By Luigi De Rose
With the kids back at school, Top Bass anglers had one thing
on their mind, the Classic on Balsam Lake. Under high heat and humidity, practice for most was decent. The black cloud that was hanging over everyone’s
head was the horrible weather that was forecasted for the tournament.
Rain, strong winds and bitter cold would shock the bass and anglers from their summer bliss.
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| Jerkbaits and smallmouth a winning combo for Tim and Mike. (Photo: Jeff English) |
Balsam Lake has the highest elevation of all the Kawartha
Lakes and it’s water flow both east and west to feed the Trent-Severn System.
It has a rich wealth of smallmouth and largemouth but it can be difficult to
fish. Most anglers target bass away from the shoreline that is dotted with
expensive homes and cottages. The lake’s famous grass beds and rocky flats are
where fame and fortune can be found.
Having only fished occasionally as a team, Tim Fernandes and
Mike Quesnelle work exceptionally well together. Tim and Mike worked so well
together they captured the 2015 Top Bass Classic in dramatic style. Both bringing qualities
to the partnership that benefitted each other this weekend. Specifically, Tim
enjoys offshore fishing for smallmouth and prefers to target bass he can see on
the electronics. Mike, with over two decades of tournaments under his belt, is
solid as a rock and provided tremendous strength and a voice of experience
throughout the tournament.
Practice
“I only got to fish the weekend before but I found a great
pattern.” Declares Fernandes. He discovered a specific weed bed on a mid-lake
flat that held three-pound smallmouths. Setting the hook on the first bass,
revealed smallmouth buried in the grass and not the typical largemouth. The jig
and Lake Fork trailer produced many more bites but Tim didn’t wish to string bass so he left the area once he determined the specific area the bass
where hold in.
Practicing several days without much fanfare, it wasn’t until
Thursday that Mike discovered the winning pattern. “On Thursday, I started using
a jerkbait on rock piles. Then I started creaming them and I when I hooked one,
five others would come with it. Shallow rock seems to work best.” Reflects
Quesnelle.
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| Casting gear was key for slow retrieve and power. |
On Friday, the team paired up and tried to establish a
largemouth bite. With the pending poor weather and the notorious disappearing
smallmouth, they wanted a largemouth pattern as backup if the smallmouth bite
died. Unfortunately, after an entire day on the water, they only latched into
two bucketmouths and decided the jerkbait bite was their best bet.
Day 1
After the first day they sat in 2nd place with 16.45lbs. The day unfolded slower than they expected but were pleased
with hooking a good smallmouth right off the bat. The morning bite was best.
They netted
11 keepers on Saturday but were disappointed compare to the
practice where 40 bass could have come easily if they worked their best areas. Tim says, “We expected
everyone was going to do well and it would be a slugfest. Even with the windy
weather we expected the fishing to be better.”
