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By Louie Stout
It’s spring (honest) and there’s no better time to stock up and save on fishing tackle than to visit Clear H2o Tackle Friday and Saturday.
The Edwardsburg store will host its Spring Open House those two days, offering discounts on several rods, reels and tackle items. In addition, there will be food, drawings and giveaways. In fact, you don’t have to buy a thing and can still win a free walleye charter trip to Lake Erie.
And if you really want to save, but enough gear and the store will pay for your 2026 fishing license. For example, Michigan residents who spend $200 or more get a free license. Non-residents must spend $350.
The store also will have the red-hot and hard-to-get Coike Shrimp and Thunder baits available for purchase.
“We also have a discount table with numerous lures,” said store owner Steven Szymczak. “And we are offering buy three, get one free on some other specified lures.”
Want more? Take your reels in to get re-spooled with line and save 15%.
Clear H2o is located at 69037 Christiana Lake Road, Edwardsburg, Mich. 49112. You get more information at www.clearh2otackle.com or call 269 414-4131.
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Sportsman Spotlight
Hometown: Elkhart, Ind.
Occupation: Vintage Trailers Service Manager
Favorite Michiana Lake: Wawasee
Favorite rod and reel: Shimano reels and G. Loomis rods
Hobbies when not fishing: Golf and hunting
If you only had one lure and why: Jig. It is so versatile and catches fish from ice out to ice on.
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Don’t give up on a bait. Learn how to fish it, especially a jig. Make sure the bait is hitting bottom or structure. That’s always a key!
By Louie Stout
Kevin Fletcher, aka “Bubba,” doesn’t fish as many bass tournaments as he once did.
But when he shows up, you can pretty well count on him taking home some of your cash. Arguably one of the nicest human beings in Michiana, the soft-spoken Michiana angler enjoys his success by keeping things simple and fishing a jig.
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By Louie Stout
The Waldron Chain of Lakes in Indiana’s Noble County – also known as Duke’s Bridge - has become a hot spot for bass anglers.
Tournament results in recent years show the lake has some quality bass and it’s become a popular early season/late season tourney site.
Anglers must launch in a channel along the north branch of the Elkhart River. With fish being released there after a tournament, many anglers have asked, “are those fish making it back to the lakes and to where they were caught?”
The Indiana DNR plans to find out. Beginning in late April or May, fish managers will begin collecting bass from the lakes, inserting tiny transmitters into their bellies, and releasing them. In addition, receivers will be submerged at strategic locations in the various lakes.
“We’re excited about this project and hope to learn a lot,” said DNR District Biologist Tyler DeLauder. “When a fish carrying a transmitter swims by a receiver, it will record it. We will go out periodically and pull the receivers, download the information, and put the receivers back in the water. This should begin to tell the story on what those fish are doing after being released at the ramp.”
DeLauder said he only has 10 transmitters, as they are very costly.
“We’re using the less expensive ones and they still cost $375 each,” he noted. “There are better ones that provide water depth in which the fish are swimming and water temperature, but they cost $1,000 each.”
Anglers will know if fish they catch are carrying a transmitter because a small, orange-colored tag will be protruding from the belly. DeLauder encourages anglers to not remove the tag unless they plan to keep the fish. If so, he’d like to get the transmitter returned so biologists can use it again. It’s the size of an AA battery and lasts for up to 600 days.
“I realize this (10 tagged fish) is a small sample size but we think it will give us answers to our questions about fish movement on that lake,” DeLauder said. “Years ago, we did a similar project on Wawasee, but today’s technology is better. Ultimately, we’d like to do a smaller lake and get tags for bluegill and other fish to track their seasonal movements.”
The biologist said that he would be interested in talking to an angler or group representative who would like to buy additional tags for the project.
You can contact him at the North East Regional Office, (260) 244-7049.
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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.”