Lake Erie put on a different face for day three of the final Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event. After a rough day one, yesterday’s calm and mostly sunny conditions offered comfortable running and fishing conditions. Today was still a far cry from the brutal waves of day one – and prior practice days – but windier conditions and overcast skies seemed to present a more challenging scenario.

Day-one leader Jared Rhode split the day-two lead with FLW Tour pro Dave Lefebre, as both tallied 43 pounds, 9 ounces. Lefebre eluded the camera boats, but we found Rhode starting on isolated spots north of Pelee Island. He had a small limit by 9 a.m., but he was noticeably struggling to find quality.

Rhode was catching most of his fish on a drop-shot, but after a dry spell during which he told us he was marking lots of fish, he triggered a nice keeper bite on a crankbait. Rhode noted that he needed sun to stimulate his big fish.

On Rhode’s back deck, co-angler leader Justin Hicks got off to a strong start, with four fish – including a 3 1/2-pounder – by 8:45. Hicks caught his fish by drop-shotting a soft plastic leech.

Elsewhere, FLW photographer Brian Lindberg reports that fifth-place pro Matt Vermilyea has a big bag estimated at 20 pounds. Much could change depending on the afternoon bite.

Tune into FLW Live at 3:30 p.m. ET to see how this smallmouth slugfest unfolds.