass, 27-8

10th: Murvin Berry of Anderson, Ind., 10 bass, 27-6

EverStart Series Northern action resumes Friday when the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers take off from Elizabeth Park Marina in Trenton, Mich., at 6:30 a.m. Eastern. Tomorrow and Saturday’s final weigh-ins will take place at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 7555 Telegraph Road in Taylor, Mich. They are free and open to the public, and children and families are invited to come early for parking lot activities including a trout pond for kids that kicks off at 2:30 p.m. both days.