Miller takes charge in EverStart Northern

Jeff Miller captures twin stringers for lead in Detroit

TRENTON, Mich. – If Jeff Miller of Crestwood, Ill., plays the lottery, he might want to consider using the digits 187 when choosing his numbers.

Yesterday, he checked in a limit of smallmouths weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces, and today he checked in another limit of smallmouths of the exact same weight to take the lead in the EverStart Series Northern Division event on the Detroit River with a two-day total of 36 pounds, 14 ounces.

Each day Miller has been making a 40-mile run into Lake Erie to a series of boulder humps in 25 feet of water.

He is fishing Qualifier Tubes on heavy Owner jigheads in his key areas.

“Every day I’ve been there, I’ve figure out a little bit more about how the fish are relating,” he said. “I think the area is the key; my co-anglers have been catching good ones, too, and they’ve been fishing different lures than I’m throwing.”

Miller is excited about his area and his chances of turning his top-20 qualification into a win over the next two days.

“I think there’s plenty of fish there,” he said. “Today was my worst weather day – there were 6-footers out there. The wind is supposed to shift and come out of the north tomorrow, and that’s the best wind I can have. It may change the fish around some, but I don’t think it will hurt the whole area.”

Clapper in second

It was no surprise to anyone to see the Lake Erie master, Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio, tote another nearly 18-pound bag of smallmouth to the scales today to move into second with a two-day total of 36 pounds, 8 ounces.

In fact, the only person surprised was Clapper, himself, who struggled to put together a limit and then figured it only weighed about 14 pounds.

“It was a very trying day,” Clapper said. “I lost three big ones first thing this morning, and I thought I had blown it. At noon I only had three bass, so I made a move and caught two more to finish my limit.”

Clapper is fishing a hump in Lake Erie that rises up to 20 feet and is surrounded by 24 feet of water.

“It’s got one little sweet spot on it,” he said. “Whenever we get near that spot, my co-angler or I get a bite. I think there are still some fish there. Like I said, I lost some this morning and my co-angler had four that weighed nearly 16 pounds.”

Clapper, however, is still hesitant to release any details about the bait he is throwing.

Big Al in third

While Lake Erie contains the better quality smallmouths, not all of the leaders are fishing there. Al Gagliarducci of Agwam, Mass., has figured out something in Lake St. Clair, which has given him a two-day total of 35 pounds, 2 ounces and a temporary third-place standing.

Gagliarducci is running about one and a half hours into St. Clair, where he is fishing the shoreline in 5 feet of water.

“I’m throwing a Kinami Palm Tree on a JDC jighead,” he said. “The jighead is the key because it makes that whole bait stand up. I had what I weighed in by nine o’ clock this morning, which was after I made my long run. After that I took it easy on the area and tried some other stuff.”

Reault fourth

David Reault of Livonia, Mich., is in fourth place with a two-day total of 35 pounds.

Reault is also fishing shallow water in St. Clair, but he is throwing a jerkbait to catch his fish.

Shaffer holds down fifth

Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, caught the big bass in the Pro Division today, a 4-pound, 13-ounce smallmouth, which propelled his two-day total to 34 pounds, 7 ounces and gave him the fifth position.

Shaffer is fishing tubes out in Lake Erie and said he is excited about a spot he has been saving for the finals.

“I stopped there for 10 minutes yesterday and caught one over 4 pounds that culled me up,” he said. “I think there’s more that size living there; we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros are Jim Bensch of Holland, Ohio, in sixth place with a two-day total of 33 pounds, 15 ounces; Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., in seventh place with a two-day total of 33 pounds, 9 ounces; Bryan Coates of Amherst, Ohio, in eighth place with a two-day total of 33 pounds, 3 ounces; Art Ferguson III of St. Clair Shores, Mich., in ninth place with a two-day total of 33 pounds, 1 ounce; and Patrick Goodman of White Pigeon, Mich., in 10th place with a two-day total of 33 pounds.

Pro stats

Pros caught 62 limits today, and the top-20 cut ended up at 31 pounds, 5 ounces.

Lyons roars into the co-angler lead

Mark Lyons of Marion, Ind., has had two spectacular days of smallmouth fishing on Lake Erie.

Yesterday he weighed in 16 pounds, 3 ounces – not a bad start for a co-angler.

But today he decided that 16 pounds of smallmouths was not quite good enough, and he brought in 18 pounds, 12 ounces – the second biggest stringer of the day – to easily give him the lead with a two-day total of 34 pounds, 15 ounces.

Lyons said he has had two great partners that definitely had him around fish.

“I’ve been using tubes the last two days, but I’ve been changing baits a lot,” he said. “If one tube doesn’t work for a while, I’ll change colors or weights or both just for the sake of making a change, and it seems like when I make a change, that’s when I get a bite.”

Keefe in second

Scot Keefe of Hinesburg, Vt., is in second place in the Co-angler Division with a two-day total 30 pounds, 6 ounces.

Keefe has used some fishing savvy over the last two days to put fish in his livewell.

Yesterday, he Carolina rigged open water for smallmouths, but today his partner went largemouth fishing.

“He was fishing the ends of docks,” Keefe said. “So I took a Senko and skipped it as far back under the dark corners as I could, and that’s where I got the bites today.”

Karl Acord of Dearborn Heights, Mich., is in third place with a two-day total of 26 pounds, 8 ounces.

Ron Norris of Portage, Mich., is in fourth place with a two-day total of 26 pounds, 4 ounces.

And Daniel Peterman of Falls Creek, Pa., is in fifth place with a two-day total of 25 pounds, 13 ounces,

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are Dwight Ameling of Freemont, Ind., in sixth place with a two-day total of 25 pounds, 9 ounces; Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich., in seventh place with a two-day total of 25 pounds, 8 ounces; Mike Lawrence of Toledo, Ohio, in eighth place with a two-day total of 25 pounds, 5 ounces; D.J. Plotner of Powell, Ohio, in ninth place with a two-day total of 24 pounds, 14 ounces; and Todd Robins of Romulus, Mich., in 10th place with a two-day total of 24 pounds, 11 ounces

D.J. Plotner (ninth) and Bill Valberg of London, Ontario, tied for the big-bass award in the Co-angler Division, each catching a 5-pound, 5-ounce smallmouth bass.

Co-angler stats

Co-anglers caught 27 limits today, and the top-20 cut ended up at 22 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 20 pros and 20 co-anglers will start from zero tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. Eastern time at Elizabeth Park on the Detroit River.