The eastern basin of Lake Erie probably has more smallmouths than the Federal Reserve has $1 bills, but the smallmouths group by size. So it's critical to find the right school. It's more than possible to catch over 50 3-pounders in a tournament day, but 4s are the money fish and 5s are the cut fish.
The recent Erie/Niagara Bassmaster Elite Series out of Buffalo, N.Y. was shortened by 1 day due to weather and "integrity of the competition," and it took a 32-04, 2-day total just to make a check (50th place). That's better than a 3-pound average.
The 2-day, Top 12 cut weight? How about 38-04. That's nearly a 4-pound average.
What the tournament really came down to, though, was who could find the 5s. It took at least two a day to make the Top 12 cut,
and in the end, Edwin Evers whacked 23-10 the final day to clinch. His last-day total was a little shy of a 5-pound average. He ran far down the U.S. shore – about 40 miles toward Dunkirk – to find his school, as did 2nd-place Kota Kiriyama and 4th-place Terry Butcher.
John Murray (3rd) found a stout school close to the launch and dropshotted for suspended fish, and 5th-place Greg Hackney ran about 10 miles to his fish.
As with most Erie tournaments, location was much more important than baits, and the fish were already into their deep summer patterns. That placed a premium on boat control and the use of electronics – especially on day 1 when significant waves battered the field. As noted, day 2 was cancelled. Conditions then settled out to sunny skies, cool temperatures, and light winds for days 3 and 4.
Along with the above mentioned factors, anglers also struggled to land fish. There's no swinging a 5-pound smallmouth on 6- or 8-pound line, and BASS does not permit the use of nets. The landings were even more difficult on windy day 1.
Fish care was also critical. Many of the deep-caught smallmouths expired before weigh-in – the result of an expanded air bladder, and possibly the rough rides back in. A lot of the top finishers fizzed their fish to help them stay upright in the livewell.
What follows are important details about how the 2nd- through 5th-place finishers caught their fish.
2nd: Kota Kiriyama
> Day 1: 5, 20-08
> Day 2: DNF
> Day 3: 5, 18-12
> Day 4: 5, 22-03
> Total = 15, 61-07
Kiriyama often ran past Dunkirk toward Barcelona, which was a significant risk. It paid off with a 2nd-place finish, but if he could have improved his disappointing day-3 bag by 4 pounds, he could have surpassed Evers.
"I was just looking for the balls of baitfish," Kota noted. "Whatever depth they were, every time I (saw the baitballs), I'd just stop right there and dropshot a Jackall Crazy Ninja worm. I fished anywhere from 22 to 60 feet."
He targeted reefs, rockpiles, humps – "anything that held baitfish, that was the key."
The baitfish, he said, were generally on top of the rises.
> Dropshot gear: 6'6" medium-light Shimano Final Dimension rod (Japanese), Shimano Stella spinning reel, 6-pound Ganoa Hard fluorocarbon, 1/0 Nogales open eye hook and 1/0 Owner fine-wire wide-gap offset hook, 1/4-ounce Kanji tungsten dropshot weight, Jackall Crazy Ninja worm (green-pumpkin-top/watermelon-bottom).
John Murray largely targeted suspended fish – he'd dropshot halfway down the water column.
> He fished the bait about 2 feet above the weight, and noted that several suspended fish hit it on the fall.
> Main factor in his success – "Adjusting with the weather, and (on day 4), everything I made a decision about was perfect – I caught four keepers on my first four drops."
> Performance edge –"I can't say one thing was most important, because everything has to meet together."
3rd: John Murray
> Day 1: 5, 19-08
> Day 2: DNF
> Day 3: 5, 21-05
> Day 4: 5, 19-11
> Total = 15, 60-08
Murray, who hails from Arizona, practiced in Dunkirk, but because of the rough day-1 conditions, he decided to fish close to Buffalo, and never ran further than a mile or two throughout the event.
He dropshotted and notable was that he caught a lot of fish, including his biggest of the tournament, halfway up the water column.
"The first day when it was windy, I caught them on the bottom more," he said. "But when I caught my biggest one, I was just holding the bait there (suspended), and that's what got me on the suspended bite. I'd go to my GPS spots, where I caught them in practice on bottom, and the fish would be suspended right above those spots. There were lots of alewives and stuff swimming around.
"Most fish were suspended in 20 to 25 feet over 36- to 40-foot reefs and humps," he added. "The key was to use my Lowrance electronics, drop the bait right in front of them, and hold it there."
> Dropshot gear: 7'3" medium-action Powell rod, Daiwa Sol spinning reel, 8-pound Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Kanji tungsten dropshot weight.
> He fished a Berkley Gulp! Alive leech (black) with a 1/0 Roboworm ReBarb hook, and a Berkley Gulp! goby with a 1/0 Gamakatsu dropshot hook.
> Main factor in his success – "Just my familiarity with deep-water dropshotting. It felt like home."
> Performance edge – "My Lowrance LCX-26 graph and GPS. I would have zeroed if I didn't have that."
Terry Butcher dropshotted a 3-inch Yum Dinger but said the main factor in his success was his Lowrance electronics.
4th: Terry Butcher
> Day 1: 5, 18-05
> Day 2: DNF
> Day 3: 5, 19-15
> Day 4: 5, 21-15
> Total = 5, 60-03
Butcher, as noted, made the long run every day. At his destination, he worked the same technique as winner Evers, who's his brother-in-law. Butcher actually gave his spots to Evers on the final day, since he felt Evers had the better chance to win.
Butcher wasn't dialed in on a single depth. He worked through the areas while watching his Lowrance electronics and would drop when he saw bait and/or bass.
> Dropshot gear: 6'9" medium-heavy American Eagle Elite Series rod, Bass Pro Shops XPS spinning reel, 8-pound Xcalilbur Silver Thread fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce tungsten weight, 1/0 hook, 3" Yum Dinger (green-pumpkin/pepper).
> Main factor in his success – "My Lowrance electronics. They were very key all week. I was looking at all the fish."
> Performance edge – "Definitely the Lowrance electronics."
Greg Hackney fished a leech until the sun got up, then switched to a worm.
5th: Greg Hackney
> Day 1: 5, 21-02
> Day 2: DNF
> Day 3: 5, 18-14
> Day 4: 5, 19-15
> Total = 15, 59-15
Hackney said his pattern involved fishing "subtle little humps and rock reefs." They topped out between 29 and 35 feet, and the good locations on each varied "quite a bit."
"A lot of times in the morning, I'd start out at 35, then when it was time to go in (to the weigh-in) I'd be up in 29," he said.
"I couldn't pull up and say, 'They'll be right there.' I had to fish around to find them, and I had to leave quite a bit to let it rest, then come back."
> Dropshot gear: 6'10" medium-action Quantum PT Shaw Grigsby rod, Quantum PTi-30 spinning reel, 6-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon, 1/2- and 3/8-ounce Tru-Tungsten dropshot weights (depending on wind).
> He used two different baits – a 4" Strike King 3X Finesse worm (watermelon/candy), and a Berkley Gulp! Alive leech (black).
> He noted he fished the leech until the sun came up, then went with the worm.
> Main factor in his success – "My Lowrance electronics, bar none. I put the big-screen 113 on my bow and that was the smartest move I ever made. I ran the split-screen finder and GPS. That was the dominant factor here."
> Performance edge – "Again, the Lowrance electronics."
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