Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Monday, November 24, 2025
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Balog Holds Top Spot As Locals Dominate St. Clair Opener - Photo by BASS - James OverstreetDETROIT — The home-field advantage played a big role in the first round of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by AllState on Lake St. Clair Thursday.
Two local anglers jumped to the head of the pack, with formidable pro Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Mich., sacking 22 pounds, 8 ounces, good for a 4-ounce lead over fellow Harrison Township angler Andrew Smith.
Canadian Chris Johnston is third with 21-12, while Bassmaster Elite Series pros Fletcher Shryock of Ohio and Michigander Chad Pipkens are tied for fifth with 21-6.
In addition to valuable prizes going to the winner of this final leg of the Northern Open is a berth in next February’s Bassmaster Classic to be held on Lake Hartwell of out Greenville, S.C., providing the winner has competed in two previous 2014 Northern Opens.
As always when fishing St. Clair and its adjoining waters, Friday’s weather could have an impact on how well the field does. The potential of thunderstorms and heavy winds loom in the forecast for Friday, which could affect those anglers making the long trek to Lake Erie.
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Robert Hayes (Angola) and Jim Betts (Fort Wayne) caught 14.48 pounds to win the Anglers Choice tournament on Winona Lake.
The winners ($1,073) caught all their fish deep (20-30 feet) on 1 ounce jigs.
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Ed Szymczak (Osceola) and Dallas Dunn (Indianapolis) won the Michiana Walleye Association Innovative Anglers Group Challenge at Winona Lake last weekend.
The winners had 5.67 pounds caught by jigging chartreuse jigs tipped with crawlers near weed beds in 7- to 10-feet of water.
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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.
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Gary Harrold (Kewanna, Ind.) and Greg Zellers (Winamac, Ind.) had 16.02 pounds on Winona Lake to win the Hoosier Pro Tournament last weekend.
They pocketed $552 and a bonus $115 for having the big bass, a 4.34 pounder.
Daniel Milligan (Bremen) and Kris Shipley (Syracuse) were second ($345) with 15.72 pounds while Joe Morris (Winamac) and Blake Harness (Galveston, Ind.) were third ($227) with 14.43 pounds.
The next tournament will be September 14 On Lake Tippecanoe. Call Mitch Hayes, 219-716-4808 for details.