TRENTON, Mich. — The Michigan Division of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine will continue its season with its fourth of five events on the Detroit River on Aug. 23. While the competition waters might be the same all season long, lots of options for anglers and changing conditions should make this event anything but more of the same.
Since this marks the fourth event of the season for the division, all anglers will receive an Abu Garcia gift pack valued at $230 for boaters and $180 for co-anglers – a value that exceeds the entry fee. It’s like Fishing 4 FREE! Plus, participants will receive a code for 25% off an order at AbuGarcia.com. Sign up today at MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270) 252-1000 to take advantage of this incredible offer. Anglers will receive their gift box at the event.
This year, BFL anglers benefit from an expanded slate of Regionals, which minimizes travel costs and provides more opportunities to qualify for the $120,000 BFL All-American while fishing familiar, closer-to-home waters. Click here to find out more.
What to expect
With the Detroit River, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie all in play, anglers will have an absolute ton of smallmouth-laden habitat to choose from. Sometimes during the summer, it’s almost impossible to beat Lake St. Clair. But Nolan Mandel, the reigning Fishing Clash Angler of the Year in the Michigan Division, thinks this event could be wide open.
“This one is interesting because it can be won in a ton of different areas,” Mandel said. “All of July and the last few tournaments, you kind of knew – I know the first one was won on Erie, but you kind of knew it was going to be won on St. Clair before the tournament even started.
“This tournament last year got won on the river. It could be Erie. There’s so many different places that this could get won out of.”
While Lake St. Clair, where Mandel normally ventures, is chock-full of quality fish, he noted that the recent Bassmaster Elite Series event on the fishery put a lot of pressure on the best areas. So, it’s no guarantee that an angler will find bass in a predictable location and willing to cooperate, especially since running all the way to St. Clair means a shorter fishing day.
“Those fish are so pressured up there now, somebody is going to have to have a really good day to be able to run all the way up there, have a short day, run back and be able to get five good bites,” he said.
Erie always has the potential to kick out a megabag, but wind and waves can make it unpredictable. Mandel said the weather will likely be the biggest factor that determines which area produces the winning bag. If it’s windy, he thinks there’s an excellent chance the Detroit River itself could be the ticket.
“The river could play if we get a big blow day,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody never leaves the river and has a full day to fish compared to somebody that takes two hours running in the morning, two hours back, because they just can’t get those bites in that time.”
Baits to bring
While where to fish might be a tough decision, the baits involved should be less of a mystery. Mandel expects finesse staples like drop-shots and jighead minnows to catch the bulk of the bass, though anglers who want to power fish can still generate bites on moving baits like crankbaits and wobble heads.
What will it take?
It’s taken between 22-15 and 25-5 to win the three previous Michigan Division events this season, and Mandel expects a winning weight in that same range. He guessed it will take at least 24 pounds to claim the trophy. However, he doesn’t expect to see quite the same number of 20-pound bags as the last event, when 16 anglers cracked the 20-pound mark and it took 19-3 to earn a check.