The top 70 teams at the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament over the weekend all averaged 4 pounds per fish or better as the weights were as good as they’ve ever been in the annual derby.
Over the two-day event which featured 127 boats, 134 stringers of 20 pounds of more were weighed in.
The team of Jason Stangal and John Ullmer tallied 57.87 pounds over two days – 28.65 on Friday and a tournament-best 29.22 on Saturday – to win by more than 6 pounds.
It’s the highest winning total since 2014 when John Allen and Scott Ourada caught 65.62 pounds.
Stangal said he's been fishing the Sturgeon Bay event for 24 years and after several top-10 finishes, including a runner-up showing, it was a thrill to finally capture the victory.
"It's a hard tournament to win," he said. "It attracts some of the best anglers in Canada and from around the area. John and I have roomed together in the past at this event and have always shared info so it was a good fit for us. This means a lot. You look at the guys who've won it and you hope to get an opportunity one day to win it. I haven't been able to seal the deal, but this year everyting came together."
Stangal said the key presentation on day 1, when it was sunny, was a 2.8-inch Keitech FAT Impact swimbait on an 1/8-oz. ball head jig. On day 2, under overcast skies, they switched to Cricket Creek tubes and dead-sticked them mostly. They targeted 3 to 7 feet of water both days where the bottom transitioned from sand to rock.
"More fish seemed to be funneling into our areas," Stangal added. "The three of four days before the tournament it got pretty warm and there were waves of fish still moving in. It was prime time for those big females to move in and feed before they sliding back out before moving in to spawn."
Walleye pros Robert Blosser and Joe Okada finished 2nd with 51.47 while the father-son duo of Chase and Gary Parsons, both pro walleye anglers as well, took 3rd with 51.42.
There were nine smallmouth that weighed 7 pounds or more, including an 8.78-pound, 22-inch brute by the team of Marty McSharry and Benny Antoniewicz on day 2.
To see the full results, click here.
