Final round weigh-in from Erie

We head to Bass Pro Shops in Rossford, Ohio to see who takes the crown at the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open presented by Allstate on Lake Erie.

B.A.S.S. Senior Tournament Director Chris Bowes welcomes the crowd to Bass Pro Shops.

At stake…

a couple pieces of hardware and a Bassmaster Classic Berth!

Some have been resting up for the way…

all are ready to see some giant smallmouth bass.

The anthem plays as the flag flies.

Bowes welcomes weigh master and Ohio B.A.S.S. Nation Tournament Director Scott Metzger to the stage.

Frist to the stage, co-angler Rick Harkness.

Rick Harkness 7th, 34-5.

Next up, Fletcher Shryock.

Shyrock pulls out a couple nice fish…

and shows them off to the crowd.

Fletcher Shryock 6th, 59-7.

Co-angler Fredrick Requarth up next.

Fredrick Requarth 8th, 33-15.

Next up, Zachary Maisch.

Zachary Maisch 12th, 45-13.

Co Don Roberts up next.

Don Roberts 9th, 31-11.

Destin Demarion heads to the stage.

Destin Demarion 7th, 57-4.

Dan Minor makes his way to the stage.

Minor thanks his wife and kids for showing up.

Dan Minor 4th, 35-8.

Shout out to Minor’s son Evan.

Al Farace up next.

Farace makes his way through the crowd.

Al Farace needs 18-7 to take the lead…

he has 18-8.

Farce takes over the hot seat from Fletcher Shryock.

Al Farace brought in 59-9 worth of smallmouth over the course of three days.

Co-angler Mandel Pettus next to the stage.

Mandel Pettus finishes 11th with 28-5.

Tim Sprouse makes his way to the stage.

Tim Sprouse finishes 9th with 53-6.

Day 2 co-angler leader Mark Shopene takes the stage.

Mark Shopene regains the co-angler lead…

with a Day 3 limit of 3 fish worth 13-8.

Mark Shopene brought in 9 small mouth over the course of 3 days worth 39-4, nearly a 4-1/2-pound average.

Dan Minor congratulate Mark Shopene as he takes over the hot seat.

Al Farace looks a little nervous about the next pro up.

James Jacobus drops a heavy bag on the scales…

and bumps Farace out of the hot seat.

James Jacobus takes the lead with 62-15.

Jason Root tells a big fish story…

while his co-angler weighs in. Shane Carlton finishes 5th with 35-0.

Jason Root needs a lot of weight to take the lead…

and he’s got a lot of weight.

Two 5-pounders in the last half hour bolster Root’s bag.

Jason Root takes the lead with 64-7.

Root is feeling good.

Jacobus turns the hot seat over to Root…

who settles in.

Co-angler Mike Mueller up next.

Mike Mueller finishes 3rd with 35-9.

Lake Erie legend Steven Clapper makes his way to the stage…

with his 88 year-old father in the crowd.

Steven Clapper finishes 11th with 46-11.

Co-angler Jon Witt makes his way to the stage.

Like the rest of the anglers, Witt is happy to be on solid, dry land.

Co-angler Jon Witt 2nd, 36-3.

Jeff Lugar heads to the stage needing 20-5 to knock his roommate out of the hot seat…

and he has just that.

Lugar’s 20-5 bag puts him in the lead…

and Jason Root hands the hot seat off to his buddy…

though it obviously and understandably stings.

Jeff Lugar brought in 64-8 across three days of competition.

Co-angler Mike England finishes 6th with 35-0.

Next to the scales, Whitney Stephens.

Whitney Stephens started the day in 3rd place.

Whitney thinks he has 18-pounds…

but was off by a couple pounds to the lighter side.

Whitney’s 20-5 ounce bag puts him in the lead.

Whitney Stephens has brought in 65-1 over the course of three days.

Whitney thanks his mother and father for making it out to weigh-in…

and talks about the many nights spent camping on the islands of Lake Erie with his father, learning to fish during the days.

Whitney Stephens also thanks Steven Clapper for giving him some top secret baits on the water today after he ran out.

The lead is his for now, but Whitney Stephens will have to wait out the two anglers who went out ahead of him in the standings this morning.

For now, Jeff Lugar hands the hot seat over to Whitney Stephens.

Henry Mckee shows off his custom jersey.

Nice job on the B.A.S.S. logo Henry. Mckee finishes 10th with 30-5.

Only two anglers left on the pro side, and Pete Gluszek is one of them.

Pete Gluszek finishes 8th with 54-10.

Pete Gluszek congrats Whitney Stephens.

The final co-angler to weigh, Bob Snyder, comes to the scales empty handed and finishes 12th with 23-0.

And that means something else…

Mark Shopene is you co-angler champion of the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open presented by Allstate on Lake Erie.

Congratulations Mark Shopene.

Only one angler remains on the pro side, Day 2 leader Derek Remitz.

After a tough day, Remitz brings only one fish to the scales.

Derek Remitz doesn’t have enough and that makes Whitney Stephens your champion.

Whitney Stephens wins the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open presented by Allstate on Lake Erie.

To see how Whitney Stephens’ day transpired on Lake Erie, be sure to check out his on the water gallery.