John Leader (Granger) and Tom Bell (Mishawaka) reached deep into their bag of tricks to catch a limit of bass on Lake Maxinkuckee on a day when fellow R&B Circuit anglers battled tough fishing conditions.
The tournament winners targeted schooling fish in water over 30 feet deep. They waited on the deck for fish to bust the surface, then fired RatíL Traps and wacky-rigged Senkos at them. Timing was imperative; if they failed to reach the school when they were actively busting the top they did not get bit.
Their 10.94-pound limit won them $847, but they also landed the second biggest fish of the event, a 3.52-pound largemouth, and won another $114.
Pablo Gonzalez (Goshen) fished alone to finish second ($544) with four fish weighing 8.93 pounds that included the Money Mouth Baits Big Bass ($456), a 4-pound largemouth. He caught fish with C Flash crankbaits and homemade jigs.
Robert Pereira (Merrillville) and Brian McNeal (Fort Wayne) landed an 8.26-pound limit of smallmouth to finish third ($393). All came by dead sticking tubes with 1/4-oz. tube jigs in 6 feet of water.