Shaw Holds On, Edges Vatalaro By 3 Ounces

You could see the gears turning and numbers calculating in Alvin Shaw's head as he slid his five smallmouths into the weigh tank this afternoon during the final weigh-in of the Chevy Open (Detroit River FLW Tour).

"I don't know," was the only phrase the 13-year tournament veteran could meekly muster into the mic when asked whether he thought his final-day limit would be enough to send him home with a victory.

Ohio pro Vic Vatalaro had just logged the heaviest limit of the day a few moments before at 19-07, and everyone knew the final outcome was going to be a close one.

For the first time since the event kicked off on Thursday, Shaw's limit failed to breech the 20-pound barrier, but his solid 18-13 five-fish limit was just enough to hold off a scrapping Vatalaro by a slim 3-ounce margin.

All of the Top 10 pros noted that the fishing was considerably more difficult today. Shaw and Vatalaro were among a select few who were able rely on one specific pattern throughout the duration of competition. For most of the other competitors, the combination of high winds, rough water and pressured, beat-up fish forced them to scramble in an attempt to string together limits any way they could on day 4.

Local ace and first-time FLW Tour angler Mark Modrak utilized his extensive knowledge of the fishery to generate a productive milk run of new water that coughed up an impressive 18-11 limit, which landed him in 3rd.

Another pro with roots that run deep on these waters, Kim Stricker, finished up in 4th thanks to his 14-05 limit of St. Clair River bronzebacks. Behind him in 5th place was Florida pro J.T. Kenney who managed a meager 8-03, four-fish total from within the safer confines of the Detroit River today.

Shaw Satisfied

This win marks Shaw's second FLW Tour victory. His first came in 2005 at Alabama's Lake Wheeler. "To win that first one was just like getting the monkey off your back," he said. "This one is a whole different feeling. It's just a sweet feeling."

And for him, the fact that this win came on a northern fishery makes it even sweeter.

"Most of the guys were really pulling for me," he said. "All my comrades wanted to see (a victory) come back to the south."

He came into this event with the sole purpose of finishing high enough to solidify his spot in the Forrest Wood Cup championship coming up in August. With that goal in mind, he elected to forego Erie and focus strictly on St. Clair - a decision he thinks ultimately laid the foundation for his triumph.

"Normally I probably would've checked on both (Erie and St. Clair)," he said. "But I knew that St. Clair was the safer bet for a consistent finish, and I think all the extra time I spent in there really made a big difference. I had some stuff I could fall back on, and I had to use it today."

A "flotilla of locals" were waiting on him at his first spot this morning, but that's not the worst part. "Half of them were fishing," he said. "I looked around and I could see bent rods. It wasn't a good way to start the day.

"I was definitely panicking a little bit at that point," he added. "I went in there and tried to root some of (the locals) out, but that wasn't working. I just had to give that spot up and move around a little."

He eventually assembled his limit by noon, and then culled twice before heading in. He's been using a "very sensitive digital scale" to weigh and cull all his fish. "We're only dealing with a matter of ounces," he noted. But the bucking waves made it impossible to keep tabs on exactly what he had today.

"I really didn't know how things were going to turn out. When I got up on stage and started pulling those fish out of the bag they looked a little better than I thought they were. I thought, 'You know, I might have a chance.'

"I was relieved and excited when those scales locked and I won by 3 ounces," he added. "This is just a tremendous victory for me. It's very satisfactory to be rewarded for your hard work like this."

About how the win will help boost his confidence for the upcoming championship, he said: "It definitely helps to have a little momentum. I've had a good overall year, and I'm looking forward to the Cup.

"I've already started adding up some numbers, though. If I wouldn't have fallen on my face at Ft. Loudoun I think I could've beat (David) Dudley for the Angler of the Year. But I can't complain. It's been a great season."

3rd: Modrak Ecstatic

"This whole week has been a whirlwind for me," said Michigan pro Mark Modrak about the first FLW Tour event he's ever competed in. "I'm feel very fortunate that things ended up the way they did. This was a great experience for me."

Modrak, 4th-place finisher Kim Stricker, and 6th-place finisher David Reault all have extensive local knowledge of the water that surrounds the Detroit River. Interestingly, all three elected to spend the majority of their time working spots in or near the St. Clair River.

"Sometimes that local knowledge can goof you up because you have too many spots to go to," Modrak said. "But it definitely helped me today."

He abandoned the spots where he'd caught his fish during the first 3 days of competition and "just went running the river" today. "I just hit little eddies and current breaks. The fish were there. I just got lucky.

"I tried the deep stuff like Alvin and Vic were working in practice, but all I got out there was small fish," he added. "I guess I just didn't put enough effort into doing that. I decided to stick with what I know - and that's the rivers."

A custom-made tube and Berkley Gulp! Alive! minnows produced all his fish. He used both baits on a shallow dropshot rig.

"I fish a dropshot a lot different than most of the other guys around here," he said. "I fish it in shallow water - about 4 feet - so I only run the hook about 12 to 18 inches above the weight. I just twitch it up and down in that current break. It's just like trout fishing.

"All my big fish came on the Berkley Gulp!," he added.

4th: Stricker Jerked 'Em

The traffic associated with a local tournament that launched out of the north end of St. Clair hindered Stricker's bite on day 3, but he bounced back with a heavier sack in the last quarter.

"I had a spot that was producing some good quality fish for me during the qualifying days," he said. "I ran to that spot first thing yesterday and there was a guy already on it. He saw me coming and said, 'You gotta' be kidding. I didn't think anybody knew about this spot.'

"He let me have the spot, but he'd already caught three good fish off it before I got there. This morning I got on that spot and caught my two biggest fish. I lost a 4-pounder both days, too. But that's just how it goes."

A Strick-9 (the bait company he owns) shiner soft-plastic jerkbait accounted for most of his fish.

"The fish I were catching were finicky," he noted. "They're just sitting up there cruising those flats. I was just trying to put that Strick-9 shiner in front of as many of them as I could. The key was covering a lot of water with that bait.

"Overall, there's two main reasons I did better today," he added. "The first was that there was less local pressure. The second was the sunshine.

"These fish were coming out of the main river channel onto the shallow flats along the sides of the channel. When that sun comes out they like to get up there and chase bait and sun themselves. Without the sun it makes it a lot tougher to catch them."

Additional Notes

Following are some highlights from today's weigh-in.

> 5th: J.T. Kenney - "This has been a pretty good week for me. I know a lot of guys are catching them in St. Clair, but I've caught mine in Erie this week. I saw some stuff (on Erie) that scared me. You have to respect this body of water."

> 6th: David Reault - "Tournament fishing is all about making decisions. I tried for a big sack today and it just didn't materialize. At the end of the day I tried to make up some numbers, but it was rough out there. I agree with Mark (Modrak), today was the worst I've ever seen the Detroit River."

> 7th: Michael Bennett - "I thought I'd be able to make up some ground today, but I only managed to get one big bite early this morning. I caught that fish on a Berkley Gulp! 5-inch leech in black olive color. Today was just a little too windy for me to concentrate on my specific spots. I know they were down there, but it was hard staying on 'em."

> 8th: Keith Monson - "I heard three words this morning: small craft advisory. When I heard that I knew I was going to be fishing in the (Detroit) river. I focused on largemouths, today. I didn't really have a plan. I just grabbed my heavier gear and went fishing today. I want to thank God for all of this. I've been so blessed. I'm living a dream."

> 9th: Keith Combs - "The last 2 days things have changed for me and I couldn't make adjustments. I went back out to Erie today. I got to fish my stuff for a little while this morning, but I just didn't get bit. I've enjoyed this week. This has definitely been one of the high points of my career."

> 10th: David McCrone - "I guess you could sum up my week as heaven and hell. But this is probably the most (money) I'll ever win fishing."

Notable

> Day 3 stats – 10 anglers, 6 limits, 1 four, 2 threes, 1 zero (one more than yesterday).

> At the previous FLW Tour event at Ft. Loudoun-Tellico, FLW changed it's weigh-in format to one where the final three anglers weighed one fish each, then another fish each, and so on. That tweak didn't stay around long. Today they returned to the traditional format of one angler at a time.

Final Standings

1. Alvin Shaw -- State Road, NC -- 5, 20-14 -- 5, 18-13 -- 10, 39-11 -- $150,000 + $50,000

2. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Ohio -- 5, 20-01 -- 5, 19-07 -- 10, 39-08 -- $50,000

3. Mark Modrak -- China Township, Mich. -- 5, 12-09 -- 5, 18-11 -- 10, 31-04 -- $40,000

4. Kim Stricker -- Howell, Mich. -- 5, 11-15 -- 5, 14-05 -- 10, 26-04 -- $35,000

5. JT Kenney -- Port Charlotte, Fla. -- 5, 16-14 -- 4, 8-03 -- 9, 25-01 -- $30,000

6. David Reault -- Livonia, Mich. -- 5, 13-09 -- 3, 8-05 -- 8, 21-14 -- $28,000

7. Michael Bennett -- Lincoln, Calif. -- 3, 8-12 -- 5, 12-12 -- 8, 21-08 -- $26,000

8. Keith Monson -- Burgin, Ky. -- 3, 8-01 -- 5, 11-13 -- 8, 18-11 -- $24,000

9. Keith Combs -- Del Rio, Texas -- 3, 8-01 -- 3, 8-12 -- 6, 16-13 -- $22,000

10. David McCrone -- Minnetonka, Minn. -- 2, 6-15 -- 0, 0-00 -- 2, 6-15 -- $20,000