Category Archives: Announcements

Gopher Bassmasters 2009 Schedule

January 17, 2009 hellabass

The 2009 Gopher Bassmasters Schedule has recently been set, I plan to fish all the events this year on top of my Bassmaster Weekend Series tournaments, the BFN Northern Divisional, MNBFN TOC and maybe a BFL or 2. Looks like a fun schedule, few bodies I have never fished and a couple that I am pretty familiar with. If you are thinking about joining a bass club, Gopher Bassmasters is taking new members for this year yet, check out their website.

Mississippi River – Pool 2
Cottage Grove, MN
May 17, 2009

North & South Center Lakes
Center City, MN
June 13, 2009

Chisago & Lindstrom Lakes Chain
Chisago, MN
June 14, 2009

Knife Lake
Mora, MN
July 11, 2009

East & West Rush Lakes
Rush City, MN
July 12, 2009

2009 State Tournament Waters
Day 1
TBD, MN
August 29, 2009

Day 2
TBD, MN
August 30, 2009

My synopsis of the events:
Mississippi River – Pool 2
This should be an interesting early season event. Only a few guys in our club have been on this water and not necessarily at this time of year. We chose this because its catch & release all year and we will be doing paper tournament, where your partner will verify the length of your catch and convert to pounds. It offers both smallmouth & largemouth. We usually drive to WI in May for our first tourneys, so this will be a new body of water for most and save expenses this year.

North & South Center Lakes / Chisago & Lindstrom Lakes Chain
June can be a very good bite or finicky bite on these lakes based on what stage of Post Spawn we are likely in at this point. Should be a mixture of deep fish and fish that are still raiding bluegill beds on these lakes. Should take some solid weights on both, Chisago will also be a paper tournament

Knife Lake / East & West Rush Lakes
Knife Lake I know nothing about and I think only one or two members have been on the lake, I am guessing it will fish strong. Rush lakes maybe hitting their full algae bloom at this time, which may trip up a few anglers on this body of water, but it has big fish if you can find them in the summer.

The TOC waters will likely be one of the large chains of water like Gull or Whitefish, but we will not know until April. That is all for now, watch my website for my official tournament schedule very soon!

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

Announcements, Tips and Techniques

MNBFN Presnents Free Bass Fishing Seminars

January 11, 2009 hellabass

January 17th will be the next installment of Free Bass Fishing Seminars (open to the public) brought to you by the MN BASS Federation Nation

January 17, 2009 at the Medina Entertainment Center
9:30am – 11:00am Ross Evans – Side Imaging Systems – GPS Screens, Mapping Screens, Interlinking Units, extensive understanding of SI and how to link together with the GPS & Mapping

Here is the details of the SI seminar:
1. Transducers – Difference cone angles and why.
2. Mapping – Talk about the Chips and how to modify your screen to make better use of your chips.
3. Mounting and Interlinking Units to improve your over all performance of the units.
4. SI – Will explain in better detail how it works and why it works. I will also use the above three discussion points to help the unit work better.

I will use two overriding themes for the day:
1. Concentrate on what your Unit CAN DO and not what it can’t do!
2. Side Imaging is a “System” and not a single unit!

March 7, 2009 at the Medina Entertainment Center
9:30am Sport Smith – Tackle Craft & Modification
10:15am Rick Billings – 2008 Divisional & National Tournaments Recap

April 18, 2009 at the Medina Entertainment Center
9:30am TBD
10:15am TBD

Look forward to seeing many of you there!!!! – http://www.mnbfn.org/membership/meetings.html

Announcements, BASS Tour

BASS Announces 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason, Reduced Entry Fees

January 9, 2009 hellabass

This is a pretty big announcement from BASS. While it is a bit of a shocker, I think this demonstrates that BASS is committed to helping the pro anglers and making it easier for them to compete in these times where sponsor money can be very hard to get. I also am sure, it will only be a few moments before Sport stops by to comment and complain about Bay De Noc getting bumped, but its an expensive place to travel to for both anglers and tournament staff, it would have likely been a great event, but I am sure BASS will get another event their soon in the next year or two!

BASS Announces 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series
Postseason, Reduced Entry Fees

BASS announced today it has revamped the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series, decreasing entry fees per angler by $25,200 for the season and introducing a two-event, no-entry-fee postseason. The postseason places an increased focus on one of the most prestigious awards in the sport, the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Despite the reduced entry fees, the top finisher in the AOY race will take home $250,000 and the total payout will remain at more than $1 million.

The postseason events will feature only the Top 12 anglers in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, determined after the regular season. Each postseason event will receive one hour of ESPN2 television coverage and the entire Elite Series will receive 15 hours of original programming on ESPN2 in 2009. Anglers who reach the postseason will be provided with unmatched brand-building opportunities.

The qualifiers will start the postseason with the AOY points that correspond with their standings among the Top 12, based on the regular season. The top qualifier heading into the postseason will begin with 300 points, and the rest of the field will receive points that correspond with the AOY points structure. The postseason will be scored with the traditional AOY points system.

The postseason events will follow the culmination of the regular season, which ends with the Champion’s Choice on Lake Oneida out of Syracuse, NY. That final regular-season event has been moved to July 30-Aug 2. Dates and locations for the postseason events will be announced at a later date.

With the announcement of the postseason, BASS has reduced its previously announced Elite Series regular-season schedule to eight events. The three events eliminated are the Alabama Charge (May 14-17; Pickwick Lake; Florence, AL), Cold Water Clash (July 23-26; Big Bay de Noc/Little Bay de Noc; Escanaba, MI) and the Empire Chase (Aug. 6-9; Lake Champlain; Plattsburgh, NY). Click here to view the revised 2009 Elite Series regular-season schedule. The amended payouts for the Elite Series regular season can be found at Bassmaster.com or by clicking here. The 2010 Elite schedule will remain as previously announced.

“We have had a number of productive discussions with Elite anglers and various stakeholders and determined that much like everyone else in this challenging economy, our sport and anglers have been impacted,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager, BASS and ESPN Outdoors. “We feel this decision is in the best interest of the industry, our anglers and sponsors.”

The entire roster for the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series will be released in the coming weeks and Kevin VanDam, 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, was in support of the format change.

“For the long-term health of the sport, this is a reasonable move,” said VanDam. “Looking at the entire Elite Series field, this announcement is helpful and appropriate and it serves the industry, anglers and sponsors well in a challenging environment.”

“Bass fishing is not immune to this economic climate,” said Tim Horton, Elite Series pro. “I’ve spoken with a lot of anglers and feel that this is the right move for the industry.”

The Elite Series regular-season tournament format will follow the 2008 model, with the top 50 anglers qualifying for the third day of competition and the top 12 competing on the final day.

BASS will operate the Bassmaster Opens, the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors, the BASS Federation Nation presented by Yamaha Outboards and Skeeter Boats and all other tournament programs in the same manner as previously announced.

In other news, the Bassmaster Elite Series Marshal Program has resonated tremendously with BASS members. To date, the available slots for Marshals are more than 75% filled for the eight Elite events. With limited space available, BASS members are encouraged to call 1-877-BASS-USA to reserve a spot.

Marshals who were registered for any Elite events that have been changed will be contacted by BASS. Any BASS member registered as a Marshal in the impacted areas will have the option of receiving a full refund or transferring his or her deposit to another Elite event that has available slots on a first-come, first-served basis.

Announcements, Sponsors

Name That Rig Contest & A Free Spinnerbait

November 13, 2008 hellabass

NAME THAT RIG — Incredible products deserve unforgettable names. Our new rig was formerly marketed as the “Wiggle Rig,” and it really deserves better. That’s where you come in…. Give it a better name. Unless you are scared!
Better designs... better performance... better value

——————–
CONTEST RULES:
1. Learn about these amazing products on the SWL Website. Watch the videos and think up a perfect name for these rigs. (For example, since this rig was invented and perfected an Alabama, could we call it the “BAM!-a-Rig”?)
2. Enter as many times as you like. All suggestions must be emailed to [email protected] by midnight on Sunday 16 November.
3. On 17 November we will select the winning entry. If more than one person submits that suggestion, one of them will be drawn at random to receive the prize.
The winner may choose either the SpecTastic ProPack or $40 credit to the SWL online store. In addition, every person who enters will receive a 20% discount code that can be applied to any fishing lure or component in the SW Online Armory in November 2008.

Also click here to get your free SWL Quickstrike Spinnerbait!!!

Hope you enjoy!

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

Announcements, Tournament Info

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

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

Announcements, Multimedia, Product Reviews, Sponsors

ICAST Preview, New Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule and Bass Fishing PodCast

July 16, 2008 hellabass

As many of you know ICAST show in Las Vegas is in progress of getting going. Here is a peak at what the Fish Harder company is showing off this week!!! Tru-Tungsten has also completely revamped their website, so check that out.

Clip on Weight

As anglers ourselves we realized that as popular and effective as plastic BassTrix style swimbaits are they have one drawback – weight. Sometimes we need to cast further or fish deeper. To solve that problem Fish Harder Companies, LLC, designed the Picasso Quick Change Swimbait Weight. It easily attaches to any hook style or size with two wire clips.

Picasso Quick Change Swimbait Weights are available in four sizes to meet every angler’s needs – 3/16oz, ¼oz, 3/8oz and ½oz. They’re sold 2 to a pack.

4' Blue Gill

The Pill Jig is designed for skipping docks.
Pill Jigs are offered in two colors – black and unpainted – and in three sizes – 1/8oz, 3/16oz & ¼oz. They are sold 3 to a pack.

Our Tru-Life Swimbaits now come in a 4″
size. They feature the same high-quality hooks & attention to detail as their full-size relatives.

These lures are offered in a wake/slow sink model and a slow sink/fast sink model. Each bait comes with two tungsten weights that are easily inserted or removed. This will allow the rate of sink and running depth of the lure to be instantly fine tuned by the angler to meet changing conditions.

4-Inch Tru-LifeSwimbaits are available in six fish catching colors -Baby Bass,Bluegill (shown), Blueback Herring, Shad, Chartreuse Shad and Yellow Perch.

4' Blue Gill

The Depth Shad has been designed to be the ultimate soft plastic jerkbait.

They are available in two sizes – 4-inch and 5-inch, unweighted (4 to a pack) or weighted (3 to a pack). And, as if that wasn’t enough, the Depth Shad is available in six fish catching colors – White Pearl, Silver Flash, Shad, Chartreuse Shad, Blueback Herring and Rainbow Trout.

Tru-Life Swimbaits were developed by professional anglers Ish Monroe and Matt Newman for anglers who demand the very best.

8' Trout

Our newest offering – the 8-Inch Trout– features the same high-quality construction, and attention to detail, as all Tru-Life Swimbaits. Equipped with removable tungsten weights and armed with the best hooks available we think it’s the finest hard swimbait on the market.

Also announced today is the Bassmaster Elite Series schedule for 2009 & 2010. Also note, no more co-anglers on the Elite Series after this year

Notable things on these schedules, California gets some love in 2010, Del Rio is definitely scratching BASS’s back, Big Bay De Noc should be an interesting tournament. Also, there are a couple Wed-Sat tournaments scheduled. If the table below is hard to read – click here.
2009 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule

DATE
March 12-15
March 26-29
April 2-5
April 23-26
May 7-10
May 14-17
*June 3-6
June 11-14
July 23-26
Aug. 6-9
Aug. 13-16

EVENT
Battle on the Border
Diamond Drive
Dixie Duel
Blue Ridge Brawl
Southern Challenge
Alabama Charge
Tennessee Triumph
River Rumble
Cold Water Clash
Empire Chase
Champion’s Choice

FISHERY
Lake Amistad
Lake Dardanelle
Wheeler Lake
Smith Mountain Lake
Lake Guntersville
Pickwick Lake
Kentucky Lake
Mississippi River
Big & Little Bay de Noc
Lake Champlain
Oneida Lake

HOST CITY
Del Rio, TX
Russellville, AR
Decatur, AL
Moneta, VA
Guntersville, AL
Florence, AL
Paris, TN
Ft. Madison, IA
Escanaba, MI
Plattsburgh, NY
Syracuse, NY

For more details, including lake maps, click here.

2010 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule

DATE
March 11-14
March 18-21
April 15-18
April 29-May 2
May 6-9
May 20-23
*June 9-12
June 17-20
*July 21-24
July 29- Aug. 1
Aug. 12-15

EVENT
Duel in the Delta
Golden State Shootout
Battle on the Border
Alabama Charge
Southern Challenge
Pride of Georgia
Tennessee Triumph
Sooner Run
Empire Chase
Champion’s Choice
Blue Ridge Brawl

FISHERY
California Delta
Clear Lake
Lake Amistad
Pickwick Lake
Lake Guntersville
Clarks Hill Lake
Kentucky Lake
Arkansas River
Lake Champlain
Lake Erie
Smith Mountain Lake

HOST CITY
Stockton, CA
Lakeport, CA
Del Rio, TX
Florence, AL
Guntersville, AL
Evans, GA
Paris, Tenn.
Muskogee, OK
Plattsburgh, NY
Buffalo, NY
Moneta, VA

* Wednesday-Saturday event
For more details, including lake maps, click here.

Also, if you have not checked out my Podcast on PostSpawn fishing, head over to Bass Fishing the Midwest today!

You can find this episode as well as all Bass Fishing in the Midwest Podcasts on iTunes

Last note, we are only one email subscriber from hitting the 75 email subscriber plateau, kind of exciting!

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

Announcements, Product Reviews

The Green Curado Returns

June 20, 2008 hellabass

If you have been paying attention lately, you know that Shimano has been giving some good deals on their current Curados & Citicas, either via rebate or store sales. When a manufacturer does this, they are usually trying to clear inventory, thus the introduction of a new model or models to replace the existing.

Well the first glimpses of the newly revamped Shimano Curado & Citica are here!!!!! The new line will be the Curado E and Citica E’s.

Pictures by TackleTour.com
Couple things you will notice right away, they are going back to the muted Green finish of the Curado Bantam that was so popular with many bass anglers and many of us still have several of these, as they were proven workhorses. The profile is a bit smaller to compete with the Abu Revos that have entered the market in the last couple years. Even better news, the price point of the Curado E is thought to be $179.99 vs. the Curado D currently at $199.99

Looks like these reals will launch in a burner (7.0:1) and a 5.0:1 to start and the Citica E will have the 6.2:1. See a complete breakdown of this new real and the Citica E here @ TackleTour.com!!!

So start saving your pennies, not sure when the launch date is but ICAST is right around the corner and they should be available shortly after that!!! I think this is a reel I will be ordering right away, the look of the Curado D’s never really excited me, but something about this one has me fired up again. I have been a Curado guy since the old Red Curados that most guys never knew existed.

The Red Curado was a great reel as well, but it had evolved a bit from its early design

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

Announcements, General, Sponsors

Coupon for Northwest SportsShow

April 1, 2008 hellabass

Hey all,

I know many of you will be heading over to the Minneapolis Convention Center this week for the Sportshow. This show usually signals the end of winter and beginning of spring. I will be working the Secret Weapon Lures booth off and on for most of the week.

So if stopping by and saying Hi is not incentive enough here is a generous 25% off coupon to help stock your box with some premium Spinnerbaits & Buzzbaits.

If you have not checked out the innovative designs of the Secret Weapon Lure spinnerbait system yet, now is the time. Check out the website or just stop by booth #721. If I am not there, make sure to stop by and say Hi to Joe Haubenreich from SWL. I look forward to showing how these baits will save you space in tackle storage as well as load your boat with more bass and other game fish!

Show Hours

Wednesday, April 2 1pm-9pm
Thursday, April 3 1pm-9pm
Friday, April 4 1pm-9pm
Saturday, April 5 10am-9pm
Sunday, April 6 10am-5pm

Also to save you a couple bucks on admission, check out this link on discount ticket info – http://www.northwestsportshow.com/tickets.aspx

Announcements, Multimedia

THE MADNESS OF MARCH RETURNS TO VERSUS

March 20, 2008 hellabass

THE MADNESS OF MARCH RETURNS TO VERSUS:
THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST GAMEFISH WILL BE REVEALED BY VIEWERS
IN SECOND INSTALLMENT OF BIG FISH MADNESS

Bracket-Style Tournament Now Available on VERSUSCountry.com with Winner Decided
On-Air March 27/28 and April 3/4 During Primetime on VERSUS Country

STAMFORD, Conn. (March 5, 2008) – VERSUS Country is once again on the quest to answer the most hotly debated question among sport fishermen since fish have been caught on rod and reel — pound-for-pound, what is the toughest gamefish? Will last year’s winner, the Tarpon, retain its title or will this second installment of Big Fish Madness determine a new champion successor?

The VERSUS Country panel of angling experts, including Tred Barta, Roland Martin, Bill Dance and Hank Parker, have narrowed the field by selecting the top 32 gamefish and seeded the fish in a bracket split into four regions. This year though, the ultimate decision for the toughest game fish will be chosen by the viewers, not the experts. Viewers can log on to VERSUSCountry.com to fill out a bracket with their selections up until March 21. Over the course of four nights, each gamefish in contention will be featured in some of the most spectacular fishing on television and Huntley Ritter, the host of The Huntley Way, will take viewers through each match-up, round-by-round until the field of 32 is down to just one champion.

For viewers filling out a bracket at VERSUSCountry.com, points will be awarded for each correct selection and tallied after each round with correct choices receiving incrementally more points as the rounds advance. Throughout Big Fish Madness, viewers can go to the website to see how their brackets are faring against other viewers. The viewer with the winning bracket will be announced on the last night of Big Fish Madness on April 4. The entrant with the highest point total will win the grand prize – a 2008 Nitro Z-6 Boat with Optimax Motor and Trailer, courtesy of BassPro Shops and Tracker Marine and the first place winner will receive an all-expense-paid fishing trip with Tred Barta. Other spectacular prizes for top point earners include: 42′ Panasonic plasma TV’s, iPods, Xbox 360 game consoles, a Bill Dance signature rod & reel package, among others.

“After a very successful first installment of Big Fish Madness we decided to bring it back for a second year with an exciting twist—this year, the viewers are the experts as they’ll be deciding which fish is the toughest,” said Jeff Macaluso, Director of Field Sports & New Media Programming & Production for VERSUS. “It’s a great way for our highly passionate anglers to engage interactively with the programming and to see how their opinions match-up against our expert’s for a chance to win great prizes.”

BIG FISH MADNESS PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (subject to change):

Thursday, March 27, 2008: Round 1 – Field Goes from 32-16

7:00 p.m. ET                 The Huntley Way
7:30 p.m. ET                 Hunt for Big Fish
8:00 p.m. ET                 Sport Fishing Magazine
8:30 p.m. ET                 The Best and Worst of Tred Barta

Friday, March 28, 2008: Round 2 – Field goes from 16-8

7:00 p.m. ET                 One More Cast
7:30 p.m. ET                 LL Bean Guide to the Outdoors
8:00 p.m. ET                 Hunt for Big Fish
8:30 p.m. ET                 City Limits Fishing- ALL NEW EPISODE
9:00 p.m. ET                 The Best and Worst of Tred Barta
9:30 p.m. ET                 Dollar Wise Fly – ALL NEW EPISODE
10:00 p.m. ET               Saltwater Experience
10:30 p.m. ET               The Bass Pros

Thursday, April 3, 2008: Round 3 – Field goes from 8 to 4

7:00 p.m. ET                 Escape to the Wild
7:30 p.m. ET                 The Best and Worst of Tred Barta
8:00 p.m. ET                 Sport Fishing Magazine
8:30 p.m. ET                 Hunt for Big Fish

Friday April 4, 2008: Semi-Finals and Championship

7:00 p.m. ET                 One More Cast
7:30 p.m. ET                 The Bass Pros
8:00 p.m. ET                 Hunt for Big Fish
8:30p.m. ET                  City Limits Fishing- ALL NEW EPISODE
9:00 p.m. ET                 Best & Worst of Tred Barta
9:30 p.m. ET                 Dollar Wise Fly – ALL NEW EPISODE
10:00 p.m. ET               Saltwater Experience
10:30 p.m. ET               Sport Fishing Magazine

VERSUS celebrates real competition in all its forms across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 74 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, Davis Cup Tennis, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12 and Mountain West. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events that audiences can’t find elsewhere.