The latest stop on the Mid Ohio Saugeye Trail saw a hard-fought victory by Mack’s Lure Pro Staffer John Stalling and his nephew, who captured first place on a challenging weekend at Indian Lake. For Stalling, a veteran of the local tournament scene, this win was more than just another trophy—it was a family moment years in the making.
"Winning this tournament was special because I was fishing with my nephew, and we had not won a tournament together," said Stalling. "I was very pleased with the amount of work he was willing to put in during practice, and how he handled himself."
Stalling, who works as a supply chain coordinator and is pursuing a captain’s license, has been passionate about fishing since childhood.
"I was introduced to fishing by my father when I was very young. Growing up I spent countless hours fishing and watching fishing shows. I started fishing tournaments in 2006 and fell in love with the competition. What I didn’t realize was that tournament fishing would lead to meeting and making some great friends."
Though Indian Lake is his home water, Stalling said that local knowledge can sometimes make things harder, especially when time on the water is limited.
"Preparation for this tournament was about the same as any tournament I fish: rig some jigging rods, rig some trolling rods, and rig some bottom bouncer rods," he explained. "Stuff the boat with as much tackle as possible, just in case you need it."
With little time to pre-fish, their first day of practice was quiet—just a single bite that didn’t stick. But on Friday, the team located a productive pattern: Mack’s Smile Blades and worms, run behind bottom bouncers in shallow, weedy water.
"We fished about 10 hours on Friday with only a couple good fish, but we found that they would eat Mack’s blades and worms," said Stalling. "We went out early Saturday morning and realized that the cold front had dropped the water 10 degrees. We were relieved to find out they were still biting on our presentation."
Tournament Sunday started with a missed opportunity.
"We immediately hooked up on a nice fish and it popped off," he recalled. "We beat that area for 45 minutes with nothing and decided to move on."
The next few hours were a battle of inches—and decisions. The team boated three solid 20-inchers and an 18-incher, but stalled with two fish left to fill their limit. With the clock ticking down, the team dug deep.
"At 2:45, with 15 minutes to go, we doubled up with a 20-incher and a 22-incher to complete our limit and headed to the ramp."
Their winning presentation? Far from easy.
"We were using 1.5 Smile Blades on very short leaders behind bottom bouncers," Stalling said. "The technique was plowing through weeds that were at best two feet under the water. I would not recommend this technique for anyone wanting to have a fun day of fishing."
Stalling, who continues to fish club events across Ohio, encourages newer anglers to start small and learn by doing.
"As far as advice for other anglers, I would tell them to join a club and start fishing club tournaments. I feel like you can learn more in a year of fishing club tournaments than three or four years on your own. Most people are happy to give advice or help after the tournament."
Looking ahead, he’s already got the next event circled.
"We have another shallow lake, club tournament in May at Buckeye Lake. Just looking forward to getting on some good fish and competing at the next event."
Congrats to John and his nephew on their hard-earned win—and for reminding us that great finishes start with great preparation, persistence, and the people we share the boat with.
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