Byline: Sue Ellen Christian and Mickey Ciokaljo
Chicago is known as a place where things don't come easily: the winters, the traffic, the politics, the winning. Just ask the Cubs. So it shouldn't be surprising that as the first major bass-fishing championship to ply the local waters concluded Saturday amid a burst of fireworks the final verdict was that angling here ain't that easy either.
Since organizers of the BASS Masters Classic made the startling announcement a year ago that the tournament would be coming to a city as northern and as urban as Chicago, the region's reputation as a bass-fishing destination has been on the line.
With the three-day Classic over Saturday evening, the prevailing opinion of the 46 competitors was that there are quality bass in these waters, but bad timing hasn't done justice to the true size and number of fish.
High winds, 7-foot waves on Lake Michigan, murky water and restrictions on harbor fishing made hefty bass as tough to catch as a cab from Soldier Field.
"The fishing is much better than what we'll showcase it to be in this tournament," said nine-time Classic competitor Shaw Grigsby Jr., who finished third in the tournament with 13 fish weighing 24 pounds 7 ounces.
"The fish moved to harbor areas that are off limits and the lake where the smallmouth are is torn up, so what's left is river areas," Grigsby added. "It will not do this fishery justice and fans will be disappointed, I'm afraid."
"If it gets a reputation other than as a good fishery, I'll be disappointed. When I was here for practice (in early June), it was spectacular."
The winner of the three-day event was Woo Daves, 54, who caught 14 fish weighing a total of 27 pounds 13 ounces.
"My dream has come true," Daves said. "The Classic should be tough. But I know the fishing can be better here."
Daves, who was fishing his 15th Classic, stuck with his winning pattern from Friday, fishing the same 200 yards of interior breakwall in Lake Michigan north of Navy Pier, often with a tube bait at 8-to-12 feet deep.
By the end of the three-day tournament, 436 fish had been caught, weighing a total of 653 pounds 1 ounce _ not the 1,219 pounds of New Orleans last year, but certainly respectable, especially when compared to 1987's 240-pound overall catch in the Ohio River.
Rick Clunn, who finished fourth in what was his 27th Classic, said the fishing may be tough in Chicago, but he likes it that way.
"This is a good event; it's not an easy event. I like anytime a fishery requires that you use all your mental and physical resources," said Clunn, who caught 15 bass weighing 23 pounds 14 ounces. "The real test comes in a situation like this, where the resources are there but it's limited from a competitive standpoint. That's when there's a real good tournament."
The professional evaluation of the waters from Lake Michigan to Lake Calumet to the rivers that curl around landfills and industrial sites and past downtown eateries is that there are plenty of big bass swimming about.
But hauling in those fish has been a problem.
Feisty northerly winds have stirred up Lake Michigan in the last few days, ruining the clear water that zebra mussels, with their incessant filter feeding, have worked so hard to create. Smallmouth bass, which are sight feeders, like clear water; they tend to slow down and forage for food less when things seem murky.
Blame the wind also for high waves that grew bigger as the day progressed Friday and Saturday. The rough water made traveling on Lake Michigan _ not to mention fishing _ difficult if not dangerous in the low-slung speedboats piloted by the pros.
Lake Calumet, the Calumet River and other waterways yielded many of the five-fish limits that the competitors were seeking, but with winds confining most pros to the same areas, congestion prompted concerns that too many anglers would spoil the fishing.
Because the pros are allowed to fish only in water where the public can fish, certain enticing areas wound up off limits. The Chicago Park District prohibits anglers from fishing near boats and docks because owners don't appreciate lines and hooks getting tangled in motor blades and on the railings of fancy boats.
Even though the pros have much more precise aim than the average amateur, they still were not allowed to cast toward a boat within 100 feet of their own craft. That made it more difficult to find smallmouth bass, who favor the underside of boats and the shadows of dock pilings.
Classic veteran Larry Nixon, 49, who finished in 18th place, said the restriction meant "95 percent of fish in the harbors are unavailable to us. There could be a billion bass in that harbor and we'd never know it."
"But the city of Chicago makes up for it," he added. "This is a real beautiful place."
Local angler and Classic spectator Brad Alcini, 28, of Lincoln Park, said having the Classic in Chicago would show people that Lake Michigan is good for catching more than just trout and salmon. Alcini, a member of Northern Illinois Crank `n' Bass, a BASS federation club, said, "The numbers are there and in the next couple of years it'll bloom into a very good fishery."
Davy Hite made Classic history this week as the only defending champion not to catch any keepers on the first two days of the tournament. Hite joined with Tim Horton, the Angler of the Year who also was blanked the first two days, and together they ran their bass boats past Joliet to the Kankakee River on Saturday.
At 10 minutes before noon, Hite's luck changed when he hauled in a 4-pound 3-ounce largemouth bass, giving a yell and kissing the green fish.
"I haven't hollered that loud catching a single fish in I don't know how long," said Hite, whose only keeper of the day was the biggest fish of the tournament.
Horton, on the other hand, did not catch a keeper during the entire tournament.
"I was tickled to death (for Hite) because I know how bad both of us wanted to catch one," Horton said.
While he enjoyed the city of Chicago, Hite said "if the city wanted to show the world it's a great fishery, it's a little soon."
"But it's a great city and a great place to visit. ..."
After two relatively sparse days of attendance at the Soldier Field weigh-in, the stands were filled Saturday. A heap of free entertainment was slated to help draw in spectators, from fireworks to an open-air concert by country-music star Trisha Yearwood.
In the crowd of about 5,000 were Les Underwood, 32, and his wife, Tina, who came from Louisville for the entire classic.
"Everything has been really great," said Underwood, a shed and deck builder. "A lot of people didn't even know bass were in these waters. This classic is just a kick-start to everything for this fishery."
X X X
(c) 2000, Chicago Tribune.
Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
Troubled waters: A mix of high winds, a murky lake and local regulations have combined to take some of the bite out of the BASS Masters Classic, limiting the quantity of the fishing.
Byline: Sue Ellen Christian and Mickey Ciokaljo
Chicago is known as a place where things don't come easily: the winters, the traffic, the politics, the winning. Just ask the Cubs. So it shouldn't be surprising that as the first major bass-fishing championship to ply the local waters concluded Saturday amid a burst of fireworks the final verdict was that angling here ain't that easy either.
Since organizers of the BASS Masters Classic made the startling announcement a year ago that the tournament would be coming to a city as northern and as urban as Chicago, the region's reputation as a bass-fishing destination has been on the line.
With the three-day Classic over Saturday evening, the prevailing opinion of the 46 competitors was that there are quality bass in these waters, but bad timing hasn't done justice to the true size and number of fish.
High winds, 7-foot waves on Lake Michigan, murky water and restrictions on harbor fishing made hefty bass as tough to catch as a cab from Soldier Field.
"The fishing is much better than what we'll showcase it to be in this tournament," said nine-time Classic competitor Shaw Grigsby Jr., who finished third in the tournament with 13 fish weighing 24 pounds 7 ounces.
"The fish moved to harbor areas that are off limits and the lake where the smallmouth are is torn up, so what's left is river areas," Grigsby added. "It will not do this fishery justice and fans will be disappointed, I'm afraid."
"If it gets a reputation other than as a good fishery, I'll be disappointed. When I was here for practice (in early June), it was spectacular."
The winner of the three-day event was Woo Daves, 54, who caught 14 fish weighing a total of 27 pounds 13 ounces.
"My dream has come true," Daves said. "The Classic should be tough. But I know the fishing can be better here."
Daves, who was fishing his 15th Classic, stuck with his winning pattern from Friday, fishing the same 200 yards of interior breakwall in Lake Michigan north of Navy Pier, often with a tube bait at 8-to-12 feet deep.
By the end of the three-day tournament, 436 fish had been caught, weighing a total of 653 pounds 1 ounce _ not the 1,219 pounds of New Orleans last year, but certainly respectable, especially when compared to 1987's 240-pound overall catch in the Ohio River.
Rick Clunn, who finished fourth in what was his 27th Classic, said the fishing may be tough in Chicago, but he likes it that way.
"This is a good event; it's not an easy event. I like anytime a fishery requires that you use all your mental and physical resources," said Clunn, who caught 15 bass weighing 23 pounds 14 ounces. "The real test comes in a situation like this, where the resources are there but it's limited from a competitive standpoint. That's when there's a real good tournament."
The professional evaluation of the waters from Lake Michigan to Lake Calumet to the rivers that curl around landfills and industrial sites and past downtown eateries is that there are plenty of big bass swimming about.
But hauling in those fish has been a problem.
Feisty northerly winds have stirred up Lake Michigan in the last few days, ruining the clear water that zebra mussels, with their incessant filter feeding, have worked so hard to create. Smallmouth bass, which are sight feeders, like clear water; they tend to slow down and forage for food less when things seem murky.
Blame the wind also for high waves that grew bigger as the day progressed Friday and Saturday. The rough water made traveling on Lake Michigan _ not to mention fishing _ difficult if not dangerous in the low-slung speedboats piloted by the pros.
Lake Calumet, the Calumet River and other waterways yielded many of the five-fish limits that the competitors were seeking, but with winds confining most pros to the same areas, congestion prompted concerns that too many anglers would spoil the fishing.
Because the pros are allowed to fish only in water where the public can fish, certain enticing areas wound up off limits. The Chicago Park District prohibits anglers from fishing near boats and docks because owners don't appreciate lines and hooks getting tangled in motor blades and on the railings of fancy boats.
Even though the pros have much more precise aim than the average amateur, they still were not allowed to cast toward a boat within 100 feet of their own craft. That made it more difficult to find smallmouth bass, who favor the underside of boats and the shadows of dock pilings.
Classic veteran Larry Nixon, 49, who finished in 18th place, said the restriction meant "95 percent of fish in the harbors are unavailable to us. There could be a billion bass in that harbor and we'd never know it."
"But the city of Chicago makes up for it," he added. "This is a real beautiful place."
Local angler and Classic spectator Brad Alcini, 28, of Lincoln Park, said having the Classic in Chicago would show people that Lake Michigan is good for catching more than just trout and salmon. Alcini, a member of Northern Illinois Crank `n' Bass, a BASS federation club, said, "The numbers are there and in the next couple of years it'll bloom into a very good fishery."
Davy Hite made Classic history this week as the only defending champion not to catch any keepers on the first two days of the tournament. Hite joined with Tim Horton, the Angler of the Year who also was blanked the first two days, and together they ran their bass boats past Joliet to the Kankakee River on Saturday.
At 10 minutes before noon, Hite's luck changed when he hauled in a 4-pound 3-ounce largemouth bass, giving a yell and kissing the green fish.
"I haven't hollered that loud catching a single fish in I don't know how long," said Hite, whose only keeper of the day was the biggest fish of the tournament.
Horton, on the other hand, did not catch a keeper during the entire tournament.
"I was tickled to death (for Hite) because I know how bad both of us wanted to catch one," Horton said.
While he enjoyed the city of Chicago, Hite said "if the city wanted to show the world it's a great fishery, it's a little soon."
"But it's a great city and a great place to visit. ..."
After two relatively sparse days of attendance at the Soldier Field weigh-in, the stands were filled Saturday. A heap of free entertainment was slated to help draw in spectators, from fireworks to an open-air concert by country-music star Trisha Yearwood.
In the crowd of about 5,000 were Les Underwood, 32, and his wife, Tina, who came from Louisville for the entire classic.
"Everything has been really great," said Underwood, a shed and deck builder. "A lot of people didn't even know bass were in these waters. This classic is just a kick-start to everything for this fishery."
X X X
(c) 2000, Chicago Tribune.
Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
Troubled waters: A mix of high winds, a murky lake and local regulations have combined to take some of the bite out of the BASS Masters Classic, limiting the quantity of the fishing.
Byline: Sue Ellen Christian and Mickey Ciokaljo
Chicago is known as a place where things don't come easily: the winters, the traffic, the politics, the winning. Just ask the Cubs. So it shouldn't be surprising that as the first major bass-fishing championship to ply the local waters concluded Saturday amid a burst of fireworks the final verdict was that angling here ain't that easy either.
Since organizers of the BASS Masters Classic made the startling announcement a year ago that the tournament would be coming to a city as northern and as urban as Chicago, the region's reputation as a bass-fishing destination has been on the line.
With the three-day Classic over Saturday evening, the prevailing opinion of the 46 competitors was that there are quality bass in these waters, but bad timing hasn't done justice to the true size and number of fish.
High winds, 7-foot waves on Lake Michigan, murky water and restrictions on harbor fishing made hefty bass as tough to catch as a cab from Soldier Field.
"The fishing is much better than what we'll showcase it to be in this tournament," said nine-time Classic competitor Shaw Grigsby Jr., who finished third in the tournament with 13 fish weighing 24 pounds 7 ounces.
"The fish moved to harbor areas that are off limits and the lake where the smallmouth are is torn up, so what's left is river areas," Grigsby added. "It will not do this fishery justice and fans will be disappointed, I'm afraid."
"If it gets a reputation other than as a good fishery, I'll be disappointed. When I was here for practice (in early June), it was spectacular."
The winner of the three-day event was Woo Daves, 54, who caught 14 fish weighing a total of 27 pounds 13 ounces.
"My dream has come true," Daves said. "The Classic should be tough. But I know the fishing can be better here."
Daves, who was fishing his 15th Classic, stuck with his winning pattern from Friday, fishing the same 200 yards of interior breakwall in Lake Michigan north of Navy Pier, often with a tube bait at 8-to-12 feet deep.
By the end of the three-day tournament, 436 fish had been caught, weighing a total of 653 pounds 1 ounce _ not the 1,219 pounds of New Orleans last year, but certainly respectable, especially when compared to 1987's 240-pound overall catch in the Ohio River.
Rick Clunn, who finished fourth in what was his 27th Classic, said the fishing may be tough in Chicago, but he likes it that way.
"This is a good event; it's not an easy event. I like anytime a fishery requires that you use all your mental and physical resources," said Clunn, who caught 15 bass weighing 23 pounds 14 ounces. "The real test comes in a situation like this, where the resources are there but it's limited from a competitive standpoint. That's when there's a real good tournament."
The professional evaluation of the waters from Lake Michigan to Lake Calumet to the rivers that curl around landfills and industrial sites and past downtown eateries is that there are plenty of big bass swimming about.
But hauling in those fish has been a problem.
Feisty northerly winds have stirred up Lake Michigan in the last few days, ruining the clear water that zebra mussels, with their incessant filter feeding, have worked so hard to create. Smallmouth bass, which are sight feeders, like clear water; they tend to slow down and forage for food less when things seem murky.
Blame the wind also for high waves that grew bigger as the day progressed Friday and Saturday. The rough water made traveling on Lake Michigan _ not to mention fishing _ difficult if not dangerous in the low-slung speedboats piloted by the pros.
Lake Calumet, the Calumet River and other waterways yielded many of the five-fish limits that the competitors were seeking, but with winds confining most pros to the same areas, congestion prompted concerns that too many anglers would spoil the fishing.
Because the pros are allowed to fish only in water where the public can fish, certain enticing areas wound up off limits. The Chicago Park District prohibits anglers from fishing near boats and docks because owners don't appreciate lines and hooks getting tangled in motor blades and on the railings of fancy boats.
Even though the pros have much more precise aim than the average amateur, they still were not allowed to cast toward a boat within 100 feet of their own craft. That made it more difficult to find smallmouth bass, who favor the underside of boats and the shadows of dock pilings.
Classic veteran Larry Nixon, 49, who finished in 18th place, said the restriction meant "95 percent of fish in the harbors are unavailable to us. There could be a billion bass in that harbor and we'd never know it."
"But the city of Chicago makes up for it," he added. "This is a real beautiful place."
Local angler and Classic spectator Brad Alcini, 28, of Lincoln Park, said having the Classic in Chicago would show people that Lake Michigan is good for catching more than just trout and salmon. Alcini, a member of Northern Illinois Crank `n' Bass, a BASS federation club, said, "The numbers are there and in the next couple of years it'll bloom into a very good fishery."
Davy Hite made Classic history this week as the only defending champion not to catch any keepers on the first two days of the tournament. Hite joined with Tim Horton, the Angler of the Year who also was blanked the first two days, and together they ran their bass boats past Joliet to the Kankakee River on Saturday.
At 10 minutes before noon, Hite's luck changed when he hauled in a 4-pound 3-ounce largemouth bass, giving a yell and kissing the green fish.
"I haven't hollered that loud catching a single fish in I don't know how long," said Hite, whose only keeper of the day was the biggest fish of the tournament.
Horton, on the other hand, did not catch a keeper during the entire tournament.
"I was tickled to death (for Hite) because I know how bad both of us wanted to catch one," Horton said.
While he enjoyed the city of Chicago, Hite said "if the city wanted to show the world it's a great fishery, it's a little soon."
"But it's a great city and a great place to visit. ..."
After two relatively sparse days of attendance at the Soldier Field weigh-in, the stands were filled Saturday. A heap of free entertainment was slated to help draw in spectators, from fireworks to an open-air concert by country-music star Trisha Yearwood.
In the crowd of about 5,000 were Les Underwood, 32, and his wife, Tina, who came from Louisville for the entire classic.
"Everything has been really great," said Underwood, a shed and deck builder. "A lot of people didn't even know bass were in these waters. This classic is just a kick-start to everything for this fishery."
X X X
(c) 2000, Chicago Tribune.
Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
