On The Line: Crowding A Theme At ‘Small’ Green Bay

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

When B.A.S.S. announced last month that Lake Michigan would fill the “mystery lake” slot on the Elite Series schedule, in many ways the real mystery remained unsolved.

For starters, very few Elite Series pros have spent much, if any, time fishing the vast waters of Green Bay, where the event will be focused. When the announcement was made, the first question through many minds centered on the weather and if it would hamper their ability to fish where and how they wanted to.

Another question was just how much water would be available to fish. Green Bay is a massive estuary off the northwest side of Lake Michigan, measuring 120 miles long with an average width of 23 miles. It’s a big body of water with a burgeoning reputation as an elite smallmouth fishery.

The latter question was answered a few weeks ago when the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued the tournament permit with a caveat that the field be restricted to essentially the lower portion of the bay, a decision that has drawn the ire of anglers and B.A.S.S.

Many, including B.A.S.S. co-owner Jerry McKinnis, feel the tournament boundaries are overly restrictive and won’t allow the pros access to the world-class smallmouth fishing that exists in the middle and upper portions of the bay. Based on the practice reports from several competitors, it appears they’re right.

So what can BassFans expect this week from the penultimate tournament on the schedule? Long runs and plenty of crowding along the boundary line as pros jockey for position in order to target the best available fish. That’s provided the weather allows for such a trip, which based on the forecasts, it should.

Those factors, coupled with the growing drama of the Toyota Tundra B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year race, should at least make for a tournament worth watching.

It’s the first Elite Series event on a Great Lake since the series visited Lake Erie/Niagara River back in 2008, a tournament Kota Kiryama won with more than 93 pounds of smallmouths. It’s a virtual lock we won’t see weights in that neighborhood this week with the bay fishing so small. It’s possible weights could be as tight as they were last week at the Mississippi River with a bevy of similar-sized fish roaming the bay.

Before uncovering more about the bite, here’s the lowdown on the Green Bay portion of Lake Michigan:

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Michigan (Green Bay)
> Type of water: Great Lake
> Surface acres: 119,040 (all of Green Bay)
> Primary structure/cover: Humps, reefs, shoals, rockpiles, break walls, docks, grass, some wrecks
> Primary forage: Alewives, shiners, gobies
> Average depth: 9 feet (lower bay), 50 feet (middle bay)
> Species: Smallmouths and largemouths
> Minimum length: 14” for all species
> Reputation: The northern (off-limits) portion of Green Bay is where the trophy opportunities exist. The tournament waters will yield fish, but not the quality it would if, say, Marinette, Wis., to the west or Sturgeon Bay to the east were the takeoff point.
> Weather: Should be stable through the weekend, with offshore winds in the 10 to 15 mph range, which shouldn’t roil the waters into anything beyond a normal chop. There’s a slight chance of thunderstorms on Thursday and Saturday.
> Water temp: Low 70s
> Water visibility/color: Aside from some pockets of clean water, most of the lower bay has some stain and 2 to 3 feet of visibility, but as you move farther away from the mouth of the Fox River, visibility is in the 6-foot range.
> Water level: Normal (rivers are a bit low)
> Fish in: All depths
> Fish phase: Post-spawn
> Primary patterns: Tubes, dropshots (minnows, gobies, worms, reapers, Senkos), Carolina rigs, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits
> Winning weight: 73 pounds (4 days)
> Cut weight (Top 12 after 3 days): 51 pounds
> Check weight (Top 50): 23 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 1.5 (based on fishable area)
> Biggest factors: Weather. It’s the single most important factor when fishing Green Bay or any Great Lake, for that matter. Where and how you fish is dictated by it. If the wind blows hard, making the run to the boundary line or even the bays on the eastern shore could prove treacherous.
> Biggest decision: How far to go. It would seem the best chance at consistent quality bites would require a lengthy jaunt to the northern edge of the tournament waters. Some will be unwilling to venture that far.
> Wildcard: Wind-blown shorelines. It the winds blows the same way, it can stack fish in certain areas.

To The Edge

There was much bellyaching after it was announced the Wisconsin DNR was prohibiting competitors from venturing north to Sturgeon Bay and beyond. Pros were hoping to have access to the entire bay, but concerns about fish mortality will keep the field in the lower bay. What the pros got is an area to fish roughly the size of Lake Winnebago, another Wisconsin fishery that was considered to fill the mystery slot.

The only problem is much of what’s fishable is “dead water,” according to several pros, and there are few other places to go to get on something off the wall. The result will be boats packed tightly together trying to pinpoint those spots on the spot that could turn out bites.

Here’s a refresher on what water is in play:

The competitors will be confined to the area south of a line between the Splinter Causeway break wall near the mouth of the Oconto River on the west shore and the Sherwood Point Lighthouse on the east shore. No boats will be allowed north of that line. Also, no boats are allowed above the first Bridge (S) on the Oconto River or within 200 feet of the DePere Dam on the Fox River in downtown Green Bay. No locking above DePere Dam will be permitted.

Scott Gutschow has been guiding on Green Bay for more than 15 years and even he was disappointed to see the boundary hem the field into an area not known for its trophy smallmouths this time of year.

“I believe it’s a travesty for the Bay of Green Bay,” he said. “It’s not going to provide the Elites the chance to see the true potential of the bay. I’ve never targeted the lower bay because there’s too much good fishing up north. The water is very warm this time of year. It’s more of a walleye deal in there now.”

BassFans could see a scene reminiscent of past Elite Series events at Lake Erie that launched out of Buffalo, N.Y., where the top finishers braved 2-hour runs in the wind and waves to reach pods of 4- and 5-pound fish holding off of Barcelona, N.Y. Gutschow expects competitors to make long runs to the edge of the fishable waters, but he’s not sure the quality will align with Erie.

A series of bays up along the eastern shore -- Little Sturgeon Bay, Rileys Bay and Sand Bay -- are known smallie haunts and figure to get plenty of attention this week, Gutschow said, as will the few offshore reefs and the area around Snake Island in the northeast corner of the fishable waters.

“Those three bays will be a saving grace,” Gutschow added.

Factor 1: Weather

There may not be a bigger crapshoot on the schedule than this week’s event because of the unknown variables like weather, combined with the lack of experience and, for some, confidence on Lake Michigan’s big waters. Not having the ability to pre-practice the tournament waters, however, didn’t prevent some pros from putting in north of the cutoff line in recent weeks to at least get acclimated to the surroundings.

The biggest factor on everyone’s mind coming into the week was the weather. The winds blew hard from the north on Monday, resulting in 6-footers down in the bay during practice, but it’s laid down for the most part since then.

By the looks of the forecasts, it could prove to be a non-issue with offshore winds not expected to exceed 15 mph.

Factor 2: Points

While some are already contending with motion-sickness issues, everyone is trying to formulate a plan to collect the most points without beating up their equipment or themselves before the Elite Series takes a 6-week break in advance of the season finale at Oneida Lake in late August. That's when this AOY drama will come to a close.

Here’s what the Top 10 in points looks like now:

1. Brent Chapman: 494 points
2. Todd Faircloth: 476
3. Randy Howell: 471
4. Matthew Herren: 460
5. Ott DeFoe: 459
6. Terry Scroggins: 444
7. Kevin VanDam: 435
8. Bill Lowen: 432
9. Edwin Evers: 428
10 (tie). Cliff Pace: 421
10 (tie). Brandon Card: 421

With weights expected to drop off each day due to the pressure certain areas will receive this week, getting off to a strong start will be essential for the points leaders to hold serve and guard against a dropoff. Keep an eye on Faircloth, VanDam and Evers, though. They all have strong track records at Erie, but that may be of little value this week.

Maybe more importantly, at least for Classic berths, here’s what the standings look like from 28th to 38th:

28 (tie). Mike Iaconelli: 357
28 (tie). Jamie Horton: 357
30. Mike McClelland: 355
31. Skeet Reese: 354
32. Shaw Grigsby: 352
33. Mark Davis: 351
34. Andy Montgomery: 346
35. Rick Clunn: 345
36. John Crews, Jr.: 343
37. Bradley Roy: 340
38. Greg Vinson: 334

With four double-qualifiers (Chapman, Faircloth, Chris Lane and Alton Jones) among the Top 28 in points, Shaw Grigsby, who’s in 32nd, would be the last man into the Classic based on points right now. The rest of the names listed have been making steady advances since the season-opening Florida swing, except for Roy. He was 18th after three events, but has been slipping down the ledger ever since.

Notes from the Field

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

Jonathon VanDam
“I’m looking forward to it. With the cutoff situation the way it was, it’ll make things a bit tougher on guys, but this place is chock full of fish. (Monday) was tough. I was surprised at how tough it was to catch nice fish, but once you find them, you can catch some good ones. They school up pretty good here.

“The (bays) will be a big factor. That’s where a lot of the fish spawn and that area always seems to hold fish because it has reefs and rocks and some grass. There’s a little bit of everything in there. They can be tough to find up there, but I’d be willing to bet a couple of the Top 12 will come out of there.

“It’ll be a big adjustment and a lot of guys will be uncomfortable in the big water and deep water. There is going to be a lot of relying on your graph whereas on the Mississippi I hardly had to use my graph other than to get around.

“For me, I’m very comfortable on the Great Lakes. I feel like this is my best shot at winning this year. I’ll be pretty disappointed if I’m not right there, but I have yet to see the quality it’s going to take.”

Clark Reehm
“It’s not so much the quality I’m worried about. It’s been a struggle to get bites. The only explanation I have is that they feed on these different winds. Hopefully, with the winds shifting out of the south and a warm front coming, it’ll turn them on.

“There are only so many places these fish can be located at and we all have the same Navionics chips. We’re all working in the same places so it’s just a big merry-go-round. I’m figuring most of the field will be up around the boundary line.

“Another thing that’s making it interesting is there’s some sort of algae bloom happening because there’s all this slime on the rocks in water that’s like 10 feet or less. It makes it tricky dragging different baits around.

“Most of these fish are still relatively shallow, like 20 feet or shallower. It’s not like Lake Erie where they’re 20 feet or deeper. Everything will depend on the wind. It’d be great it we could have about an 8-mph wind and we could chuck big jerkbaits and spinnerbaits, but if it’s slick calm, it’ll more of a finesse deal.”

John Murray
“The problem is the bay is fishing really small. There’s a lot of dead water in this little bay. From what I’ve seen maybe the entire field will be fishing the boundary line.

"I fished the whole west side on Monday and found a few, but no big ones. I haven’t fished by the ramp at all or in the river, but I’ve been out in 65 feet of water in the middle of the bay and have been trying a lot of weird stuff. It’s been pretty slow for me.

“There are no similarities to Erie at all. Maybe the west end around Sandusky, but that’s it. There’s nothing here.”

Alton Jones
“It seems like there’s a lot of dead water and it seems like most of what we’re allowed to fish is dead water. The fishing is pretty good in a couple of areas. The problem is the whole field is likely going to be concentrated in those same areas.

“I’d be shocked if the weights go up each day for the simple fact that those areas are going to get so much pressure. You can definitely get bit if you go into those areas, but there are going to be 50 or 60 boats at a time in those small places. You can leave those areas and go hours and hours and not get a bite.

“I think limits will be an issue just because of the crowds. You have guys who are good smallmouth fishermen who are going to catch them because the bite seems to be traditional smallmouth fishing, but the guys who don’t excel at catching smallmouths might struggle to get five keeper bites.”

Keith Combs
“I’ve caught some fish, but it going to be fishing small. I don’t think I’m doing anything different from what the rest of the field is going to be doing. You’re just going to need a string of good days to do well.

“Once I got away from the other boats, the bites were few and far between. I feel it’ll be hard to win in amongst all of those boats. I think you’ll have to find something different, but I think a good finish can be had fishing the normal way. It’s just not going to be that fun of a tournament because of the limited area. It certainly would be fun to have the run of the whole lake.

“Some of the FLW stuff I’ve fished took me to (Lake) Champlain and (Lake) Erie so I’m prepared for it. I like fishing for smallmouth, but I don’t feel like I’m going to be setting the world on fire this week. I’ve had a couple stinkers in a row and I definitely need come out of here with hopefully a Top-20. That would take some of the pressure off heading into the last tournament.”

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. Kevin VanDam – Moved up five spots to 7th in the AOY points after a 13th at La Crosse and you know he’s going to want to continue climbing, especially in his home region. He loves smallmouth fishing and that’s what this week is all about.

2. Aaron Martens – He’s inside the Classic cut line now (26th place) after a couple of Top-5s in the last three derbies. This one could play into his wheelhouse – offshore structure where electronics will prove critical.

3. Jonathon VanDam – He’s mired in 83rd in points right now, but he knows this water well and did some homework, fishing the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament last month. Even if that water’s off-limits this week, if he gets on quality fish, he’ll be in the mix.

4. Nate Wellman – Another Michigan native who’s at ease when the surf kicks up. He’s quietly put together a stellar season with only one missed cut (59th at Bull Shoals) and is closing in on his first Classic berth (18th in points).

5. Kota Kiriyama – Cashed just his second check of the season last week and hasn’t made a 12-cut since he won at Lake Erie in 2008. A bit of a stretch pick, but his prowess with a dropshot rod should be an asset this week.

6. Todd Faircloth – Likes offshore structure and doesn’t mind crowds, two elements that’ll come into play this week. Fresh off a win at the Mighty Mississippi, he’s got designs on AOY now, too. Has two Top-20s at Erie on his dossier.

7. Edwin Evers – A 38th-place finish at the Mississippi has him holding steady in the Top 10 in points and he’s proven himself on Erie with a win (2007) and a 3rd (2008), so the big water won’t rattle him.

8. Cliff Pace – He’s on one heck of a hot streak with four straight Top-15 finishes, including back-to-back runner-up showings at Toledo Bend and the Mississippi River. He has a full supply of momentum and confidence and he’s strong around structure to boot.

9. Travis Manson – The only native Cheesehead among the Elites, he used to fish Green Bay’s waters more than 60 times a year before he hit the big time. He would’ve liked to fish the upper reaches of the bay, but this is his backyard. He’ll figure it out.

10. Mike Iaconelli – Currently 28th in points, you know he’s stoked to chase smallies this week. He has one Top-20 finish to his credit in 2012 and one or two more would surely lock up a Classic berth.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

> Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from the Metro Boat Launch (102 Bay Beach Road, Green Bay, Wis.) Weigh-ins will get under way at 3:15 p.m. at the Metro Boat Launch (same address).

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., June 28 – Mostly Sunny/Chance of PM T-Storm - 94°/67°
- Wind: From the NW at 6 to 12 mph

> Fri., June 29 – Mostly Sunny - 86°/67°
- Wind: From the WNW at 6 to 10 mph

> Sat., June 30 – Mostly Sunny - 85°/65°
- Wind: From the WSW at 6 to 9 mph

> Sun., July 1 – Mostly Sunny - 84°/63°
- Wind: From the WSW at 6 to 9 mph

Notable

> AOY points leader Brent Chapman weighed in on his practice session. To read his practice recap, click here to go on tour with BassFan Big Sticks.