Michigan Division Super Tournament should see action up and down Detroit River
The Michigan Division of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine will conclude its season Sept. 21-22 with a two-day Super Tournament on the Detroit River. The event should take place during the seasonal switch from summer to fall, and the cooling temperatures could ignite the bass population into a feeding frenzy.
Tournament details
Michigan Division Super Tournament
Sept. 21-22
Detroit River
Trenton, Michigan
About the fishery
The Detroit River flows through the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and WIndsor, Ontario. It’s the gateway between two world-class bass fisheries (Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair) and a dynamic fishery with plenty of species swimming in it – but its impressive smallmouth bass will undoubtedly dominate this event.
Pinckney, Michigan’s Michael Sitko is an ace on these waters with seven wins and 27 Top 10s on the connected fisheries. Included in that success was a win on Lake Erie in August and the Detroit River in June. He’ll be among the competitors in the Super Tournament and expects the bite to be solid as fish feel the first urges to feed up for winter.
Typically, the question on the minds of anglers launching out of Elizabeth Park Marina is whether to run to Lake Erie or Lake St. Clair. Both will be factors, but Sitko says the Detroit River proper will also be a factor.
“More fish are already moving to the river,” Sitko said. “There aren’t a lot of big fish yet, but they’ll be there by the time this tournament rolls around. The nights are getting longer, and that moves the bass to the river every fall to feed up on the shad that have moved in. Both lakes can absolutely still produce, but every year, the river is a factor in our Super Tournament.”
Most fishing on these waters is dominated by spinning gear and finesse tactics, but Sitko says there will be more options for power fishing techniques to shine.
“This tournament usually lends itself to more of a power fishing game,” he said. “You’ll see guys catching fish with A-rigs, swimbaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. I know many people do well fishing the current breaks with moving baits because the fish are schooled up heavily and feeding on shad.”
What to expect
While Sitko is optimistic about the weights for this Super Tournament, he reports a tougher-than-normal August and thinks it may temper the weights slightly compared to past years.
“It’s been fishing super tough lately,” he said. “The weights have been down the past few weeks, including the last BFL, which only took 22 pounds to win, whereas normally, it’s at least 24 pounds. I’ve been talking about it with my buddies and we’re not really sure why, besides maybe all of the added pressure this summer.”
The fishery has seen many big events this season, but the cooling water temperatures should only help to kick the bite up a notch. Sitko says the winning weight can be all over the board this time of year but believes this event has the potential for big weights.
“Usually, the fall is a time when high numbers of fish are everywhere,” he said. “They always seem to disappear for a while, and then, boom, they’re everywhere. With the lower weights recently, I think around 22 pounds a day could win it, but history has proven otherwise, and it usually takes between 46 and 49 pounds to win this one (two-day event).”
One critical component, according to Sitko, is timing.
“There are places where you can pull up and catch 10 fish on 10 casts if you hit them right,” he said. “A few years ago, the winner of a tournament had 28 pounds, and he pulled in right after someone left and caught them all. If you can get on a school of bass feeding on baitfish at the right time, things can turn magical very quickly.”