UMBC anglers rise to the challenge on Lake Mohawksin

Lake Mohawksin in Tomahawk is an early stop for not only the Wisconsin Bass Team Trail (WBTT) but the Upper Midwest Bass Challenge (UMBCS) Central Division. 

The UMBCS anglers took on that lake in what seemed, to some, more of a post-spawn condition than the May 19 tournament of the Wisconsin Bass Team Trail. 

Jordan and Carson Knutson took first place on a tough Lake Mohawksin with 13.44 pounds.
(Submitted photo)

Water temperatures varied widely, with warm sunny weather bringing them up only for them to plummet again with heavy rains, with the cycle repeating several times. Water temperatures near 70 in some places before the WBTT event were hovering in the mid to low 60a much later on. These conditions are typical for spring fishing tournaments and made things difficult for some anglers during each tournament.

Some fish were spawning, some were post-spawn. In the WBTT tournament, at least, some of the fish that came to the scales looked as though they had yet to spawn, being heavier for their size and in better physical condition.

As usual, however, there were several similarities between the tournaments and what the field was able to bring to the scales. Both tournaments had 29 teams competing. 

In the WBTT tournament, 114 fish were caught, with only two of those being largemouth. In the UBCS tournament, 103 fish were caught and only one was a largemouth. While there are traditionally more smallmouth brought to the scales in tournaments on Lake Mohawksin, these numbers were especially skewed in these two tournaments. With smallmouth season not open yet on the Tomahawk River or the Somo River, most anglers did not venture up those two rivers looking for largemouth. Most remained on the main body of water targeting smallmouth. 

Brian Modrzejewski and Corey Koplitz took second place at the UMBCS tournament on Lake Mohawksin with 12.93 pounds.
(Submitted photo)

As expected, weights during the WBTT tournament were slightly higher with an average weight of 9.14 pounds per team during that event. In the UMBCS event, that average was 7.57 per team. The winning weight was almost two pounds heavier in the WBTT tournament at 15.27 where the winning weight in the UMBCS tournament, brought in by Jordan and Carson Knutson was 13.44 pounds. Big bass of the tournament for WBTT was 3.95 which was just slightly heavier than the big bass for UMBCS, which was a 3.78 pound smallmouth brought in by the team of Craig Henrich and Curt Weihrouch.

Sixteen boats were able to bring in a limit of fish during the UMBCS tournament and 17 did so during the WBTT tournament.

Only four teams zeroed during the UMBCS tournament and one team was unable to boat a keeper in the WBTT tournament.

Conditions were tougher during the UMBCS event, according to many anglers who fish both series. But in general, lakes tend to play out close to the same from one tournament to the next. 

Third Place at Lake Mohawksin for the UMBCS tournament went to Yeng Thao and David Vue, who came in with 12.75 pounds.
(Submitted photo)

The skill levels of anglers in both trails are high and the competition is stiff in both fields, with much spillover from one series to the other. In the end, however, as anglers say, “someone always finds them.” 

While the Knutsons bested the field by almost half a pound, Brian Modrzejeweski and Corey Koplitz took second with 12.92 pounds. Yeng Thao and David Vue, always contenders for the top of the field, found themselves in third place with 12.75 pounds. Fourth place went to Robin Pester and Gregg Kizewski, tournament director and owner of UMBCS. That team brought in 12.44 pounds of smallmouth. Rounding out the top ten was another team that is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard, Andy Dassow and Todd Holtman with 11.69 pounds.

The next stop for the UMBCS will be at the Willow Flowage on Sunday, June 23. 

The Willow is a favorite stop for many anglers. It is an incredible fishery capable of producing big bags of smallmouth.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].