Pro Angler - Chad Morgenthaler

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FLW Tour Event
Detroit River, July 10th-July 13th, 2008

The Detroit River, Lake Erie and St. Clair

During tournament season we often visit very large bodies of water, and when I was a rookie on tour it definitely took a little getting used to. Large water can be very intimidating, and often times dangerous for anglers as well. In my experience there are very few lakes that come close to the magnitude of Lake Erie.

Last year I found several schools of giant smallmouth bass around Pevely Island, and this year I couldn’t resist trying my luck on Erie again. Fortunately the weather cooperated much better this year, and we had great conditions for practice with the tournament shaping up to be a mirror image. I spent three of my four practice days on Erie, and fortunately located a good group of fish much closer and didn’t have to make the long run. I spent one day of practice in St. Clair, mostly for a backup plan incase foul weather rolled in. But that is just not my style of fishing, and I had my heart set on Erie.

On the first day of the tournament the weather was perfect and I could run to all of my spots. I had a pretty good sack weighing in around 18-pounds and tying for 33rd place. I knew I had to remain consistent on day two in order to have a shot at the cut.

The winds blew in on day two and with 5-foot waves boat positioning and sea sickness became an issue. I knew the water would be rougher, but I still committed to fishing Erie. What I didn’t bank on was having problems locating the right group of fish. With large waves and wind the fish like to reposition themselves. It took me quite a while to operate my drift sock and get my drifts exactly right. When I finally located a good group of fish I could only get them to bite for an hour or so. The worst part is I lost a really big smallmouth that day. The only one I lost during the whole trip. With only 11-pounds 10-ounces I knew it was going to cost me big, and it did.

I tried several different baits and methods thorough out the tournament, but nothing compared to dropshotting a Berkley Gulp 4-inch minnow. The fish just loved it.

All in all Erie was a great time and an awesome fishery. I basally love fishing for giant smallmouth bass. We also had an added bonus and caught quite a few large Walleye, which is an opportunity that I don’t get very often.

Finished: 88th Place