Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
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R&B Report
B.A.S.S Report
Bassmaster
The popularity of the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN and Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers series has surged over the past two years. Today, B.A.S.S. announced enhancements to both properties that it believes will inspire even more anglers to compete for the opportunity to walk across bass fishing’s biggest stage.
Beginning with the 2025 season, the Opens will evolve into an eight-event season comprised of two divisions, each featuring four tournaments. Anglers placing in the Top 50 in each division’s Angler of the Year race will advance to the newly installed Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers series. This stand-alone series will feature three events, spanning from September through November, to qualify anglers for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
“This is a great step for the Opens and a giant leap for the EQs,” said Executive Director of Tournaments Hank Weldon. “While the existing format fielded well-rounded anglers who were prepared to fish against the best in the world, it also left competitors who found themselves out of the running for Elite Series qualification locked into the remainder of the nine-event season. This modification will allow an angler to commit to just four Opens (or all eight if they want additional opportunities) and then decide to move on to the all-new and separate EQ series if they qualify.”
In addition to the 100 anglers qualifying from both divisions of the Opens, all current Bassmaster Elite Series anglers will be eligible to compete in the Elite Qualifiers, as well as the second- and third-place finishers from the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance.
“From an Elite Series standpoint, the model is extremely attractive. For the guys who failed to requalify, it offers an immediate opportunity to get back to bass fishing’s biggest stage. For those Elites who failed to qualify for the Classic, it offers three more opportunities to earn a ticket to the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing, as well as a place for any Elite pro looking for additional top-tier events to keep sharpening their skills in the fall,” Weldon said.
B.A.S.S. remains committed to the “win and you’re in” concept for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic. Anglers who fish an entire Division of the Opens will receive a berth to the Classic if they win an event. The same applies to the three-event EQ series, taking the total to 11 berths, which is an increase of two berths from years past.
Also new for 2025, the number of anglers who will qualify for the Elite Series has been increased to 10 (nine qualified in each of the past two years). Co-anglers will continue to have the opportunity to fish the Opens. However, there will be no co-anglers for the EQ series. Additionally, the EQ series rules will mirror those of the Elite Series.
Entry fees for each Opens event will remain at $2,000 for the Opens pros and $475 for the co-anglers. EQ entry fees will be $3,500 per event.
The full season of the Opens will be announced in October, while the EQ series schedule will not be announced until later in the year.
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R&B Report
John Gipson and Justin Hahaj - 1st Place
John Gipson and Justin Hahaj captured the R&B Starboard Choice Marine Classic on the St. Joseph River at Benton Harbor, Mich. over the weekend.
Gipson and Hahaj caught 17.29 pounds of smallmouth to win $700. They used jigs, tubes, and 5-inch swimbaits.
The weights fell significantly after that catch as Gipson said the bite was slow and noted the water temperature was 70 degrees, well above normal for that time of year.
Ken Holder and Arron Brubaker were second ($300) with four smallmouth weighing 8.52 pounds caught on tubes.
Tom Bell and Andrew Glass - 3rd Place
Tom Bell and Andrew Glass won the $100 Bass Pro Shops Gift Card donated by Mike Czajkowski Builders for third place with two smallmouth for 6.80 pounds. They also took big bass ($100) with a 5.53 giant caught on a whopper plopper first thing in the morning.
Brian Suza and Ed Madison - 4th Place
Brian Suza and Ed Madison were fourth and also won the Czajkowski gift card for fourth place with two smallmouth that weighed.46 pounds, caught on soft plastics.
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IBF Report
The Indian Bass Federation Youth North (IBFYN) had its third tournament of the season recently on Lake Maxinkuckee that drew 20 high school teams and eight junior teams (junior anglers are 8th grade and lower).
The IBFYN awarded trophies to the top 3 high school teams and top 3 junior teams plus a big bass trophy in each division for a total of 14 trophies.
Berkley Rhamey and Jackson Ousley - Junior 1st Place and Big Bass
Berkley Rhamey and Jackson Ousley, eighth graders at Tippecanoe Valley, won the Junior Division and had big bass (4-3) and a total weight 9 pounds, 12 ounces.
They primarily fished crankbaits in shad patterns.
Brayden Bontrager and Layton Hostetler - Junior 2nd Place
Second place went to Brayden Bontrager and Layton Hostetler from United Christian School with 8 pounds, 13 ounces caught on a topwater popper and a Zara Spook.
Kaiden and Camron (no last names provided) - Junior 3rd Place
Kaiden and Camron (no last names provided) finished third with 7 pounds.
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SMAC Report
Despite unseasonably warm water temperatures, the quality smallmouth bass of Lake Leelanau were biting pretty well last weekend in the Southwest Michigan Anglers Club’s two-day Classic.
Water temperatures hovered between 72 and 75 degrees all weekend, yet 12 teams weighed in 113 bass totaling 368.69 pounds over the two days.
Joe Sears and Eben Lambert - 1st Place - day One
Joe Sears and Eben Lambert - 1st Place - Day Two
Joe Sears and Eben Lambert used A-rigs in the north and south lakes over 9 to 10 feet to win with 39.69 pounds for two days. They pocketed $1,800.
Dan Baerwald and Kyle Learner - 2nd Place - Day One
Dan Baerwald and Kyle Learner - 2nd Place - Day Two
Dan Baerwald and Kyle Learner just missed winning with 39.50 pounds. They used their forward facing sonar skills, along with tubes and ½-ounce jigs to get finicky bass to bite in 4 to 8 feet. They also had the biggest bass of day 1 with a 5.36-pound smallmouth.
Terry Smith and Scott Crocker - 3rd Place - Day One
Terry Smith and Scott Crocker - 3rd Place - Day Two
Terry Smith and Scott Crocker landed in third with a total of 35.28 pounds. They fished topwaters and Yamamoto Hula Grubs in 3 to 9 feet.
Chuck Powell and Louie Stout had the biggest bass of the second day with a 4.71-pound smallmouth caught on a Chatterbait.
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Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice - 1st Place
Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice blew away the Butchers Baits Classic event on Gull Lake last weekend.
The duo caught an incredible bag weighing 25.02 pounds with a drop-shot rig, beating out second place by more than 10 pounds. They also had big bass, weighing 5.05, and said they caught numerous 3 and 4 pounders. They were using forward facing sonar over 40 to 80 feet of water.
They also wrapped up the Angler of Year title, edging out Gary Butcher and Scott Smith who finished second. Mathews and Iodice also had the biggest bass of the season with a 6.02 pounder.
Manny Schwartz and Dennis Hochstetler - 2nd Place
Second place at Gull Lake went to Manny Schwartz and Dennis Hochstetler who had 14 pounds by fishing crankbaits.
Jeremy Siler and Brock Howell - 3rd Place
Jeremy Siler and Brock Howell were third with 13.05, also caught on a crankbait.