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Sprawling across slightly more than
7,000 acres, and with an average depth of more than 100 feet, Big
Green is clearly one of the most unique lakes in the state of
Wisconsin. A product of glacial movement, Big Green is best
described as a very deep, very clear inland lake loaded with bass.
Its maximum depth of 273 feet makes it the deepest natural inland
lake in the state, and that depth acts like an insulator to the
seasonal changes common to the Badger State. Big Green is known for
warming slowly in the spring and for cooling late in the fall. Many
liken it to an inland version of Sturgeon Bay with largemouth bass.
Late in May during a normal year,
largemouth would be “on the beds”, and smallmouth bass would be
preparing to spawn. Last
year during the first FOM tournament on Big Green, multiple limits
of largemouth were brought to the scale, but it was the pre-spawn
smallmouth that anchored the winning limits. Weather conditions and
the faces of anglers fishing during the official practice period
hinted that this year might be different. With water temps on the
main lake only in the upper 40’s and unusually cloudy water on
this traditionally “Gin clear” lake, most anglers found
themselves in some what of a conundrum. Should they fish the main
lake and take a chance that the smallmouth bite would turn, or
should they stick with the traditionally hot largemouth bite? Why
the dilemma? When the main lake bite is on, Big Green fishes big,
with acres of shoreline and main lake structure available for the
smallmouth enthusiast, but when the main lake bite is off, the
limited number of early season largemouth spawning areas get very
heavy fishing pressure. Essentially the backwater bays and channels
become glorified “community holes”, with multiple teams having
to fish the same areas.
As the 35 teams blasted off from the
Green Lake Conference Center at 5:45, WI East Division
“weighmaster” Steve Treankler predicted a strong showing by the
largemouth contingent. Treankler commented, “I felt it would take
14-15 pounds to cash a check, but the winner would need at least 17
pounds to take first place.” He was right on both accounts.
1st Place Jim Abts and Kevin Revolinski
As the final weights were written on
the FOM leader board by division sponsor Dawn Northway of Custom
Interiors and Canvas, some familiar faces were at the top standings.
Finishing in first for the second straight tournament was Jim Abts
of Fountain City and Kevin Revolinski of Oshkosh. The current point
leaders in the WI East Division standings brought a limit of
largemouth bass to the scale weighing 18.87 pounds. Fishing a
backwater area along with multiple other teams Abts commented on
stage during the awards ceremony that they caught their four biggest
fish from about 12:30 until 1:00, and that short flurry of four-pounders
was enough to give them the win! They would again like to thank St.
Croix rods for their sponsorship this season. Great job guys!
2nd Place Bill Marhiene and Mike
Nygaard
Finishing a close second were Oshkosh
natives Bill Marhiene and Mike Nygaard, who weighed in 18.65 pounds.
Bill and Mike were also fishing backwater areas and caught their
limit using White and Chartreuse Terminator spinner baits.
One of the keys to their pattern was catching fish when the
sun was out. Clearly most of their fish were caught before 1:00 as
afternoon skies gave way to partly cloudy conditions. Bill commented
on stage that he and Mike are really enjoying the FOM format and are
having a lot of fun fishing together. “We like to compete just as
much as the next team does but we also like the laidback atmosphere
and how friendly everybody is,” he replied.
3rd place Gary Gottschalk and Dan
Helmer
Third place finishers Gary Gottschalk
and Dan Helmer found themselves in a very familiar position. In 2005
the duo pulled a solid limit and finished in third place.
Could it happen again this year? The team from Fall River
weighed in with 16.87 pounds good for third place again this year.
The two used tubes and various other soft plastics to catch their
limit. When asked about fishing with Dan, teammate Gary commented,
“We get along great, have a good time on the water and catch a lot
of fish.”
4th place Jason Loewe and David Loewe
In fourth were Jason and David Loewe
who weighed in with 15.99 pounds.
The brothers anchored their five fish limit with a chunky
smallmouth bass weighing 4.61 pounds, good for second big bass
honors. The two were one of the few teams to brave the main lake
later in the day, and it paid off with two of their larger fish
taken off of main lake points. The two were joined on stage by
Jason’s son Luke who helped dad and uncle show off their
catch.
5th place Jesse
Kind and Eric Hidde
In fifth place were Waupun anglers
Jesse Kind and Eric Hidde who weighed 15.57 pounds. Not bad
considering this was their first time on the FOM stage. The duo also
scored well at the Friday night meeting, with Hidde winning a bow
mount propeller courtesy of Kipawa Propellors, a WI Division
sponsor.
Close behind in sixth place was Paul
Hartgerink and Charlie Voight who’s five fish limit tipped the
scales at 15.27. Hartgerink, another angler from Waupun, commented
on stage that everywhere they fished they caught keepers but it was
that “kicker” fish that eluded them. Rounding out the top seven
were Rich Rhien and Dave Deprey who weighed in with 14.48 pounds and
were the final anglers to placing in the money.
MG Lures Big Bass Mark Fry and Dru
Applehans
The MG Lures Big Bass award went to
Mark Fry and Dru Applehans. Their hefty 4.73 pound largemouth bass
was caught on a spinnerbait. Fry, of Poplar Grove, is one of many
anglers fishing this year from Illinois. This infusion of anglers
from “Bear Country” has been a pleasant surprise this season.
According to Division Director Chris Jones, “The number of teams
from Illinois has increased significantly from last year. In 2005 we
had four teams from Illinois, and this year already there have been
over a dozen!” Jones
attributes this phenomena to the anglers who fished last year and
are now “talking up” FOM in their bass clubs and with their
buddies. “We’ve found that anglers who have fished the trial are
our best source of advertising,” he commented. “They’re great
guys, excellent fishermen and add a lot of personality to the
tournaments. We’re glad their fishing the WI East Division.”
The Friday night meeting was hosted by
the Green Lake Conference Center.
The dinner was sponsored by John Wilke and Matt Trypuc of WT
Financial Services, Oshkosh. After an awesome buffet style dinner and a slide show
highlighting the first event in Winneconne, Division Director Chris
Jones spoke about “Coincidence vs God Incidence”. Using his life
experiences as examples, he shared how he’s clearly seen God
working in his life and in the lives of others through Fishers of
Men. Although many might see the unexplainable events of life as
coincidence, he clearly believes that they are “God” incidences.
The evening ended with several door prizes, including lure packs
from MG Lures and Hooah energy bars. Artworks Unlimited owner Jason
Loewe also gave away two fantastic wildlife prints.
The next stop for the Wisconsin East
Division is on the Wolf River in Winneconne June 24th. The
Wisconsin East Division would also like to thank our national
sponsors for making the tournament possible: Triton Boats, Mercury,
Strike King Lure Co., Kistler Rods, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits,
Marshall's Marine- Lake City SC, Solar Bat, Spike-it Bait Co.,
Castrol, Keelshield, Motor Guide, Lowrance, All-Terrain Tackle,
Stanley Jigs, XTools, Dual Pro Charger, Spot Remover by Buckey
Lures, Hot Rods Marine Care Products, Deka Marine Master Batteries,
Diamond Cut Jeans, Jacob Glass, Bass RX, Keep Alive Oxygen Infusor,
Sospenders, River Bottom Lures Inc, and Hooah Energy Bars.
PLEASE
VISIT WI
FISHERS OF MEN
FOR
COMPLETE RESULTS, STANDINGS AND UPCOMING EVENTS.
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