Keith Carson Wins MLF Invitations Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches at the Detroit River

Canadian Cory Johnston 6th

Keith Carson won Stop 6 with a three-day total of 67-6. Photo by Rob Matsuura.

By Jody White

Major League Fishing Press Release

TRENTON, Mich. – Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches at the Detroit River was a wild one from start to finish, with big weights, lots of movement in the points standings, and a tightly contested chase for the win. In the end, Keith Carson put it all together for three days to earn his first MLF win as a pro with a three-day total of 67 pounds, 6 ounces. For the win, Carson earned $80,000 and a ticket to REDCREST 2025. Finishing runner-up, Alec Morrison weighed 66-12, and though he could not clinch the win, he did earn both the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year and Polaris Rookie of the Year titles. 

This being the last Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event of the season, the top five pros in the points also earned Bass Pro Tour invites for 2025. Morrison leads a high-flying group of anglers that includes Jake Lawrence, Colby Miller, Jaden Parrish and Marshall Hughes. 

ActiveTarget skills put Carson on top 

A childhood friend of John Cox, who is noted for eschewing forward-facing sonar and remaining quite successful, you wouldn’t exactly peg Carson as a player on

Billy Gilbert and Brad Brodnicki Crowned 2023 CHAMPIONS with 22.50lbs!

 2023 CANADIAN TIRE LAKE ERIE OPEN

Originally posted Facebook

On Saturday October 7th 100 Teams comprised of 200 anglers blasted off from Chippawa, ON in search of the biggest 5 fish limit of bass they could find. This was our 10th year doing this event since its inception in 2014 and like many times in the past, anglers were met with less than ideal conditions as a cold front was moving in, and brought strong wind and some scattered showers to start the day.

The skies cleared in the morning, but strong winds forecasted prevailed, and the tournament was restricted to the Upper Niagara River Only.

No matter the conditions, there are always teams that can locate and catch a big bag of bass! This year was no different as we saw a total of 388 fish brough to the scales for a total weight of 1440lbs. This means the average bass weighed in was just shy of 3.5lbs, a very healthy average considering not one fish was weighed in over 5lbs! As the weigh in progressed it was apparent that the 4.5lbs and above fish were not easy to find as there were only 6 teams with over 20lbs. Again, the anglers took good care of their fish and we had only 3 dead fish (99% live release) and all others went back into the river healthy and ready to be caught again. Shimano supported in this effort with use of their weigh in bags, and water weigh in technology that we adopted many years ago!

In the end the team of Billy Gilbert and Brad Brodnicki have been crowned the 2023 CHAMPIONS with a total weight of 22.50lbs!! This came with a total of $16,200 in cash and prizes – which consisted of $6500 cash for first, $6900 cash for pay to play (side pot), $1000 Canadian Tire Gift Card, and the Shimano Big Bag award!! Congratulations for huge win in a talented field of anglers! In second place the team of Franklin and Erny Janzen brought 21.00 lbs to the scale and were rewarded with $4000 cash prize! Rounding out the top 3 – Mark Piche and Erick Hodgins had 20.71lbs for $3000 cash prize. Full results are pictured in the attached!

Standings below

Ohio Angler Lands 10 Pound Smallmouth on Lake Erie! (ON THE WATER VIDEO)

Potential Ontario Record!

By Luigi De Rose  

Photo: Ohio Department of Natural Resources

The November heat wave has kept bass guys on the water but Gregg Ghallerger of Fremont, Ohio might be the luckiest to venture out. He might be the luckiest angler ever if his mammoth 10.15lb Lake Erie smallmouth meets official criteria and becomes the new Ontario record. 

On November 3, 2022, Gregg and his son Grant ventured from across Erie into Canadian waters near Pelee Island. After landing the 23.75-inch smallmouth on a drop-shot and eight-pound test they headed back to connect with the Ohio DNR for an official weight and measurement. 

Naturally, the story of the potential Ontario record circulated late Thursday online. Internet warriors have been flooding chatboards debating the merit of Gregg’s catch. The questions and debates raged, several questions emerged: was the fish released? Can a released bass be considered a true record? How old was it? 

To celebrate the catch, Ross Robertson of Big Water Fishing sits down with the Gallergers and relives the epic catch. 

Neil Farlow Wins 2018 Costa FLW Northern on Lake Erie!

Weather stricken event nets Canadian first FLW win!
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Day 1 good enough for win by the young Canadian.
(Photo: Neil Farlow) 

Pro Neil Farlow of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, won the Costa FLW Series Northern Division event on Lake Erie presented by Polaris with a single-day catch of five bass weighing 24 pounds, 4 ounces, after high winds forced tournament officials to shorten the three-day event to one day of competition. Farlow’s weight was caught on Thursday and was enough to earn him the top prize of $87,500 including a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower outboard engine.

“It feels awesome to win one of these tournaments,” said Farlow, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I’ve been thinking about this tournament since the schedule was released and I put in a lot of time preparing for it. I was ready for three days out there but the wind had a different plan.”

Farlow said he fished his way from Point Abino on the Canadian side of Lake Erie, to Myers Reef on the U.S. side, and then back in toward Buffalo. He said of the six areas he worked through, four of them produced his biggest fish.

“I fished old spots and anywhere I could get to where there weren’t any boats around,” said Farlow. “I was boat No.156, so I had to keep running until I found something that didn’t have anyone around. I think that’s what made the difference.”

Farlow said bottoms that were a mix of rock and gravel or gravel and sand produced best for him.

“I fished in 20 to 40 feet of water, but most of the fish were 20 to 30 feet down,” said Farlow. “I fished basically anywhere there was something different – a depth change, hump or a boulder.”

Farlow said he caught around eight bass throughout the day, including the largest of the event – a 6-pound, 6-ouncer – around 9 a.m. He weighed his fish all from one lure – a green-pumpkin-colored Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm on a drop-shot rig.

“I did what pretty much everyone else was doing, which was using drop shots and tubes,” said Farlow. “I didn’t catch many fish because some of the crowded spots were the ones that had more fish in them, so I ended up going after more individual fish that were bigger. I had less bites and it was stressful, but I knew that if I did get a bite it would be the right size.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Erie finished:

               1st:          Neil Farlow, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 24-4, $87,500

               2nd:         Ben Wright, Peru, N.Y., five bass, 24-3, $16,600

               3rd:          Charles Sim, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 23-3, $12,500

               4th:          J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., five bass, 23-2, $10,500

               5th:          J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga., five bass, 22-15, $9,500

               6th:          Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., five bass, 22-12, $8,250

               7th:          Moo Bae, West Friendship, Md., five bass, 22-8, $7,200

               8th:          Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., five bass, 22-6, $6,200

               9th:          Philip Jarabeck, Spout Spring, Va., five bass, 22-5, $5,200

               10th:        T.J. Lacey, Selwyn, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 22-3, $4,100

Farlow’s 6-pound, 6-ounce bass – the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division – also earned him Thursday’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.

2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open Lake Erie Day 2: Derek Remitz Leads with 46lbs!

Persistence Paying off for Leaders.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release

SANDUSKY, Ohio — While some anglers would give up and move on to find new water, Derek Remitz knew better. He remained persistent, fine tuning what worked Thursday until it finally clicked today. As a result he leads the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate.

Remitz reaps another big bag.
(Photo BASS)

Remitz, of Grant, Ala., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces. Added to his Thursday score the total weight is 46 pounds, 10 ounces.

Remitz lost at boat side what was a crucial 4-pound smallmouth about 10:30 a.m. Until then his livewell was empty. After regaining composure his renewed concentration paid off during a feeding flurry when he added four bass to his catch. Even then he didn’t leave. Staying resulted in another late afternoon feeding frenzy that sealed the lead.

“I got a late start but knew the bass were still in the area,” he said. “The biggest key is the wind, which is blowing so I can make controlled drifts across the best habitat.”

Ironically, the wind blew again from the northeast, although its predicted shift on Saturday could require making significant adjustments.

2015 Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division Lake Erie Day 1: Rhode Cracks 23-10 for Lead!

Big water equals big smallmouth. Johnston closer to AOY.

by David A. Brown

FLW PRESS RELEASE

He was hoping to preserve a special spot for later in the event, but when Jared Rhode realized he had to hit the sweet stuff, the fat smallmouth therein did not let him down. Sacking up a limit of 23 pounds, 10 ounces the pro from Port Clinton, Ohio, grabbed the day-one lead at the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event on Lake Erie.

“I have a spot where I’ve been catching quite a few fish, but I went there this past weekend and they weren’t there,” Rhode says. “I wanted to try to avoid fishing there today, in hopes that I could save my best spot.

Local knowledge propels Jared Rhode into lead.
(Photo: FLW)

“I fished elsewhere and I only had three bass, so I went to my best spot and caught them very quickly. There seems to be quite a few fish there and there are no other boat around, so I’m very excited about tomorrow.”

Fishing in the general vicinity of Pelee Island, Rhode’s first spot was shallow — about 10 feet. According to Rhode, this spot had kicker potential, but the fish didn’t cooperate.

“I only fished where I started for 10 to15 minutes because I could tell they weren’t there,” he says. “Once I went to my main spot offshore, I had my limit by 9 o’clock in the morning and I had most of my weight [shortly thereafter].

2015 Bassmaster Elite Lake St. Clair Day 1: Jones Leads with 23.10lbs.

Three bags over 23 pounds!

By Thomas Allen

bass press release

DETROIT — Weather is always a dynamic element in competitive bass fishing, but it is the biggest factor when the tournament is taking place on big lakes.

The Plano Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair is the final event of the regular season, and many anglers are putting it all on the line to garner a berth in the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro next March.

Alton takes lead as pack is ounces behind.
(Photo: BASS)

Texas pro Alton Jones took control of the event by bringing in 23 pounds, 10 ounces of smallmouth bass to the scales after the first day.

“When you’re fishing the Great Lakes, where wind is a dominating weather condition, my goal is to locate the best drift over the best piece of structure,” the 2008 Bassmaster Classic champion explained. “My practice time was spent finding the right drift, but it only produced small fish for me this morning. I knew they had moved, and after I found them again — only a few hundred yards away — it was a pretty consistent bite.”

Jones expects the bass he found to move again by Friday with another weather change predicted. He caught about 15 fish throughout the day and expects the numbers to be similar again in the second round.

“My big-fish spot contributed my best fish of the day, and several opportunities to cull up,” he said. “I found numerous spots that I’ve devoted my attention to, and I really hope they will hold up as the tournament goes on. But, to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure if they will.”

2014 BASS Northern Open Lake St. Clair Day 1: Balog Sacks Lead with 22-8!

Balog leads over a strong local showing.

By Louis Stout

bass press release

DETROIT — The home-field advantage played a big role in the first round of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate on Lake St. Clair Thursday.

Joe was one of 11 who cracked 20 pounds.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Two local anglers jumped to the head of the pack, with formidable pro Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Mich., sacking 22 pounds, 8 ounces, good for a 4-ounce lead over fellow Harrison Township angler Andrew Smith.

Canadian Chris Johnston is third with 21-12, while Bassmaster Elite Series pros Fletcher Shryock of Ohio and Michigander Chad Pipkens are tied for fifth with 21-6.

In addition to valuable prizes going to the winner of this final leg of the Northern Open is a berth in next February’s Bassmaster Classic to be held on Lake Hartwell of out Greenville, S.C., providing the winner has competed in two previous 2014 Northern Opens.

June is big Smallmouth Time on the Great Lakes!

Start Bass Season with a Bang!

By Luigi De Rose

June is a magical month. For many states and particularly the province of Ontario, it is the month that bass fishing begins. It is also one of the best times of year to nail a whopper. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway is the location for anglers who are after truly giant smallmouth. These fresh water oceans remain cold and smallmouth bass are just now thinking of spawning.  This year we suffered a frigid winter which has attributed to an even slower progression into summer.

Shimano and Hunninbird pro, Derek Strub is all
smiles with his 7.1 pound Lake Erie smallmouth. 

For the angler, this is the time to target large flats, rocky points, channels and even shallow spawning flats if the water temperature is conducive for it. There are many techniques that work on smallmouth. No need to over complicate the presentations to catch these beasts. It is best to break it down into two categories: search and finesse. Search baits such as: spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits even topwaters are ideal at trigging a reaction bite. If the bass are scattered and aggressive this quick presentation might be all you need. Play to the mood of the fish.

If you're getting wild hits but not connecting, you'll need to alternative between search and a finesse rig to cater to the bass. Don't be stubborn, switching to a finesse rig will save the day. A few bass might attack a search bait but scores of others will remain uninterested. Alternating between a tube jig and a drop shot will have you in the strike zone longer.

Venturing out onto the Great Lakes is not for everyone. It takes the correct gear, the correct weather and the knowledge to adjust to the fishing conditions but the rewards are well worth it.

** Fishing for any species out of season is unethical and against the law. If you cannot wait until your area legally opens for bass fishing then it is time for a road trip to New York or Michigan  **

Check Out Epic Bass in this month's issue of Ontario OUT OF DOORS Magazine

This month has a super article on fishing for trophy smallmouth.  Lonnie King's
article is really filled with useful tips for all skill levels. There is also
some great big bass photos and I hate him for it.

Available now in news stands!

Click here for a link to the site

2013 Bassmaster Elite Lake St. Clair Day 2: Mark Davis Grabs Lead at Smallmouth Heaven

By Deb Johnson

BASS Press Release

AUG 23, 2013

DETROIT — Mullygrubs?

Yup. Mark Davis said he had them on Thursday, the first day of the Bassmaster Elite Series Plano Championship Chase out of Detroit, Mich. He said he caught the mullygrubs after not boating two big smallmouth bass he hooked. He settled for second place.

Mark Davis lands another 20lb bag to grab lead.
(Photo: BASS) 

He shook off those mullygrubs Friday. Not hard to do after spending a great day on the water, weighing 20 pounds, 10 ounces of smallmouth bass, and taking the Chase lead with a two-day tally of 42 pounds, 11 ounces.

“Mullygrubs,” the pro from Mount Ida, Ark., explained, is an old Arkansas term that means something that falls between the grumps and the blues, and maybe is tangled with regrets over missed chances.

“No mullygrubs today, everything was good. Everything went pretty well. I caught a limit pretty quick. I did lose one huge fish, but you aren’t going to catch all these big smallmouth,” said Davis, the 1995 Classic winner who also took the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title that same season. He went on to claim another AOY crown in 1998, and a third in 2001.

Bassmaster Bass Pro Shops Northern Open Northern Open #2 Day 3: Wellman Wins!

Wellman captures Erie Open, fulfills goal of reaching ClassicBy

By: David Hunter Jones

Bassmaster Press Release

Aug 27, 2011

SANDUSKY, Ohio -- Nate Wellman has had a dream since he was 12 years old: to fish in the Bassmaster Classic.
Since then, he’s strived to make that dream a reality by trying to qualify through the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens as well as the Bassmaster Elite Series, but before today, he’s always come up short.


Well Worth the Wait.
(Photo:  Seigo Saito BASS)

 With his win on Lake Erie, he’ll be able to live out that dream this February on Louisiana’s Red River at the 2012 Classic.
The victory was even more special because Wellman had never won on his home water of Lake Erie despite compete on the lake for more than 10 years.
 “I can’t even explain what this means to me. To come here and win means an awful lot, but to get to go to the Classic means the world,” he said.
Wellman narrowly missed a spot in the 2011 Classic with his third-place finish in the 2010 Northern Opens point standings. Only the top two anglers advanced.
Along with the Classic berth, Wellman also takes home a fully-rigged Nitro boat with a 225-horsepower Mercury outboard and nearly $9,000 cash. His Day Three catch weighed 18-4, giving him a three-day total of 63-11and almost a two-pound margin of victory.

Bassmaster Bass Pro Shops Northern Open Northern Open #2 Day 2: Wellman Still on Top!

Wellman keeps lead but Devries' 26-7 puts him in hunt

 

Erie Beasts!
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

By David Hunter Jones

Bassmaster Press Release

Aug 26, 2011

SANDUSKY, Ohio -- Weights soared on Day Two of the 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open on Lake Erie as the winds calmed and gave anglers access to more areas.
On Day One, there were six anglers who cracked the 20-pound mark, with Nate Wellman’s 22-4 topping the list. Friday, 15 anglers crossed that mark, with John Devries tallying an astounding 26 pounds, 7 ounces of smallmouth. However, Elite Series pro Wellman managed to retain his lead with a catch of 23-3, giving him 45-7.

“I pulled up to where I left ’em biting yesterday afternoon, and it was awesome,” Wellman said. “In my first three casts, I caught two fish, and I was throwing 3-pounders back before I had a limit.”
“I ended up leaving there with four fish. But, they were even more loaded up on my third spot. Between the two of us (Wellman and his co-angler), we probably caught 70 bass there.”
Wellman lost several fish that he estimates would’ve given him another two pounds or so. He also says that the spot is replenishing every day. Going into the event, Wellman had 12 areas he planned to fish, but he’s only hit five of them so far.

Bassmaster Bass Pro Shops Northern Open Northern Open #2 Day 1: Wellman on Top!

By David Hunter Jones

Aug 25, 2011

BASSMASTER Press Release

Wellman leads day 1!
(Photo: Steve Bowman BASS)

SANDUSKY, Ohio -- Lake Erie’s highly-mobile smallmouth bass had much of the field scrambling for bites on Day One of the second 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open, but several pros were able to adapt and crack the 20-pound mark.
No one was more surprised at leader Nate Wellman’s weight than Wellman himself.
“My weight was a complete shock. I really thought I had 18 pounds, but as I got to the scales, they felt a lot heavier,” he said. “But, I’m sure glad they put on that weight.”
In practice, Wellman found two areas that held fish bigger than the ones he caught today, but they weren’t home when he arrived this morning, so he fell back on Plan B.

FLW EverStart Northern Lake Erie (Eastern portion): Pre-tournament info

By Luigi De Rose

Mike Desforges All The Way!

The FLW EverStart Northern on Lake Erie is one day away. This year it is out of Buffalo, New York and the fishing should be good. The eastern portion of Lake Erie offers two distinct fishing environments; the big lake and the upper Niagara River. Both sections offer great fishing but only the main lake offers a chance to win. The place is smallmouth heaven. If you don't fish for brown then you're going down. 

Lake Erie is a bowl shaped area with not as much structure as one would wish for. Subtleties are the key to unlocking the smallmouth game here. Suspended bass are another technique that will win. Much more technically risky than dragging bottom, colossal bass hover off bottom. Kota Kiriyama won the last Bassmater tournament the last time the Elite anglers were in Buffalo fishing this way. So it can be done.

Techniques will not vary much. Drop shotting and dragging tubes (if the bottom is clean) are really the two best methods. This time of year is not great for big spinnerbaits, jerkbaits or even spoons. Finding the best schools of fish and being able to fish them well is the key to this tournament.

Weather is a huge factor; maybe the most critical factor in this tournament. The eastern portion of Lake Erie offers no shelter from pounding wind and waves. You could duck into the River, but your chances to consistently doing well drops dramatically. 



Gaspare Costabile another top Pick.

Big players will be mostly Canadians again. The taste of blood is in everyone's mouth and they're out for more trophies. 

My pick is simple. Mike DesForges all the way. He has won many times from Buffalo and he is simply the man out there. Not sure if he is fishing, the pairing is not up yet, is Gaspare Costabile. He is a local and had several near misses on Lake Erie with American tournaments. He is another easy pick.