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Detroit,
MI – Steve Kennedy is a stalwart of the BASS Elite Series, a constant threat to win and a perpetual Bassmaster Classic contender. But it was only a few years ago that he was a two-tour pro, and before that an FLW-only competitor.
He hadn’t cut his FLW ties completely – he had continued to fish FLW Series events as his schedule allowed – but this will be his first FLW Tour entry since his 117th place finish on the Potomac last year. He hasn’t fished a full season on the tour since 2006. Prior to that, he made his name in FLW Outdoors events, amassing over $500,000 in winnings and seven victories.
FLW allows pros to jackpot late-season tour events and that provides Kennedy with an opportunity to return to his FLW Outdoors roots with an entry in this week’s FLW Tour event on the Detroit River.
“I always enjoy fishing them. (Going to BASS) was a choice I had to make, but FLW is a great circuit and I just want to fish,” he said. “I wish I had signed up for more of them. I would have signed up for Fort Loudoun but I thought we were going to Iowa and I didn’t want to backtrack. If I had known we’d end up at Old Hickory, I definitely would have entered it.”
Even though he’ll be fishing under FLW’s authority, the long hand of BASS will be guiding his actions.
Obstacles
There were several factors that complicated Kennedy’s entry.
First, the Elite Series will be on Erie (out of New York) within the next 30 days, and BASS rules create an off-limits period that prevents competitors from entering tournament waters within that window. The Detroit River is connected to Erie and if provided enough time and enough gas (and a lack of wind) it would be possible to drive a boat from one launch site to the other without encountering a dam or other obstacle. Kennedy consulted with BASS tournament staff before he entered to get a clarification.
“The first time I talked to them, everything was fine,” he said. “But then some issues came up. (BASS) will be limited to New York and Ontario waters, which extend to the light at the Detroit River, so I can’t enter those waters. That’s a little bit of a handicap. Even coming out of the river, I have to make a big circle, but as long as the wind’s not out of the north that should be all right, and it’s predicted to be out of the south the whole time.
“Then the issue came up about what if my co-angler had been in Canadian waters, but they worked that out too.”
The biggest issue, he said, is that he can’t run to the Pelee Island area, which he considers the “premier” habitat in the system.
The second hindrance he encountered was the inability to obtain a place to stay in the area. “We couldn’t get a reservation over the Fourth of July, so we didn’t even come up here until July 6th, Sunday.”
That might have been all right if he was a local or had extensive knowledge of the area, but his only exposure to these waters had been a single day on Lake St. Clair to practice for an EverStart event. Compounding that lack of past history was a headache that kept him off the water most of the day Monday, but the four hours he fished were highly productive.
“I still had 20 pounds,” he said. “There are not a lot of bites on the big lake. I only got five bites in four hours, but they were big. My big one was a 4-13.”
Benefits
A tournament junkie like Kennedy doesn’t necessarily need an excuse to fish a major league tournament, but this week’s FLW Tour event is particularly timely for him.
First, it gives him an opportunity to swing for the fences.
“I’ve been chit-chatting with some of the guys and I here them talking about fishing for points,” he said. “I don’t need to fish conservatively. I’m going out on the big lake. It’s a fun way to fish sometimes.”
The second benefit is that after a season of chasing green bass, this will give him an opportunity to “re-learn” their brown cousins before he heads to New York for the last two events of the Elite Series season.
“In BASS you can’t use a net, but in FLW you can. I’m pretty excited about that. Last year I had several big fish within a foot of my hand and they got off. In practice, I had a four pounder up to the boat and lost him. I had another one that was four or four and a half and I saw that it was barely hooked, so I didn’t want to flip it into the boat. This will give me some practice landing them.”
That’s just what his competitors on the BASS side of things need – an excited and well-practiced Steve Kennedy making their lives more difficult.
Stay tuned for more On Location coverage of the Detroit River event throughout the week.
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