Lake Erie Top 5 Patterns – Day 1
Long runs, shallow and deep in play
Day one of the Toyota Series Northern Division event on Lake Erie was not dominated by St. Clair as some expected. Though St. Clair did produce the lead for Scott Dobson, a hodgepodge of techniques and locations got it done for the other top pros on Erie.
The calm conditions of the day, especially in the morning, allowed for a lot of running and fishing freedom. But, the fishing does seem to be down a bit, with very few 5-pounders being weighed in between the pros and the co-anglers, and only Dobson and second-place Buck Mallory broke the 20-pound barrier.
2. Buck Mallory – Lawton, Mich. – 20-6 (5)
Running to the west like Dobson, Mallory opted to fish in the Detroit River instead of going the whole way to St. Clair.
“I don’t know if there’s enough there to do it again tomorrow, but there’s big ones there,” says Mallory. “I think they’re moving in, to me, so I’m going to spot-hop around and keep milling around that area. I had about eight good bites today and I lost two good ones.”
Fishing in about 18 feet, Mallory did his work with standard tactics.
“I was flipping a drop-shot, and if I marked one, I’d drop down on it. I caught three dropping down,” says the Michigan angler. “I’m from near Kalamazoo, so I’ve fished the Detroit River and St. Clair a lot. I was excited when it moved here, and then I was upset when I found out we couldn’t go to Canada. Everything I fished today I’d never fished before practice.”
3. Josh Kolodzaike – Toledo, Ohio – 19-13 (5)
Staying close, Josh Kolodzaike didn’t do anything fancy to cruise into third place after day one.
“I caught ‘em drop-shotting a Nemesis Goby in like 15 to 25 feet around the Bass Islands,” says Kolodzaike. “It was slow and steady. I caught my two big ones first thing, and I thought I was going to have a really good day, but I ended up having to grind it out.”
Though he lost a few on a Ned rig that might have helped, he’s definitely got a solid base of weight and knowledge going into day two.
“I fish here somewhat often; I usually fish Canada or the Detroit River and St. Clair,” says Kolodzaike. “But, I’ve spent some time on the Bass Islands for other tournaments. I hope I can do it again tomorrow. It’d be nice to get a couple good ones early again. That made the day a little easier having those in there.”
4. Dick Parker – Lorain, Ohio – 19-5 (5)
Fishing fairly shallow with a drop-shot, Dick Parker took a slow and steady approach to his day.
“It was a grind to say the least, I needed all my time. I might have caught nine today, and I only culled one time. I watched one bite it, but for the most part, I’m trying to stay off them.”
5. Drew Sanford – Springfield, Mo. – 19-2 (5)
One of the few guys who seems to be catching a lot of good fish, Drew Sanford had a great day one.
“It was awesome. I had a limit by 9 a.m., and I probably threw two limits of 3-pounders back,” he says. “I didn’t burn 15 gallons of gas – I’ve got a 4-mile stretch and I’m just picking it apart.”
Sanford actually has prior experience on Erie, despite his more southerly address.
“I graduated from the University of Alabama in 2011, and that year I fished the Bassmaster Opens and I lived in a camper up here for a month and a half. So, I learned a good bit about it. I had a lot of old waypoints that I ran, and a lot of new waypoints that I ran. I’ve just figured out a little deal; it’s kinda off the wall and it’s holding fish.”