Elkins Looked Deep on Erie

Witt nets co-angler title

Matt Elkins of Spencerville, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River. For his victory, Elkins earned $5,337.

“I targeted fish in 30- to 33-foot depths,” said Elkins of his first win in FLW competition. “Lake Erie has a lot of algae right now so I knew that’s where I wanted to be.

“I stopped at an area near Pelee Island in the morning and caught several fish,” continued Elkins. “I was fishing a drop-shot rig with a Sandbar Party-colored LBA Baits Ding Ding worm. I caught the biggest bass of the tournament – a 5-pound, 4-ouncer – at 8:30 a.m.

“By 10:30 a.m. I had nearly 21 pounds,” said Elkins. “I ran to a couple of other areas but ended up returning to my primary spot at the end of the day.”

Elkins said he ended up catching 12 keepers over the course of the tournament.

“I was able to bring in a 4½-pounder with only minutes to spare, so that really helped cap off the day,” said Elkins.

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 22-6, $3,337 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Charles Mackintosh, Brighton, Mich., five bass, 21-11, $1,668

3^rd:          Tony Yancey, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 21-5, $1,112

4^th:          Rob Kasjanski, Flat Rock, Mich., five bass, 21-1, $779

5^th:          Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 20-12, $667

6^th:          Todd Schmitz, Goshen, Ind., five bass, 19-15, $612

7^th:          Frank Novock, Rockwood, Mich., five bass, 19-13, $556

8^th:          Joshua Barr, Stow, Ohio, five bass, 19-9, $473

8^th:          Wayne Macklin, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 19-9, $473

10^th:        Mark Flick, Delton, Mich., five bass, 19-3, $389

Complete results can be found here.

Elkins also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $410.

Witt wins co-angler divison

Jon Witt of Kalamazoo, Michigan, weighed in five bass totaling 20 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win $1,668 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Jon Witt, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 20-11, $1,668

2^nd:         Kevin Fetzer, Waterford, Mich., five bass, 18-10, $834

3^rd:          Paul Porento, Highland, Ind., five bass, 16-15, $427

3^rd:          Jay Shaffer, Bath, Mich., five bass, 16-15, $427

3^rd:          Jeffrey Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., five bass, 16-15, $427

6^th:          Erik Jacques, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 16-13, $306

7^th:          Brett Gilbert, Adrian, Mich., five bass, 16-7, $278

8^th:          Steven Hatala, Saint Clair Shores, Mich., five bass, 16-1, $250

9^th:          Sam Caron, Pleasant Lake, Mich., five bass, 15-12, $222

10^th:        Damon Whorton, Holland, Ohio, five bass, 15-6, $195

Mark Miller of Baltic, Ohio, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $205.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.