The third stop on the Tear Drop Tournament Trail was in Beulah, Michigan on a pretty piece of water that is aptly named Crystal Lake. Beulah is on US 31 north of Manistee and west of Traverse City. Crystal is a 9100 acre lake that reaches depths of over 160 feet. The waters are pristine, and ultra clear with a shoreline full of rock, a smallmouth fishery if ever there was one. Three weeks ago in a tournament that some of our Tear Drop anglers fished, it took 25-9 lbs. to win with a five fish limit! The weather Sunday, July 13th was great, another bluebird day in northwest Michigan. There were some ripples on the water to start the tournament, but the wind came up a bit by noon to a slight chop. You need that wind to blow some on these crystal clear waters to keep those smallies cruisin'. Dan Chapman and Dan Hamilton, "The Bear Lake Boys" must have visited Madame Rue's, you know that gypsy wit the gold-capped tooth, and had her gaze into her crystal for a winning strategy Sunday. They once again put a pattern together that enabled them to put 6 smallies in the boat that stretched the scale at days end totalling 13 lbs. 1oz. In practice, they had been hitting fish on the drop off using spinnerbaits, but it wasn't working Sunday so they moved up on the sand flats and plied the waters with some of their tubes. The duo makes and sells tubes through their business called "Great Lakes Tubes." Their first place performance won for them $675. Second place this week went to another perenial front running team, C. J. LeCosta and Ron Fasel of Traverse City. They gave four big smallies a ride to the weighin that totaled 12 lbs. 2 oz. They focussed their efforts on bedded fish and C.J. was even observed to use the motor to gain altitude to better scope out fish to make presentations to. It worked well, for in their sack they had a 4-3 and 4-4 lb. bronzeback. Second place in a field of 27 boats netted them $336 and they tacked on another $270 for big bass. Cadillac was buzzing Sunday as two of their recent high school graduates, Marty Williams and John Porter won the $202 third place money. Marty has fished the Tear Drop for the last couple of years and this year he moved up a notch and became a money winner out of his new Ranger he received as a graduation present. I want to live at Marty's house! The Cadillac duo weighed in four fish that tipped the scales at 10 lbs. and 14 oz. Their fish came shallow and all but one on beds. Along with the cash for third place they received the Na-Tah-Ka's catfish/walleye dinners. Don Fowler and Steve Block of Cadillac and Manistee respectfully ended their day in fourth place just one ounce behind Williams and Porter, with 10 lbs. 13 oz. Don and Steve also started on the drops where they had caught some nice fish in practice, but Sunday the fish were in a different mood. Maybe because of the full moon they were further up on the flats crabbin'. In any case, Fowler and Block took home $67 and moved up into second place behind Chapman and Hamilton in the race for "Angler of the Year." Click on the "Standings" link for the current top 12 boats at our teardrop.com website. Rounding out the last $67 money spot in fifth place was the father/son team from Hudsonville, Dan and Nathan Shine. The Shine's scrape up the bottom of their boat pursuing smallmouth up in the skinny water. They pitched plastic to boat 5 smallies that weighed 10 lbs. 4 oz. Even though Crystal has some behemoths eleven of the twenty-seven boats never boated a keeper. There were 49 fish weighed for a total of 113.413 lbs. It really was a tough day for about half of the field. But, when you're hot you're hot and when you're not, you're not. The next lake on the $5,000 Tear Drop Tournament Trail is up northwest of Traverse City in cherry country, the big and beautiful Lake Leelanau. The Tear Drop Anglers will take off July 27th from the DNR Narrows Ramp. If you decide to join us, please be sure to read the 2003 rules found in our flyer or on the website. If you are not going to fish, bring a couple rolls of quarters, for the weighin isn't far from the casino, and come and watch some of the big ole smallies that haunt this lake come to the scales. We would again like to thank our tournament supporters and would like any and all to grab a copy of our 2003 tournament flyer and stop in and shop at as many of these fine establishments as you can. Take care and as Don says, "Watch your bobber!"
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