SMAC Report
Two of Michiana’s best jerkbait anglers put their skills to good work in the Southwest Michigan Anglers Club (SMAC) Classic on Lake Leelanau last weekend.
Eben Lambert and Joe Sears - 1st Place
Eben Lambert and Joe Sears were very consistent, catching 18.54 pounds on Day One and 18.42 Day Two for a total of 36.96 pounds of smallmouth bass. They fished 8 to 15 feet deep with Luck “E” Strike Rick Clunn signature jerkbaits. They won $1,000.
The 17 competing teams battled wind and rain throughout the two-day event.
Terry Smith and Scott Crocker - 2nd Place
While Lambert and Sears were consistent, Terry Smith and Scott Crocker whacked the biggest limit of the tournament - 23.57 pounds – on the second day to rally from eighth place (12.99 Day One) and finish second. They also had the biggest bass on Day-two, a 5.22 smallmouth. They caught their fish on the inside edge of the weeds on Yamamoto Hula Grubs.
Mike Granger and Chase Laughlin - 3rd Place
Mike Granger and Chase Laughlin fished A-rigs and drop-shotted Strike King Z-Toos over sand grass in 25 feet of water to finish third. They had 15.70 the first day and 13.82 the second day for 29.52.
Mark Coney and Rich Fletcher - 4th Place
Caleb VanderRyden and Dillion Hursh - 5th Place
Mark Coney and Rich Fletcher were fourth with 28.44 caught on drop-shots and A-rigs in 9 to 15 feet of water while Caleb VanderRyden and Dillion Hursh had 26.55 for fifth. They also had the big bass the first day, a 4.61-pound smallmouth.
Jason Dittmar and Dave Eggers - 6th Place
The tournament paid nine places. Jason Dittmar and Dave Eggers had 25.45 for sixth, Chris Leach and Jason Horvath had 25.45 for seventh, Brett Gessinger and Mike VanderRyden had 24.05 for eighth and Chuck Powell and Louie Stout had 21.84 for ninth.