All posts by hellabass

To save time I will skim my practice and get into the actual tournament blog. My dad & I fished for about 6 hours on Saturday. We checked a few areas and tried a few new things, we caught some fish in the new areas and pulled on fish in other areas we checked. We also just plain stayed away from our key areas. From the few fish we caught, our patterns and baits seem to be holding strong and I was feeling optimistic for tomorrow’s tournament. At the pairings meeting, we found out it was another 7am start and I drew boat #53 out of 70. I told my non-boater (Nick) not to worry about the draw, being in 4th flight gives us another 45 minutes of culling.

The big decision on Pokegama is wheter or not to head up the river or stay on the main lake. I am partial to the main lake. The day started with clear skies and a building wind. Due to the late draw, I decided to start on a small reed point where I got a good fish in previous practice. The logic was it was a small spot and if someone was going to be on my spot, they would probably be there regardless. I got one keeper (1.75lbs) and my partner got two small keeper on jigs in 15 minutes off the reed point, no big bites. We quickly shifted over to my weed point and turn where there is historically big smallies and some largemouth. I got a keeper on a Yellow Magic popper and my partner limited out on a drop shot Zoom Finesse Worm (Grn Pumpkin Red) It seemed obvious the big smallies were not cooperating, so I decided to run a stretch of docks that was nearby, they had good fish last weekend.

I started skipping and pitching my 3/8oz. Grn Pumpkin Brown Tru-Tungsten Jig paired with a Green Pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk. I got 4 fish off these docks to fill my limit, one of them was close to 3lbs. Even though I had my limit by 8:30am, in my mind I only had one keeper that I wanted. Since there was good action on docks, I decided to hit a dock that I got a 5lb’r last weekend. I pulled up a few docks down and caught another good keeper and another big fish followed that one out. While I was culling, Nick threw in under the dock and broke off on one. I fished the next few docks, no more bites.
Click on Jig for more info & to get your hands on some!

I made the run down the lake to a deep area with rocks and grass out to 18-19 ft and in about 5 pitches with my jig I put two fish between 3 & 4lbs in the boat. Things were finally starting to look pretty good. We fished the area for another 45 minutes, I caught 3 more fish that I could not use on jigs and a Baby Fork Creature fished mojo style with a 3/16oz Tru-Tungsten sinker pegged 20″ up the line from my hook. Nick culled twice on his drop shot rig. I decided it was getting kind of windy on another stretch of docks, so I headed over and switched to a 1/2oz Tru-Tungsten jig in the same patterns and culled with another solid keeper. It was obvious the wind was not going to let up, so I thought I would try to hold on a main lake hump that produced big smallies and largemouth in practice. It wind was very high, I smacked a small keeper as soon as we pulled up on my GPS spot. We continued to fish and my partner got several short fish and rock bass on his drop shot. I then decided to slide over to the wind side of the hump. Very shortly there after I hooked a lost a really nice smallmouth on my baby creature. I did not get a good look at it, but it was in the 3-4 lb class.

I then ran back to the docks where I had the follow when I caught a fish. I pitched in next to a boat lift and the wind took my line into a crack and a fish immediately grabbed it and pulled the line tight, there was nothing I could do. Hard to tell how big, but every fish off that dock had been 3 lb plus. Just like the next one as I pitched the jig up by the shallow tires and smacked another 4lb fish on my jig. I ran down into the Sherry arm to a set of docks that produced a kicker fish in practice. As we got there, another boat started on the other end towards us, as we got close to meeting, the other boat’s non-boater got a really nice fish. We hit an area with big smallies across the bay and did not get a bite. We decided to head back to the deep rock and weed area on more time. After working the area for awhile, we each got a nice 3lb plus cull fish, I got mine on a 1/2oz TT Jig and Nick got his on a Texas Rigged Craw Tube.

For the rest of the tournament, we ran shallow docks and trees looking for one more kicker bite. I got one good bite of a tree in Jay Gould Lake, it ended up being just a tad smaller than my small fish on my balance beam. I really never got that really big 5lb bite that I was hoping for, I was slightly disappointed at the time. I thought I had about 15-16lbs, I was just hoping to make another Top 10 at that point.

As it turned out, my bag weighed 17lbs 9oz and it was good enough for 2nd place out of 70 boats. My non-boater had 3 fish for 8-06 and took top honors in the non-boater division. This finish pushed me from 5th to 2nd in points for the series. I trailed the leader by more than 80pts, now it is only 21 points with one event to go.

The key to my success was a good practice and keeping my jig wet, it was the 3/8oz Green Pumpkin/Brown Tru-Tungsten Jig early and often. I also mixed in 1/2oz versions in Grn/Pumpkin Brown & Blk/Blu on occasion. I fished my jig on a G. Loomis 844 IMX Casting Rod, Shimano Castaic SF spooled with 20lb Cajun Red Line.

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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BASS Tour

Major Patterns at Lake Wylie

August 2, 2006 hellabass

Check out what it took to win and contend on the Bassmasters American Major. Conventional wisdom suggests deeper water is the way to go this time of year on Wylie, but Wolak shrugged off that textbook approach when he discovered packs of fish along the banks.

Practice
Wolak had never fished Wylie before, but he knew from experience on similar lakes that deep water was the standard during mid-summer. During the first day of practice, he started in deeper water, but quickly discovered that approach wouldn’t work for him.

Next he tried shallow water and saw bass that were good-sized and accessible. “I saw a lot of fish cruising and just sitting in shallow water,” he said. “There were little wolfpacks hanging around the banks and attacking the shad.”

He tried to get them to strike with a number of baits, before he finally settled on a Zoom Ultravibe Horny Toad. He also found if he pitched a worm behind it, he could get some of the fish that wouldn’t hit the Horny Toad. Most of the fish were at a depth of between 6 inches and 2 feet.

As he found more packs of fish, he marked them on his GPS so he could go back to them during the tournament. By the end of practice, he had a stockpile of points marked with quality fish.

Competition
Day 1: 5, 15-06
Day 2: 2, 4-13 (20-04)
Day 3: 5, 15-06
Day 4: 5, 10-08 (25-14)

On day 1, Wolak went back to his GPS points and started to catch fish. He bagged 15-06 and knew he had a pattern that could carry him through the tournament.

He tried the same pattern on day 2. The fish were there, but he had a tough day and only caught two keepers for 4-13. He didn’t catch any until the afternoon and one came at the end of the day. “I didn’t execute,” he said. “I missed a couple. I squeaked into the cut, but I was optimistic, because I knew my pattern would hold up.”

On day 3 he fished a frog and pounded the fish. He finished with his second 15-06 sack of the tournament and held a nearly 5-pound lead.

Day 4 was sunny and still, and he figured the frog wouldn’t be as effective, so he fished a worm and caught his target of 10 pounds to win the tournament. “I learned from day 2 that when it was super sunny and stagnant, they didn’t get that frog that well,” he said. “I fished with a worm a lot more. Knowing I only had to get about 10 pounds to win, I knew that was a better strategy.”

Winning Gear Notes
> Frog gear: 7’6″ unnamed flipping stick, unnamed reel, 50-pound unnamed braided line, Zoom Ultravibe Horny Toad.
> Spinning gear: 7′ unnamed rod, unnamed reel, 10-pound unnamed fluorocarbon line, 1/8oz weight, Zoom Finesse Worm (green pumpkin).

> Main factor in his success – “I did something a little bit off the wall that most guys wouldn’t have thought would win it. I pretty much ran with it and said this is what I’m going to do, and stuck with it.”

2nd: Kevin VanDam
> Day 1: 5, 16-04
> Day 2: 4, 9-07 (25-11)
> Day 3: 5, 9-02
> Day 4: 5, 13-13 (22-15)

When Kevin VanDam started the tournament, he felt deeper water would be the key to a victory, but he soon discovered shallow water would be more productive. Why? The bass were still hanging around the bream beds.

The first 2 days of the tournament, he concentrated on offshore structure with a jig. He worked the fish slowly and the approach got him 16-04 on the first day and 9-07 on day 2. However, he figured out the slow approach wouldn’t work for the six-hole format on the final 2 days.

So on day 3 he moved to shallow water and threw a mix of baits at the banks and docks. He landed 9-02 to make the final six. “The main thing was to target the secondary pockets in the creeks and find the bluegill beds,” he noted. “I was fishing the docks and everything that was in there. I was just using whatever I thought would work. I had 15 rods out on the deck.”

He stuck with the same strategy on day 4. He moved quickly from one area to the next as he attempted to find fish, and finished with 13-13 – the largest sack of the day.

> Flipping gear: 7’4″ heavy-action Quantum PT Series flipping stick, Quantum Energy Burner reel (7:1 gear ration), 20-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon line, 5/16-ounce weight, 4/0 Mustad Big-Mouth Tube Hook, Strike King Craw Tube (green-pumpkin).

> Main factor in his success – “I think the biggest thing was working extremely hard and making accurate casts. Those docks are tough to fish. A lot of fish were suspended under the foam and you needed to put it right in there.”

3rd: Gerald Swindle
> Day 1: 5, 12-00
> Day 2: 5, 14-04 (26-04)
> Day 3: 5, 10-07
> Day 4: 5, 11-14 (22-05)

During practice, Gerald Swindle figured his best bet for a victory was to flip shallow water, and he stuck with that pattern throughout the tournament. At times it was a struggle, but he found enough fish to stay in the hunt.

On day 1 he only had 1 keeper in the boat at 1:30, but he felt his pattern would produce if he stayed patient. He caught a pile in the last hour. Every day it was an all-day battle to catch five.When the fish didn’t bite, he had to remind himself that they would eventually, if he stayed with it.

“I just had to hunker down and wait for it to happen. You have to fish your pattern and stay mentally strong.”

> Flipping gear: 7’4″ heavy-action Quantum Tour Edition PT Gerald Swindle signature rod, Quantum Tour Edition PT reel (6.3:1), 15- and 20-pound Berkley G-String line, Zoom Trick Worm (watermelon, green-pumpkin).

> Main factor in his success – “The biggest key for me was patience. I had to make myself slow down to get the strikes. When you fished slow, you’d get the big ones.”

4th: Jason Quinn
Day 1: 5, 9-02
Day 2: 5, 11-12 (20-14)
Day 3: 5, 8-06
Day 4: 5, 13-07 (21-13)

Like many other anglers, Jason Quinn figured the best bite would come in deep water. But once practice started, he discovered good fish were still shallow and he changed his mindset.

“The bluegill are usually done bedding by now, but this year they were still bedding and the bigger bass were still shallow up around the beds,” he noted. “They should have been back out there on deep structure.”

The first 2 days of the tournament, he concentrated on those shallow areas, but spectator traffic increased dramatically the final 2 days and he was forced to move to deeper water. He found that many of the fish were still in transition from shallow to deep, so they were tough to locate, but on day 4 he found some schools and caught his largest sack of the tournament (13-07) with a crankbait.

Every day the offshore structure kept getting better and in another week and it would have been different.

> Deep cranking gear: 7’10” medium-action Team All-Star crankbait rod, Pflueger President casting reel, 8-pound Shakespeare Supreme line, Rapala DT 16 (shad) or 3/4-ounce Luhr Jensen Hot Lips (green back) crankbaits.

> Topwater gear: 6’6″ medium All-Star Topwater Special rod, Shakespeare Supreme casting reel, 17-pound Shakespeare Supreme Super Tough line, Brian’s Bees Prop Bee (bluegill).

> Flipping gear: 7’6″ heavy All-Star Platinum flipping stick, Shakespeare Supreme casting reel, 20-pound Shakespeare Supreme Super Tough, 1/2-ounce Tru-Tungsten Jason Quinn jig.

> Main factor in his success – “I think the key to my success was staying focused and not letting everything around me affect me.”

5th: Mark Menendez
Day 1: 5, 11-07
Day 2: 5, 8-09 (20-00)
Day 3: 5, 8-14
Day 4: 5, 10-05 (19-03)

On the first day of practice, Mark Menendez tried to fish deep structure, but couldn’t find any fish. Then he moved in along the banks and spotted some bluegill beds with bass on them. Once he saw those beds, he knew that’s what he’d fish during the tournament.

He threw both topwaters and jigs, but didn’t get many bites during the first 2 days of the tournament. He made the cut, but the last 2 days of the tournament weren’t any easier.

“The last day was excruciating,” he noted. “I was so worn out from the heat, it took me until about 10:30 to get in any kind of rhythm with my casting. In the last two holes, I caught my limit. They came on a topwater chugger.”

> Jig gear: 6’6″ medium-action Pflueger Trion rod, Shakespeare Supreme reel, 14-pound Shakespeare Supreme line, 3/8oz Strike King Premier Elite Jig (black/blue).

> Flipping gear: 7’6″ heavy Pflueger Trion rod, Pflueger President reel, 20-pound unnamed fluorocarbon line, 3/8oz Strike King Premier Elite Jig (black/blue).

> Casting gear: 7′ medium-heavy Pflueger rod, Shakespeare Supreme reel, 15-pound unnamed fluorocarbon, Strike King Spit-N-King (Arkansas shiner) or weightless Strike King 3X Plastic Bait – Zero (watermelon-red).

> Main factor in his success – “The key was being persistent and not panicking. Also, I only lost one fish. I fished a clean tournament.”

What a weird deal to be fishing Bluegill beds in July in NC, I have not seen bluegill beds in MN for weeks….

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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Tournament Info

Pokegama – Practice Days 1&2 – July 29-30, 2006

August 1, 2006 hellabass

Thankfully it was not as hot in Grand Rapids as it was down in the Metro. I got two solid days of practice in, split between the main lake, Jay Gould and the river section. I felt the bite was very good on Pokegama this past weekend and plenty of quality fish biting. We caught them deep, shallow and everywhere in between. The majority of my fish came on Tru-Tungsten jigs or soft plastics. I also caught quite a few fish on a 9/16oz Chart/White Secret Weapon Spinnerbait with painted blades. Most of the fish are a mixed bag with the majority being largemouth, but I have some areas where there is potential kicker smallmouth.

My best 5 on Saturday would have been about 16-17 lbs and 19-20 lbs on Sunday. That was with keeping the boat moving and not beating on fish. Unless something changes, I feel like it will take Sunday’s type weight to be in contention for the tournament. I feel like 10-12lbs will be very common and that I should be able to get 14-15 lbs on a couple of my patterns. The key will be getting a couple big bites to get me into 17-20 lb+ range. Sorry there is not a ton of details for this practice, running low on blogging time this week.

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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Tournament Info

ESPN BASS Weekend Series looking forward…

July 28, 2006 hellabass

This weekend I am headed up to Pokegama for a full weekend of practice for the third tournament that is coming up next Sunday – Aug 6th. As it stands, I will get 3 full days of practice, which should be great. I feel Lake Pokegama is probably my best chance for a really high finish and to make surge towards the top of AOY standings.

Pokegama is a really dynamic fishery as it has great populations of big Largemouth and Smallmouth. I will spend time looking for both this weekend and hopefully I can narrow it down and then refine next Saturday. This tournament could be won with either, and I think it could possibly take close to 20lbs or more depending on the bite.

On a side note, has anyone checked out the photo galleries from the Bassmasters American? The fish look pretty skinny and ugly If you have not been paying attention, KVD is leading the field after one day. Tune into Bassmaster.com for live video weigh in. 3PM CST.

Have a good weekend!
Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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Conservation, FLW Tour

Stren Series Fish Kill

July 26, 2006 hellabass

In a recent tournament held out of La Crosse, WI on the Mississippi River, there was an unusually large delayed mortality from the tournament fish. It is unclear from the stories that I have read on excatly how the fish were handled and if there were any other factors that could have magnified the problem.

See Full Article.

The main thing, is not to jump to conlcusions until we get all the facts. A similar study was conducted last year and the way the fish were held for the study was thought to have created eronious results. My early thoughts is that these largemouth bass, many of them probably carrying the LMBV, were over stressed in combination of the tournament proccess and the holding of them in areas with improper current flow.

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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Tournament Info

Shamineau Lake – Club Tournament #6 – July 23, 2006

July 25, 2006 hellabass

Coming into the day, I knew this was my best chance to put my self in a position to win club stick. My plan was simple, target shallow heavy cover and docks and stick with it. I knew I would get a limit doing this and was my best option for putting together a winning bag with no practice on the lake. So the night before, I rigged up two Tru-Tungsten Jigs, 2 Heavy TX rigs, weightless Ring Fry, Bronzeye, Vixen and SWL Spinnerbait.

We started in the pads on the far east side of the lake. I had one small fish try to take my Vixen and then we moved right into the pads. My partner Dave was throwing a Bronzeye and I started flipping pockets with my 3/8 Green Pumpkin/BRown Tru-Tungsten Jig paired with a Grn Pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk. On my 5th pitch, I got a nice fish over 3lbs. We fished the rest of the cove, I got two more on jigs and one on a Chart/White SWL Spinnerbait. The last 3 were nothing special, just keepers. I hit 2 docks near a point just outside of this cove and then slid off the weed edge and banged another solid keeper on the jig. It felt good to have my limit with 15 minute left in the first hole. We decided to spend the remaining minutes on a cattail point that split the holes.

Dave missed on as we transitioned into the end hole on a jig. I culled a one of my small keepers off a boat lift with my jig. The docks were not really producing, so we ran across and pulled up on some other cattails. My first pitch in with a 1/2oz Blk/Bl Tru-Tungsten Jig produced my big fish of the day, a 3.4lb largemouth. The trailer of choice was a Blackberry Speed Craw. Dave also missed two fish in this patch.

We continued to work docks, pads, reeds, bog, & cattails for the rest of the day. I switched back and forth between my two jigs. Favoring the 3/8oz around docks and sparser cover, and then using my 1/2oz jig in heavier & deeper cover situations. I culled several more times and my partner managed 4 nice fish, and missed several opportunities including not letting me net a keeper that came off.

Click on Jigs for more product info!
My final weight was 14.4 lbs and 2nd place was 11.9lbs. It also vaulted me into first place for the year and easily advanced me to the “final four” in the Gopher Match Tournament. See Full Results

Two tournaments to go on Leech Lake and I am looking to hang on to my scant 1.2lb lead over 2nd place. Next weekend, my focus switches back to practicing for the Weekend Series tournament on Pokegama.

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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Tournament Info

Fish Trap Lake – Club Tournament #5 – July 22, 2006

July 24, 2006 hellabass

Tournament #5 signifies going past the halfway point for our club season. Exciting times! I managed to get on Fish Trap and drive around for 15 minutes before the off limits began at 6pm. Between map study and what I saw. I was debating to start on the Island Reeds and weedline in front of the landing or some nice looking cattails halfway down the lake. Neither area was I able to drop a line on.

I mulled it over with my partner Patrick, we decided to try the Cattails first thing. We started out throwing topwaters around the front edge, I threw a Vixen and he worked a Pop-R, no action. We then moved in and covered the edges and pockets with Jigs. Patrick got one on a brown All-Terrain jig. I tried a Snag Proof Tournament Frog up in the middle over some matted grass and pads, not even a boil. I then broke off on a Texas rigged LFT Flipper on the other end. We then hopped around a little trying some reeds, docks and other visible cover. I caught one keeper on off a jet ski lift and the other off a sunken log, both came on a Fall Craw 3/8oz Tru-Tungsten Jig.

Around the corner we hit some pads and Patrick got a nice fish on a Bronzeye, he also had a couple more on that he lost. I had a few strikes on the Vixen, but could connect. I caught a couple shorts on a Chat/White SWL Spinnerbait. We hopped out onto the weedline in that area and got a couple northerns. We then hit a long stretch of docks, and I got one more keeper. Things were a little slow, so we headed to the island where we thought about starting. We each got one quick keeper. I got mine on a Red Bug Lake Fork Twitch Worm on a 3/16oz Tru-Tungsten Ikey Head Jig. Patrick got his on a drop shot with a Main Vein Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm. We then cruised across the lake to another area I had highlighted on the map and drove over quickly the evening before. I caught 3 more keepers on this weedline, allowing me to cull, all on the Twitch Worm and Ikey Head Jig combo.

With about 20 minutes left, we hit some docks and I culled two more times with the Tru-Tungsten Jig. My total for 5 fish was a measly 7.6lbs. I was hoping to get closer to 10lbs on the day. I ended up in 8th out of 14 for the day and lost more ground to the club leader and it left me 5.3lbs out of first. Luckily I had a bye in the Match Tournament. Two guys tied for 1st with 10.9 lbs for the day. In review, sounds like we should have went to the island, as one boat both got their limits there. Oh well, those cattails just looked so good. See Full Results.

Looking forward to Shamineau, I have fished that lake before and I started in the 4th hole, and my last hole is where I caught the big fish in my previous tournament.

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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Tournament Info

Fish Trap Lake & Lake Shamineau Club Tournament Preview

July 21, 2006 hellabass

Sitting at work and leaning towards the door. Got the boat hooked to the SUV in the parking lot, just begging to head up HWY 10. I am meeting two club members at the Maple Grove Gander Mountain, we will ride up together, hopefully they are both on time, so that I can at least drive around Fish Trap tonight, as I have never been on the lake.

This is a pivotal weekend for the Gopher Bassmasters. For guys looking to fill the last state team spot and the alternate spot, these two tournaments decide that. It is also tournaments 5 & 6 out of 8 for next year’s state team. And probably the most exciting thing….. we kick off our Match Tournament fishing this weekend.

I am looking forward to these tournaments, sounds like both of these lakes have good fish, and everyone should get fish. Size is the key. A few years back, we had a tournament on Shamineau that I won with 20.5lbs for 5 bass. That was about 5 weeks earlier and I cost of those fish pitchin’ & flippin’ a Lake Fork Craw Tube in the Reeds & Cattails. The trick will be to locate those fish this time of year. An added dynamic is that we are fishing it as a hole course, which will make it even more exciting.

If all goes well, I will catch my father who is in first place y 2lbs.

Have a great weekend!
Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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Youth Fishing

2006 MN JUNIOR B.A.S.S. FEDERATION CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

July 20, 2006 hellabass

On June 30, junior anglers from around the State of Minnesota came to compete in the 5th Minnesota Junior State Championship on Lake Washington. 47 junior anglers from 6 different Minnesota Junior BASS Federation clubs participated in this year,s championship tournament. The participating clubs were the Fairmont Junior club, Red Lake Bass Busters, Bassinators, Gopher Junior Club, Bassin Boys, and Granite City Jr Club. Junior anglers were paired together with an angler from a different junior club. Their adult boaters were from the clubs that attended the state tournament and members of the Board of Directors from the Minnesota Bass Federation Nation.

Push off was at 6:00am that morning out of Westwood Marina. The junior anglers were greeted with clouds, moderate winds, and temperatures in the lower 60’s. The clouds were a factor till 10:30 that morning and then the sun and hot weather arrived. The majority of Jr anglers concentrated on the bulrushes, lily pad fields, and docks. They were all catching fish, but the key was finding fish around the12” minimum length that was required. Talking with many of the Jr. Contender’s and their boat drivers after the tournament, the bite was not consistent on any one key pattern for a majority of the junior anglers.

The weigh-in site was the Westwood Marina on Lake Washington. Parents, friends and guests were on the docks and shores watching the boats arrive for the 2:00pm check in time. After all anglers were checked in, the weigh in began. The Jr. angler’s from each boat were brought up to the scales. Vern Wagner, the Minnesota Bass Federation Nation Conservation Director was a boater that day and the MC of the weigh in. Vern talked with each contestant about their day on the water and their techniques. The leader board changed several times during the weigh-in for top weight and Big Bass for each age group. The awards ceremony was very exciting because the weights were so close in both age groups.

The TOP HOOK award went to Derek Jacobson of the Bassin Boys (15-18 age group) with a weight of 11.32 pounds. This was for the best overall weight from the tournament from either age group. At the pre-tournament meeting it was announced that Derek would be 19 before National tournament cut off date, and if he won he could not advance the Junior World Championship. The 2nd place winner in the older age group would advance the JWC if Derek won his age group. Derek just wanted to fish and end his Junior Bass career with a bang. He did just that. Best weight for the tournament and Top Hook. The Top Hook award is a memorial award in memory of Tom “GRAMPA” Nelson who passed away 3 1/2 years ago after a battle with cancer. Tom’s wife Carol and their children were there that day to present the Top Hook award to Derek.

1st place for both age groups were announced. Cody Sieben (11-14 age group) from the Gopher Jr. club with a weight of 8.30 pounds and Derek Jacobson (15-18 age group) from the BASSIN BOYS with a weight of 11.32 pounds. Cody Sieben advances to the 2007 Junior World Championship.

2nd place went to Mark Shirley (11-14 age group) from the Granite City Jr club with a weight of 7.02 pounds and Tom Gomez (15-18 age group) from the Bassin Boys with a weight of 9.42 pounds. Tom Gomez advances to the 2007 Junior World Championship in place of Derek Jacobson .

3rd place went Ben Brown (11-14 age group) from the Fairmont Jr. Club with a weight of 6.56 pounds and Aaron Jorgensen (15-18 age group) from the Fairmont Jr.Club with a weight of 8.84 pounds.

Big BASS of the tournament went to Ben Brown (11-14 age group) with a 4.08 pound Bass and Aaron Jorgensen (15-18 age group) with a 3.84 pound Bass.

In the inaugural Top Club Team award, Gopher Junior Bass took honors with a combined weight of 22.96 pounds. Team members were Lucas Lindgren, Cody Sieben, Matt Veech Don and Rick Brenhoffer.

There were a total of 164 largemouth bass brought to the scales that day with a total of weight of 227.58 pounds for the tournament. This is the largest creel in the tournament’s 5 year history. The bass were released back into the lake.

Tom and Cody along with their families now advance to the 2007 Jr. World Championship on February 17th on Lake Logan in Alabama. They will be paired with another Jr. Angler from a different state for a two day event. Their boat driver will be one of the 2007 Bassmaster Classic contenders. They will fish a one day pro- am with that angler and then the next day the boys will be on their own. They have an adventure ahead of them that they will not forget. Good luck to our National Team, Tom and Cody.

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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BASS Tour

Winning Patterns at Champions Choice – Lake Champlain

July 18, 2006 hellabass

Denny Brauer has fished 251 Bassmaster and 36 FLW Tour events since 1980. Only on a very few occasions has everything come together as well as it did at the recent Champlain Bassmaster Elite Series. The flipping master from Camdenton, Mo. notched his 16th tour-level victory with a 4-day total of 80-03. It was nearly 8 pounds more than runner-up Brent Chapman of Kansas and included a massive 23-04 sack on day 4.

Here’s how he did it.

Practice
Brauer has made his reputation (and more than $2 million) primarily by catching shallow-water fish, so there was never any doubt that he’d focus on largemouths at Champlain. Even the smallmouth experts had a tough time getting on bronzebacks last week as they seemed to be in a post-spawn funk.

The water was about 4 feet above full pool and the shallow vegetation was brimming with bucketmouths. In spite of the lake’s reputation as a smallmouth mecca, it was obvious that green fish would be the ticket to the top. He spent the first of his 3 practice days in Ticonderoga at the far southern end of the lake, where Tracy Adams won the Champlain FLW Tour last month and Dion Hibdon averaged more than 20 pounds over the first 2 days of that event. He caught a 20-pound sack, so he stayed away for the remainder of the pre-fish period.

He traveled in the opposite direction to Missisiquoi Bay on each of the next 2 days, and liked what he found there as well. He’d had success up there in the past and had a good idea of where the top-quality fish would be.

“It felt a little bit better to me up there,” he said. “There weren’t as many boats, and on the third (practice) day I was able to expand on what I had there. He was one of eight Top-12 finishers who ended up fishing the same square mile of reed-laden water.

Competition
> Day 1: 5, 19-05
> Day 2: 5, 18-10
> Day 3: 5, 19-00
> Day 4: 5, 23-04
> Total = 20, 80-03

Brauer began the tournament with a specific plan that he thought would allow him to weigh a strong bag each day: He’d fish until he had 18 pounds, and then spend the rest of the day expanding his water. It worked brilliantly, despite all the company he had in his general vicinity. He stayed close to the lead over the first 3 days, then whacked a tournament-best sack on day 4 to win going away. He had to make a slight adjustment on day 1 because a steady north wind muddied up the area he’d planned to start in. That ended up being the only day that it blew from that direction.

“I relocated about a hundred yards and whacked them over there,” he said. “Then when the wind changed to the south the next day, they were back to where I thought they would be the first day.

He fished his day-4 area, a patch of reeds and grass about 100 yards long, off and on over the first 3 days, but saved the heaviest of the heavy cover for the final day. On a day 4 that he described as “magical,” he used a 3/4-ounce Strike King Denny Brauer Premier Pro-Model Jig tipped with a Strike King 3X – Denny Brauer Chunk to catch 4-pounders on both of his first two casts.

Over the course of the day, he added a trio of 5-pounders that went to the scales with them. “One of the keys for me was realizing there were a lot of big fish in that one patch of reeds. I really bore down and fished it slowly and methodically, and I was able to get quite a few of the better-quality fish. “I started to penetrate the cover farther and farther as the tournament went on, and (on day 4) I ended up dead-sticking the jig a lot of times. I’d just let it sit and wait for one of the big ones to come pick it up.

Winning Gear Notes
> Jig gear: 7’6″ Team Daiwa flipping and pitching rod, Daiwa X-Series casting reel (6.3:1 gear ratio), 60-pound Mustad braided line, 3/4-ounce Strike King Denny Brauer Premier Pro-Model Jig (black/blue), Strike King 3X – Denny Brauer Chunk (black/blue flake).
> He also used a 1/2-ounce jig (same model and color) for vegetation that wasn’t as thick and in clearer water. He threw it on 20-pound Mustad Thor, which he said will be introduced this week at the ICAST show in Las Vegas.

Notable
> Main factor in his success – “Having so much confidence in what I was doing and where I was doing it. I was really focused and I had a very efficient tournament.”

Denny Brauer, perhaps the best flipper on the planet, won the Champlain Bassmaster Elite Series with the long rod. The anglers who finished right behind him also spent the majority of their time holding 7-8′ sticks.

Champlain, the big lake that runs along the New York/Vermont border, was 4 feet above full pool, which put a ton of quality largemouths in the shallow vegetation (primarily reeds and willows). Four of the Top 5 focused on the same square-mile area in Missisiquoi Bay at the north end of the lake.

2nd: Brent Chapman
> Day 1: 5, 19-02
> Day 2: 5, 16-05
> Day 3: 5, 18-15
> Day 4: 5, 17-15
> Total = 20, 72-05

Brent Chapman of Kansas improved by 141 places on his finish at the FLW Tour event here last month by switching his focus from smallmouths to largemouths. “My first day up there I knew I wanted to try (Missisiquoi) Bay,” he said. “I wanted to stick a couple to get my confidence up, and I caught a few 3- and 4-pounders. Then I bent the hook on my jig (intentionally) and shook off 30 or 40 more.”

He fished a jig in the reeds and buckbrush and a Zoom Flukes around willow trees. His 17-15 bag on the final day was second-biggest behind Brauer’s tournament-best 23-04 stringer. He thought it might give him a chance to win, but Brauer didn’t give him the help he needed.

> Jig gear: 7’6″ heavy-action All-Star Platinum flipping stick, Pflueger Supreme casting reel (6.3:1 gear ratio), 25-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line, 5/8oz Terminator Pro Top Secret Jig (black/blue), Zoom Super Chunk trailer (blue sapphire).
> Fluke gear: 7’6″ medium-heavy All Star Platinum pitching rod, same reel, 20-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon, 4/0 weighted (1/16-ounce) Falcon Lures Bait Jerker Hooks, Zoom Flukes (watermelon).
> Main factor in his success – “Confidence in the area and confidence in the lures. I used the best big-fish baits and I was putting them in the best places for the big fish.”

3rd: Terry Butcher
> Day 1: 5, 19-02
> Day 2: 5, 17-03
> Day 3: 5, 17-01
> Day 4: 5, 16-15
> Total = 20, 70-11

Oklahoma’s Terry Butcher, who’d never been to Champlain before, discovered the Missisiquoi Bay community hole late on the first practice day (Monday). “I looked for mainly laydowns or reeds,” he said. “I was both flipping and pitching, but mainly pitching.” Most of his fish bit a jig, but he also caught a few on a spinnerbait. He caught a big bag the first day, and his next three were all within 4 ounces of each other.

> Jig gear: 7’3″ extra-heavy American Eagle flipping stick, Bass Pro Shops Qualifier casting reel (6.3:1 gear ratio), 65-pound Power Pro Braided Line, 3/8oz Red River Tackle jig (brown), Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw trailer (green-pumpkin).
> Spinnerbait gear: 6’6″ medium-heavy American Eagle rod, same reel, 50-pound Power Pro Braided Line, 1/2-ounce Red River Tackle spinnerbait (white/chartreuse).
> Main factor in his success – “I’d say the water being up as much as it was. It put the fish up there in places there not at a lot of the time.”

4th: Mark Tyler
> Day 1: 5, 18-15
> Day 2: 5, 15-01
> Day 3: 5, 18-13
> Day 4: 5, 16-09
> Total = 20, 69-06

Arizona’s Mark Tyler needed a strong finish to get back into the hunt for a Bassmaster Classic berth (he moved up to 43rd in the points). He was the highest finisher who didn’t fish in Missisiquoi Bay. He went south to Ticonderoga, where three of the Top 10 finishers in last month’s Champlain FLW Tour (including winner Tracy Adams) assembled strong bags of largemouths.

“Then on the short day (the third practice day) I got six or seven bites and never stuck anything, so I went in just hoping for 15 pounds. I just got on more and more fish and found more areas as I went along. Things really started to click, and it probably helped that I had no expectations.”

He had two flipping sticks rigged with Zoom Brush Hogs – one with a 1/4-ounce weight, and the other with a 1/2-ounce for occasions when the wind was stiff & the vegetation was especially thick.
> Brush Hog gear: 7’6″ Kistler Magnesium flipping stick, Pflueger President casting reel (6.3:1 gear ratio), 20-pound P-Line fluoroclear, 1/4- or 1/2-ounce Tru-Tungsten Tungsten Sinker, Zoom Brush Hogs (pumpkin).
> Main factor in his success – “Patience. I fished very slowly and didn’t get ahead of myself. I made the most of the few spots I had.”

5th: Tommy Biffle
> Day 1: 5, 18-09
> Day 2: 5, 19-00
> Day 3: 5, 15-09
> Day 4: 5, 15-11
> Total = 20, 68-13

Oklahoma’s Tommy Biffle was in search of back-to-back wins after his triumph the previous week at Oneida. He was in contention at the midway point, but fell back a bit with a light bag on day 3.

After missing the cut at the Champlain FLW, he stayed over an extra day and found a big bunch of fish in the grass in Ticonderoga. However, he discovered on the first day of practice that they’d moved out.

He switched to Missisquoi on the final practice day. “I already knew the area and the banks that were good. I just missed the bank that Denny was on.” He caught all of his weigh-in fish by flipping a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.

> Beaver gear: 7’6″ extra-heavy Quantum Tommy Biffle signature series flipping stick, Quantum PT Burner casting reel (7:1 gear ratio), 25-pound Stren High Impact line (clear), 3/8oz Tru-Tungsten Tungsten Sinker, 4/0 Reaction Innovations hook, Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver 4.20 (black neon).
> Main factor in his success – “The water was up and the fish were up shallow in the bushes. It suited my style of fishing and what I do best.”

Well they have both they NY lakes on next year’s schedule, maybe the big smallies will play a larger impact then.

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

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