By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
It’s not often that largemouth play into the outcome of a tournament on Lake Erie, but when the 10 finalists at last week’s Lake Erie Northern FLW Series were limited to the waters of Sandusky Bay due to high winds on the big lake, green fish suddenly became the stars of the show.
Good thing Lee Rogers threw some largemouth tackle in his truck before leaving his home in New Jersey. Rogers compiled two decent days on Erie before bagging 15-10 on day 3 to clinch his first FLW victory. His three-day total of 48-12 eclipsed Drew Sanford by nine ounces.
“I was in shock on stage,” Rogers said. “It’s a dream to compete against this caliber of guys and to make day 3, I was ecstatic. In all honesty, it started to sink in on the drive home with all the texts and emails from folks I know.”
This was not the typical smallmouth shootout that usually materializes on Erie this time of year. Only two 20-pound stringers were caught over the first two days and Michigander Troy Stokes held the lead entering day 3 with 37-13. Rogers founds himself in eighth, more than 4 1/2 pounds off the lead.
On day 3, he rotated around a trio of spots in the bay and punctuated his day and tournament with a 4 1/2-pounder that jumped on a 3.8” ribbed swimbait along a rock jetty.
Rogers likely wouldn’t have adjusted his tackle packing had the tournament gone off as originally scheduled, but on June 29, FLW announced it was relocating the St. Lawrence River Northern Division FLW Series to Lake Erie out of Sandusky, Ohio. The move was made in the wake of New York implementing quarantine requirements for citizens traveling from certain states. Sensing wind and weather could alter the tournament structure, Rogers made sure to include some more largemouth-geared goodies on his packing list.
“I had some stuff I’d thrown in the truck like spinnerbaits and ChatterBaits and some flipping baits,” he said. “I caught some largemouth in practice on a Ned rig, but they didn’t have much size. After I went shallow in some marinas, I caught some flipping, but they were all skinny. In a worst-case scenario, at least I had a couple places to get some bites.”
This was Rogers’ 12th FLW Series tournament and could be the confidence boost he’s been looking for.
“Last year, I set some goals for myself,” he said. “I’ve only been fishing at this level for four years and I’ve stumbled a little bit. I wasn’t able to catch two consistents days’ worth of weight. Last year, I said, ‘If I can’t catch them two days in a row, maybe it’s not worth it.’”
He considered competing as a co-angler, primarily as a means to stay competitive, but also to learn. He collected two checks in the three Northern Division FLW Series tournaments a year ago and that got his mindset back on track entering this season.
“It worked out,” he said. “I forced myself to make adjustments where maybe I wouldn’t have in the past.”
Solid Start
Despite the short turnaround after the venue change, Rogers arrived in Sandusky with some prior experience there. In practice, he sampled a variety of areas and employed a whole menu of presentations.
“I started deep and dragged tubes and a football head with the wind,” he said. “We had days where it was slick calm, which was nice for moving around, but I couldn’t get any drifts going.”
That prompted him to dial in a dropshot pattern while also trying to cast tubes and football jigs.
“That was too time-consuming because I wasn’t finding big schools of fish,” he noted.
And that amplified his focus on the dropshot, which produced roughly half of his fish during the tournament.
“Once I dialed that in, I ran the same contour lines on the graph,” he said. “What little wind there was might’ve moved them to certain little humps, but it wasn’t too hard to figure out.”
After amassing an adequate number of spots on the main lake, Rogers started strong with 17-03 on day 1. He had his limit by 8:30 a.m., then started moving around in search of upgrades. He seemed to have the most success on the northwest side of Kelleys Island.
Day 2 didn’t produce near the numbers or weight as some his key areas from the previous day were fishless.
“There were more boats in that area and I think the fish felt the pressure and moved a little,” Rogers said. “The consistent 3-pounders weren’t there. I had a couple spots where I’d marked bigger fish, but they weren’t there. I moved shallow and out deep, but couldn’t find them.”
Rogers still managed nearly 16 pounds (15-15) to boost himself into the top 10.
Over the first two days, what stood out to Rogers was where the smallmouth seemed to be positioned in the water column.
“I would’ve thought they’d be deeper with surface temperatures in the low 80s,” he said. “They’d crept up to the second break and that seemed to be the most productive. I couldn’t find them in the 20- to 25-foot range. It seemed like 14 to 16 feet is where we caught most of them. I’d cast up to 12 or out to 18 and catch them that way.”
Bay Bound
Wind was the driving force behind tournament officials making to decision to limit the finalists to Sandusky Bay. It’s still a sizeable piece of water and Rogers said 3- and 4-foot waves were prevalent throughout the final day with certain parts of the bay unfishable due to the conditions.
As a result, he tried to zero in on spots that were mostly protected from the breeze. He identified three spots that had scattered rock on them near Marblehead.
“I’d SpotLock on each spot and fan cast for an hour,” he said. “We’d catch a couple right away, then that was it. We just had to get in the right area.”
He’d maneuver to the next spot and go through the same routine. Same thing with the third spot. The rotation continued until he boxed his limit. The turning point came after he decided losing 30 or so tubes to the snaggy rocks was enough to prompt a change to a Texas-rigged swimbait. A long cast to the end of a rock jetty yielded a 4 1/2-pounder that ultimately won the tournament for him.
“When I caught that big largemouth, my co-angler said he thought I was going to win,” Rogers recalled. “I had a more than four-pound gap to make up, but when we checked in and I heard the leader had struggled it started sinking in that I had a chance.”
Winning Gear Notes
> Dropshot gear: 6’10” ligh-action JB Custom Rods “The Dropshot” spinning rod, Lew’s Custom Speed Spin 30 spinning reel, 14-pound Gamma Torque braided line, 8-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon leader, 1/0 Hayabusa DSR 132HD dropshot hook, 3/8-oz. Eco Pro Tungsten Pencil Pro dropshot weight, Strike King KVD Drop Shot Half Shell (green-pumpkin purple), Strike King KVD Dream Shot (ghost shad, green-pumpkin purple/gold).
> After losing countless rounded dropshot weights, Rogers got hung up less frequently using the slim pencil shape.
> He employed the Half Shell in shallower water under calm conditions and utilized the Dream Shot when the wind picked up.
> Spinnerbait gear: 7’ medium-action JB Custom Rods casting rod, Team Lew’s Tournament Pro casting reel (7.3:1 ratio), 14-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line, 3/8-oz. Eco Pro Tungsten Rapid Fire spinnerbait (crystal shad) with #3.5 rear willow and #2 front Colorado, Hayabusa trailer hook.
> Swimbait gear: 7’3” medium-heavy JB Custom Rods The Snake casting rod, same reel as spinnerbait, same line as spinnerbait, 5/16-oz. Eco Pro Tungsten worm weight (green-pumpkin sapphire), 3/0 Hayabusa 959 worm hook, 3.8” Eco Pro Tungsten Swing Shad (green-pumpkin).
Final Results
1. Lee Rogers -- Newton, NJ -- 17-3 (5) -- 15-15 (5) -- 33-2 (10) -- 15-10 (5) -- 48-12 (15) -- $32,439
2. Drew Sanford -- Springfield, Mo -- 19-2 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 34-14 (10) -- 13-5 (5) -- 48-3 (15) -- $12,493
3. John Dawson -- Mount Vernon, Oh -- 16-4 (5) -- 16-7 (5) -- 32-11 (10) -- 15-0 (5) -- 47-11 (15) -- $9,672
4. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, Pa -- 17-7 (5) -- 15-3 (5) -- 32-10 (10) -- 13-10 (5) -- 46-4 (15) -- $8,167
5. Jonathan Dietz -- Corry, Pa -- 17-0 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 33-10 (10) -- 11-15 (5) -- 45-9 (15) -- $7,254
6. Dick Parker -- Lorain, Oh -- 19-5 (5) -- 16-8 (5) -- 35-13 (10) -- 8-15 (5) -- 44-12 (15) -- $6,448
7. Tony Mitchell -- Plainwell, Mi -- 15-13 (5) -- 17-11 (5) -- 33-8 (10) -- 11-2 (4) -- 44-10 (14) -- $5,642
8. Chase Serafin -- White Lake, Mi -- 16-14 (5) -- 16-13 (5) -- 33-11 (10) -- 10-6 (5) -- 44-1 (15) -- $4,836
9. Troy Stokes -- Brownstown, Mi -- 18-4 (5) -- 19-9 (5) -- 37-13 (10) -- 2-2 (1) -- 39-15 (11) -- $4,030
10. Drew Six -- Clinton, Oh -- 16-9 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 33-3 (10) -- 6-11 (3) -- 39-14 (13) -- $3,224
The following anglers missed the cut and did not compete on day 3.
11. Matt Becker -- Finleyville, Pa -- 18-2 (5) -- 14-6 (5) -- 32-8 (10) -- $4,022
12. Steve York -- Bronson, Mi -- 17-7 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 32-5 (10) -- $2,821
13. Ryan Davidson -- Branchland, WV -- 17-14 (5) -- 13-6 (5) -- 31-4 (10) -- $2,418
14. Jacob Bigelow -- Cecil, Wi -- 16-11 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 31-3 (10) -- $2,418
15. Neal Ramsey -- Harrison, Oh -- 18-15 (5) -- 12-2 (5) -- 31-1 (10) -- $2,418
16. Randy Ramsey -- Burlington, Mi -- 15-5 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 31-1 (10) -- $2,418
17. Kerry Frey -- Middlebury, In -- 16-3 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 31-0 (10) -- $2,418
18. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 15-7 (5) -- 15-7 (5) -- 30-14 (10) -- $2,418
19. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 20-12 (5) -- 8-12 (4) -- 29-8 (9) -- $2,418
20. Buck Mallory -- Lawton, Mi -- 20-6 (5) -- 9-2 (3) -- 29-8 (8) -- $2,418
21. Jason Kervin -- Raymond, Me -- 16-10 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 29-4 (10) -- $2,216
22. Jade Keeton -- Florence, Al -- 14-12 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 29-4 (10) -- $2,216
23. Edward Levin -- Westerville, Oh -- 16-1 (5) -- 13-2 (5) -- 29-3 (10) -- $2,216
24. Chad Brousseau -- Colchester, Vt -- 18-5 (5) -- 10-13 (4) -- 29-2 (9) -- $2,216
25. Cliff Blackford -- Addison, Mi -- 15-10 (5) -- 13-8 (5) -- 29-2 (10) -- $2,216
26. Aj Slegona -- Pine Bush, NY -- 18-6 (5) -- 10-10 (4) -- 29-0 (9) -- $2,015
27. Jonathan Fulton -- Ray, Oh -- 13-5 (5) -- 15-4 (5) -- 28-9 (10) -- $2,015
28. Scott Cooke -- Marengo, Oh -- 13-15 (5) -- 14-9 (5) -- 28-8 (10) -- $2,015
29. Gary Ginter -- Bellefontaine, Oh -- 16-2 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 28-3 (10) -- $2,015
30. Tim Wilson -- Marion, In -- 13-8 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 28-0 (10)
31. Josh Kolodzaike -- Toledo, Oh -- 19-13 (5) -- 8-2 (3) -- 27-15 (8)
32. Justin Hicks -- Roanoke, Va -- 16-11 (5) -- 11-4 (5) -- 27-15 (10)
33. Allex Conner -- Delaware, Oh -- 15-7 (5) -- 12-8 (5) -- 27-15 (10)
34. Dan Cornelius -- Glenmoore, Pa -- 12-9 (5) -- 15-4 (5) -- 27-13 (10)
35. Forrest Smith -- Baltimore, Oh -- 13-12 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 27-7 (10)
36. Kirk McMullen -- Greensburg, Pa -- 12-14 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 27-6 (10)
37. Chris King -- South Amherst, Oh -- 11-10 (4) -- 15-11 (5) -- 27-5 (9)
38. Shane Hatch -- Owlshead, Me -- 13-12 (5) -- 13-6 (5) -- 27-2 (10)
39. Charles Sim -- Nepean, On -- 13-7 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 27-2 (10)
40. Dylan Drephal -- Black Creek, Wi -- 14-4 (5) -- 12-12 (5) -- 27-0 (10)
41. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, Oh -- 14-7 (5) -- 11-12 (4) -- 26-3 (9)
42. Bret Loomis -- Groveland, NY -- 12-2 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 26-0 (10)
43. Cody Seeger -- Lewistown, Oh -- 12-8 (5) -- 13-8 (5) -- 26-0 (10)
44. Jim Vitaro -- Wooster, Oh -- 15-10 (5) -- 10-3 (4) -- 25-13 (9)
45. Dakota Ebare -- Denham Springs, La -- 12-0 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 25-11 (10)
46. David Kranz -- Woodstock, Il -- 13-2 (5) -- 12-6 (5) -- 25-8 (10)
47. Alex Redwine -- Cincinnati, Oh -- 11-4 (5) -- 14-3 (5) -- 25-7 (10)
48. Mandel Pettus -- Rocky Point, NY -- 13-7 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 25-6 (10)
49. Christian Mazzola -- Walnutport, Pa -- 11-13 (5) -- 13-6 (5) -- 25-3 (10)
50. Jason Burger -- Bridgeton, NJ -- 14-6 (5) -- 10-10 (5) -- 25-0 (10)
51. Jacob Jarrell -- Crown City, Oh -- 14-13 (5) -- 10-2 (5) -- 24-15 (10)
52. Russ Simpson -- Given, WV -- 11-13 (5) -- 13-2 (5) -- 24-15 (10)
53. Neil Deleeuw -- Fenwick, On -- 14-9 (5) -- 10-5 (4) -- 24-14 (9)
54. Hugh Cosculluela -- The Woodlands, Tx -- 11-13 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 24-7 (10)
55. Joshua Barr -- Louisville, Oh -- 11-11 (4) -- 12-11 (4) -- 24-6 (8)
56. Ronald Martinez Jr. -- Walton Hills, Oh -- 11-15 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 24-4 (10)
57. Matthew Kiefer -- Fort Wayne, In -- 17-12 (5) -- 6-4 (3) -- 24-0 (8)
58. Louis Martinez -- Annapolis, Md -- 10-12 (5) -- 13-4 (5) -- 24-0 (10)
59. Cole Harris -- Essex Junction, Vt -- 11-11 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 24-0 (10)
60. Frank Poirier -- North Prince George, Va -- 15-4 (5) -- 8-11 (4) -- 23-15 (9)
61. Pat Upthagrove -- Monroe, Mi -- 12-3 (5) -- 11-12 (5) -- 23-15 (10)
62. Mark Peiser -- Pittsboro, In -- 17-6 (5) -- 6-8 (3) -- 23-14 (8)
63. Nick Radtke -- Greenwood Lake, NY -- 15-0 (5) -- 8-11 (3) -- 23-11 (8)
64. Angel Rosario -- Kalamazoo, Mi -- 8-5 (4) -- 15-5 (5) -- 23-10 (9)
65. Wayne Vaughan -- Chester, Va -- 16-10 (5) -- 6-13 (3) -- 23-7 (8)
66. Brandon Johnson -- Mount Sterling, Ky -- 11-4 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 23-5 (10)
67. Brian Tyler -- Johnsonville, SC -- 12-8 (5) -- 10-6 (5) -- 22-14 (10)
68. Darryl Esterly -- Fleetwood, Pa -- 8-1 (3) -- 14-11 (5) -- 22-12 (8)
69. Heath Toler -- Walnut Cove, NC -- 13-3 (5) -- 9-9 (4) -- 22-12 (9)
70. Craig Saylor -- Oak Hill, Oh -- 14-7 (5) -- 8-4 (4) -- 22-11 (9)
71. Ron Johnson -- Chandler, Az -- 12-4 (5) -- 10-6 (4) -- 22-10 (9)
72. Tom Belinda -- Holidaysburg, Pa -- 6-14 (3) -- 15-10 (5) -- 22-8 (8)
73. Don Roberts -- Bellville, Oh -- 15-4 (5) -- 7-3 (3) -- 22-7 (8)
74. Daniel Urbino -- Bliss, NY -- 6-14 (3) -- 15-2 (5) -- 22-0 (8)
75. Zach Goutremout -- Chaumont, NY -- 12-4 (5) -- 9-9 (5) -- 21-13 (10)
76. Leo Reiter -- Greenup, Il -- 14-2 (4) -- 7-5 (2) -- 21-7 (6)
77. Jason Kinner -- East Point, Ky -- 14-1 (5) -- 7-4 (3) -- 21-5 (8)
78. Paul Kimball -- Glastonbury, Ct -- 16-7 (5) -- 4-10 (2) -- 21-1 (7) -- $107
79. Joe Lucarelli -- Center Harbor, Nh -- 17-1 (5) -- 3-14 (1) -- 20-15 (6)
80. Harold Marietta -- Hunker, Pa -- 7-12 (3) -- 13-0 (5) -- 20-12 (8)
81. Matt Hicks -- Evington, Va -- 12-4 (5) -- 7-15 (3) -- 20-3 (8)
82. Ryan Ingalls -- Manassas, Va -- 9-15 (5) -- 10-4 (3) -- 20-3 (8)
83. Tommy Robinson -- Westland, Mi -- 11-8 (5) -- 8-2 (3) -- 19-10 (8)
84. Ed Casey -- Whiteford, Md -- 10-1 (4) -- 9-5 (3) -- 19-6 (7)
85. Donald Tripoli -- Webster, NY -- 16-3 (5) -- 3-1 (1) -- 19-4 (6)
86. Danger Kelly -- Somerset, Ky -- 11-12 (5) -- 7-8 (4) -- 19-4 (9)
87. Joe Kinchen -- Charlotte, NC -- 8-14 (4) -- 10-2 (3) -- 19-0 (7)
88. John Hauserman -- Towson, Md -- 15-9 (5) -- 3-6 (5) -- 18-15 (10)
89. Randy Kukral -- Chagrin Falls, Oh -- 8-7 (3) -- 10-4 (5) -- 18-11 (8)
90. Steve Clapper -- Gypsum, Oh -- 16-6 (5) -- 2-0 (1) -- 18-6 (6)
91. William Dennison Iii -- Willoughby Hills, Oh -- 7-7 (3) -- 10-14 (5) -- 18-5 (8)
92. Rick Chenoweth -- Fredericksburg, Va -- 6-9 (3) -- 11-6 (5) -- 17-15 (8)
93. Joseph Stois Sr. -- Fairview Park, Oh -- 6-1 (3) -- 11-10 (5) -- 17-11 (8)
94. Jarrett Martin -- Westerville, Oh -- 6-15 (3) -- 10-11 (5) -- 17-10 (8)
95. Andrew Buss -- North Liberty, In -- 13-9 (5) -- 3-7 (2) -- 17-0 (7)
96. Lucas Bogosian -- Harrington Park, NJ -- 11-15 (4) -- 5-0 (2) -- 16-15 (6)
97. Cody Pike -- Powhatan, Va -- 16-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-12 (5)
98. Michael Miller -- Canal Winchester, Oh -- 11-11 (5) -- 5-1 (2) -- 16-12 (7)
99. Kirk Sullivan -- Minden, On -- 4-2 (1) -- 12-4 (4) -- 16-6 (5)
100. Steve Crowley -- Inverness, Fl -- 4-8 (2) -- 11-14 (5) -- 16-6 (7)
101. James Wheeler -- Valparaiso, In -- 13-0 (4) -- 3-0 (1) -- 16-0 (5)
102. Robert Grosse -- Thornville, Oh -- 12-10 (5) -- 2-1 (1) -- 14-11 (6)
103. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 8-4 (3) -- 6-3 (3) -- 14-7 (6)
104. Dan Grove, Jr -- Harrisville, Pa -- 13-14 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-14 (5)
105. Shawn O'malley -- Fogelsville, Pa -- 4-0 (2) -- 9-3 (4) -- 13-3 (6)
106. Richard Grosse -- Thornville, Oh -- 13-2 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-2 (5)
107. Todd Hahn -- Heath, Oh -- 5-13 (2) -- 5-8 (3) -- 11-5 (5)
108. Robert Grabow -- Morgantown, WV -- 2-7 (1) -- 8-12 (5) -- 11-3 (6)
109. Shayne McFarlin -- Martin, Ga -- 10-14 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-14 (4)
110. John Watts -- Flushing, Mi -- 3-0 (1) -- 6-14 (3) -- 9-14 (4)
111. Remington Barkley -- Hartland, Mi -- 5-8 (2) -- 2-2 (1) -- 7-10 (3)
112. Burley Warf -- Moneta, Va -- 4-15 (2) -- 1-15 (1) -- 6-14 (3)
113. John Trask -- Rutherfordton, NC -- 4-0 (2) -- 2-11 (1) -- 6-11 (3)
114. Jason Root -- Fostoria, Oh -- 4-13 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-13 (2)
