Casting Couples Report
Teams new to Casting Couples made a big impression at Gull Lake a week ago.
Travis and Reagan Terry (Kalamazoo) - 1st Place
The father/daughter team of Travis and Reagan Terry (Kalamazoo) was the only team with a limit, catching five weighing 12.33 pounds to win $215. They used drop shot rigs and jigs in 30 feet of water.
Jake and Stephanie Lisenko (South Bend) - 2nd Place
Second place ($110) went to Jake and Stephanie Lisenko (South Bend) with three bass weighing 5.70 pounds. They also used drop-shots.
Kate and John Sohlden (Midwest, Mich.) - 3rd Place
Kate and John Sohlden (Midwest, Mich.) were third ($60) with two fish weighing 4.44 pounds. They used Yamamoto grubs in 15 feet.
Joe and Amy Fedewa (Lansing, Mich.) - Big Bass
Big bass ($55) went to Joe and Amy Fedewa (Lansing, Mich.) with a 3.04 pound largemouth caught with a topwater on the first cast of the morning.
Casting Couples will host an open tournament (any pairings to include two men or couples) Saturday on Diamond Lake. Entry fee is $50, Contact Rick Kedik, 269-240-4917.
Arjay’s Report
Louie Stout and Jeremy Bunnell 1st Place
Jeremy Bunnell and Louie Stout broke out of a season-long slump this week by winning Arjay’s Wednesday League season finale on Klinger Lake.
The Wild Minnow Bait winners had a limit that weighed 9.92 pounds anchored by the Tackle Shack Big Bass, a 2.74-pound smallmouth. They fished Texas-rigged plastics in 22 to 26 feet of water to win.
Steve and Amy Martin - 2nd Place
Scott Carpenter and Brandon Flowers - 3rd Place
Steve and Amy Martin were second with an 8.86-pound limit while Scott Carpenter and Brandon Flowers were third with 8.02 pounds.
Junior Yoder and Eddie (no last name provided) finished fourth with 8 pounds while Doug and Eric Sanderson were fifth with 7.74 pounds.
Ryan Hershberger and Dale Raber took home the Clear H2o first out of money prize with 7.66 pounds. Mark Gunthorpe and Josh Roberts won the Jaywalkers second out of money award with 7.17 pounds and Mike and Mark Oldenberg the Michiana Outdoors News third out of money prize with 7 pounds.
The Pigeon Inn Junk Fish prize went to the Oldenbergs with a rock bass weighing 0.84 pounds.
Those that qualified for the Classic will compete at Gull Lake Sept. 12.
Best Catch Report
The Best Catch Couples Circuit ran into a very stubborn fishery at the Barbee Chain last weekend.
Craig and Heather Fannin - 1st Place
However, Craig and Heather Fannin managed to figure something out and caught the only limit. It weighed 8.01-pounds and included the tournamentÃs biggest bass, a 2.09 pounder.
Mark and Bobbie Flotow - 2nd Place
Chuck and Emily Sidwell - 3rd Place
Mark and Bobbie Flotow were second with 4.02 pounds while Chuck and Emily Sidwell only had one fish for 1.14 pounds that was good enough for third place.
The few that were brought to the scales were caught near weeds on worms and jigs.
Best Catch Couples will end their season with the Classic Event at Muskegon Lake September 13th.
Arjays Report
Ben Harrison and TJ Reed - 1st Place
Ben Harrison and TJ Reed blew away the rest of the Arjays Wednesday nighter field with 15.96 pounds on Clear Lake this week.
The winners fished deep weed edges, catching fish 15 to 18 feet on crankbaits, drop shots and jigs.
Steve and Amy Martin - 2nd Place
Steve and Amy Martin were second with 9.48 pounds while Ryan Hershberger and Dale Raber were third with 7.94 pounds. Steven Wickey and Jeremiah Yoder were fourth with 7.04 pounds and Sawyer and Travis Brown fifth with 6.64 pounds.
Wickey and Yoder also won the big bass pot with a 4.16-pound largemouth.
Winning other prizes were Robert Hagen and Brandon Kauffman, Clear H2o Tackle first out of the money, with 5.22 pounds; Scott Carpenter and Brandon Flowers, Jaywalkers second out of money, 5.18 pounds; Ryan Miller and Chris Bundy, Michiana Outdoors News third out of money, 3.94 pounds; and Hershberger and Raber, junk fish, with a 6 pound pike.
By Jody White - FLW News
Michigan’s Ron Nelson Adds FLW Angler of Year to His List of Accomplishments/p>
Winning the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year title is no mean feat, but Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich. made it look easy this year.
Finishing 11th or better in the first three events at Sam Rayburn, the Harris Chain and Lake Martin, the Michigan pro kept it rolling in the second phase of the season when the Super Tournaments started. At Chickamauga he made the cut and finished 41st, then finished 12th at the Mississippi River and locked up the title by making the top 50 (currently in 18th place) at Lake Erie. For his win, Nelson will get his 2021 Pro Circuit entry fees paid, as well as a nice piece of hardware for his mantle.
Nelson has an unimpeachable record, having won the Polaris Rookie of the Year title in his first year as a pro and owning three Toyota FLW Series wins.
Now, with the AOY win under his belt, he’s cemented himself as one of the hottest and best anglers in the country, but he’s not going to be taking a break anytime soon.