Casting Couples Report
Thirteen teams showed up for the first annual Casting Couples male/female tournament Saturday at Pine and Stone lakes.
Jake and Cheyenne Lisenko won it with a limit weighing 16.86 pounds and they also had big bass, with 4.16-pound largemouth.
The Lisenkos used Ned rigs to catch their fish off of Pine lake on Beds, to earn $300 for first and $60 for big bass. They mentioned they topped the Ned rig with a small piece of hot pink worm so they could see their baits. The Lisenkos also took home the 50/50 drawing of $35.
Loren and Carrie Crosbie were second with 14.32 pounds. The Crosbies used Chatterbaits and Zoom finesse worms to earn $150.
Third place went to Rick and Jennifer Kedik with 12.22 pounds. The Kediks used a wide variety of lures to catch their fish off of Beds, earning $90.
Rob and Kimm Swem were fourth with 10.10 pounds. They used grubs in shallow water to take home tackle packs from Butchers Custom Baits.
The next tournament is May 31st at Austin Lake. Contact Rick (269) 240-4917, for more information.
NICC Report
The Northern Indiana Couples Circuit held their second event of the season Saturday on Clear Lake.
Spawning smallmouth dominated the event and the fish caught by those anglers averaged about 3 pounds. The top two teams separated themselves from the rest of the field with above average fish.
Connor Tonkel and Ava Godbey eked out the win with 18.94 pounds and the big bass of the tournament, a 4.68-pound smallie.
They fished hard, covering as much water as possible throughout the day to find smallmouth on beds, catching them all on a tube.
Bud and Dawn Tonkel weighed 18.75 pounds of smallmouth to finish second. They fished spawning flats in 2-6 feet of water with drop shots and Ned rigs. They boated just 7 keepers the whole day, but the quality was great.
The next tournament will be on Winona Lake June 28th, 6 a.m. to noon. Visit the Northern Indiana Couples Circuit Facebook page for more information.
MFL Report
The Michiana Fishing League faced cold and rain and saw water temperatures drop 5 degrees Sunday in their tournament at the Barbee Chain.
Derek Kelley and Jordan Smith persevered with 13.60 pounds that included a 4.10 kicker, taking the Big Bass pot for the day. They also took the critter pot with a 12.04-pound muskie.
Second place went to Chad Fruchey and Arron Brubaker with 11.64 pounds.
Chris Stamm and Shawn McDougal finished third with 10.10.
Tournament officials said fish were caught on jigs, wacky worms and Texas rigs.
Tackle Shack Report
Jonathan Brock and Christopher Martin captured the Tackle Shack season opener on Lake Wawsee over the weekend.
The tournament kicked off in brutal cold and wind but the weather improved throughout the day. Water temperature ranged from 56-59 degrees.
The winning team won $1,450 with 16.29 pounds that included the “Tackle Shack Biggest Bass” of the day, a 5.98-pound largemouth that earned them another $200.
“Our bite was pretty consistent,” the winners explained. “The best bite was early, and then also late. Most fish came on moving baits from shore to 6 foot of water. Big fish was caught on a jig late in the day.”
Chase Laughlin and Randy Gallmeyer were second ($850) with 13.62 pounds.
Here is what they said:
“We caught a ton of fish and had a lot of fun, but couldn’t find a kicker. We fished a number of main lake breaks and were able to catch around 30 keepers. Bigger fish came in grass outside of spawning areas. We found fish on beds and then worked backwards to piece together where we could try to catch females that were probably up at some point but pulled back out with the cold front. We think they pulled way out and we didn’t really know where to look beyond obvious weed beds and dark spots. We believe a lot were suspended in no man’s land because very few places we hit were successful. The deep breaks we checked had hundreds of gills and crappie, but no bass.”
Third place ($250) went to tournament directors Andrew Miller and Jeff Showalter with 12.67 pounds.
“Our best success was from 8-9 a.m.,” they said. “We caught all our fish on handmade jigs in the grass. 5-10 feet of water produced the best.”
LMBT Report
The Little Money Bass Tournament (LMBT) season kicked off with some good weights at Webster Lake.
John Miller and Robbie Gibson won it all with 12 pounds, 2 ounces by fishing toad baits in the backwater area of the lake.
Dave Dowden and Don Miles had second with 11 pounds, 1 ounce that included big bass of the tourney, a 3-15 largemouth. They caught their fish caught on Chatterbaits in 2-4 feet of water.
Third place went to Eben and Connor Lambert with 11 pounds. They said they caught their fish caught on swimbaits in 1-2 foot of water.
The next tournament will be May 17 at Tippecanoe Lake. Contact Dave Dowden, 574-612-3355 for more information.