Getting ‘Deadly’ in Detroit

Chevy Open features big boats in big water for big bounty

TRENTON, Mich. – Consider it the FLW Tour’s version of the Deadliest Catch.

Like the Discovery Channel’s popular television series, which features man’s brutal battle against Mother Nature’s rawest elements in search of Alaskan Crab, the FLW Tour’s final regular season stop at the Detroit River could be a miniature version of the popular show.

Granted, this is not the Bering Sea where a 20-foot wall of freezing water can sweep a crabber off the deck to a chilling uncertain fate. But to those pros who will brave Lake Erie in a 20-foot bass boat amid 6-foot rollers in an effort to catch $200,000 worth of smallmouth bass in this week’s Chevy Open, the challenges can seem just as daunting.

Those who watched well-known Lake Erie veteran Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio win the Chevy Open in 2007 on FSN witnessed the tremendous waves he endured each day to haul in his tournament-winning catch.

In doing so, Clapper set the bar for what it takes to win tournaments on Lake Erie. His courage and confidence to brave Erie’s big water in a tenacious search for bronzebacks has earned him the utmost respect among his peers and made him one of the odds on favorites to win the Chevy Open again this year.

Tournament fishing in the open waters of Erie is not so much of a casting contest as it is a test of will, fortitude and equipment.

“I’d say that about 80 percent of my fishing game on Erie is navigation and boat positioning,” Clapper said before takeoff of the Chevy Open Thursday morning. “Twenty pounds of smallmouth is worthless if you can’t get back on time. There has been many a Lake Erie tournament lost to equipment attrition. Getting out and getting back is more than half the battle.”

Michigan’s Joe Balog, another local Lake Erie expert favored in this week’s event, agrees.

“This is not like fishing an inland reservoir where you ease down a calm bank of flooded willows pitching a jig to 2 feet of water,” Balog said. “So much more thought has to be given to the logistical end of the game out here on Erie. Boat driving, negotiating the waves, taking care of equipment, giving your catch plenty of TLC on the way back so they don’t get beat up – all of that is at a premium.”

For that reason, Balog seeks out edges over his competition in big water. For instance, he opts for a large Ranger 600 Series walleye boat for large waves. The front of his rig is tipped with an elongated 62-inch shaft trolling motor that delivers 101 pounds of thrust. On the inside, four top-end electronic units give him GPS information and bottom readouts at all times.

“A lot of what Steve and I do is all about boat positioning,” said Balog who has learned many of Clapper’s sea-faring secrets through their friendship. “Staying over a single rock in 30 feet of water with precision while 6-foot waves are crashing over the bow is crucial. So things like having a trolling motor that never rises up above the surface and cavitates is a huge advantage.”

“These days pros are so good, they can find the right spots with ease,” he said. “But getting to the spots and holding over them in a 20 mph wind is a different story.”

This week, however, FLW Tour pros are going to get a break from Mother Nature on Erie. Forecasted winds for the next two days hover in the 5 to 10 mph range out of the southwest.

That does not mean fishing Lake Erie will be a cake walk, but it sure makes things a little easier than when it’s blowing 20 mph and kicking up giant rollers.

Another interesting facet to this year’s Chevy Open is Lake St. Clair’s enhanced productivity. Coming into the event many pros mentioned that Erie was “off” and St. Clair was “on.”

And judging by the number of contestants who pointed their boats north this morning for a run to St. Clair, there seems to be some truth to this consensus.

From the Elizabeth Park launch this morning it was easy to see that a majority of the field is banking St. Clair’s new reputation.

“St. Clair has come on really strong over the last few years,” Clapper revealed. “It used to be that 18 to 19 pounds was strong there; now 20- to 22-pound stringers are becoming more common. In fact, I spent nearly half of my official practice in St. Clair this week and we caught some big ones. But that’s just not the way I like to fish. Fishing in St. Clair requires a lot of drift fishing for scattered schools. I’d rather fish specific spots on Erie.”

Trevor Jancasz, another Lake Erie specialist from White Pigeon, Mich., also spent some time on St. Clair this week.

“Over the years I think of a lot of Lake Erie’s stud smallies have been transplanted into St. Clair through tournaments,” Jancasz opined. “There is definitely a better grade of fish growing up over there now and some of the guys are going to do well there.”

Last year, nearly half of the top 10 pros came from St. Clair, but in the end, Lake Erie smallmouth produced the winner’s check for Clapper. And even though St. Clair seems to have the momentum right now, Clapper still plans to brave the big water on Erie in search of another deadly catch.

Logistics

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. each day from Elizabeth Park Marina located at 202 Grosse Ile Parkway in Trenton, Mich.

Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Elizabeth Park Marina beginning at 3 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Cobo Center located at One Washington Blvd. in Detroit beginning at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, FLW Outdoors will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the Cobo Center from noon to 6 p.m. each day.

The Family Fun Zone offers fans a chance to meet their Fantasy Fishing team anglers face to face and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other sponsors while children are treated to giveaways, fishing-themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator.

Children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone on Sunday will receive a free rod and reel combo while supplies last. One lucky member of the audience will even win a new Ranger boat during the final 4 p.m. weigh-in Sunday, July 13. Admission is free, and you must be present to win.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:05 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 67 degrees

Expected high temperature: 82 degrees

Water temperature: 72 degrees

Wind: SW 5 to 10 MPH

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy