Intuition driven by the experience Bill Schrader of Canfield gained across the Great Lakes region prompted him to flip the switch last June to win the Muransky Companies Bass Classic, hosted by Aqua Ohio at Pine and Evans lakes.

Schrader and teammate Eric Sevenich blew up the scales with more than 22 pounds of largemouths to win the Pine Lake half of the 2023 tournament benefiting the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. Fishing aboard Schrader’s vintage Ranger boat, the winners made a mid-day move that proved pivotal in their pursuit of the victory.

The defending champs will return to Pine in June to try for a repeat of their ’23 win against a field that included former winners Ray Halter and Al Hustosky, Bill Byers and Scott Cremeans, and Dave Williams and Jack Scott.

We asked Schrader to explain the “why” behind his passion for bass fishing and specifically about the location change he and Sevenich made that proved so productive.

“Most people start fishing with their father or grandfather, including me,” Schrader said. “I remember we got out there with a bobber and worm and caught bluegills. I remember doing that with my dad back in the ’50s and we kept all the fish. When we caught bass, Dad said let them go, they’re not that good to eat, but fun to catch. So that really got me going.”

His fishing went on hiatus during Schrader’s years in college and the Army. Then he launched a long career in finance with Ford Motor Co. that took him to Ohio, Michigan and Buffalo, N.Y.

“I was working for Ford at the Canton Forge Plant (now closed), and one of the managers invited me to go fishing. We went to Berlin where he showed me how to rig a plastic worm. That was the day I caught my first fish on a plastic worm. It was in Yellow Creek near a high bank. I cast it out and saw the line move and caught a 14-inch bass.

“Then we went to a tournament on Alum Creek (near Columbus) and finished second. That really got me started and when I moved to Michigan and later New York, I joined bass clubs. My first bass boat was an Ouachita with a 70-hp Evinrude and Hummingbird Super 60.”

He retired in 2002 at age 57 and has made lots of time for bass fishing, which proved informative when he and Sevenich faced super slick conditions in last year’s Muransky Bass Classic.

“We were sitting there mid-lake with just two fish at noon. The water was still, flat. If I was at Mosquito, I would have fired up the engine and driven around to stir them up. But then I looked south, and saw the ruffle across the water that meant the wind was blowing in there. So we went down there, dropped the trolling motor, and Eric immediately yelled, ‘Get the net!’ It was a 5-2 largemouth. In the next 10 minutes, it was like magic. We caught five or six bass, all big. We started throwing back 4-pounders, and culled up to better than 22 pounds for our best five fish.

They threw swim jigs with double-leg trailers near lily pads and submerged vegetation.

His frequent fishing trips on Mosquito Lake helped Schrader understand that when wind is lacking, boat traffic will generate waves that stir up the food chain.

Beyond the fun factor, what is Schrader’s “why”?

“I think it’s mostly about being out in nature. When I go to Mosquito, I see eagles flying around. When I go to Berlin, I see the ospreys. At Mosquito in October, I saw a mink on the wall coming out of the harbor. I see deer coming out like you’re in the middle of the woods. Up in the Finger Lakes in New York once, I saw a bear swimming.”

Fishing always provides Schrader with learning opportunities.

“Like when they are not biting, I’m trying new things to figure out what will get them. You can’t get set in your ways. You never know what will happen.”

Including, perhaps, hoisting the first-place trophy in a big bass tournament.

Jack Wollitz is the author of “The Common Angler,” a book of stories about experiences that help define the “why” behind anglers’ passion for fishing. Email Jack at jackbbaass@gmail.com.