Lake Erie Day 4 Coverage
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit concludes its regular season with Super Tournament No. 3
QUICK LINKS
FLW Live Leaderboard – click here
Day three leader story – click here
Hall clinches ROY – click here
Tournament Details – click here
Super Tournament Details – click here
FLW Live Schedule – click here
2:00 p.m. – Shutting it down
That’s it for FLW Live for the day, and that’ll do it for the live blog and leaderboard updates as well. At this point, most of the field is working its way back to Sandusky for check-in, even with weigh-in being two hours away. Lake Erie is rough, as expected, and pros are making sure they have time to get back and not risk zeroing.
A lot can happen in the next hour-plus, though. While Justin Lucas has the lead, Jacob Wheeler filled out his limit and is on some fish. He needs a couple key upgrades (or maybe just one) to really add some intrigue to weigh-in.
Thanks for following along with us this week. Be sure to click over to flwfishing.com in two hours for the live weigh-in show with Chris Jones.
1:38 p.m. – Wheeler making big push
As always, Jacob Wheeler is making things interesting. He just filled out his limit with a giant smallie that will go close to 5 pounds and bring him within a couple pounds of the lead. If he can cull out one of his smaller keepers, he’s going to make weigh-in mighty interesting.
1:25 p.m. – Winding down
FLW Live has another 30 minutes before it goes off the air. Be sure to tune in for a recap of all the action before 2 p.m. ET. After that, we’ll have a two-hour break before the live weigh-in show starts on flwfishing.com.
Justin Lucas is still in the lead and it’s hard to see anyone overtaking him unless someone gets on a late flurry before check-in. He has a 7-plus-pound lead over the rest of the field, including Josh Bertrand, who has a limit of just 10 pounds and in third place. Time is working against Bertrand, who could legitimately catch Lucas with a few of the right kickers.
Behind Lucas, four anglers (Bertrand, Jacob Wheeler, Alton Jones Jr. and Spencer Shuffield) are within ounces of one another. If Lucas does pull this off, the battle for second place is going to be pretty intense. Even more so if Scott Dobson can fill out his limit.
Jason Lambert is the only pro without a reported fish catch to this point. We’ve had some updates, so there’s a chance he’s just blanking at the moment. He still has a little time to add to his tournament total and move ahead of Jim Moynagh and Russ Lane.
12:44 p.m. – All Lucas, plus some other limits
Justin Lucas is putting on a clinic today. After upgrading to over 19 pounds, he landed another giant kicker to boost his total to 20 1/2 pounds and taken an even more commanding lead. It’s going to be hard for anyone to catch him with the day he’s having.
Behind him, it’s a virtual dead heat between Alton Jones Jr., Spencer Shuffield and Jacob Wheeler. Jones and Shuffield are at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of timing, though, as both went up to St. Clair and have long runs back to check-in. Wheeler still has four fish and can make a big move with a kicker to fill out his limit. He’ll still need to cull up a couple times to catch Lucas, though.
Josh Bertrand and Scott Dobson are still struggling with three keepers apiece. It’s never over until it’s over, but both of those pros need to go on a massive flurry in the next hour or so if they want to challenge for the win.
Elsewhere, David Dudley and Russ Lane have been doing their part with a limit each, but both need some upgrades. They’re hanging out in the 12- to 14-pound range.
12:06 p.m. – Lucas pulling away
Justin Lucas is up close to 19 pounds right now – maybe more. He continues to make the right culls and is putting some serious pressure on the rest of the field.
Spencer Shuffield is doing everything he can. He just filled out his limit with a 2-pounder, but it might be too little too later. He’s still about 6 pounds back and that storm is bearing down. If he doesn’t think about returning to Sandusky soon, he could be in a world of hurt.
Alton Jones Jr. is in second with a newly acquired limit. Even so, he’s going to need to upgrade to catch up to Lucas. Right now, Josh Bertrand and Jacob Wheeler are in best position to catch Lucas. Both are struggling with just three keepers for Bertrand and two for Wheeler.
Further down the leaderboard, Scott Dobson is stuck at three, but they’re three good ones. If he manages to catch a couple more quality keepers, he’ll be right in the thick of things.
11:38 a.m. – Shuffield pushing, Lucas with a limit
Spencer Shuffield is making some moves up north. He needed to catch them quickly up in St. Clair, and he’s doing just that. Shuffield has four for about 11 1/2 pounds, which will move him back to within striking distance of Justin Lucas.
Lucas, for his part, is not making it easy. He has a limit that’ll go close to 18 pounds. It really feels like Jacob Wheeler and Josh Bertrand are the only pros who can catch him at this point. Bertrand is struggling after staying in Sandusky Bay today and Wheeler took off for a long run. He might be feeling some of the pressure, knowing he needs to fill out his limit with some good fish to have a chance. There might not be a ton of time to upgrade a full limit.
There’s a storm moving in up north that might make life even more difficult for the anglers in St. Clair. It’s looming on the Canadian side right now, and it looks ominous. Maybe it’ll hold off until pros pick up for their long run back.
11:01 a.m. – Lucas lands another
Justin Lucas just added his fourth fish. It’s his smallest one of the day, but it’ll help. Just getting a limit will put additional pressure on the rest of the field and take a lot off his shoulders. On a day like today, when quantity isn’t quite there yet and long runs are necessary for half the remaining field, just getting a limit is going to be key. It helps that Lucas’ bag is nearing 15 pounds even before he fills out his limit, too.
10:45 a.m. – Lucas working on a nice bag
Justin Lucas is having himself a day. After a long fight with a 3-plus-pounder, the MLF pro now has three fish in the box for almost 12 pounds. He’s unofficially in the lead by almost 5 pounds over Jacob Wheeler.
Wheeler is struggling to find fish right now, but he does have two solid keepers in the box for 6 pounds. Both Lucas and Wheeler are on the right quality. It’ll really just come down to who fills out their limit first and have enough time to go upgrading.
Russ Lane and David Dudley both have limits. Dudley’s will go about 13 pounds, while Lane has just south of 12 pounds. Otherwise, no one has more three keepers so far.
Spencer Shuffield, after stopping in the river for a bit, made the rest of his run up to Lake St. Clair and has his first fish in the livewell. It’s only a 2 1/2-pounder, but it’s a start. For Shuffield, catching them early and often is going to be key given how long the return trip is going to be.
Scott Dobson, with three keepers, is moving about 7 miles to a new spot where he caught some on day one. He needs to keep plugging away after breaking off a 5-pounder to start the day.
10:05 a.m. – Jones lands his first
After a long, arduous run north, Alton Jones Jr. landed his first fish, and it was a good one. It’ll go about 3 3/4 pounds. Jones won’t have long to fish, but he’s certainly taking advantage of the time he has.
Spencer Shuffield might not make it all the way to where he wanted to start. He stopped down in the Detroit River and apparently is considering just staying there. For Shuffield, it all comes down to timing. Every minute he spends running is another minute he has to run back. There just isn’t much time to fish when the lake is as rough as it is today.
David Dudley landed his fourth keeper – a good one that will bolster his bag to about 11 pounds. Dudley is now unofficially in third place.
9:40 a.m. – Dobson delivering
After breaking off a 5-pounder that would have given him 8 pounds for two fish, Scott Dobson turned around and landed a 4 1/2-pounder and then a gift of a 3-pounder that he foul-hooked in the tail. Dobson fought it like a drum the whole way to the boat and then realized it was a smallie, grabbing the net in a state of surprise and adding to his total of (now) 11 pounds. That puts him in the lead at the moment.
Elsewhere, Russ Lane has our first limit of the day – it’ll go about 11 1/2 pounds. David Dudley is on the board with three for about 5 1/2 pounds. Six of the remaining 10 pros have boxed at least one keeper so far.
The other four pros are likely still running. We haven’t heard anything from Spencer Shuffield, Alton Jones Jr., Jim Moynagh or Jason Lambert. Right now, that’s a run of two hours and 40 minutes already. As Senior Editor Kyle Wood (who’s out on the water) put it, there’s a “nice walleye chop” out there.
9:15 a.m. – Limit for Lane
Russ Lane is our first angler to land a limit today. It’s not a big one (11 1/2 pounds), but it’s a limit nonetheless, and considering how rough it is out there, that has to be a big relief for the MLF pro. Now, he can just focus on chasing down the big ones.
Justin Lucas is on the board after boating one close to 4 pounds. He joins Jacob Wheeler and Scott Dobson with one fish in the box over 3 pounds. Josh Bertrand has one as well, but it’s a little smaller (about 2 1/2).
We haven’t heard a word from Spencer Shuffield today. Our on-the-water media crew is in place for when he does arrive to his starting spot in St. Clair. It took Shuffield two hours and 10 minutes yesterday, so no surprise it’s taking even longer today.
8:35 a.m. – Heartbreak for Dobson
Scott Dobson just lost a smallmouth on FLW Live that probably would have gone 5 pounds. That’s a tough pill to swallow considering he’s going to need several fish like that to have a chance at winning. Instead, he’s still sitting with only a 3-pounder in the livewell and a line to re-tie. He’s clearly pretty unhappy about it.
Russ Lane is the first pro with multiple keepers this morning. He has three for about 7 pounds and has unofficially moved up into fourth.
The pros running to St. Clair shouldn’t be too much longer, but it’s hard to say how much time those big rollers will add to the trip.
8:15 a.m. – First catches
Despite having full coverage of all 10 anglers, we haven’t really gotten much in the way of fish catch updates yet. It’s another day of rough water out on Erie. Some pros are braving the conditions to make the run north, but don’t expect to see them with lines in the water any time soon.
Jacob Wheeler and Scott Dobson have each caught a lone 3-pounder this morning. Russ Lane has one 2 1/2-pounder of his own. That’s about it for the action so far.
7:00 a.m. ET – It all comes down to this
Angler of the Year has been decided. Polaris Rookie of the Year, too. Congrats to Ron Nelson and Kyle Hall, respectively, for their terrific 2020 seasons.
Today, though, a champion will again be crowned, this time for the final stop of the 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season. There's up to $160,000, and the field of 10 remaining anglers is a stacked group. Weights are tight, and truly anything can happen today.
Mother Nature promises to keep anglers on their toes, as winds should churn up some big waves on Erie and St. Clair. Getting from point A to point B safely is going to be the main focus, especially for anyone thinking about going up to St. Clair. Stick around to find out how many decide to do that.
For coverage of all the action today, stay right here to the live coverage blog and leaderboard, and be sure to tune in to FLW Live starting at 8 a.m. ET and running through 2 p.m.
CONDITIONS
Temperature at takeoff: 74 degrees
Forecast high: 82 degrees
Sky: Mix of clouds and sun, more cloudy this afternoon
Precipitation: 20 percent chance of rain
Wind: ENE 10 to 20 mph
TOURNAMENT DETAILS
Hosted by the City of Sandusky
Takeoff: 7 a.m. ET at Shelby Street Public Boat Launch, 101 Shelby Street, Sandusky, Ohio
Weigh-in: 4 p.m. ET at Paper District Marina, 611 W Shoreline Drive, Sandusky, Ohio
FLW Live studio and on-the-water show: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET
FLW Live weigh-in show: 4 p.m. ET to end of weigh-in