Zona’s Path to Stardom is Tied to His Michiana Roots

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Published: 11 March 2026

Sportsman Spotlight

Hometown: Sturgis, Mich.
Occupation: TV show personality
Favorite fish species and biggest: smallmouth, 7-15
Favorite Michiana Lake: Gull Lake
Favorite rod and reel: 7-2 Lew’s Zona Tube Crackin’ or 7-4 Lew’s Hackney Frog rod. The reason I like both is even though labeled cracking or frog, I’m able to use them for multiple techniques and both actions cater to the way I fish around my house.
Hobbies when not fishing: Deer hunting, watching Chicago Bears, and pontooning.
If you only had one lure and why: ½-ounce Strike King Structure Jig.
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Learn…I was fortunate to hang around some of the best anglers in the Midwest - Greg Mangus, Neil Vander Biezen, Mark Snyder, Chip Harrison Larry Barnett, and of course, KVD. I wanted to know what their fastball was – their specialty – and learn from that. I would modify it to fit my style. They were all open with information that made them successful and now I do the same.

By Louie Stout

Mark Zona needs no introduction. His big on-camera personality has made him one of the most popular names in bass fishing and his TV Show, “Zona’s Awesome TV Show” is the highest rated fishing show on TV.

But what you may not know is Zona is deeply rooted in Michiana, having moved from Chicago to his parents’ summer home on Klinger Lake as a teenager and built his angling career on Michiana waters.

He fished a lot of local tournaments and was a big stick in regional events. He held several different jobs in his younger years and became a top-notch boat seller at dealerships before he was recruited to work in TV.

He still lives on Klinger and has no intention of leaving the area.

“Ever since I began working for Bassmaster and in television, people ask me why I don’t move south where bass fishing is huge,” he insists. “I love fishing up here and I would never be able to thank the numerous friends I’ve been in the boat with and what I’ve learned from them. But I’m not gonna lie, I don’t like the winters.”

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Floyd Paints and ‘Glides’ into Big Bass

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Published: 06 March 2026

Sportsman Spotlight

Hometown: Union, Mich.
Occupation: Jayco construction
Favorite fish species and biggest: Largemouth bass, 7.2 pounds
Favorite Michiana lake: Long Lake, Union, Mich.
Favorite rod and reel: 8-0 Leviathon Rod and Shimano Antares DC
Hobbies when not fishing: Painting lures and being with family
If you only have one lure and why: Bury Basswood Glide bait, you can fish it most of year and I really enjoy doing it.
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: If you want to gain confidence in a glide bait, work them like you do Chatterbaits. Reel it and put action in rod tip. Fish it like would a conventional lure and you will gain confidence once you start catching fish.

By Louie Stout

I have said for a long time that Michiana is blessed with a lot of talented anglers.

Floyd Wolkins belongs in that group – not just based on his skills with big baits – but his lure painting talents as well. He does custom painting for glide and wake bait companies who send him expensive baits to paint for their customers.

He’ll do 200 a month for Clutch and Willie Pete Glide baits on top of working a full-time job at Jayco. And that’s not all – anglers from throughout the U.S. send him baits to repaint or paint.

When he’s not painting, he’s fishing big baits on Michiana lakes. Last year, he caught three largemouth bass over 5 pounds and a 6-2. He’s landed two bass over 7 with big glide baits.

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