Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, April 24, 2026
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Stars and Stripes Report
Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice continued their reign on Michiana waters, winning the Stars and Stripes tourney convincingly last weekend on Austin Lake.
Mathews and Iodice had 20.14 pounds by targeting shallow sand flats and docks all day.
“The smallies were cruising on the shallow sand flats and we caught fish on both Ned rigs and my 3/8 ounce BAFA Primal Jig in magic craw color,” explains Mathews. “It produced our biggest smallmouth that tipped the scales at 4.27 pounds.”
The largemouth, he said, were relating to the docks. They used the BAFA Primal jig, Senkos and Ned rigs to catch them.
Caleb Brady and Tyler Pursley were a distant second with 10.99 pounds.
Brett Gessinger and Mike VanderReyden barely missed second but wound up third with 10.94.
The next event is another open on Gull Lake July 27. The gate opens at 6 a.m. and the event will start at 6:30 or perhaps earlier if all boats are in the water. The event is scheduled to end at 2 p.m., depending upon actual starting time. Entry is $100 with an optional $20 side pot.
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Four Flags Report
Brian Bourgoin fished alone to win the Four Flags tournament a week ago on the St. Joseph River at Buchanan.
Bourgoin had five fish for 13.20 pounds. He fished jigs shallow earning $252 and also had the big bass weighing 3.68 pounds that earned him another $90.
Rick Kedik and Jake Lisenko were second with four that weighed 9.56 pounds. They caught their fish using frogs and jigs fishing shallow, winning $108.
The next Four Flags tournament is Sunday, August 10 from 6:30 - 12:30 on Van Auken Lake in Hartford Michigan.
For more info call Scott Solomon at 269-340-4757.
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Butchers Baits Report
Jeremy Siler and Brock Howell used crankbaits and jigs to catch 15.07 pounds and win the Butcher's Baits Sunday League at Portage Lake.
Blake Ruge and Rick Paradine finished second with 14.10 pounds and they also had the biggest bass with a 4.05 largemouth. Their fish were caught using soft plastics.
Third place went to Dustin Wynberg and Chad Hodge with 11.15 pounds caught “jigging.”
The next event is Sunday, July 20th at Klinger Lake from 6 a.m. - 1 p.m. Call 269-503-2706 for more information.
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MFL Report
The Michiana Fishing League’s tournament on Gull Lake near Kalamazoo was tailor-made for forward facing sonar users.
The top three places were filled by anglers fishing alone and “scoping” in deep water.
Jarrett Tighe was the eventual winner with 18.70 pounds. His biggest was a 4.38 pounder. He told tournament officials he was fishing in 75 feet of water.
Neil Vande Biezen finished second with 17.02 pounds and had big bass, a 4.40-pound kicker, and said he lost other 4 pounders that would have been difference makers. He fished in 80 feet.
John Gipson fished alone and had 16.68 pounds with a 3.68 kicker and was in the same area as Vande Biezen.
Chuck Powell and Louie Stout were the highest finishing two-man team yet were just out of the money with 15.90 pounds that included3.68-pound smallmouth. They fished skirted jigs and drop-shot rigs in 22 to 24 feet of water.
Derek Kelley and Jordan Smith won the critter pot with an 7.91-pound northern pike.
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Arjay’s Report
Jordan Smith and Derek Kelley caught the biggest bass of the night in the Arjay’s Wednesday weeknighter at Fish, Finch and Saddlebag lakes and won the event.
Big bass were elusive that night, so the winners’ 2.94-pound largemouth was big enough and helped them to a 12.40-pound limit. They skipped wacky rigs under docks.
Maynard Hochstetler and Marvin Bontrager finished second with 9.76 pounds caught on deep weed edges with jigs.
John Miller and Ashley Gibson were third with 8.78 pounds. They fished weed edges with jigs.
Fourth with a limit weighing 8.36 pounds was taken by Noah Chambers and Jacob Meeker who fished weed breaks with wacky worms and tube jigs.
The ClearH2O Tackle first out of the money prize (once again) went to Steve Martin and Josh Roberts with a limit weighing 8.34 pounds.
The Michiana Outdoors News tackle pack for sixth was won by Scott and Carrigan Carpenter with five weighing 7.62 pounds. They fished docks with wacky worms and flats with Chatterbaits.
Tim and Daisy Tucker caught h a monster pike weighing 13 pounds to win the junk fish pot.
The Str8-Up Mounts lucky dog pot was won by Ray Lohr and Charlie Fouts while the side pot winners of $50 gas cards were won by Carrigan Carpenter and Seth Spaulding.