Great Lakes grab bag
With an overabundance of bass, Stren Series Northeast Division anglers will have to make some sound strategic decisions to wrest a tournament title away from competitors this week on Lake Erie
CLEVELAND – As Stren Series competitors departed Voinovich Park Marina shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday, they headed out onto the great expanse of Lake Erie – the 11th-largest lake in the world and fourth-largest Great Lake – knowing Mother Nature had done them a great favor.
To be sure, the weather this morning was both calm and beautiful. And the waves and wind? Virtually nonexistent. And that’s just the way anglers like it when it comes to fishing one of the most intimidating lakes in the nation – a 241-mile body of water with an average depth of 62 feet and a total surface area of 9,910 square miles.
Obviously, overcrowding won’t be an issue for the anglers participating in the second Northeast Division event of the 2006 season. But with so much water, so many places to fish and decisions on whether to target largemouth or smallmouth bass, careful planning is going to essential for the field of 160 pros and 160 co-anglers.
“Prefishing has been OK,” said Stren Series pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa. “If you make long runs, you can do well. But if you stay close to the marina, the fishing is a lot tougher.”
As long as the weather holds up, long runs will be both possible and probable for the majority of the field. However, with scattered showers and strong storms expected for tomorrow’s competition, many anglers could be forced to go back to the drawing board in an effort to qualify for Thursday’s cut.
Tournament rules
The Stren Series event, which runs July 19-22, represents the second of four regular-season Northeast Division events. The total purse for the Lake Erie event is $262,000. The winning pro could earn as much as $64,500 in cash and prizes if various contingency awards are met, and the winning co-angler could earn as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger boat and trailer if contingency guidelines are satisfied.
Competitors will also be vying for valuable year-end standings points that could earn them a trip to the $1 million Stren Series Championship, scheduled to take place Nov. 1-4 in Decatur, Ala.
Action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) at Voinovich Park Marina, located at East 9th Street in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
On the Web
For fishing fans unable to attend the Stren Northeast tournament taking place this week in Ohio, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, a real-time video look at the daily weigh-ins. Just access the online application during weigh-in hours to keep tabs on your favorite anglers.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:09 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 70 degrees
Expected high temperature: 83 degrees
Wind: NE at 5 to 10 mph
Humidity: 78 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny