LA CROSSE, Wis. – Zack Birge’s REDCREST has been nothing if not interesting.
Birge put on a two-day fish-catching clinic on the Upper Mississippi River during the Shotgun and Elimination Rounds, weighing in 69 fish for 117 pounds, 1 ounce, easily the best performance of the 30-man field. But it wasn’t without some anxiety…and a dirty boat.
With roughly 45 minutes left in the competition day during Thursday’s Elimination Round, Birge found himself stuck – truly stuck – when he ran his Bass Cat onto a sandbar running through Running Slough. Despite the attempted assistance of two MLF league boats and officials, Birge remained stuck for roughly two hours before local angler Tom Monsoor arrived with an airboat to tow Birge out of the sand.
“I bobbed when I should’ve weaved,” Birge joked as he waited for Monsoor to arrive. “I’d been up both sides of this chute several times, but not exactly this area. I was trying to zig-zag my way through it, saw mud on both sides of the cut and ripples in the middle, so I just pinned it and kept going. And I got stuck.”
Birge’s hang-up is the most notable example of the navigation challenge of the Upper Mississippi River in its current condition, which is lower than any of the anglers have experienced. In Birge’s case, it’ll translate into using his off day – he doesn’t fish again until Saturday’s Knockout Round – cleaning his boat and clearing his motor.
“After I got stuck, I spent my time re-rigging tackle – I didn’t have anything else to do,” Birge said. “I’m already ready to go.”
Birge will start his Knockout Round with a 15-minute penalty, incurred when his official left his boat to render assistance trying to get the boat unstuck.