A Wild Ride Expected This Week on the Elite Series

 Story By Brent Conway - Photos by Mark Jeffreys 

Buffalo, NY – With the 2008 Elite Series winding down, the intensity of Angler of the Year points and Classic berths are nearing critical mass. Lake Erie plays host to The Empire Chase, the 10th regular-season tournament of the 2008 Elite Series campaign, and with only one event to go after this week, the margin of error will be slim. 

As the 11th-largest freshwater lake globally, Lake Erie is big regardless of whichever stick you use to measure it. Covering nearly 10,000 square miles of surface area, the average depth at Erie is only 62 feet, thus creating treacherous running conditions in even the slightest of breezes. As such, this week will be a true test of not only the pros stamina, but also their equipment given the lake’s often punishing conditions.

Should tournament officials declare conditions on Erie as “unsafe,” which is a fairly loosely defined and somewhat relative term at Erie, the Niagara River could serve as the back-up venue so that the show may go on. The Niagara, while a possibility for back-up, isn’t a guarantee (remember back to 2007 when weather forced the loss of an entire day) as even its relatively confined area can get pretty gnarly. 

The weather forces a wrinkle into the pre-tournament practice strategy. Should an angler focus on the open-water smallmouth in Erie, or spend a little time in the river looking for largemouth as a back-up plan? The weatherman says that the wind is going to blow all week, so the safe play is to find some spots close to home and avoid the long run. 

However, playing it safe might be the difference between hero and zero as everyone in the field knows that this week the separation between success – or at least the ability to fish through Sunday – and failure will likely come down to ounces. The secret, as defending Empire Chase champion Edwin Evers illustrated in 2007, will be to find the right group, or groups, of four-and-a-half pounders. That’s far easier said than done. 

Add to the fury that a wind-swept Erie will provide the playing field for the hotly contested Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year race, where Kevin VanDam presently maintains a narrow lead over Todd Faircloth. Less than 100 points behind Faircloth is red-hot pro Mike McClelland. Skeet Reese, the defending Tundra Angler of the Year who used Erie in 2007 to begin pulling away from VanDam, sits just 21 behind McClelland in fourth place, and only 140 points away from taking over the lead.

Classic berths are a priority right now as well. Davy Hite is currently the bubble boy in 36th place, but there’s a wad of guys beneath him who, with two strong finishes coming down the stretch, could be fishing in Shreveport come February. 

The BASS ZONE was the pre-dawn launch site this morning for the final day of practice for the scoop on what’s happening this week, and what the pros are feeling like heading into the first day of completion. It should be noted that much of the field was only able to practice one full day – Tuesday – because of the wind. Six- to eight-footers were in abundance Monday, and several pros arrived at the launch this morning only to turn around in the parking lot because of the wind and waves. 

“The fishing is really about the same (as last year), but I’ve been able to find more water to fish. It was really hard to come in here last year and get dialed in because I had no history on this lake. Now that I’ve had a full event and learned from it, I was able to get dialed in a little bit better and it was easier to pinpoint what I needed to be doing. 

“I’ve gone back to some of the areas that I fished last year and some of them were holding fish, but I also found 10 new spots that have some quality fish on them as well. It was really nice because when it was calm going out, I was able to find four or five really good areas, whereas if I would have tried it Monday, I would have maybe found only one. So I’ve been able to put together a little milk-run I think. 

“I feel pretty good about this tournament. I don’t know how much running and gunning you’ll be able to do because if the wind gets up you’re going to be limited to only a few spots, so I think 21 pounds a day will be pretty strong.”

Jon Bondy
“I’m fishing my areas that I’ve found them on the last several years, and they’re there but they seem to be a little more scattered. The quality is there, but I just need more numbers. I’ve noticed that if the wind is up they seem to bite real good, but when it slicked off Tuesday the bite really slowed, so I don’t know.

“I could still see them on the graph, but they were suspended and hard to catch. I have a few areas up in Canada that usually hold fish, but then you’re gambling with the run.

“Last year, there were some guys complaining about how tough the practice was, so I would say that this year it’s looking to be about the same. It’s just so hard to handicap one of these things based on everyone’s practice because they’ll gripe about how tough it is and then catch them like crazy. That’s always the way it goes, but I really think this year is going to be a great tournament.

“There will be so many 20-pound bags it won’t even be funny. It’s going to take 16-pounds a day, or better, to get a check and 18-pounds a day to make the top 12. I’m really comfortable here, so I’m going to go for it. We’ll see. I just hope that it’s really windy.”

Dean Rojas
“Practice has been very challenging. It’s been from one extreme to the next with high winds one day and dead calm the next. I feel a little bit better after Tuesday that I did after Monday with the areas that I found, so we’ll see.

“I know that you’re going to need 18-pounds a day to get to the top 12, but it seems like maybe the fish are running a little smaller than they were last year. It’s really hard to say for sure though because Monday’s practice was just a wash.

“I haven’t spent much time in the (Niagara) River, but I did go in there for about 45 minutes to check on a few spots because we’re going to get wind. Two of the days they’re calling for winds out of the north/northwest. That’s the worst, and it’s just supposed to howl.

“It just seems though that the smaller fish are a lot more prevalent. You can see a giant group on your graph and as soon as you drop your bait down they’ll just swarm to it, but it just seems like they’re running smaller or something. You can run through a big school and then every 45 minutes to an hour you’ll pick through some quality keepers. It’s kind of weird.

“My strategy this week is just survival. Erie is such a big lake and there are so many variables that it really just makes it a crap shoot. So I’m trying to play it sort of conservatively because I don’t want to take myself out of (the AOY race) by gambling. My goal is to go into Oneida with a shot because all it would take is for a couple of the guys at the top to stumble…and I don’t want to be one of them.”

Kevin VanDam
“With the winds on Monday it was just impossible to go out and try to learn anything. I caught some fish and found a few places, but Tuesday was really nice and I was able to find some places and catch some quality fish. 

“This is the best smallmouth fishery in the world for numbers and size, but they really seem to be more scattered out that they have been in the past. Regardless, I know that these guys are going to catch them. They’ll figure it out…they always do.

“I know that I have to catch them, that’s just all there is to it. I’m looking for four-plus-pounders exclusively because I just know that I’m going to need 18 or 19 pounds a day to make the Top 12 if it blows and over 20 a day if it slicks off. The fishing is just that good here.

“I think last year showed everyone what they needed to be looking for, and everyone learned that you need to be out there deeper. The biggest difference is that this year it seems like the fish are a little bit behind or something, and I think that a lot of them are just now moving up. Last year you could find them where you could catch them cast after cast and when you would bring one up there would be six others with it. This year, it’s not really like that.

“I’m not changing anything in how I fish this week, even knowing what’s on the line. I’m going to fish to win just like I do every week because I know that playing it safe and shooting for 15 pounds a day isn’t going to do me any good at all. In fact, if I did that I would end the tournament in 60th place. The only alternative then is go for it. I know what it takes to win up here, and that’s exactly what I’m shooting for. If you win the tournament, the Angler of the Year thing will take care of itself.”

Mike Iaconelli
“Practice has been good. This lake is just loaded with smallmouth, so it’s not about catching them, it’s about catching the right group of fish because everyone’s going to catch them. I’ve got a couple schools that I think could potentially be the right ones. 

“It’s so easy here to get sidetracked because it’s just so much fun catching these fish. “I’ve had to force myself to forget about the fun and focus on catching four-pound fish or bigger. The water temperature is about five degrees cooler than last year but I still think that the daily weights will be about the same. 

“The key to this week, knowing that the weather at Erie is always the wildcard, is to prepare for both scenarios – windy and calm. You’ve got to have some places where if it’s nice you can run 100 miles, and then you have to have some places that are reasonably close where if it blows you can get to them. I’m prepared for both scenarios and feel pretty good about what I’ve found.

“Canada could play into my plans this year. Last year, because of the ‘no-cull’ rule, I never even went up there. This year I’ve spent a lot of time looking at it. I think you’ll see a lot of guys running to Canada if the wind will allow it.

“I think you might see a shallow bite this year, particularly with the cooler-than-normal water temps. I don’t think the guy that will win will do it shallow because I don’t think it will hold up for four days, but I absolutely do believe that you could mix it in to your rotation.”

Stay tuned to the BZ for on location photos, video and other stuff from Lake Erie.

NOTES: The BZ will broadcast LIVE on XM Satellite Radio, XM Sports Nation Channel 144, this Sunday from Lake Erie at 6:00 and 8:00am EST.  Listeners and Viewers of the BASS ZONE can give Mark and Pete Robbins a call and win FREE stuff.  The call in number is 866-967-6144.  This Sunday will mark the sixth time for BZ on XM Sports Nation, Channel 144, to air LIVE on location from the BASS Elite Series events.