Semifinal round ensues at Lake Erie
Kreiger looking to stay hot close to home
DETROIT – It’s semifinal Friday at the EverStart Series Northern Division tournament here in Michigan. Sixty pros and co-anglers took off from Detroit River’s Elizabeth Park Marina at 7 a.m. in search of feisty smallmouth and a big piece of the $185,000 purse. It’s a one-day shootout to see who will advance to the top-10 finals tomorrow as each angler restarted the day with zero weight.
The Pro Division field today has a few notables to keep your eye on. Livonia, Michigan’s David Reault (3rd-place qualifier) is a veteran of these waters and, while he has only fished two EverStart events, he so far has never missed a cut in competition on this circuit.
Steve Clapper (8th place) of Lima, Ohio, placed third at the Northern Division tourney held just around the corner on Lake Erie at Sandusky, Ohio, last month. Like that tournament, Clapper has hovered around 10th place early and will be looking to make his push in the final two days.
Other notables include standings leader Butch Dobransky (19th place) of Canton, Ohio, Jim Liechty (2nd place) of Fort Wayne, Ind., who had a solid opening round, and Charlie Evans (12th place) of Gilbertsville, Ky., who also just happens to be vice president of Operation Bass and host of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour TV show. Don’t forget about Jon Jezierski (6th place) of Troy, Mich., who yesterday hauled in the biggest stringer of the tournament, 23 pounds, 3 ounces, and will likely return to the same fishing location today.
But most eyes are on lead qualifier Koby Kreiger of Osceola, Ind., who has brought in a steady 19 pounds over each of the first two days. Unlike many this week who are making long runs onto Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair to find their fish, Kreiger is fishing no further than a few minutes from the check-in point on the Detroit River at Elizabeth Park. The perennial top-10 finisher is catching them fast and big this week, and he’s the one to watch Friday.
Weigh-in begins today at 3 p.m. at Elizabeth Park Marina. The four-day tournament ends tomorrow, when the winning pro will receive $15,000 and a Ranger boat plus a $1,000 bonus from Garmin if he or she was using a fixed-mount Garmin sonar product. The winning co-angler will receive $6,000.
Day-three vital statistics
Sunrise: 7:28 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 51 degrees
Expected high temperature: 62 degrees
Wind: From the north at 10 mph
Relative humidity: 89 percent
Day’s outlook: A mix of clouds and sun
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