All posts by hellabass

MN & WI Weekend Series moves back to Sunday!!!

October 26, 2008 hellabass

ABA recently released an updated Minnesota & Wisconsin 2009 Schedule, they made on change on bodies of water, which I am guessing was due to permits. Also, they moved two tournaments from launching on the MN to WI side, also probably because of permit issues and costs.

But the most notable change is that the first 4 events have been moved to Sunday. I know several guys that would have fished more or all the events last year if ABA would not have moved them to Saturday. This allows anglers to prefish on Saturday without taking off of work, plus removes conflicts with other major tournament circuits such as Silverado, BFL’s & Fishers of Men, which will allow more anglers to fish multiple circuits. ABA also has a thing called a BASS Pass that allows you to purchase it and allows you to have a sub at the tourney meeting, so if you can’t make it to a pairings meeting because you are fishing a different tourney on Saturday, that is a big plus.

So here is a link to the new schedule – http://www.abaproam.com/BWS_Division2009.php?DivisionNumberOnly=17

5/31 Evert’s Resort Pool 4

6/28 Alma Marina Lower pool 4 & 5

7/26 Prairie DuChein Pools 9 & 10

8/16 LaCrosse Pools 7 & 8

9/19 9/20 Alma Marina

These changes undoubtedly should increase field size and make the payouts deeper and larger, which is good for the anglers. Other positives are the guaranteed $5000 payout for first is still in place and there are great incentives on top of that for Triton, Mercury & Motorguide owners

Well, see you on the water!!!

Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

Ish wins on the Delta

October 20, 2008 hellabass

Ish wins on the Delta

Ish Monroe hoisting the $125k!!!

Fish Harder Companies, LLC wants to take this opportunity to congratulate Ish Monroe on his recent win in the Wal-Mart FLW Series tournament on the California Delta. Monroe credited Tru-Tungsten for his win.

“I started off with a frog bite but as the weather deteriorated I switched to flipping matted grass with a Sweet Beaver and a Tru-Tungsten 1 1/2-ounce weight with Power Pro braid line. I pegged my tungsten weight with a Tru-Tungsten Peter T Smart Peg, armed my Sweet Beaver with a 5/0 Youvella flipping hook and tossed everything with a Daiwa Steez 8-foot flipping stick.

“Quality tackle that gets the job done is the first step in putting together a winning pattern. My equipment let me get by bait down to where the fish were, feel the bite, set the hook and get them into the livewell. That’s about as good as it gets!”

Also note, that the 4″ Tru-Life Swimbaits are now available for Pre-Order!!!

Check out the Video of the 4″ Tru-Life Swimbait!!!

The 4 inch TRU-LIFE SWIMBAITS are a collaborative design created by Tru-Tungsten and swimbait kings Ish Monroe and Matt Newman. The 4 inch Swimbait comes in two versions. A wake bait that takes 2 balls to become a slow fall bait and a slow fall bait that will take 2 balls to become a fast fall bait to get to those deeper fish. Tru Tungsten Tru-Life Swimbaits have a 4 segment jointed body that creates an incredible life like swimming motion. This matched with Life-like a finish including scales, eyes make this an irresistible bait for lurking bass..

Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

Multimedia, Product Reviews

New Cure for Winter Bass Fishing Blues

October 16, 2008 hellabass

I just picked up a new bass fishing game for the Nintendo Wii. Its the new Rapala Fishing Frenzy game. I thought this would help me get through another long winter. Check out the trailer for the game….

Also, I got a few screen shots for you to look at….
Rapala's Fishing Frenzy Boxshot

I have not had time to actually play it, but I did open the box, its nice that it comes with an adapter to fit the existing Wii controller, so you do not have to actually buy a specific controller for this game, a big plus in my book.

As soon as things slow down and cool off outside, I will fire it up and give a full review!!!!

Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

Tournament Info

Lake Minnetonka – Bassmasters Weekend Series Tournament #5 – Sept 27-28th, 2008

September 30, 2008 hellabass

Well the final two day event of the MN Bassmaster Weekend Series was finally upon us. I was able to get out on the lake one last time the Wednesday before for about 7 hours. Spent most of that time check some deeper rock areas and a few weedlines and flipping milfoil, none of which produced. Found a few new docks holding fish, but they were not close to my other areas, so who knew if I would get to them.

I drew boat #32 out of 36 and Mark was my partner. I did not really care about my draw, because it would not effect where I would start. Mark & I spent the morning working shallow milfoil, pads, sea walls & docks in the Excelsior area of the lake not far from Maynard where we took off from. Things started slow for me. Mark was able to get a quick keeper on a black spinnerbait. I had a few bites early, but they must have been short striking my offerings, as I never hooked up. About an hour & a half in, I was swimming a 1/2oz PB&J Tru-Tungsten Jig with a green pumpkin rage chunk along a pocket in the pads and I hooked up with a very good fish. I had her coming and saw he jump, she had to be close to 4 lbs. As I switched rod direction to bring her back to the left she must have got a little slack and popped free, tough break. I am thinking I should have just kept the steady pressure….. Right after that Mark was able to get a nice 2lb fish on a white frog.

This is the jig that accounted for 9 of my 10 fish weighed,
it’s been a good fall color for me

For the rest of the day, I kept my head down and fished shallow with my 3/8oz Sunfish Tru-Tungsten Jig matched with a green pumpkin YUM chunk. It too a long time just to get a limit and they were all small, but I finally started culling around 11am and putting a few “tournament fish” in the box. My partner got his At about 1pm, I left the excelsior area to run some docks in Crystal, North Arm & Maxwell. Some had boats on them, the others did not produce. As time was winding down, I ran some docks in the main lake, the last 5 docks i fished i dumped a 3 plus and a solid 2lb fish, then had another 2lb fish follow my jig, not good, all would have helped me, as I had a couple 13-14″ fish in the box still. My final weight was 11.80lbs, which had me in 15th place, not terrible, but the fish I lost could have had me in the Top 5 and in the money cut.

Day 2 I fished with Doug Brooks and we were boat #9. I decided to start and run a much of the same water as the day before. I caught a quick 14″ keeper on a Brovarney Swim jig and then got a fish close to 3lbs out from a shallow pontoon right after that on the Sunfish jig. Fish came quicker and bigger on day 2. I left this area around noon and had a pretty good limit with only one small fish, all coming on the jig. This day I ran to some pads in Libbs lake in hope for a kicker, but the only thing that bit was a pike. I made one stop in Gray’s Bay where I flipped a Yum Vibra King Tube rigged with a 3/4oz Tru-Tungsten Flippin’ Weight on a 3/0 BMF hook into some heavy milfoil and I caught a nice 2lb fish to get rid of my small fish and about 10 flips later, caught one over 3lbs to get rid of that 2lb fish. I was feeling pretty good about the day and had some time left, I felt I needed a kicker bite to make it a very good day.

I made a spot on a deep milfoil spot in Wayzata, that produced only a 8″ bass for my partner. I then ran to the docks that I lost the fish late in the day on Saturday. Not even a tap!!! I then stopped on some wood pier docks and caught a 8″ fish, not helping at this point. I then decided to hit some wood pier docks next to Maynard’s with 30 mins left, but they were covered up by boats, so I ducked into St. Albans bay, fished what I saw and was rewarded with one last 3lb bite, that got rid of a 2.5lb fish, not the kicker I was hoping for, but I was happy to get the bite.

My final tally for Day 2 was 14.50lbs and it gave me a two day total of 26.30lbs. I ended up just outside of the money in 10th place, not a great tournament, but pretty decent on Tonka which I have not the most experience. My 10th place finish bumped me to 3rd in the points, not to bad of a year! Because of obligations on the home front, I am not going to be able to go to the 2 day regional on Kentucky Lake, good luck to the rest of the MN anglers that fish it!!!

Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

Tournament Info

Gopher Bassmasters Fall Classic – Lake Waconia – September 21, 2008

September 23, 2008 hellabass

Saturday I was out on Minnetonka again, trying to get dialed in for the Weekend Series tourney this weekend. I cannot say that I found anything that great, guess I have a couple 3-4 new areas that have some 3lbs plus potential, and I will need plenty of those for this 2 day tournament format. My best fish came on 3/8oz Tru-Tungsten Jigs and soft plastics.

Sunday was our 4th annual Gopher Fall Classic for the club. This is our one tournament that is more fun, as it does not count towards standing and its a team format. I was on the winning team the prior 3 years, so I had high expectations for Frank & I. Another unique thing, is that we do not find out the tournament site until 2 days before the tournament and there is no practice allowed.

Frank has had some prior experience on this lake, and I have been on it a couple times, but never really this time of year. We started in the reeds, Frank caught a small keeper on a Power Slug and lost one on a jig in the second set of reeds. We then hit a few adjacent docks and I was able to boat keepers 2 & 3 on a Sunfish 3/8oz Tru-Tungsten jig. We then hit Cemetery reed, the weeds were starting to die and there was a lot of slime, we tried anyways, not a tap.

We then agreed to give the docks some more time. I did not take long to limit out on the docks with my jig and cull once. We then tried some other docks, because all our fish were not very big. We ended up catching a few more fish, only a couple culled.

We then hit two more deep areas on the way back to the ramp, nothing happened there. We never really got on the fish, we ended up with just under 10lbs for 6 fish. Not very good for this lake. Ryan Brant & John Haynes won with a nice bag of 17lbs. Sounds like most of there fish came out of reeds later in the day after the wind picked up. They were fishing Tru-Tungsten jigs and soft plastics.

I am hoping to get out on Tonka one day this week to get a little more practice in for my last event!

Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

Fun Fishing, Tournament Info

Tonka practice update

September 16, 2008 hellabass

I did get out to Lake Minnetonka on Saturday this past weekend with fellow Gopher Bassmaster Dave Cindrich. We were greeted with mostly cool air, wind and drizzling rain all day. Spent a little time fishing some old areas and looked for some new stuff.

We only got one decent bite fishing deep, that was a 3lb fish on baby creature bait. I also got tagged really hard on a 5″ Original Optimum swimbait in Sunfish color, but missed the fish. I feel confident it was a bass, because there were no teeth marks in my bait. We caught a lot of fish, mostly less then 2lbs. I got one big bite, that being a 4lb fish swimming a 1/2oz Green Pumpkin/Brown Tru-Tungsten Jig around some shallow grass. It was a little too wet to get the camera, so no pictures. Now that I think of it, I should have weighed or measured her for the BP Bass Derby…..
For the most part the bite was spotty. We also caught our fair share of northerns on swim jigs. Now that I think of it, I should have weighed or measured her for the BP Bass Derby…..

We caught fish on many baits, jigs, swim jigs, soft plastics, crankbaits, jig worm….. It would have been a decent day, I would have had around 14lbs for my best 5 fish. Not the greatest on Tonka, but it could have been much worse.

I am headed out to practice some more this Saturday and then I also have our last club tournament of the year on Sunday, its our Gopher Bassmasters Fall Classic. We just found out our partners and the lake today, as its a semi-mystery tournament. We will be fishing Waconia, should be a great tournament, and some big bags caught. I look forward to fishing big baits such as a 1/2oz Tru-Tungsten jig, maybe some 10″ worms and might mix in some swimbaits as well!!!

Check back next week for catch results!!

Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

Announcements, Tournament Info

ABA Announces 2009 Bassmaster Weekend Series Schedule

September 12, 2008 hellabass

Breaking News
ABA Announces 2009 Weekend Series Schedule

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Photo: ABA

American Bass Anglers (ABA) today announced the 2009 Bassmaster Weekend Series schedule with 21 divisions for 2009. Here’s an overview.

Four of the current divisions will be combined into two divisions. Wisconsin and Minnesota will become a single division with all 2009 events held on the Mississippi River. Also, the two South Carolina divisions will be combined into a single division.

ABA noted that “These consolidations will allow more anglers to become involved in the new divisions as they work toward the goal of qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic.”

The league also stated: “The 2009 Bassmaster Weekend Series schedules have been created with an emphasis on reducing travel for the weekend angler as much as possible. ABA will continue to offer the $5,000 boater 1st-place guaranteed at each divisional qualifying event. This guaranteed payout is over and above the regular payout.”

Also noteworthy is ABA will be announcing a new Angler of the Year program for the Bassmaster Weekend Series.

In announcing the new, ABA president Morris Sheehan said: “American Bass Anglers will continue its focus on the weekend angler by refining schedules and continue to elevate weekend anglers across the country. The changes we’re making for 2009 will make fishing bass tournaments on a national tour level not only affordable but also more cost effective for the weekend angler. Through good scheduling techniques and maximizing event locations, our goal is to reduce expenses for our anglers to the maximum extent possible.”

REGION 1: SOUTHERN
Alabama North – Division 1
02/28/2009 Guntersville Lake Guntersville State Park
03/28/2009 Weiss Lake Weiss Mart Marina
05/09/2009 Wheeler Lake Ingalls Harbor
06/27/2009 Neely Henry Lake Gadsden Boat Dock
09/19-20/2009 Guntersville Lake Guntersville State Park

Alabama South – Division 2
01/24/2009 Lake Martin Wind Creek State Park
02/21/2009 Lake Eufaula Lakepoint State Park
05/02/2009 Lay Lake Beeswax Landing
05/30/2009 Alabama River Cooters Pond
08/22-23/2009 Logan Martin Lake Lakeside Landing

Tennessee Central – Division 3
03/21/2009 Percy Priest Lake Fate Sanders Marina
04/25/2009 Center Hill Lake Ragland Bottoms
06/20/2009 Old Hickory Lake Bulls Creek Access
07/18/2009 Kentucky Lake Paris Landing State Park
09/12-13/2009 Percy Priest Lake Fate Sanders Marina

Tennessee East – Division 4
02/14/2009 Guntersville Lake Goose Pond
04/04/2009 Chickamauga Lake Chester Frost Park
05/02/2009 Ft. Loudoun-Tellico Lakes Tellico Recreational Ramp
06/13/2009 Chickamauga Lake Dayton Boat Dock
08/29-30/2009 Watts Bar Lake Tom Fuller Park

REGION 2: SOUTHEAST
North Carolina – Division 5
02/14/2009 Lake Wylie Ebenezer Park
03/21/2009 Lake Norman Pinnacle Point
05/16/2009 High Rock Lake Southmont Abbotts Creek
06/20/2009 Lake Wylie Ebenezer park
08/29-30/2009 High Rock Lake Southmont Abbotts Creek

Florida – Division 6
01/17/2009 Harris Chain of Lakes Venetian Gardens
02/28/2009 Kissimmee Chain Camp Mack’s
04/04/2009 St. John’s River Ed Stone Park
05/09/2009 Harris Chain of Lakes Venetian Gardens
09/19-20/2009 St. Johns River Palatka City Docks

South Carolina – Division 7
02/07/2009 Lake Murray Dreher Island State Park
03/07/2009 Clarks Hill Reservoir Dorn Sport Fishing Facility
03/28/2009 Santee Cooper John C. Land III
04/25/2009 Lake Hartwell Portman Marina
09/12-13/2009 Lake Hartwell Portman Marina

Georgia – Division 9
01/31/2009 Lake Eufaula Lake Point Resort State Park
03/14/2009 Lake Oconee Sugar Creek Marina
04/18/2009 Lake Sinclair Little River Park
06/06/2009 West Point Lake Highland Marina Resort
09/26-27/2009 West Point Lake Highland Marina Resort

REGION 3: SOUTH CENTRAL
Southeast Texas – Division 10
02/07/2009 Sam Rayburn Umphrey Family Pavilion
02/28/2009 Toledo Bend Cypress Bend
03/14/2009 Sam Rayburn Umphrey Family Pavilion
05/30/2009 Toledo Bend Cypress Bend
09/12-13/2009 Sam Rayburn Umphrey Family Pavilion

East Texas – Division 11
01/24/2009 Lake Palestine Villages Marina
02/14/2009 Lake Tyler Lake Tyler Marina
03/21/2009 Richland Chambers Oak Cove Marina
04/18/2009 Cedar Creek Log Cabin
09/19-20/2009 Lake O’ The Pines Johnson Creek Park

Arkansas – Division 12
01/31/2009 Ouachita Mountain Harbor
03/07/2009 Lake Dardanelle Dardanelle State Park
06/20/2009 Greer’s Ferry Lake Devil’s Fork Marina
07/11/2009 Lake Millwood Yarborough
09/26-27/2009 Arkansas River Alltel Ramp (Little Rock)

Louisiana – Division 13
01/17/2009 Pearl River Ed Scroggins
03/28/2009 Atchafalaya Basin Doiron’s Landing
04/25/2009 Lake D’Arbonne Lake D’Arbonne Marina
06/06/2009 Toledo Bend Cypress Bend
08/29-30/2009 Red River (Natchitoches) Grand Ecore Landing

REGION 4: MIDWEST
Oklahoma – Division 14
04/04/2009 Grand Lake Martin’s Landing
05/02/2009 Tenkiller Chicken Creek
06/13/2009 Ft. Gibson Taylor’s Ferry Marina
07/18/2009 Arkansas River Port of Muskogee
09/05-06/2009 Eufaula Eufaula Cove

Kentucky – Division 15
03/07/2009 Kentucky Lake Kentucky Dam Marina
04/18/2009 Kentucky Lake Kenlake State Park
06/06/2009 Lake Barkley Lake Barkley Marina
07/25/2009 Kentucky Lake Paris Landing State Park
08/22-23/2009 Lake Barkley Lake Barkley Marina

Missouri – Division 16
03/14/2009 Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Public Beach #2
04/11/2009 Table Rock Lake Port of Kimberling
05/16/2009 Truman Lake Long Shoal Marina
07/11/2009 Stockton Lake Orleans Trail Marina
09/26-27/2009 Table Rock Lake Port of Kimberling

Wisconsin/Minnesota – Division 18
05/30/2009 MS River – La Crosse Copeland West-Clinton St.
06/27/2009 MS River – Wabasha City Ramp at Ike’s Park
07/25/2009 MS River – Prairie Du Chien Washington Street Park
08/15/2009 MS River – La Crosse Copeland West – Clinton St.
09/19-20/2009 MS River – Wabasha City Ramp at Ike’s Park
(***This division is pending permits and schedule could change***)

REGION 5: NORTHEAST
Virginia – Division 19
03/07/2009 Lake Gaston Americamps
03/28/2009 Kerr Lake North Bend
06/06/2009 Lake Gaston Holly Grove Marina
06/27/2009 Kerr Lake North Bend
07/18-19/2009 Kerr Lake North Bend

Ohio – Division 20
04/18/2009 Indian Lake Moundwood
05/16/2009 Alum Creek New Galena
05/30/2009 Rocky Fork East Shore Marina
06/13/2009 Mosquito Lake Mosquito Lake State Park
08/22-23/2009 Erie Sandusky, Shelby Street

Maryland – Division 21
03/21/2009 Lake Anna Sturgeon Creek
04/25/2009 Potomac River Smallwood State Park
05/09/2009 Upper Chesapeake Bay Anchor Boats Marina
05/23/2009 Potomac River Smallwood State Park
07/25-26/2009 Potomac River Smallwood State Park

New York West – Division 22
06/20/2009 Chautauqua Long Point
08/08/2009 Seneca Lake Seneca Lake State Park
08/29/2009 Chautauqua Long Point State Park
09/12/2009 Canandaigua Town Ramp
09/26-27/2009 Oneida Lake Oneida Shores State Park

New York East – Division 23
07/11/2009 Lake George Ticonderoga Mossey Point
08/01/2009 Lake Champlain, Whitehall, NY South Bay
08/15/2009 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh
09/05/2009 Sacandaga Lake Northville
09/19-20/2009 1000 Islands French Creek Marina

Federation News

Randy Wieczorek edges out Andy Nitchals to become the Minnesota Bass Federation Nation State Champion 2008

September 9, 2008 hellabass

Randy Wieczorek edges out Andy Nitchals to become the Minnesota Bass Federation Nation State Champion 2008
Wabasha, MN

Randy Wieczorek wins 2008 Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship, September 4-5, 2008 on Pools 4 & 5 of the Mississippi River.

Minnesota’s best amateur bass anglers tackled the sprawling waters of the Mississippi River for the Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Tournament of Champions. Day one went like clockwork; all the anglers were on the water by 8:00 a.m. The perfect weather proved to be an advantage as the many bags of both largemouth and smallmouth bass brought to the scales prove the Mississippi River is a diverse and fertile bass fishery. Brian Brown of Breezy Point, MN led the pack on day 1 with 4 nice bass weighing over 12lbs, followed closely by Sport Smith of Maple Grove, MN. The field was very tight and most anglers in the Top 50 were in striking distance after Day 1.

Day two, the weather changed overnight and anglers were met with a dense fog cover; everyone got a late start, the first boats were not on the water until after 10am. Weights dropped off considerably on day two for most anglers, probably due to the shortened tournament hours and a cool front that had the fish in a funk.

Randy Wieczorek from local River Rats Bassmasters weighed in as one of the last few boats to bump Andy Nitchals West Central Bassmasters from the top spot. The remaining divisional team qualifiers: Rich Lindgren – Gopher Bassmasters, Dean Capra – 10,000 Lakes, Matt Hanson – Zumbro Valley Bassmasters, John Zvorak – West Central Bassmasters, Jim Pinke – Bass Wackers, Doug Pietzrak – Granite City Bassmasters, Brad Ballard – River Rats, Brian Brown – Range Bassmasters, Scott Fisher – River Rats, John Schlee Jr – Loon State Bassmaters, Tim Vondersitt – Upper Iowa Bassmasters.
2008 TOC Team
Andy Nitchals & John Zvorak of West Central Bassmasters anchored their 4 man team to take the team honors. They beat our very respectable efforts by Loon State & Upper Iowa Bassmasters. Day 1, Tom Borkowski brought in the big fish of the tournament, a beautiful 4.79lb largemouth.

Zumbro Valley Bassmasters hosted the tournament and raised money for the Wabasha Food Shelf, and also collected non-perishable food items as well. The guys really stepped up and help make things work smoothly; so give Zumbro Valley Bass club a big pat on the back – good job guys! Steve Soukup of Skeeter Boats did an awesome job as Master of Ceremonies as anglers weighed their bags at tournament headquarters, which was held Ike’s park right on the banks of the river.

A total of 149 anglers, from 27 different clubs, competed for the top 12 spots to advance to next years divisional tournament on Lake St. Claire near Detroit, MI, fishing against seven other State Teams from Wisconsin, Indiana, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio, in August 2009.

A really fun thing about the Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation State Championship is that the tournament and its anglers give back to the community. MNBFN sponsors really pitched in for the annual raffle with all the proceeds going to the Wabasha Food Shelf. This years sponsors were; Skeeter/Yamaha Boats, Precision Propeller Works, Slippery’s Bar & Grill, River Crossing BP, Gemini Sports Marketing, Cabela’s, Vicious Fishing Line, Gopher Tackle Company, Minn Kota, MG Lures, Mojo Rods, Sure-Life Laboratories fish release formulas.

See Full Results at – MNBFN.org
INDIVIDUALS
1 Randy Wieczorek RIVER RATS BASSMASTERS 8/8 4.08 21.17
2 Andy Nitchals WEST CENTRAL BASSMASTERS 8/8 4.54 20.53
3 Rich Lindgren GOPHER BASSMASTERS 8/8 3.42 19.45
4 Dean Capra 10,000 LAKES BASSMASTERS 8/8 3.45 19.2
5 Matt Hanson ZUMBRO VALLEY BASSMASTERS 7/7 3.18 19.16
6 John Zvorak WEST CENTRAL BASSMASTERS 8/8 2.55 18.85
7 Jim Pinke BASS WACKERS 5/5 18.84
8 Doug Pietzrak GRANITE CITY BASSMASTERS 8/8 2.89 18.59
9 Brad Ballard RIVER RATS BASSMASTERS 8/8 3.49 18.33
10 Brian Brown RANGE BASSMASTERS 7/7 3.23 18.08
11 Scott Fischer RIVER RATS BASSMASTERS 7/7 3.41 17.9
12 John W. Schlee Jr. LOON STATE BASSMASTERS 7/7 3.15 17.39
13 Tim Vondersitt UPPER IOWA BASSMASTERS 8/8 2.65 17.21
14 Chad Keller GRANITE CITY BASSMASTERS 8/8 2.77 16.84
15 Paul Shimek WEST CENTRAL BASSMASTERS 7/7 16.8
16 Trevor Rogge CLASSIC SEVEN BASSMASTERS 8/8 16.49
17 Dan Bonneson SPORTSMEN BASSMASTERS 8/8 16.14
18 Jeff Mulholland ZUMBRO VALLEY BASSMASTERS 7/7 3.67 15.93
19 Dale Youngquist LOON STATE BASSMASTERS 7/7 3.01 15.89
20 Greg Halleland ZUMBRO VALLEY BASSMASTERS 5/5 15.69

TEAMS
1 West Central Bassmasters 28 67.71
2 Loon State Bassmasters 26 58.39
3 Upper Iowa Bassmasters 25 55.97

Total Participants: 149
Total Fish Weighed: 635 Avg. Fish Weight: 2.20
Total Fish Released: 632 Avg. Fish / Participant: 4.3
Total Fish Weight: 1,410.68 Avg. Weight / Participant: 9.47

BIG FISH 1: 4.79 Tom Borkowski – PRIOR LAKE HOOK SETTERS
BIG FISH 2: 4.54 Andy Nitchals – WEST CENTRAL BASSMASTERS
BIG FISH 3: 4.24 Brian Skluzacek – PRIOR LAKE HOOK SETTERS

Tournament Info

MN Bass Federation Nation TOC – Mississippi River Day 2 – September 5, 2008

September 7, 2008 hellabass

Well, my partner for Day 2 was Paul Perovich and he was able to utilize a Skeeter iClass 20 footer with a 250VMAX, so we had the means to run the lake and that was the plan. Paul had weighed 2 fish the day before, so he said we could fish my fish. We had some intense fog on day 2 and did not get to take off until about 10:20am opposed to out 7:15am scheduled take off.

We were in the 3rd flight and boat #45 on day 2. It took less then 20 minutes to make the same run today, as we averaged about 71.5mph in the Skeeter opposed to the 57mph in my Aries the morning prior. I started in the same area as day 1 and was able to get a similar start, as I boated a 16″ largemouth on a Black Yum Tube. I also caught a short smallmouth. We went to area #2, I caught several short smallmouth on a fork craw and Paul was able to boat a keeper largemouth on a junebug swimjig.

I went to area #3 where I had caught and released the one 15″ smallmouth on day 1. Things were quite a bit more intense this time. I caught 3 smallmouth on the Yellow Magic that hovered around the 14″ mark right away, but I threw them all back without putting them on the bump board, as I felt I needed all 2lbs fish today. It was easier to throw them back without knowing they could have been legal fish. I finally got a decent 15″ smallie that I boxed reluctantly on the Yellow Magic. Occasionally we even saw the fish busting shad in this area. I started switching back & forth with the Barely Legal Vixen topwater and the first fish I caught on that was about a 17″ smallmouth, that fish of course went in the box. That gave me 3 fish at about noon. I caught several more fish that would have been keepers, but I really wanted another quality fish to ensure a good limit. Paul caught two keepers in this area, one on a Rapala Skitter Pop and another on a White/Chart swimjig.

I decided it was time to revisit our second area. It only took about 5 casts with the Yellow Magic and I hooked up with a dandy smallmouth. I played her carefully and we finally got her in the net. She was really long with a big head, but a very skinny body. She was over 19″, I thought she had to go 4lbs for sure. I felt at that moment that I had punched my ticket to the top 12, but I wanted again to find one more 15-16″ fish so that I did not have to weigh that small smallmouth. We returned to my starting area, had a couple bites but could not convert. We then ran several areas on the way back to Wabasha, never did get that last bite.

The 2 smallies that anchored my day 2 bag of 10.08lbs that elevated my to 3rd place
My total on Day 2 was 4 fish for 10.08 lbs and put me in 2nd when I weighed. My gangly looking smallie only weighed about 3.5lbs. After all the fish were weighed, I ended up in 3rd, which I kind of preferred over 2nd, as I have finished 2nd in the TOC twice before and I did not want to become the Aaron Martens of the MN Bass Federation

Talking to Steve Soukup on stage from Skeeter Boats about my day on the water
I am excited to get back to divisionals next year in Lake St. Claire near Detroit, MI. After getting so close to qualifying for nationals, I wanted to get back sooner then later. Now its time to focus on the last Bassmaster Weekend Series event on Lake Minnetonka at the end of September!

Here are the standings from the Top 20:
MN Bass Federation Nation
Individual Results
9/04- 9/05/2008 MS River Pools 4&5, Wabasha – FINAL Standings
Participant Club Fish B/F Net Weight
1 Randy Wieczorek RIVER RATS BASSMASTERS # 6 8/8 4.08 21.17
2 Andy Nitchals WEST CENTRAL BASSMASTERS #23 8/8 4.54 20.53
3 Rich Lindgren GOPHER BASSMASTERS # 5 8/8 3.42 19.45
4 Dean Capra 10,000 LAKES BASSMASTERS #20 8/8 3.45 19.2
5 Matt Hanson ZUMBRO VALLEY BASSMASTERS #25 7/7 3.18 19.16
6 John Zvorak WEST CENTRAL BASSMASTERS #23 8/8 2.55 18.85
7 Jim Pinke BASS WACKERS #19 5/5 18.84
8 Doug Pietzrak GRANITE CITY BASSMASTERS #17 8/8 2.89 18.59
9 Brad Ballard RIVER RATS BASSMASTERS # 6 8/8 3.49 18.33
10 Brian Brown RANGE BASSMASTERS #10 7/7 3.23 18.08
11 Scott Fischer RIVER RATS BASSMASTERS # 6 7/7 3.41 17.9
12 John W. Schlee Jr. LOON STATE BASSMASTERS #22 7/7 3.15 17.39
13 Tim Vondersitt UPPER IOWA BASSMASTERS # 1 8/8 2.65 17.21
14 Chad Keller GRANITE CITY BASSMASTERS #17 8/8 2.77 16.84
15 Paul Shimek WEST CENTRAL BASSMASTERS #23 7/7 16.8
16 Trevor Rogge CLASSIC SEVEN BASSMASTERS # 2 8/8 16.49
17 Dan Bonneson SPORTSMEN BASSMASTERS #11 8/8 16.14
18 Jeff Mulholland ZUMBRO VALLEY BASSMASTERS #25 7/7 3.67 15.93
19 Dale Youngquist LOON STATE BASSMASTERS #22 7/7 3.01 15.89
20 Greg Halleland ZUMBRO VALLEY BASSMASTERS #25 5/5 15.69

Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

Tournament Info

MN Bass Federation Nation TOC – Mississippi River Day 1 – September 4, 2008

September 6, 2008 hellabass

Per the usual the pairings meeting occurred the night before day 1 of the tournament. We had a nice meeting, dinner and raffle to raise some money for the local food shelf of Wabasha. I even won two spools of 17lb Vicious Fluorocarbon, which is a line I use all the time! My day 1 partner was a young guy named Josh from the host club, Zumbro Valley Bassmasters out of Rochester. This was his first state tournament and we were boat #31 in the 2nd flight.

The weather forecast looked very good wind wise to fish Lake Pepin both days, so I was pretty excited about that. When our boat number was let out, we turned the bow north and ran up the river and lake to the tune of a 25 minute run up Lake Pepin. We got to my first area all, no other boats. I caught a 16″ largemouth on a 3/8ozFall Craw Tru-Tungsten jig with a green pumpkin Rage Tail Chunk and my partner got a 15″ largemouth on a 7″ power worm. I also caught two short fish as well.

On to the second area and Josh got a nice 15″ smallie on a Shad colored Rapala Fat Rap. This fish really did not seem to be clicking here, so on to the next area. I caught a 15.5″ skinny smallie on a Yellow Magic popper, but I decided to let it go. No more bites there. The next area I quickly caught a fat 14.5″ largemouth on a Fork Craw. I decided I better keep that one as time was starting to be an issue. We continued to catch several more largemouth and smallmouth but all of them short. I started to work down the bank a ways and I caught a skinny 17″ smallie and in the box that fish went, which brought me to 3 fish. We worked the area for a bit more, trying to get another good bite and just more short fish. We returned to my starting spot and I caught a nice 17″ largemouth on my jig. That gave me the tournament limit of 4 fish, so we decided to run south in hopes of getting one more bite so I did not have to weight my 14″ largemouth and to get my partner some more fish.

Then things turned sour in a hurry. About 2 miles south of Lake City my outboard seized up Not good, it was about 12:45pm. So what turned into a good position of having 3 hours to get one quality bite and have a very good bag became a struggle to get in to weigh our fish. I was able to get a hold of the tournament director and get the alternate from my club to bring me a boat. (THANKS JASON ELMES!!!) By the time we got the boat switched, we had about 30 minutes to fish. We tried two areas, a duck weed spot of mine and a wood & grass bank of my partners. We had a couple bites, but never connected on anything. We had to weigh what we had.
Try to keep my spirits high after a decent catch but a blown powerhead
My 4 fish weighed 9.37lbs, my biggest smallmouth weighed around 2.9lbs. That put me in 29th place out of a 149 competitors, but I was less then a pound out of the top 12 cut and about 3lbs out of the lead. I knew I was very much in this thing and if I could match my catch from day 1 on day 2, I would have a very solid change at the Top 12. And if I could get 10-12lbs I could make a run at the top 5.