Fast Start Crucial With Shortened Event Possible

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Like it or not, the big water of northern Lake Michigan will be the scene this week for the conclusion of this year's Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) chase.

A race that was dominated through the early and middle parts of the season by veteran Mark Davis now finds Greg Hackney in the driver's seat, and the Louisiana pro's quest for his first Elite Series AOY crown will come down to three days at Bay de Noc (Big and Little), a fertile Great Lakes smallmouth fishery that some locals say often gets overshadowed by the trophy waters of nearby Sturgeon Bay to the south.

Mathematically, only six anglers have a chance at capturing the AOY title this week – Hackney, Aaron Martens, Todd Faircloth, Jacob Powroznik, Keith Combs and Davis. Realistically, though, it appears to be a three-man race among the red-hot Hackney, reigning AOY Martens and unfailing Faircloth. Hackney's lead over Martens is 15 points and Faircloth is 17 points back, so a Top-15 finish is all Hackney is looking for this week to seal the deal.

Powroznik, Combs and/or Davis will need the three front-runners to finish at or very close to the bottom of the 50-man field and have dynamic finishes themselves to make up the necessary ground to challenge for the title. The drama will almost certainly go down to the final day since there will be no cuts made to the field over the scheduled 3-day event.

For those outside the AOY hunt, this week will be all about moving up as high as they can in the points in an effort to collect as much year-end bonus money as possible. Aside from the AOY chase, the berths to the 2015 Bassmaster Classic derived from this year's AOY points will be doled out this week, so there is plenty at stake in Escanaba, Mich.

The weather, as it always is on the Great Lakes, will be a major focus and factor as the event moves forward. Competitors are keeping close tabs on the wind especially as its volatility will be a determinant in where and how they ultimately fish.

A small-craft advisory was issued for the Bay of Green Bay from 4 p.m. Wednesday until 1 a.m. Thursday as winds are expected to shift from the west to northeast and reach 25 to 30 miles per hour. That shouldn't have much of an impact on the Escanaba area to the north for day 1 of competition, but Friday's forecast looks pretty dicey.

Saturday is a scheduled off day, but if weather forces a cancellation of either Thursday or Friday's competition, Saturday will be used as a make-up day. Some are predicting at least one day will be canceled due to high winds, which just amplifies the importance of a quick start on Thursday.

"I definitely think so because there's definitely a chance that might be the only day we get to fish," Faircloth said. "I've had that conversation with quite a few other anglers. You're definitely going to need to catch them the first day because you might not get another chance."

"I would assume one of the days we're not going to fish so that first day is going to be important," added Alton Jones, who is among a group of anglers on the Classic bubble. "You can't hold anything back. Managing fish goes out the window. For what I'm trying to accomplish, I need a strong finish so I'm going to try to catch everything I can on the first day and if I feel like I've worn them out, I'll go to another place."

The vibe during practice was that the fish are active and in their fall transition feeding mode, however, getting to the quality fish-holding areas could require a harrowing and time-consuming run.

The last time an Elite Series event was held on Lake Michigan, it was the dubious mystery event in late June 2012 held out of Green Bay, Wis., about a 2-hour drive south of Escanaba. Much was made of the restrictive boundary put in place for that tournament by the Wisconsin DNR, which confined the field to the lower and middle portion of the Bay of Green Bay. This week, competitors appear to have vastly more water to choose from, including both Little and Big Bay de Noc as well as the islands off the southern end of the Garden Peninsula.

Below is a look at the boundary lines for this week's event (water inside the red line is fishable).

Before getting into more about the bite, here are some details about the portion of Lake Michigan that will be in play this week.

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Lake Michigan
> Type of water: Great Lake
> Surface acres: N/A
> Primary structure/cover: Humps, shoals, drops, points, bays, islands
> Primary forage: Gobies, perch
> Average depth: 20 feet
> Species: Smallmouth bass, very few largemouths
> Minimum length: 14 inches
> Reputation: Known mainly as a big-time walleye fishery, the Bay de Noc area is considered largely untapped water for smallmouth.
> Weather: Thursday looks decent ahead of a front that will bring rain and wind Friday and Saturday before clearing somewhat for Sunday.
> Water temp: Upper 50s and low 60s
> Water visibility/color: Extremely clear (15 to 20 feet) in some areas; closer to river mouths can be a little stained.
> Water level: Normal
> Fish in: 3 feet to 40 feet
> Fish phase: Fall transition
> Primary patterns: Drop shot, tubes, crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater, spinnerbait
> Winning weight: 72 pounds (3 days)
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 4 for Lake Michigan
> Biggest factors: Wind – it will be the single biggest factor as it always is on the Great Lakes
> Biggest decision: How far to go and which way – boundary will allow field to head south and east a good distance.
> Wildcard: Staying close to maximize fishing time

It's Gonna Blow

Some competitors were blown off the lake prematurely during practice while others braved the waves while trying to figure out where the best fish are. It's the Great Lakes, so there's going to be a breeze of some type. How strong and from what direction it comes will be part of the puzzle this week.

Embedded below are POV videos that a couple anglers shot during practice to illustrate just how rough a ride it can be on Lake Michigan when the wind kicks up.

David Walker



Justin Lucas

Great Wide Open

Often hailed as one of the great walleye fisheries in the country, the Bay de Noc area is home to an untapped population of smallmouth bass. From the sounds of it, anglers will be able to target fish shallow or deep as the water temperature has fallen into the upper 50s and low 60s.

According to Scott Cormier, a tournament angler who hails from nearby Gladstone, Mich., competitors will be able to find fish across much of the fishable waters applying a range of popular techniques, but there will be certain areas that attract more attention.

"There will be guys running as far south as they can go," he said. "There are a lot of community holes and spots like humps that are known among the locals. It's a lot like a ledge lake in that way, but this place gets a lot less pressure than St. Clair or Erie. It's a big open-water fishery that's not getting tapped."

Cormier also believes there will be good fish caught around the group of islands south of the Garden Peninsula.

"The whole island chain from the tip of the garden chain on down will produce some of the heavier weights," he said, "but guys will be taking their lives in their own hands to get there.

"We're not going to see the 8-pounders that area sometimes (gives up) in the spring, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a 30-pound bag."

Last week, he said he went out for a few hours in the evening to test out a new sonar unit and in the final 2 1/2 hours of daylight, he caught 50 bass with a spinnerbait.

"It just all depends on the wind," he said. "It could be a sight tournament on one day, a deep bite another day and a jerkbait/spinnerbait bite the next."

Bigger is Better

The competitors will be launching from Escanaba, Mich., on the western bank of Little Bay de Noc, but the consensus seems to be the better fishing could be in Big Bay de Noc to the east.

"Whomever finds the winning fish will probably be in the big bay," said Wisconsin angler Pat Neu, a longtime walleye pro who also fishes the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament every spring. "It gets less pressure and there's a lot more structure. If you were to pick out perfect smallmouth habitat in the Great Lakes, it's in Big Bay. It has humps, transitions and weed lines everywhere that they relate to in the early fall."

Cormier echoed Neu's sentiments.

"Every tournament I fish there I make the run (to Big Bay) to get away from the crowds," Cormier said. "The fish are easier and it has better structure. Little Bay is a lot more industrial, similar to what they saw at Green Bay."

Never Warmed Up

The effects of the brutally cold and long winter that gripped much of the upper Midwest earlier this year were felt this spring and summer as the waters of northern Lake Michigan never warmed up to their normal levels.

Typically, in the heat of summer the water will warm to 72 or 74 degrees, but Neu said the warmest water he recorded was 68.

"The fishing's been consistent up there all year," said Adam Neu, Pat's son, who works at Howie's Tackle in Sturgeon Bay and often frequents Big and Little Bay de Noc in pursuit of smallies. "They moved deep awfully early after the spawn. Normally, they hang up shallow until it warms up, but they didn't want to stay up because of the water temperatures. In mid-July, they were already out in 35 feet of water."

Classic Berths to be Had

With each competitor this week going home with no fewer than 51 points (the winner gets 100 points), there will be little opportunity to make a significant jump up the points standings.

As it stands right now, there are six double-qualifiers among the top 29 anglers (the initial cutoff for Classic qualification), meaning Classic berths would go to the Top 35, assuming the double-qualifiers hold or improve their points positions.

There are another three double-qualifiers between 30th and 35th, extending the cutoff line down to 38th, currently occupied by Clifford Pirch. Mark Tyler's victory at the Arkansas River Central Open last weekend freed up another Classic berth through the AOY points since Tyler did not secure the win-and-you're-in invite because he didn't fish the first two Central Opens. That means the Classic cutoff could ultimately reach down to 39th. The gap between 39th and 50th is 17 points right now.

Notes from the Field

Following are practice notes from a few of the anglers who'll be competing this week.

Todd Faircloth
"I have confidence in a few areas, but when you come to these big bodies of waster, you're at the mercy of the wind and all of your decision processes are based on the weather and wind. You have to look at what the forecast is predicting for the tournament days and practice based on that, but the weatherman isn't always right either.

"It doesn't seem like they're real picky when you get around them. They're not everywhere and smallmouth can move – I've seen that first hand – but to me if you're around the right area and get a bait around them, it doesn't seem like you have to do something special to get a bite.

"It's similar in some ways but different in other ways. We're here at a different time than I've fished the Great Lakes before. I haven't fished around smallmouth enough to have a good understanding if they migrate like largemouth do in the fall. It seems like it's more about areas with smallmouth. You just have to be around them.

"If they'd confine us to an area, it would be a lot more manageable, we have a huge body of water to fish so if the wind blows, it’s going to be rough. If we were fishing just Little Bay, we could probably fish all 3 days no problem, but it seems as though to do well, you're going to have to run a ways from what I've seen."

Chad Morgenthaler
"It's hard. You just don't know what to expect. It doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy, that's for sure. It's not that the fish won't bite or we can't catch them. It's getting to them and doing the right things that will be the key part. To be quite honest, I caught them good in practice, but it's very indicative of a situation that could explode. It'll all happen in 5 minutes because when you light them up, you will literally light them up.

"I caught over 20 the last 2 days, but it's been in three or four spots. You try to play the weather but it's not a guarantee that I'll even be able to fish any of those areas. I have no clue right now. It's hard to just go fishing and catch one."

Randall Tharp
"I do have some confidence, but I'm really bad at judging fish. I had a good day Tuesday and a good day today, but I don't think 20 a day will get it done. You're going to need 25 a day here to get it done and I have seen those kinds of fish.

"The forecast isn't looking very good so I tried to prepare for fishing every day and I fished in areas where I think I can fish in 20-mile-per-hour winds. It's definitely some big water here and it hasn't even blown since we'vee been here and it's pretty scary. I have it narrowed down to a few things – one primary lure, but I've caught good ones on four different baits.

"If it's really big waves, I cant catch them. I have to have sheltered water to catch one and I know some places will be unfishable. In the morning there seems to be a really small window before it starts blowing. The first day is going to be very important to have a chance to win. If you catch 15 tomorrow, you have no chance. Twenty pounds will be a good day, but you might not be able to recover from that even."

Alton Jones
"I fished two completely different areas the first two days. I had good days, but the reason for doing that is to be ready for whatever the wind is going to do. Some areas set up better for the wind to position the fish right. It seems like a southwest and northeast wind are best because they come right up and down the bays.

"It's amazing how big this place is, but I think it'll fish pretty small. The really good habitat is limited and it's pretty easy to spot on the map. I think Big Bay is better than Little Bay, and we also have those islands that separate Green Bay from Lake Michigan. I think those will be the two predominant areas.

"The amazing thing is how quickly the wind switches directions and any time it does, it does move the fish, so it's really going to be important to have a handle on what the wind does to position the fish and you have to apply what you've learned in practice."

Chris Lane
"Practice bas been cold, but the smallies are biting okay. We should see a few 20-plus pound bags if we get to go. They are calling for some pretty windy days here.

"It's not so much about the long runs, but they're hard runs so when you find them you need to catch them and then start working your way back because you never know when you'll come around a point and you could be looking at 5-foot waves or more.

"I can catch fish. I'm just not sure where 15 to 20 pounds will put you. I figure I need a Top-5 to really move up In the points and I feel that I need about 21 to 23 to do that."

Top 10 To Watch

With the above in mind and more, here, in no particular order, is BassFan's recommendation on the Top 10 to watch at this event:

1. Aaron Martens – As good as there is with finesse tackle and electronics, the reigning AOY won't go quietly this week. He seems to relish the opportunity of finding the needle in the haystack on big water and often delivers.

2. Edwin Evers – He's no stranger to success on the Great Lakes – he won at Lake Erie in '07 and was 3rd there in '08. Missed the money in three of the first four events this season, but finished strong and is a virtual lock for his 14th career Classic.

3. Brandon Palaniuk – These big, open-water events seem tailor-made for Palaniuk, who is poised for the best points finish of his career. He was the runner-up at Green Bay in 2012 and showed no fear in winning at the St. Lawrence River a year ago.

4. Todd Faircloth – One of those pros who catches 'em everywhere, Faircloth quietly compiled another dynamite season with four Top-12s, including two runner-up finishes. If Martens and Hackney stumble, the door could swing open for him to capture that elusive first AOY.

5. Greg Hackney – Capturing the AOY title would be a sweet way to cap off what's already been a phenomenal year for Hackney, who has two tour-level wins among his six single-digit finishes this season. He enjoys pursuing smallmouth and has a couple Top-12s at Lake Erie on his résumé.

6. Mike Iaconelli – Already qualified for the Classic, don't expect Iaconelli to coast this week. He loves smallmouth fishing on the Great Lakes and has been on a good roll since placing 6th at Lake Dardanelle.

7. Clifford Pirch – Fresh off his third career U.S. Open win at Lake Mead, Pirch comes in as the one of the bubble boys this week and is seeking his second Classic berth. He had Top-25 results in the last three Elite Series events and is no stranger to finesse fishing in clear water.

8. Kevin Short – If not for Anthony Gagliardi's incredible run to the Forrest Wood Cup, Short would be the runaway leader for story of the year in bass fishing. He missed an entire tournament after his house was destroyed by a tornado and has rallied back to 34th in points. He's coming off Top-10s at the last two tournaments and is typically strong in northern smallmouth derbies.

9. Chris Lane – Surprised many last year with his win at Lake St. Clair. He was the runner-up to Iaconelli at the Delaware River this year and is already locked into the Classic next year.

10. Justin Lucas – The Elite Series newcomer has locked up his first Classic berth and now will look to conquer the Great Lakes in an effort to climb the points ladder as much as possible.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

> Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. ET Thursday, Friday and Sunday from North Shore Public Boat Ramp (Power Plant Rd., Escanaba, MI). Weigh-ins will get under way at 4 p.m. at Ludington Park (8800 Michigan Route 116, Ludington, MI).

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., Sept. 18 – Sunny - 54°/45°
- Wind: From the E at 8 mph

> Fri., Sept. 19 – Showers - 60°/57°
- Wind: From the S at 19 mph

> Sun., Sept. 21 – Partly Cloudy - 58°/42°
- Wind: From the W at 14 mph

Notable

> The fall Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament was held last Saturday and winning team of Scott Webster and Daryl Warren hauled in a six-fish bag that weighed 27.79 pounds, including a 5.13-pound kicker.