TRENTON, Mich. – By looking at the weights, one would think that Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich., must have fished in the Pro Division.
Not only did he turn in the biggest limit of the entire tournament today – 20 pounds, 7 ounces – but his two-day total of 36 pounds, 13 ounces would have been enough to win in the Pro Division as well.
But Jancasz did it all from the back deck in the Co-angler Division, besting his nearest competition by 7 pounds, 12 ounces.
“This feels good,” Jancasz said. “I’m glad I finally won one of these.”
Jancasz has finished in nearly every position in the top 10 except first.
And last year, on the very last day of the last EverStart Northern, Jancasz was returning to weigh-in with enough weight to claim the co-angler national points title for the entire EverStart Series (which awarded a Ranger Boat) when the lower unit on his pro’s boat went out, and he lost his weight and the title.
Now Jancasz has claimed redemption, not only by winning $5,000, but by winning a brand new Ranger Boat since he was already the owner of a Ranger boat before the event began.
Jancasz basically fished the same lure all week: an ISG Dream Tube in goby color on a 1/2-ounce Bite-Me stand-up jighead called a “Thumper.”
“That Thumper jighead is the deal,” Jancasz said. “It’s designed to make the tube stand up, so it imitates a goby swimming along the bottom”
Keefe takes second
Scot Keefe of Hinesburg, Vt., turned in 17 pounds, 7 ounces today for a two-day total of 29 pounds, 2 ounces to take second place.
Keefe took a few lessons from his pro, Jim Liechty, to catch his fish.
“I caught most of my fish this week on tubes,” Keefe said. “But today, I couldn’t get them to bite my tubes, so I borrowed a Poor Boy’s Goby from Jim and I started catching fish on it, too.”
Keefe rigged his drop-shot with 10-pound-test line and a 3/4-ounce weight.
Todd Robbins of Romulus, Mich., moved into third place in the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 18 pounds, 13 ounces.
Brian Comer of Springfield, Ohio, finished in fourth place with a two-day total of 16 pounds, 6 ounces.
And Gary Hoffman of Stoutsville, Ohio, finished fifth with a two-day total of 15 pounds, 8 ounces.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were Mark Lyons of Marion, Ind., finishing in sixth place with a two-day total of 14 pounds, 13 ounces; Ron Norris of Portage, Mich., finishing in seventh place with a two-day total of 14 pounds, 2 ounces; Daniel Peterman of Falls Creek, Pa., finishing in eighth place with a two-day total of 12 pounds, 1 ounce; William Gordon of Newark, Ohio, finishing in ninth place with a two-day total of 8 pounds, 13 ounces; and D.J. Plotner of Powell, Ohio, finishing in 10th place with a two-day total of 6 pounds, 13 ounces.