Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
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Lake Drive Marine in Coldwater, Mich. will again sponsor two Indy League Fishing (IFL) Select Series this season.
The Select Series utilize the Major League Fishing format with one angler per boat and an official who weighs each fish and records its weight before it must be released. Anglers can catch as many fish as they want within the scheduled time frames.
Each field consists of a maximum of 24 anglers who are divided into two groups of 12. There are two qualifying rounds and six from each qualifier advance to the championship.
Locations of each series won’t be announced until the morning of the event. Anglers will meet at a nearby location and caravan to the lake.
Entry fee is $260 per angler which covers a qualifying round and a championship if that angler advances. The championship pays four places, with $4,500 for first, assuming the qualifying rounds are filled.
Lake Drive events will be held on Michigan waters. The first series’ qualifying rounds are April 27-28 with the championship June 23.
The second series’ qualifying rounds will be July 20-21 with the championship July 28.
Winners of each Series Championship earn berths into the Kahlo Kup.
For more information and entry forms, visit www.indyleaguefishing.com.
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By Louie Stout
Got your tournament schedule set for next year? We want to know about it.
Our Lake Drive Marine Events Calendar has become the No. 1 spot anglers visit when looking for events on Michiana lakes. Get yours posted there as soon as possible so anglers can plan ahead. It also helps groups avoid multiple tournament conflicts on a given lake.
Send your tournament information to stoutoutdoors@comcast.net. We cannot work from facebook links - we need your tournament information emailed!
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MDNR Report
Starting Jan. 1, all bass and walleye fishing tournaments, as well as competitive fishing events targeting muskellunge, must be registered in the DNR's Michigan Fishing Tournament Information System, available online. These events must report their results, too.
The inclusion of walleye and muskie adds to the statewide registration and reporting requirements for bass fishing tournaments that have been in place since 2016.
Tournament and event directors are required to register and report using the Fishing Tournament Information System. The DNR has worked the last 10 months to overhaul the system in order to accommodate the new requirements. That system now is operational and currently accepting 2019 registrations.
“This is an important step in gaining a better understanding of what competitive walleye and muskellunge fishing means to angling, conservation and Michigan’s economy,” said Tom Goniea, a fisheries biologist and the DNR’s tournament fishing specialist. “To date, the Fishing Tournament Information System has been a tremendous success, receiving more than 2,000 bass tournament registrations and reports. We expect a smooth transition to include a couple hundred annual walleye and muskellunge events.”
For more information, including definitions explaining the difference between a fishing tournament and a competitive fishing event, visit the system site at michigan.gov/fishingtournaments. Questions? Contact Tom Goneia at 517-284-5830.
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Jeremy Bunnell and Lee Duracz - 1st Place
The Polar Bear Circuit held its final event of the year at Duke’s Bridge last Sunday where Jeremy Bunnell and Lee Duracz took home first place, and over $400, with their five largest bass weighing in at 13.48 pounds.
The weather could not have been much better for late-November and that was a big reason this event drew 16 teams. Duke’s Bridge did not disappoint in regards to the fishing either. Not only were the bass results very favorable, but there were very large fish of other species caught as well.
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Gipson/Noe Win Polar Bear Shootout at Maxinkuckee
The Polar Bear Circuit held its third open event of the year Nov. 17 at Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver, Ind. where Tom Noe and John Gipson took home the top honors, along with over $200, for their efforts that day.
The conditions were a bit dreary for the event, but considering the typical weather patterns in Michiana in late fall, the participants couldn’t have asked for a much better day to fish. The bass seemed to agree as well and were definitely biting, as almost every team brought a limit in to the scales.
Noe and Gipson not only took home first place with an outstanding bag weighing in 14.74 pounds, but they also capture the Big Bass of the day that weighed 3.76 pounds.