Event Overview

The District 17 semifinals were held on Lake Winnipesaukee under frigid conditions, with temperatures starting at a brisk 38°F. Despite the cold, the competition was intense and produced impressive results from both Angler and Co-angler divisions.

Angler Division Highlights

John Levesque dominated the Angler division, leading the tournament from start to finish. On day one, he brought in a bag weighing 15.37 lbs. He followed up with an outstanding performance on day two, landing 21.22 lbs of largemouth bass. His two-day total of 36.59 lbs secured a commanding victory, finishing 9 lbs ahead of his closest competitor.

Co-Angler Division Results

The Co-angler competition was much closer. Brayden Antosiewicz narrowly edged out Jeff Peron by just 0.16 ounces, with a winning total of 22.84 lbs. The tight race showcased the high level of competition among the co-anglers.

Winners by State

• NH Angler: John Levesque
• NH Co-angler: Brayden Antosiewicz
• Maine Angler: Anthony Gelardi
• Maine Co-angler: Zack Morris

Conclusion

The event on Lake Winnipesaukee tested anglers with cold weather and tough competition. Congratulations to all winners, especially John Levesque and Brayden Antosiewicz for their outstanding performances. The Ranger Cup winner was Nick Deering with a two day total of 24.42 lbs.

South Dakota Bass Federation hosted District 8 Semi-Finals on Lake Oahe north of Pierre
South Dakota. Day 1 was an exciting day, with almost a half a dozen small mouth bass weighing
in at over 5 pounds and another 2 fish over 6 pounds. We did however have mixed results with
some only weighing 1 or 2 fish. Our biggest bag of the event came across the scales at 27.55
pounds with Travis Seitzinger fishing for South Dakota. On the co-anglers’ side we had similar
results with a wide range of weights. With the top co-angler weight belonging to Jason Kushlan
at 16.78 pounds.

On day 2 some boats said the bite was firing up while others had similar success on the scale
overall weights were down from day 1. Having only around 4 or 5 fish across the scale at four
pounds with one fish almost toughing 6 pounds weighed by Joe Paulson at 5.98 pounds.
On the boaters side Nebraska angler Logan Greeno was the only one to crack 20 pounds with
a weight of 21.03 pounds . On the co-angler side results were very similar to day one with the
biggest co-angler bag belonging to Jeff Siepker at 19.78 pounds. In calculating event results 4
out of the top 5 boater spots belonged to South Dakota. With Seitzinger leading the way with a
two-day today of 45.41 pounds.The weather was gorgeous and the water was like glass most of
the weekend.

Saturday morning started with 47 boats from West Virginia and Virginia. Water conditions on the Ohio River were unusually clear with minimum current, with water temperatures running in the upper seventies. These conditions are unusual for fishing on the Ohio River for late September. Fishing conditions were tough for most anglers, but some of our local fisherman figured it out. We only had four anglers that caught five fish limits both days. The overall champion caught limits both days, for a total of 20.92 pounds, and the runner-up caught eight fish for two days, with the largest bag for the tournament weighing 12.08 pounds on the second day.

Special thanks to Scott Whitmore, President of the Virginia Bass Federation, for bringing a great bunch of anglers to West Virginia. Fishing was tough, but a good time and great fellowship were had by all.

The 2025 District 4 MS TBF Semi-Finals was held on September 6-7, 2025 on Columbus Lake at the Columbus Marina in Columbus MS.  Hosted by The Columbus-Lowndes Convention & Visitors Bureau.    Qualified anglers and co-anglers competed for the opportunity to advance to The 2026 TBF National Championship.  On Day One anglers had storms come in during the morning hours then clear skies to finish up the afternoon.  On Day two anglers were met with strong winds, clouds and a cold front which made for a very interesting turn of events.

After two days of competition Marion Hill with a two-day total of 23.58 is the 2025 Dist. 4 MS National Semi-Finals Champion Boater.  Marion Hill will represent Mississippi at the 2026 National Championship.  Finishing second was Justin Mckee with a two-day total of 17.64.  Finishing third was Timmy Ming with a two-day total of 16.93 pounds, fourth was Blake Duncan with a two-day total of 11.79 pounds, fifth was Dale Main with a two-day total of 11.42 pounds, and sixth was Drew Gideon with a two-day total of 11.41 pounds.

On the co-angler side Randy Howell with a two-day total of 15.76 is the 2025 Dist. 4 MS National Semi-Finals Champion Co-Angler and will represent Mississippi at the 2026 National Championship.  Finishing second was Devin Hopper with a two-day total of 10.40 pounds.  Finishing third was John Moody with a two-day total of 8.81 pounds. Finishing fourth was Scott Kirk with a two-day total of 8.04 pounds, fifth was Troy Ladner with a two-day total of 7.30 pounds and sixth was Terry Arnsdorff with a two-day total of 7.22 pounds.

Big Fish for Day 1 Boater was 3.06 pounds caught by Marion Hill and Day 1 Co-angler was 3.95 pounds caught by Joe Frierson.  Big Fish for Day 2 Boater was 5.11 pounds caught by Justin Mckee and Day 2 Co-angler 4.41 pounds caught by Buddy French.

The Mississippi Bass Federation would like to thank The Columbus-Lowndes Convention & Visitors Bureau (visitcolumbusms.org), The Columbus Marina, as well as, MS TBF’s Sponsors: Ranger Boats, Bass Pro Shop & Cabela’s, MinnKota, Humminbird, TH Marine, Strike King, Lew’s, and Power Pole.