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Despite Slow Start, Schlapper Takes Lead At B.A.S.S. Nation Regional On Lake Vermilion

Category: Bass Tournament

 Aug 26th, 2020 by sworrall 

Modified Aug 26th, 2020 at 6:44 PM

TOWER, Minn. — A picky approach and a healthy dose of determination rewarded Pat Schlapper of Eleva, Wis., with a five-bass limit that weighed 19 pounds, 4 ounces and gave him the Day 1 lead at the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Regional on Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion.

Prior to the event, Schlapper spent 12 days scouting his tournament waters. That effort, he said, enabled him to establish a good, better, best ranking of various bottom habitat.

“I graphed a high percentage of the lake and found some areas that I thought were good,” Schlapper said. “In practice, I caught them on boulders, I caught them on chunk rock; I tried to really figure out multiple different things in case anything changed.

“Sometimes, it’s an isolated patch of rock, sometimes, it’s a boulder, sometimes it’s a certain section of a long reef or point. What I’ve found on this lake is that everything looks good and it takes a lot of time to find the areas where I feel like they live. Everything looks really good, but not everything is good.”

Focusing on the lake’s east side, Schlapper had waypoints in 3 to 25 feet of water. He started on a deeper spot he thought would offer quick results, but the fish were not cooperative.

“I had several different patterns going, and I had to use all of them today,” Schlapper said. “I started deep in an area that I thought was going to be good and actually had a really bad morning.

“About 11 o’clock, I got into one of my other areas that I knew was good. I caught my biggest one — a 4-7 — and then caught a 3 1/2-pounder and another one close to 3 and then I just started rotating through similar spots. About 12:45, I stopped fishing hard, so I could save some stuff.”

Schlapper trusted his day to slower dragging presentations. He mixed it up with drop shots, tubes and a finesse jig with a craw trailer. The latter produced his biggest fish.

“It seems like all they eat up here is crawfish,” Schlapper said of his bait choices. “Every one you catch spits up a bunch of crawfish.”

Schlapper thanked his co-angler, Minnesota’s Adam Edwards, for the encouragement that helped him through the day’s challenging periods.

“It didn’t start coming together for me until about 10:30; that’s when I kinda got on what I thought I needed to be doing for the day,” Schlapper said. “I got stuck in an area of the lake where I thought I was going to get a lot of big fish. For whatever reason, something was off in that section.

“I beat around in there a while and fished probably a dozen spots and only caught small ones, but then I went about 7 to 8 miles to that other section and caught them. My co-angler helped me keep my head in it. I was kind of spinning out, and he kept telling me to keep going.”

Eric Storms of Winner, S.D., is in second place with 18-13. Fishing the lake’s east side, his plan of targeting smallmouth early and then hunting a kicker largemouth worked flawlessly.

“I had my limit of smallmouth in the first 10 minutes,” Storms said. “I pulled up and they were firing. Around 11, I left and went largemouth fishing.”

Storms caught his smallies by fishing a 3-inch green pumpkin tube on a 1/4-ounce head in about 10 feet of water over offshore humps with rock. He targeted largemouth around pencil reeds in 2 feet and caught a 4-12 on a Texas-rigged Lake Fork Craw Tube.

Jeff Napier of Martinsville, Ind., is in third with 18-3. An early morning topwater bite yielded two of his keepers, but when that action subsided, Napier transitioned to a rock-centered strategy.

“I fished the bigger boulders because there’s a ton of crawfish in the lake, and I felt like that was their hideout where they could hang tight,” Napier said. “I used a green pumpkin tube on a 3/16-ounce head, made short casts and popped it to keep it from getting hung up.”

Late in the day, Napier made his final culls while fishing docks. Tubes also worked here.

Storms is in the lead for Big Bass honors with his 4-12.

Bob Vaughn of the Iowa B.A.S.S. Nation team leads the co-angler division with 11-1.

Dan O’Keefe of the Minnesota B.A.S.S. Nation team holds the Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 5-5.

The Indiana B.A.S.S. Nation leads the team competition with a combined weight of 211-1. The Minnesota B.A.S.S. Nation follows in second with 209-3.

Thursday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. CT at Fortune Bay Resort Marina. The weigh-in will be held at the marina at 2 p.m.

The event is being hosted by the Fortune Bay Resort Casino.

2020 TNT Fireworks Bass Nation Northern Regional Lake Vermilion 8/26-8/28
Lake Vermilion, Tower MN.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Bob Vaughn Waterloo, IA (IA) 3 11-01 0
2. Matthew Marques Seneca, IL (IL) 3 11-00 0
3. Obie Oberts Custer Park, IL (IL) 3 09-14 0
4. Kevin Mullins Brooklyn, IN (IN) 3 09-11 0
5. Jeffrey Lopez Bolingbrook, IL (IL) 3 09-10 0
5. Larry Sallis Herculaneum, MO (NE) 3 09-10 0
7. Aaron Bunge Fairfax, IA (IA) 3 09-09 0
7. Scott Hrcka Homer, MI (MI) 3 09-09 0
7. Joshua Rogers Minneapolis, MN (MN) 3 09-09 0
10. Chris Pope Greenville, OH (OH) 3 09-07 0
11. Adam Edwards Andover, MN (MN) 3 09-05 0
11. Tristin Wilcox Ely, IA (IA) 3 09-05 0
13. Colten Didion Westerville, OH (OH) 3 09-04 0
14. Jesse Weener Holland, MI (MI) 3 09-02 0
15. Matt Byrnes Hudson, WI (WI) 3 09-02 0
15. Alfonso Garcia Jr Mccook, NE (NE) 3 09-02 0
17. Pat Soppe Manchester, IA (IA) 3 09-01 0
18. Dennis Carroll Ashland, NE (NE) 3 08-11 0
18. Eddie Gad Braidwood, IL (IL) 3 08-11 0
20. Coleton Usher Atkins, IA (IA) 3 08-09 0
21. Chris Jewett Longville, MN (NE) 3 08-07 0
22. Phillip Rummel Jr Mount Vernon, OH (OH) 3 08-05 0
23. Casey Morgan Byron, IL (IL) 3 08-04 0
24. Michael Pruitt Martinsville, IN (IN) 3 08-02 0
25. Ethan Hladky Yankton, SD (SD) 3 08-01 0
26. Bradley Waller Plainfield, IL (IL) 3 08-00 0
27. Michael Hamilton Plainfield, IN (IN) 3 07-15 0
28. Kirk Mclouth Indianapolis, IN (IN) 3 07-14 0
28. Joe Paulson Winner, WY (SD) 3 07-14 0
30. Bryce Hauf Winner, SD (SD) 3 07-13 0
30. John-Paul Hey Chicago, IN (WI) 3 07-13 0
32. Austin Sudduth Waterford, WI (WI) 2 07-13 0
33. Ryan Bergeman Chippewa Falls, WI (WI) 3 07-10 0
34. Shawn Van Gerpen Sioux Falls, SD (SD) 3 07-09 0
35. Hunter Scharphorn Grand Haven, MI (MI) 3 07-07 0
36. Tim Spande Plymouth, MN (MN) 3 07-07 0
37. Ryan Kriegel Delphos, OH (OH) 3 07-03 0
37. Brian Vogelsang Zanesfield, OH (OH) 3 07-03 0
39. Jack Johnson Brandon, SD (SD) 3 07-02 0
39. Brian Liming Dillsboro, IN (IN) 3 07-02 0
39. Kyle Taylor Shelburn, IN (IN) 3 07-02 0
42. John Smith Corydon, IN (IN) 3 07-01 0
43. Luke Kerstetter Brookfield, WI (WI) 3 07-00 0
43. Nick Strilzuk Balsam Lake, WI (WI) 3 07-00 0
45. Bryan Larson Waconia, MN (MN) 3 06-14 0
46. Joe Wilcox Millersport, OH (OH) 2 06-14 0
47. William Clark Vincennes, IN (IN) 3 06-09 0
47. Jim Gacke Harrisburg, SD (SD) 3 06-09 0
47. Tracy Skare Lakeville, MN (MN) 3 06-09 0
50. Jason Fairbanks Grove City, OH (OH) 2 06-09 0
51. Todd Stiehl Winner, SD (SD) 3 06-08 0
52. Robert Swem Buchanan, MI (MI) 3 06-08 0
53. Mark Emenecker Matton, IL (IL) 3 06-06 0
54. Anthony Nelson Ladysmith, WI (WI) 2 06-02 0
55. Bryan Kalen Mooresville, IN (IN) 3 06-01 0
56. Adam Markiewicz Plainfield, IL (IL) 3 05-14 0
56. John Terry Mansfield, OH (OH) 3 05-14 0
56. Markus Werner Cannon Falls, MN (MN) 3 05-14 0
59. Billy Ray Plattsmouth, NE (NE) 3 05-10 0
60. Jon Sohlden Paw Paw, MI (MI) 3 05-08 0
61. Timothy Peterson Springfield, SD (SD) 2 05-07 0
61. Jayson Rewolinski Bellevue, NE (NE) 2 05-07 0
63. Dan O’Keefe Prior Lake, MN (MN) 1 05-05 0
64. Dylan McMains Madrid, IA (IA) 2 05-04 0
65. Devon Dvorak Keystone, IA (IA) 2 05-00 0
66. Matt Green Battle Creek, MI (MI) 2 04-15 0
67. Randy Cloeter Norfolk, NE (NE) 3 04-10 0
68. Patrick Stradal Minneapolis, MN (MN) 2 04-10 0
69. Josh Peters Morristown, MN (MN) 2 04-09 0
69. Jeff Schultz Amelia, OH (OH) 2 04-09 0
71. Sawyer Schugel Victoria, MN (MN) 2 04-08 0
72. Bryson Steele Homer, IL (IL) 2 04-05 0
73. Charrlie Kuebler Jasper, IN (IN) 2 03-12 0
74. Brian Hinspeter Waukee, IA (IA) 1 03-07 0
75. Jerry Duncklee Fayette, IA (IA) 2 03-05 0
75. Steve Tagg Wyoming, MI (MI) 2 03-05 0
77. Jose Munoz McHenry , IL (WI) 2 02-15 0
78. Tyler Uekman Mount Clemens, MI (MI) 1 02-04 0
79. Taylor Burgin Palo, ID (IA) 2 01-15 0
80. Leray Anderson II Crofton, NE (SD) 1 01-15 0
81. Doug Rishel Plattsmouth, NE (NE) 1 01-11 0
82. Bryan Quigley Green Bay, WI (WI) 1 01-09 0
82. Adam Stachura Warren, MI (MI) 1 01-09 0
84. Zeb Mcfarland Stanton , IA (NE) 1 01-07 0
85. Fischer Bailey Baraboo, WI (WI) 0 00-00 0
85. Jake Drukenbrod Canton, OH (OH) 0 00-00 0
85. Morgan McLain Lenexa, KS (NE) 0 00-00 0
85. Austin Moore Washburn, IL (IL) 0 00-00 0
85. Cal Plienis Sioux Falls, SD (SD) 0 00-00 0
85. John Ryan Georgetown, TN (MI) 0 00-00 0
———————————————————————–

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 57 217 560-07
———————————-
57 217 560-07

TEAM STANDINGS Day 1
———————————-
State Lbs-Oz
1 INDIANA 211-01
2 MINNESOTA 209-03
3 WISCONSIN 204-12
4 OHIO 189-02
5 SOUTH DAKOTA 184-00
6 IOWA 180-09
7 ILLINOIS 174-07
8 NEBRASKA 160-07
9 MICHIGAN 151-04

INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 1
———————————————————————–

IOWA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Bob Vaughn Waterloo, IA 3 11-01 0
2 Aaron Bunge Fairfax, IA 3 09-09 0
3 Tristin Wilcox Ely, IA 3 09-05 0
4 Pat Soppe Manchester, IA 3 09-01 0
5 Coleton Usher Atkins, IA 3 08-09 0
6 Dylan McMains Madrid, IA 2 05-04 0
7 Devon Dvorak Keystone, IA 2 05-00 0
8 Brian Hinspeter Waukee, IA 1 03-07 0
9 Jerry Duncklee Fayette, IA 2 03-05 0
10 Taylor Burgin Palo, ID 2 01-15 0

ILLINOIS
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Matthew Marques Seneca, IL 3 11-00 0
2 Obie Oberts Custer Park, IL 3 09-14 0
3 Jeffrey Lopez Bolingbrook, IL 3 09-10 0
4 Eddie Gad Braidwood, IL 3 08-11 0
5 Casey Morgan Byron, IL 3 08-04 0
6 Bradley Waller Plainfield, IL 3 08-00 0
7 Mark Emenecker Matton, IL 3 06-06 0
8 Adam Markiewicz Plainfield, IL 3 05-14 0
9 Bryson Steele Homer, IL 2 04-05 0
10 Austin Moore Washburn, IL 0 00-00 0

INDIANA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Kevin Mullins Brooklyn, IN 3 09-11 0
2 Michael Pruitt Martinsville, IN 3 08-02 0
3 Michael Hamilton Plainfield, IN 3 07-15 0
4 Kirk Mclouth Indianapolis, IN 3 07-14 0
5 Brian Liming Dillsboro, IN 3 07-02 0
5 Kyle Taylor Shelburn, IN 3 07-02 0
7 John Smith Corydon, IN 3 07-01 0
8 William Clark Vincennes, IN 3 06-09 0
9 Bryan Kalen Mooresville, IN 3 06-01 0
10 Charrlie Kuebler Jasper, IN 2 03-12 0

MICHIGAN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Scott Hrcka Homer, MI 3 09-09 0
2 Jesse Weener Holland, MI 3 09-02 0
3 Hunter Scharphorn Grand Haven, MI 3 07-07 0
4 Robert Swem Buchanan, MI 3 06-08 0
5 Jon Sohlden Paw Paw, MI 3 05-08 0
6 Matt Green Battle Creek, MI 2 04-15 0
7 Steve Tagg Wyoming, MI 2 03-05 0
8 Tyler Uekman Mount Clemens, MI 1 02-04 0
9 Adam Stachura Warren, MI 1 01-09 0
10 John Ryan Georgetown, TN 0 00-00 0

MINNESOTA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Joshua Rogers Minneapolis, MN 3 09-09 0
2 Adam Edwards Andover, MN 3 09-05 0
3 Tim Spande Plymouth, MN 3 07-07 0
4 Bryan Larson Waconia, MN 3 06-14 0
5 Tracy Skare Lakeville, MN 3 06-09 0
6 Markus Werner Cannon Falls, MN 3 05-14 0
7 Dan O’Keefe Prior Lake, MN 1 05-05 0
8 Patrick Stradal Minneapolis, MN 2 04-10 0
9 Josh Peters Morristown, MN 2 04-09 0
10 Sawyer Schugel Victoria, MN 2 04-08 0

OHIO
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Chris Pope Greenville, OH 3 09-07 0
2 Colten Didion Westerville, OH 3 09-04 0
3 Phillip Rummel Jr Mount Vernon, OH 3 08-05 0
4 Ryan Kriegel Delphos, OH 3 07-03 0
4 Brian Vogelsang Zanesfield, OH 3 07-03 0
6 Joe Wilcox Millersport, OH 2 06-14 0
7 Jason Fairbanks Grove City, OH 2 06-09 0
8 John Terry Mansfield, OH 3 05-14 0
9 Jeff Schultz Amelia, OH 2 04-09 0
10 Jake Drukenbrod Canton, OH 0 00-00 0

SOUTH DAKOTA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Ethan Hladky Yankton, SD 3 08-01 0
2 Joe Paulson Winner, WY 3 07-14 0
3 Bryce Hauf Winner, SD 3 07-13 0
4 Shawn Van Gerpen Sioux Falls, SD 3 07-09 0
5 Jack Johnson Brandon, SD 3 07-02 0
6 Jim Gacke Harrisburg, SD 3 06-09 0
7 Todd Stiehl Winner, SD 3 06-08 0
8 Timothy Peterson Springfield, SD 2 05-07 0
9 Leray Anderson II Crofton, NE 1 01-15 0
10 Cal Plienis Sioux Falls, SD 0 00-00 0

WISCONSIN
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Matt Byrnes Hudson, WI 3 09-02 0
2 John-Paul Hey Chicago, IN 3 07-13 0
3 Austin Sudduth Waterford, WI 2 07-13 0
4 Ryan Bergeman Chippewa Falls, WI 3 07-10 0
5 Luke Kerstetter Brookfield, WI 3 07-00 0
5 Nick Strilzuk Balsam Lake, WI 3 07-00 0
7 Anthony Nelson Ladysmith, WI 2 06-02 0
8 Jose Munoz McHenry , IL 2 02-15 0
9 Bryan Quigley Green Bay, WI 1 01-09 0
10 Fischer Bailey Baraboo, WI 0 00-00 0

NEBRASKA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Larry Sallis Herculaneum, MO 3 09-10 0
2 Alfonso Garcia Jr Mccook, NE 3 09-02 0
3 Dennis Carroll Ashland, NE 3 08-11 0
4 Chris Jewett Longville, MN 3 08-07 0
5 Billy Ray Plattsmouth, NE 3 05-10 0
6 Jayson Rewolinski Bellevue, NE 2 05-07 0
7 Randy Cloeter Norfolk, NE 3 04-10 0
8 Doug Rishel Plattsmouth, NE 1 01-11 0
9 Zeb Mcfarland Stanton , IA 1 01-07 0
10 Morgan McLain Lenexa, KS 0 00-00 0