Lee Claims Hard-Fought Victory At B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Regional On Mississippi River
Lee Claims Hard-Fought Victory At B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Regional On Mississippi RiverCLINTON, Iowa — The first two days of the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Regional on the Upper Mississippi River saw Steve Lee secure early limits on his way to grabbing the lead.
On Championship Friday, however, the angler from Minneapolis, Minn., needed an afternoon rally to secure the win on Pools 13, 14 and 15 with a three-day total of 42 pounds, 14 ounces.
As he waited in the bag line, Lee estimated he had closer to 10 or 11 pounds and thought the margin between him and second-place angler Eddie Levin, who finished with 40-1, would be a lot closer.
“It doesn’t really seem real. After the first day of fishing, I was like, ‘This is a tough place to fish.’ Then I got on my pattern,” Lee said. “It was a great experience. Obviously, when you win it is a heck of a lot better. I like river fishing and I like tough tournaments. You have to stay focused all the time.”
After landing in fourth with 13-3 on Day 1, Lee caught the big bag of the tournament on the second day at 16-0 and then added a 13-11 limit on Friday.
Not only did Lee win $5,000 for the victory and punch his ticket to the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Pickwick Lake in November, he earned $500 for catching the Big Bass of the Tournament — a 4-14 largemouth on Day 1 — and $500 in Garmin contingency money.
Fishing mostly the North end of Pool 14, Lee pitched and flipped wooded cover that was located on the front sides of islands where the current from the Pool 13 dam was pushing against the bank, as well as some eelgrass patches South of takeoff.
“I would go up to the logjams and I would put the Talons down and would just pick it apart,” he explained. “There is always current there. I would move a little bit and then do the same thing. (On Day 2) in particular the big ones bit.”
Lee mostly used a green pumpkin Zoom tube rigged on 3/16- or 1/8-ounce sinker. He threw his Texas rig on a 7-11 St. Croix heavy flipping stick paired with Daiwa reels and 20-pound Gamma fluorocarbon.
The bigger bites he got were on the back sides of the logs, so Lee had to pitch over logs to get bites. That made getting the bass free from their hiding place difficult. Both his 4-14 on Day 1 and another 4-pounder on Day 2 got stuck in the cover before Lee managed to free them.
“It seemed like about 18 inches of water was the best. If it was 4 feet deep, I didn’t even fish it,” he said. “It was so surprising that nobody else was fishing the same stuff. I didn’t have to fight for the spot. I think the big ones moved up during the tournament days.”
Water levels on the Upper Mississippi River have been falling since anglers arrived for practice on Sunday, bringing dirty water conditions with them. On Day 3, however, the water began to stabilize.
With the current slowing some on the final day and the water clearing up, Lee struggled to find bites early in the morning and decided to make a run to the South end of Pool 14. After catching two bass off docks, he moved back up the river and made several key catches late in the day that secured the victory.
“I never did give up. I had two fish at 12:30,” Lee said. “I went back up by the dam and I caught a 2 1/2. With 20 minutes left, I went over to one of the trees and I vertically jigged a tube and caught one and then a minute later I caught another one. With that one, I knew I made Nationals but I didn’t think I was going to win.”
Levin, who finished first on the Ohio state team back in 2011 on the Mississippi River, caught 13-8 to land in third on Day 1 and jumped into second place on Day 2 with a 15-9 limit, just 2 ounces behind Lee.
Several key fish eluded him on the final day, however, and Levin brought 11-0 to the scales to finish in second with 40-1.
“The good Lord blessed me,” he said. “I caught five fish every day and that’s all I could ask for. I won Ohio and that was my main goal coming down here. Mission accomplished as far as I’m concerned.”
Finding cleaner water was the key for Levin, who locked up to Pool 13 and found a stretch of lily pads and milfoil in 1 to 2 feet of water that was holding quality bass.
“Those were better-than-average fish. They just came off spawning and were a little beat up,” he said. “It seems like the river fish were a little smaller because they are fighting the current all the time. The grass fish are fat and happy.”
He did most of his damage with a 6th Sense Vega Frog, but would also flip a Venom tube from time to time.
“They seemed to shy away from dirty water,” Levin said. “The grass was cleaning the water as it came in and they were sitting in the line between clean and dirty water ambushing bluegill, perch and crawdads.”
Despite catching two bass early in the morning, Levin struggled to find consistency on the final day.
“It was a lot rougher on me,” he said. “I ran to my main frog area and they were a little pickier today. Unfortunately, I missed a lot of opportunities. I left at least three 3-pounders out there. I had the bites to win it today, but it was about execution for me.”
Nick Uebelhor finished third overall with 38-8 for a three-day total, with weights of 13-2, 13-15 and 11-7. The Indiana boater focused his efforts on very specific lily pads with clear water in 3 to 4 feet of water.
The tournament was hosted by the Clinton, Iowa Convention & Visitors Bureau.
2022 B.A.S.S. Nation Title Sponsor: TNT Fireworks
2022 B.A.S.S. Nation Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2022 B.A.S.S. Nation Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2022 B.A.S.S. Nation Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Strike King, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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Media Contact: Emily Harley, B.A.S.S. Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, eharley@bassmaster.com
| 2022 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S Nation Northern Regional Mississippi River 6/29-7/1 Mississippi River, Clinton IA. (BOATER) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$1. Steve Lee Minneapolis, MN (MN) 15 42-14 0 2. Eddie Levin Westerville, OH (OH) 15 40-01 0 3. Nick Uebelhor Jasper, IN (IN) 15 38-08 0 4. Chris Fredrick Marshfield, WI (WI) 15 38-06 0 5. Jim Barczak Osceola, WI (WI) 15 37-05 0 6. Kyle Goltz Cornell, WI (WI) 14 35-13 0 7. Brian Funkhouser Bloomington, IN (IN) 15 35-08 0 8. Tanner Bock Davenport, IA (IA) 14 34-08 0 9. Monty Fralick Martin, SD (SD) 15 33-01 0 10. Jared Knuth Wahoo, NE (NE) 15 32-15 0 11. Dan Mohn Lansing, IA (IA) 14 32-09 0 12. Cory Hauk River Falls, WI (MN) 13 32-04 0 13. Pete Saele New Lenox, IL (IL) 15 32-01 0 14. Josh Hubbard Braidwood, IL (IL) 15 31-15 0 15. Chris Wilkinson Farmersburg, IN (IN) 15 31-14 0 16. Allen Williford West Frankfort, IL (IL) 14 31-07 0 17. Jeremy Knepp Montgomery, IN (IN) 15 31-06 0 18. Curtis Samo Rochelle, IL (IL) 14 31-05 0 19. Jerry Pape Bella Vista, AR (NE) 13 31-03 0 20. Bryce Hauf Winner, SD (SD) 12 29-13 0 21. Doug Ruster New Palestine, IN (IN) 15 29-05 0 22. Joseph Gorman Farmington, MN (MN) 13 28-09 0 23. Robert Hime Odessa, MO (NE) 11 25-05 0 24. Donald Roberts Bellville, OH (OH) 13 23-09 0 25. Dan Mundy Swartz Creek, MI (MI) 10 23-06 0 26. Wyatt Stout Winona, MN (WI) 8 19-08 0 27. Mark Goetsch Gibraltar, MI (MI) 11 19-04 0 28. Dan Hendley Mankato, MN (MN) 9 18-04 0 29. Kevin Schleeter Fort Jennings, OH (OH) 9 17-14 0 30. Brent Haimes Elgin, MN (MN) 8 17-10 0 31. Bryce Kalen Greenwood, IN (IN) 9 17-02 0 32. Casey Knaup Montello, WI (WI) 9 17-02 0 33. Adam Bartusek Lakeville, MN (MN) 10 16-15 0 34. TP Patten Metamora, MI (MI) 8 16-03 0 35. Joseph Sestak Tabor, SD (SD) 8 15-15 0 36. Jeffrey Mulholland Elgin, MN (MN) 7 15-10 0 37. Greg Vance Delhi, IA (IA) 7 15-09 0 38. Jesse Weener Holland, MI (MI) 7 14-13 0 39. Collin Tweten Decorah, IA (IA) 7 14-07 0 40. Curt Fiessinger Fort Loramie, OH (OH) 7 14-05 0 41. Chris Brokman Council Bluffs, IA (NE) 6 14-03 0 42. Nic Rand Kalamazoo, MI (MI) 6 13-11 0 43. Jarrod Sherwood Vassar, MI (MI) 6 13-10 0 44. Jon Dybel Bedford, IN (IN) 7 13-10 0 45. Kenneth Reed Buck, IN (IN) 7 13-10 0 46. Justin Schneider New London, MN (MN) 7 13-09 0 47. Tad Tinlin Des Moines, IA (IA) 6 13-07 0 48. Brandon Osting Delphos, OH (OH) 7 13-06 0 49. Lee Wubbels Lincoln, NE (NE) 6 13-05 0 50. Luke Kerstetter Brookfield, WI (WI) 6 12-15 0 51. Brandon Barrett Bloomington, IN (IN) 7 12-13 0 52. Eric Storms Winner, SD (SD) 7 12-12 0 53. Kenny Mittelstaedt Sturgis, SD (MN) 5 12-11 0 54. Troy Diede Sioux Falls, SD (SD) 5 12-11 0 55. Jeffrey Bauer Merrillan, WI (WI) 7 11-12 0 56. Terry Cooper Hamburg, IA (NE) 6 11-06 0 57. Will Presley Jr Grove City, OH (OH) 6 11-04 0 58. Rick Sawyer Albion, IN (MI) 5 11-00 0 59. Andrew Paulsen Marion, IA (IA) 4 10-05 0 60. Brock Belik Orchard, NE (SD) 6 10-05 0 61. Jesse Schwark East Leroy, MI (MI) 5 10-01 0 62. Tom Kiefer Fowlerville, MI (MI) 5 09-07 0 63. Brian Mailot Columbus, OH (OH) 4 09-05 0 64. Trevor Herman Winner, SD (SD) 4 08-15 0 65. Ryan Whitacre Chicago, IL (WI) 5 08-14 0 66. Rex Ryckman Ft. Pierre, SD (SD) 4 07-06 0 67. Shane Peters Shelbyville, IN (IN) 4 07-01 0 68. Cody Graff Glenvil, NE (NE) 4 07-00 0 69. Jerry Ramm Bennington, NE (NE) 4 06-12 0 70. Edward Gad Braidwood, IL (IL) 4 06-09 0 71. Bryan Close Fairbank, IA (IA) 3 06-02 0 72. Ken Milender Hayward, WI (MN) 3 05-15 0 73. Joshua Barr Louisville, OH (OH) 2 05-14 0 74. Joe Paulson Winner, WY (SD) 3 05-12 0 75. Joshua Olson Pepin, WI (WI) 3 05-12 0 76. Eddie Charlton Alma, IL (IL) 3 04-12 0 77. Kent Johnson Mc Gregor, IA (IA) 2 04-05 0 78. Eric Wilkas Princeton, IN (IL) 4 04-03 0 79. John Thomsen Creston, IA (NE) 2 04-00 0 80. Danny Ryan Jr Louisville, KY (OH) 2 03-12 0 81. Josh Ystenes La Crosse, WI (WI) 2 03-11 0 82. Devin Knoblauch La Vista, NE (NE) 2 03-06 0 83. James Maisenbacher Eureka, IL (IL) 2 03-05 0 84. Chase Loftus Solon, IA (IA) 2 03-04 0 85. Steven Smith Johnstown, OH (OH) 2 03-02 0 86. Ron Cherkas Ankeny, IA (IA) 2 02-14 0 87. Josh Uthe Braidwood, IL (IL) 1 02-02 0 88. Dallas Wennberg Braidwood, IL (IL) 1 01-14 0 89. Trent Beier Crystal Lake, IL (IA) 0 00-00 0 89. William Thompson Athens, MI (MI) 0 00-00 0 89. Russell Volquardsen Creighton, NE (SD) 0 00-00 0 ———————————————————————– ———————————————————————– TEAM STANDINGS Day 3 INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3 IOWA ILLINOIS INDIANA MICHIGAN MINNESOTA OHIO SOUTH DAKOTA WISCONSIN NEBRASKA
2022 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S Nation Northern Regional Mississippi River 6/29-7/1 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Jeff Wehner Fishers, IN (IN) 9 21-12 0 ———————————————————————– TEAM STANDINGS Day 3 INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3 IOWA ILLINOIS INDIANA MICHIGAN MINNESOTA OHIO SOUTH DAKOTA WISCONSIN NEBRASKA |