Chicago resident David Matual caught a 22-06 sack on Saturday to win the Lake Erie Northern Rayovac with a 3-day total of 65-00.
“I’m shaking, I don’t think the win has set in yet,” said Matual. “I had a tough practice so I didn’t know what to expect. The cold weather had dropped the surface temperature of the water nearly 8 degrees during the week.”
Despite the difficult practice, Matual said he was able to dial in on bass that were chasing baitfish within a 100-foot stretch of reef just south of Pelee Point.
“I went to that area and had a five-bass limit within 30 minutes each day,” he said. “I was dropshotting a Jackall Crosstail Shad in a variety of colors. If that missed, I used a green-pumpkin-colored Chompers Tube. The bass were so aggressive I could see them breaking the top of the water going after baitfish. I figured they would bite any lure I threw down there.”
Full details of his winning pattern, as well as those of the 2nd- and 3rd-place finishers, will be published soon.
Here are the final totals for the Top 10:
1. David Matual: 65-00
2. Jared Rhode: 64-09
3. Dave Lefebre: 64-08
4. Trevor Jancasz: 62-01
5. Matt Vermilyea: 61-02
6. Matt Elkins: 60-05
7. Joe Balog: 58-05
8. Jeff Vizachero: 53-06
9. Michael Sitko: 48-04
10. Mike Oberski: 42-09
