MANISTEE — A Northern Michigan man landed a spot to compete in this year’s St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake St. Clair downstate. Lance Keene, a charter fishing captain from Manistee, was invited to participate after being wait-listed for months.
Check in and registration started Wednesday, and teams were out on the water Thursday reeling in their catch. Keene said there are 224 boats of excellent fishermen, but he’s excited to try his luck and be part of it.
“You look around and you’re like, ‘Wow, look, there’s this guy or there’s that guy,’ and you’re like, ‘Holy moly.’ You’re going up against some of the best,” said Keene. “We had beautiful pre-fishing...definitely found a lot of fish pre-fishing. I’m hoping with the way the weather is now, those fish are locked into that zone and they’re not going to leave.”
The Bassmaster Open wraps up Saturday when the winners will be announced.