Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, October 10, 2025
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D&R Sports Center Report
Neil Vande Biezen and Luke Gritter captured the D&R Sports Center season finale at White Lake in late August.
Vande Biezen and Gritter had a whopping 23.37 pounds that included a 5.62-pound bass that also won them big bass prize of the tournament.
Details on how the fish were caught were not made available.
Brian Burmania and Don Watts were second with 18.66 pounds anchored by a 4.67 pounder.
John Gipson and Evan De La Rosa finished a close third with 18.17 pounds.
Fourth place went to David Hoeker and Kyle Borst who had 17.53 pounds, anchored by a 5.16 pounder, the second biggest bass of the tournament.
Cole Zagrzebski and Branden Burrill were fifth with 16.51 pounds.
AOY Champs
In addition to the tournament, Randy VanDam and Myles Hanley clinched the season Angler of Year title.
They did it without utilizing forward facing sonar, grabbing a first, second, sixth 10th and 15th places in D&R Sports Events.
“We had a pretty good year,” said VanDam. “We caught fish at every event, and just scrapped out what we could get when it was tough. We primarily fished shallow stuff all year doing the ‘VanDam Power Fishing’ tactics. It still works, I guess.”
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BASS Report
B.A.S.S. announced an update to its forward-facing live sonar (FFS) policy that will take effect during the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season.
Beginning in 2026, forward-facing live sonar will only be permitted in up to five of the nine regular-season Elite Series events. Which events allow the technology will be determined randomly. The remaining events will prohibit its use entirely, including during official practice. Restrictions implemented for 2025 — limiting anglers to one live sonar transducer and a maximum of 55 total screen inches — will remain in place. The 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour will allow FFS, since all qualifiers earned their spot under the 2025 rules.
This decision follows two years of careful evaluation. In 2025, B.A.S.S. scheduled a diverse set of fisheries to naturally limit FFS dominance, and winners in nearly half of the season’s events relied primarily on traditional tactics. However, live sonar still influenced outcomes across the board. Many stakeholders within the bass fishing community, including fans and B.A.S.S. members, continued to voice concerns about live sonar use and its influence on competition. Elite Series anglers, through the Angler Board of Professionals (ABP), also asked for more limitations for the 2026 season.
To address this feedback and preserve competitive balance, B.A.S.S. will blend tradition with technology: a hybrid schedule that both highlights innovation in bass fishing technology and ensures that traditional techniques remain central to success.
B.A.S.S. will reveal which tournaments will allow FFS during a live show on Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. CT on Bassmaster.com. Hosts Tommy Sanders, Mark Zona and Davy Hite will learn the results in real time alongside fans.
Events will be paired according to the schedule, with a coin flip deciding which one allows live sonar and which will not. The St. Lawrence River, the final stop of the season, will receive its own coin flip, meaning as many as five events could end up being non-FFS tournaments.
“Bassmaster competition has a long history of being the proving ground for new technology that enhances the sport,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “While innovation should remain part of bass fishing, no single technology should define it. Listening to anglers, members and fans, we believe this balanced approach keeps competition diverse, entertaining and true to the culture of our sport.”
“B.A.S.S. was intentional last year in scheduling diverse fisheries to balance FFS use,” said Davy Hite, former Bassmaster Classic champion and Elite Series pro. “But the technology still impacted the results in nearly every event. This new rule is exactly what the majority of the ABP voted for — it creates amazing opportunities for fans to watch different skills shine, and it ensures our next Angler of the Year will be the most versatile angler on the planet. Whoever wins in 2026 will have to excel both with and without live sonar.”
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Arjay’s Report
Steven Wickey and Irvin Yoder teamed up to win the Arjay’s weeknighter last Wednesday at Clear Lake.
The team caught their 11.50 pounds by skipping docks which also produced a tie for big bass of the tournament, a 3.16-pound largemouth.
Steve Martin and Josh Roberts tied the winners for big bass and they also finished second with five weighing 10.98 pounds. They were scoping in 30 feet of water with jig/minnow rigs.
Third place with a 10.50-pound limit was won by John Miller and Ashley Gibson who caught their fish scoping with drop-shot rigs.
Martin Hochstetler and Jonas Troyer were fourth with 9.46 pounds caught on jigs and wacky rigs on the weed edges.
The ClearH2O Tackle first out of the money spot in 5th place went to Justin and Hunter Kosmerick who had five weighing 9/40 pounds. They also used the forward facing sonar and fished jig/minnow rigs.
The Michiana Outdoors News tackle pack was shared between Charlie Fouts and Ray Lohr with 8.86 pounds and Edward and Kenneth Bontrager.
The Jaywalker Restaurant junk fish pot goes to was won by Noah Chambers and Jacob Meeker with a pike weighing in at 8.20 pounds.
The Str8-Up Mounts lucky dog pot went to Daisy Tucker, the $50 gas card side pots were won by Tucker and Edward Bontrager and the 50/50 pot went home with Heath Musall.
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SMAC Report
Man, what’s going on at Corey Lake?
Four Flags was there over the weekend and it took less than 7 pounds to win. The Southwest Michigan Anglers Club was there Tuesday night and the weights were incredibly low again.
Derek Kelly and Jordan Smith prevailed in the SMAC derby with a whopping 7.33-pound limit, and that included big bass of the event, a 3.61-pound largemouth. They caught their fish in 10 feet of water and caught their fish on the BAFA Primal Jig.
There were 42 bass weighed in and they averaged less than a pound apiece. There was one smallmouth taken to the scales.
Second place went to Jordan and Dan Gipson with a limit that weighed 5.89 pounds. They fished drop-shot rigs and Chatterbaits in 15-20 feet.
Brad and Clay Sterling were third with a limit totaling 5.21 pounds. They were caught on Senkos in 7 feet or less.
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Stars and Stripes Report
Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice caught 13.80 pounds to nudge out Jeff Ogletree in the Stars and Stripes Tourney at Austin Lake last weekend.
The difference maker was a 4.59 pounder that the winners caught and that also earned them big bass of the event.
Nearly one-third of the fish weighed in during the event were smallmouth. Topwaters and worms are said to be the key to most of the bites that competitors got.
“We targeted shallow fish all day long,” says Mathews. “The morning bite was surprisingly tough, but we picked off a limit in about 1.5 hours on a BAFA Primal jig, a Whopper Plopper and a popper. We continued to fish around docks and flats and made small culls throughout the day.”
He said the shallow bite really picked up for them later in the day. Kris caught their big bass and then Bill followed up with a few nice 2+ pounders that culled out smaller fish.
“Then with about 20 minutes left, I caught a 3 pounder skipping a BAFA primal jig (3/8 ounce magic craw) under a dock,” Mathews adds. “It culled out a 1.7 pounder.”
Ogletree had 12.89 pounds by fishing shallow around docks with a Zoom worm.