ESPN Opens

What's at stake: $322,021 in total prize money, plus 25 berths into the CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship. The top five boaters at the Open Championship will earn berths into the CITGO Bassmaster Classic.

The pros said it

"Right now, it's like fishing a whole new lake. The water temperature is 74 degrees and the fish are all still on their summer pattern. I don't think they'll be quite as schooled up (like 2003), which means you'll have to hunt for them a lot more."  Art Ferguson, CITGO Bassmaster Open winner on Oneida Lake in 2003, 40, St Clair Shores, Mich.

"The water is a lot cleaner and the grass is deeper (than 2003) so the fish are scattered. I can catch one or two on one spot instead of 20 like before. I think the guys are going to have to move around a lot to catch the fish ... somebody's going to have to hunt down a big one."  Kenyon Hill, 41, Norman, Okla.

"Bottom line: Anytime we get into the northeast in the fall, the fishing's awesome. The fish are beginning the fall feed where they eat like crazy and get fat before winter. You can catch fish anywhere, but you're trying to be real selective on the caliber fish you're catching. (The lake) is going to have a pattern to catch a limit quick and then go for some bigger bites."  Michael Iaconelli, 33, Woodbury Heights, N.J.

"I've been searching new water and leaving some of my old spots alone because I'm pretty confident I can go back (to them) and do all right. Depending on what I find the next two days, I'm going to do a milk run. Just run from one spot to the next using search baits, unless I a find spot that's really holding a lot of fish. "  Eric Barker, 35, East Syracuse, N.Y.

The strategy

Ferguson: Ferguson is looking for rock piles and grass beds using his Lowrance GPS system. He is drop shoting Senkos and working mizmo tubes on a provider jighead inside and outside grass edges along the bottom.

Hill: Hill is fishing along grass lines trying to catch a limit of smallmouth between 12-14 pounds and then adjusting his strategy to hunt down largemouth. He's covering a lot of water using a Carolina Rig and watermelon Zoom! Super Fluke.

Iaconelli: Iaconelli's putting his trolling motor on high, covering a lot of water and using search lures and power fishing to identify some key areas. He's making about 2,000 casts a day using Berkley vanish flour carbon line because the water is extremely clear and he's looking for areas where the fish are moving for the fall feed.

Barker: Barker is looking for a reaction bite using search baits in 10-13 feet of water. He's using a variety of lures including jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, tubes and jigs. Once he gets a strike, he'll slow down his fishing to evaluate the area is like and figure out what the fish are biting.

Location and field

CITGO Bassmaster Northern Open
Oneida Lake
Brewerton, NY
Sep. 15-17, 2005

Field
Cut to 50 after Day 2

Launch
9400 Bartell Rd.
Brewerton, N.Y. 13029
6:30 a.m.

Weigh-in
9400 Bartell Rd.
Brewerton, N.Y. 13029
2:30 p.m.

Background

Previous BASS events
2003 New York CITGO Northern Bassmaster Open

Previous winners on lake
32.9, Art Ferguson, 2003

Heaviest winning sack
32.9, Art Ferguson, 2003

Lowest winning sack
32.9, Art Ferguson, 2003

Weather

Temperature
85 degrees

Lake Level
371 feet

Local sponsors: Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.

Bassmaster Northern Open sponsors: CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Bass Pro Shops and Cialis (tadalafil).

Boater list

Alabama
Mike Cox, Huntsville
Kotaro Kiriyama, Moody

Arkansas
Ken Adamson, Stuttgart

Connecticut
Chris Bielert, Danbury
Daryl Biron, South Windsor

Florida
James Charlesworth, Saint Cloud

Iowa
Peter Cherkas, Des Moines
Ron Cherkas, Des Moines

Illinois
Steve Rogers, Coal City

Indiana
Gregory Cain, Ft. Wayne
Luke Foli, Granger
Mark Peiser, Indianapolis

Kentucky
Timothy Mcdonald, Hagerhill

Massachusetts

Peter Brown, Kingston
Paul Leblanc, Norfolk
William Roe, Norton

Maryland
Benjamin Gusciora, Williamsport
Dave Kilby, Bel Air

Michigan
Gerald Gostenik, Dearborn
David Robb, Grand Haven
Erhardt Tulgestka, Alpena

New Hampshire
Scott Canelas, Pelham

New Jersey
Brian Brooks, Mt. Ephraim
Michael Iaconelli, Runnemede
Dan Martin, Egg Harbor Township

New York
Christopher Brown, Rodman
Todd Cole, Geneseo
Craig Daino, Central Square
Richard Doyle, Keeseville
James Griffith, West Leyden
Russell Guarno, Utica
Jamie Hartman, Polland
Doug Kirkbride, Beaver Falls
Michael Kozell, Depew
M Mahar, New Baltimore
David Marion, Cold Spring
Matthew Martin, Lafayette
Dean Meckes, Clayton
Craig Nels, Baldwinsville
Nick Radtke, New Hampton
Chris Rockwell, Naples
Brian Sanson, Chittenango
Roger Stahl, Chittenango
Aaron Stone, Rome
Randy Yager, Syracuse

Ohio
Steven Clapper, Lima
Brian Cook, Sandusky
Glenn Delong, Bellville
Jamie Fabian, Pleasant City
Greg Mills, Dayton
Dale Mullen, Columbus
John Schwarzel, Coolville
Bill Smith, Powell

Ontario, Canada
Gregory Roth, Cambridge

Pennsylvania
Kenneth Acornley, Wilkes Barre
Rick Anderson, Dover
Kevin Baldwin, Vandergrift
Ron Bane, Frackville
John Chaffo, Pittsburgh
Arnold Duck, Williamsport
Jim Fiato, Birdsboro
Charles Finn, Dallas
Douglas Foulke, Perkasie
Paul Hirosky, Guys Mills
Jeff Kashuba, Stroudsburg
Gary Krammes, Pottsville
Matthew Lazaroff, Mercer
Larry Lewellyn, Lehighton
Paul Mazzitelli, Pittston
James Pocratsky, Uniontown
Scott Shafer, Dallas
Jeff Stoner, Wellsville
Robert Sylvester, Milford

South Carolina
Micah Sepko, Greer

Vermont
Brian Gates, Rutland

Non-Boater list

Connecticut
Leo Keating, Bethel
Lutz Spika, Stamford

Delaware
Andrew Dick, Wilmington

Georgia
W T Davis, Snellville

Indiana
Larry Wagner, Crown Point

Japan
Hiroaki Kiyama, Kasuyagun

Massachusetts
Bob Melanson, Springfield
David Morrissette, South Hadley

Maryland
Larry Iden, Mc Henry
Jim Mathews, Cumberland
Martin Mathews, Cumberland

Missouri
Bernard Gram, Kansas City

New Jersey
Jon Cook, Hi Nella
Robert Kowitski, Edison

New York
William Beekman, East Quogue
Danny Bickom, Canastota
Thomas Bienkowski, Utica
Kevin Cunningham, Farmingdale
T J Dobs, Verona
Andrew Hammond, Fulton
Dan Lamanna, Webster
Timothy Lisberg, Rochester
Olexiy Luchnikov, Brooklyn
Carl Luther, Rochester
Dominick Maio, Bernhards Bay
Les Malovics, Rochester
James Mathews, Camden
Bob Millson, Rome
Greg Mitrousis, Rush
Michael Mundy, Staten Island
Ron Plocek, Liverpool
Bob Popp, Minetto
Don Pritchard, Oswego
Ian Renfrew, Phoenix
Alvaro Rodriguez, Clarence
James Schafer, Liverpool
Daren Scott, Liverpool
Michael Wykes, Glens Falls

Ohio
Brian Mailot, Columbus
Larry Patterson, Columbus

Ontario, Canada
Jim Tedesco, Niagara Falls
Andrew West, Pickering

Pennsylvania
Mark Antosh, Mountain Top
Richard Baker, Montoursville
Jeff Cutler, Pottsville
Daniel Eckerd, Carlisle
Carl Hansen, Nottingham
Mark Herb, Royersford
William Langille, Tafton
Daniel Nagle, Pine Grove
John Starner, Dover
Raymond Sylvester, Long Pond

Wisconsin
Matthew Scholzen, Racine

Click here to JOIN BASS!