We’re off to Sturgeon Bay next week for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of Year (AOY) Championship to wrap up the 2015 season.
I can’t tell you how excited I am to get a chance to fish for smallmouth again. I truly love fishing the Great Lakes for smallmouth and this tournament has the potential of producing some eye-popping smallmouth catches.
On the other hand, I’ve only fished there once and that was when we had a tournament at Green Bay. A lot of the water that is available to us next week was off limits when we were there in 2012.
Even so, I was able to see the quality that the fishery offers, and we’re all excited about getting to fish the Sturgeon Bay area that many say offers even better fishing.
Yet, as much fun as the championship will be, there will be a lot of stress on nearly everyone who qualified.
The exception, of course, is Aaron Martens who already wrapped up the AOY title. The guy has had such an incredible season. I can’t remember when someone had mathematically sewed up the title so early.
But that doesn’t mean this event will be drama free. There’s still a lot at stake, which Ken Duke has pointed out in his great story on Bassmaster.com.
Of primary interest are Bassmaster Classic berths. Although a portion of the guys near the top of the AOY standings are pretty well locked into a Classic berth, no one wants to tumble and put that at risk.
Furthermore, the higher you finish in the AOY standings the more money you will make in the event. Everyone goes home with a check, but the higher you finish, the more dough you pocket.
For some anglers, the mere fact of how well they perform could dictate their renewed sponsorships and perhaps make them more attractive to new sponsors next year.
So, yes, it’s going to be challenging and stressful for several contenders at Sturgeon Bay.
While there is a lot of water to cover in practice, one factor that will work in everyone’s favor is that there is no choice to be made between fishing for smallmouth or largemouth. While there are some largemouth in Sturgeon Bay, it offers very little habitat for green fish and the smallmouth run much bigger.
And because of that, you won’t be able to fish conservatively. A small limit just won’t get it done.
Perhaps the biggest unknown and added stress factor will be the weather. If we get mild, 5 to 10 mph winds the fishing will be incredible. But as we saw last year at Bay de Noc, another Great Lake fishery not far from Sturgeon Bay, the wind could impact the tournament.
Tournament waters will include both sides of the Door Peninsula that protrudes off Wisconsin and into Lake Michigan. Therefore, we need to practice both the east and west sides in case the wind makes it prohibitive to fish one or the other.
As far as dominant techniques, look for typical fall smallmouth patterns to be in play. I’m sure a drop shot will be at the top of everyone’s list because it’s so versatile and can be fished deep or shallow.
A tube jig will be another big player because gobies are a part of the forage there and it’s hard to beat a tube anytime you’re fishing for smallmouth.
Depending on the weather conditions, I would expect spinnerbaits, crankbaits and jerkbaits to be factors as well.
Aaron may have the AOY title wrapped up, but if the wind gives us a break, everyone will have a good time catching big smallies at Sturgeon Bay!
Remember, it’s all about the attitude!
Kevin VanDam’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.