? Crab Orchard Fish Off Delivers Big Bass and Tight Competition! ?
The Steel City Bassmasters took to Crab Orchard Lake on May 30, 2026, for an exciting Crab Orchard Fish Off, and the anglers did not disappoint!
A total of 36 anglers hit the water, bringing 27 bass to the scales for a combined weight of 77.52 pounds, with an impressive average bass weight of 2.87 pounds.
? TJ Luckshis claimed the top spot with a strong 3-fish limit weighing 11.85 pounds. TJ also anchored his winning catch with the tournament’s Big Bass, a giant 6.24-pound lunker that had everyone talking at the weigh-in!
? The battle for first place came right down to the wire as Ed Montgomery finished a close second with a 3-fish limit weighing 11.71 pounds, falling just 0.14 pounds short of the victory.
Rounding out the Top 4 were:
? Doug James – 3 fish, 8.35 pounds
? Jon Sackett – 2 fish, 6.26 pounds
Congratulations to all of our anglers for another great event! With quality fish, a trophy-sized Big Bass, and a razor-thin margin separating first and second place, the Crab Orchard Fish Off proved once again why Steel City Bassmasters tournaments are some of the most competitive and enjoyable events of the season.
Way to go, anglers! We look forward to seeing everyone at the next Steel City Bassmasters event! ???
| Crab Orchard Tournament Results | ||||||
| Place | Status | Name | Fished Event? | No. Fish | Big Fish | Total Weight |
| 1 | Active | LUCKSHIS, TJ | YES | 3 | 6.24 | 11.85 |
| 2 | Exempt | MONTGOMERY, ED | YES | 3 | 4.94 | 11.71 |
| 3 | Active | JAMES, DOUG | YES | 3 | 3.08 | 8.35 |
| 4 | Active | SACKETT, JON | YES | 2 | 3.90 | 6.26 |
| 5 | Active | ANDERSON, MIKE | YES | 2 | 2.77 | 5.28 |
| 5 | Exempt | RENSING, CHRIS | YES | 2 | 5.28 | |
| 7 | Active | LYONS, BUD | YES | 2 | 4.70 | |
| 8 | Active | DONAHEY, JEFF | YES | 2 | 4.40 | |
| 9 | Active | RENSING, RUSS | YES | 1 | 3.35 | 3.35 |
| 10 | Rookie | LEWIS, KARTER | YES | 1 | 2.71 | 2.71 |
| 11 | Active | GANSNER, CARL | YES | 1 | 2.56 | 2.56 |
| 12 | Active | BEITER, MELISSA | YES | 1 | 2.52 | 2.52 |
| 13 | Active | HARNETIAUX, DARIN | YES | 1 | 2.49 | 2.49 |
| 14 | Active | LYONS, JOHN | YES | 1 | 2.35 | 2.35 |
| 15 | Active | WILCOXON, MARJ | YES | 1 | 2.32 | 2.32 |
| 16 | Active | SHONDY, ANDY | YES | 1 | 1.39 | 1.39 |
| – | Active | BEITER, DENNY | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | CARDENAS, RUDY Jr. | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | FAIRBANKS, RUSS | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | GESTES, DARREN | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Rookie | HARRELL, ANTHONY | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | LALL, DAWN | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | MCINTYRE, MACK | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | MEYER, MICHAEL | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | MORRISON, MIKE | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | REVELLE, JOE | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | RICE, SCOTT | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | SCHMITTLING, ARTHUR | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | SCHRAM, WILL | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | SPILLARI, CESAR | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | STICKELS,TODD | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | VALLINO, MIKE | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | WILCOXON, FRANK | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Active | WOOD, GREG | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Rookie | KING, TRAVIS | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| – | Guest | HELMSING, MARK | YES | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 36 | 27 | 77.52 | ||||
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