March 2025 - Apache Lake
Apache Lake March Tournament Summary
The March tournament at Apache Lake delivered big fish, tough conditions, and a historic catch. Weather and wind played a major role in shaping how anglers approached the lake, with many adjusting between reaction baits and bottom-contact finesse presentations. A mix of jerkbaits, drop shots, Ned rigs, and Carolina rigs dominated the top finishes, with location and lure selection proving critical to success.
Joe Michels and Tim Higgins took 1st place with a staggering 22.24 lbs, anchored by a 10.20 lb giant—Joe’s first double-digit bass in over 40 years. Their success came from targeting pre-spawn and bedding areas with flashy jerkbaits, adjusting color and retrieve until they found what the fish wanted. Joe caught multiple fish off beds and made the most of warming, sunny conditions. 2nd place went to John Hilland and Jeremy Griffiths, who brought in 15.50 lbs, though no detailed report was submitted. Seth Koch and Nathan Fearno claimed 3rd place with 14.26 lbs, fishing rocky shorelines in 10–30 feet of water using Ned rigs focusing on sheltered mid-lake zones to avoid the wind.
Throughout the field, anglers found early reaction bites on jerkbaits and rip baits, while most deeper or midday fish came on drop shots, Carolina rigs, and wacky rigs. Rocky banks, points, and protected pockets played a central role, especially for those fishing slow and methodically. Several teams mentioned a hot morning bite that tapered off by mid-afternoon, forcing teams to grind out upgrades. Fish were caught in a wide depth range—from shoreline beds to deeper staging areas—as bass transitioned into pre-spawn and spawning behavior.
Key Takeaways
• Jerkbaits Shined Early: Flashy or natural-colored jerkbaits were especially effective in the morning and on wind-blown chunk rock banks.
• Finesse Dominated Later: Drop shots and Ned rigs produced steady bites in deeper water or after the sun came up and wind died down.
• Bed Fish & Pre-Spawn Patterns: Some teams found key fish on beds or staging just outside spawning areas.
• Location Variety: While some anglers stayed near the river or mid-lake coves, others worked from the dam to Burnt Corral, focusing on known points and transition zones.
• Adaptability Was Crucial: Teams who switched techniques or returned to previously productive spots saw the best results, especially in the afternoon grind.
Congratulations again to Joe Michels and Tim Higgins for their standout win and record-setting bass. Their ability to adapt and persist in tough conditions set them apart in a tournament that tested every angler’s patience and skill.
Weight Distribution
(Thank you, Charlie Mackintosh, for these graphs.)
Tournament Reports
1st Place: Joe Michels, Timothy Higgins 22.24 lbs, 5-Pound Pot Fish 10.20
Joe Michels
Some days are just unreal, and catching my first double-digit in 40 years and in a tournament is one of those days.
I want to thank Tim for a great net job, so awesome! I want to thank all the people that helped at the tournament from helping get people into the water, taking photos, setting up, taking down, and handling and weighing fish.
Two days prior to the tournament, I was on a very good jerkbait bite. I was fishing what I consider spawning and pre-spawning areas. Starting halfway back into a cove with large boulders. The weather was high clouds, with warm winds, and the fish were eating. I caught over 15 lbs on the jerkbait with one 3.5-pounder on a bed. Tuesday was windy and cooler, but the fish were still biting. They were smaller, but I felt the jerkbait would be the ticker. I did know of one good fish on a bed, but I would not tell on Tuesday if it was still there.
At the start of the tournament, I had one rod on the deck and went to work with the jerkbait. Tim also fished the jerkbait. We fished it hour after hour with nothing. I was starting to stress when the wind calmed down enough for me to check the bed fish, and I was surprised it was still there. Better yet, two fish were on that bed, and I went to work on them. The first fish to bite was the male, which was just over 2 lbs. Given that I thought the larger fish was between 4 lbs - 5 lbs. After a few casts, it bit and turned out to be over 5.5 lbs. That changed my attitude.
The wind was dying down, and the sun was out. That caused the water to start to rise in temperature, so I decided to go back to jerkbaits. I hit some of the spawning areas that held fish the two days before, and I got one to bite. It was a solid 2.5-pounder. This was a key fish. It told me that the jerkbait would work, but we would have to work for them. We moved, fished, moved fish, and kept hitting areas that held fish. I caught another at 1.3 pounds. I was using a flashy jerkbait. Tim was working the jerkbait, but nothing was taking his bait, so we switched him to a flashy jerkbait, and within a few minutes, he picked up a solid two-pounder. That was number 5 and about 13.5 pounds. The point is that when fishing jerkbaits, it is important to change through baits to find what they want. Great job, Tim.
After fishing for another hour, Tim suggested we go back to an island where I caught a 2-pounder the day before about the same time. It was a good idea, but I had to check an area for bedding bass, but nothing. Bu now the lake was flat, sunny, and not what you would expect when fishing a jerkbait, but that doesn’t stop me when I know fish are shallow or moving shallow. When I arrived at the island, I just picked up the flashy jerkbait and started in. Within a few minutes, Tim thought he had a bit. I was sure it was, and that gave me confidence we could catch a fish or two. I was looking for a 2-pounder or better to jump us to 14.5 pounds or better, when magic happened. A 10.20-pounder engulfed my jerkbait, and the fight was on.
Tim netted the monster, and I knew we had won. Here is a link to the video about our day.
Tim Higgins
Firstly, thanks to the Midweek Bass AZ board members and volunteers who make these tournaments successful and great fun. Secondly, thanks to Joe Michels, my boater, for guiding and teaching me valuable lessons to spot and land bass. As a relatively new member, this tournament was the first where I had rented a camper, got to Burnt Corral on Monday afternoon, and was able to practice the day before. Tuesday, we hit the lake just after sunrise. The plan was to start with jerk baits targeting areas where bass should be bedding. The winds were making it tough to see any beds, but we kept at it. We didn't catch any big ones, and even those were few and far between. I caught one, and Joe probably got 10.
On the day of the tournament, the winds weren't as much of an issue, but the bites were again few and far between for most of the morning as we kept with pretty much the same strategy as practice the day before. We were hitting spots that Joe had gone to on Monday before I got there. He had seen some big fish bedding, went there Tuesday, couldn't see it, but he managed to get a 5.5 at that spot on the day of the tournament. I started to notice a pattern that most of the fish caught were along the south shores of the lake. So we returned for more. But the biggest fish was caught by Joe at a location that we visited in the morning where only one keeper was caught... with about an hour left, I suggested to Joe that I liked that one spot and let's go back and BAM! Hey Joe, don't you want to weigh him? "No, we'll find out at weigh-in." DUDE! That was the most fun fishing experience ever! While I didn't catch the big ones, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and learned a ton!
2nd Place: John Hilland, Jeremy Griffiths, 15.50 lbs,
No Reports.
3rd Place: Seth Koch, Nathan Fearno, 14.26 lbs,
Seth Koch
Congratulations to Joe. What a bag at Apache. That is why we are all out on the lake. Thank you to everyone involved with Midweek Bass for putting on a great tournament. This is only my second tournament with Midweek Bass, but I am having a blast and look forward to meeting more anglers.
I had a chance to pre-fish Apache the weekend before the tournament. I could only catch on bottom baits such as Ned and Texas Rig. The wind and weather forced me into a heavier Ned rig using a 1/4" jig head. On tournament day, I only caught on a small Ned rig with a TRD and the heavier Ned rig with a Big TRD. All the fish were caught along rocky shoreline in 10-30' of water, mid-lake anywhere we could find some shelter from the wind. The larger fish were caught in deeper water.
Nathan was awesome to fish with. He struggled a little with his new lake curse, but was huge with a 1/2 # cull at the end of the day. Thanks for the networking and the clutch catch.
4th Place: Don Blume, Tim Jones 14.15 lbs
Don Bloom
Thanks to the board and weight-in crew for always doing a great job. The BBQ was great, and I love fishing Midweek. I had a great time fishing with Tim. We started Tuesday fishing the river, and it was very slow for us with brutal wind. I think we only caught about 6 or 7 fish with about an 8lb bag. We did see a lot of fish, and the rest of the lake never produced for us, so we stayed in the river all day Wednesday.
Wednesday morning, we left the ramp and made the right to go towards the river. About ½ mile from the ramp, we started on the roadside, throwing Jerk baits in chunk rock. I got two small ones in about five minutes, and about 30 minutes later, Tim got our big fish of the day on a Drop shot ( Green Robo). We continued on throwing Drop Shot and mainly Jerk baits, and I think we had a 10lb limit by 0830. About 1130, we switched to the bank across from the road and continued towards the river. I picked up the Jerk bait, and it was on until about 2pm. I probably caught 30 fish, but most were 1.50 to 1.75 clones. We were able to upgrade a couple of fish, and finally, with about an hour to go, Tim got another decent fish on the Drop shot, a solid 3.0. Overall, a fun day on the water. And we were very happy with our 14.15 lbs.
5th Place: Randall Gray, Michael Hajek 13.74 lbs, 1st Big Fish 5.49
Randy Gray
Way to go, Joe, congrats!
I fished with Mike Hajek, a good stick and great guy. Anyone who draws Mike is off to a good day. Now I take credit for our 5.45, even if it was Mike that caught it, my spot, right? First cast on a Carolina Rig and she was jumping everywhere. Great way to start. Ten minutes later and I got a 2 on a wacky sinko, then I showed Mike 4 more great spots for one dink. From there we hit a point where I used a drop shot for a couple of 2's and Mike found 2 more on a Rip Bait. We spent the rest of the day working from the dam to Burnt Corral. We caught a lot of fish but could not upgrade, mostly using a drop shot.
6th Place: Vern Ridgway, Gary Volpe 13.71 lbs, 2nd Big Fish 5.18
7th Place: Joe Beaty, Don Granado 13.25 lbs
Joe Beaty and Don Granado
First off, Joe Michels is a stud. Tough tournament, but I found some areas that had bigger fish on Sunday and Monday. Tournament day, we stopped at the first spot and within ten minutes I caught our big fish, 4.2 lbs, and a small fish. Then, I moved to the area I was sure had big fish but couldn’t get a bite and caught a smaller one. Then, we struggled for an hour and moved to another area. I caught a nice fish. Went back to the second area and nada again. Moved to an area that I didn’t prefish and then Don caught a nice 2 lb plus fish and we finally had a limit but needed to cull two for sure. We caught fish after fish and gained a few ounces at a time. Every fish was caught on a drop shot or robo worms.
8th Place: Thomas Teschler, Brian Lawrence 13.06
9th Place: VictorCunningham, Keith Weidert 13.04