The trials and tribulations of Saginaw Bay
Seasoned pros challenged at second RCL tournament
Well, the big news is out. Top honors, as well as $50,000 and a fully rigged Crestliner boat, goes to Dan Plautz of Muskego, Wis., with his 29-pound, 3-ounce, five-fish limit from the waters of Saginaw Bay on the final day of the Wal-Mart RCL walleye tournament held there June 13 through 16. His two-day partner, co-angler Steve Campbell of Fife Lake, Mich., will be filling his bank account with an extra $15,000 from his first-place winnings.
But what is unknown to most are the trials and tribulations that such a huge body of water can cause, not only for the weekend angler, but the seasoned professional anglers as well. It was no different this time for the pros and their co-anglers that took part in this, the second tournament of the 2001 season.
How it all started
Pre-fishing for Plautz, as well as most every pro in this tournament, started out slow. The Inner Bay, which is basically the southern half of Saginaw Bay, was filled with stained water, which was pumping in from the Saginaw River. The torrential rains in the prior weeks not only kept the water muddy, but cooler than the norm. This kept the baitfish in the area, and what few walleye that were there were stuffed to their gills with feed. However, had the bay gotten too rough to get to where the big fish were roaming during tournament time, this would be an extremely important area for what few eyes were there.
To the north, starting at least 30 miles from the tournament launch point at Hoyle Marina in Linwood, Mich., is the Outer Bay. This clear water area was holding the active feeding walleye, and the majority of these hungry walleye were big, with an average of 6 pounds and heavier. Plautz and Campbell, along with the other 11 boats, knew what needed to be done – take the one-hour boat ride to the north in the calmer morning seas.
The rigs, the baits and a little superstitious luck
Plautz was feeling pretty good about this tournament, from pre-fishing right up to the end. Not because he thought he would be on big fish the entire time, just a feeling that old lady luck would be on his side. During pre-fishing, he was able to fish with one of his favorite fishing companions. “I got to fish with my 16-year-old son Jimmy, and that was a real treat in itself,” stated Plautz, “and I knew that the rest of my family would be watching my every move on OperationWalleye.com.” Then he added the kicker. “Just before takeoff the first day, my son signed his name to one of his favorite Hot-N-Tots, and gave it to me as a good-luck charm.”
However, pulling crawler harnesses with hammered gold blades, and purple beads in the upper 11 feet of the water column seemed to be what the majority of the walleyes wanted. Plautz achieved this by running the rigs back 40 feet, then attaching a 1-ounce Offshore drop weight and letting it back another 20 feet from there, and then he attached his Offshore in-line planner boards. Plautz kept his spinners running at 1.3 mph, until he realized that a little faster speed, 1.4 to 1.5 mph kept the pesky catfish off his rigs, yet the walleyes would still chase them down.
On the final day, Plautz and Campbell only had three smaller walleye in the livewell, and with only about an hour left to fish, things were not looking as if it was going their way. “That’s when I put on my son’s signed Tot,” Said Plautz with a gigantic smile upon his face, “and wouldn’t you know it, our last two walleyes, the biggest ones in the bunch no less, came into the boat on that lucky bait.”
As the seas were building, Plautz and Campbell reeled in the rigs and headed back to Hoyle’s around 12:30 p.m. to make sure they made it back in time, for it would be at least a two-hour ride in the steep waves.
A skilled co-angler and the luck of the draw
Luckily for Steve Campbell, he was able to get a few days off of work as a toolmaker and make the mere two-and-a-half-hour drive from the small town of Fife Lake, Mich., to fish as a co-angler. His first day found him teamed with pro Randy Tripke. Together they brought in one walleye at 7 pounds, 11 ounces. On day two, he found himself paired with Erie’s winner, Jim “Big Fish” Klick, and came in with 22 pounds, 3 ounces worth of eyes. His two-day total of 29 pounds, 14 ounces put him into 33rd place.
“Man I couldn’t have asked for any better pros to go out with then those guys on the first two days,” said an excited Campbell. “As for fishing with Dan Plautz? The winning weights speak for themselves.” Campbell hopes to be able to get time off from work in October to fish in the Wal-Mart RCL Championship in Green Bay, Wis. A win there could make him $150,000 richer, and along with him one pro angler will bring home the top prize of $400,000.
Related links: