ESCANABA, Mich. – According to an Escanaba city official at last night’s pretournament meeting, this week’s EverStart Series Northern Division event is the first major bass tournament ever to be held out of this particular slice of Lake Michigan. Walleye is typically the catch of choice in these parts, but that bodes well for the 134 bass boats that launched into Escanaba Harbor this morning.
Since the Bays de Noc and Little Bays de Noc locals can’t be bothered to hunt for bass, the bass population has thrived over the years, with many people expecting this week’s tournament to put Escanaba on the map as a prime bass-fishing destination. Though the big bass are without a doubt there for the taking, early reports indicate this will not be a Lake Champlain-style tournament with untold numbers of 20-pound-plus stringers. It seems on this part of Lake Michigan, if you’re hot, you’re hot, and if you’re not, you’re not.
“I’m hearing mixed reports,” said Michigan pro Chad Grigsby at day-one takeoff. “The guys who are catching them are doing really well, but some guys are struggling.”
For Grigsby, the key to Bays de Noc fishing this week is speed. Grigsby is fishing close to the launch ramp in Little Bays de Noc, making only a three- to four-mile run.
“The only thing I’ve been able to catch them on is fast baits, but I’m sure there are other ways,” Grigsby said. “I’m 99 percent sure the leader will bring in more than 20 pounds. They’re here, and there will be a lot of guys who figure it out.”
As with any Great Lake, the prospect of making a long run is always there, and with today’s calmer conditions, some competitors might just take that chance. In practice, Grigsby said he had company in Little Bays de Noc only when the winds were high.
“On Monday there was a lot (of traffic) because it was so windy,” he said. “Today it’s calm, so I think a lot of guys who want to run will run.”
Logistics
For two days, 134 pros and 134 co-anglers will compete to determine the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers who advance to the final round based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the final round, and anglers compete for two more days to determine the winner. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
The winning pro earns an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 519VX equipped with Garmin electronics, a Minn Kota trolling motor and EverStart batteries plus $10,000 cash. If the winner is the original owner of a Ranger boat that is used during the tournament, the winner also receives a $10,000 bonus from Ranger for a top pro award of $60,000. If the winning pro is a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award another $3,000 cash (or $1,500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner), and Yamaha will match 50 percent of Ranger Cup winnings if the angler’s boat is powered by a Yamaha outboard. Garmin will award the winning pro $1,000 if he uses only Garmin electronics and at least one unit is a qualifying unit, thus boosting potential winnings for the top pro to $65,500.
The winning co-angler receives $5,000 cash, and if the winner is a Ranger boat owner, Ranger will award a new Ranger 519VX for a total prize package worth $35,000. Co-anglers who make the final round of each regular-season EverStart Series event and wear an EverStart/Evinrude shirt and cap on stage are also awarded points toward the EverStart Batteries and Evinrude Outboard Engines Co-angler Award. The co-angler receiving the most points by the end of the season receives an Evinrude 225HO Direct Injection outboard engine rigged on a Ranger boat equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor and EverStart batteries.
Escanaba will prove its mettle at today’s weigh-in, which begins at 3 p.m. Eastern from Escanaba Harbor in Ludington Park, located in downtown Escanaba.
Wednesday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 7 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 45 degrees
Expected high temperature: 77 degrees
Water temperature: 68 degrees
Wind: ESE at 11 mph
Maximum humidity: 64 percent
Day’s outlook: plentiful sunshine