Macker makes it look easy
First-time co-angler wins FLW Walleye Tour event on Detroit River/Lake Erie
TRENTON, Mich. – Up until Thursday, Todd Macker had never tournament fished in his life. He signed up for the FLW Walleye Tour event on the Detroit River/Lake Erie with the intention of learning more about a body of water that isn’t too far from his home in Columbus, Mich. After spending three days in the boat with Mark Meravy, Alan Szoke and Dean Arnoldussen, his head is about to explode with information overload.
On day one Macker and Meravy caught 33 pounds, 6 ounces from the lake. He caught another 33 pounds with Szoke and today he managed 33-15 with Arnoldussen.
“We don’t catch pigs like this back home,” said Macker, who lives near the north shore of Lake St. Clair. “This was just awesome; I had a great, great three days of fishing. This is like a dream come true, it’s an average fisherman’s fantasy.
“My pros and I were on the lake all three days. Yesterday was just non-stop; we must have pulled in over 40 fish. Today I bet we caught 25. All of my pros were phenomenal. They like to teach to you; they like to show you and they let you do it. I couldn’t have asked for a better tournament debut.”
Today Macker and Arnoldussen trolled spinners with night crawlers near Lunar Pier. Later in the day they moved north to Stony Point and hit a flurry to remember.
“We must have caught six fish in about 15 minutes. We had two triples to end the day; it was crazy. Things were hectic in the boat but it was a good hectic.”
For a three-day total of 100 pounds, 5 ounces, Macker earned $2,847 plus another $1,185 from the optional pot.
“One hundred pounds? That’s a lot of fish for a three-day event.”
Cox second
Troy Cox’s good fortune finally ran out Saturday. Earlier in the week the Mizmo Bait Company employee drew Chevy pro Jason Przekurat and Lake Erie/Detroit River expert David Kolb as partners. Both had their best days with Cox in the boat. Partnered with Richard Fike on day three, Cox managed 28 pounds, 13 ounces. While still an impressive catch, it was both Fike and Cox’s lightest output of the week.
“I still had a great day,” said the Jonesboro, Ark., native. “I’ve been blessed with three great partners and I caught more walleyes this week than I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
Cox, who is admittedly a bass fisherman, finished with a total weight of 95 pounds, 10 ounces. Consider that in his first Walleye Tour event (Bull Shoals 2005) he failed to catch a keeper during all three days of competition.
On day two, he also got to share a boat with his father Jimmy. Jimmy’s partner had a health emergency and was unable to fish. As a result, Tournament Director Sonny Reynolds placed the elder Cox with Kolb and Troy. The three were restricted to four lines so as not to give any competitive advantage. The result was 37 pounds, 9 ounces – the heaviest limit of the entire tournament. Ironically, that limit came from the river, not the lake.
Cox earned $1,495 ($356 in optional pot).
Bruno third
Joseph Bruno of Strongsville, Ohio, finished third in the Co-angler Division with a three-day total weight of 92 pounds, 4 ounces. On day three he drew pro Don Loch and the two combined for 29 pounds, 2 ounces.
Like Macker and Arnoldussen, Bruno and Loch trolled spinners with night crawlers near Stony Point. However, Bruno and Loch fished the inside edge of the area. In his first Walleye Tour event as a co-angler, Bruno earned $854.
Frevert, Carmack round out top five
Fourth place went to Bruce Frevert of Centerville, Iowa, with 92 pounds, 4 ounces – the same total as Bruno. The tiebreaker goes to the angler with the heaviest opening-round weight. Frevert had the privilege of fishing with Tom Keenan on day three. Together, the two combined for 34 pounds, 15 ounces, the heaviest stringer of the day. Frevert earned $740. Amazingly, Frevert has three top-10 finishes in the four Walleye Tour events he’s entered.
Rounding out the top five was Rich Carmack. The local Trenton, Mich., co-angler accumulated 88-8 and earned $999 ($316 in optional pot).
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finalists at the FLW Walleye Tour event on the Detroit River/Lake Erie:
6th: Kyle Schuchard of Essex, Ontario, 86-4, $626
7th: Randal Sterr of Oconomowoc, Wis., 84-5, $569
8th: Mirko Canji of Belle River, Ontario, 83-8, $512
9th: Barry Gropp of Walled Lake, Mich., 80-13, $456
10th: Jeff Edwards of Washington, Ill., 77-1, $399
Competition resumes April 29-May 1 for the second qualifying event in the Eastern Division on the Illinois River in Spring Valley, Ill. The Western Division opener is slated for May 20-22 on Pool 3 of the Mississippi River and the lower St. Croix River.