Shaffer shuffles to top

EverStart Series shootout brewing at Detroit River Northern

TRENTON, Mich. – With just over a pound separating the first three places, the EverStart Series Northern Division event on the Detroit River is likely to end up in an ounce-for-ounce shootout at the final weigh-in Saturday.

As predicted, the Lake Erie boys are now running the show, but weights are tight up top.

Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, now leads the smallmouth-bass brouhaha with 20 pounds, 1 ounce.

Shaffer said yesterday that he had a place he was saving for the final rounds. Well, he went there today and scored big, securing a limit by 8:30 a.m.

The Ohio pro is drop-shotting and fishing tubes on isolated rock piles in 24 to 26 feet of water. In order to get his bait to the bottom in the wind and current, he had to resort to 1/2-ounce jigheads and weights.

“I don’t know if I can do it again tomorrow,” Shaffer said. “I think the area has the potential for another big string like that, but we’ll just have to see what happens. As long as the wind doesn’t get any worse than it was today, I can fish out there again.”

Wyman winds up in second

Warren Wyman of Calera, Ala., hauled in his best weight of the tournament today, 19 pounds, 2 ounces, to claim second.

Wyman also had been saving a place in Erie, though it was an inadvertent move.

On day one he was headed out to his best spot on Lake Erie when a fouled spark plug hampered his outboard, and he was forced to fish near the Detroit River.

“Fortunately, I had practiced close (to the launch site) a couple of days in case the wind really howled, and I actually found some good fish nearby,” he said. “So when my plug fouled, I just came back and fished for those fish.”

On day two, Wyman decided to stick with his nearby fish to see if he could make the finals on those and save his best spots in Erie should he make the top 20.

“And it has worked out perfect,” he said. “I went out to Erie today and caught that 19 pounds in about an hour.”

Warren is drop-shotting and Carolina rigging isolated rock piles in 18 to 30 feet of water.

“I feel pretty confident about tomorrow,” he added. “I only fished that spot for about an hour today; tomorrow I’m staying there all day.”

Liechty `gobies’ his way to third

There’s a new hot bait going around for those in the know on Lake Erie, and Jim Liechty of Fort Wayne, Ind., caught 18 pounds, 13 ounces of smallmouths on it today to move into third place.

Liechty has been throwing a Poor Boy Baits Goby, a plastic goby imitation in a special color that he had the company pour just for him. He is fishing the goby look-alike on a drop-shot rig.

“I won the BFL here two weeks ago on it, and I’ve caught every fish I’ve weighed in this week on it,” Liechty said.

He also fishing the same group of fish in Erie that gave him the BFL win.

“I’m fishing one shoal, but it has key spots on it that are holding the fish,” he said. “The shallowest spot is about 16 feet, and the deepest I’ve caught them is about 22 feet.”

Goodman in fourth

In addition to tubes, Patrick Goodman of White Pigeon, Mich., has also been throwing the Poor Boys Goby this week.

He jumped into the top 20 yesterday with a 19-pound, 2-ounce stringer and caught 17 pounds, 12 ounces today to move into fourth.

“I’m fishing one rock pile in 30 feet of water that’s about the size of a truck,” Goodman said. “This pile is so hard to find that when I accidentally caught my buoy today and drifted off the spot, it took me an hour and a half to find it again. But once I found it, we started catching fish.”

Clapper holds on to fifth

Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio, made good on his promise to reveal the bait he has been using this week to catch his fish, but Jim Liechty (third) beat him to the punch.

“I’ve been using that Poor Boys Goby like some of these other guys,” Clapper revealed. “I’ve been drop-shotting it on about a 16- to 18-inch leader with 3/8-ounce weight.”

The Goby delivered again for Clapper today as he checked in 17 pounds, 8 ounces to grab fifth place.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros that have survived to fish the final day are Scott Emery of Livonia, Mich., in sixth place with 16 pounds, 13 ounces; Art Ferguson III of St. Clair Shores, Mich., in seventh place with 16 pounds, 3 ounces; David Reault of Livonia, Mich., in eighth place with 14 pounds, 5 ounces; Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., in ninth place with 13 pounds, 14 ounces; and Al Gagliarducci of Agwam, Mass., in 10th place with 13 pounds, 5 ounces.

Pro stats

Out of 20 anglers in the Pro Division, there were 12 limits and the top-10 cut ended up at 13 pounds, 5 ounces.

Jancasz opens up sizable lead in Co-angler Division

While weights are tight in the top half of the Pro Division, Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich., has opened up over a 3-pound lead in the Co-angler Division with 16 pounds, 6 ounces.

Jancasz has used a 1/2-ounce Bite-Me jighead teamed with an ISG Dream Tube on 10-pound-test Bass Pro Shops fluorocarbon all week to put himself in first place going into the last day.

“The Dream Tube is a bigger, fatter version of their regular tube,” Jancasz explained. “The colors I’ve used this week are dark watermelon with a gold flake and green pumpkin.”

Jancasz is pumped about having a shot at the $5,000 co-angler top prize tomorrow, and since he is a Ranger owner, he will also get a brand-new Ranger Boat should he win.

Bryan Comer of Springfield, Ohio, moved into in second place in the Co-angler Division with 12 pounds, 15 ounces.

Scot Keefe of Hinesburg, Vt., is in third place with 11 pounds, 11 ounces.

Todd Robbins of Romulus, Mich., moved to fourth place with 10 pounds, 10 ounces.

And Daniel Peterman of Falls Creek, Pa., is in fifth with 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers that have survived to fish the final day are Gary Hoffman of Stoutsville, Ohio, in sixth place with 7 pounds, 6 ounces; D.J. Plotner of Powell, Ohio, in seventh place with 6 pounds, 13 ounces; Ron Norris of Portage, Mich., in eighth place with 4 pounds, 14 ounces; William Gordon of Newark, Ohio, in ninth place with 4 pounds, 14 ounces; and Mark Lyons of Marion, Ind., in 10th place with 4 pounds, 11 ounces.

Co-angler stats

Out of 20 co-anglers, there were two limits caught and the top-10 cut ended up at 4 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers will carry their weights from today over into Saturday’s competition to see who will be crowned the champion of their respective divisions.

The final-day action gets under way at 6:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday at Elizabeth Park on the Detroit River.