July 27, 2010

I got a box of goodies that I ordered today from Vicious-Fishing . I am a hat-oholic so I couldn't resist ordering one of their camo hats. I also got a black long sleeve shirt and several pair of their Coosa sunglasses. My son loves these Coosas, and he wanted a couple of pairs. They have them with a white or black frame. They are polarized with all the UV protection as well. I bought a pair as well even though they are not prescription. I want a pair of their yellow lenses in the boat to try the next time I'm bed fishing. I have found that having just the right pair of glasses is key. Same tint and lens doesn't always work on different bodies of water. Sounds funny, but the bottom and water color really make a differences causing a need for several lens colors.

I also ordered a bunch of their soft plastics. They sell them cheap and I really like the worms, senko style baits, lizzards and their "Big Daddy Craws." You really can't beat the price.

I didn't order any of their line. I still have a good supply on hand. I'm really hoping to get a trial pack of their new Elite Fluorocarbon. The site says, they won't be selling it until 2011.

I'm still waiting on the Portage Lake article from Nick Vawter. I have gotten several emails in the last couple of days from guys wanting information on fishing in that area. I'm sure there are some Tear Drop guys that are looking for another installment from Nick. I hear he's on vacation this week, so we'll have to cut him some slack.

I've been reading the Live Blog off an on today that the Bassmaster site has up. It follows the Elite 12 that are on the Alabama River today practicing for the final two days of the Toyota Trucks Championship Week. The tournament starts tomorrow and ends Saturday at around 7:00 p.m. At that time they will be crowning the 2010 Angler of the Year!

On August 1st and 8th you will be able to catch the TV coverage of the two season ending events on ESPN at 10:00 a.m. You will be able to watch tomorrow's Live Weigh-in at 7:00 p.m. You can watch the last day's crowning of the AOY Champ at the same time on Saturday.

On Bass Fan today there is an article announcing that Brunswick Corporation sold its Triton Boats brand to Platinum Equities. Platinum is the company that bought Ranger, Champion, and Stratos from Irwin Jacobs when his company went bankrupt earlier this year. All four boat lines will now be made in Flippin Arkansas.

The powers that be are not sure how rewards programs will work out with the FLW and B.A.S.S. tours after this move. Triton has been affiliated with B.A.S.S. and since Irwin Jacobs took over the FLW, Ranger Boats have been the official boat of that tour.

In a separate announcement today, Earl Benz was said to be moving with Triton to Tennessee and overseeing the operations of the line he started there. He will become part of the Platinum Equity team. Very interesting.

The sale of B.A.S.S. is still rumored, and no one is sure if any of these sales or moves may have anything to do with what might be yet coming down the pike. It should be interesting to see how it all works out.

Speaking of the FLW, they have taken a back seat lately with all the press focussing on the Toyota Trucks Championship Week. However, the focus will soon be spotlighting their Forest Wood Cup that is schedule to take place on Lake Lanier in Atlanta, Georgia, August 5-8. You can read about the contenders for that contest in this "Meet the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup contenders III " article on the FLW site. They actually have four different articles featuring the contenders that you can link to from the highlighted hot link above.

For my walleye fishing buddy John, I thought I'd put this link up which discusses the FLW Walleye Tour event on Devils Lake, North Dakota which kicked off today. The lake is five feet higher than when the tour visited there last June. It looks to be a totally different type of bite because of the high water. Last year, in June, when the walleye pros were there top finishers fished a leach with a bobber and, or casted Shad Raps to fill their livewells. This year, early reports indicate that many will be using bottom bouncers and trolling with spinners to catch their fish. Here's a link to the preview article: "Dancing With Different Devils" . You can watch the walleye live weigh-ins each day at 5:00 p.m. ET today and Friday, and then at 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

That's going to be it for today. The final cast of the day is a quote from Herm Albright. He once said, "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." Sounds good to me! Have a great day.

July 27, 2010

I've been watching an outing that the B.A.S.S. Top 12 are hosting between the two end of season AOY tournaments. They are taking some veterans in the Wounded Warrior program out for a half day on the lake. They're fishing a private series of large ponds, called "The Waters" that have some fantastic bass fishing.

It's a big bass event and the weigh-in begins at 12:30 ET. It looks like it's going to take a 10 pounder to win it. They've been catching some monsters! I'll be typing well in to their weigh-in so I'll let you know who wins it.

I have been talking some more with the wife about going down to Table Rock this coming October. I'm interested in observing in their tournament series finale. The event takes place October 14-16th. It cost $100 total for all three days. Same price as the Elite Series.

The drive to Table Rock State Park Marina is about 650 miles. It's just about the same distance as it was to Alabama. As I said before in the blog, it would be a great time of year. The weather should still be nice, and the trees should be unveiling their spectacular colors.

It would be fun to have a convoy to travel down to Branson with, so if you have the time, think about joining the fun. Give me an email if you're interested.

The Wounded Warriors weigh-in has been going on now for about a half hour, and so far Tommy Biffle's first fish of the day is top dog at 8-3 lbs. He beat out Edwin Evers grande bass that went 7-13 lbs. Here is an article summing up the event: "Where There's Hope, There's Bass" .

While we're talking post-season, the powers that be at Bassmaster just announced that the AOY format will continue for next season with the two weekend events happening at the same relative time as they did this year. They will also fish the same bodies of water.

Manabu Kurita, the Japanese angler who tied the world record bass catch on Lake Biwa is selling the mount of his fish. He says the mount sits in his house collecting dust, and it's beginning to haunt him. He's still not happy about it being declared a tie even though his fish was a couple of ounces heavier. In order to be declared the biggest, it has to surpass the record holder by I think 3 ounces and his fish didn't. I would suppose that if he wants to cash in on the mount that it would be best to sell it before someone else beat it. It will be interesting to see how much he'll sell it for.

Recently, an angler in Wisconsin caught what may be the new world record brown trout , a fish that weighed in on a certified scale at 41-8 lbs.

Roger Hellen caught the behemoth which measure 40.6 inches long and had a girth of 27 inches, trolling north off Racine, Wisconsin. It puts him way ahead in a salmon fishing contest that could net him $10K. The fish weighed an ounce heavier than the one caught by Tom Healy out of the Manistee River last year.

Maybe you received an email from the DNR recently advising you of the website opportunities they offer to help your fishing. One of the things they had in the email was a telephone number to use to access weekly fishing reports. The number is 517-373-0908. You can also access the report online: Department of Natural Resources Weekly Fishing Report .

One thing I noticed that I don't remember seeing before, is that the DNR is offering a 3 day all species license for anyone for $21. A very good deal.

That's going to be it for me and the blog today. The final cast is another installment of Dave Mercer's Facts of Fishing #25 . Take care and make sure you take some break time out of your work day to do something that puts a smile on your face. It's good for the soul.

July 25, 2010

The first half of the Toyota Tundra Trophy Chase for the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year title, just ended with Russ Lane edging out a teary eyed Aaron Martens for the win. Here is the Leaderboard For Sunday's Final .

Marten had more weight than Lane, but had three fish die which cost him the win. Aaron came up just three ounces short of the win after the fish care penalties. When his final weight was called, and he realized what had happen, you could see him tear up. He had to compose himself before he could answer Keith Allen, the MC's, questions.

Aaron has had some tough finishes over the years, just missing the top prize in several Classics. This was just one more almost. I'm sure that gets awfully tough to swallow.

Aaron was hard on himself onstage, and suspected it was a decision to ice his livewells that caused his fish to die. With air temperatures in triple digits and water temperatures in the 90's, anglers packed coolers of ice in their boats to use to cool the water in their livewells. However, Aaron said that he felt that he may have had too much ice and cooled the livewells too much shocking the fish. I'm sure he'll be rewinding that scenario over and over for some time to come.

"The intent is to keep the water temperature in your livewell within five degrees cooler than the outside water temperature. Ice will not only cool the livewell water, but it will slow down the metabolism of the bass and reduces the amount of oxygen they would otherwise require in hot water. If the differential is greater than five degrees, it may have an adverse or shocking effect and create more harmful stress on your fish. A livewell thermometer is a great piece of equipment to have. It is standard on some newer boats. Bring temperature gauges and keep them in the livewells and check them every 30 minutes."(Taken from the P.A. B.A.S.S. Federation Nation website.)

As always, the B.A.S.S. photographers and videographers have some great footage of the Lake Jordan contest. Here is a link to some of those shots: Toyota Trucks Championship Week Photo Galleries . Here is also one of the first stories up covering the finale: Best to Worst: Martens left agonizing over what might have been.

I got a couple of reports from the Tear Drop crew concerning their tournament today on Portage Lake in Onekama. I don't know who won yet, but I heard the winner had around 17 lbs. The Vawter Boys took second. I think it was their lucky Vicious hats. I'm sure Dennis will be sending me the link soon so I can update the standings on the main page under the "Rules and Info." button.

I noticed that when I went to the Vicious Website that the folks at Vicious are coming out with a new improved fluorocarbon that they will be calling "Pro Elite Fluorocarbon." The bad news is it won't be out till 2011.

Well, I've been messing with this entry off an on for most of the day. It's 2:12 a.m., and I am headed off to bed. Tight lines and watch your bobber.

July 24, 2010

Good morning! Just got back from having breakfast with the Vawter Boys, Nick and Brent. Nick flew in late last night from Texas to fish the Portage Lake Tear Drop Stop Number 5. We had some food and talked for a little over 2 1/2 hours. I had a great time, and it was nice meeting up with old friends. I say old, but Brent is a young guy and Nick, well, he's older than dirt like me. They will be hooking up the boat shortly and driving north with plans to possibly stop and prefish White Lake.

There is a lot going on right now in the bass fishing world. The top 30 are fishing today to determine the winner on Lake Champlain in the first Northern Open of the the three stop series. Dave Wolak leads the event, but it's tightly bunched with only a few pounds separating the top 10. Jenison, Michigan native, Nate Wellman, is in 7th place, just under 2 1/2 lbs. out of first.

Jenison Michigan native Nate Wellman

I spent the day in the boat with Dave Wolak on Pickwick this Spring. Here are a few pictures from that day.

Dave Wolak ready to roll on Pickwick in Alabama

Dave Wolak and Skeet getting ready to go on stage.

Dave Wolak and Me

The Northern Open seems to be stacked with Elite and FLW pros. The final day should be a doozy. I wish both Nate and Dave well. We should know around 3:00 p.m. today how each did. Regardless of how they place today, they both will get a bunch of points. The top two point totals at the end of the three Northern Opens qualify automatically for the Bassmaster Classic in 2011. A prize that all the pros would love to have. They could go into the 2011 season knowing they were already qualified for the Classic.

I've been looking in on the Elite 12 that are vying today for the first leg of the B.A.S.S. AOY Trophy Chase today in the Daily Live Blog , and watching the short videos on BassCam . The news there has KVD catching fish in bunches, but his totals look to be shy of Russ Lane who has around 15 lbs. We'll find out soon. You can watch the live weigh-in at 6:00 p.m. ET.

That's going to be it for a Saturday. Things to do and people to see. Have a great weekend!

July 22, 2010

Confusing myself today. I went to open up the blog and it said "July 17th." I was sure that I had made an entry after that date and it was then that I noticed I had forgotten to change the date on the last entry. Sometimes, I have multiple copies of things on the desktop, and it can get a little confusing. Pair that with the fact that I'm older than dirt, and you have the makings for memory meltdown.

Talked with the Texas gran bajo y extraordinario cazador de cerdo, Nick Vawter via the internet yesterday and made arrangements to meet for breakfast Saturday in Hudsonville. He's flying in from Texas Friday night in advance of the Tear Drop Portage Lake event. If anyone's interested in joining us we're eating at 9:00 a.m. at Mr. Burger , 5835 Balsam Dr., Hudsonville.

I was doing some reading on Mr. Kimmel's greatlakesbass.com and noticed a thread pertaining to gas lines and primer bulbs. I am going to put new lines, and a primer bulb, in my boat this year and found the information there helpful.

I need to be sure to get lines that won't break down with the ethanol that's in our gas now. Motorcross, a regular contributor on the site, says to be sure you get lines that have an "A1" rating. They are made to not break down when exposed to ethanol.

From the research that I did, it looks like West Marine carries this type of hose, but I'm not positive. I'll try and find out for sure.

I did find a pretty good general maintenance article on Primer Bulbs that any one with an outboard motor would benefit from reading. It's one of those things that we all end up having to put on our preventative maintainance list.

The Michigan BFL series takes off out of Metro Park July 31st. It's the third event in that season long tournament schedule. I thoroughly enjoyed the year I fished the series and would like to give it another go. Maybe next year.

Well, it's finally started. The Toyota Trucks B.A.S.S. Championship Week began today with the first official day of practice. Like all of the B.A.S.S. events there is a ton of media coverage. You can follow the practice days on the Daily Live Blog or check out some pretty informative videos of the anglers explaining what they are doing as they prefish Lake Jordan on BassCam .

The pros will be out again tomorrow, and then be taking off at about 6:00 a.m. Saturday for Day One of the Ramada Trophy Chase on Lake Jordan. They will be weighing in at 5:00 p.m. I'll have the live weigh-in link up before Saturday.

Today was the first day of the B.A.S.S. Northern Open on Lake Champlain in Platsburgh, New York. I saw on the leaderboard that one of my old students from Jenison, MI, Nate Wellman is in eighth place. Great job Nate and good luck!.

There were, in fact, a number of names that I recognized on the Lake Champlain Leaderboard. Mike Elkins and Jonathon Van Dam from Kalamazoo, Dave Reault, Chip Harrison, Joe Balog, Chad Pipkens, were some of the Michigan anglers I saw on the list. Here is the Live Leaderboard for the B.A.S.S. Northern Open on Lake Champlain.

I'll be keeping an eye on the Open competition. I'll be watching the weigh-in tomorrow on the computer.

One of the last things I got involved in today was to read another ICAST article. I was a Bassmaster site article where they looked at what they called The Best of the Rest . It features three products from ICAST that didn't win an award, but caught the eye of those that were there.

The final cast of the day is another edition of Dave Mercer's Facts of Fishing . Take care and make sure you wear your PFD to bed. It looks like we're going to be getting a bunch of rain.

July 19, 2010

Looks to be a drippy week. The radar showed some good showers rolling through Lake County. The 11:00 p.m. news had a flood warning for up there. I gave the Cementman a call this morning to see if he needed one of my rowboats. He didn't answer. He may have been out on Portage Lake, the site for the next Tear Drop Tournament. He told me the other day he had been over there and didn't find many fish. I may have to go up and show him where they're tied up.

Rick's Portage Lake Wall Mounter from 2009

Rick's ears must have been ringing because he just called. He said they got an inch and a half of rain, and it looked like they could get some more any minute even though the radar wasn't showing anything heavy.

Rick went on to say that his partner, Craig "Back Up and Dump" Stumbrie fished a tournament with Chris Mieras this past weekend. He was fishing with Chris because Chris's regular partner, Harry Swank, was having some back trouble. I can relate with Harry, and have been experiencing some back pain myself. Any who, Chris and Craig ended up winning the event.

I put a call in to Craig, but wasn't able to get a hold of him to get some specifics on the tournament. Rick said they had around 13 pounds and had second place big bass.

Rick and I talked a little more about going down to Table Rock in October to ride as observers in that P.A.A. event that I talked about in an earlier blog. Should be a beautiful time of year. Mid October, the leaves should be changing, and the weather shouldn't be too hot.

The drive down there looks like it would be about the same as it would be to go to Alabama. It's not as far south, but more west. Google Maps says it's 740 miles to Branson, MO which is near Table Rock.

We'll continue to kick it around. I'll have to double check the date against a wedding in October that I would have to attend. My niece is getting married, but as I recall that's going to occur the weekend before. We'll see what's up.

When I was surfing the net this morning I saw where the FLW is revamping their site. I've never liked their home page set up. I found it very cluttered and confusing. Their new site looks a lot like the Bassmaster site. See what you think: New look for the FLW website .

There have been some reports floating around speculating that Lucky Craft was in trouble. The lure manufacturer did not have a booth at the recent tackle exposition in Vegas, ICAST. However, Lucky Craft just made an official announcement that said they were doing just fine. They also provided a link for you to look at their new baits for next year. Here's the What's new from Lucky Craft link. I really like the looks of that "Kelly J." I have an affinity for prop baits. They seem to be more productive on days when it's just a tad too windy for a chugger or walk-the-dog style bait.

It looked to me that they're producing more deep diving cranks. The pros have been catching fish on cranks that get down to 20 plus feet, i.e. Kentucky Lake and Gunterville, and Lucky Craft looks to cash in on that publicity by producing more deep divers.

The B.A.S.S. AOY competition down in Alabama is getting nearer and nearer. The sites are ablaze with articles speculating as to who or how the two culminating events may go down. Here's an article from Bassmaster about one of the favorites, Russ Lane. Lane is a local and has fished and won many a Lake Jordan jackpot. Here's the link: "Hometown angler Lane has it under control for Bassmaster Elite Series postseason ."

The local news has been headlining the Asian Carp issue again. There are five Great Lakes states, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Ohio that have filed suit in US District Court, Illinois. The suit asks that they start using nets to stop carp from entering Lake Michigan. They also are asking for a study to be done as to whether the Great Lakes can be separated from the Mississippi. They also want to close the Chicago shipping gates and locks. The US Supreme Court has rejected three previous requests for court action. Invasive species are a threat to our waterways and lakes. More has to be done to protect our fisheries. Hopefully the Corp of Engineers or some other agency will get the ball rolling faster than it has been traveling.

The final cast today comes from basketball great Pat Riley. He once said, "If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges."

July 17, 2010

Another great looking Saturday here in Michigan. Temperatures are forecasted to be in the upper 80's today with lows getting down into the low 70's at night.

Out in Las Vegas, where ICAST is winding down, today's high is suppose to be 110 degrees! On the weather sites they are posting excessive heat warnings for that area. Say what you want about dry heat, but that is still pretty darn hot.

While I was surfing the fishing net, I read about Mike Iaconelli renewing his wedding vows in Vegas while he was out there for ICAST. He met his wife, Becky, out there four years ago, and one thing led to another and they got hitched.

I looked at some more of the expanded ICAST galleries on the Bassmaster site. If you would like to see some cool stuff, check out their site: ICAST 2010 Photo Galleries . If you check out the galleries you might also see the new "Frog Pee" which is a newly marketed CLR (Cleaner, lubricant, rust inhibitor) which is all natural and won't leave an oily residue when it dries. It took some guts to risk your project's image by naming it "Frog Pee." When I Googled "Frog Pee" to find out more about it I found a recipe for "Kermit the Frog Pee." Mix 1 oz of Midori Melon Liqueur with 1/2 oz Malibu Coconut Rum, with 2 oz of sweet and sour mix, and then top it off with 7-Up. Now that's a recipe every angler in the know ought to have. You could even garnish it with a Award Winning Koppers Live Target Soft Body Frog .

Koppers New ICAST Award Winning Soft Body Frog

Some good news bad news for me. I just read where Mark Zona's "World's Greatest Fishing Show" will be continuing. Great news. ESPN discontinued all of it's fishing and hunting shows. It is keeping Bassmaster's, but shows like my favorite "World's Greatest Fishing Show," featuring Mark Zona are history. The good news is that they just announced that Zona's show will air under a slightly different name on the Outdoor Channel. ESPN still owns the old name, therefore the name switch. As I said, it will be shown on the Outdoor Channel and be called, "Zona's Awesome Fishing Show." Some more bad news is that I recently drop the Outdoor Channel. They charge extra for it, and the programming on O.C, I thought was getting pretty weak, so I decided to save some money and drop it. Looks like I'm going to have to sign back up.

I didn't read when the show would start becoming part of the offerings on the Outdoor Channel, but when I find out I'll let you know.

Sitting around the house reminiscing about our Red Ranger Spring Adventure, I have been getting the itch to Marshal and learn another new body of water. Not wanting to wait until next year I started doing a little research. The P.A.A. fishes Table Rock Lake this coming October. I've been thinking about heading down and giving their observer program a try. The cost is same as B.A.S.S.'s program. It runs a bit differently though.

I called Marcia at P.A.A. and asked about the program. She said that you have to pay your $50 membership fee to P.A.A. and then another $50 to Marshal or be an observer. They have a wrinkle for the observers. You accumulate the weight of your boater and then become eligible to win prizes. You don't get the weight of the boater's catch the day you ride with them though. You get the weight from the day before. That way, you wouldn't be influenced and maybe be "lenient" in a call you might have to make.

One of the biggest decisions as a Marshal or Observer, comes when culling a fish that doesn't look like it's going to make it. Anglers can't cull a dead fish. Deciding if the fish is still alive becomes iffy. A number will die, but if it's not dead when they release it, and sometimes that's just a slight gill movement, then the angler can release it and cull up. It can be a real judgement call.

I haven't decided if I will go down yet, but I'm leaning that way. Marcia said, as of right now, I could observe all three days.

Finally after weeks of daily checking, the FLW has updated its Fantasy Fishing scores. My son Nathan made a big climb after being the top point getter in the last tournament on Guntersville. Right now, Tim Cook sits atop the leaderboard just ahead of Craig Stumbrie and Nathan.

I'm not sure, but I think that the Forest Wood Cup is the culminating event for Fantasy Fishing. If it isn't, then Tim wins, and I have some goodies for him.

The Forest Wood Cup begins on August 5th and runs through the 8th. I'll try and find out if it's part of the final Fantasy Fishing contest, so we can be listening to hear the fat lady sing. As they say, it's not really over till the fat lady sings.

The B.A.S.S. Elite series post season begins July 24th on Lake Jordan down in Alabama. There are two events down there that will determine who gets the AOY Trophy. The second event is the Evan Williams Bourbon Trophy Triumph tournament on the Alabama River, and it is also a two day event the following weekend on July 30th.

Just recently, I have been in contact with a site acquaintance, Steve Bunde. He fishes with a group from the East Side of the state. They had a tournament last weekend on Portage. He told me the winning weight on Saturday was around 15 lbs. with the big bass being a fat five pounder. Sunday the weights were down some and the winner, my BFL buddy Jim Ammonette, had around 13 pounds.

Steve said they fished Portage on Saturday and that he and his partner finished fifth. On Sunday, the decided to run to Arcadia. In Tear Drop events, you cannot run.

Steve and his buddy boated about the same weight there, but with the weights being down some they ended up in third. He sent me a picture of a big dogfish that he caught on Arcadia. He said it was his biggest dogfish ever.

Steve Bunde's big ole dogfish.

I've caught my share of dogfish. I remember the first one distinctly. It was on Manistee Lake, and I learned the hard way that you don't lip them. Dogfish, when you first see them underwater, look very bassy. They are heartbreakers though when you finally get a good glimpse and see that long dorsal fin, and realize they are not the big bass you hoped they were when you first felt the strike. They can fight like crazy and will hit just about any bass bait you throw. Thanks for the picture Steve.

Well, that ends my Saturday effort on the blog. Take care and enjoy your weekend!

July 15, 2010

I'm sitting in front of the fan trying to stay cool today. The temperature and high humidity are brutal. The forecast is for a break starting tomorrow. I got up and got in a four mile walk and still haven't cooled down.

I have also been watching the coverage of the President arriving at the Kent County Airport today. He is going to be attending a ground breaking in Holland for a new battery plant. My buddy Don Fowler always keeps me posted on the President's undertakings and appreciates, like I do, what this President has done for our country. There hasn't ever been a President who has inherited as much work. Two wars and a failing economy, and now an environmental calamity. It's been and will be an almost insurmountable task. I wish him God speed and God bless America.

ICAST started yesterday out in Las Vegas and I've been eagerly waiting to see what new products will soon be available. B.A.S.S.'s site today had a link up for the "2010 ICAST New Product Showcase" . One of the items I noticed that won an award was Koppers Live Target . I have been a fan of Live Targets for several years. If you have not tried one of their rattletrap type baits, their cranks, or my favorite smelt stick bait, you need to check them out. I know Steve up at Pilgrim Village has a pretty good selection of Koppers baits. He's got the best tackle shop in northwest Michigan. Stop in and see him.

Koppers New ICAST Award Winning Walking Frog

I'll be keeping an eye on the show out in Vegas and let you know what I find in the blog. You never know when you might be able to get that new bait that gives you the edge, for a while any way, in your tournament efforts. I remember years ago when the Sammy's came out. I was ordering them from a place in California before they were available here. They were a hot new bait that really worked for me.

If you have a few minutes you would enjoy looking at the photo gallery on B.A.S.S.'s website. Lots of neat looking new things. I thought some of the terminal tackle was especially interesting. Here's the link: ICAST 2010 Photo Galleries .

I've been working to get Mr. Grande Bajo Vawter's Hamlin Lake article formatted. I haven't loaded a new 2010 article on the main page yet, but will a.s.a.p. For now though here is the sneak peak.

2010 Tear Drop Tournament Trail

2010 Hamlin Lake, Tear Drop Champions

Rick Skinner Sr. and Craig Stumbrie

Article and Pictures Courtesy of Nick and Brent Vawter

Hamlin Lake located in Ludington is more than 12 miles long and 5,000 acres large. Hamlin Lake touches Manistee National Forest to the north, has towering dunes in the west and miles of undeveloped wilderness all around. This man made lake originated during the logging hey-day when lumbermen dammed the Big Sable River to make an enormous holding pond for trees felled upstream. Whether you fish the bayous, the flats, or head for deeper waters, Hamlin Lake offers a smorgasbord of fish: tiger muskie, northern pike, large and small mouth bass, perch, crappie, blue gill, walleye, and slugger rock bass. If you want it, it?s in there.

The weather for the weekend was a typical northern Michigan forecast, nice. It seems every fisherman has his ideal description of the type of day he would like to fish in. Mine is a cloudy, light rain, with the threat of something a little more serious. That seems to bode well for those who are out to just fish seriously, leaving joy riders at the dock.

Sunday, July 11th started off with a light 5 mph SW breeze that increased about one mph every hour throughout the day. The sun was strong, requiring that dose of sun block right off the bat. It seemed to be the makings for a good day on the water.

Well, my partner and I didn't have to launch boats this time, hallelujah, so our day was already off to a better than usual start.

As the 6:30 a.m. buzzer went off Kowalski and Pike did a much better job of sending everyone off to their hot spots. As my partner and I took off towards the end of the pack, I couldn't help but notice that I only observed a couple boats remaining in Upper Hamlin. There could have been more, but I have noticed a trend over the past few years of more of the guys heading for the south end.

Our morning started off a little slower than the two previous prefishing outings we had. After going to our pre determined hot spots, and finding the fish were not where we left them, we ventured for new waters. In our new spot, Brent stuck a fish which we hoped would prime our live well. I was still on the floor weighing and tagging his first one when he flopped another into my lap on his next cast. How can I even have a chance of having my sandwich made when I am out of the game bumping, tagging, and weighing? Luckily he was throwing his bait caster into the wind, and every so often he had to take out backlashes which provided me time to drop a nice 2 lb. 7 oz. largemouth in the live well. We then went over to a flat outside the west shore where we looked for some smallmouth.

We were on an opposing drift with Mike Meysar and Ricky Skinner Jr. We watched them pop a quick double into their box. As we drew closer, I boated my second. They asked, "Who is the sandwich maker?" and at that point we were in a cast for cast duel. Three minutes later I was shot down.

This lunch sandwich contest of ours is by nature bitter sweet. We both want each other to do well, but we are both competitive and want to win the in the boat bet. It's one aspect of our time on the water that makes the day so much fun for us.

We went on the remainder of the day to cull out the four fish we had under the two-pound mark with four that were over the mark. Our Ardent Smart Cull System told us we had 11 lb. 6 oz. We'd have to see how that fared on the Weigh Master's new digital scale.

Authors, photographers and bass anglers extraordinaire, Brent and Nick Vawter

We slid onto shore about 4 minutes before tournament ended. We were beached two boats from Rick and Craig and could see Rick smiling, and ominous sign. Rick and Craig were getting ready for something big.

As teams started to bring their bounty to the scales the weights were about as expected, most averaging 9 to 10 lbs. Hamlin has a lot of two pound fish. The big fish have seemed to have vanished.

If you're lucky, and or, skilled enough to find that kicker fish, you could separate from the pack and find yourself making some money. Rick "The Cement Man?" Skinner and Craig "Back up and Dump" Stumbrie had done just that in Lower Hamlin.

Rick picked off a nice 3.36 lb. largemouth in the early morning hours. In fact, it was his first fish of the day. Their first place bag compressed the scales registering 12.28 lb. 1st place Hamlin lake $430, big bass Hamlin lake $170, moving up from 11th to a tie for 6th in the Teardrop Classic cut off...Priceless!

Irons MI, Bass Pros Rick Skinner and Craig Stumbrie

Rick's big bass was the only fish brought to the scales in excess of three pounds. Good job guys!

Fresh from a $325 payday on White lake the day before, the Bass Cat team of Gary Evans and Dave Baker, decided 2nd place and $210 would suit them just fine. Their 11.68 lb. sack of greenies advanced them from 13th in the overall standings, to a tie for 8th.

Gary Evans, Hudsonville, and Dave Baker, Wellston

Pleased as a couple pigs in mud were Brent and I coming in 3rd with a mixed bag weighing 11.40 lbs. and taking home $105. Our official weight couldn't have matched up any closer to our on the boat weight. We are not really sure what we are doing right this year compared to other years, we just hope the luck hangs for another month.

10.97 lbs of green fish was good enough for 4th place. $40.00 and the Na-Tah-Ka dinner certificates went to the team of Jesse Weener and Ross Machiela. They are holding steady onto their 2nd place Classic standing. Jesse corrected me at the weigh-in, saying that Ross does not spend his summers in the Interlochen area as I was informed, rather he lives 5 minutes from Duck lake, and when they fished and won Duck Lake two weeks ago, Ross just had to slap his rod on the water and the fish came swimming to the boat. In future articles, I may dub him the Pied Piper of Traverse City.

Jesse Weener and "The Pied Piper of Interlochen" Ross Machiela

Rounding out the final money position and taking 5th place, was Josh Myers and Kasey Kyser. They found 5 fish that weighed 10.58 lbs. Josh and Kasey are favorites for money on most waters, especially Hamlin, but it just wasn't their day Sunday. Josh and Kasey are sitting atop of the leader board in the Classic Angler of the year race with a 5.5 point lead.

Kasey and his little brother Blake

Kudos also go out to Matt Kaiser and Dave Yeager, although they were one notch out of money at Hamlin they are having a great season with strong finishes that find them now in a tie for 4th place with Ryan VanDeBurg and Douglas Hall in the Classic standings. Must be the new boat.

Matt Kaiser and Dave Yeager

As Brent and I were headed home down Jebavy we found a Ranger hat in the middle of the road. I?m guessing either Allen Pike or one of the Brauneck's may have lost it. Come see Brent or I at Portage, and if your launch ticket is better than ours, you can have it back. The sponsors for this tournament were Pere Marquette Sports and Hamlin Grocery . Thanks to both of them for their continued support!

Our next event will be July 25th on Portage Lake in Onekama. If you are in the area stop on by at 2:30 p.m. and observe the weigh in.

Until then, keep a tight line.

Thanks Nick and Brent for another great job on the article and pictures. I hope you don't mind that I tweaked a couple of picture captions.

Jeff and Fred Brauneck of Manistee

Bruce Mitchell of the Cook and Mitchell Ludington Team

Chris Mieras of the Mieras and Swank Reed City Team

Jack Kowalski and Allen "Toothy Critter" Pike

Larry King and Ken Winters

The Stanley Cup Traverse City Team Brian Macdonell and Wes Herndon

Brian Tagg of Wyoming and Jared Stumbrie of Irons

July 13, 2010

Will wonder of wonders never cease? What was the recent phenomenon that had the whole of Northern Michigan buzzing? Was it a summertime showing of the Northern Lights, or the DNR finally admitting that cougars roam Northern Michigan? Nope it was something else even more spectacular! It had folks in the Ludington area picking up the babies and grabbing the old ladies and heading on over to Wilson Hill Park. They wanted to see Rick "The Cementman" Skinner and Craig "Back Up and Dump" Stumbrie winning the Hamlin Lake Tear Drop Tournament Trail Stop #4!!

All kidding aside Rick and Craig have been making a steady climb back in to former glory since the beginning of last year. Their ole friend and bass fishing mentor Matt "Pappy" Roark was, I'm sure, smiling down Sunday when the boys brought in just enough bass to put a hammer lock on the win at Hamlin, besting some very good local anglers.

Local bass legend and driving force behind the formation of the Tear Drop Tournament Trail, Matt "Pappy, The Sly Old Fox" Roark

"One beautiful lady and one "Old Goat" lives here" as the sign use to say on their porch.

Matt and the Tear Drop anglers at his last Classic.

Can't have a Tear Drop Tribute without including Pop Brown.

Hamlin Lake Winners Craig Stumbrie and Rick Skinner Sr. (File Copy)

My la pesca de Texas bajo garrote, Nick Vawter has some great pictures from last Sunday's Hamlin contest. He will undoubtedly have his article on the event to me soon. I would expect it in the next couple of days. I got an email from him saying he was working on it in the Houston President's Lounge awaiting a flight a day or so ago.

As I mentioned, the other day, the TBF of Michigan held its State Championship on Muskegon Lake Sunday. Here is the list of those who made their state team. The TBF State Team will be moving on to fish the Regional on Lake Patoka, IN. Here are the anglers in order of finish: Don Watts, Mark Snyder, Eric Bond, Ryan Said, Jason Fowler, Eric Smith, Mike Ozinga, Mike Elkins, Trent Withrow, Jason Knapp, Kendall Ulsh, Seth Valentine.

I am familiar with several of the names, and know Mike Elkins and Kendall Ulsh from our BFL days. Kendall is a pro staffer for Vicious Fishing . I just sent in an order for some Vicious product. I noticed when the Vicious site opened, that a local Great Lakes Team, the Best Chance Too, won the Grand Haven Offshore Challenge. Their picture is front and center on the sites "Home Page." Lots of stuff to look at on the site and lots of product to buy. Take a look at their sunglasses. For the price, you can't beat them. I know a number of people who have ordered them and really like them.

Switching gears, you probably already know, a few years ago there was a rift in the B.A.S.S. Federation which caused a split. The group that left started the TBF of Michigan which is the grass roots of the FLW Tour. We now have State Championships held by both groups.

Both the B.A.S.S. Federation and the TBF selected Muskegon Lake for their Championships this year. Most of their respective championships are held on St. Clair, but they try to spread it around. Muskegon gets the nod on the sunset side of the state, mainly because they have a large enough ramp. Not many ramps on the West Side of the state can accommodate a large tournament group. Also Muskegon, wants these opportunities to host big events and kicks in to help the organizers out. It's very easy to join either group and quite frankly many are members of both. Why not, you double your chances of making a State Team.

ICAST starts tomorrow out in Las Vegas. ICAST is a venue for all the major tackle and outdoor manufacturers who introduce their new items for the year. Many of the pros will be out there supporting their sponsors. The B.A.S.S. Top 12 anglers will have a few days there and then will have to be on their way to the post season event in Alabama. The FLW pros also will soon be packing their respective tackle bags for the 2010 Forest L. Wood Cup which begins August 5th.

Some of the products that were introduced at last year's ICAST have been given a workout by the managing editor of Bass Fan, John Johnson. Here are a couple of the things he like and has tried, and that also caught my eye. The first is the Bac Rac . Jim Amonette, a boater I drew in the BFL, saw a blog I did on the Bac Rac last year after it unveiled at ICAST. He bought one, and had nothing but good things to say about it. According to Jim, it mounts easily and works very well even in the roughest water.

Another item that comes with some very good reviews is a rear light back up system called the White Night . I can relate to early morning hook ups being cumbersome due to darkness. I also had a harrowing boat launching down at Cherokee Lake early one morning in the rain backing down a narrow ramp that would have been so much easier with some light. I am looking at this system quite seriously.

Another item that John liked that I really haven't ever used, is a worm weight. I know some people like to weight their senko style baits to vary their fall rates, or to cause them to fall left or right for better dock fishing. Here is a very interesting looking Damiki Neko Sinker .

A new bait by Spro the Mike McClelland McStick caught Jack's eye and also looks pretty interesting to me . I love throwing a stickbait, and have developed a fancy for the Koppers Live Target Smelt . You can't beat a bait like the Koppers smelt for Michigan smallies, but this McStick bait looks like something to try as well.

One last item that looked good to me was the Gamakatsu Weighted Superline Spring Lock Hook . I like this style hook for fish a soft plastic jerkbait. When you're fishing weeds that are too thick for the traditional treble style jerkbait, the soft plastic can be fished weedless.

There is some fiberglass boat rattling being done once again as rumors concerning the Platinum Equity Group fly around the net. Platinum is in the market to acquire the Triton Boats Brand from the Brunswick Corporation. The inside, or rest of the story in this acquisition, is that since Platinum Corp. is a private equity firm, they have no long range interests in any of these boat lines, and will more than likely begin selling them off in a few years. The rumor mill has Jerry Mckinnis, who is the executive in charge of B.A.S.S., leading a contingent, that would include his good buddy Forrest L. Wood, that may be looking to acquire Ranger Boats once again. Nothing seems to remain the same for long in this current economic climate.

That's going to be it for today. To close the show, once again it's time for another installment of Dave Mercer's Facts Of Fishing .

July 11, 2010

Well, my ole buddy Tommy Biffle strikes again! He won the P.A.A. Cherokee Lake event. Biffle pounded the bank pitchin' his Biffle Bug . If you click on the link the picture shows the Biffle Bug on one of Tommy's now famous hinged football heads. The heads are not available from the Larew website, but I bet they will be soon. Biffle has a buddy of his making the heads for him. After two big wins using the bug and football head set up, I'm sure he's getting bombarded with requests for the jig head.

Okay, time out, I just did some internet surfing and came up with what looks like an football jig that Tommy has been winning on. It is, or resembles closely, the Arkie Football Shakey Head . Tommy has been putting his Biffle Bug, in the new "Sooner Run" color on a similar jig head and then swimming it slowly across the bottom. The hinged head allows the bait more freedom of movement enticing big bass to bite it. Here is an article from Bass Fan that covers the Biffle Win on Cherokee Lake .

Before I leave the P.A.A. Cherokee Lake thread I thought I'd dust out the ole archives a bit and put some pictures up that gives you a bit of a feel for Cherokee. It's a river impoundment whose lake level fluctuates dramatically over the course of a season. It's a place that you had not better run if you don't have a chip that gives you the exact location of the channel. The place is full of lower end robbing rocks and dead heads.

Cherokee Lake, Tennessee is a beautiful place

Lots of points and backwater sloughs or coves.

Cherokee Bill fishing one of the out of the way sloughs.

Dandy Don working the early morning topwater bite.

Some of the fish attractors the locals place during low water.

Notice the fluctuation in water levels on the bridge support.

Ken "Boo" Woods fishes the FLW shows off a Cherokee largemouth.

Notice the rocky red clay banks that the P.A.A. anglers didn't see because of the high water.

This time of year they were probably skipping lures under pontoons. They weren't when we were there.

Don with a little Cherokee spotted bass.

The BPS store where yesterday's weigh-in was held.

During a trip the wife and I made to the Great Smoky National Park we stopped at the Sevierville, Smoky Mountain, BPS store . If you drive out of the Park through Pigeon Ford, and head toward the expressway the BPS store sets right there along Winfield Dun Parkway and I40, Exit 407.

The TBF of Michigan is holding their State Championship today on Muskegon Lake out of Fisherman's Landing . I just remember that they were having the tournament today. I may get off my butt and make the 40 mile drive and watch the weigh-in. The twelve person roster for the state team will be filled today and the team then will fish Lake Patoka in Indiana.

I guess if I'm going to head over to Muskegon I'd better get off the computer and get ready. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

July 9, 2010

Back home again today, and inside it's already a sweaty 80 degrees. It just got done raining for about 10 minutes, and the sun is back out which means even more humidity.

I've been on the computer a while surfing listings on Craigslist. My Motorola Razor has locked up, and I can't access anything with it. I've played with the battery, and I was able to get to the phone book yesterday. I copied all my phone numbers down. Today again it's completely locked up, and I can't answer calls or access any functions on my phone. So, I have been looking for a phone on Craigslist. I found one on the other side of town that looks like a good deal. Headed out to buy it later around 6:00 p.m.

I spent some time today reading about how the P.A.A. Pros did in their event on Cherokee Lake, TN .

Bobby Lane and Bradley Hallman are tied for first place with 15.57 lbs. of fish. Having fished Cherokee in the 2008 BFL Regional, I know that there are three different species there that are targeted and each has a separate legal length. Smallies have to be 18 inches long! Largemouth have to be 15 inches and spots 12.

Cherokee Lake, Tennessee

It's kind of funny that today I'm writing about Cherokee Lake, because just last night I decided, kind of out of the blue, to check on Mike Elkins' Fishing With The Pros website. That very worthwhile tournament opportunity will take place in September on Muskegon Lake.

Mike and his partner Kendall "KDawg" Ulsh, stayed in the same motel as Don and I when we all qualified to fish the 2008 BFL Regional on Cherokee.

Mike Elkins and Kendall Ulsh gearing up for a day on Cherokee Lake, TN

We often stayed in the same motels with Mike and Kendall during that 2008 season.

You may have also seen a picture of Mike on the Blog earlier this Spring from the D & R Sports Spring Event where he was one of the leaders in a seminar on the Hummingbird Side Imaging Unit . Anyway, it was kind of funny that I connected with him through the Fishing With the Pros site last night and today on Bass Fan they are reporting on Day of the P.A.A. Event there.

The Professional Angler's Association was started several years ago as a competing trail with FLW and B.A.S.S. The pros from both trails got together forming the P.A.A. They have several tournaments a year, and they seem to be drawing a pretty "A" list group. Here is the article that Bass Fan posted today: Shallow Battle Hallman, Lane Tied With 15 1/2, Allen 3rd .

If you check the article out you'll find that my ole buddy Tommy Biffle is in the top five. I'll tell you what, that old dog can hunt, or in this case fish!

My ole buddy Tommy Biffle

Another angler that I see at the head with the Day 1 leaders on Cherokee was Harold Allen. If the name doesn't ring a bell, he and Mark Jeffreys host Bass Zone . Jeffries always uses the moniker "The Legend" when he refers to Allen. I saw both Jeffreys and Allen down at Guntersville. Here's "The Legend" Harold Allen debriefing Davy Hite on the third day at Guntersville. Allen was digging for the story behind Hite's big bag on Day 3.

Davey Hite gives Harold "The Legend" Allen the low down on his Day 3 Guntersville bag.

The P.A.A. Pros fished yesterday, and after today they cut the field to 30. Hopefully Tommy, and Harold do well. Bradley Hallman hasn't had much of a money season, so you have to kind of root for him as well.

Speaking of rooting for your favorite angler, I hope you all have been voting for KVD in the Cast a Vote & Win a Boat promo in advance of the Toyota Trucks AOY post season finale. Voting not only shows our support for a Michigan native, but it also puts you in the running for daily prizes and the final prize, a bass boat and trailer.

If you're around the Ludington area this Sunday, the Tear Drop anglers will be having their fourth tournament of the year at Hamlin Lake. They take off at 6:30 a.m. and weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. at Wilson Hill Park, which you can find at the end of Jebavy Rd. For tournament information, check out the "Rules and Info" button on the main page of this website.

One last thing that I have for today is a Top Secret Recipe that will be of particular importance to the Cementman. He's been known to drive 50 miles out of his way to stop at a Wendy's in order to get a Frosty. Top Secret Recipes is a site that collects restaurant recipe favorites and then has people emulate the cuisine in their test kitchens. I've tried several, and they really closely approximate the real restaurant item. I am going to get the makings for the Wendy's Frosty and see if I can match the hatch.

That's going to be it for me today. It's a TGIF day so enjoy and get out and wet a line this weekend.

July 8, 2010

As rain falls gently on Big Bass Lake this morning, the birds are announcing a free meal at the feeder. We finally were able to make it up to the cabin for a couple nights. We're going to have to head home in about an hour though.

Not having been up here in a while, there was a lot of work to do. I also brought some work with me in the form of a trailer load of wood to stack. We had that tree blow over at home, and I have a bunch of wood on the ground cut up that has to be brought north. We'll use it for campfires and maybe in the wood stove, although they tell me basswood isn't great wood to heat with.

I got most of the jobs that I was hoping to get finished completed. There are a couple jobs yet to be tackled with the top of the list being some work to be done on my boat.

We got to see, and have dinner with, the Cementman and his wife Jean. That's always fun, and Rick and I got to talk a little about what we may want to do in terms of a trip for next spring. Looks more and more like the schedule will be dictating a repeat trip to Marshall the B.A.S.S. Elite Series event on Pickwick in April.

I thought about including a picture from where I'm typing the blog this morning. I got up at 7:00 a.m., and have been on a critter watch as I did some surfing on the net. Not much moving this morning except the birds. Typically though, we'll have deer in the yard, and often we'll see a fox or a mink making its rounds around the shore of the lake. I don't have any close neighbors here, just lots of woods, so it's quiet and makes for a very peaceful repose.

Speaking of places to lay your head, my brother has a house just off 44th St. in Wyoming that he would like to rent. It's a three bedroom home with a finished basement. It has a fenced in yard, has an attached garage, all the appliances are there, and it's ready for someone to move in to. Email me using the contact button on the website if you or anyone you know may be interested.

With the summer fishing season in full swing, you may be interested in a thread I was following on a forum site, Kimmel's to be exact. They were talking about what to do about a fish that swallows your hook. Most know that this is not a good scenario. Most also would say that in such cases they simply cut the line and get the fish back in the water. Most also probably heard that this gives the fish the best chance at survival, and that the hook will dissolve.

I'm not a believer in the theory that the hook will dissolve. I've caught a couple of bass that have had ice fishing hooks stuck halfway out of their anus. Those hooks didn't look the least bit rusted or to be in any way the least bit decomposed. Consequently, I always try and cut the hook. I bought a pliers like tool from D-Barb that resembles a pair of side cutters, but is a "top cutter." The design allows you to either cut the barb, or the shank of the hook, from top. It also is designed with a magnet in it so that when you are down the gullet of the fish, and you cut the hook, the piece of hook that is now free sticks to the magnet and doesn't drop down the gullet of the fish. It works very well.

I also became aware, through Kimmel's forum site, of a method that is suggested for getting the hook out of a fish that has swallowed the hook. Here is the link to the PDF file that demonstrates the gut hook removal technique . I'll be researching this topic some more and let you know what I find.

For those of you interested in a "Big Bass" formatted bass tournament, check out this link: Kickin' Bass & Biggest Bass of the Hour Championship brought to you from the folks at 101.3 The Fox in Grand Rapids. Looks like it could be lots of fun.

Speaking of a segue into fun, BassFan has an article up on it's website that talks about Dave Mercer and his "Facts of Fishing" production. It's a very interesting article that not only talks about Dave's fishing background, but also about the current state of internet media. Here's the link to the New Media Model Mercer Seeks FYI Audience First, Profit Later article. It's well worth the read time.

I had planned to talk a bit about the post-Genmar Irwin Jacob story. However, I'm running out of blog time today, so I am going to have to save it for another day. I have to be on the road soon. I promised my friend John that I'd pick him up at the airport today in Grand Rapids. I have to leave here in about a half hour in order for him and his wife not to be standing at the curb too long.

The final cast has to be Dave Mercer's Facts of Fishing #22 . Take care, and be sure to take some time out of your work day to do something that puts a smile on your face. It's good for the soul.

July 3, 2010

Good morning. Another beautiful day today. I don't know how much time I will have to work on the blog the next day or two, but I'll try to get a few words in edge wise.

I have been perusing the B.A.S.S. 2011 Elite Series Schedule , and am trying to decide which event or events that we may again try and Marshal. I hope to be talking it over with the Cementman to see what he thinks. We may just Marshall one event and spend time fishing on Guntersville, and it's a beautiful place. We have plenty of time because you can't register until January.

In a few weeks, the 12 Elite pros who qualified for the Toyota Trucks Championship Week will be banging heads to see who will be the top dog this year. This link takes you to an article that shows you where the Top 12 are, and it also gives you a little background info. Don't forget to go to the Cast a Vote & Win a Boat link and vote for KVD. Doing so gives you a chance to win some prizes as well.

I spent a couple hours this morning reformatting the Duck Lake article that Nick Vawter wrote. He and Brent have been fishing well, and they are becoming a crackerjack reporting team, filing stories and taking pictures. Make sure if you see them you give them a pat on the back and a big thank you. Here is the Duck Lake installment.

2010 Tear Drop Tournament Trail

Duck Lake, Interlochen, MI

June 27, 2010

Written by Nick Vawter

2010 Duck Lake Winners: Jesse Weener and Ross Machiela

The weather forecast for Sunday's tournament on Grand Traverse Bay had Dennis Cook a.k.a. Teardrop Tournament Director "keeping a weathered eye on the horizon". Myself, like everyone else received the call that we were switching launches for the bay Saturday afternoon. Then a couple hours later another call from Dennis saying that we were going to our alternate foul weather lake, Duck in Interlochen . And foul weather was what greeted us Sunday morning. Ultimately, Dennis made the right choice as the winds would have left us all jammed up on the SW end of East bay had we went out.

My partner and I made a few good decisions this past weekend. The first being the decision to drive up Saturday, find a motel in the area in hopes to get a good nights rest, leaving us only a 30 minute ride to the launch. That worked out fine as we stayed in Honor just 15 minutes south of Interlochen . The second great decision was to bring the rain suits into the motel room the night before.

Our alarms sounded at 5:00 a.m. Brent jumped into the shower while I started uncovering the boat so the rain that was coming down could provide a good rinsing of my carpet. I showered, we donned our suits, finished packing up, and headed to Duck lake launch which is in the Interlochen State Park.

Most boats were lined up ready to launch. Brent and I walked up to Dennis and Bruce perched warm and dry in the truck and paid our entry fee. It had already been discussed between Brent and I that since he has drawn the launch ticket twice that it would be my turn. After all, I couldn't possibly do as bad......I put my hand into the pouch and could feel ten or so tickets. I fumbled around and finally picked out number 25. Yes sir, we launch last, and are the starting boat again. We need a statistician to calculate those odds.

The weather radar showed one more cell with some good lightening and thunder to pass over and then we could launch. The rest of the day would be uncertain, and Dennis made his disclaimer that everyone should use his best judgment if they need to get off the water.

At the State Park launch on Duck Lake the water is too shallow to beach your boat so everyone lines up and does a speedy launch just prior to starting the tournament. So, just before 7:00 a.m. Dennis made the decision to start the tournament and announced it would end at 3:00 p.m.

I have to wonder if the other guys in the Teardrop think Brent and I are volunteering to launch everybody? If we draw it next time maybe we will have a "countdown" instead. We started off the flotilla, and watched as everybody went to their favorite spots. We idled out and tried to get a fix on where everybody went. The rain was coming down pretty good and stung a little as we drove off. We picked our alternate starting spot, and on my third cast I told Brent I had a rock bass picking on my worm. I set the hook anyway and landed what would be our big fish of the day a nice largemouth weighing 3.41 lb. That fish led to getting my sandwich made by my partner again as I was the first to put three fish in the box. We limited within the next 90 minutes and continued to catch and cull fish most of the day.

The rain came in two different waves. Some waves would be the steady average rain and then with no warning or build up it would suddenly come down in buckets. And of course our bilge pump decided to not work. With the excess water in the bottom of the boat taking off and getting on plane was a slow process. Speaking of bilge pumps not working, I have to make a retraction from my Crystal lake story. Rick Skinner Jr. corrected me pre-launch this morning. He was not bailing water with a motorcycle helmet when their boat was swamped on the beach, it was his dad. Rick Jr. was the one on shore laughing and taking bets in a pocket notebook like a bookie as to whether or not Mesh's boat would sink.

We ran across Josh and Kasey late morning on the water, and they were trying to build up a 10-11 lb. bag. We were sitting about the same. Somewhere through those gray clouds there was a light shining on us because we got lucky, and through the rest of the day were able to cull up to almost 14 lb.

At weigh in time the rain had ceased, and it became a little muggy. I was at dock side taking pictures, and it was looking like most had limits of 9 lb. to 11 lb. Then Machiela and Weener came down for their pics. I could tell they had the winning bag. They found a nice mixed bag to flatten out the scale at 15.76 lb. which gave them first place and a nice payday of $475.00. Add that money and Classic points to last tournaments 2nd place finish and that pushes them from 6th to 2nd in the overall standings. Six and a half points behind the leaders Josh and Kasey.

Representing the Second Place Team Brent Vawter

Second place went to Vawter and Vawter. The 13.90 lb. mixed sack provided $237.00 and a move to 4th in the overall standings.

Third Place Finishers Mike Meysar and Rick Skinner Jr.

Third place this event went to the team of Meysar and Skinner Jr. A nice 13.27 lb limit of largemouth made for a sweet-n-salty reward. Fresh off a fourth place finish at Crystal these guys advanced from 13th to 8th positioning them for a ride to the Classic. They raked in $120.00 and the Na-Tah-Ka Dinner Certificates .

Fourth Place Finishers Ryan VanDeBurg and Doug Hall

Fourth place, and $50.00, went to the team of VanDeburg and Hall who brought 12.92 lbs. of fresh fish to market. These guys were already planning a ride to the Classic as they advanced one spot in the overall race to 3rd.

Fifth Place Finishers Matt Kaiser and Dave Yeager

The final $50.00 money spot went to Kaiser and Yeager, weighing in 12.23 lbs., the last limit to break the 12 lb mark for this event. They advanced nicely from 8th to 6th overall.

You can bet there will be a fair amount of pre-fishing going on prior to our next tournament, July 11th, at Hamlin Lake in Ludington . Hamlin can be anybody's ticket to the Classic if they can find that one kicker fish. Expect to see some more shuffling in the AOY race at that event.

A very special thanks to our hosts Ice Mountain and Four Seasons Ford in Cadillac . Please be sure to check out our Tear Drop Bass Tournament flier on the main page of the website. If you are in the area give our sponsors a try at meeting your up north needs.

Until next time...keep a tight line.

Tear Drop Director Dennis Cook and Bruce Mitchell

Kyle Bonter and John McMichael

Alan Pike and Jack Kowalski

Chris Mieras and Harry Swank

Representing Baker and Evans, Dave Baker

Father and Son Dan Warner Jr. and Sr.

Craig Stumbrie and Rick "The Cementman" Skinner

Thanks again Nick and Brent!

I'll have this story up on the main page under "2010" as soon as I get the button changed to Duck Lake instead of Grand Traverse Bay. My son has a program that sets those buttons and I don't have the where with all to do it. He's up in the mountains of Colorado this weekend and out of cell range so maybe after the holiday weekend I can get him to make the change so I can post the article.

Enjoy the day!

July 2, 2010

July already. The summer is flying by. I am continuing the June Blog for another day, and with the next entry I'll break the Blog and start the month of July.

I've been busy bustin my butt on cutting wood. I had a tree that blew part way down in last weekend's storms. I live in what's called Georgetown Forest so say no more when it comes to lots of trees. With all the big trees I have in my yard, I didn't notice the big 70 feet tall basswood until late Monday afternoon. Actually, my son saw it and called me and when I came home. I saw that it had snapped at the base and was leaning at about a 65 degree angle. The top had caught in a cluster of smaller trees. It was leaning directly over my neighbor's house. Had it not hung up, it would have went right through my neighbors house, right through their children's bedroom. I shutter to think what might have happened.

So, I had to get on the phone and call some tree services. The first guy that came out quoted me $2700 to cut it down. The next estimate was for $1700, and the last one was for $1200, but I'd have to clean up the brush and cut up all the logs. Needless to say, when you wake up and discover a $1200 bill that has to be paid that day, you dust off your chain saw and get ready to lumberjack up. Here are a few of the pictures I took before my battery died.

Two trees actually were cut down.

They definitely needed the boom truck.

Good thing I had a Stihl.

And... no the insurance won't cover the cost or even a part of it. They consider it landscaping. When I called them, they said if it hits my house my insurance pays. If it hits the neighbors house their insurance pays.

If you're in need of a tree service I got my lowest bid from Russ Emmert, of Elite Tree Care, 616-318-7238.

I was reading some fishing articles yesterday, and I found a link to a contest that B.A.S.S. is running. Go to this Cast a Vote & Win a Boat link. There, you'll find the 12 finalist in this year's B.A.S.S. Elite Series AOY End of Year event. They want you to vote for your favorite. There are some good guys there, but we have to represent, so make sure KVD wins this contest. You can vote once a day. Once you vote, they ask you to register. After that, all you have to do is enter your name and password and vote again the next day. You can win a daily prize, or you could win a boat as the grand prize!

I was on Dan Kimmel's greatlakesbass.com website, and they had a link talking about Asian Carp getting close to entering the Great Lakes via the Maumee River which connects with Lake Erie.

The Asian Carp headlines have been mainly focussed on Lake Calumet in the Chicago area. They recently found an Asian Carp past the electric barrier. The news that the "Jumping Carp" species is also close to entering Lake Erie is alarming.

The Wabash River is part of the Mississippi River Basin which has the carp species along its entire length. The flood plain of the Wabash River is close to the Maumee River, and the fear is there will be opportunity for the carp to enter that system during high water. Hopefully, those in power will get a handle on this soon. However, the wheels of government turn way to slow with all this parisan bantering that occurs with this Congress. I have little hope that things will be done in time.

Tejas palo grande, Nick Vawter sent me an email last night with all the pictures he took at the conclusion of the most recent Tear Drop Tournament Trail event up on Duck Lake. The venue was changed from Grand Traverse Bay to Duck Lake due to weather. The Vawters almost won it coming in a strong second. Nick has a story ready, and I'll work on reformatting it today. I already resized the pictures, and hope to get the article up very soon.

I got my Skeet Reese Wright-McGill rod yesterday from Bass Tackle Supply . It's a drop shot rod that I hope to try out soon. Feels very light and sensitive. It feels a litte whippy, and I like a stiffer rod, but maybe that's because I'm getting old.

The Cementman called me last night to say that they had their Thursday Night Tournament on Manistee Lake. He and his grandson caught three fish, the largest being a 5-8 largemouth. They were hoping that they would have at least big bass. In almost all of their events, a largie of that size would win it. However, ole Bill Collins from Ludington brought in a 5-10 largemouth!

The fishing buzz for a while has often centered around the possible sale of B.A.S.S. to the Outdoor Channel. That seems to be almost a dead issue of late, with the possibility the Jerry McKinnis and a corporate group, are gearing up for the purchase. It may all still be rumor, but it's the best rumor out their right now concerning the sale of B.A.S.S.

I'm going to have to call it quits for this morning, because I'm meeting my old fishing partner Ronnie Hicks for breakfast. He's driving in to town to look at a vehicle for his son, and after that occurs, we're going to get some eggs and ham. Ron's a great guy, very talented, and I always enjoy seeing him. Hopefully we'll be able to get out and fish together again soon.

Take care and take heart the weekend is almost here.