Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, October 10, 2025
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Polar Bear Report
Eric Frankenburger and Brandon Purcell - 1st Place
Eric Frankenburger and Brandon Purcell fished jerkbaits to catch 11.62 pounds and win the Polar Bear tournament on the St. Joseph River at 6 Span Access over the weekend.
The water temperature was mid-40s and most of the 16 teams competing caught fish.
Chris Brunt and Jason Kovach - 2nd Place
Chris Brunt and Jason Kovach finished second with 11.30 pounds. They also won the big bass pot with a largemouth weighing 3.98 pounds. They fished Ned rigs around submerged wood.
Steven Kline and Ken Watson - 3rd Place
Steven Kline and Ken Watson also fished Ned Rigs around wood to finish third with 10.05 pounds.
Steven Nielsen and Brian Brennan - Critter Pot
The critter pot went to Steven Nielsen and Brian Brennan with a 3.10-pound pike while the Tackle Shack Drawing was won by Jason Kovach.
The Str8-up Mount Cable Sock was won by Jordan Mansfield and Troy Allard. They also caught a 2.30-pound native brown trout.
The next Event is the Bob Evans Classic on the Waldron Chain at Dukes Bridge, Nov. 11 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Kedik Report
Bryce MacMillan - 1st Place
Bryce MacMillan fished alone to and was successful in the Rick Kedik Open on the St. Joseph River at Benton Harbor last weekend.
It was another tough day on that stretch of the river, as the 15 boats brought in only three limits.
MacMillan had one of those, winning the contest ($330) with 13.96 pounds of smallmouth. His sack included the second biggest bass, a 4.24 pounder , to earn a bonus $50. MacMillan used crankbaits.
Ron Fabiszak and Neil Vande Biezen - 2nd Place
Ron Fabiszak and Neil Vande Biezen had a limit of five Smallmouth bass totaling 13.94 pounds for second. They said they used Ned rigs to earn $220.
Evan DeLaRosa and Luke Tolliver - 3rd Place
Evan DeLaRosa and Luke Tolliver were third ($100) with an 11.08-pound limit. They used jerkbaits and crankbaits.
Ken Holder and Aaron Brubaker won $60 for fourth place with three bass totaling 10.62 pounds. They said they fished jigs.
Zack McNary and Tanner Banks - Big Bass
Big bass honors ($140) went to Zack McNary and Tanner Banks with a 4.5-pound smallmouth. They used A-rigs.
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Kedik Open Report
The St. Joseph River at Benton Harbor produced disappointing results for anglers fishing the Rick Kedik Open on Saturday.
Evan De LaRosa and Luke  (no last name provided) - 1st Place
Evan De LaRosa and Luke  (no last name provided) had four keeper bass totaling 8.32 pounds to take home the top prize of $170. They used tubes in shallow water.
Rustie Robinson - 2nd Place
Rustie Robinson fished alone and only had two keepers, but that included big bass of the tournament. His 5.60-pound smallmouth lifted his total catch to 7.88 pounds. He caught both fish on a topwater and earned $130 for big bass and second place.
Ryan and Chip (no last names provided) - 3rd Place
Ryan and Chip (no last names provided) had two bass for 7.82 pounds, good for third place. They used jigs in shallow water.
Kedik will host another open on the same river stretch Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call or text him at 269-240-4917 for details.
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Polar Bear report
Zack and Mike Burdette - 1st Place
Lake Maxinkuckee rarely disappoints, but it sure made it tough on the 23 teams competing in the second stop of the Polar Bear Opens presented by Tackle Shack LLC and Str8-Up Mounts Nation.
Only eight limits were brought to the scales, with Zack and Mike Burdette claiming the top spot with 11.85 pounds that earned them $650.
Zack, who won last week’s Polar Bear at Wawasee, fished with a different partner but produced the same results. The winners said they used drop-shot rigs.
Bob Hyatt and Carl Bowser fished swimbaits in 5 feet or less to catch 10.14 pounds, good for second place ($300).
Kyle Kaser and John Gipson were third ($220) with 9.08 pounds and Hunter Paton and Dave Morrow fourth ($150) with 8.92 pounds.
Big bass ($220) went to Phil Reel and Greg Zellers with a 2.92 pounder.
Eric Fier with winning walleye
The walleye were more cooperative. Two monster walleyes were caught; Eric Fier won the miscellaneous fish pot ($220) with a 6.25 pounder, edging out Zellars (pictured with walleye) and Reel who had a 6.23 pounder.
Steve Trina and Petre Kline won the A-rig storage by Str8-up mounts for being the first team out of the money that stayed for the weigh-in, They had 8.92 pounds.
The next Polar Bear event is Nov. 23 on the St. Joseph at 6 Span Bridge access.
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Polar Bear Report
The Polar Bear bass circuit drew 26 boats for its regular season event at Lake Wawasee last weekend and the lake didn’t disappoint.
With little wind and water temperatures in the mid-50s the fish were biting and several were smallmouth.
Troy Hendricks and Zach Burdette - 1st Place
Troy Hendricks and Zach Burdette used a combination of A-rigs and drop-shot rigs to win with 12.85 pounds. They also had the biggest bass of the tourney, a 4.5-pound smallmouth, to take home $970 and a Str8-Up Mounts Nation cable sock.
Hunter and Gerald Duracz finished second ($360) with 11.89 pounds. They fished the inside edge of weeds with spinnerbaits, Thunder Crickets and jigs.
Justin Barry and Bailey Harris - 3rd Place
Justin Barry and Bailey Harris - Junk Fish Winners
Third place went to Justin Barry and Bailey Harris with 11.72 pounds.They caught their fish on Chatterbaits and jerkbaits on the shallow edge of weedlines. They also won the junk fish pot with a 13.19-pound pike to pocket $450.
Hunter Paton and Ryan Gray - 4th Place
Hunter Paton and Ryan Gray finished fourth ($120 )with 11.20 pounds while Chip Harrison and Lowell Stallhut were fifth ($100) with 10.83 pounds.
The Tackle Shack door prize of a KVD Signature Series Casting Rod was won by Christopher Stamm Sr.
The next event Polar Bear event will be Saturday (Nov. 9) on Lake Maxinkuckee from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.