Desforges finds big fish, takes pro lead at 1,000 Islands

Late rally puts co-angler Roderick on top in Stren Northern

CLAYTON, N.Y. – Lots of habitat, plus lots of forage equals lots of bass. That’s the simple beauty that Stren Series anglers enjoyed on day two of the Northern Division event in the 1,000 Islands.

Heavily laden with yellow perch, gobies and silverside minnows, the rocks and weeds of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River continue to crank out tremendous angling productivity. Five-pound smallies were scattered throughout the weigh-ins and 4-pounders were downright commonplace.

Not to be outdone, the largemouths had plenty of strong representation, including a plump 6-pounder caught by co-angler Steve Lucarelli. Notably, Lucarelli did not win his division’s Big Bass prize. More on that later.

Mike Desforges of Burlington, Ont. fattened his day one score of 19-6 with the tournament’s only stringer over 21 pounds. His 21-3 gave him a 40-pound, 9-ounce total.

Desforges ran about 50 miles into Lake Ontario and targeted rocks and weeds in 10-15 feet. He caught his fish on avocado colored tubes.

The top pro’s bag included a 5-pound smallmouth that wasted no time introducing itself. “My day started off well. I caught that big bass in the first five minutes (of the tournament). That’s a good way to start the day when you catch a big one right off the bat.

“That’s what I was looking for yesterday – one big fish. Yesterday, all I had was 3- to 4-pounders but I couldn’t get a big 5-pounder.”

Desforges said that, although the day’s sunshine remained consistent, the wind gained a little attitude late in the day. “When we left in the morning it was flat calm, but halfway back it started getting really rough. I guess we left at the right time.”

Slower bite doesn’t deter second place Jancasz

Running approximately 40 miles into Lake Ontario, Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich. added 19-10 to his day one score of 20-10 for a 40-4 total. As on day one, he targeted areas of rock, sand and grass – this time in shallower water of 4 to 8 feet. Jancasz caught his fish on jerkbaits, tubes and dropshots – all in the ever-popular green-pumpkin color.

Jancasz said his spots did not produce as quickly as they did on day one: “My starting spot wasn’t as good as yesterday. I caught three there and then left, but yesterday I caught a limit in 30 minutes. I worked a lot harder today – it was a lot tougher for me today. I lost some fish, but I caught a couple of big ones at the end.”

Overall, Jancasz said he’s optimistic about day three.

“There’s still a lot of fish out there, so I’m just going to have to keep grinding every day.”

Worth III in third

In third place, day one leader Hugh Worth III slipped a little, but pairing 17-12 with his first-round score of 21-4 gave him a solid 39-pound total. Worth dedicated his catch to his son Hugh Worth IV who turned 6 on the tournament’s second day.

Best of the rest

Charlie Hartley of Grove City, Ohio, got back on the big smallmouth and posted the day’s second-largest stringer, a 20-pound, 12-ounce effort that moved him into fourth place. New Jersey pro Mike Iaconelli finished fifth with 36-9.

Monte Knight of Quitman, Miss. took Snickers Big Bass honors with his 5-pound, 10-ounce smallie. Knight pitched a 1/2 ounce black/blue jig around rocks on open flats.

Rounding out the top-10 pro leaders at the Stren Series 1,000 Islands event:

6th: Derek Strub of Elora, Ontario, 36-8

7th: Kurt Dove of Fairfax, Va., 36-2

8th: Thomas Stange Jr. of Middlefield, Ct., 35-15

9th: Daniel Welch of New Martinsville, W.Va., 35-13

10th: Christopher Brown of Rodman, N.Y., 35-12

Late rally puts co-angler Roderick on top

Topping the Co-angler Division, Kenneth Roderick Jr. of Putnam, Ct., added 16-5 to his day-one weight of 16-15 for a 33-pound, 4-ounce total. Fishing over rocks and weeds, he put together a limit of smallmouth and largemouth bass.

Roderick said he fished Senkos and tubes in a variety of colors, but never determined a favorite. His catches were sparse throughout the day, with most of his better fish biting in the last half-hour.

Edwards second

Less than five minutes before Roderick took the lead, his friend Dustin Edwards moved into the top spot with 33-2. At least Edwards can rest confidently in second, knowing that he achieved perfect consistency with bags weighing 16-9 on both days.

Best of the rest

In third place, Trudy Noechel of Lost Creek, W.Va. – the only female angler in the top five – actually led her division for a brief period with 32-2. Jeff Zeisner of Arva, Ontario, placed fourth with 31-0, and Jason Adamson of Newmarket, Ontario, was fifth with 30-10.

Stealing the show was co-angler Brian Wisniewski who snatched a finned football from his bag and heard tournament director Ron Lappin shout “6 pounds, 9 ounces!” Wisniewski caught the huge smallmouth on a drop-shot with a Berkley Gulp Leech.

Rounding out the top 10 co-angler leaders at the Stren Series 1,000 Islands event:

6th: Zackery Seal of Eldred, Pa., 30-4

7th: Henry Stone of Massena, N.Y., 29-15

8th: James Richardson of Harrison, Ohio, 29-12

9th: Mark Keniston of Camden, N.Y., 29-8

10th: Derek Moyer of Alexandria, Va., 28-15

Day three of Stren Series action on 1000 Islands continues at Friday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. EDT at French Creek Marina located at 250 Wahl St. in Clayton, N.Y.