The third stop on this year’s National Walleye Tour found us fishing the beautiful, sometimes stunning area below Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. I arrived a day early so had an opportunity to do some “tourist” things like visit the downtown and walk through the Corps of Engineers museum right at the huge lock and dam complex. Be sure to stop by and take in the history of the lock and dams which is a story in itself! There is no charge to get in but you will be greeted by an official in uniform. Apparently, ever since 9-11 there has been an increased level of scrutiny on people coming in to the museum and watching the ocean-going freighters lock through from the elevated walk way above the locks. Following our Wednesday afternoon registration, we had our pro/co pairings. I was paired with well-known walleye pro, Keith Kavajecz. Keith and I fished together last year at Devil’s Lake plus we may have been paired together years ago in a couple PWT event. Keith just told me to be prepared for a “long” boat ride. We were boat 95 out the next morning and headed 47 miles down the river to Keith’s spots. We shiver minnowed select rock humps and pulled crank baits in the morning. Our only walleye came off a crank. We cast some more in the area but moved back up river hitting different spots as we cast and cast. Our last spot was where Keith’s business partner, Gary Parsons, was fishing. We started casting and I caught our final fish on a shiver with just enough time for the Nitro Z21 to blast back for weigh-in. Keith was disappointed in how the day went. We did have a camera person in our boat in the morning then he came back after the weigh-in to shoot some video of Keith talking about Berkley baits. Day 2 found me with a local and fellow Norwegian, Norm Thorkilson. Norm is a lifelong Canadian who also guides on the river. We ran downriver and he showed me some of the beauty they enjoy on a daily basis! We pulled cranks, cast live bait rigs up to a rocky shoreline, and pulled cranks again. Our only walleye came on a crank mid morning in an area where he has caught big fish in the past. His boat is a “classic” 1998 Lund 21′ Fisherman, the last year Lund made the boat. Even though the fishing for us was tough, I really enjoyed his sharing his fishing and family time experiences. If you are traveling that way, please give him a call at 705-255-2682 for a great day on the water. By the way, he recently went back to the spots we fished and caught some nice ones! Our fourth and final event is the year-end championship, scheduled for Sept. 11-13 on Devil’s Lake in Devil Lake, N.D. Be sure to check out the NWT website and ready how Dave Kolb blew away the field cranking up some big weights! A sincere thank you for my traveling partner this year, good friend Tom Harrison. Together, we’ve enjoyed many, many years of tournament walleye fishing going back to the FLW Walleye League days. Tom’s not planning to fish Devil’s Lake this year. We’re still talking about what we might fish together in 2020, good Lord willing! Also, thanks to Mike G. for posting our stories along with pictures and videos this season! Finally, I’m glad August came along to give us a chance to slow down with family at Clear Lake, IA, and get over to the Mississippi River and fish out of Bellevue, IA, in our flooded, season shortened year. Tight lines, Spike