Green Bay – Pamp’s Outboard pro staff angler Jason Stangel and partner John Ullmer weighed a total of 57.87 pounds to win the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament on May 19. The event featured some of the heaviest bags in the 28-year history of the tournament. Over the two-day event, Stangel and Ullmer weighed 10 smallmouth that averaged 5.79 pounds each.
“Sturgeon Bay has gained national recognition as one of the best bass fisheries in the country,” said J.J. Malvitz, president of the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament. “Sturgeon Bay as a whole is a smallmouth oasis. As you go up the peninsula, the water becomes colder so you can fish bass in all the different stages of spawn during the spring. Whether it’s pre-spawn, spawn or post-spawn, you can find them.”
Pamp’s Outboard pro staff angler Jason Stangel (left) and partner John Ullmer (right) display their trophy for their first-place finish at the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament on May 19
Most of the competitors fished the Little Sturgeon area, taking advantage of a late spring where the fish are fatter than usual due to the late spawn.
“They were using tubes and smaller plastics in green pumpkin and some darker colors,” said Malvitz. “The water is a little colder so the anglers downsized their baits and fished a lot slower.”
The winning team brought in 28.65 pounds on day one and followed with another impressive day-two bag of 29.22 pounds. The tournament featured catches of 11 smallmouth heavier than 7 pounds and one weighing 8.78 pounds. For their efforts, Stangel and Ullmer won a brand-new Ranger Z518 with a Mercury outboard along with cash for a total of nearly $50,000 in winnings.
Ranger Boats provided the first-place Z518 through local Ranger Boats dealer Pamp’s Outboard. Pamp’s has served as title sponsor for the tournament for the past 14 years and provides sales and service to Green Bay and surrounding areas.
