The team at Angling Sports is celebrating a fantastic performance at this year’s Canadian Tire Lake Erie Open, a premier bass fishing tournament hosted by the St. Catharines Bassmasters members Jay Clay and Eric Hill, and sponsored by the Niagara region Canadian Tire stores. This open-style tournament brought together the best bass anglers in the region, and our team, consisting of John Vinen and Cole Bailey, put on an impressive showing, weighing 25.94lbs securing a 6th place finish!
A Thrilling Day on Lake Erie
The event took place on the stunning waters of Lake Erie, a location known for its abundant and competitive bass fishing. With a high-energy atmosphere and ideal fishing conditions, anglers battled it out to land the biggest bass and climb the leaderboard. Our team kept their cool and executed a strategic game plan that ultimately helped them secure their top-ten spot.
John and Cole put together a very specific game plan for the day. They weren’t able to practice for the event due to work obligations and very high winds the week leading up to the event. Typically, high winds on Lake Erie will squander the shallow fishing program. With 40mph South West winds the day before the tournament, the guys knew they needed to fish deep as those fish are more reliable when it blows heavily. They focused on specific transitions in 40-45 feet of water. The fish were tight to bottom, so they relied on bottom contact baits such as tubes and swimbaits. Fishing very slow was key for them to trigger bigger than average bites. They opted to stay out of the crowded areas and found water all to themselves on the US side of the lake, and were able to boat over 40 fish on the day.
Congratulations to all the participants in this exciting event! Stay tuned for more updates on upcoming tournaments and tips from our expert anglers.
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started with bass fishing, visit Angling Sports for all the gear and expert advice you need. From rods and reels to specialized lures and tackle, we've got everything to help you gear up for your next fishing adventure — whether it's a casual day on the water or gearing up for your next tournament. Shop with us and get tournament-ready!
