Veteran tournament angler Deron Eck picked a big stage to capture his most impressive career victory when his final two-day charge landed him the top spot in the FLW's American Fishing Series Northern event on Lake Erie.

Launched by catches weighing more than 20 pounds the final two competition days, Eck, of Kittanning, moved from 31st place following Day 1 to take top honors, which include more than $15,000 and a fully rigged Ranger 198VX bass boat.

FLW Outdoors conducts various bass tournaments on several professional and amateur levels across the country. Last summer, FLW held its prestigious Forrest Wood Cup on the three rivers in Pittsburgh.

The Lake Erie affair ran out of Presque Isle Bay in Erie Sept 9 to 11.

Though no stranger to Lake Erie, this was Eck's first tournament as a pro at an FLW event. Over the past 10 years, he's had good success on the lake, with multiple second-place finishes.

Eck dedicated the three days before Day 1 to practice. Bucking high winds and heavy waves, he fished spots out of Erie and areas well east and west of the tournament takeoff. Knowing Presque Isle Bay well, he didn't spend any pre-fishing time there.

"The most severe cold front of the summer moved through just prior to the tournament," recalled Eck. "The first day, we were limited to Presque Isle Bay, since the lake was under a small-craft warning. I'd hoped to bring in around 7 pounds. "

Using a one-ounce jig, Eck derricked two largemouths from the bay's heavy weed growth and crossed the scales at weigh-in with 5 pounds, 4 ounces, good for 31st place.

"I wasn't too worried," said Eck. "Though I lost two fish that would have given me the 7-plus pounds I was hoping for, I felt if I could get on the lake on Day 2 I'd be all right."

Decreasing wind and waves on Day 2 allowed anglers their shot at the huge smallmouth bass Erie is noted for.

Still, Eck was faced with the challenge of jumping over a field of other anglers to grab a spot among the top 10 competitors who would compete on the final day.

Like many tournament anglers, he fished a major structure found a couple of miles northeast of the Presque Isle Bay channel mouth.

But while most were working the top of the huge hump, in about 30 feet of water, Eck targeted edges that dropped from 40 to 45 feet.

Within three hours he had a four-fish limit and began upgrading.

"I just got in that zone, one where you know fish are going to bite," he said. "While most of the other guys drifted across the structure, I hovered over small areas, watching fish on the sonar.

"The key to the bigger fish was to keep the tube jig motionless — just let it sit on the bottom," he added.

Eck's Day 2 bag of 20.5 pounds launched him into seventh place, as well as into the event's final day.

"Deron kept his head in the game," said Ron Latin, AFS tournament director. "A lot of the anglers, including some of our heavy hitters, lost it following their light weights on Day 1. I didn't think anyone would beat (Day 2 leader) Pat Eichmann. But along comes Deron."

Indeed, Eck's final day found him putting a limit of 5-pounders in the boat from his Day 2 spots. He then ran several miles to the west, in the vicinity of Walnut Creek, to a somewhat shallower structure he knew held huge fish.

There, he was able to cull two of his 5-pound smallies for 6-pounders, a 2-pound upgrade that ultimately meant the difference between first and second place.

Eck's 23-pound, 1-ounce Day 3 total bested second-place finisher David Cioppa by 14 ounces.

Inspired not only by his performance, but also the professional manner in which FLW events are conducted, Eck hopes to fish additional AFS/Northern events in 2011.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.