Waverly, Ohio resident Whitney Stephens caught a 20-05 stringer on Saturday to win the Lake Erie Bassmaster Northern Open and claim a berth in the 2016 Bassmaster Classic. He finished with a 3-day total of 65-01.
Stephens started the event in 5th place and moved up two slots each day. His final total outdistanced runner-up Jeff Lugar of Virginia by 9 ounces.
Stephens relied on his bow-mounted fishfinder to pinpoint the location of smallmouth bass holding on isolated rockpiles in 23 to 28 feet of water. rocks created a buffer of calm water for the bass until baitfish swept by in the current.
“I found the baitfish first and the bass were nearby,” he said. “It would have been nearly impossible to find them without the fishfinder.”
He fished eight different areas around the bass-rich waters of Pelee Island. Stephens, like most other anglers fishing similar patterns, had limited fishing time due to rough boating conditions. The trip to his fishing area took an hour each way.
Stephens and the other top anglers employed dropshot rigs. Full details of his winning pattern will be published in the coming days.
Here are the final totals for the Top 12:
1. Whitney Stephens: 65-01
2. Jeff Lugar: 64-08
3. Jason Root: 54-07
4. Jamie Jocobus: 62-15
5. Al Farace: 59-09
6. Fletcher Shryock: 59-07
7. Destin DeMarion: 57-04
8. Pete Gluszek: 54-10
9. Tim Sprouse: 53-06
10. Derek Remitz: 51-00
11. Steve Clapper: 46-11
12. Zachary Maisch: 45-13
