Anglers converge on Lake St. Clair for bass tournament, $100K top prize

Chesterfield Township ― More than 100 of the best bass anglers in the world blasted out of Macomb County’s Brandenburg Park Thursday morning, looking to reel in a top prize of $100,000 for winning the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair.

The tournament is the 7th in the 9-event season, and the first time the Elite series has been back to Lake St. Clair since 2020.

Chad Pipkens, a professional angler who grew up in Holt but now lives DeWitt, is one of the tournament's competitors. He said there is no place like Lake St. Clair for fishing.

"This is some of the best small mouth fishing in the country, if not the world," said Pipkens. "It's always nice when you get a chance to fish close to home."

Pipkens encouraged others to bring friends and families to try fishing in Lake St. Clair. He said the fact that the tournament is being held here is "huge."

"We have one of the greatest natural resources that there is," he said.

The event finishes on Sunday afternoon. Anglers will weigh their biggest five fish with weigh-ins daily starting at 3 p.m. at Brandenburg Park. Weigh-ins are open to the public. After the day two weigh-in, the field will be cut to the top 50 anglers, with only 10 advancing to the Championship on Sunday. Competitors are vying for a total of over $771,000 during the event.

The field is allowed to fish Lake St. Clair, the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, the southern portion of Lake Huron and the western side of Lake Erie.

The tournament is being hosted by the Detroit Sports Commission, Macomb County and Chesterfield Township.