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The Okuma Southwest Michigan
Steelheaders Summer Challenge was held on May 11-12th out of St Joseph, MI. This tournament really kicked it up a notch
for 2007 by offering a $20,000 first prize for the Pro Division which doubled
the number of Pros participating from 27 for 2006 to 54 for this year. Charlie and Theresa Broadhurst, from the
Fishin' Hole in St. Joe, and the Southwest Michigan Steelheaders put on a great
shindig. The tournament committee
worked with several area marinas to provide free slippage for all tournament
boats which included West Basin Municipal, Brian's and Tackle Haven Marina, and
Pier 33. Pier 33 gave the tournament
space to use for the Captain's meeting and also for the awards ceremony.
Fishing got better as the pre-fishing
progressed and by tournament time the bite was on. Day One saw all but 9 Pros and 9 Ams return
to weigh in with limits as the fish were spread all over the area. 150+ FOW was producing hot Coho
action with Kings and Trout mixed in and 100 FOW was producing great-sized
spring Kings, big Lakers, and Steelhead in the mix. Day One in the Pro Division brought some big
boxes with Thunderduck taking the Day One lead with a 233+ point box but a
tight field was lined up behind him within striking distance. Day Two brought changing conditions and
challenging sea state as flat glass turned to 3 to 5s over night and variable
winds persisted all day. Fishing
remained hot but Best Chance Too proved to be the best in St Joe by bringing in
two big limit catches and accumulating 453.17 points, Hour Time from Sturgeon
Bay, WI did their work on Day Two and brought in the biggest box of
the tournament, piling on 237.03 points and finishing in second just 16 points
out of first. The Pro Top Five was:
- Best Chance Too
- Hour Time
- Quick Release
- Sea Flea
- Strong Performance
The Am division was a bit of a shootout
as only 9 fish were needed for a limit and no bonus trout points were
awarded. The AM winner Sea-Crete did one
of the toughest things to do and that is to lead on Day One and finish in first
for the AM division. While first and
second place were fairly comfortable margins, third, fourth and fifth were within just
about 1 point. Maybe the most impressive
fish brought to the scales was a 24.03 lbs. Laker on the boat Titan - now
that's flat out a HAWG! The Am Top Five
was:
- Sea-Crete
- Shore-Hugger
- Lake Effect
- Fish Whistle
- Fish Stalker
This is definitely an event to
attend and worth the run to fish the Southern Basin as the fishing ramps up for
the season. Thanks to Charlie and
Theresa and the Southwest Michigan Steelheaders for a fun week, great food and festivities.
Pro Full Field Results - Click Here
Am Full Field Results - Click Here
The Tournament Trail 333 Championship Series had 56 participants and again a tight field as Hoggin' won the Port Championship with
a 3 fish weight of 40.75 lbs. 333 Top Five was:
- Hoggin'
- Hunter
- Finweaver
- Reel Crazy II
- Tie-One-On
333 Full Results - Click Here
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