Door County Classic

The Door County Classic is a friendly competition and get-together dive held on an annual basis in one of Wisconsin’s most beautiful regions. Door County is a narrow peninsula that extends far into the body of Lake Michigan. The peninsula’s western shore meets Green Bay, the world’s largest freshwater estuary system and one of the most productive fisheries in the nation. To the east, the main basin of Lake Michigan is cold, clear, and holds large fish for those who know where to look. The nature of the peninsula’s long north-south axis and its complex shoreline of bays and points form a sportsman’s paradise where there is high quality diving to be found no matter the weather.

This year’s Classic was characterized by sunny, calm weather that left divers with an endless amount of opportunity on both sides of the peninsula. Participants dove sites from the far northern bays to the expansive limestone reefs found in the south. This year’s winner, Corbin Korsgard, dove the murky but productive southern regions of Green Bay to find a large carp, bowfin, and several yellow perch. Other divers found success farther north, and Milwaukee area diver Joshua Putney landed his first ever freshwater drum on the spear while hunting cliff edges beneath one of Door County’s many iconic lighthouses. 

At the end of the day, divers gathered to compare their largest (and smallest) catches of the day. These earned them a variety of prizes provided by NFSA’s sponsors, including an eye-catching Mares dive bag and Surffur insulated pants. Participants wrapped up the day with dinner and drinks at local Irish pub Kitty O’Reilly’s, sharing stories of the day’s dive and other adventures from lives spent in the outdoors.