FLW Pro Circuit angler Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del. caught a 15-08 stringer on Thursday to win the three-day FLW Series event on Lake Erie out of Sandusky, Ohio. Mitchell’s three-day total of 60-02 earned him the win by a 2-10 margin over 2nd-place angler Mike Trombly of Belleville, Mich, and earned Mitchell the top payout of $27,706 in the second tournament of the 2020 Northern Division.
"Today was a nail-biter, I really thought I only had like 12 1/2 pounds,” said Mitchell, who pushed his career earnings to more than $250,000. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet. Right now, I just feel relieved. I really thought I blew a 6-pound lead. That would have been horrible.
“I thought I was going to catch them today,” Mitchell continued. “The wind changed directions today and it was really cool last night. It felt like a really high-pressure day, and they weren’t eating. I had two bites in the morning and they were eating weird, they would sit and tap and tap a dropshot or a Ned rig and not suck it in. It was bad, it was horrible, I lost like two or three big ones and broke off like six fish today.”
Mitchell had two primary patterns throughout the week – one was a rock jetty underwater and the other was a series of hard spots. Today, the rock jetty was almost a deal-breaker.
“The gobies were in there thick today and the smallmouths were picking at my drop-shot just like the gobies,” says Mitchell. “So, I would really let them have it, and the gobies would take my bait right into the rocks, and if the bass would bite after, I would snap off every time.”
Mitchell’s primary bait was a dropshot with a Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm in blue pearl silver flake in stained water and natural shad in clearer water. On days 1 and 2, he used a 3/8- and a 1/2-ounce weight, but lighter wind and a tougher bite saw him downsize to a 1/4-ounce weight on day 3. Mitchell also used a Ned rig with a 1/8-ounce Picasso Rhino Ned Head and a shortened Yamamoto Senko in the crushed goby color.
Mitchell hails from Delaware, which is not really known for its smallmouth, but he’s got a real knack for the Great Lakes.
“I have a really good feel for when smallmouth get pressured,” said Mitchell. “It lets me know when to go or stay, or when to slow down. At Buffalo last year, I was throwing a (Strike King) Z Too in practice, and they were crushing it. As soon as a bunch of boats rolled into that area, they quit biting it, and I downsized my baits and ended up catching 20 pounds.
“I’m not an expert by any means, but I can usually find a couple areas and pound them out.”
Here are the final totals for the Top 10:
1. Kurt Mitchell: 60-02
2. Mike Trombly: 57-08
3. Randy Ramsey: 56-15
4. Hugh Cosculleula: 50-11
5. Pat Upthagrove: 48-13
6. Chase Serafin: 48-05
7. Edward Levin: 47-06
8. Justin Hicks: 41-10
9. Jonathan Dietz: 39-07
10. Jason Kervin: 36-15
