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.”
His successes earned him induction into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2024.
Here’s a Q&A we did with him:
MON: Did you ever dream of becoming the TV personality that you are?
ZONA: I’ve never said this before, but in my teens and early 20s I knew I would ultimately work in this industry, whether it was in sales, as a pro angler or even what my career has become. I knew I’d be in the fishing biz but never thought there would be a Hall of Fame Plaque hanging on the wall.
MON: You fished a lot of Michiana lakes in your younger days. What was your strongest technique then and what is it now?
ZONA: Early on, I realized that a lot of big fish live in 18 inches and less. It served me great. But over the past 20 years I’ve also learned that they also live 18 feet and deeper. Big bass in our lakes can be ultra shallow and ultra deep and I wanted to be efficient – and comfortable - at fishing both. Nowadays, most anglers are fishing in waters 7-15 feet. I taught my children to get out of those depth zones during tournaments because all you’re doing is dividing up the fish. Get away from the pressure.
MON: What is the key that many anglers overlook when fishing Klinger?
ZONA: One thing that is overlooked there and at other Michiana lakes are the massive colonies of bluegill and where they live. When you figure that out you’ve cracked the code. Admittedly, it’s taken me a long time to figure that out.
We want to understand bass migration outside of the spawn. The real truth is that if you understand bluegill migration, you figure out bass movement.
And here’s another big deal that is overlooked and something Greg Mangus taught me – boat control is critical! People often believe there’s a “secret lure,” but superior boat control while fishing a spot is vital. Think of the boat as if it’s an extension of you.
MON: You were a damn good regional pro. What kept you from pursuing a full-blown pro angling career?
ZONA: Two things…I always wanted to fish bodies of water I like - St. Clair, Thousand Islands, and Lake Champlain. I didn’t want to go to water that sucked.
Also, when I started my family, I was at the peak of my health and fishing knowledge and had the drive, but I didn’t have the means. And when I had the means, I didn’t have the drive. Then TV started; my show has become my tournament. I deal with similar pressures making a good show that a tournament angler faces, such as the need to catch fish and battle time constraints. So, that has filled the void.
MON: You have access to a variety of lures, but you list a Structure Jig as the one lure you always have tied on. Why is that?
ZONA: A tube jig definitely is in the mix and both lures work from ice out to ice on. But when I was 15 years old, Ralph Tuttle, a great Michiana angler, told me: “Marcus, you need to learn to fish a jig.” I did that and it provided me with a career, here and across the country. When I am spinning out during a day on the water, it’s the first thing I grab. I know I might not catch the most, but if I catch 5, they’re the right ones.
MON: How do you think Michiana anglers stack up against other anglers in the country?
ZONA: Our anglers are as good as any region in the country. Our lakes are so small and heavily pressured so you must shift on the fly. Also, what’s unique is that, within 100 miles, we have natural lakes, rivers and reservoirs and the Great Lakes. Successful anglers in this area are good on all of them.