CLAYTON, N.Y. (July 18, 2009) - Pro Mike Desforges of Burlington, Ontario, caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Stren Series Northern Division bass fishing tournament on 1000 Islands with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 63 pounds, 13 ounces. For his victory, Desforges earned $20,147 cash.
"I ran to my first spot today and pretty much started catching them as soon as I got there," Desforges said. "I realized that today I was sharing a spot with my roommate and I caught about 17 pounds off of that spot before I moved on."
Desforges said he caught his fish on a combination of baits - a jerkbait for active fish and a drop-shot rig or a tube for fish that followed the jerkbait but wouldn't commit to bite. Desforges said he caught 20 fish throughout the course of the day - all of them keepers that weighed more than 3 pounds. Desforges said he fished five spots and only two didn't produce a fish.
"You don't get too many opportunities to win like this, so you have to take advantage of it when you're in that position," Desforges said. "I had a good bag the first day, and that put me in a pretty good position to win. Yesterday was a little tougher. I had to catch a lot of fish to get my 20 pounds and I thought I might have burned out a few of my spots, but it seemed like the big ones were back."
Rounding out the top five pros were Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario (15 bass, 60-7, $8,059); Rob Laframboise of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario (15 bass, 58-9, $6,447); Jeff Magee of Yarker, Ontario (15 bass, 57-4, $5,641); and Derek Strub of Elora, Ontario (15 bass, 55-12, $4,835).
Desforges caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Thursday - a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass - that earned him the day's Big Bass award of $328.
Robert Sweeney of Baltimore, Md., won the Co-angler Division and a 177TR Ranger boat and trailer, with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 40-9.
Sweeney said he managed to catch his only four fish of the day Saturday on a slightly submerged spinnerbait.
Sweeney caught five bass weighing 14-1 Thursday while fishing with pro Steve Voros of Springfield, Ontario, to open the tournament in seventh place. On Friday he added five more bass weighing 12-9 to make the top-10 cut in third place while fishing with pro Douglas Kirkbride of Beaver Falls, N.Y. Finally, on Saturday, he sealed the win with four bass weighing 13-15 while fishing with Laframboise.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Larry Evans of Southpoint, Ohio (15 bass, 38-4, $3,345); J.C. Chandler of Tunnel Hill, Ga. (12 bass, 36-7, $2,509); Jon Newman of Chapel Hill, N.C. (13 bass, 35-13, $2,091); and George Yund of Albany, N.Y. (14 bass, 35-13, $1,882).
Doug Wiser of Brackney, Pa., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday - a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass - that earned him the day's Big Bass award of $164.