Sportsman Spotlight
Hometown: Edwardsburg, Mich.
Occupation: Full time bass pro
Favorite fish species and biggest: Smallmouth, 6-15
Favorite Michiana lake: Christiana Lake, where I grew up
Hobbies when not fishing: Golf
If you only had one lure and why: swim jig, because its so versatile in all depths and cover.
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Go get waders and wade down christiana creek or st. joe river (safely) and go fish. Understand why fish set up in places they are. That will teach you a lot.
Sponsors: Rec-Pro, Mod Bug Trailers, Bish’s RV, D&R Sports Center, VanDam Warehouse, Str8 Up Mounts, Garmin Electronics, Ranger Boats, Miller Tech Batteries, Whitewater Clothing, Gama Fishing Line, Shimano and G. Loomis rods and reels, Weigh Safe Hitches, and Christianson Industries.
By Louie Stout
Michiana has become spawning grounds for topflight professional bass fishermen.
The late Don Rank who was one of the first to make a Bassmaster Classic from this area. Then there was Kevin VanDam and Jonathon VanDam.
We can’t overlook Ron Nelson, who has chosen a different path with Major League Fishing where he has built a reputation as one of the top anglers in that circle of pros.
Could Bo Thomas be the next?
He’s certainly on the right path, competing in the brutal, highly competitive Bassmaster Elite Qualifier events that provide a route to fishing the Bassmaster Elites and a Bassmaster Classic berth.
Last week, Thomas finished third in the 2026 opener, the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at the Kissimmee Chain in Florida. Coincidentally, Jon VanDam also finished fourth in the event.
Thomas’ success last week comes on the heels of the 2025 season where he just missed earning a berth to the Elites. Since becoming a pro, he has logged four top 10s and bankrolled nearly $74,000 in Bassmaster Open winnings.
The Kissimmee event was the start of his fourth season; the first three were learning experiences, he says, and will help carry him to his dream of fishing the Elites and a Classic.
“My mindset this year is to finish in the top 10 every tournament and now I know I can do it,” says Thomas. “I know I’m one of the top guys competing in the Opens and have to push myself to finish higher to earn that place in next year’s Bassmaster Elites.”
Thomas said he once was simply trying to catch a limit so he could weigh-in on the stage.
“The first three years I made a lot of mistakes and I learned what not to do,” he says. “Now I have the knowledge of the mistakes you can make at this level and how to avoid those mistakes the next time.”
Many of the Opens he has fished were on waters he had never seen before, but this year’s schedule includes places he’s been to.
Financial security helps. Thomas has paying sponsors that amount to nearly six figures.
“I’m fortunate that I can now focus on the fishing and not worry about making a check to have enough money to get the next one,” he says.
Here’s a Q&A we did with him:
MON: Do you think growing up as a Michiana angler has helped you in pursuit of a pro career?
THOMAS: Absolutely! I can fish within a couple of hours of my home and find almost every type of fishing you face anywhere in the country. It also helped watching my dad fish the Opens when he was in his prime. Seeing that, and seeing KVD, Jonathon VanDam and even Zona build a career in the fishing world told me that this is what I want to do.
MON: You dealt with unseasonably cold weather at Kissimmee throughout practice and the event. It was in the 20s at night and would warm up during the day. That weather is tough on Florida bass. Yet, your weigh-in bags included a 6, couple of 5 pounders and 4s over the three days of competition. How did you get on those fish?
THOMAS: I saw the weather forecast and knew the cold weather was going to push those pre-spawn fish off the bank to offshore holding areas. So, I spent the first day of practice doing nothing but idling around watching my Garmin SideVu, looking for shell beds and grass. I only made six casts that day and those were with a Carolina rig without a lure. I was using it to feel the bottom with my heavy sinker to determine how big the hard bottom areas were.
MON: Do you use SideVu a lot?
THOMAS: Well, LiveScope wasn’t allowed in this tournament, but even so, I think SideVu is a more important tool than LiveScope. It showed me hard spots and tilapia beds. I’ve learned what different grasses look like and know that some types of grass don’t attract bass as well.
MON: Is that how you located the fish you caught in the tournament?
THOMAS: I fished some of those hard bottom areas but didn’t get any big bites. I tried hydrilla beds and caught four that weighed 20 pounds. On the third practice day I spent my time narrowing down the most productive sections, including one that was a little cleaner than the rest of the weed bed.
MON: And then you spent the rest of the day golfing?
THOMAS: I sure did. I love playing golf; it kinda clears my mind. I believe you can practice too much. I felt good about what I found. I am also not the guy who spends three hours after practice rigging up 30 rods. I prefer to do it in the morning and only tie-on what baits I think I’ll use. Too many rods add clutter, and most of the time, you’re only going to fish 6 or 7 of what’s on the deck.
MON: So, how did you catch your fish?
THOMAS: Most came on a ¼-ounce swim jig – a Bubba Fletcher swim jig (homemade by Elkhart’s Kevin Fletcher) with a 3.8 Ayu Keitech swim bait. The grass was growing in 8 feet of water but came within a foot of the surface. I just slow-rolled Bubba’s jig over the top and they ate it. Other guys fishing the same weed bed were fishing heavier jigs on braid, but I used 20-pound fluorocarbon on a Shimano Conquest Baitcast Rod and Metanium reel. With that line and set-up, I could get them out of the grass fast without causing the hook to flex. Braid puts too much pressure on the hook and the fish.
My last fish came on a jerkbait after I ran back to the ramp. I saw a shiner fisherman whacking ‘em in a spot, and when he left, I rolled in there and caught a 3.5 pounder. That fish moved me up in the standings and got me more valuable points.