Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
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Pan American Report
2023 USA Bass Team
The USA Bass Team took home the Gold medal in the 2023 Pan American Bass Fishing Championship on Lake Hamilton in Arkansas earlier this month.
Michiana’s Ron Nelson was part of that team.
The USA team won by averaging 20 pounds, 8 ounces per team. Mexico won the Silver (16-6) and Columbia the Bronze with 12 pounds. Other teams participating were Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala and Puerto Rico.
Gold Medal Winners
USA Bass Pan American team consisted of the following pairs: Captain Scott Martin and Roland Martin, Larry Nixon and Joey Cifuentes, Hilary Martin and Justin Hamner, David Dudley and Michelle Jalaba, Tyler Rivet and Brock Mosley, Fred Roumbanis and Ron Nelson, John Cox and Keith Carson, Stephen Browning and Hannah Wesley.
The USA Bass team also took home all of the individual pair medals, led by Larry Nixon and Joey Cifuentes with Gold, Hilary Martin and Justin Hamner with Silver and Michelle Jalaba and David Dudley with Bronze.
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A-rigs, Underspin Produce Winning Sack
By Louie Stout
Mike Raber and Austin Anderson
Mike Raber and Austin Anderson came within seconds of seeing a $40,000 first-place prize slip out of their grasp in the Payback Bass Super Tournament at Lake St. Clair last weekend.
Thanks to Ohio anglers Cody Gray and Codea McCathran who hustled Raber to the weigh-in after he and Anderson ran out of gas, the Michiana team was able to get their winning bag of 24.46 pounds of smallmouth on the scales.
The duo, who fished in Lake Erie and headed back in plenty of time, miscalculated how much gas they had burned on Erie in Anderson’s 21-foot Phoenix Bass Boat.
“We took Austin’s boat instead of my Nitro because of the contingency prizes,” explained Raber. “His boat holds 50 gallons and mine holds 55 and we didn’t realize fuel would be an issue. It was a gift from God that those Ohio guys saw me waving frantically and asking for help.”
Raber said the Ohioans picked him up with 10 minutes left within a couple miles of check in.
“It was the difference between $40,000 and the worst day of our lives,” joked Raber, who promises to reward the rescuers with gear from the Tackle Shack, where he works.
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Butchers Baits Report
Kent Dowden - 1st Place
Kent Dowden did it again – fished alone and won the Butchers Baits Tournament over the weekend at Fisher’s Lake.
Dowden had 9.70 pounds that he caught on a Berkley Power Worm.
Gary Butcher and Scott Smith - 2nd Place
Gary Butcher and Scott Smith were second with 8.65 pounds of bass that they caught by using Butchers Baits stick baits.
Austin Smith and Kaleb Chester - 3rd Place
Austin Smith and Kaleb Chester had 7.68 pounds for third. They used a popper and a drop-shot rig.
Roger and Darryl Trams - Big Bass
Big Bass went to Roger and Darryl Trams with a 5.19-pound largemouth caught with a Hula Grub.
The last regular season tournament is Sunday Oct. 1 at Klinger Lake. Visit the Lake Drive Marine Events Calendar on this website for more information.
As of right now, the standings for Angler Team of the Year are Gary Butcher and Scott Smith with 73.95 pounds, Steve Martin and Josh Roberts with 64.22 pounds, and Kent Dowden with 60.36 pounds.
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BASS Report
B.A.S.S. officials have unveiled the 2024 schedule for their College, High School and Junior tournament circuits, which give thousands of young anglers a taste of high-level competition on some of the country’s best bass lakes.
The Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops recently announced a new two-division format with three tour stops each, which helps meet the booming demand for college teams to compete. There will now be more priority placed on the Bassmaster College Team of the Year standings to qualify for both the National Championship and the College Classic Bracket presented by Lew's.
“Over the past few years, college fishing has surged in popularity,” said Glenn Cale, tournament manager for the College, High School and Junior Series. “This new format opens avenues for more teams to compete while also prioritizing a team’s overall body of work throughout the season and rewarding a strong National Championship showing.”
The Legends Trail kicks off Jan. 26-27 on Lake Murray, named the country’s fourth-best bass lake on Bassmaster Magazine’s 2023 100 Best Bass Lakes list. From there, the College Series will visit Kentucky Lake April 18-19 and wrap up on Michigan’s Saginaw Bay — No. 19 in the Northeastern Division’s Best Bass Lakes list — on June 6-7.
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Tackle Shack Report
Duane Bontrager and Tyler Wingard - 1st Place
Duane Bontrager and Tyler Wingard caught 14.62 pounds to win the Tackle Shack Tournament on Coldwater and other lakes in the chain last weekend.
The winners caught their fish on drop-shot rigs in 25 to 35 feet of water.
“We caught fish all day long, but there was a bite window between 10 a.m.-noon when the bigger fish ate,” the team said. “MaxScent and ElaZtech baits were keys. We stayed on Coldwater Lake.”
Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice - 2nd Place
Bill Mathews and Kris Iodice were close to winning, finishing second with 14.26 pounds.
“We got our limit in the box pretty early,” said Mathews. “We had five within the first hour, with one of the five being our biggest fish. We caught a ton of fish throughout the day, but caught a few key culls in the last 2 hours. We were throwing a swim jig around grass in 4-10 feet. Archer and Bartholomew lakes were where we had the most success.”