Northland's Top Ten Finishes at Okoboji
The Classic Bass Champions Tour presented by Skeeter Boats kicked off its 2024 season on June 11th, on Iowa’s Great Lake, Lake Okoboji. This lake is known for having big bass in it, and the 65 Champions Tour anglers were looking forward to breaking down this new water, to see what they could do.
Two Northland Tackle Pro’s, Aaron Teal, and Dane Vocelka, both finished in top-ten, giving them a nice pay day, and a great start to their 2024 Champions Tour season, where they are working towards qualifying for the 2024 Championship, that was announced is going to be held on Lake Minnewaska, where the winner will walk away with a brand-new Skeeter Boat/Yamaha Outboard package.
Aaron Teal, who finished the event in 3rd place with 26 bass caught, for a total weight of 73 lb 12 oz, started his day on the east half of the lake. “Practice on the east half wasn’t good for me, so with boat number 28, I decided to start on the east half, so I could save my better stuff for the second half on the west half,” explained Aaron.
Teal made his way through two other Champions Tour competitors fishing a flat, and went up the inflowing creek, which had current, and deeper, clean water. “As soon as we got to the area, I could see bass busting, and I knew it was going to be a good morning,” said Teal.
Using a Texas-rigged soft plastic stickbait during the first half of the day is what garnered Teal’s catches.
During the afternoon session, which Teal fished on the west side, he fished a sunken boat lift with a grass patch on it, by using a finesse Jig and Free-Rig.
“Everyone thought that the west side of the lake was going to be THE side, but it really didn’t pan out that way. It really took a good spot on the east side to be competitive, so I’m glad I made the decision I did on where to start,” said Teal.
During practice Teal fished the Elite Series Nedster Jig and the new Minnesota Mullet to fish for offshore Okoboji bass. “The biggest thing I can say about the Mullet, is that it has some NASTY flow to it!”
Out of the gate, Northland Tackle Pro, Dane Vocelka had the hot stick, and ended the first half on Lake Okoboji leading the pack. “I was fishing post-spawn transition areas, that were up current, close to funneling areas,” explained Dane. “I fished two identical spots in the first half, that both set-up the same in terms of having hard bottom, and in that 8-12’ range.”
Dane looked for shallower post spawn largemouth and smallmouth during the second half of the day, but that pattern did not work out. In practice, Dane fished the Elite Series Finesse Football Jig with a skirt on it to make a small finesse jig for the deeper clear water fish. “I also used the new Minnesota Mullet and caught some nice bass on that, as well as saw where other bass were living, as they would show themselves when following the Mullet back to the boat,” said Dane.
Vocelka finished the first Champions Tour event of the 2024 season in 7th place with 19 bass weighing a total of 54 lb 3 oz.
Rounding out the rest of the Northland Fishing Tackle Pro team included Joel Willert, 20th place with 29 lb 9 oz and Matt Holweg, 33rd place with 20 lb 3 oz.
The Champions Tour will head to Mille Lacs on Tuesday, June 25th for their 2nd Annual Pro-Am event, where Champions Tour Pro’s will fish together with a high school Am angler to catch their biggest seven Mille Lacs bass.
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