5-16-07 Eddy's Launch Trip with Dad

Tonight Dad and I went out on an Eddy's LaunchDad draws first blood but it was only a Cigar.
Dad's first keeper of the night with our Eddy's Launch Captain Tom. Dad's second cigar goes back to the lake.
Our biggest fish. It was slightly to big to keep.
It wasn't shooting fish a barrel good, or maybe it was.
Dad with the nights haul.

The story:
The launch left the dock right around 6PM and it only took about 10minutes to reach our spot in Vineland Bay. We were sitting in about 10feet of water and we never moved from this spot until we left at quarter to 10PM. The night started quickly with a guy on the back of the launch landing a nice eye in the first couple of minutes, but after that it was a long lull. We brought our own rods but the stuff I gave Dad was having all kinds of problems so we switched him to an Eddy's rod with a red hook, no beed. I was set up with a longer rod, lighter bobber, white beed, and red hook. Finally after about an hour Dad's bobber started bobbing but all that happened was a lost leech. A little while later I landed a perch. We only got perch bites catching a couple in the first two hours. Sometime a little before 8 PM Dad reeled in our first Walter, but as the pic shows it was only a cigar. I caught a few more perch then tied into our first keeper eye of the night. Not to long after my catch Dad brought in another keeper (picture). Dad caught the next walleye as well, but it was another Cigar and it went back in the lake. I followed that up with a 14.5" keeper. Dad landed the next eye but it was just a bit over 20" and so it had to go back (picture). Shortly after that, Dad caught our forth keeper. I missed a good fish. Around 9:30PM I landed our 5th and final keeper. The launch as a whole caught a bunch of fish as the barrel of fish picture shows, about 6 fish had to go back for being to big and about 6 that I saw went back for being to small. It turned out to be a really nice night weather wise because the wind died down. Dad and I also missed lots of bites, sure some were probably perch, but some were most definitely eyes as well. I cleaned the fish when we got home.

The score: Dad 5 walleye (2keeps, 2 cigar, 1 over the slot) and a couple of perch
BP 4 walleye (3Keeps 1 cigar) and about 6 perch.

BP Fishing Report 4-15-07Got to Eddy's around 8PM and the North and Center Harbor mouth's were covered with anglers. After thinking about it a bit, I elected to try the South Jetti corner. When I first arrived there was a pretty stiff wind out of the North and so I brought the jerkbait rod thinking that after dark I may be able to get some action. I made some preliminary casts to check for rock snagging. I was definitely hitting more rock than on the North corner. After a few casts I put on a leech under a bobber. My first several drifts produced nothing. Around 9pm I started to get bit, but it was little perch. I did see a couple of eyes get caught off Center and North Harbor mouths around this time and later. As it got dark the perch bite shut off. Around 9:40PM my bobber went down and I set into a 16" eye which was barely hooked, but I landed it. I got another bite right at 10PM, but it was a cigar and I threw it back.

The launches brought in a few fish, but nothing spectacular.

4-13-07: It was a windy day out of the SE for most of the day, however by the time Dad and I hit the Eddy's Jetti it had calmed significantly. Arriving around 7:30PM I got us rigged up for bobber fishing and we headed to the center Jetti harbor mouth. Dad started with a leech and I tried a minnow. It wasn't long and Dad had something pull down his bobber, but he missed it. The night progressed with Dad missing 2 more bites. Some fisherman on the North Jetti harbor mouth caught a couple and were getting many more bites than we were. The minnow was worthless and I eventually switched to the Jumbo Leech. It was getting dark by now and we had the bobbers lighted up when my float went down and I landed a 16" eye. At 10PM the Eddy's launches came back and we moved to the North Jetti where I had been catching my fish. I threw the Purple Perch while Dad kept the leech. The wind was just to calm and my jerk bait bite died. Dad got a bite and missed it. And I decided to go back to bobber fishing. Dad got a bite and pulled in a 12inch bullhead which swallowed the hook; When I took the hook out the bullhead bled all over me. After a little while I think dad missed another bite and around 11:30 he called it quits. I went to the North harbor mouth cause the guys fishing there said they were biting. After 20minutes with no action I called it a night. 1 fish that's it. We might have done better fishing during the day when the winds were howling.

4-14-07 Another windy and hot day where for most of the day the winds were out of the W SW, but a front came threw around 5PM switching the wind the NW and cooling things down. Dad and I headed to the Eddy's Jetti at 7PM. After a little rigging at the car we were all set for more bobber fishing at the North Jetti harbor mouth. It didn't take long and we were getting bites... from perch. The little bait stealer's were going through our remaining leeches and minnows fast. Finally I caught a couple of the little bait stealer's. Dad got a nasty tangle which I had to cut, lots of line go by by. Dad went to the Eddy's marina to get bobber stops and more leeches. They didn't charge much for the bobber stops and gave around 2-3 dozen leeches of all sizes for $4. I put on a smaller leech and caught a couple more perch. The wind was blowing 10-15 out of the N shortening our casting distance and moving our floats S along the Jetti fairly rapidly. I let my bobber get to far to the S and a guy fishing the center Jetti harbor mouth casted over my line and we got all tangled up with him trying to do the untangle eventually he had to cut his line. His jig head was stuck through my Fireline and I had to crimp down the barb to get it free. Eventually it started getting dark and I had a good pick up and had what felt like a good fish on for a couple of seconds but it came off. Dad gave up about a quarter to 10 and I stuck it out till the bitter end. The people just to the north of us and the guy on the center Jetty got a small eye a piece. Disappointing trip.

Don't Forget FLW and BASS Fantasy Bass Fishing this week.

Different Night Same Story: I hit Eddy's Jetti last night about 10PM armed with my trusty 6'6" Fig Rig rod and Glass Purple Perch Husky Jerk. I landed a 16 incher on my very first cast. The action was quite hot for the next hour with me landing a fish about every 5-10 minutes in between trips back to the car. A couple of guys from St. Cloud moved in on where I was fishing on the N side of the Jetti but it didn't matter as I kept right on catching fish. I ended up giving these guys 3 fish putting them 1 short of their limit.

Around midnight my back started getting sore and I headed to the truck and took about an hours rest. At this point I had landed 8, missed one, and had a couple of hits that never hooked up. All fish were 15-19+ with a 19 and 3/4 being the biggest. As I sat in the car I watched some bobber fisherman catch 1 small eye and one nice one. I heard somebody say that a guy caught a 28.5" off the Jetti, but I didn't see that fish.

Round about 1AM I resumed shore casting and landed my 9th fish. The action stopped after that and my back got sore quick. Eventually I switched to a lighted bobber and minnow. I whiffed on my first 2 bites and then pulled in a cigar. At 3AM I called it quits.

Opener according to Cyberfish...

Limit

The plan was Mille Lacs at Midnight from Eddy's Jetty and while the execution was not perfect. Still I had my limit by 1:30AM

The Story: I arrived at Eddy's about 5 minutes to midnight. By the time I was unloaded and ready to cast it was open season. I started off at the South end of the Jetty as that in the past I've done best from there. The wind was NOT out of the NE but the SE with pretty good size rollers coming in. I put on a size 12 Glass Purple Perch Husky Jerk. Casting into the wind proved difficult and I quickly realized this was not happening. The wind was set up perfect for casting from the North end of the Jetty, so I headed there.

Upon arriving on the North corner I started chucking long casts quartering the wind and within 10 minutes I was hooked up and landed a 15-16 incher. I took a walk to the truck to put him in the pail then headed back to the North corner. I had some spectators now and they were kind of in my back cast zone and so I couldn't fling the Husky Jerk as good. Fortunately they moved fairly quickly so I could get a full cast out. Within 5 minutes of getting my casting up to par I had a good fish on but it came off right at shore. I think I lost it due to a treble hook breaking. This was the biggest fish I had on for the night and it very well may have been in the protected slot (20+inches). I then had to chuck and wind for about another 15 minutes and I was rewarded with a 17" eye. I took him to the truck and then headed back to my spot. At this point visions of an Opener eye limit started dancing in my head.

It took another 10 to 15 minutes and I was hooked up again with another eater. As I went to lift him in it became unbuttoned and fell into the area where rock and water meet. I quickly turned on my headlamp and got after him; It was a close call but I got him before he could swim away. Once again I headed to the truck to put him in the pail.

Back to casting. After about 10 minutes I made a particularly good cast and got smacked right away by what felt to be another eater. Unfortunately it got off and my hopes of an Opener limit were back on hold. After another 10 to 15 minutes I got struck again with a 15-16 eater that got hooked along the head with all three trembles. And boom I had my limit within an hour and a half.

After putting the last dude in the bucket I headed to the North side harbor mouth where 4 guys were fishing. They had caught a couple of keepers and a couple of throw backs and 1 bullhead. I think they were all using leeches. After some small talk I headed home.

Shore Nuff: Tonight I headed out to do some shore fishin. First stop was at Jenni's to drop off fish and she gave me some fudge bars. I then fished from Jenni's launch missing one bite and catching a small bass. From there I headed to the Platte house and didn't get anything. I then headed to Rock and got a really small pike on my first cast from the ramp. I went out on the dock and got another small pike. I then checked out Bulldog but a guy was there fishing. Next stop was the GOMH. I gave Willard a fudge bar then headed down on the NE side and got a jumpin bullhead on my first cast. A couple of casts later I had a hit and miss. I fished the SE side and got nothing. On the SW side I caught a little jumper that had some nasty scars from a slime rocket. All fish were caught on a yellow Terminator Spinnerbait. I will soon be headed to the Eddy's Jetti, hopefully, for more walter action; the wind is about the same as last night so I am opptomistic. I will probably give the minnows a shot because my upper back is sore (bad sign).

Opener for Hellabass...

MN Gov. Pawlenty with wife whacks em...

Darin Roddick-Small's Tournament Journal from Futurebass.com...

Opener Eve

I have decided it's going to be Midnight at Mille Lacs. I will open the 2007 season from shore on the Eddy's Jetti. A East wind has been blowing the western shore line all day long, so the fish should be in shallow. Hopefully shallow enough and near those rocks.

Opener Eve at the GOMH...

Of interest at FishingMN.com: Fishing with your limit

Naturally being the liberal with Fish and Game laws that I am, I think it is OK to keep fishing after you have a limit of fish. There is no way that having a fish in hand for immediate release should constitute "possession." The wording of the law in no way specifically says that fishing with a limit is a no no. Fish sorting with a limit is specifically banned and therefore a no no.

From that thread Suzuki says:
Speaking of targeting out of season fish. The occasional accidental catch is fine but if you are reasonably sure your going to continue catching an out of season species while you supposedly pursue another then you are breaking the law. Unethical too. You know who you are.

If you know anything about the BP, you should know that I totally disagree with this ultra strict interpretation of the closed season law. I believe that as long as you are intenionally targeting an in season fish, that you are being legal and ethical no matter how many out of season fish you may be lucky enough to catch. Yes Suzuki I know who I am and I know I am right and you are wrong.

"The Opener"

"The Opener"

In the state of Minnesocold the gamefish species (walleye, Pike, Bass, Trout) all have seasons in which they are closed for fishing. The 2nd weekend in May is the traditional "Minnesota Fishing Opener" for Walleye, the state fish, and Northern Pike; Bass don't open until Memorial Day weekend. Being that this is the 2nd week of May, it is the week of "the Opener." "The Opener" week is for many a time of hightened excitement in preparation for angling the preferred species in MN.

Obviously I haven't been blogging this week. That has not been because I have been diligently preparing my gear. Yesterday for instance I had a doctors appointment and ICD check after which I went and had a play day with niece Isabelle; I also got to see more of niece Mallory than I have before. I did however do some gear prep today.

So what will the BP be up to for "The Opener"? Well, I now know I will not be spending the weekend at Camp Lebanon with GEM and Teen Challenge. Without a boat, I would just be an extra wheel. There is a slight possibility that the Trophy might be useable by Saturday, but I think the chances of that are slim at this point. I would not haul the boat to Camp Lebanon without first having run the boat to make sure everything checks out and I just don't see that happening tommorrow. Thus I am left here maybe with a boat, but probably not.

I may head to the Eddy's Jetti tommorrow at midnight, but I am not firm on that yet. I have had success on the Eddy's Jetti on Openers past. However, I think the low water level at Mille Lacs could present a problem for shore casting husky jerks. As a solution I would maybe go with live bait and lighted bobbers.

If the boat is ready for Saturday I will probably hit Platte and Sullivan for a little Pike and Dogfish action. If not than I am stuck on shore, so Eddy's Jetti would be my best bet.

Cyberfish has been out fishing here, here, and here

Fishing Report 5/2/07...

The Duffman Challenge:
Hey BP....
Let's have little contest this year. I'll send ya a pic of my biggest bass that I catch each week. You can post it on your blogs up against your fish of the week. Let's go with length. And I guess....the honor system LOL

Background: The Duffman is an old online nemisis of mine from FishingMinnesota.com and LakeStateFishing.com. We annually debated the bass closed season question and bed fishing which he calls "bed raping." As noted earlier this month on Bass Pundit blog, the Duffman took a shot at me in this thread. I don't know how often Duffman stops by the Bass Pundit blog, apparently he must occasionally.

So Duffman if you can remember your challenge come bass season then email pics to basspundit@hotmail.com and it will be AWWWWWWWN provided I have the energy and will to blog this summer. The Challenge will run Saturday through Friday all summer long. If you have a pic that is great, but if not just email me the length, I don't think pics are essential.

Tommorrow: I will officially accept the Duffman's challenge.

Fishing Report 4/30/07...

Hellabass Fantasy Bass Fishing Success... The Bp's year is not nearly so good.

Updated Tour Angler of the Year Standings...

KVD with a snoopy pole and winning...

More Dogfish at the BFHP...

Guntersville/ Norman Final Day

GOMH Fishing Report...

Dogfish News: From Bass Fishing Home PageTM-Can Bowfin bite off 40lb Power Pro Line?

Tournament News: I am watching the Guntersville Live Leaderboard on-line.

And the winner is KVD! He lands 25-5 to take it all. Way to go Kevin!

G-ville BassFan Story...

G-ville BassZone Story...

Congrats to Larry Nixon on his FLW Lake Norman Win!

BassFan Norman Story...

Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes:
BASS G-Ville:
BP 1 rocks with KVD and Horton 12=Total Pts 426 for 221 place thats a 145 place up grade. #1 in MN Fantasy Bass League.

BP Boys do OK with Jordan 6th and Miyazaki 7th=Total points 346 for 2229th place, 16 spot upgrade, #10 MN Fantasy Bass League.

FLW Norman:

Name, Norman Pts, place, Overall place
1 Bp's Mommy 850, 60, 566
2 Bass Pundit 1 705, 1695, 647
3 BPObro 683, 1990, 208
4 BP's Dad 651, 2731, 1333
5 Schmenzig Bassmen 634, 2552,1249
6 Minnesocold BP's Boys 609, 2745, 606
7 Cyb'sBboys 541, 3004, 1142

Guntersville 2/ Norman 3/GOMH Report

Morning Fishing Report: I got up at 5:30 and headed to the GOMH. Don W. was there already, but he hadn't gotten anything. I managed to get skunked, but I missed a few bites and had a jumpin bullhead. Don caught one Silver and a bunch of little oranges on waxies. By 7am, I had enough and left. Two guys arrived at the same time as me that fished the NE side and were catching some kind of bullhead over there.

GEM outing at Rush Lake... Nobody told the BP about it. Oh well doesn't look like they needed me.

Evening Fishing Report: I headed to the GOMH at 6:30. The SE side was open, so I took that. Once again, Lee Ander was there with family, and Willard was on sight too. Lewis appeared later, so all the Grumpy Old Men were accounted for. There was lots of coming and goings on this night, and boats were fishing both sides (N&S) of the GOMH. I started out fishing with maggies and a glow Cubby Mini-mite. It was slow at first, but as the night progressed, the action got faster. My first fish was an orange bullhead, followed by a small jumpin bullhead.

I missed several bites but eventually got dialed into a zone to the East of the current. Around 7:30, I got my first Silver which I gave to Lee Ander. About 20 minutes later, I had another Crappie on and missed it at the bridge. I was sporadically hooking several oranges by now. I then caught a couple more silvers, switched to minnows, and got hit immediately 3 times catching 2 nice fish. After another silver or two, I had one on that collided with the weeds, and my line broke. I switched to a glow Ratso with a big hook and kept working minnows; I got my last two silvers on this.

All in all, I went home with 7, having released a few small ones and given 1 to Lee Ander. It was a nice night to be out, 75 degrees, slight SW wind. I did as well as anybody because the SW side was not fast and furious with the silvers.

Tournament News:
Basszone On the Water Blog...

April 27 Tour Notes and Blog SMG... Jay Yelas has a great big fish story.

G-Ville day 2 Bassfan Story...

BassZone G-ville day 2 story...

BassFan Big Stick John Murray G-ville...

Norman FLW BassFan Story...

Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes:
BASS G-Ville: Both Teams have 2 anglers in the top 12 KVD & Horton, Miyazaki, and Jordan. Mason was a no-point stinker for BP1. IKE rallied and got points on the board for BP boys. The success of this tournament hinges upon those top 12 performances tomorrow.

Guntersville 1/Norman 2

Fishing Report 4/27/07: I got one measly orange bullhead, missed a few bites; I fished the SE side for most of the night with maggots. I think I should have saved some of the dead minnows I threw away when I first got to the GOMH. Lee Ander and Willard were there with 1 of Lee Anders sons and two grandsons. They caught silver bullheads and jumpin bullheads. It was pretty slow for the most part.

Dad and I are gonna get up early tommorrow and give it a try, with minnows.

Tournament News:

Basszone On the Water Blog Gunterville...

BassZone G-ville day 1 story...

BassFan G-ville day 1 story...

BassFan Norman day 2 story...

Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes:
G-Ville BASS
BP1: has KVD in 3rd but the rest of the line up isn't that great.

BP boys: Duckett and Miyazake in the top 10 the rest not so great. IKE in 82nd, Ouch!

FLW Norman:
1 Bp's Mommy 856
2 Bass Pundit 1 705
3 BPObro 683
4 BP's Dad 657
5 Schmenzig Bassmen 634
6 Minnesocold BP's Boys 609
7 Cyb'sBboys 541

Overall it was a good moving day for the posse with all teams increasing in points except BP's Obro.

Elite Guntersville/FLW Norman Day 1

Fishing Report 4/26/07: Got to the GOMH after 7PM. There were 6 guys on the SW side including Lee Ander and Don W. was fishing the SE side. Someone on the SW side caught a dogfish just as I arrived. Shortly after that Don nailed a silver bullhead. I took up a spot where the dogfish had been thrown at the W end of the SW side. I managed to catch a few orange bullheads including a nice keeper I gave to Lee Ander. I also got 1 small perch. Eventually the guys to the east of me started busting silvers. I was shut out until a couple of guys left. I stayed long into the darkness (10PM) and only managed 2 silvers and an actual bullhead. There was no bite after dark to speak of. Don went home with 10 and got 6 on the SE side. He said he missed quite a few fish. The guy immediately to my left for most of the night was catching orange bully's on waxies and a small jig. He missed a dogfish and eventually managed to catch 4-5 silvers. After everyone left I threw the still alive dogfish back in the water.

Tournament News: In case you haven't heard day 1 of the Elite Guntersville was cancelled due to the threat of severe weather. As it turned out I don't think the weather was that bad, but I agree with the decision, better safe than not.

FLW Norman Day 1 BassFan Story...

BassZone Norman Day 1 Story...

BassFan Big Stick John Murray at G-ville...

BassFan Big stick Jay Yelas at Norman

Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes:
FLW w/the Posse: Nearly half the field (95 anglers) is within 5 pounds of the lead.
This note from BassFan shows just how important Day 2 is going to be. The vast majority of the posse picks are in 1st 100 anglers (15) with 8 of those in the top 50. The best pick so far is Brent Ehrler in 17th and the worst pick is Wendlandt in 174th.

Here how it shakes out:
1 Bp's Mommy 782
2 BPObro 713
3 Bass Pundit 1 695
4 BP's Dad 598
5 Minnesocold BP's Boys 588
6 Schmenzig Bassmen 523
7 Cyb'sBboys Mike Thompson 459

All in all a mediocre Day 1, but since the weights are so compacted there is room for a great deal of movement on day 2.

GOMH Fishing Report, More "Bacon"

Fishing Report 4/25/07: I made an early trip to the GOMH from 3:30 to 5:30. GOM Lee Ander was there with two other guys. 1 of those guys was fishing the SE side in a boat, and he caught several bullheads on a large twister tail. The guy to the west of me tangled with a couple of bullheads. I tangled with a couple of bullheads, catching a small one. Lee Ander caught a 4lb plus bullhead on a waxie and jig. He also missed an orange bully. At about 4:45, Willard arrived and started talking more about "bacon." At 5:30, I went over to get Jenny for the fish fry.

After the fish fry, dad and I hit the GOMH, arriving around 7:15. It was 60 degrees and dead calm. The silver bullheads were just starting to hit. It was our good fortune that Willard had started fishing, thus effectively saving the SW side for us to fish. The silver bullheads were hitting good tonight, nice and steady; I helped five different people fill out limits, including GOM Lee Ander and Willard. I also threw several (4-5) silvers back. Dad's bobber was barely visible on the surface or was just beneath the surface. Dad missed several fish. Fish were hitting on waxies for Lee Ander and minnows for everyone else. I used both maggies and minnows; some of the minnows were dead ones. The later it got, the more the fish seemed to prefer minnows. We quit fishing when everyone had their limit; it was dark, but I could still see my bobber. All in all, it was a lot of fun at the GOMH tonight.

Lee Ander told me that the channel by the golf course on Mille Lacs was giving up big crappies from 5-7pm. The main body of ML is still a sheet of ice.

Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes: I finished my lineup for Norman and Guntersville, did YOU?

Good Evening at the GOMH (GOM Willard "Bacon" Night)

Fishing Report: Headed to the GOMH at 6:20PM. There were three anglers fishing the SW side. Also at the GOMH was grumpy old man Willard. If he said bacon once, he said it a hundred times over the evening.

Since the SW side was covered with anglers I took the not nearly as nice to fish from SE side. In the first hour I fought two big bullheads but they both jumped me off by slightly bending the cubby hook out. The first hook up was at least a 4lber that jumped numerous times. A lady fishing the SW side said if I gave her the bass to keep, she would give me a couple of brewski's. I think she was half kidding, but then again maybe not.

I landed my first fish, which was a 2lb jumpin bullhead after I had been there about an hour. I was fishing a busted Cubby body with a minnow. I landed two more jumpin bullheads, a 2 and then a 3lber. About 8PM the people on the SW side started getting some action with orange bullheads then by 8:20 some silvers started showing up. I caught an unlucky break when a slimmer broke my line sending my Wing-It bobber into Sullivan Lake. However soon after that my luck changed because the guy and the girl fishing the SW side caught enough fish and packed it up. I immediately took their place.

For the next 20 minutes or so I proceeded to whack and stack silver bullheads on Dad's set up from last night (Chart flu flu and a minnow). Another guy showed up while the action was hot and he immediately started catching them too. As it was starting to get pretty dark the 1st guy left and the action slowed. I put on my lighted bobber and got about 4 more fish. The action slowed the darker it got. I got my last couple of fish on another set up with a Glow Demon. All in all I kept 9 (see pic) and released 3-5.

Word on the street is that Santa Claus Don woke up early and smacked em good in the morning around 6am. He said he also got a 5lb jumpin bullhead.


Classic Bass Pundit: Goings on at GOMH

April 2006 Fishing Log Blog archives...

April 2005 Fishing Log Blog archives...

More Closed Season Vigilanteism at FM.com: Targeting Bass before they are open (Duffman takes a shot at the BP in his post) and Lawbreakers

Hey Duffman, in case you aren't paying attention, I actually do fish for Dogfish. I am the 2004 and 2006 Minnesota Bowfin Club Grand Champion. I will try and repeat again this year. I think I may have missed a my first doggy of the season the other night. FYI I was fishing for Crappies at the time.

Fishing With Dad at the GOMH

Fishing Report 4/23: It was a nice night of fishing with my Dad at the Grumpy Old Man Hole. There were 2 Grumpy old men (Lee Ander and his brother Lewis). Dad had quite the time chatting with Lee Ander. The weather was a mild 60 degrees with a slight breeze out of the west. We arrived at the GOMH around 6 pm, and several trucks were parked. I thought we would get shut out of the good spot, but as it turned out, only Lee Ander was fishing, and he wasn't catching anything. Dad and I headed down to the SW shore of the GOMH and set up shop.

Dad had a yellow flu flu with a minnow, and I was fishing a white Cubby Mini-mite. Things were slow for the first hour, with Dad missing a couple of bigger fish, probably bass. Eventually, I gave in and tipped my jig with a minnow, and after about 15 minutes, I reeled in a jumpin bullhead of about 15 inches. Not long after, Dad tied into the Jumpin Bullhead in the first picture. It was about 16 inches. I had a fish steal my minnow and Cubby tail. At about 7:45, Dad landed the first silver bullhead. I had a problem with my rod tangled, and before you knew it, Dad had landed three fat specs. When I got my rod situation straightened out, Dad lost his bobber for the 2nd time. This time the bobber was out in current and went bye-bye; we were able to retrieve the bobber the first time it came off. I let Dad use my rod while I rigged his pole. Around the time I was getting Dad's pole ready, our friend Don Weinmeister showed up. Don was using waxies and started catching Silver and Orange bullheads straight away. Dad and I were still catching them but not as fast as Don. I eventually switched to maggies, and the bite for me picked up a little bit between the silver and orange bullheads. The bite was steady until it got too dark for me to see my bobber. We brought home 11 silvers and 1 orange, with a few small silvers and oranges released. Don managed to get 9 silvers. A guy came to fish just as we left; it was quite dark by then.

The Suckers: Stopped by the Rum River, where it runs into Shakopee lake. The suckers are running thick and spawning like crazy. It was a cool site.

Clarks Hill Day Final

Fishing Report: The GOMH comes alive in a steady rain. Windy out of the north pushing current through. I started it off with 11 jumpin bullheads and 1 marble eye bullhead. Then I caught 6 orange bullheads and 5 silver bullheads as it got dark. I fished until I couldn't see my bobber anymore. And that is why I have been showing up every night since ice out.


Mike McClelland Wins! Congrats!!!

BassZone.com on the water blog.

BassFan Story...

BassZone Story...


Fantasy Fishing Notes: Clarks Hill was not kind the BP teams. I dropped Ish, Martens and Roumbains For Kriet, Ike, and Williamson. 243 was the average score at Clarks Hill both teams were below that standard.

BP 1: Dropped 149 places overall with 221pts to put me in 366th. Dropped to 2nd in MN Fantasy Bass League.

BPboys: Only mustered 208 pts dropped to 12th in MN Fantasy Bass League and down to 2245 Overall which is a drop of 686 places. Ouch!

In Super 6 pick'em BP 1 blanked and the BPboys scored all of 4 points. The worst showing of the year by far. BP 1 wasn't even close.

Cool Site: Toyota Fishing Team

Clarks Hill Elite Day 3

Fishing Report: Caught a pike at the GOMH, nothing at the Rock Dock. Saw loons on Rock.

BassZone on the water blog... Sounds like it's tough out there today.

BassFan Day 3 story...

BassZone Day 3 Story...

Fantasy Notes:
Bass Pundit 1: Poor tournament. Best angler Lintner in 16th. 221Points dropped nearly 100 places to 312.

BPboys: Need Ashley to rally, he's dropped to 6th.

Clarks Hill Day 2

Fishing Report: Skunked, nothing at the GOMH not even a Grumpy Old Man; fished it in the afternoon and dusk. Two boats at the GOMH, nothing.
Rock Dock zero.
Got bites from a minnow at Bulldog Outlet.

Basszone On the Water Blog...

Clarks Hill Real-Time Leaderboard
Kriet sacks 13-15
KVD sacks 14-12 hopefully this will mean some fantasy upward mobility, however it looks like weights are up today for everyone just about. Still Early

Bassfan Day 2 story...

BassZone Day 2 story...

BassFan Big Stick John Murray misses $10,000 by an ounce...

SMG Tour Notes and Blog...

Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes:
Bass Pundit 1 Kennedy sucked 83rd, KVD moved up to 55th so he's out of the cut, Lintner dropped 1 spot, Kriet up 14 to 39th, Williamson up 12 to 34th.

BPboys: Rough day Ike dropped 30places, Hite dropped 34 places no limit bonus no points, Kennedy 83rd, Ashley drops 2, Williamson is only gainer. BAD DAY!

Platte/Sullivan Ice Free & More

Platte/Sullivan ICE FREE!
Rock Lake Ice Free

Let the Dogfish chase begin!!!!
Got my first fish of the 2007 Open water season today. It was a 17" Larry Bass from the Rock Dock on lure X. Nothing happening at the GOMH yet.

Weather: Mid 60's breezy out of the SE.

Clarks Hill Elite Real-Time Leaderboard...

Basszone Clarks Hill on the water blog day 1...

BassFan Clarks Hill Day 1 Story...

BassFan Big Stick John Murray Day 1...

BassZone Day 1 story...

Fantasy Notes:
Bass Pundit 1 DISASTER KVD 4 fish 82nd, Kennedy 86th Total Points for the day 127! Lintner in 17th is best angler.

Minnesocold BP Boys: Picked day 1 leader Casey Ashley so that alone saves this team. Right now the average score for all players is only 158. After Ashley it is down hill fast: IKE 34, Williamson 46 no limit bonus, Hite 50, Kennedy 86. I need Ashley to hold on.

Hopefully Day 1 don't mean Jack Squat! except for Ashley

Ice Check: Bulldog Ice Free
Long Ice Free
Rock 80% Ice Free
Platte 70-80% Ice Free
Sullivan 60% Ice Free

Stopped at the Rock public access to do some fishing. The ramp has been fixed and the dock was out. Also fished the GOMH, nothing. Platte Lake public access dock out even though there were ice bergs all around it. Sullivan NE public access dock not in.

BP archives April 2005...

BP archives April 2006...

BP Clarks Hill Fantasy Rosters Picked.

Bassfan Bigstick John Murray on Clarks Hill...

Weather, Notes, and FM.com Whiners

Weather: Sunny and 65. Nice! Allergies were bugging the heck out of me this afternoon. AhhhhChoo! Eyes watering to tears and nose running like a faucet. I finally gave in and took a generic Claritin and now I am Caritin Clear.

Picked up the 2007 fishing licence today, I was going to get it yesterday but both of the local bait shops closed up before 6PM and so I couldn't get it. Today I also ordered a pair of Cocoons Sunglasses from Bass Pro Shops (Thanks Steve and Kim for the gift card). This spring I have been unable to find any of the three pairs of amber polarized Sunglasses that I wore last summer. I believe Cocoons used to be called Fitovers. I had a pair of Fitovers and loved them, then I lost them sometime last year, so it will be nice to have a new pair. I also discovered where the propane Coleman Lantern was plus a 5 gallon bucket/livewell for Spring time Crappies; Yeah for me!

On the down side, my boat mechanic (aka BP's Dad) informed me that I won't be able to use the Trophy (the boat I use) until he inspects and probably does something to fix the transom. I am not totally sure what he thinks is wrong. There is a spot on the back port corner of the boat were there is some cracking on the top of the boat. It doesn't look serious to me, but what do I know. I'm not even sure if that is what Dad is concerned with. With the trophy out of commission I will be forced to use the "Slop Slip" (10' Coleman Crawdad Jon Boat). Out of the slop slip I would probably try some Spring Crappie fishing at Bulldog, something I've not done before.

At FishingMinnesota.com the armchair anglers patrol is out in full force whining about the suspected "targeting" of out of season fish. I look forward to this annual rite of Spring that is the armchair angler patrol crying their eyes out till they are red in the face and steam comes out of their ears about anglers who they suspect of "targeting" out of season fish.

This weekend I sat and watched a boat fish for "slabs" with their plugs. They caught fish after fish and were having a ball...yet not ONE that was the "right" fish. When I finally called them on it "Oh, we are just fishing for big slabs".
At least some people are giving the offending anglers the benefit of the doubt.

Weather: Today was a beautiful 70 degrees and sunny. Now that's what I'm talking about. This evening we even got a bonus thundershower.

Ice Check: Tonight I headed out to do my first open water fishing of the year. First I headed to the Grumpy Old Man Hole (GOMH) and the water there has opened up considerably on the Sullivan Side all the way to the Platte River Outlet (Pro) and well into the "Crossroads." There were several acres of water on the Platte Side. Water Level is decent and current was running at a moderate clip under the bridge. No Grumpy old man sightings or bullheads to report; It shouldn't be long now for either. I am guessing that the ice will be off Platte and Sullivan by the weekend. I did hear a loon calling. Cool!

Bulldog: I would say this lake is now 1/8th ice-free especially at the access and south end. I would guess Bulldog will be ice-free Wed. the 18th.

Rock: At the rock access the ice has receded a good 40 feet from shore all along the west side of the lake. I threw a few casts here as well, but no luck. I'm guessing Wed. or Thurs. for ice out.

Remember those Fantasy Bass Fishing rosters with the Clarks Hill Elite this week!

I guess this is a kind of Bassin Blog: The Brushpile Here is an excerpt:

I Never Fish For Spawners!-I love this comment made by those "holier than thou," when it comes to tournaments where bed fishing may be a factor. Arizona Pro, Mark Kile once said something to me in an interview that has left a lasting impression on me. "If you fish for bass in the months of February through May, you are fishing for spawners. It is an activity that consumes their entire life for that Springtime period."

I guess the moral of that story is that if you find it "beneath you" to fish for spawning bass, then you shouldn't go fishing during that three month period because even if a fish is eating, it is doing so to support itself for the spawning cycle. Pre spawn is for gaining the energy it will take to go through the ordeal, the spawn is the actual "bed fishing phase," and post-spawn is where the bass tries to regain it's energy after the dropping of four pounds worth of eggs or fighting off enemy Blue Gil, round the clock for several weeks. It is all part of spawning.

You can add June to the time frame because a lot of bass spawn in June in Minnesocold.

ALL THE SNOW IS NOW GONE!!!!

BassFan: Scroggins' Team Dominates Final Day, Wins By 35

The Weather: Spring had to start making itself known again and now it has. Temps today were near 60F and the sun makes it feel even warmer. The weather is supposed to be like this for the forseeable future. I will be checking out lakes tomorrow and hope to be on open water by next weekend.

BassFan Toyota Texas Bass Classic Day 2...

Sean Hoernke blog has some new news...

CLAY'S BLOG...

BP vs Cyberfish Labor Day Weekend Mille Lacs. For Full Story Click Here!

The Professional Anglers Association (PAA) is having the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Fork Texas this week. The tournament has a unique format in that the fishermen are put into teams of 4 and their fate is decided by the output of the whole team.

More information on the TTBC including leaderboad here...

BassFan Day 1 Coverage TTBC...

I kind of don't like the team fishing format, it's a little bit hard to follow. Maybe they should of had two man teams and that would have made it easier to follow.

Nobody makes a Berkeley prototype like Rapala!!...

More Classic Basspastor from FishingMinnesota.com archives, this from 04/17/01 on the topic of bass closed season angling.

The Basspastor says there is a fine line here between the sin'en and grin'en. I think fishing soft plastic worms, big tubes, and bass jigs are a no no and yes you could get flagged by the DNR. These are plain and simply bass baits where a pike or walleye on them would be an incidental catch. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, walleye and crappie size grubs, beetle spins, and the like however can be primary baits for the other species. Which reminds me of a story from an opener a few years back. I was fishing weed flats with a spinner bait and floating Rap for pike. Naturally I was catching as many if not more bass then pike. The lake has a much larger bass population than pike pop. Anyway, I was working my way down the flat when some guy on a dock starts harassing me about how bass season doesn't begin for another couple of weeks. This guy wouldn't stop and was being a jerk. I proceeded down the way without saying anything back. Later that night while fishing another weed flat I caught a 10lb pike on the same floating rap that this guy was yelling at me about. On this same flat the same night I was throwing a muskie size spinnerbait and could not keep the bass off it. Go figure. I have seen and caught some big pike on opener or the week after using a bass sized spinnerbait or rapala. IN fact in the last few years I have caught a fair number of pike over 7lbs and the majority have all been on bass size lures (Crankbaits, Spinnerbaits)
Follow up post:
My last post reminded me of another opener from a few years ago, but this time it was the bass opener. The weather was cool and cloudy and I was on a new lake. Naturally, I was after bass, primarily throwing bass soft plastics. What I found was Pike everywhere with a bass here and there. That day had I wanted I could have caught more than a hundred pike and I think I ended up catching more than 40 as it was. I ended up catching and releasing about ten bass. Go figure (Redux)

Me On Trophy MN Bass & Mille Lacs Report from 2002

BP Tourny HQ: Fishers of Men Mille Lacs 02...

Today I went deep into the FishingMinnesota.com archives just to look and see what was there. It was amazing to see how many of the original people who used that board were banned and now are listed as annonymous. Ahh the memories. For instance this post on a thread about a big bass:

Hammer,
Yes I would certify a 22" as a big/trophy class fish. Almost no doubt it was over 6lb.
Here's how I score em.
18" Nice Bass
19" Big Bass
20" Hawg
21" Trophy Size
22" Huge Fish
23" Get it weighed possible State Record
24" This could be the magic 10, definitely get it weighed.

PS I'm going with legitimate length: mouth closed tail pinched nose against measuring board. To hold a fish next to a ruler can be deceiving if one isn't careful.

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 07-24-2002).]

Weather: The promised snow storm is taking a more southernly track, so we are only supposed to get an inch or two of snow tonight and tommorrow. Personally, I think we might as well have got whacked because we need the precipitation up here. The weather is supposed to get nice next week, that is a relief. I'm getting itchy to go after those doggies and pannies.

From the archives of FishingMinnesota.com:

Cyberfish vs. Basspastor

Cyberfish vs. Basspastor 2004 Ice to get the full flavor you have to open the links towards the bottom of the page 1 by 1.

Note: Anonymous is FM euphimism for the Banned Pastor. "The Banned Pastor" is a Classic Bass Pundit blog, a must read for all BP readers.

Bassfan world ranking analysis...

KVD AUDIO Blog

KVD Tour Tracker Clear Lake

SMG Tour Notes and Blog...

MN DNR Conservation Officer Tales...

Happy Easter!

The coldest April Easter in Minnesocold since the 1950's. Yeah! We are supposed to get another snow storm on Tues. Yeah! I watched some dude from Iowa win the Masters. Yeah!

Whatever!

A year ago today Platte Lake was ice free and I was one happy camper. Today Platte lake is covered in snow and ice is forming or getting thicker. The past couple of days and next couple of days are going to be and have been miserable; High winds and temps in the mid twenties. Weather.com says the weather should change for the better LATE NEXT WEEK! $%^&$ %%*&%$. At this rate ice off won't be until at least the 20th of April. The latest the ice has gone out since I moved up here was the 10th.

Yuck! It is snowing like crazy today, 6plus inches. The temps are supposed to be down in the low to mid 30's for the next three days. Sure we could use the precipitation, but did it have to be like this?

BassFan World Rankings...

Here's the dish on Minnesocold open water.






I found this BassFan Dock Talk interesting:
Santee-Clear comparison 4/3/2007
Just about every Bassfan knows by now that Steve Kennedy broke Preston Clark's BASS 4-day weight record at the recent Clear Lake Bassmaster Elite Series. Clark set the standard of 115-15 a year ago at South Carolina's Santee Cooper, and Kennedy shattered it with 122-14 over the weekend in California.

Here are a few more numbers comparisons between the two tournaments:

> Day 1 limits – 83 out of 102 anglers at Santee Cooper, 108 out of 108 at Clear Lake.
> Check weight (Top 50 after 2 days) – 39-07 at Santee Cooper, 41-11 at Clear Lake.
> Cut weight (Top 12 after 3 days) – 72-04 at Santee Cooper, 74-11 at Clear Lake.
> 25-pound-plus bags on day 1 – 15 at Santee Cooper, 19 at Clear Lake.
> Winner's best bag – 39-06 at Santee Cooper, 40-07 at Clear Lake.
> 100th-place weight (2 days) – 13-13 at Santee Cooper, 31-02 at Clear Lake.

Lakes Check: Today I got out to take a look at the ice conditions on Platte, Sullivan, Rock, and Bulldog. First stop was at the Platte/Sullivan channel; just as I thought this area has openned up a fair amount into Sullivan. It looked as if the water level was extremely low. I then went to Bulldog which is pretty much all iced up and not as dark as one would hope. Then I went to the Rock Lake access which got pushed up this winter; I am not sure if a boat could be launched over the big bump in the ramp or not. I will contact the DNR tommorrow to let them know about the problem. There was a little ice pull away from the shore at Rock, but the lake looks to be locked up for a while yet. My last stop was at Platte Lake which is still looking quite white as well even though there was some ice away from the shore. From our place it looked like the water levels on Platte are about back to normal. All in all it looks like it could be a while before we get open water in this area, especially with the cold weather predicted for this week. :(

Updated Angler of the Year Standings...

Sean Hoernke FLW Tour Fort Loudoun/Tellico Recap...

Team Lucky Craft Journal Cal Delta...

The Weather: Unfortunatly Spring is taking a few steps back this week. Even so I am guessing that Platte/Sullivan and Rock may have ice out by next weekend. I have not seen the lakes to judge them, but my guess is that the warm rain this weekend has really had an effect. It won't be long now...

Yesterday saw some of the worst media photo coverage of the Elite Series. I have been unable to find a picture of Steve Kennedy's full 40lb bag and no pictures at all of Tim Horton's 12-1 giant. BOO! Update I found pictures! See Yesterday's blog.

Mark Davis wins Ft. Loudoun–Tellico FLW Tour by 2-11 over Dave Lefbre. Also congratulations to Keith Williams, who I've fished with here in Minnesocold, on a 3rd Place Finish.
BassFan Story...

FLW Story...


Posse Results Ft. Loudoun–Tellico & Overall pts and place:
1 Minnesocold BP's Boys 767 688thplace 1552pts 251thPlace
2 Cyb'sBboys 755 790thplace 1490pts 459thplace
3 Schmenzig Bassmen 752 817thplace 1372pts 1115thplace
4 BPObro 747 879thplace 1602pts 121thplace
5 Bp's Mommy 645 2066thplace 1321pts 1428thplace
6 Bass Pundit 1 611 2411thplace 1447pts 699thplace
7 BP's Dad 524 3110thplace 1338pts 1329thplace
Not exactly a great showing for any posse member, everybody was headed backwards pretty much.

Elite Clear Lake: Basszone Blog from the Water...


The Fat Lady has sung at Clear Lake and it's Steve "Yes he is on BP1 and BP boys rosters" Kennedy who has won and set a new Bass four day tournament record with 122-14 a full 5-8 better than Skeet. Kennedy notched the days big bag for the 2nd day in a row, chock up the bonus points baby!
BassFan Story...

BASS Story...

BassZone Story...

Clear Lake Fantasy Bass Results
Minnesocold BPboys: 614 7thplace MN Fantasy Bass league, Overall 1559th place
Bass Pundit 1: 545 1stplace MN Fantasy Bass league, Overall 217th place
A pretty good tournament for both teams. BPboys move up 2,592 places and BP 1 moves up 233 places on the big board.

BassZone on the water Blog day 3...

Steve Kennedy sacked 40lbs at Clear Lake!!!! Developing...

You know you're in a big-league whackfest when you start the day in 3rd place and catch a 35 1/2-pound bag, and you don't budge in the standings.
Bassfan Clear Lake Day 3...

BassFan Big Stick John Murray...

Ft. Loudoun–Tellico FLW Tour
Official Day 3 Standings
Saturday, March 31, 2007
1. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ar -- 5, 19-13
2. Jay Yelas -- Tyler, Tx -- 4, 11-15
3. Dave Lefebre -- Union City, Pa -- 5, 11-06
4. Keith Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 5, 10-15
5. Harmon Davis -- Marlow, Ok -- 5, 10-03
6. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 5, 9-15
7. Derek Jones -- Chicago, Il -- 3, 9-08
8. John Sappington -- Willard, Mo -- 5, 8-15
9. Shinichi Fukae -- Mineola, Tx -- 5, 7-12
10. Thanh Le -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 4, 6-02
Davis Rock-Solid, Whacks 19-13 and leads by 8...
GO MARK! GO!

Lake Dardanelle WBT final standings...

SMG TOUR NOTES & BLOG...

Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes:
Elite cut to 12 day turned out to be a mixed bag as Kennedy moved up to second, Lintner moved up to 4th but Gutierrez lost his big lead and KVD, Ish, Roumbamis and Martens all dropped substantially. It will really suck if Skeet pulls the win tommorrow in this three way horse race.

Super 6 pick em rode the suck truck as KVD, Roumbanis, and Ish all got knocked out of points range contention.

BassZone on the water blog Clear Lake Day 2...

Holy Cow Ike bags 26lbs and it isn't even good enough to get him in the cut. Ouch!
Elite Clear Lake Standings...

WBT Dardanelle standings...

BassFan Ft. Loudoun–Tellico FLW Tour...

Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes:
Amazingly enough day 2 was good to me in FLW and BASS. In FLW the posse improved a total of 130 places overall. 12 of 18 were gainers; Major gainers in Fukae +73, Strader +39, Wendlandt +34, Powers +31. Managed to get 4 FLW anglers in the cut. None of the posse line ups are stellar, but I think they all come in pretty reasonable.

In BASS it was a very good day, mostly because Steve Kennedy caught 29lbs and went from 51st to 12th. Right now BP 1 has a line up that is all within the top 12 cut. BP boys are headed by tournament leader Gutierrez, who again today sacked the big bag bonus. BP boys have 4 anglers currently in the top 12 cut; A-Mart dropped but that was more than made up by Kennedy.

In Super 6 pickem I used the same line ups:
Skeet, Ish, Lintner, KVD, A-Mart, and Roumbanis. It looks like all but A-Mart have a shot at yielding points.

I however can't get to far ahead of myself with the Bass picks, because there still can be a lot of movement with 50 anglers vying for 12 spots in such a slugfest. All my anglers in the top 12 could be out of it tommorrow.

The next few days are a bassin bonanza with the Elite Clear Lake, FLW Ft. Loudoun-Tellico, and WBT Dardanelle.

BassZone Blog from the Water Clear Lake Elite...

Bass Real-time leaderboard...

The weigh-in at Clear Lake is over and big bags are the rule. 20lbs for 51st place!!!

Any angler who practiced at Tennessee's Ft. Loudoun-Tellico for more than a few days might as well have taken the pile of $100 bills spent on gas, food and lodging and built a mini-bonfire with it.
BassFan Ft. Loudoun-Tellico coverage...

Mark Mauldin, a local pre-tournament favorite, blanked today. He spent the whole day flipping muddy water up the river, refusing to surrender to finesse. "I can't tell you how disappointing it is," he said. "This tournament was the whole reason I signed up for the Tour. The weather didn't screw up the fish as much as it did the fishermen. I guess I fell victim to trying to catch them how I wanted to catch them. But I went down swinging. I wasn't going to go down with a shaky-head or Senko in my hand."
Moron!

Lake Dardanelle WBT info via Future Bass...

BassZone Clear Lake Coverage...

BassFan Big Stick John Murray Clear Lake Day 1...


Fantasy Bass Fishing Notes:
The posse's day in FLW action wasn't so good, just mediocre. The Tenn. anglers just did not come through especially Mark Mauldin who didn't even catch a fish. However there is lots of room for improvement because Day 1 Don't mean Jack Squat.

Got off to much better starts in BASS. Steve Kennedy at 51 is the lowest player. Both teams have 2 anglers in the top 10. BP Boys got big bag and big bass bonus on the back of Greg Gutierrez. I view day 2 with much trepidation as that this tournament is a dog fight with heavy bags being common, there will probably be quite a bit of movement on the leaderboard tommorrow. In MN fantasy bass league BP1 is now in the top spot and the BPBoys moved up all the way up to 6th, too bad Day 1 don't mean jack squat!

Another day closer to open water.

Rich's Bassin' Blog Exclusive to Lake Texoma...

March 28 SMG tour notes and blog...

Check out the new 7/24 Journals...

Bassfan Big Stick Jay Yelas on Loudoun–Tellico FLW Tour...

Bassfan Big Stick John Murray on Clear Lake...

Pundit Picks Clear Lake...

FLW Pundit Picks...

Just finished putting the Posse together for Lake Tellico , we are heavy with Tennesseeians.

KVD audio blogs...

KVD tour tracker for the Delta...

KVD Forum's

KVD has to have the coolest website of any pro out there.

Spring Fever: It got to 78F today, a record high temp. The snow is now 99.9% gone. I used the warm whether to play fetch with Patti, track down my fishing rods which were spread out, and spent some time in the tackle shack. Nice

Tour Notes and Blog with SMG Pro's...

Team Lucky Craft Journal Elite Amistad...

Rotico's: How to Catch more bass (a blog about hooksets)...

Hellabass: Recounts his fantasy bass fishing awesomeness and other random bass fishing ditties...

Zona has a My Space...

Blogger has now forced me to use the new and improved Blogger which I have heard bad things about. Hopefully they have the bugs worked out now.

My back is feeling better slowly. I think I might go to see the Chiropractor again sometime this week.

Weather: Early this morning and then again in the afternoon we had the first thunderstorms of the Spring. Very nice to see, although all the snow is not gone and the lakes will be iced up for at least another couple of weeks. It may hit 70F tommorrow. Yeah!


Congratulations to Aaron Martens on his first BASS tour win at the Cali Delta. Here he is seen getting the trophy from his mother who also used to be his tournament fishing partner.

BassFan Story...

Bass Story...

Bass Zone Story...

Of Note: BassZone.com had a on the water blog at the Delta. Cool Beans!

Fantasy Bass Fishing Update:
Bass Pundit 1: The worst tournament of the year so far for this unit, only 345pts but that was still about 50pts higher than the average score. Currently in 4th Place in the MN fantasy bass league and 450th overall.

BP Boys: On the strength of the A-Mart win the score was a respectable 421 moving up to 17th in the MN fantasy bass league and to 4151 overall.

Super 6 Pick'em:
Bass Pundit 1: Got 36 more pts which was tops in the MinnesotaEliteVenue league. For the year 84 pts which is 660th overall.

Bp Boys: notched 26pts which was 4th in MinnesotaEliteVenue league. For the year 62pts which is 1709th overall.

This week is both a BASS Elite event and FLW tour stop. Lots of fantasy bass opportunities. I'm gonna keep my fantasy BASS line up's the exact same. I'll probably make a change or two in FLW and Super 6 rosters.

Hellabass is kicking some serious tale in fantasy, right now he is #6 of all players overall. I think he is riding Remitz and KVD for serious points. He was 15th place at Amistad.

BP once again stands for Back Pain. Last Saturday I was getting up out of a chair and my back instantly went out of alignment. I was in major pain all weekend. Got to the Chiropractor on Monday and that has helped a little. I will be back to see him tommorrow morning. Hopefully this next adjustment will get my back, back to normal. Pain sucks!

KVD's Tour Tracker Journal for Amistad...

SMG Pro's Jay Yelas and Sean Hoernke On Tour...

Found a great new Bassin Blog called Propwash

Scott Campbell's Elite Amistad Journal.. A good read, Scott was in 2nd after the first two days and caught that 12 pound giant (scroll down to see it)

Check out the other 7/24 Journals.

NCAA March Madness: I used to really get into the "Big Dance" when I was in college and for a few years afterward. I hardly pay attention anymore. Basketball as a sport has lost my interest. The only sports I seem to care about are Pro Fishing and Pro Football.

The Bass Poacher and Cheater... An Annonymous commenter has called me onto the carpet at my Blog, Bass Pundit Preach. My guess, annonymous can't beat me in open debate and lost to me the majority of the time in bass tournaments and probably Fantasy Bass Fishing too. Can you say "sour grapes."

Thank You and Hello to all my new friends at My Space and Angling Masters.

There is an FLW Series West Tournament going on at the Cali Delta, coverage at FLW Outdoors. They are bringing in some huge sacks, but not quite as big as BASS Elite Amistad (at least not yet anyways.)

Amistad Day 2 & 3 as a Co-Angler by Hellabass

Found: The Bass Hog Blog.

Hellabass blogs: Amistad Elite Series Practice & Day 1Detailed


American Idol: Yes I am an American Idol fan, a non voting one. Actually this is the first year I've really paid attention to the show beyond an occasional watch. My favorite is Melinda Doolittle, man can she sing. I think Lakisha, Jordan, and Blake all have a lot of talent but Melinda is definitely my choice to be the next American Idol. Who knows, maybe when it gets down to the end, I'll maybe send her a vote if you can do it online.

The Weather: It was darn near 60 F degrees yesterday. The snow is melting like crazy. It still will be a couple of two three or four weeks before open water finally arrives. Hopefully I will be ready when the day comes and that it will be as warm and nice a spring as last year.

SMG On Tour...

Derek Remitz on BassFan Radio...

Ice Fishing Sabbatical Starts

I have decided... A new BP post at the Fishing Log Blog.

BP now has a My Space page. Well I've followed in the footsteps of Hellabass and invested in another site to promote the Bass Pundit Franchise. If you are a My Space Cadet I look foreward to having you be in my "Friends." I think I will probably keep the Page designed in the simple stock manner. For the most part I think the jazzed up My Space pages are ugly and a pain to navigate around on dial up.

Through Sondra Rankin's My Space page I learned about Basstrac.com, which is a website you might want to check out. They are giving away a bass boat, however it ain't free. You first have to be a Basstrac.com member at $100 bucks a pop. I am really not clear on what else they offer as that you have to be a member to access the content.

Do I think it's worth the $100? Depends on if you have money to burn or not. Don't count on the BP signing up anytime soon.

John Murray has his Amistad Bassfan Bigsticks report up...

New March 11 Tour notes and Blog from SMG... Has the tale of Faircloth's big day, check it out.

Amistad Day Final

AND IT's REMITZ BY A MILE
Minnesota native Derek Remitz wins the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Amistad with a final day bag of 31-6, big bag of the day, for a total of 111-7; beating IKE by 7-12. Derek had the days big bass with an 8-11 kicker. Way to go Derek!

It's been a long time since a Minnesocoldian wins a tour level Bass Tournament.

BassFan Story...

BASS story...

beartrap first hand report with pic...

BassZone Report...

Hellabass Blog...

Fishing Diva has a tournament tale, complete with lost car keys...

Fantasy Bass Round UP:
Bass Pundit 1 with 468 currently in 2nd MN fantasy bass league. Fair line up with 3 anglers in the final cut Kennedy 2nd, KVD 5th, Ish 6th. Niggemeyer was the albatross.

MNsocold BPboys with 377 to move up to 25th in MN fantasy bass league. Two angler in the final 6: Kennedy 2nd, Ish 6th.

Super 6 Pickem Round UP
Bass Pundit 1: 32 Points for

MNsocold BPboys: 20 Points

Amistad Day 3

Hellabass Day 3 Blog is up...

SMG has a March 10 Blog up...

Amistad PRO Top 12
1. Derek Remitz: 80-01
2. Steve Kennedy: 77-02
3. Mike Iaconelli: 76-04
4. Todd Faircloth: 75-01
5. Edwin Evers: 71-04
6. Davy Hite: 69-13
7. KVD 68-4
8. John Murray 67-1
8. Jeff Kriet 67-1
10. Skeet 66-14
11. Ken Brodeur 66-12
12. Ish 66-09

MN Co-Anglers Day 3
20 Joe Barnett 36-8
32 Richard Lindgren 31-7
36 David Doty 27-11
48 Wayne Lindgren 21-11
85 Jason Dudek 10-0

Team Evinrude Day 2 Journal

Liveblogging the weigh IN
I'm enjoying watching the ESPN/Bass Live Leaderboard

Right now MN boy Derek Remitz has taken the tournament lead with a Day 3 leading bag of 30-7. He also has Big Bass as of right now with a 9-2 kicker.

Other notable news at this point: IKE stays consistant with another 24lb bag, KVD may not make the top 12 cut; he only caught 17-4 today. Gary Klien only caught 8-8 and has dropped out of the top 12, so far he has low bag of the day (didn't even catch a limit).

Hellabass' pro Jason Quinn weighs 13-14
Hellabass weighs his tournament best at 13-1 (He will probably move up but is way short of the cut)
Hellabass total weight 31-7
Hellabass' Dad weighs only 1 bass for 2-6 total 21-11

Ken Cook has the new Pro low bag with 8-2
Real-time leaderboard is now stuck on Brent Chapman-I hate when that happens.

Weigh in is now over. KVD made the cut in 7th. Todd Faircloth had the days big bag 36-7 and big bass 10-11. Derek Remitz is in 1st Place.

Amistad Day 2

Halloween Machine! Grand Rapids Thunderhawks beat #1 Edina Cake Eaters 3-1 in Minnesocold State High School Hockey Tournament.

3 Questions

Excellent Amistad Coverage at BassZone

Pro's Picks to win it.

Co-Angler Report

Drats! It looks like the Real-time Leaderboard is down, therefore "No weigh in for you" Update:It's working now!

SMG Pro's On Tour March 8 & 9

Billy Harris Bass Pro has a Percy Priest Tournment blog up.

Hellabass Day 2 Blog

MN Co-Anglers Day 2
19 Joe Barnett 26-5
36 Wayne Lindgren 19-5
46 Richard Lindgren 18-6
48 David Doty 17-0
85 Jason Dudek 10-0

Fantasy Notes:
Bass Pundit 1: KVD moves up +9 into 5th Place, Kennedy holds on by the skin of his teeth, Linter backs off a little along with ISH. Niggemeyer is a disaster pick, LAST PLACE (not even a bonus point) Overall Day 2 about the same to positive.

BP boys: Martens drops like a rock right out of the cut. Ish and Kennedy see BP1, Jeff Reynolds bombs without limit, Place 106. Crews is a slight up mover +6 and in Da Cut. Overall a tough one because of Martens.

Hellabass has a fantasy team that is smokin.

Amistad Elite Day 1

Check Out Elite Rookie Scott Campbell's 12lb Amistad Beast--->


Hellabass has an Amistad Day 1 Blog


Amistad BassFan Story

ESPN/BASS Story

Day 1 Standings

Velvick's Follies




Amistad Fun Facts: 5 Minnesocoldian's are fishing as Co-Anglers including Day 1 leader Joe Barnett of Fergus Falls with a 24-12 Catch. Hellabass' Dad Wayne Lindgren is in 11th after Day 1 with 16-06
49. Richard Lindgren Lakeville, Minn. 4 8-11 Go Hellabass!
50. Jason Dudek Excelsior, Minn. 4 8-08
57. David Doty Cottage Grove, Minn. 3 7-11

Day 1 Fantasy Bass Notes: Steve Kennedy Rocks, Ish Solid, KVD on the prowl, Lintner respectable along with Martens. Niggemeyer and Jeff Reynolds bomb, Niggemeyer didn't even catch a fricken limit thus stealing 5 bonus points from Steve Kennedy's Big Sack Bonus.

Day 1 don't mean Jack Squat! (except for those 5 missed bonus points)



Steve Kennedy Sacks 36-10!

Bassfan Big Stick John Murray has a practice report from Amistad.

Good Luck Hellabass!
If you are unaware Bassing Blogger Rich "Hellabass" Lindgren is fishing Amistad as a Co-Angler.

Hellabass has a pre-fish Update Up.

Get those Fantasy and Super 6 Pickem rosters in.

Congratulations! to Terry "Big Show" Scroggins on his come from behind win at the BASS Southern Open on the Kissimmee Chain. Story

Bassfan's weigh in on Swindle DQ
BP weighs in on Bassfan's article:
I am of the opinion that Gerald Swindle operated his boat in a reckless and unsportsmanlike manner at the Bassmasters Classic and agree that Tournament Director, Trip Weldon, made the right call. The BassFan article confirms that there are many that agree with this assessment, but not all. Those who justify Swindle's actions are flat out foolish. It is common sense that you don't run through boat traffic at a high rate of speed. All the talk about a "narrow" channel misses the mark; You don't navigate a channel at high speed if there is little room for maneuver because of other boats. It is common courtesy to not buzz by other boats especially at distances of no more than a couple of feet.

Swindle himself tried to justify his action claiming to be a "professional boat driver." If he were such a Pro he would have shut it down and idled through because that was THE ONLY sensible action.

Meet Elite Series Rookie Matt Sphar

Team Lucky Craft Journal Lake Travis

BP stands for Back Pain This time the Chiropractor was not a miracle healer and my back has been quite sore since Monday. I think I'm gonna need to see the Chiropractor again next week. However right at the moment my back is feeling OK, which is a nice change.

Team Lucky Craft Journal has it's blog about the Classic Up.

On Tour SMG pro's at BassMaster Southern Open on Lake Kissimmee and the Classic.

Rich "Hellabass" Lindgren has started himself a My Space Page.

Until I figure out what to do with this, I'll leave it here: Lunkergirl.com

Just learned about Ken Cook's Elite Schedule Journal which consists of Elite Series Bass Pro Ken Cook blogging about the various stops on the BASS Elite Series. Check out the blogs of the 2006 season. Another cool thing on Ken Cook's website is the Pattern Forecast. Ooops I guess you have to pay for it, not that cool then.