Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, October 10, 2025
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By Louie Stout
Michiana Outdoors News has received five tournament schedules – including two new circuits - for our 2025 Lake Drive Marine Events Calendar.
Those schedules will be posted in early January and we anticipate more coming over the next couple of weeks. Due to a required and lengthy website platform update, we can’t post them to the calendar until after the update is completed by our web service in early January.
Schedules and details of tournaments we received so far are listed below. We encourage other tournament directors working on their dates to review these schedules to avoid scheduling on top of them.
If you want your benefit tourney or full circuit posted, send us the info – such as what other directors provided below – to stoutoutdoors@comcast.net.
Stars and Stripes
Bill Mathews created this new circuit that doesn’t require a membership. Entry fee is $100 per team and tournaments run eight hours. Contact Mathews for details at Bassinbill96@gmail.com
Schedule:
June 8 Gull Lake 6-2
June 22 Austin Lake 6-2
July 13 Austin Lake 6-2
July 27 Gull Lake 6-2
August 10 Gull Lake 6:30-2:30
August 24 Austin Lake 6:30-2:30
13 Sticks
Randy Walls and Mark Flotow came up with this novel idea of a singles (no partner) circuit that will consist of the first 11 anglers to register. You must pre-pay the seasonal entry fee ($420) to cover all seven events. All tournaments are seven hours long and begin at first light. Contact Walls at 219-221-1109 or visit 13 Sticks Facebook page.
Schedule:
April 13 Dewart Lake
May 3 St Joe River, Maggies Landing
May 31 Hamilton Lake
June 15 Wawasee, Syracuse Ramp
July 20 Webster Lake
Aug. 9 Austin Lake
Sept. 20 Grand River
Michiana Fishing League
Michael Smith is the new tournament director for this revamped league. There is a $50 entry fee, $10 big bass pot and $5 critter pot. Hours are 6-2. Classic will be determined by a point system. Contact: MichianaFishingLeague@gmail.com
Schedule:
March 30 Webster
April 13 Lake of the Woods (Indiana)
May 4 Barbee Chain
May 18 Wawasee
June 1 Juno
June 15 Donnell
June 29 St. Joe River at Benton Harbor
July 13 Gull Lake
July 27 Kalamazoo Lake
Aug. 10 Paw Paw
Sept. 7 Corey Lake
Sept. 21 Van Auken
Oct. 4-5 Classic TBD
Four Flags
Entry fee is $80 (includes big bass pot). To qualify for the Classic, you must fish four of the regular season events. Contact Scott Solomon, 269-340-4757.
Schedule:
May 24 Diamond 6-12
June 8 Magician 6-12
June 22 Klinger 6-12
July 12 St. Joe River at Buchanan 6-12
Aug. 10 Van Auken 6:30-12:30
Aug. 23 Corey 6:30-12:30
Sept. 20-21 Classic Lake St. Clair
SMAC
Once again, SMAC (Southwest Michigan Anglers Club) will run Tuesday nighters and weekend events. Entry fee is $60 a team and you must fish seven events (includes combination of weeknights and weekenders) to qualify for the Classic. Tournament hours are yet to be determined. Contact Scott Crocker 269-591-4667 or visit Facebook page, “SMAC Fishing.”
Schedule:
May 24 Paw Paw
May 31 Magician
June 10 Eagle
June 14 Diamond
June 24 Juno
June 28 Klinger
July 5 St. Joe at Niles
July 6 St. Joe at Buchanan
July 15 Magician
July 26 Corey
July 29 Mill Pond
Aug. 9 Paw Paw
Aug 12 Diamond
Aug 23 Eagle
Aug. 26 Corey
Sept. 6 Juno
Sept. 20-21 Burt and Mullet
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MLF Report
After more than four decades of delivering bass fishing journalism through its print publication, Major League Fishing (MLF) has announced the December 2024 issue of MLF Bass Fishing magazine will be its final printed edition. This decision reflects evolving reader preferences and MLF’s commitment to providing content in the formats anglers and fans overwhelmingly prefer.
Originally launched in 1981 as CAST Magazine, MLF Bass Fishing magazine has been a trusted source of bass fishing expertise and inspiration for millions of anglers. However, as the digital era continues to transform the way people consume information, MLF is pivoting to focus on delivering its world-class content through video, social media and other digital platforms.
“Today’s consumers demand instant access to engaging content, with a significant emphasis on video,” said Boyd Duckett, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “Research shows that video now accounts for 82% of all internet traffic, and viewers retain 95% of a message when delivered through video compared to just 10% through text. While it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to our printed magazine, this transition allows us to focus our resources on continuing to expand our digital presence and create new opportunities to connect with our fans, anglers, and sponsors.”
As part of the transition, MLF is reducing its premium membership fee from $95 to $85 – reflecting the cost of the magazine subscription. Premium members will receive a pro-rated credit for any unfulfilled magazine issues, while subscriber members will be issued refunds for unfulfilled issues.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
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By Louie Stout
Springtime tournament fishing may seem like a long ways away, but tournament groups already are putting together schedules and registering them with the respective DNR programs.
As a result, Michiana Outdoors News is reminding tournament directors to get us their schedules once they are finalized. They will be posted on our Lake Drive Marine Events Calendar that is found on the home page and other pages of the website.
We welcome seasonal tournament circuits, open events and charity events.
There is no charge for posting the schedules. It’s a popular item on the site and where anglers go to find details of events they might want to fish.
By getting your schedule to us early, it reduces the chance of other groups scheduling on top of you.
We are primarily interested in events held in northern Indiana and southern Michigan although we will include tournaments scheduled outside Michiana if the circuit is based in northern Indiana/southern Michigan or if the circuit makes visits to our regional waters. Schedules for the Events Calendar must include dates, entry fees, tournament hours, name/phone number of a tournament director contact, and ramp location (if the lake has more than one. Tournaments/circuits must be open to the public.
Send your tournament information to stoutoutdoors@comcast.net.
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Polar Bear Report
Despite air temperatures below 20 and water temperatures 43 degrees and lower, six teams braved the weather and caught some nice bass at Duke’s Bridge (Waldron Chain) in the Bob Evans Classic and Polar Bear season finale over the weekend.
Chris Brunt and Lee Duracz - 1st Place
Chris Brunt and Lee Duracz persevered with 13.75 pounds anchored by the big bass of the tourney, a 3.66 pounder. They fished Ned rigs and Baby Z-Toos in 6 to 10 feet over weed patches to win $320. They had their limit by 8:45, moved to another area at noon and made two culls, one of which was with the big bass.
Weather aside, four of the six teams had limits and three of them who didn’t win had 10.33, 10.74 and 10.79 pounds.
Eric Frankenberger and Brad Elliot - 2nd Place
Eric Frankenberger and Brad Elliot finished second ($100) with 10.79. They also fished Ned Rigs.
The critter pot ($60) was won by Sam Cavanaugh and Devon Fry with a 4.45-pound carp.
Chris Brunt won the St. Croix Mojo Bass rod in the Tackle Shack drawing while Eben Lambert and Joe Sears won the Str8-up mount prize.
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By Louie Stout
Jon VanDam
A VanDam will attempt to get back to the Bassmaster Elites, but not THAT one.
Jonathon VanDam, nephew of Kevin VanDam and a former Bassmaster Elite angler, has left the MLF Bass Pro Tour and registered to fish the Bassmaster Opens.
“I want to get back to the Bassmaster Classic,” said the 36-year-old Kalamazoo angler.
He fished Bassmaster Opens from 2006 through 2010, winning one event at Sandusky Ba, Ohio. He qualified for the Elites in 2011 and competed there before leaving to compete on the Major League Fishing circuit in 2018. During his time with B.A.S.S., he logged 18 top 10 finishes, including an Elite win at Green Bay, Wisc. He’s won $563,000 with B.A.S.S. and competed in two Classics, finishing 23 at Grand Lake, Ok. in 2013 and 16th at Lake Guntersville, Ala. in 2014.
VanDam was qualified to return the MLF Bass Pro Tour but chose to fight his way back into the Elites through a very tough Bassmaster Open format.
“I did well over at the other circuit, but I wanted to get back to the B.A.S.S. format which seems to fit me better,” he said.
He added that the new Elite Series “no entry fee” policy is another motivator.