Justin Lucas Wins 2020 FLW Super Tournament on Lake Erie by 1 Ounce, Wheeler 2nd!

Drop Shot and Maxscent key to 2nd big win for Lucas

By Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Dropshot and a bit of luck helps Lucas claim another big win in 2020!
(Photo: FLW) 

From practice on, Justin Lucas felt this was his tournament to win, and he felt it’d take 20 pounds a day to do it.

He came real close to meeting his goal-weight estimate; just a little short with 79-2 for the tournament, which made it real close come weigh-in. But in the end, his feeling held true.

Battling it out in big waves all day, the Guntersville, Ala., pro brought in the biggest bag of the final day (19-10) to take down Jacob Wheeler by just 1 ounce to win the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament on Lake Erie. Because of the FLW PHOENIX Bonus, he took home an additional $35,000 in contingency money for a total paycheck of $160,000

“Where’s the hospital at?” says Lucas on stage after beating Wheeler by just the single ounce. “I knew Wheeler, he said he had 17 pounds, and I know he’s a little sandbagger. So, I knew it was going to be really close. I thought it was a tie, and I thought he won. I was sitting there deflated, because I thought he won.

“I’m at a loss for words. This one feels good. I’ve never won that much money in my life.”

It’s hard to believe a pro originally from California and now Alabama could be on top of the smallmouth world, but Lucas certainly is right now. Just a couple weeks ago, he won the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour event on Sturgeon Bay crushing smallmouth, and then he kept that momentum rolling with brown fish here. And both wins came using the exact same tackle and pattern.

2020 FLW Super Tournament on Lake Erie Day 2: Justin Lucas Grabs Lead with 41-05lbs

Canadian Erik Luzak 115^th.

By Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Another Berkley Flat Worm wonder. Justin Lucas proving he
might be the best smallmouth pro on tour.
(Photo: FLW) 

He thought he had the lead yesterday. Turns out, Justin Lucas just needed to wait a day. Either way, the Alabama pro is dialed in when it comes to smallmouth.

“I think probably about three years ago I really started understanding them (smallmouth),” says Lucas. “I have a lot of confidence when we come up here in the summer.”

After winning the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour event on Sturgeon Bay just a couple weeks ago, Lucas has further showcased that smallmouth confidence here at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament on Lake Erie. His 19-pound, 14-ounce bag today pushed him into the top spot with 41-5 for the event, a mere 3 ounces over Jeremy Lawyer.

Yet, things are liable to get very interesting the final two days.

For starters, Lucas, Lawyer, day-one leader Josh Bertrand (fourth), Todd Faircloth (seventh) and a handful of other pros that made the cut are all fishing the same general area around Gull Island Shoal. In fact, five of yesterday’s top 10 started within 75 yards of one another this morning. Considering none of them are getting many bites – Lucas says he only had seven bites and landed just the five he weighed in – many are worried that area could get too much pressure and fizzle out.

Meanwhile, calmer conditions allowed the guys making the run to Lake St. Clair to do so in a little over an hour today as opposed to two hours on Tuesday. The result was some of the bigger bags of the event, with Alton Jones, Jr. (third) and Spencer Shuffield (fifth) both cracking over 20 pounds today to push into the top five, and they’re doing it by catching dozens of fish. To really showcase how well St. Clair fished today, you just had to look at Jon Canada. He didn’t make the run yesterday and caught 8 pounds. Today, he cracked the biggest bag of the event at 24-8 to make the cut.

That could set up a showdown between the Erie and St. Clair pros … assuming the St. Clair guys can make it there tomorrow. With forecasted blustery conditions out of the northeast tomorrow afternoon, it could once again make the long run treacherous (assuming the entire field is allowed to leave Sandusky Bay). And even for pros like Lucas in Erie, the added wind and waves is going to hurt.

Top 10 Below

2018 FLW Tour Lake St. Clair Day 1: Chad Grigsby Blasts 25lbs!

Chris Johnston 6^th, Cory Johnston 29^th, Gustafson 63^rd & Richardson 142th

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

32 limits over 20lbs but Grigsby's the heaviest!
(Photo: FLW)

Catching 20 pounds in a tournament is a great day for most any lake in the country. Lake St. Clair, however, is showing it’s not like most any other lake.

While pros knew St. Clair was going to put out some big limits of smallmouth bass at FLW Tour stop No. 7, which is presented by Mercury, few predicted that the pro field would catch 32 limits of more than 20 pounds on day one. Plus, co-anglers added seven more 20-pound-plus bags. Heck, Larry Nixon – the winner the last time the Tour stopped here – caught 18 pounds and sits in 79th.

While seemingly everyone caught plenty of big bronzebacks, no one did it better on day one than Chad Grigsby. The Maple Grove, Minn., pro’s 25-pound, 13-ounce bag was anchored by a 6-3 kicker, giving him a 1-13 lead over second-place pro Darrel Robertson.

Yet, as great as his day ended up, it certainly didn’t start that way.

“I really didn’t catch them well until 10 a.m.,” Grigsby says. “That’s when the clouds left and the lake slicked off. I made a little adjustment to a different bait. I hadn’t thrown it at all, even in practice, but almost immediately we started catching them.”

TOP 10 BELOW

Jason Christie Wins BASS Elite Lake St. Clair with Tournament with 88-08lbs!

Windy last day scatters leaderboard
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Second win on St. Clair for Christine who adjusted expertly on final day.
(Photo: BASS)

Catching a drum isn't usually much of a reason for a bass fisherman to get excited. They don't count in a bass tournament, and they can waste valuable fishing time while the angler fights and lands them.

But it certainly excited Jason Christie this week — mostly because every time he'd catch one, the smallmouth bass in the area would get excited, too.

Christie caught five smallmouth that weighed 22 pounds on Championship Sunday to push his four-day weight to 88 pounds, 8 ounces. It was enough to win the Advance Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair and keep the Oklahoma angler in contention for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.

The drum were one of the keys to his week.

"Everything is lying on the bottom, and they were all eating crawdads," said Christie, who is now a five-time B.A.S.S. winner. "I can't tell you how many times I've caught a drum here this week — and as the drum was coming up, it would be spitting out crawdads. There would be smallmouth out there below them, just eating everything they could get their mouths on."

Aaron Martens Wins BASS Elite Angler of the Year!

A-Mart Wins AOY Skipping the Championship Event.

By Steve Wright

bass press release 

DETROIT, Mich. ­— Only the incomparable Aaron Martens could experience a day like he had Sunday. It was like some Bassmaster version of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Aaron and Dave lament on the day and entire season.
(Photo: BASS)

First, Martens slept through his alarm clock and woke up about the time the other 11 finalists in the Plano Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair were motoring out of the Metropark takeoff area.

“I’ve never done that before,” he said. “When you wake up and see it’s light outside, you know you’re in deep doodoo.”

Martens didn’t get on the water until about 6:45. Then he used a six-inch swimbait on a half-ounce jighead with a 5/0 hook on 16-pound test line – some heavy tackle he hadn’t fished all week – to catch a five-bass limit of 19-6. So after inadvertently subtracting a half-hour from his competition time, Martens caught his biggest bag of the week.

Todd Faircloth Wins the 2015 Bassmaster Elite Lake St. Clair Event!

Texan scores 5th Elite Tournament!

By Thomas Allen

bass press release

DETROIT — A thrilling conclusion to the 2015 Plano Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair brought a new level of anticipation to the professional bass-fishing world.

Drop shotting St. Clair was key to great day and win!
(Photo: BASS)

Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, continued to improve his daily weights of bass and clinched the championship on Lake St. Clair.

Meanwhile, Aaron Martens caught 19 pounds, 6 ounces of bass, which was good enough for a sixth-place finish and the necessary points to lay early claim to the prestigious Toyota Bassmaster Anger of the Year title.

Faircloth spent the entire tournament building on the previous day’s weight by catching large smallmouth bass from Bell’s Hump, which is located on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair.

2013 Bassmaster Elite Lake St. Clair Day 1: Chris Lane Leads with 22-09lbs!

Lane Needs Win to Make Classic on his Homewaters.

By Deb Johnson

AUG 22, 2013

DETROIT -- Make no mistake, Chris Lane is driven.

The 2012 Bassmaster Classic champ wants to qualify for the 2014 Classic because it’s on his adopted home water, Alabama’s Lake Guntersville. Winning the Aug. 22-25 Plano Championship Chase and the Classic berth that comes with the event title is his best chance to get on the list for Guntersville.

The Florida native, who now lives in Guntersville, Ala., made the most of that chance by landing the first-day lead in the Chase on Thursday. His weight of 22 pounds, 9 ounces led Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., by 8 ounces. Davis took second place with 22-1.

Chris Lane is hoping for a win to make Classic.
(Photos: BASS)

In third place with 21-14 was Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala. In the No. 4 spot with 21-2 was Michael Simonton of Fremont, Ohio. Fifth place was a tie at 20-7 between Kotaro Kiriyama of Moody, Ala., and Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho.

Larry Nixon Wins the 2012 Walmart FLW Tour Open on St. Clair

26.Aug.2012 by Brett Carlson
FLW Press Release
WOODHAVEN, Mich. – With his spot in bass fishing history already secure, it would be easy for Larry Nixon to coast for a few years before riding off into retirement. But Nixon simply isn’t wired that way; the competitive fire still burns. This week at the Walmart FLW Tour Open on Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair, Nixon clinched his fourth FLW Tour win and his second on Lake St. Clair – a week before his 62nd birthday no less.
After a poor practice, Nixon was apprehensive about his chances to even cash a check. He’d go hours without a bite, but every time he’d return to one particular area, he’d get bit and then immediately leave. What Nixon didn’t know was that this 1/4-mile stretch of St. Clair, located on the south end near the Belle River, was absolutely loaded with giant smallmouths.

2012 Walmart FLW Tour Open Lake Erie Day 3: Legendary Nixon Takes Lead Win Big Sack

25.Aug.2012 by Brett Carlson
FLW Press Release
WOODHAVEN, Mich. – Bucking the normal trend of diminishing weights, Larry Nixon has improved his catch each day of the Walmart FLW Tour Open. After sitting in relative obscurity on day one with 17 pounds, Nixon rallied on day two with nearly 23 pounds. Today he upped the ante to 23 pounds, 11 ounces and is one day away from his second tour title on Lake St. Clair.

Larry is trying to capture his 3rd national tournament
on St. Clair. Can he do it fishing amongst several other
top 10 anglers?
(Photos: FLW)

After a relatively poor practice, Nixon was pleasantly surprised to learn his one area that had potentially was actually loaded with giant smallmouths. This spot, a 1-square-mile stretch of water, is essentially a flat with a clean, hard bottom that has scattered rock and grass. It also possesses a considerable amount of baitfish – namely perch and emerald shiners. The area is so big crowding is not an issue, but each of the top three pros are fishing it, as well as ninth-place Shinichi Fukae and 10th-place Chris McCall.
“In practice I really thought I stunk,” said Nixon. “But you never know what you have until you fish it hard. Today was one of those great days. I got on my best waypoint and they were just loaded there. I caught them and caught them, and I was getting concerned because they were mostly 2- to 2 1/2-pounders. Finally I caught one real big one, and another that was pretty big. It really wasn’t as good as yesterday to be honest.”
Nixon has fittingly named this spot “awesome” on his GPS and said it produces best right away in the morning. In fact, the General said he had close to 20 pounds by 8 a.m. By the end of the day, he had caught roughly 25 keepers.

2012 Walmart FLW Tour Open Lake Erie Day 2: McDonald Take Control with St. Clair Bass

McDonald sacks 25-pound limit on day two of FLW Tour Open

24.Aug.2012 by Brett Carlson
FLW press release

TRENTON, Mich. – Lake Erie stole the spotlight on day one of the Walmart FLW Tour Open as the top three pros all opted for the big lake. Day two was a different story as one particular area of Lake St. Clair delivered three giant stringers – the heaviest belonging to Indiana pro Bill McDonald.
Each of the last two days McDonald has started with just one rod on his deck – a drop-shot rig. What he’s doing isn’t anything special – just dragging around plastics in 14 to 16 feet of water. But the area he’s fishing is more than special.

Bill is on them! He got biggest today on the first cast.
(Photos: FLW)

“I just had a phenomenal day,” said McDonald. “The biggest fish in my bag I caught on my very first cast.”
That 5-pound, 10-ounce smallmouth anchored McDonald’s 25-pound, 2-ounce limit and tied as the heaviest bass of the day in the Pro Division.
McDonald said he basically fished one spot and was done at 10:30 this morning, but stuck around to halfway guard the area, which is essentially a flat with scattered rock and grass.
“I would say it’s a 200-yard stretch of water that I’m just drifting through and hitting different waypoints. I’m sharing the area with Larry Nixon but it’s not like we’re bow to bow or anything. Today there were lots minnows and perch in the area and I think that’s helping.”
McDonald has been executing almost flawlessly despite the sheer strength of these giant smallmouths. To date, he’s lost just one fish.

2012 Walmart FLW Tour Open Lake Erie Day 1: LE Leads as Big Bags Abound

Arizona pro sacks 22-14 to lead FLW Tour Open

23.Aug.2012 by Brett Carlson

TRENTON, Mich. – As expected, over two thirds of the field at the Walmart FLW Tour Open pointed their boats north Thursday morning towards Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River. But the few that ventured south to Lake Erie found exactly what they were looking for – giant smallmouths in the 6-pound class. In fact, each of the top three pros opted for Erie instead of St. Clair.

Le lands big smallies to take lead in very close day 1.
(Photos: FLW outdoors)

While the bites on Erie weren’t as numerous, the average size was impressive. Leading the pack is veteran pro Thanh Le, who caught the biggest smallmouth of his life today. His 6-11 brute was also the heaviest bass of the day and it anchored his 22-pound, 14-ounce limit.

Le went to his first spot, which was his best spot in practice, and was disappointed to only find catfish and drum. His fortune changed at spot No. 2 as the 6-11 bit. He moved again, caught two or three more and steadily climbed until he had a limit in the Ranger at 11:30 a.m.

“I went to Erie because I hate grass fishing; I prefer targeting rocks and structure,” said Le. “On Erie, they’re either there or they’re not.”

Le said he visited seven places and essentially hit all the productive water he has. Most of these areas have water 20 to 30 feet deep.

“I’m fishing tubes and drop-shots, barely dragging it along the bottom. I am not getting a lot of bites, but the ones I'm getting are big.”

Northern Open's Detroit River: Brian Metry's Battle Plan!

Brian Metry, of Michigan, was in firm control of the Bassmaster Northern Open on day 1 and 2. He brought outstanding limits of smallmouth and seemed likely to march on to a victory. Unfortunately, his boat failed him and day 3 was a mad scramble to secure another boat and then a winning limit. 

By the end of the tournament, Jason Christie, of Oklahoma, worked hard and earned the win. Muddled under the surprise victory of FLW touring pro Christie was the dominant pattern Metry ran to land over 62 pounds for 15 smallmouth bass. 

Brian needed the whole family to show off his giants.
(Photo: David Hunter Jones BASS)

Here is his own words on his pattern for the BASSMASTER Open on the Detroit river .