Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Monday, November 24, 2025
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MFL Report
Brian Souza and Ed Madison fished A-rigs and crankbaits to win the final season event for the Michiana Fishing League last weekend.
The winners had 15.28 pounds with a 4.22 kicker. They fished from 2 to 8 feet of water.
Connor Moon and Pete Johnson were second with 14.06 pounds and had the big bass of the tournament, a 5.16-pounder. They used 2K jigs on hard bottoms in 6 inches to a foot of water. They also took the critter pot with a 1-pound drum.
Third place went to John Davis and Seth Spaulding with 12.12 pounds. They fished jigs and deep diving crankbaits 10-12 feet of water.
The circuit will host its Classic championship next weekend on Spring Lake. Visit the Michiana Fishing League Facebook page for details.
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Casting Couples Report
Rain didn’t dampen the spirits of 14 Casting Couples contestants in the season finale at Magician Lake last weekend.
Loren and Carrie Crosbie took home another win ($310) with 10.44 pounds despite taking a break with two hours of fishing time left to go change into dry clothes. When they returned to the lake, they upgraded several times before the weigh-in. They used Chatterbaits, creature baits, and Ned rigs in 6 feet of water.
Second place was won by Scott and Patty Smith with 9.78 pounds; they fished drop-shot rigs in 10 feet to earn $175.
Tanner Hursh and Haley Dodd finished third ($100) with 9.44 pounds. Hursh and Dodd used drop-shot and Ned rigs in 6 feet.
Big bass of the day went to Brian and Sandy Souza with a 2.98- pound largemouth, The big bass pot and fourth place earned them $65. They caught their 9.28 pounds by fishing tube jigs.
The Casting Couples Classic will be at Walloon Lake Oct. 4.
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Arjay’s Report
Man, you talk about a close finish! It doesn’t get much closer than what the Arjay’s Classic experienced at Paw Paw Lake on Saturday.
Not only was it close, but tournament director Steve Martin said that forward facing sonar, which historically a huge player offshore on that lake, wasn’t a factor at all. Only a few smallmouth were weighed in.
“The top seven teams were all fishing docks and weeds in water 6 feet or less,” he said. “Everyone was fishing either jigs or wacky worms.”
The technique paid off for Noah Chambers and Jacob Meeker who won with 16.86 pounds.
Here are the rest of the top finishers:
Justin and Hunter Kosmerick were a hair behind at 16.84 pounds.
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B.A.S.S. Report
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. officials today unveiled the schedule for the 2026 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN, eight tournaments spread across two divisions that will challenge anglers on some of the country’s most iconic fisheries.
The Opens have long served as a proving ground for aspiring pros, and in 2026, the trail will once again deliver a diverse slate of fisheries, from Florida grass lakes to Northern smallmouth waters. As always, the stakes are high — the Opens offers competitors a pathway to qualify for the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier Series (EQs) presented by Bass Pro Shops and ultimately the upper echelon of tournament bass fishing: the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series.
Division 1 Schedule
- Jan. 29-31 — Kissimmee Chain (Kissimmee, Fla.)
- Apr. 1-3 — Lake Eufaula (Eufaula, Ala.)*
- Apr. 30-May 2 — Lake Norman (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Aug. 20-22 — Lake Erie (Buffalo, N.Y.)*
Division 2 Schedule
- Feb. 19-21 — Sam Rayburn Reservoir (Jasper, Texas)*
- Apr. 23-25 — Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees (Grove, Okla.)
- May 20-22 — Pickwick Lake (Counce, Tenn.)*
- June 18-20 — Upper Mississippi River (La Crosse, Wis.)
*Forward-facing live sonar will be permitted at these events.
To balance traditional techniques with technology innovation, B.A.S.S. announced several competition updates for 2026. Forward-facing live sonar (FFS) will be limited to two tournaments in each division. B.A.S.S. elected to rotate usage by starting one division with FFS and the other without, alternating each event from there. FFS will be allowed on Lake Eufaula and Lake Erie in Division 1 and Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Pickwick Lake in Division 2.
“Year after year, the Bassmaster Opens provide some of the most exciting and diverse competition in bass fishing,” said Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO. “With legendary stops like Sam Rayburn and Lake Erie alongside other diverse venues, this schedule ensures our anglers — and fans — will see a mix of techniques and fisheries in 2026.”
In recent years, Opens champions have gone on to make their mark on the Elite Series and the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. Easton Fothergill is the ultimate example. The young Minnesota pro won two Opens events in 2024, qualified for the Elite Series and then won the 2025 Bassmaster Classic. The 2026 slate offers anglers the same opportunity to prove their skills and take the next step in their careers.
Entries and payouts will remain consistent with 2025. However, new incentives raise the stakes: the Anglers of the Year (AOY) from each division’s St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN Divisional Angler of the Year standings and the overall Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year will earn berths into the EQs at no cost. In addition to qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic, if an angler enters all four tournaments in a division and wins one, they will also earn a guaranteed berth into the EQs.
Another important change: anglers who enter only a single event will not receive any AOY points. Only full-division participants will earn points toward the 2026 Bassmaster Opens Divisional Angler of the Year races.
There are also updates to the qualifications to the EQs. Anglers who fish all eight Opens will earn overall AOY points, with the Top 35 in those rankings receiving automatic bids to the EQs. Beyond that, the Top 50 by AOY points in each division (not including anglers who qualified through overall AOY points) will also advance, creating more paths for aspiring pros to chase Elite Series dreams.
Registration for the 2026 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN will open November 4. Details will be available on Bassmaster.com.
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MFL Report
CJ Stamm Michael and Smith put together a pretty good sack at Corey Lake over the weekend to win the Michiana Fishing League tournament.
The winners had 10.06 pounds, helped largely with a 4.70-pound kicker that also got them the big bass prize. They fished jigs around docks in 3 to 6 feet of water.
Corey continued to be stingy with its bass catches and most limits were very small. The winners persevered and things picked up later in the day.
“The bite was tough,” said Smith. “We didn’t have a keeper until around 11:30.”
John Davis and Seth Spaulding finished second with 9.28 pounds and also had a 4.70 kicker, tying them for big bass. However, the tiebreaker was total weight. They also fished jigs on docks.
Ron Spitz was third with 4.60 pounds. No photo was provided.
The critter pot was won by Logan Mullins and Chris Davis with an 8.06-pound northern pike.