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Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive MarineTournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine


John Gipson and Justin Hahaj - 1st PlaceJohn Gipson and Justin Hahaj - 1st Place

John Gipson and Justin Hahaj raked a 22-pound, 9-ounce limit of smallmouth from the no wake zone of the St. Joseph River at Benton Harbor to win the Southwest Michigan Fall Tournament last weekend.

The duo won $260 by fishing 7 to 18 feet of water around bait balls.

“I think the key was to stay near slightly warmer water and some current,” said Gipson. “That’s where we saw bait on our graph. The surface temperature was 43-44 degrees in some areas and as low as 39 in others. We had no bites in slack water or the cooler areas.”

He and Hahaj used 3.8- and 4.8-inch single swimbaits, 3.4-ounce tailspins, blade baits and 3.5-inch crawdad-type lures on ¼-ounce jigheads.

Ken Holder and Aaron Brubaker - 2nd PlaceKen Holder and Aaron Brubaker - 2nd Place

Ken Holder and Aaron Brubaker were second ($150) with 17-2 while Scott (no last name provided) was third ($90) with 16-5. Evan and Joel Timmons were fourth ($60) with 13-5.

Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice - Big BassBill Mathews and Kris Iodice - Big Bass

Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice won big bass honors ($70) with a 5-pound, 14-ounce smallie. They caught the big fish on a swimbait in 10 feet of water.

Other anglers reported catching their fish on swimbaits, crankbaits and soft plastics in the no wake zone. Anglers also reported catching walleye, pike, catfish and carp throughout the day.

The circuit will be announcing its 2021 summer schedule soon.