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Tackle Shack Report
Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice are no strangers to the winner’s circle, but it took a second day rally on a tough Higgins Lake for them to win it all in the Tackle Shack Classic last weekend.
The tourney was held on Houghton Lake Saturday and Higgins on Sunday. Both lakes were pretty stingy.
John Gipson and Ken Holder jumped out to nearly a three-pound lead the first day but couldn’t put it together on day 2.
Mathews and Iodice finished with 27.89 pounds to win the $3,700 top prize money.
Ron Fabiszak and Chris Norton were second ($2,200) with 27.72 pounds.
Kenny Yoder and Bob Boyd were third ($1,200) with 27.07 and won another $700 for having the biggest bass, a 5.44-pound smallmouth.
Fourth place ($700) went to Pablo Gonzalez and Bob Miller with 26.22.
Here’s how the top finishers did it:
1st place
Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice - 1st Place
"This is by far one of the most anticipated events of the year for Kris and me,” said Mathews. “Kris had never fished either lake and I had only fished Houghton once in the middle of summer about 7 years ago and had never been on Higgins Lake. I knew how different the fisheries were and that was going to make this tournament very interesting.”
Mathews said their practice consisted of one day four hours on Houghton and six on Higgins.
“We found a few decent spots with two pounders at Houghton during practice,” says Mathews. “We knew we needed at least one big fish area to compete. We bounced around the lake looking for inconsistencies in the weeds and searching for fish using forward facing sonar. We finally found the best area of the day when I hooked a 4 pounder and watched about a dozen fish following it in trying to take my bait out of its mouth.”
Practice for Higgins was a different story. The team didn’t catch a bass for the first four hours. Eventually Kris managed to catch a 2.5 pounder in about 5 feet of water and it keyed them onto a potential shallow bite. They were fishing the hard edges of shallow flats.
When competition began, Mathews and Iodice ran to their big fish spot but and had to share it with another team.
“My first hook-up of the day was a giant,” says Mathews. “The fish came up, wallowed, and spit my bait right back out at me. It was most likely a 4-4.5 pounder, so that hurt. We kept our heads down and kept our baits in the water. We picked off a limit quick and began culling.”
He added that key baits on Houghton were a Strike King 2-3/4-inch coffee tube and a 3.25-inch Strike King Rage Swimmer.
“We culled our way to around 10 pounds, then Kris caught our first good one of the day, a 3.25,” Mathews describes. “We moved to another area where we caught keepers in practice and I immediately saw three fish on my ActiveTarget. I tossed my Rage Swimmer behind the boat and caught another 3.3.”
They bounced around the lake catching a few fish here and there, but nothing was upgrading for them. They started running new water with about two hours left and stumbled onto a huge rock/shell bed.
“Kris and I went back-to-back with two of our biggest fish of the day, his on a tube and mine on a swimbait,” he says. “That put us at 16.73 pounds and had us sitting in fifth place.”
At Higgins, the team avoided its shallow areas until the sun rose and the wind picked up, so they began fishing all new water out deep.
“I started seeing some very interesting looking marks hugging the bottom in 40-50 foot of water,” Mathews explains. “I was floating a 3/8-ounce head with a Strike King Baby Z2 down to them and it would take a long while for my bait to get to the right depth.”
Precise casts and boat placement was key.
“I caught two in about 45 feet of water, a 3 pounder and a solid 16 incher,” he says. “Kris caught another keeper on a Rage Swimmer casting towards the break.”
They fished more deep spots and tried the shallow pattern but couldn’t come up with another bite. Late in the day Kris caught two by launching a Rage Swimmer as far as he could. The long casts in the clear water, he insists, were definitely keys.
They were shocked that their 11.16 pound limit was good enough to land them into the lead from fifth.
2nd Place
Ron Fabiszak and Chris Norton - 2nd Place
Fabiszak said his team caught their fish on tubes and moving baits in 4-8 feet at Houghton.
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D&R Sports Report Consistency was the key for top two finishers in the D&R Sports West Michigan two-day classic at Houghton Lake last weekend. When the second day fish hit the scales, it was Zack Hammond and Shane Tossava who prevailed with 36.78 pounds. They won $10,000. They eked out the win over Brandon Burrill and Jack Simpson who had 35.26 pounds ($2,000), with their biggest fish weighing 4.01 pounds over the two days. Burrill and Simpson led after day one while Hammond and Tossava were second after the first day. Hammond said that inside weed edges in 7 to 9 feet was the key pattern. “We fished all the way around the dense spots,” says Hammond. “We used 3/8-ounce Keitech Super Round Swimbait jig hooks with 3.3-inch Keitechs in smokin’ whites and gizzard shad colors. We also fished ¼-ounce Ned rigs with a Berkley MaxScent Lil General (stick worm)." Their biggest fish was 4.49. Neil Vande Biezen fished alone over the two days to catch 30.69 pounds for third place ($1,500) with a 3.82 being his biggest fish. Nicholas VanDam and McLane May were hair behind for fourth place ($1,200) with 30.78 pounds, anchored by a 3.82. Fifth place ($1,000) went to Jeff Elliott and Trevor Young with 30.40 pounds. A 3.91 pounder was their biggest. Big bass of the tournament was caught by Dave Slager and weighed 4.97 pounds, worth $650.
Zack Hammond and Shane Tossava - 1st Place
Brandon Burrill and Jack Simpson - 2nd Place
Jeff Elliott and Trevor Young - 5th Place
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Michiana Singles Report Loren Crosbie stuck to old school tactics to win the Michiana Singles’ two-day Classic held last weekend on Paw Paw Lake and the St. Joseph River at Benton Harbor. While the first-day leaders were scoping up big bags the first day at Paw Paw, Crosbie was anchored in fourth place with 8.18 pounds but still managed to win the biggest bass of the first day, a 3.76-pound smallmouth. On the second day at the river, most competitors ran to the Lake Michigan pier heads while Crosbie went up river to catch all largemouth on jigs along seawalls. He had the only limit caught the second day and finished with 13.04. He also had the biggest fish the second day with a 5.32-pound largemouth. His two-day total of 21.22 won him $500 for first place overall and a bonus $100 for big bass both days. Kyle Kaser, who led the first day with 15.06 pounds of smallmouth by fishing minnow imitators on fish he saw on his LiveScope, finished second overall. He only had two bass at the river the second day for a two-day total of 19.50 pounds to win $250. Mike Martin finished third overall ($130) and had the second biggest bass the first day, a 3.54-pound largemouth, and the second day, a 4.18-pound smallmouth. He fished topwaters in shallow water and went home with $160.
Loren Crosbie - Singles Classic Champion
Loren Crosbie with 1st Day Big Bass
Kyle Kaser - 2nd Place
Mike Martin - 3rd Place
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Tackle Shack Report A big smallmouth late in the day helped lift Steve Martin and Floyd Wolkins to the Tackle Shack Fall Brawl title on the St. Joseph River at 6 Span Bridge Saturday. The tournament drew 29 teams who also helped raise money for Toys for Tots and the Forrest River Fishing Group conducted the weigh-in. Martin and Wolkins used a mixture of A-rigs, glide baits and Chatterbaits to pocket $1,200 for first and $580 for big bass. More importantly, says Martin, it was the decisions they made. “We didn’t have the greatest starting position so we picked a spot where no one was fishing and worked that pattern in similar areas,” he says. “It worked to perfection, which usually isn’t the case. We had an 11-pound limit in the first hour. We upgraded a few times by fishing bigger baits and Floyd wanted to try one more spot. I jumped on the back of the boat and hurled my A-rig over a nearby hole. That’s when the big one hit.” That smallmouth weighed 4.50 – huge for the St. Joseph River – and they culled out a 2 ½ pounder. They went back to the ramp and loaded early, knowing they were in good position to do well. Kevin Miller and his son Trevor finished second with 10.62 pounds, good for $800. “We culled once in the first hour and never upgraded the rest of the day,” said Kevin. “We focused on 3 to 5 feet of water. Baits that did the most damage were swimbaits and Senkos.” Lee Duracz and Terry Burgess used a mixture of baits to finish third ($550) with 10.24 pounds. “Our first fish was the biggest and it was caught on topwater,” offers Duracz. “The second was in a current seam on a Ned rig, third was caught on a Ned under a dock, and the fourth was under a dock on a wacky worm. Every fish was about an hour apart - just slow & steady.“ Dominick Tirotta and James Siguenza finished fourth ($350) with 8.50 pounds. “We started fishing for largemouth, but they weren’t cooperating, so locked in on throwing swimbaits up against the bank,” explains Tirotta. “The key for us was just covering a ton of water.”
Steve Martin and Floyd Wolkins - 1st Place
In the Money
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MLF Report Major League Fishing (MLF) announced the 2025 schedules and rules for the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI and the Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse seasons. Both circuits offer prizes, scholarships and advancement opportunities to the 2025 Toyota Series Championship for qualified teams, and for college anglers, a shot to compete against the world’s best pros for a $300,000 top prize at REDCREST 2026. “This is always one of the most exciting days of the year for MLF – when we get to roll out our College Fishing and High School Fishing schedules for the coming year,” said Kevin Hunt, MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations for College and High School Fishing. “Our 2025 schedule is one of the best we’ve ever offered and we’re really looking forward to making a return to some great, historical fisheries next season. Kentucky-Barkley Lakes, for example: After a successful Tackle Warehouse Invitational event there this year, we’re extremely excited to bring our college and high school fishing teams back to our ‘home’ waters in Kentucky next March. The 2025 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing schedule consists of six qualifying tournaments around the country, culminating in the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Lowrance on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. The top 15% of teams from each event will advance to the 2026 College Fishing National Championship. The 2025 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing circuit will feature teams competing in five Opens, held in conjunction with Abu Garcia College Fishing events to allow students and parents to network with prospective college representatives during the event. Abu Garcia High School Fishing Opens are two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12, and open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF)-affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10% of teams in each tournament advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Starting in 2025, all boats across all MLF circuits will be limited to the use of two forward-facing or 360-degree sonar transducers in any combination. Additionally, no bow-mounted screen may extend vertically more than 18 inches off the surface of the front deck at its highest point when the boat is on plane, and no screen mounted at the console may extend vertically more than 25 inches off the surface of the driver’s seat. To create a more level playing field for up-and-coming student anglers and reinforce the learning of traditional bass-fishing techniques, use of forward-facing and 360-degree sonar will not be allowed in Abu Garcia High School Fishing competition. Its use will not, however, be restricted during practice. Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI Schedule: Abu Garcia High School Fishing Opens Presented by Tackle Warehouse Schedule: For complete rules and details for the 2025 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI circuit, click here. For complete rules and details for the 2025 Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse circuit, click here. Entries for both circuits will be accepted starting December 9. Students can enter online at MajorLeagueFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000.
Feb. 14
Lake Seminole
Bainbridge, GA
March 7
Grand Lake
Grove, OK
March 28
Kentucky-Barkley Lake
Gilbertsville, KY
April 9-11
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP at Wheeler Lake
Decatur, AL
Sept. 14
Potomac River
Marbury, MD
Sept. 19
Lake of the Ozarks
Osage Beach, MO
Oct. 24
Lake Hartwell
Anderson, SC
Feb. 15
Lake Seminole
Bainbridge, GA
March 8
Grand Lake
Grove, OK
March 29
Kentucky-Barkley Lake
Gilbertsville, KY
June 25-28
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP at Grand Lake
Grove, OK
Sept. 20
Lake of the Ozarks
Osage Beach, MO
Oct. 25
Lake Hartwell
Anderson, SC