Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
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By Lee Duracz
The weather and the fishing were perfect for the fourth stop of the Polar Bear Opens by FishStyx custom rods, held on the St. Joseph River at Six Span Bridge.
Temperatures reached near 50 degrees and the winds were usually 5 mph or less out of the northeast. That blows with the direction of the current which makes for great fishing. Water temps were around 45 degrees in most areas.
Most of the 23 teams participating reported stopping on fish first thing in the morning and catching them on almost anything they threw. Fish were being caught on A-rigs, blade baits, Ned rigs and swim baits in the morning and then slower presentations prevailed later in the day.
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MLF Report
The 29-year-old Alabama superstar did it again.
Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama caught 37 bass totaling 69 pounds, 4 ounces, to narrowly edge out South Carolina's Casey Ashley and win the 2020 General Tire World Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops in Grand Rapids, Minn. and the top prize of $100,000.
It was a nail-biting finale that came down to the wire in the final day Championship Round that aired Saturday on Discovery. Lee caught his last fish - a 2-pound, 2-ounce largemouth - with just 14 minutes to spare in the final period, overtaking Ashley, who had put together a frantic 17 bass third-period rally to move to the top of the leaderboard. Lee's last fish came on a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General worm.
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BASS Report
FOX Sports to Offer Live Coverage of All Bassmaster Elite Events in 2021
For the first time in history, all nine Bassmaster Elite events, as well as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, will feature live television coverage as the Elite Series moves to the FOX Sports platforms beginning in February 2021.
This new multi-year partnership between FOX Sports and Bassmaster allows for more expansive coverage of the tournaments, giving fans an opportunity to follow the action live as the worldís best anglers battle big bass ó and each other ó on some of Americaís most legendary fisheries.
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p>SWBBC Report
John Gipson and Kris Iodice - 1st Place
John Gipson and Kris Iodice won the Southwest Michigan Big Bass Challenge tournament on Palestine Lake Saturday.
The winners ($205) had 17.17 pounds including big bass ($40) of the event, a 4.31 pounder.
Andy Buss and Steve Kline - 2nd Place
Second place ($105) went to Andy Buss and Steve Kline with 16.05 pounds.
Tournament officials said crankbaits, A-rigs and Ned rigs produced most of the fish in 8 to 14 feet of water.
The next tournament is Sunday, Nov. 22, at Maxinkuckee. Hours are 8-3 and entry fee is $50. The tournament pays one place for each four entries received.
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By Lee Duracz
The FishStyx Custom Rods’ Polar Bear Opens held a pair of tournaments over the past two weeks. Listed below are the details of each.
The next event is Saturday (Nov. 21) on the St. Joseph River at 6 Span that should be a smallmouth bass whack fest. Tournament hours are 8-3 with a $40 entry fee and optional $5 for the critter pot.
Klinger Lake
Lagodney and Evans - 1st Place
The third stop of the Polar Bear Opens visited Klinger Lake last Saturday where seven teams battled iced up rod guides during the early morning frigid temperatures but the fishing heated up.
Lagodney and Evans busted out a “monster” Klinger bag weighing 9.88 pounds that was anchored by the big bass of the tournament, a 2.78-pound smallmouth. They were seen covering shallow water quickly to earn their $225.
Bunnell and Duracz were second with a limit weighing 8.46-pounds by fishing a variety of techniques. They had a limit the first hour on blades and A-rigs and then switched up to single swimbaits as the day progressed. Luckily one hungry .46-pound perch decided to gobble up one of those single swimmers and that earned them the $125 critter pot as well.
The Friddles team had the only other limit, 7.18-pounds.
Steve and Amy Martin won the $200 FishStyx Custom Rod
The “super couple” fishing team of Steve and Amy Martin won the $200 FishStyx Custom Rod at the pre-tournament drawing.
Diamond Lake
Bunnell and Duracz - 1st Place
On Nov. 7, the Polar Bear Circuit visited Diamond Lake where Bunnell and Duracz won ($225) with 8.20 pounds, anchored by a 2.30-pound smallmouth. Most of their fish came on drop-shots and Ned rigs on shallow flats.
Second place ($110) went to Phillip Duracz and Tim Childs with 7.72 pounds. They reported that their catch came on Ned rigs fished on light line in shallow water.
Big bass honors went to the father/son team of Friddle and Friddle with a nice 2.42 pounder. They were one fish shy of a limit but still weighed in 7.24 pounds for third place to earn $105.
The final payout went to the team of Brunt and Ott who won $55 in the Critter pot with their 1.32-pound monster crappie. Some beautiful perch were also caught but fell short of the win on the critter pot.
The team of Mark and Conner won the drawing for the $200 FishStyx Custom Rod.