Manistee Lake, a 930 acre lake, is located in Manistee, Michigan roughly at the junction of US 31 and M 55. We will be launching from East Lake Park, sometimes called "Pennys Park." Weigh-in will be at 3:00. Manistee is known for its sunken slap piles and submerged pilings so please be careful as you travel on the lake. Know where you are at! Be sure to care for your fish. You are penalized for dead fish. There is a seven fish limit in all of the Tear Drop events.
The hosts for the Pop Brown Manistee Lake Classic are The Nah-Tah-Ka and on Big Bass and Loon Lake. Another of our fine supporters in Manistee is Manistee Tire Service, 74 Division St., Manistee. Call them at 231-723-9941and they can hook you up with a new set of tires and or do front end suspension work for you. The House of Flavors (Click on this link for a coupon.)is located on US 31 right at the channel bridge leading out of Lake Manistee. It is well known for its ice cream, and also has great food. You can dock your boat after a morning of fishing Manistee and walk up the steps to get breakfast, and then come back in the afternoon for their ice cream.
Sunday, June 1, 2003 dawned sunny and albeit cool early, it was a great Michigan Spring day. The temperatures would rise into the 70's and the 10 -20 mph wind would strain the trolling motors just a bit, but living was great and the fishing... well was easy. The 24 Tear Drop anglers would begin their 2003 season fishing Manistee Lake, a favorite of "Pop Brown" whom the tournament is dedicated to. Mr. Richard "Pop" Brown was a long time resident of Lake County and lived just a stones throw from Big Bass Lake. He was the first local resident to buy a bass boat and for many years was instrumental in organizing and promoting bass fishing in the area. Pop was a warm, congenial man who always had a smile and a kind word for everyone he met. Whenever a Manistee smallmouth hits a topwater bait Pop is surely smiling down and enjoying the moment. He loved to fish Manistee and was an expert at conjuring those bronzebacks into exploding on one of his old devil horses. We miss you Pop and thanks for the memories. There was no firing off to your favorite honey hole Sunday because of a thick pea soup fog. The boats meander as best they could to a starting spot fairly close to the Stronach Ramp. The winners at the end of the day had their limit early fishing right across from the launch. Several boats did real well off the slab piles at Martin/Marietta. While the fog hung the topwater bite was good. As the sun burned through, the bite got a lot tougher. Grubs, soft plastics, and spinnerbaits seem to prevail under the bluebird skies. A few anglers found success bed fishing, but it was primarily a prespawn presentation pattern. Reeling in the $600 firt place money, and two catfish dinners from the Na-Tah-Ka was the "Bass Lake Boys" Josh Meyers and Matt Hoogerhyde. These two young men grew up watching the originals like Pop and Matt "Big Bass" Roark bring in their sacks of fish to the weighins on Big Bass Lake and spent hours in their row boats and on the ice perfecting what now has become a winning edge in the bass tournaments they enter. They have become the third generation of local tournament anglers and represent themselves very well against the old timers that they compete against. They brought in 7 fish weighing 19.5625 lbs to win the 2003 inagural Tear Drop event. Coming in second and taking home $300 were the "Cops on the Block" Track n' Trail team of Steve Block and Don Fowler. They also weighed a limit tipping the scales at 17.9375 lbs. Third place went to the Bear Lake duo of Dan Chapman and Dan Hamilton. Their limit of 17.375 lbs. won them $180. Fourth place was the father son team of Nathan and Dan Shine. Despite motor trouble and having to be towed by the Coast Guard this Hudsonville team weighed a limit of 16.5 lbs. Fifth place went to the Manistee team of Leon Sherman and Mark Gutowski. They gave 7 fish a ride to the scales which stretched the old spring scale out to 15.875 lbs. Big Bass of the tournament was caught by the team of Chris Mieras and Doug Ward and garnered that pot of $240. Two Diawa rods for second place big bass went to the Newaygo team of Gary and Kevin Palmiter.
Sunday, July 9, the Tear Drop Anglers were negotiating the slab piles on Manistee Lake looking to reel in a few bass to bring to the scales in this the eight annual Pop Brown Manistee Lake Classic. There were 26 boats carrying 52 anglers, many of whom came in disappointed in what the lake was to offer up to them. In Sunday's event, there were only 25 fish caught. Needless to say it was a tough day on the water. The weather had warm after a cool windy week before the tournament. After the morning fog blew off, it was a hot, get yourself a sunburn, day. Negotiating the morning fog to catch three quick topwater smallies was the father and son team from Hudsonville, Dan and Nathan Shine. Adding one more 2:00 fish on a grub, the Shine's brought in 9 lbs. 3 oz. of fish to win $650, a $50 gift certificate and boat oil from this week's host R.H. Electric and Pennzoil. Second place with 3 fish weighing 5 lbs. 12 oz.. went to the ³Bass Lake Boys² Josh Meyers and Matt Hoogerhyde. Matt and Josh also found fish on top and used a reliable smallmouth bait, the tube, to catch their fish. They now have $325, Pennzoil boat oil, and a $25 gift certificate to augment their fishing stash to help in their quest for angler of the year. They currently are in third place 8 lbs. back of the leading team of VanderHoning and Gross. Leon Sherman of Manistee and Mark Gutowski of Lansing gave a couple of smallmouth, which weighed 4 lbs. and 7 oz., a ride in their aerated livewell to the Penny Park weigh-in. They won $195, Pennzoil products, and two fish dinners from the Na-Tah-Ka on Big Bass Lake. The Newaygo team of Roger and Gary Palmiter caught two fish which won them fourth place money of $65, Pennzoil boat products, and a $25 gift certificate. Fifth place went to the law enforcement team of Steve Block of Manistee and Don Fowler of Cadillac. The weighed in two fish to take home $65, Pennzoil boat products, and a $25 gift certificate. Big bass of the tournament was caught by the father son team from Nashville, MI, Mike Hill Sr. and Jr. Their smallmouth nudged out the second place big bass caught by the Shine team by just one ounce. The big bass pot was was worth $260 and a $30 Tinyıs Trading Post gift certificate. The two Mitchell rods for second place big bass went to Dan and Nathan Shine. There was a tie for the third place big bass and the coin flip went to the father son team of Dan Warner Sr. and Jr. giving them a $30 gift certificate.
This year marks the seventh Pop Brown event on Manistee. Dick "Pop" Brown was a smallmouth wizard. He was as adept as they come at coaxing up big smallies with his assortment of topwater baits. He had a special chugger and loved to fish devil horses. Manistee and Big Bass Lakes were his favorite haunts and whenever the Tear Drop anglers fish these lakes we like to pay homage to our old friend "Pop" Brown.
Sixty-two fish were weighed in this year weighing 129.75 lbs. First place went to the Supreme Lure team of Dave Fowler and Ron Hicks for 8 fish weighing 16 lbs. 9 oz. Coming in second with 5 fish weighing 11 lbs. and 15 oz. was Steve Wever and Gary Dugan. Third place went to the "Bear Lake Boys" Dan Chapman and Dan Hamilton with 6 fish weighing 11 lbs. and 9 oz. Dave McKellar Jr. and Sr. took the four place check with 5 fish weighing 8 lbs. and 11 oz. There was a 4 way tie for fifth place and big fish breaks the tie. Dan Shine and son Nathan took fifth place and second big bass with a 3 lb. 7 oz. largemouth. Big Bass honors went to the Petterson Well Drilling and Borema Blohm team of Rick Skinner and Nathan Stewart for a 3 lb. 11oz. smallmouth. Spinnerbaits, topwater plugs, grubs and a brown lizard seemed to be the most productive baits.
Last year's tournament on Manistee started out in a pea soup fog. By mid morning it had burned off and brought high bluebird skies and a stiff breeze which seem to send the smallmouth deep and tight to cover. Fishing that tight stuff was Lee Whipple and Tom Jennings. They won the event with 8 fish settling out at 17 lbs. Big bass of the tournament was a 3.5 lb. largemouth caught by Tom Jennings. Manisttee only gave up 35 fish that July 11th day, proving to be a tough body of water when the sun is bright and the winds a blowin.
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