Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
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SW Kayak League Report
SW Kayak League Big Fish - Fishers Lake
Mike Inman and Kevin Hopson fought strong winds and skipped their way to respective first and second places at Sunday afternoon’s Topwater Series SW Kayak League tournament at Fishers Lake near Three Rivers.
While spending the majority of their time skipping soft plastics under pontoons and piers, both anglers also coincidentally upgraded with reaction baits. Inman caught the 20-inch Ketch Big Bass of the contest from lily pads on a white Z-Man chatterbait and Hopson upgraded a couple of his fish with a spinnerbait.
Inman, of Grand Rapids, won his second event after taking the league’s season opener on Juno Lake in September. Sunday, his 75.75 inches outdistanced 12 other contestants. He said he skipped docks with a Neko-rigged Zoom Speed Craw and a Ned rig. First place paid $190 and big bass was worth an additional $35.
Hopson made his third straight podium finish after winning contests at Corey and Magician. He said he skipped a Missile PB&J Ned Bomb on a 1/15-ounce jighead. He totaled 69.25 inches and won $90.
Finishing third was Eric Musselman, Kalamazoo, who accumulated 63.5 inches with a drop-shot purple Roboworm on breaks, and a wacky-rigged 4-inch Yum Dinger (watermelon/red flake) around weeds on Fishers’ expansive flats.
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Casting Couples Report
Casting Couples lucked out with a beautiful weather day at Crooked Lake near Petoskey, Mich. There was zero wind and bluebird sky's for most of the day which made the morning fog set in heavily Saturday morning. There was a thirty minute fog delay.
Loren and Carrie Crosbie - 1st Place
That delay didn’t hurt Loren and Carrie Crosbie, who have placed second in the last four Casting Couples Classic's but this time they went home as winners.
The Crosbie's looked for gravel to chase Smallmouth all-day long. They used Ned rigs and tube baits to catch 19.76 pounds and the biggest bass of the day with a 5.48-pound smallmouth. They earned $800 for first and $50 for big bass plus a $25 Gift Certificate to Clear H2O.
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SW Kayak League Report
Russell E. Wilson of Schoolcraft, Mich. outdistanced seven other contestants who fished the Topwater SW Kayak League event last weekend on Klinger Lake.
M. Pierce Custom Lures Stink CrawDealing with intermittent rain and strong winds, Wilson switched between a wacky-rigged, 5-inch Stink-O and a Gika-rigged 4-inch Stink Craw, both from Michigan-based M. Pierce Custom Lures. Wilson sorted through more than 20 bass and ultimately submitted 75.25 inches.
M. Pierce Custom Lures 5“I mainly used the Stink-O in green pumpkin with black flake under docks and on isolated weed patches in 5 to 6 feet of water,” Wilson said. Many of his keepers came from the Klinger Lake Marina and west end of the lake. He won $130 for first place and $30 for his 16-inch big bass.
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MLF Report
Major League Fishing announced today the schedule, rules, payouts and entry dates for the 2023 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine, offering weekend anglers the opportunity to advance to the prestigious All-American, Toyota Series Championship and new in 2023, REDCREST – the Bass Pro Tour Championship.
The Hoosier Division schedule is April 22, Lake Monroe; May 20, Patoka Lake; June 17, Ohio River at Tanners Creek; July 8, Ohio River at Rocky Point; and Aug . 26-27, Ohio River, Tanners Creek.
The Michigan Division will be fished all at the Detroit River. Those dates are July8, July 22, Aug. 12, Aug. 26 and Sept. 23-24.
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SMAC Report
Dan Baerwald and Kyle Leamer - 1st Place
Dan Baerwald and Kyle Leamer fished A-rigs to catch 28.61 pounds over two days on Walloon Lake to win the Southwest Michigan Anglers Club (SMAC) Classic last weekend.
The winners also had big bass on Day 2, with a 3.92-pounds smallmouth. They used A-rigs in 12-20 feet both days to catch their winning bags of fish. They won $1,025 for first, $50 for having the big bass the second day. They also won a rod and reel donated by Michiana Outdoors News for having the big bass of the tournament.
Billy Mathews and Kris Iodice - 2nd Place
Billy Mathews and Kris Iodice were second with 28.46 pounds. They fished bladed jigs and A-rigs in 10-30 feet to get the finicky smallmouth to bite.
Calab Vanderyden and Dylan Hurst - 3rd Place
Calab Vanderyden and Dylan Hurst finished third with 25.19 pounds. They used spinnerbaits and A-rigs in 12 feet to anchor down their bags of fish.