With the extended summer-like conditions in Michigan, anglers were glad to receive some true fall weather to welcome in the Semi-Final on the Halfmoon Chain of Lakes. As the anglers launched their boats into the brisk air, they knew that it would take a big bag of bass to emerge victorious over the two-day competition.
Day 1 saw cloudy skies with some wind, but the fishing seemed to be hit or miss for the anglers. The biggest bag of day 1 was brought in by boater Rylan Hamlin with a total of 5 bass for 17.73 and also the largest bass of the day with a 5.12 largemouth. The largest bag on the co-angler side was Nick Ireland with 4 bass for 6.57. The largest bass on the co-angler side was hoisted up by Rodney Craft with a 3.21 largemouth, which ultimately held for both days.
Perhaps it was fate that both the boater and co angler leaders after day 1 ended up being paired together for Day 2, as they kept the heat on the competition and at the end of day 2 both Rylan Hamlin and Nick Ireland were crowned the victors! Rylan had an amazing day 2 on the water with a 5 fish total of 20.39, anchored by the overall big bass of the event, a 6.23 Michigan behemoth largemouth! That brought Rylan’s two-day total to 38.12, a commanding victory! Rylan said the key to his success was noting the drop in water temp overnight, changing tactics from more of a bait focused pattern, to running some of his old honey holes until he found the mega school on a hard spot.
On the co side, Nick held off the competition in a true nail biter, winning by just .11 of a lb. His Day 2 bag included 2 bass for a total of 2.41, combined for a total weight of 8.98 lbs. His key to success was also adapting to the conditions each day and maximizing on all of the bites he got. Congratulations to all of the competitors in the 2025 Michigan Semi-Final!
