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Michiana Sportsman Spotlight
By Louie Stout
Joe Sears doesn’t have a lot of major accomplishments to show for his bass tournament legacy, but he’s trying to build one.
Sears was a regular around the South Bend/southern Michigan team tournaments the past few years. He had some success with team partners, but last year he decided to challenge himself.
Sears stepped outside his comfort zone and began fishing bigger tournaments on St. Clair and other big bodies of water.
Michiana Outdoors News admires the fact he was willing to take that risk and expand his fishing knowledge by fishing against some of the Midwest best anglers. That’s why we asked him to participate in our Sportsman’s Spotlight.
Here’s a Q&A we did with him:
MON: You started a business built around Big-Eye Joe. How did that come about?
Sears: That’s a nickname Eben Lambert tagged me with because when we fished tournaments together, I often overestimated the weight of our fish. He said I was always big eyeing’ them. So, I was on Diamond Lake a year ago and a boat load of kids came up to harass me. I videotaped it and started a bigeyedjoe youtube channel and created some apparel and other stuff associated with it.
MON: What made you decide to fish big tournaments last year?
Sears: I wanted to test myself and try something different. Tournaments around home are always on the same lakes and were getting beat up. Bigger waters provide more diversity and opportunities to learn so I decided to stick my big toe in last year and went after it.
MON: And how was it?
Sears: Humbling, to say the least, especially when you come to weigh-in with only four fish in a five fish limit. But I did Ok, considering I was relatively new to this and I learned a lot. I learned to stop second-guessing my gut decisions. I learned what to do and what not to do.
I also learned about boating big water. I was in the worst weather ever been in at a tournament – an F1 tornado on St. Clair – and I drove through 7 footers for 12 miles to get to the weigh-in when a lot of guys didn’t make it back in time. I was scared to death!
MON: Will you fish bigger stuff in 2026?
Sears: I plan to cut back some. I’ll fish some Big Stack PayBack tournaments and jump into some BFLs.
MON: You damaged your boat in the last tournament you fished. What happened?
Sears: I was competing in the BFL Regional at Pickwick in Tennessee. I was coming out of a creek and got out to the main stretch and hit something. I’m not sure what it was, but it took out my prop shaft, took the prop completely off the motor and two cylinders are damaged. I was in 23rd place after day one and still finished 37th out of 104 other anglers. My boat is still in the shop.
MON: How much did you spend pursuing those tournaments and how much did you win back?
Sears: I spent about $12,000 and got back about $4,000. Those guys I was fishing against are very, very good, especially with their forward-facing sonar skills. If you took that technology out of the equation, you’d see shift in the names on the leaderboard.
MON: What are your thoughts on forward facing sonar?
Sears: I use it and I like the thought of new technologies; they’re key to advancements around the world. But you can spotlight these fish all you want but you still must convince them that your lure is something they want to eat. And here’s the thing, you still need a basic knowledge of how fish set up on structure and how they survive.
MON: Do you think it should be allowed in all tournaments?
Sears: If a series is going to allow it in tournament it should do it for all tournaments. If a series wants to limit or ban it, it should hold a separate series for that.
MON: Would you fish a series that didn’t allow it?
Sears: I would 100%, absolutely fish it.
Joe Sears Details
Hometown: Bristol, Ind.
Occupation: Owner, J&N Lawncare Services
Favorite species and biggest: Smallmouth bass, 6-10, Detroit River
Favorite Michiana lake: Wawasee.
Hobbies when not fishing: Making lead head jigs.
If you had one lure for Michiana: 1/2-ounce green pumpkin jig with a craw style trailer for skipping docks or fishing rock, weed edges.
Favorite tackle: Lew’s baitcast reel, 7.5:1 gear ratio and G. Loomis GLX rods.
Best tip for Michiana anglers: Avoid fishing the same old spots. Fish change and so should you. Always be on the lookout for new areas or transition areas that could hold fish.
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By Louie Stout
As tournament directors put together their schedules for 2026, I’m curious to see if any have the will to at least partially limit the use of forward-facing sonar (FFS).
That’s what pro circuits are doing and for good reason.
Full disclosure – I have it and use it, but you probably won’t see me sitting in the middle of the abys and throwing at dots on a screen. FFS is a tremendous tool for fishing structure the old school way, but it also puts those without the technology at a disadvantage.
Based upon what I saw last year, several tournaments on many Michiana lakes were dominated by anglers who trolled around and only cast at dots they see on their electronics screen.
By limiting FFS, anglers who prefer to fish traditional methods or those who don’t have the technology would have a better chance.
Otherwise, these tournaments are headed to becoming scoping contests and, like the cliché says, “If you’re not scopin’, you’re hopin’.”
Big bass programs
Arkansas has started an “Arkansas Legacy Lunker Program” that is like the Texas’ ShareLunker Program. Both are designed to encourage angers to donate their big bass to the state agencies.
Fish agencies utilize giant bass to create genetically superior offspring with the intentions of creating bass fry for stocking in some lakes to create fish that grow to bigger sizes.
The minimum size for Texas is 13 pounds or bigger while Arkansas is accepting 10 pounds or bigger. When an angler catches one and keeps in his livewell, he calls the agency and they come pick it up and take it to a special hatchery facility.
Now, I know neither Indiana nor Michigan have the resources or the interest in such a program for our largemouth, but it would be so cool if something similar could be developed for smallmouth and even walleyes. (I’m sure my state biologists friends are cringing, but I still think it would be neat to try something like that.)
Cougar numbers growing
Do you remember hearing about cougar sightings in Michiana years ago? The DNR pooh-poohed the idea, and honestly, there was never a cougar confirmed or spotted on a trail camera around here.
Well, that sure isn’t the case in upper Michigan. The DNR reports that they have a record number of confirmed sightings, mostly in the upper peninsula.
There have been 26 so far this year with a month to go. The state has confirmed 161 sightings since 2008.
The Michigan DNR believes the increase in sightings is due to the popularity of trail cameras being used in northern counties.
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By Louie Stout
Michiana has been blessed with a lot of talented anglers who have shared their knowledge with other anglers. That’s one reason why this region produces so many quality fishermen.
One name that is well known among veteran anglers but likely unknown among the younger ones is Greg Mangus.
Ask any of the elder anglers who grew up in the South Bend/southwest Michigan area, and they will likely tell you Mangus taught them a lot about bass fishing during his days as a salesman at Lunker’s, once a prominent Edwardsburg, Mich. tackle shop. He created the “Mango Jig” that was one of the best grass jigs for years and later bought and refined CFlash crankbaits that have become one of the region’s best diving plugs.
He was a prominent bass tournament angler in Michigan and Indiana, winning 7 boats in major team tournaments and other events.
Mangus, who retired from the lure business, now lives in northeast Indiana where he has dialed back his tournament fishing but continues to fish locally and pass along his vast knowledge.
Here’s a Q&A we did with him:
MON: You worked for Lunker’s for about 6 years and were always willing to share your knowledge. What did you learn while working there?
Mangus: In addition to learning from customers, I learned a lot by watching fish in the 5,000-gallon aquarium in which we held game fish. When we fed the fish minnows, every fish in the aquarium would try to eat all the minnows that were weak or not normal. And then, at night, when we shut off the lights, the minnows that spent the day on the surface would make a run for the bottom and that would trigger a feeding frenzy.
And, in the morning when we turned on the lights, the minnows would rise to the top and there would be another frenzy feeding.
I also learned about the importance of salt in baits. I wanted us to stock tube baits with salt, but the owner didn’t. To prove my point, I would toss a tube in without salt and the fish might attack it but would spit it out. When I tossed in a salted tube, the bass would attack and swallow it!
MON: How did you come about creating the Mango Jig?
Mangus: I designed it to be more weedless for pitching jigs into wood cover on the river, but it turned out to be an awesome bait that would come through weeds better than traditional jigs.
MON: What about the CFlash crankbait?
Mangus: I was repping Solar Bat Sunglasses and the owner also owned CFlash, which he bought from a Kentucky Balsa Bait Builder. I started repping the crankbaits and after a while, the owner offered the brand to me. The balsa bodies were great, but we had an issue with the paint finish cracking and peeling, so friend Aaron Mast told me about the use of foam. I began clear coating the paint on the foam bodies and eliminated the problem. I sold the bait to Aaron when I retired.
MON: Some anglers say the old versions were better than the foam ones. What do you say about that?
Mangus: They are both good. I fish the new ones and don’t see a difference. I can tell you that a pro who set a record while winning a major tournament on St. Clair was using the foam-bodied CFlash, but of course, never told anyone.
MON: You’ve been in this area a long time and encountered anglers from around the country. How do you think Michiana anglers compare to others?
Mangus: Well, there have been a lot of notable anglers who have fished professionally and done extremely well, including Kevin VanDam and Mark Zona. The late Don Rank (Elkhart) fished a couple of Bassmaster Classics and Chip Harrison was quite successful during his pro career.
MON: You are not only noted for your outstanding tournament success before retirement, but you are equally known for your willingness to share information with others. Most anglers don’t like to give up their secrets. Why do you do that?
Mangus: That’s how I learned what I know. Sure, I spent a lot of time on the water, but the help I got from others played a major role in what success I have had. I had great partners over the years and have always believed you can learn something from everyone.
Greg Mangus Details
Hometown: Freemont, Ind.
Occupation: Retired lure maker and tackle rep
Favorite species and biggest: Smallmouth bass, 7.75 pounds from Pickwick Lake, Tenn., on a hair jig with a pork chunk.
Favorite Michiana lake: (Tie) Clear and Randall Lakes.
Hobbies when not fishing: Making baits for myself
If you on had one lure and why: Swim jig, because it catches big ones.
Favorite rod and reel: Daiwa spinning on a Dobyns Xtasy752.
Lew’s Baitcasting. Flipping and pitching model with Dobyns Extreme 784C.
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Fish with as many people as you can. You learn something from everyone. The success I’ve had is because I got to fish with so many different people.”
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By Louie Stout
ClearH20 Tackle has new ownership.
Don’t worry, Darrin Schaap isn’t going anywhere but he’s turning the reins over to protégé Steven Szymczak and his father-in-law Mike Savage.
The Edwardsburg, Mich. tackle shop has been one of Southwest Michigan’s most popular stores for bass, walleye, trout and salmon tackle since Schaap started it nearly 15 years ago.
Szymczak began working there in his teens until a few years ago when he moved to Arizona. He came back and was ready to dive back into the tackle business.
“I felt it was time to give it new life and free me up to do other things while giving Steven an opportunity to run with it,” said Schaap. “I plan to stick around and work sales and be an advisor/consultant for a while.”
Schaap will also oversee boat repairs and boat storage that the shop also offers.
Brian Hensley will continue as a full-time employee and offer his vast knowledge and experience as one of the top bass anglers in the area.
Szymczak, from Oscela, Ind., says he plans to make some changes “down the road” but will continue to specialize in bass, walleye and trout and salmon tackle.
“We’re expanding our bass tackle to include more Japanese lures that anglers are requesting,” he said. “We will continue to offer a variety of tackle to anyone, regardless of the kind of freshwater fish they wish to pursue.
Savage, who lives in Mishawaka and retired from the U.S. Air Force, will be the office manager, handle shipping and receiving and work sales. During his time in the military, he ran an air base maintenance shop and supervised more than 200 other airmen.
Most people don’t know that ClearH20 not only sells tackle locally, but also on the internet and ships product worldwide. Szymczak has given the website a face-lift to make it more user friendly. It enables Sportsmen to have the option of buying online and having it shipped to them or they can place an order on the website and pick it up later at the shop.
“If you want something and we don’t have it, we’ll get it for you within a couple of days,” said Szymczak. “Quality customer service has always been ClearH20’s expertise, and we plan to build on that further.”
The store will host its annual Winter Open House Dec. 12-13 with special promotions on all tackle and a special emphasis on ice fishing gear.