TBF preview: Northern Divisional Championship

Lake Winnebago tournament slated for Sept. 13-15

Wisconsin Bass Federation President Michael Hoffman doesn’t spend a lot of time on Lake Winnebago, site of The Bass Federation Northern Division Championship, but he knows this: The three-day tournament, to be held Sept. 13-15, will likely be a slugfest of heavy limits and close weights.

“It’s a fish factory. It’s loaded with smallmouths, and it’s got a pretty decent largemouth population as well. I expect smallmouths will be the primary fish brought to the stage, but there will probably be some largemouths brought in,” noted Hoffman.

When the last bag is weighed, however, Hoffman figured it will take a 16-pound average each day to walk away with the Castrol Maximum Performer award, a $500 gift card from Wal Mart. He said 22-pound limits aren’t uncommon, but some anglers will likely struggle.

“I’ll be surprised if more than half of the anglers don’t catch a limit, but the weather is supposed to change considerably. So really, anything could happen,” he said.

East-central Wisconsin was basking in 80-degree temperatures the week prior to the event, but temperatures were expected to plunge into the 60s during the day early in the week and then creep back into the low 70s during the tournament itself. That could throw Winnebago’s smallmouths into a completely different pattern. Hoffman figured they might gravitate to wood structure, although rocks and abundant grass beds will likely hold fish as well. There is an abundance of cover throughout the lake and the Wolf River system.

Winnebago is a 137,000-acre glacial lake, the largest body of water entirely within the state of Wisconsin. With an average depth of only 15 feet, it’s a shallow lake that can turn ugly at the flick of a switch. Wind-whipped waves can wreak havoc on the best patterns, turning normally clear waters into a turbid mess. Getting to fish located during the practice period could be a daunting task as well. Four-foot rollers are common and 10-footers aren’t out of the question. Hoffman said a westerly wind won’t cause problems like a wind from the east might because the tournament will launch out of Oshkosh, located on the Winnebago’s western shore.

The lake is fed by both the Wolf and Fox rivers, and Hoffman said the Wolf River and the lake will likely share equal billing on the weigh-in stage.

“One of the Wisconsin anglers is pretty set on fishing the river system and another is convinced the lake is the place to be, so there’s no telling which one will play into the tournament. Really, there are quality fish all over,” he said.

Five teams – one each from Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio – with 12 members each will compete for bragging rights as well as a purse that will be divided among the winning team members. The top two anglers from each state will advance to the TBF Championship next spring.

The event is hosted by the Oshkosh Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Wisconsin Bass Federation and is presented by The National Guard. For daily updates, visit tbf.flwoutdoors.com.