HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Aug. 7, 2017) – Lance Tresenriter of Syracuse, Indiana, caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on Lake St. Clair. For his efforts, Tresenriter took home $5,505.
“I spent the majority of the day mid-lake in 16 to 18 feet of water,” said Tresenriter, who notched his first career-victory in FLW competition. “I probably drifted through a half-mile stretch five or six times. The stretch had a lot of grass and perch. If there was a bare spot, there weren’t any bites. The perch were key for me, though.”
Tresenriter said he used a Smoke Purple-colored LureCraft Original “D” Darter on a drop-shot rig, and a Yellow Perch-colored Rapala DT10 Crankbait to catch approximately 10 keepers at his first area.
“I eventually moved to the northern end of the lake to a stop in Anchor Bay,” said Tresenriter. “Again, there was a lot of grass, but not as many perch as far as I could tell. I used a Perch-colored (Rapala) DT6 Crankbait and made two good culls to finish out the day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Lance Tresenriter, Syracuse, Ind., five bass, 23-6, $3,505 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: John Devries, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 22-14, $1,753
3rd: Jeffrey Kindy, Wyandotte, Mich., five bass, 22-2, $993
3rd: Rob Campbell, Trafalgar, Ind., five bass, 22-2, $1,193
5th: Matthew Malmquist, White Lake, Mich., five bass, 21-13, $772
5th: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 21-13, $772
7th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 21-8, $584
8th: Dan Mittlestat, Woodhaven, Mich., five bass, 20-14, $526
9th: Jerry Arnett, Mexico, Ind., five bass, 20-11, $467
10th: Terry McWilliams, Greenfield, Ind., five bass, 20-3, $409
Jonathon Dewey of Port Huron, Michigan, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $440. Justin Sawyer of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, caught five bass weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $1,973.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Justin Sawyer, Dearborn Heights, Mich., five bass, 20-11, $1,973
2nd: Alex Newman, Wapakoneta, Ohio, five bass, 20-7, $876
3rd: Vickie Maisch-Rumer, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 19-15, $685
4th: Mike Raber, Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 19-7, $409
5th: Curtis Hall II, Battle Creek, Mich., five bass, 18-8, $336
5th: Eric Polenz, Maybee, Mich., five bass, 18-8, $386
7th: J.J. Smith, Avon Lake, Ohio, five bass, 18-3, $292
8th: Olivia Sheely, Brooklyn, Mich., five bass, 18-2, $263
9th: Dewayne Eck, Angola, Ind., five bass, 18-0, $234
10th: Mark Saunders, Medina, Ohio, five bass, 17-12, $204
Sawyer also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces – and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $220.