Light duty
Calm wind greets Stren Series anglers for opening day on Detroit River
TRENTON, Mich. – A brilliant tapestry of orange and pink whittled its way through a low, hazy cloud bank as anglers launched for day one of the Stren Series Northern Division tournament on the Detroit River. When the sun finally emerged about five minutes after the last boat checked out, its gilded ribbons fell evenly across remarkably calm water.
Tournament Director Ron Lappin said anglers familiar with the area’s reputation for rough rides will enjoy the relatively peaceful conditions. “This is one of the worst places in the world to be fishing when the wind blows. With the wind as calm as it is today, (the anglers) can run as far as they want to run.”
FLW pro Nate Wellman of Jenison, Mich., appreciates the navigational benefit of light wind, but notes the flipside challenge. “The biggest difficulty today will actually be the lack of wind.
“If it gets calm and slick, it gets a little difficult because you don’t get that chop to break up the surface. The fish can get spooky, but also, you can’t set up a drift without the wind. It makes you slow down and work it a little harder.”
Wellman plans to start his day by fishing the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair to secure a limit and then run to the north shore of Lake Erie to look for bigger fish. He’ll focus all of his effort on deep jigging and drop-shotting in the 20- to 30-foot range. He expects darker colors like smoke and green-pumpkin to be most productive.
In the Gain boat, Koby Kreiger came all the way from Okeechobee, Fla., to test his northern skills. He’ll also work deeper patterns. “I’ll be going to Lake St. Clair and fishing in 13 to 14 feet of water over some isolated grass beds, and hopefully I’ll get five big bites today.”
Snickers pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., hopes to satisfy his smallmouth hunger with a different approach. While many competitors work deeper structure, he’ll be targeting fish in 5 to 6 feet of water.
“I’m going to run up to Lake St. Clair and throw spinnerbaits in less than 5 feet,” he said. “I’ll stick with that and catch what I can catch.”
Lappin expects an impressive showing at today’s weigh-ins. “We should see gobs of fish,” he said. “Two thousand to 2,500 pounds of fish wouldn’t be inconceivable.”
Wellman predicts the top weight for day one will be approximately 25 pounds. “There will be so many 3- and 4-pound smallmouth today that it’s going to be ridiculous. I think it will take a 6-pounder to win the big bass (award).”
Tournament rules
The Stren Series event, which runs Aug. 15-18, represents the second of four regular-season Northern Division events. The total purse for the Detroit River event is $275,225. The winning pro could earn as much as $65,000 in cash and prizes if various contingency awards are met, and the winning co-angler could earn as much as $35,000.
Action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. Eastern time at Elizabeth Park Marina, located at 202 Grosse Isle Parkway in Trenton, Mich. To watch the weigh-in and get all the stats in real time, use FLW Live, the next-best thing to being there in person.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:40 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 70 degrees
Expected high temperature: 80 degrees
Water temperature: 79-80 degrees
Wind: E at 6 mph
Humidity: 83 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy skies with evening thunderstorms