All posts by hellabass

BASS Tour, Fantasy Bass Fishing Corner

Bassmaster Classic Starts Tomorrow

Man time flies, cannot believe it is here.  I need to go home and clear space on the DVR so I can record all the coverage.  I am also excited to watch the weigh-ins on the internet and live chats and all that Jazz

Other cool stuff….
Jason Quinn’s unbelievable new ride
 You can see it at the Classic, I also hope to check it out at Amistad, I stayed right next to Randy Howell and his Purolator ride last year.

Also, last reminder to get your fantasy lineups set for the Classic, here are mine……
Super 6 – Looking Solid!!!

PICK ANGLER GUESS ACTUAL POINTS
1 Russ Lane 1 – –
2 Aaron Martens 2 – –
3 Kevin VanDam 3 – –
4 Gerald Swindle 4 – –
5 Michael Iaconelli 5 – –
6 Timmy Horton 6 – –

And Regular Fantasy Roster

Team   Totals   Value
ANGLER HOMETOWN   RANK POINTS   MARKET LOCKED
Swindle, Gerald Hayden, AL   — —   14.1 14.1
Martens, Aaron Castaic, CA   — —   13.8 13.8
Lane, Russ Prattville, AL   — —   9.0 9.0
Kennedy, Steve Auburn, AL   — —   8.8 8.8
Duckett, Boyd L. Demopolis, AL   — —   4.0 4.0
Total Rating   49.7 49.7
Available Rating   50.0 50.0
Difference   .3 .3

I was really torn on the last spot, almost went with Derek Remitz over Boyd Duckket, I am also mad about leaving .3 pts on the table…
Rich
RichLindgren.com 
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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BASS Tour, General, Youth Fishing

Jottings from Presidentts’ Day

Where to start, where to start….

Congrats to the Jr. Anglers who are World Champs!!!  South Africa’s Jeffrey Toplis (14 years old), and Kentucky’s Kalem Tippett (17, pictured to right) persevered through Sunday’s less then optimum condistions at Alabama’s Logan Martin to win their respective age divisions at the 4th annual Junior World Bassmaster Championship. With the win, each angler took home a fully rigged bass boat & $5,000 in scholarship money & a trip to Disney World.  Unfortunately the qualifier from my jr. club did not have a great, did not weigh a fish, buts sounds like he learned a ton from fishing two days with Mike Wurm and look forwards to watching the rest of the Classic events this week.  Knowing Cody, this will not be his last trip to the JWC

Also, congrats to Aaron Hastings on his big win at Lake Travis this week, I believe this is his first major victory, I hope to have pattern & lure information later this week.

BassFanArmy.com opened its registration for FREE Life Membership, better check it out….

My FLW Fantasy opener was solid, 7th in my group and 700 something overall, I look to build some momentum going forward

Also, finally some info the WBT on the winning pattern from Amistad:
It sounds as though Juanita Robinson caught here monster bag to make the come back by casting a JDC Gibroni (Senko Style Bait in daiquiri and watermelon). across a channel that dropped into 22ft of water, the Gibroni was paired with a 1/32oz Parasite Weight Clip to get it down to the fish.  The previous days catches were on Vertical Lures Tube-X (grn pumpkin) and Lucky Craft Pointer (chart shad) and all her baits were doused with CB’s Hawg Sauce.

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

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BASS Tour, Youth Fishing

JWC Updates & Skeet Reese Terminated

Got a phone call last night from our Gopher Jr. angler (Cody Sieben) who is competing in the BASS Jr. World Championships today, he is fishing with Mike Wurm.  They practiced yesterday and found some fish and is feeling confident and caught some fish on the Ikey Ball Buster Heads that I gave him before he left.

Also, on Bassmaster.com today, there is a preview of the tourney and Arkansas’ Mike Wurm said Dan Swenson and Cody Sieben “will be challenging the Elite Series pros in a few years.”  Wow, what a compliment!!!

Also newsworthy, Rapala who recently dumped Skeet Reese from the Terminator team, it was said hey needed to trim their budget, but I am guessing because Lucky Craft is one of Skeet’s main sponsors, they are a direct competitor to Rapala.
 “It’s a brand I believe in, and it’s the first time I’ve ever lost a sponsor,” he added. “It feels weird. I’ve lost sponsors by my own choice, but this is definitely the first time I’ve ever been let go from a deal.”

And one last note, my fantasy team did not surge like I had hope, shaping up for a very mediocre finish.
Rich
RichLindgren.com 
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Youth Fishing

Tournament Schedule, FLW Fantasty Bass Fishing and more

First of all my 2007 Tournament Schedule is pretty much set, got all the entry fees sent in, except for the Pan-O-Prog, they have not opened registration, but in checking their website, they have finally got last years pictures up, so I added them to my Tournament Entry from the Pan-O-Prog.  Anyways it looks to be another ambitious year on the water, but that is a good thing.

CLARK WENDLANDT got off to a great start on FLW Season Opener on Lake Travis, TX.  He established a nearly 4lb lead.  Its not clear how he caught, but he made it sound as though he did not burn his fish and that only calm winds would hamper his bite.  I am glad Clark is anchoring my fantasy team.

Place Pro Angler Feb 15, 2007 Place FLW Standings Total Points Last Tournament Points
1     CLARK WENDLANDT  1  –  0  0
2     ANTHONY GAGLIARDI  84  –  0  0
3     DAVID FRITTS  56  –  0  0
4     RAY SCHEIDE  107  –  0  0
5     SHINICHI FUKAE  43  –  0  0

Its a solid start, but nothing fantastic, if Clark can hold on and some of other guys make a surge I could have a nice finish on this tourney.

None of our MN anglers faired well on the first day:

123 JIM MOYNAGH CARVER, MN 2 5-07     2 5-07              
141 CHAD GRIGSBY MAPLE GROVE, MN 4 4-08     4 4-08              
168 KAREN SAVIK ST. LOUIS PARK, MN 2 2-11     2 2-11              

I also talked to one of MN’s JWC qualifiers, Cody Sieben, he has had a rough early practice, but seems upbeat and I advised him to soak up as much info as he could tomorrow when he is out practicing with one of the Classic qualifiers.  I think if his Pro can help him and his partner get around some fish tomorrow he has the skills to catch them, he used a drop shot to qualify for this tourney and that should serve him well with the 45 deg water temps on Lake Logan Martin.

Also one more important note from BassFan.com:

KVD = Toyota 2/15/2007

A lot of BassFans probably remember Kevin VanDam fishing in a Chevy bowtie jersey. Those days are gone, of course, because Chevy pulled out of BASS sponsorship a few years back. Chevy does sponsor FLW Outdoors now, but VanDam fishes only BASS, and he hasn’t been associated with a motor company since that time. That all changed an hour or so ago when Toyota announced that it had signed VanDam, the No. 1 ranked angler in the world, to its Tundra team.

I suppose that is enough excitement for one entry, tight lines all and Good Luck Cody!!!

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

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Product Reviews

My Newest Toys from Optimum Baits – Part 2

And now the rest of the story… 

Here is a white Optimum Furbit Frog, which seems to have body very similar to the Spro Bronzeye Frog, only with Rabbit Fur legs rather then skirted legs, plus a nice little blade that should add some great flash.


Here is a black Poppin’ Furbit, which can add some great commotion to draw up reluctant bass.


Here is an Ima Sasuke which is a combination stick and popping bait, similar to the Lucky Craft Gunfish.


Optimum Wacky Shad here pictured in a pearl white, sure to be a great drop shot bait, gotta love those realistic eyes  


Optimum Crashing Thunder Spinnerbait hybrid swimbait and spinnerbait that is a great big fish bait.

Man this just gets a guys blood a boiling to do some bass fishing.  Booked my flights to Amistad last night

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

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Product Reviews

My Newest Toys from Optimum Baits – Part 1

I snapped a few pics of my latest shipment of baits from Optimum.
 
This is the 7″ Optimum Original Series Swimbait in the package – Silver Shad.  


Also here is the 7″ Optimum Original in a Shad Color.  The Original Optimum is considered a middle of the road workhorse. This bait was built from the shorelines of Lake Casitas and Lake Castaic in Southern California. It didn’t take long for the rest of the world to realize its potency!

These swimbaits have the ability to cover a relatively wide spectrum of the water column, especially with a little practice and familiarizing yourself with how these baits fall. The Original Optimum swimbaits stand out as the best swimbait because they produce rapid, drastic changes in direction, and quick flaring when pulled off structure or cover.

Perfect for slow rolling off the bottom. We designed this bait with an option in the belly to attach stinger hooks. When fishing open water, adding an additional belly hook can increase your strike to hook up ratio.


6″ Optimum Titan Series Swimbait in the Silver Shad.  When the swimbaits moved out towards the south, such as Texas, Florida, and Alabama, fisherman quickly realized their ability to catch fish. It didn’t take long for Professional fisherman to call up Optimum Baits Co and ask for a bait that they could throw into Weeds. The 5 & 6 Inch Titan was the creation of their requests. The same wide body profile and kicking power equipped with an Eagle claw brushguard so the bait can be thrown into cover for those hiding lunkers.


Deps Buzzjet is Blue Gill color in its package


Another shot of the Buzzjet out its package.  Deps BuzzjetAt 4 inches long and at a weight of 1oz the plug’s voluminous round profile appeals as an easy meal to lurking predators. The Buzzjet, designed to be fished as a wake bait, has many unique features that sets it apart from the rest. The shape of the lip is constructed so the tip portion faces straight down, thus pushing greater amounts of water outwards around the bait creating a more distinct surface wake. The weight transfer system features 4 stainless balls that are strategically placed in a chamber rolling both front to back and left to right. This provides for great casting ability, unique sounds, and also an irregular side to side action on the retrieve. To create even more water splash and raucous on the water there is an added prop that rotates in an offset noisy manner. The Buzzjet‘s ability to catch fish was soon realized by the Japanese anglers and in 2004 was voted as Japan’s number 1 hard plug by Japan’s Lure Magazine.  I think this will be a killer bait in the spring, especially when the bluegills are spawning and bass are hanging around the bluegill beds. 

All in all these will all be fun in a couple weeks when I get down there for the Amistad tourney.  I just ordered my Mexican Fishing license online from Falcon Lake Tackle.  Check back tomorrow for Part 2 and the rest of the goodies

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

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BASS Tour, General

Misc. Bass Fishing Ramblings

Got a couple things to share, none of them important enough to get their own post:

1. Congrats to Juanita Robinson on the big WBT season opener win, but I am disappointed with the coverage, cannot find any info on baits or patterns, I am not sure why BassFan does not cover these.

2.  Got my Stay’NCharge system installed into my boat last night, needless to say I will never have to worry about running out of juice during a long day on the water again.  More on that later, if you cannot wait, drop me a line & I will fill you in.

3. Got my latest order in from Optimum Baits today, looking to get pics up in the next day or two for you all to check out.  Got several swimbaits, some new furbit frogs, cool topwaters and few other surprises

4.  Just saw Edwin Evers new ride on BassFan.com in their Dock Talk, it is a must see.
 Well that is it for now…..
Rich
RichLindgren.com 
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Announcements, Product Reviews

Bourbon and Bass Fishing: Match Made in Heaven?

BassFan.com has recently listed a few sweepstakes/contests in their Dock Talk, both have been Bourbon related.
Most Recently Evan Williams has sponsored a day with Jason Quinn program

And earlier this month, you can win a Million Dollars with Kevin Wirth and Early Times.

I signed up for both, cross my finger

It is good to see non-endemic sponsors really supporting their anglers.
Rich
RichLindgren.com 
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Announcements, Conservation, Federation News, Youth Fishing

Minnesota bass anglers crowned top Federation for 2006

Minneapolis -­ February 7, 2007 ­ Minnesota bass anglers crowned top Federation for 2006.

 

The Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation was named Federation of the Year at the recent B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship held in Gadsden, AL. The prestigious annual award goes to the state organization that best puts together a well-rounded program involving conservation, youth and community service.

 

“This is really a great award and we are honored to receive it”, said Federation president Paul Becka. “Our goal was always just to run the group as professionally as possible in a politically difficult year, but it is also nice to get recognition for our youth and conservation activities.”

 

The Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation is compromised of 400+ amateur bass anglers of all ages and genders from Minnesota and bordering states. Besides fishing competitively, its members participate in a variety of activities that benefit the outdoors.

 

Federation regional director John Murphy, “It was quite an honor to accept this award on the behalf of all my fellow members.” Murphy represented Minnesota in Gadsden.

 

The Minnesota Federation hopes to leverage this award and publicity into augmenting efforts that are already in place focused on growing membership. Membership is the key to being able to do more and bigger projects.

 

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release visit www.mnbf.org

 

About Minnesota Bass Federation:

The Minnesota BASS Federation Nation is committed to promoting fishing for all ages and skill levels. We offer our assistance to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to improve fishing opportunities, habitat, water quality and preservation of public access to Minnesota¹s waterways. We work with state and local government, lake associations and other outdoor organizations to protect our fishing heritage. Through our youth initiatives, we provide education and on the water experiences to foster youth involvement and sustained interest in our sport. Skeeter Boats, Fig Rig Rods, and Lowrance are major sponsors of the organization.

 

Contact:

Rich Lindgren, Marketing Director

Minnesota Bass Federation Nation

http://www.mnbf.org

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

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Fantasy Bass Fishing Corner

ESPN Fantasy Bass Fishing

Just a quick reminder, ESPN B.A.S.S. Fantasy Bass Fishing is set to open tomorrow online   and the Super 6 game is fun too, besides I am better at that, finished 9th in the world there last year, opposed to the 4153 place finish in the regular fantasy fishing

Your Team
 PCT  RANK  NAME, GROUP  POINTS
99.9 9  Lakeville HellaBass, MINNESOTA 391
You are signed in as HellaBass

Also, the deadline to get your roster set for the Lake Travis FLW event is nearing as well.
Good Luck All, well except for Mr. Veech
Rich
RichLindgren.com 
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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