Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
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MLF Report
Matthew Davis of Morenci, Mich. and Sam Shoemaker of Martinsville, Ind. - 1st Place
The Adrian College duo of Matthew Davis of Morenci, Mich. and Sam Shoemaker of Martinsville, Ind., won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Erie last week with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces. The victory earned the Bulldogs’ bass club $2,000 and a slot in the 2023 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
The Western Michigan team of Branden Burrill, Galesburg, Mich., and John Simmons, Kalamazoo, was third with 18-9.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of wind (Friday), and that kind of scared us,” said Adrian’s Shoemaker. “But when we got out there, there was still a little bit of chop to the water. On one of the first couple of pitches, Matt hooked up on one right underneath the boat. It came up to the surface and jumped, and I don’t know if there was a nick in the line or what, but it snapped off. That fish was every bit of four pounds.”
The Bulldog team didn’t let that rocky start faze them, and they continued to focus on their game plan – using their Garmin LiveScope to toss baits at boulders in 16 to 24 feet of water in the Middle Bass Island part of Lake Erie. Davis said he threw a Ned rig with a green pumpkin Z-Man TRD, while Shoemaker used the same bait on a drop-shot rig. Their tactics resulted in seven smallmouth during the course of the tournament. Davis said they caught all of their fish between noon and 2:30 p.m.
“We went and fished a couple of other areas, but for some reason, that spot was just a gut feeling. It was calling our name,” Shoemaker said. “We caught a lot of drum and catfish, but once we caught some brown fish in between, it gave us the confidence to stay in that area and put our nose to the grindstone and try to make something happen.”
Davis said the key to their victory was moving into shallower water. He said the bright sun was moving smallmouth into the 16-foot range to hold on large boulders.
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Kayak League Report
Kevin Hopson of Crooked Lake, Ind. - 1st Place
Kevin Hopson of Crooked Lake, Ind., culled up to 66 inches of bass to win the season opener of the Topwater Series SW Kayak League on Corey and Harwood lakes Sunday afternoon.
He topped 15 other kayak anglers by skipping a PB&J-color Missile Ned Bombs rigged on a 1/8-ounce Woo Tungsten Ned Head under pontoons and docks. He said he also caught fish by swimming the small soft plastic lure in shallow water between docks. He caught more than 30 bass in the four-hour contest. First place paid $220.
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SMAC Report
Chuck Powell and Louie Stout - 1st Place
Chuck Powell and Louie Stout needed a pair of four pounders to squeak out a narrow victory in the Southwest Michigan Anglers Club Tourney on Juno Lake Sunday.
The duo had a limit weighing 13.69 pounds that included the big bass of the tournament, a 4.35-pound largemouth. The winners used jigs and drop-shot rigs in 6 to 12 feet of water to catch the winning bag of fish.
Pat Pilmore and Brent Burgess - 2nd Place
Pat Pilmore and Brent Burgess just missed winning, as their five weighed 13.62 pounds, which also included a 4 pounder. They fished jigs in 15 feet to anchor down second place.
Trevor Paulas and Brad Sterling - 3rd Place
Trevor Paulas and Brad Sterling were third with five weighing 12.33 pounds. They fished jigs in 6-10 feet.
Jerkbaiters Joe Sears and Eben Lambert finished fourth with 9.95 pounds. They fished jerkbaits in 2 - 6 feet to pocket the last paying spot.
The 17 participating teams carried 11 limits to the scales. The 56 fish weighed in totaled 107.39 pounds.
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LMBT Report
Jerry and Doug Roher - 1st Place
Jerry and Doug Roher fished shallow at Diamond Lake to win the Little Money Bass Tournament (LMBT) last weekend.
The Rohers had 11 pounds 7 ounces, caught on jigs and Senkos in shallow water.
Amy and Steve Martin - 2nd Place
Amy and Steve Martin were second with 10-4. They fished deep with drop-shot rigs and tube baits.
Jim Clark and Josh Groning - 3rd Place
Jim Clark and Josh Groning finished third with 10-2. They used Senkos in weeds.
The big bass pot went to Kent and Dave Dowden with a largemouth weighing 4 pound, 8 ounces. It was caught on a John Miller custom stick worm.
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Gary Butcher and Scott Smith - 1st Place
Gary Butcher and Scott Smith won the Arjay’s weeknighter at Clear Lake last week.
Butcher and Smith had a limit weighing 11.26 pounds. They also secured Tackle Shack LLC Big Bass Pot with a largemouth weighing 4.44 pounds.