Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
For the third straight season, the fourth stop of the National Professional Fishing League brings the anglers and their families to Bay City, Michigan for a three-day shootout on Saginaw Bay. The event kicks off on Thursday August 29 and runs through August 31 with launch at Veterans Memorial Park and weigh-ins at North Veterans Memorial Park.
In 2022, Gary Adkins outlasted the field with a smallmouth approach to earn the victory en route to securing the 2022 Progressive Angler of the Year title. Last season, the “hammer house” went one-two-three as Trent Palmer, Patrick Walters, and Mike Corbishley executed on offshore smallmouth to sweep the field.
Despite smallmouth, or mixed bags in some cases coming out on top, most of the field targeted the vast amounts of shallow vegetation for largemouth. Saginaw Bay is full of willing largemouth, which is tempting due to the addicting nature of flipping and frogging in the shallow water, and numbers of over 50 bass per day.
Todd Goade
Todd Goade was one angler who focused on a mixed bag in 2023 to earn a top ten. With Lake Huron susceptible to high winds that can wreck a plan instantly, Goade prefers having a backup plan, and the same productive areas from before are still holding quality bass.
“Last year I was catching over 75 largemouth a day,” said Goade. “But those fish are not big enough to win here; you have to have smallmouth, and that is what I am focusing on this week of practice because I know where I can go and fill in a limit shallow, or move around due to the winds.”
That said, Goade has avoided spending too much, if any, time shallow this week. With a bigger field, and more anglers exploring, the less he can be seen, the better.
“I have moved around and fished both sides of the lake. If it blows one direction or the other, I can still fish effectively and salvage my days,” he added. “There are more boats and the areas I have had success are specific places and I have learned how to get bigger fish, but I still don’t want to be seen. I have confidence in that stuff, and I am spending my practice looking for smallmouth in this one.”
Mike Corbishley
After taking his first NPFL win earlier this season on Lake Hartwell, Mike Corbishley is coming into Saginaw Bay with one goal in mind, to win another. He has already qualified for the Championship Event in 2025 and had a rough go of the first event this season which puts him down out of the Progressive AOY race.
“I have nothing to lose and I am in a situation where I can go all in on smallmouth and try to win,” said Corbishley, partway through day two of practice. “So far out here, I have not found what I am looking for, but I am staying away from my best areas during practice.”
The weather forecast will dictate what anglers can do throughout the event and how far of a run is possible to find bigger smallmouth. Corbishley knows that and is seeking out areas that are at least semi-protected for different wind directions.
“On this place, you have to prepare for every scenario,” added Corbishley. “The wind is a huge factor; I am taking that into consideration, and I feel like if I have to, I could slide up shallow and catch some, but that would be a split decision as I really want to commit to winning this event.”
Gary Adkins
As a previous winner on Saginaw Bay, Gary Adkins is not one to shy away from the big water. When he took the title in 2022, Adkins was one of few to brave the elements and make the run to the area that was kind for him over three days.
“I don’t mind the wind but sometimes the fish do, and last year I had all my eggs in one basket,” said Adkins. “This year, I am going to give myself more options and I will be able to fish on both sides of the bay depending on the conditions.”
Adkins may have finished in 59th place in 2023, but he is always a favorite when smallmouths are in play. Throughout practice, calm conditions have given more anglers a chance to explore the big lake and Adkins has noticed a fair bit more folks have abandoned the largemouth to search for smallmouth.
“I have seen a ton more boats the last two days because the bay has been virtually non-existent,” he added. “We may have some weather during the event, so we will see who sticks with, but I am definitely going to focus on smallmouth this week.”
Like the others, Adkins has a plan B, if he needs it. His confidence level is high as the weather is forecasted but he may indeed pull the plug if needed.
“I am very confident I can get bites out there but it’s different than I expected. The fish are spread out with the deeper fish acting more finicky than usual,” he added. “I like the mid and shallow depth but the fish are not on the usual stuff. If needed, I can go and catch some largemouth, but that will be an emergency this week.”
How to Watch
Tune in daily from August 29 through 31 to watch the action from Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay.
Follow along and watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers on Pickwick.
Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time leaderboard on the Weigh Live Tracker with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins, here!
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NPFL Stop #4 on Saginaw Bay is hosted by Bay City, Michigan.
