Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
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Polar Bear Report
Chip Harrison and Dave Eggers - 1st Place
Chip Harrison and Dave Eggers teamed up to win the Polar Bear Open on Lake Maxinkuckee last weekend.
Harrison and Eggers beat out 20 other teams with 14.08 pounds. They had mostly largemouth caught on tubes in 8 to 12 feet of water and around sand patches. They won $600.
John Hampel - 2nd Place
John Hampel was second ($300) with 13.01 pounds that included a 5.61-pound largemouth to win the big bass pot ($200).
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Polar Bear Report
Dylan Levin and Dalton Defelice won the Polar Bear Open on the St. Joseph River at 6 Span Bridge Saturday. The winners had 10.25 in bass and won the critter pot with a 3.17-pound pike. They took home a total $440. They fished a run-and-gun pattern, hitting several spots with jerkbaits, blades and A-rigs. Jeremy Bunnell and Eben Lambert were second ($220) with 10.06 pounds. Jourdan Morris and Lee Duracz finished third ($110) with 9.93 pounds and Clay and Brad Sterling were the first team out of the money with 9.92 pounds. Rebecca Hubbard and Jami Young won the big bass pot ($110) with 3.04-pound smallmouth caught on a lipless crankbait. There were 11 teams in the event. The next one is Sunday at Lake Maxinkuckee from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 
Dylan Levin and Dalton Defelice - 1st Place
Jeremy Bunnell and Eben Lambert - 2nd Place
Jourdan Morris and Lee Duracz - 3rd Place
Clay and Brad Sterling - First out of money
Rebecca Hubbard and Jami Young - Big Bass
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Pro Mike Raber of Elkhart, Indiana
BRANSON, Mo. – Anglers were faced with another day of tough fishing conditions at the 2023 Toyota Series Championship at Table Rock Lake Presented by Simms in Branson, Missouri on Friday.
Pro Mike Raber of Elkhart, Indiana , brought a five-bass limit to the stage weighing 13 pounds, 11 ounces to maintain the lead after Day 2 of the long-running championship event. Raber’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 7 ounces gives him a slim 5-ounce lead over charging pro Chad Mrazek of Montgomery, Texas, who brought 17 pounds, 7 ounces to the scale – the largest bag of the day – for a two-day total of 31-2, good for second place.
Hosted by ExploreBranson.com, the championship event features more than 400 pros and co-anglers from around the world, competing for a top cash award of up to $235,000. The field is now cut to just the top 10 pros and Strike King co-anglers heading into the final day of competition, the culmination of the 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats season.
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By Louie Stout
Not everyone can find a partner to fish a tournament, especially a weeknight and sometimes on a weekend.
Rick Kedik has an answer. He plans a “singles” tournament circuit for Michiana anglers who fish alone. There will be five, six-hour Sunday morning and five, three-hour Thursday evening events with a Classic at the end of the year.
Some tournaments will be in Indiana waters while others in Michigan. Entry fee is $50, with $5 going to big bass pot and $5 to the Classic pot. The remaining $40 goes into the event pay-out.
The to-be-named Classic will be Oct. 12-13 with a $100 entry.
The complete schedule will be listed on our Lake Drive Marine Events Calendar later this month. If you need details sooner, email Rick at rkedik13@yahoo.com.
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MLF Report
Toyota Pro Mike Raber of Elkhart, Indiana
BRANSON, Mo. -- After several frigid days of practice on Table Rock Lake, over 400 anglers welcomed a bit of a warming trend Thursday to begin the three-day competition for a top cash award of up to $235,000 at the 2023 Toyota Series Championship at Table Rock Lake Presented by Simms in Branson, Missouri.
Pro Mike Raber of Elkhart, Indiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 12 ounces to take the early lead after Day 1 of the three-day event. Raber holds a 1-pound, 5-ounce lead over pro Emil Wagner of Marietta, Georgia, who caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces, good for second place. Wagner was followed closely by local pro Brad Jelinek of Lincoln, Missouri, who weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15-12 to finish the day in third place.
After a vicious cold front swept through the Ozark region earlier in the week, warmer temperatures on Thursday seemed to be shaking things up on the Missouri fishery.
“I didn’t expect this outcome at all when I started out this morning,” said Raber. “I caught a couple fish today that were a caliber I never saw in practice, so I think the conditions are starting to change out there. Hopefully that’s going to continue throughout the tournament.
“The warmer weather today really got the fish more mobile,” Raber continued. “I caught about 10 keepers today, nothing too crazy, and not a ton of fish. I think they are pretty pressured, and bites are at a premium right now.”