2020 Minnesota Made Tournament Series #4
Event 4 - Mazaska Lake - February 23rd, 2020
You could tell this was the last event.
On Saturday, the last pre-fishing day, some teams were still trying to lock in there Sunday go-to spots. Some teams were still in search of the gills. Some teams were just out fishing for fun and keeping an eye on other teams to make sure they didn't find the spots they had found earlier in the week.
Then, around 2pm, the majority of the teams congregated in the same area and soaked in the friendships and playful banter amongst the group. Beers were shared, beef sticks were ate, snowballs were thrown. You could tell two things by just observing this large group. One, the nerves were there to finish strong on a tough, but very rewarding lake. Two, they were going to miss this.
It didn't end there, as we had a solid amount of people staying at the same hotel. Teams that weren't staying at our hotel even came over to be a part of the last night before it was all over. We ordered pizza, watched the Girls State Hockey Tourney, and played cards in the breakfast area of the hotel. The laughs and smiles lasted until the late hours of the night and then one by one everyone headed back to their rooms to get some sleep before the big day.
Sunday was a bright and beautiful day similar to Saturday. Many anglers were sporting their fresh new sunburns from the previous day. The sun was out again and not a single cloud covered the sky. The temp would creep in on 40 degrees and there was a decent wind to go along with it. Bluebird skies on a lake that seemed to react pretty negatively to the pressure was not going to make this easy.
The majority of the teams headed for a community spot as that seemed to be where the majority of the crappies congregated. One team headed for a shallower spot away from everyone else to chase their gills first. The crappies were on the move and enticing a bite was like solving a rubik's cube. I'm not sure what was tougher or more frustrating - staying on top of them or getting them to bite. One was physical and one was mental. The gills were a change of pace as you could sit and wait for them, but getting them to come up off the bottom and take a nibble was the tricky part. And I say nibble because you had to intently watch your spring bobber to detect the smallest little bite.
As I made my rounds to check on teams between 11am-12pm I could see the frustration and fatigue in the majority of the teams faces. There were 6 inch holes all over the ice. It wasn't for lack of trying if teams didn't have their fish. Around the 11:30 mark - I don't believe one team had their full bag which is pretty rare for our league. There were some teams that were close, but not quite there.
As the last couple hours moved along, you could see teams making desperation moves trying to finish strong. Knowing the bite was tough - one fish or a couple fish late in the day could make all the difference. You have to give it to these anglers - they fished their butts off at this event.
Five teams came in with a full bag. 25 teams were left wanting more.
As the weigh-in started and the fish hit the scales - you could tell there were going to be some big weights. One crappie at 1.21 lbs then 2 crappies at 1.98 lbs. Tough day for those teams, but you could tell whoever did get their fish were going to have some MONSTER bags.
20 teams had weighed. The largest bag at that point was from Jacob Stolquist and Darrel Thole at 10.93 lbs. The top 10 teams in the Team of the Year Standings were yet to weigh. They would not disappoint. That 10.93 lbs bag, which is a heck of a bag, would only be good enough for 5th place.
Newcomers, Chris Ball and Timmy Kehren, came in with 11.33 - good enough for 4th place. Bubba and Tim had an oooh-ahhh moment at the scale with their 14" white crappie that weighed 1.44 lbs and looked more like a white bass than a crappie - they put a weight of 9.58 lbs together and were two fish short of a full bag. Dan and Scott were one fish short and came in with 10.16. "The Boys" - Jack and Jeremy, fishing on their home turf, put a full bag together at 11.51 lbs.
We were down to two teams. Leif and Nick sat at 89 points for the season while Dale and Joel sat at 82 points. Shawn Lankki was subbing for Dale while he was guiding geese for FullScale Outdoors down South.
Joel and Shawn came in with a full limit. 8 crappies / 7 gills. Their biggest crappie was 1.30 lbs and their biggest gill was .81 lbs. They did their job. They were sitting in the CLAM Hot Seat and currently in first place. Now they needed help. They needed Leif and Nick to finish outside the 7 to have a chance at Team of the Year.
Remember that one team that went off by themselves to start with gills? That was Leif and Nick. 20 minutes prior to take off - Nick was still wrestling with his game plan and second guessing himself if that decision would be the right one.
It was! They came in with a full limit that weighed 12.60 lbs. Securing another first place finish and Team of the Year with an outstanding bag of fish. Not only did they take first and T.O.Y. but they broke the all time record for biggest bag in Minnesota Made history.
Leif and NIck finished the year with a 1st place, 2nd place, 1st place and biggest fish, and a 1st place finish. To put that into words - I can't. I won't even try. It's not possible. What they did is unheard of in tournament fishing when you have a league filled with great anglers.
Congrats guys! You two deserve it and we are so happy that you've been a part of Minnesota Made for so long. Cheers to many more years of hook sets!
After the weigh-in, one of our former members, Brian Haak and his son Christian cooked up an awesome meal for everyone. Smoked Mac n Cheese, BBQ Ribs, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Jalapeno Pheasant Poppers, Chili, Cookies, and Beverages. This isn't the first time Brian has done this for our guys. Once a member - always a member. Thanks again Brian - I can speak for every person there - It was delicious, it was over the top, and you are very much appreciated.
That's it. It's over. Another season in the books. I'll have another write-up recapping the season, so for now I'll just say - This was the best season ever. Until next year ;)
Congrats to our Tourney #4 Champions
- Leif Nereson and Nick Mueller -
1st - Leif Nereson and Nick Mueller @ 12.60 lbs - (New MN Made Record)
2nd - Joel Kottke and Dale Luginbill @ 12.40 lbs
3rd - Jack Thomes and Jeremy Schwanz @ 11.51 lbs
4th - Chris Ball and Tim Kehren @ 11.33 lbs
5th - Jacob Stolquist and Darrel Thole @ 10.93 lbs
6th - Dan Rollings and Scott Boersma @ 10.16 lbs
7th - Bubba Bussen and Tim Prunick @ 9.58 lbs
8th - Dylan Erickson and Justin Lang @ 9.31 lbs
9th - Paul Ghizoni and Evan Pheneger @ 9.27 lbs
10th - Gary Sandberg and Travis Adams @ 8.28 lbs
Big Crappie - Bubba Bussen and Tim Prunick @ 1.44 lbs
Big Gill - Bob and Dave Vincent @ 0.94 lbs (New MN Made Record)
Next Up: Planning for next season and Fishing Opener