Northwest Indiana Bass Club

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that Jack Neff passed away on Sunday May 24, 2026.
Jack first joined Northwest Indiana Bass Club in 1996 & 1997, left for a bit and has fished with us since 2006.
Over those 22 years, he won several events including the 1996 Classic on Grand River, 1997 Big Bass (5.72 lb. Manitou), 2010 Big Bass (5.20 lb. Paw Paw), 2011 Big Bass (5.13 lb. Sylvan Lake) and 2013 AOY.

Jack never minced words, you always knew right where you stood with him. And there was no way you would convince him to change his mind on anything. Pretty sure his photo is in the dictionary as the definition of Stubborn. However, if you needed something and he liked you, he was there to lend a hand, or tell you how you are doing it wrong. lol A staple in the club for 22 years, he will be dearly missed.

There are no services planned at this time.

Rest in peace my friend.

John Jack "Jack" Neff Obituary (2026) - Hobart, IN - Bartholomew Funeral Home - Valparaiso View John Jack "Jack" Neff's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

Wind and Rain greeted us at the Webster tournament this past Saturday.
And the bite was tough!
Taking home his 1st win for the season was John Rozgony Jr with 9.72lbs.
2nd place went to Bruce Carman with 8.95 lbs. 3rd place was Bob Mead with 8.14 lbs.
Bob also had Big Bass of the day with a 6.67 lb. CHUNK! 4th place went to Al Navardauskas.
Congratulations guys!

Our second stop of the 2026 season was on the Barbee Chain this past Saturday.
With morning temps in the low 30’s it was a brisk start to the day for the 20 anglers and 2 guests that braved the cold.

The weights were tight, with less than half a pound separating the top 3 spots.
This time it was James Carman taking 1st place AND Big Bass!
Jim’s limit of fish weighted in at 10.69 lbs. with a 4.54 lb. kicker. Congratulations Jim!
2nd place went to Craig Bubba Wiggs. Craig’s limit weighed in at 10.30 lbs. 3rd place went to Jim Lenburg with 10.23 lbs. and rounding out the top 4 was Bruce Carman with 9.65 lbs. Congratulations guys.

Special thanks to our Sponsors that support us throughout the year:
Tournament Baits – Custom, hand poured soft plastic baits made right here in NWI
Lock-n-Haul – Advanced Outboard Motor Toter – Transom Saver Replacement
X Zone Lures- A brand that can be trusted by all anglers to catch more fish
Roddick-Small (Spittin Image Jigs) – It’s all about the Bass
THE ROD GLOVE– Protect and organize your rods

We had 20 anglers brave the miserable weather to fish Pine/Stone this past Saturday. Wasn’t just the weather that didn’t cooperate but, the fish didn’t bite either. Only 2 limits were brought to the scales, a total of 33 fish.

Taking 1st place with an impressive 17.09 lbs. was Bruce Carman! Nice way to start the season, Bruce!
Coming in 2nd place, the only other angler to weigh in a limit, was John Rozgony Jr. with 12.82 lbs.
3rd place went to Jim Lenburg with 11.86 lbs. and rounding out the top 4 was Rich Miller with 11.19 lbs.
Big Bass went to Dave Myers with a 5.70 lb. HOG! Nice work Dave!

There’s still time to join the club. Next meeting will be 7pm Wednesday, 4/29 at Bass Pro Shops.

Special thanks to our Sponsors that support us throughout the year:
NWI Tournament Baits – Custom, hand poured soft plastic baits made right here in NWI
Lock-n-Haul – Advanced Outboard Motor Toter – Transom Saver Replacement
X Zone Lures - A brand that can be trusted by all anglers to catch more fish
Roddick-Small (Spittin Image Jigs) – It’s all about the Bass
THE ROD GLOVE – Protect and organize your rods

Great opportunity for Indiana anglers! Learn about Indiana’s fisheries from a regional perspective during virtual webinars on April 21, 22, or 23 from 5:30–6:30 p.m. ET. DFW fisheries biologists will share information on survey work, fishing locations, and other topics from their areas.
You can attend one, two or three sessions, whichever interests you.
• April 21: Northwest and Central Indiana (Districts 1 and 4)
https://ow.ly/cp1O50YJ6qE
• April 22: Northeast Indiana (Districts 2 and 3)
https://ow.ly/9Pky50YJ6qF
• April 23: Southern Indiana (Districts 5 and 6)
https://ow.ly/J3TF50YJ6qG
Have fishing questions in a specific Indiana district? Each session includes a chat based Q&A with the regional fisheries biologist.
Use the statewide map at on.IN.gov/fisheriesbiologist to see which session covers which counties.
Registration is NOT required for these free Microsoft Teams webinars.

This one stings after seeing the forecast for Saturday... 😆😆😆

New members welcome at tonight's meeting.
7pm Bass Pro Shops, upstairs meeting room.

We’ll be accepting new members at our meeting this Wednesday, 7pm @ Bass Pro.
Our first club tournament is this Saturday on Pine/Stone Lakes in La Porte.
Check out the flyer for basic membership information.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

THE ROD GLOVE Lock-n-Haul NWI Tournament Baits X Zone Lures

Get ready to cast your lines!
The Northwest Indiana Bass Club is ready to kick off the 2026 season…
We will be accepting new members at our meeting on April 15th.
Must own a boat or join with someone that does.
First tournament will be on Pine/Stone Lakes April 18th.

We fish 10 events on Indiana and Michigan waters.
$50 annual Dues, $30 club liability insurance
$40 for single day events, $45 for 2-day events.
Includes Big Bass side pot.

Check out the full 2026 schedule in the flyer below, we're hitting everything from Lake Maxinkuckee to Lake St. Clair! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

What an incredible night celebrating the Northwest Indiana Bass Club’s 2025 season! We gathered at Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria Crown Point to hand out some well-deserved hardware and share a few "tall tales" about the ones that didn't get away. It was a year defined by heavy bags and tight competition, and we couldn’t be prouder of the talent on display.

A massive congratulations goes out to our top honors of the year. John Rozgony Jr. put on a clinic this season, officially claiming the 2025 Angler of the Year title with a staggering 147.17 lbs and 383 total points. This is John’s THIRD time winning Angler of the Year! Nice work John!
We also have to tip our caps to Rich Miller, who swept the big fish categories at Paw Paw Lake, MI, taking home both Big Stringer of the Year (20.34 lbs) and Big Bass of the Year (5.79 lbs).

The energy was just as high when we looked back at the 2025 Classic at Muskegon Lake. It was a total shootout on October 4th and 5th, with the top four spots separated by less than two pounds! Craig Coleman took the top prize with a 22.49 lb bag, followed closely by Bruce Carman (21.69 lbs), Stephen Graveline (20.99 lbs), and Keith Moon (20.42 lbs).

Finally, a big shout-out to all of our Classic Qualifiers, and a huge thank you to our sponsors, Spittingimagejigs.com, NWI Tournament Baits Lock-n-Haul, X Zone Lures, THE ROD GLOVE

It was the perfect way to cap off a fantastic year of fishing.
Tight lines as we head into the next season—who’s ready to get back on the water?
We will be accepting new members at the April 15th meeting for the Pine/Stone Lakes tournament.

Congratulations to Craig Coleman our 2025 Classic Champion! Craig finished this two-day event on Muskegon Lake with a total of 22.49 lbs. TWO IN A ROW for Craig as he won last years Classic on Muskegon Lake as well. Great work Craig!
2nd place went to Bruce Carman with a two-day total of 21.69 lbs. 3rd place went to Steve Graveline with a total of 20.99 lbs. and rounding out our top 4 was Keith Moon with a total of 20.42 lbs. that included Sunday’s Big Bass @ 4.17 lbs. Bob Mead had Saturday’s Big Bass @ 3.37 lbs. Congratulations guys!

Special thanks to our Sponsors that support us throughout the year:
NWI Tournament Baits – Custom, hand poured soft plastic baits made right here in NWI
Lock-n-Haul Advanced Outboard Motor Toter – Transom Saver Replacement
X Zone Lures - A brand that can be trusted by all anglers to catch more fish
Darin Roddick-Small (Spittin Image Jigs) – It’s all about the Bass
THE ROD GLOVE – Protect and organize your rods