Monday, June 27, 2011

BASSMANIA TOURNAMENT TRAIL : THE CASEY CUP - LAKE SIMCOE

COMPETITIVE SPORT FISHING LEAGUE
BASSMANIA TOURNAMENT TRAIL
WILDCARD - THE CASEY CUP - LAKE SIMCOE, COUCHICHING PARK, ORILLIA - JUNE 26, 2011

The Casey Cup is the first big Canadian Bass tournament of the year. It is held on famed Lake Simcoe where giant smallmouth abound. The two man team format is always a big fish battle. Considering these are 5 fish limits, these weights are staggerings. Twenty pounds, a 4 pound average, only landed you in 25th place. Big largemouths are here but this is a smallmouth tournament and these anglers are some of the best in the world.

Position Angler Co-Angler Weight HP Big Fish Points
1 JOE MUSZYNSKI SCOTT MURISON 25.85 300 BM300 200
2 BARRY GRAVES JASON GOUGH 25.65 300 199
3 CHRIS VANDERMEER JEFF SLUTE 23.8 250 198
4 NICK CUSIVIS HENRY VANDELAAR 23.6 225 197
5 WAYNE MISSLEBROOK DAVE KENNEDY 23.3 250 196

Saturday, June 25, 2011

FLW EverStart Lake Champlain Day 3: Avena Champs Champlain!

By Luigi De Rose
Weighing in a glorious bag of 20-03 pound sealed the deal for Adrian Avena. Leading all three days, Avena uses a mix of lures from buzzbaits, flipping a jig but his killer bait was a silver /black back Storm Wiggle Wart. Cranking has won many tournaments on Champlain, a weedy and rocky natural lake, but this might be a first for the old school Wart. Regardless, Adrian worked one key area for all it was worth; to the tune of $29,153 in total winnings and a sexy trophy.

Place  Name Day 3 weight  Total weight
1 ADRIAN AVENA 20-03 58-00
2 AARON WESSELS 20-14 54-04
3 GLENN BABINEAU 17-04 53-14
4 JOE LUCARELLI 16-12 50-09
5 THOMAS LAVICTOIRE JR 16-10 50-14
6 MICHAEL WOLFENDEN 15-10 50-00
7 ADAM SINGER 13-15 47-12
8 CRAIG TOWNSEND 9-13 45-11
9 JAMES SCHNEIDER 10-15 44-10
10 CHRIS ADAMS  11-03 44-10

Friday, June 24, 2011

FLW EverStart Lake Champlain Day 2: Avena Leads for a Second Day!

by David A. Brown
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Avena taking commnad of Lake Champlain.
(Photo: David A. Brown FLW)

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Lake Champlain didn’t make things easy for Adrian Avena, but the New Jersey pro stuck to his plan and held onto the top spot at the EverStart Northern Division tournament on Lake Champlain.

After grabbing the day-one lead with 21 pounds, 3 ounces, Avena added a day-two limit of 16-10 and held off all challengers with his 37-13 total. Confident that he could get back on the fish he worked yesterday, Avena ran south to Ticonderoga and. The day’s rainy conditions weren’t a big deal, but a southeast wind whipped the lake into a washing machine, so the trip was grueling to say the least.

“Today, I got down there a little faster than I thought I would and I left myself about two hours to get back and I cut it close,” he said. “But I had a decent day down there. I just couldn’t get those kicker bites.”

Avena said the rough ride left him with some housekeeping chores before he could start fishing. This brief delay probably cost him some weight.

“It was pretty rough the first 15 or so miles and when I got there my rod locker was destroyed and all my rods were tangled,” Avena said. “My co-angler just tossed out there and caught a 5-5. He caught another one about 4 ½ and those were two bites I really needed.”

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

2011 Fish TV Celebrity Showdown for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. Friday July 1, 2011. Palmer Park, Port Perry ON

Want to fish a cool tournament, hang with some celebrity hockey players and raise coin for charity? Then sign up or show up for the annual FISH TV 2011 Fish TV Celebrity Showdown for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. Friday July 1, 2011. Palmer Park, Port Perry ON

http://fishtv.tv/newsite/celebrityshowdown/index.html

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

FLW Outdoors announces update on injured FLW cameraman

FLW PRESS RELEASE
Editor's note: This article was updated June 21 with a status update from Robert Gulley.

FLW Outdoors officials have spoken to the family of the person injured in Sunday’s one-boat accident during the FLW Tour event on Kentucky Lake. Mary Ann Gulley has confirmed that her son, Robert Gulley, was a cameraman injured on a boat driven by competitor Shinichi Fukae when the boat struck the Highway 79 Bridge near Paris, Tenn.

Monday, June 20, 2011

FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake Day 4: Grigsby Grabs First

Peek wins co-angler title, $20,000
FLW PRESS RELEASE
 
Chad is Champ on Kentucky.
(Photo: Brett Carlson FLW)
 
MURRAY, Ky. – Goodwill pro and father of two Chad Grigsby of Maple Grove, Minn., caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces Sunday to earn a Father’s Day win and $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake presented by Kellogg’s with a four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 73-3.

The catch gave him the win by a solid 6-pound, 8-ounce margin over Kevin Snider of Elizabethtown, Ky., who caught a total of 20 bass weighing 66-11 and earned $33,287.

“This is what everybody strives for,” said Grigsby, who notched his first FLW Tour win in his 10 seasons as a pro. “You’ve got bars you strive for — make the top 20 and make the top 10. And I’ve bombed in some top 10s. But that’s because my whole goal is to fish to try to win it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

“I wasn’t going to go out and stay on the bank and try to catch 12 pounds and see where I ended up,” Grigsby added. “I wasn’t going to do that.”

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 4: Walker's Wild Win!

BASS PRESS RELEASE

DECATUR, Ala. — Most David Walker fans automatically assume he’s won a major tournament in his career, and now they are correct. 
A win and a Classic spot; David Walker couldn't be happier!
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
Amassing a Wheeler Lake catch of 63 pounds, 10 ounces the Sevierville, Tenn., pro took possession Sunday of the Bassmaster Elite Series Dixie Duel trophy, his first win in a premier circuit.
“I’ve fished a lot of them, and I hadn’t won one,” said Walker, 46, an experienced pro who made a name for himself on the FLW circuit before joining the Elite Series for the 2011 season. “I always felt like I was good enough to do it, and I feel like I’ve paid my dues. And why not a win?
“That was my slogan for the whole week: ‘Why not me?’ And here I am, talking about a win — I might be a little rusty on that topic,” he quipped.
Walker won $100,000 and a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth, his primary goal in becoming an Elite pro. Because he also earned enough Toyota Tundra Bassmaster of the Year points for a ticket to the 2012 world championship, Walker reached his goal of returning to the Classic not once, but twice in one season.
 

FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake Day 3: Weather Stirs Leader Board

Colson Still Leading with Terrible Day 3
Peek wins co-angler title, $20,000
FLW PRESS RELEASE
 
Even with only catching two bass Colson still leads!
(Photo: Brett Carlson FLW)
18.Jun.2011
MURRAY, Ky. – Ramie Colson Jr. of Cadiz, Ky., caught two bass weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to maintain his lead at the Walmart FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake presented by Kellogg’s and advanced to the top 10 as the crucial No. 1 seed. With a three-day catch of 12 bass weighing 51-12, he now holds a 1-pound, 4-ounce lead in the tournament going into the final day of competition.

“I made a bad call this morning,” said Colson, who now has led the first three days of competition even after stumbling a bit Saturday. “I had some shallower ledges that I went and fished this morning that I hadn’t fished and I thought they would hold some fish.

“Typically when it gets cloudy and rainy the fish go up shallower on the drops,” Colson added. “I spent a little too much time trying to catch them on the shallow drops. When I finally decided to go back into the creeks, I ended up catching them and I wished I’d have just done that.”

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 3: Bradley Roy Rolls to the Top

By Deb Johnson
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Roy shooting for a win.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
 DECATUR, Ala. — Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky., injected new life into his sagging season Saturday at the Bassmaster Elite Series season finale by bringing in 17 pounds, 10 ounces, and jumping four places into the lead with 50-5 over three days.
Roy’s big charge this week on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake started with a quiet 13th place on the first day. He made more noise on the second day by hitting fifth place. Saturday, Roy got everyone’s attention by whisking the lead from David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., who fell to second place with 48-10, but still just 1-11 behind Roy.
“I feel like I’ve turned a bad season into a good one in one day. I’m determined, I need to win this,” said the 20-year-old Roy, the pro who made a quick name for himself in 2009 as the youngest pro to ever qualify for the Elite Series. He was just 18 at the time. He went on to become the 2010 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year.

Kevin Van Dam Wins 4th Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year in a Row!

BASS PRESS RELEASE
Greatest Angler Ever!?
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
DECATUR, Ala. — Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., amassed enough points Saturday to close the deal he said he’s been focused on since his first cast this season: the 2011 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award, his seventh best-angler title and fourth consecutive.
Not even the legendary Roland Martin, holder of nine Angler of the Year titles through 1985, strung together more than three in a row.
VanDam on Saturday also became the first pro to land AOY and Bassmaster Classic titles in the same season for two seasons running.
“This one means as much if not more to me. Winning never gets old when you’re competing against these guys,” said VanDam of his fellow Elite Series pros. “I’ve been out to win Angler of the Year since the first cast of the first tournament of the season.

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 3 Mid Day Report

By Luigi De Rose

According to the stats on www.bassmaster.com it looks like fishing has been a bit slow. Saturday is a strange day on lakes that have water generation. Electricity demands from industry decrease so water movement through the turbines decreases. For anglers wishing for the current to jump start the bass activity, they might be out of luck. How many hours can you wait on a good spot waiting for it to turn on? Many leave with the hope of better fishing only to miss the peak activity on the place they just left. 

Tournament fishing is a game of decisions and this one is a dicey game.
Here are the unofficial stats from bass at 10am.
 

PlaceAnglerFishDay ThreeTotal
1Kevin VanDam517-0048-02
2Ott Defoe512-1345-10
3David Walker37-0342-06
4Greg Hackney47-0441-09
5Kelly Jordon512-1339-10
6Timmy Horton36-1237-11
7Skeet Reese24-0037-02
8Randy Howell59-1435-13
9Russ Lane59-0235-11
10Keith Combs48-0834-06
11Bradley Roy21-0634-01
12Brent Chapman59-0634-00
13Casey Ashley59-1133-13
14Travis Manson45-1133-00
15

Friday, June 17, 2011

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake day 1 and 2 recap

What's going on!?
By Luigi De Rose

Sorry for the delay but here is a photo essay on the Wheeler Lake Tournament. Wheeler Lake is the last official stop on the 2011 Bassmaster Tour Season. Many anglers are killing themselves to finish high enough in the points to qualify for the Classic. Others have no chance and are just trying to cut a good cheque. Also, there is the very important Angler of the Year (AOY) race in full swing.

So, lets try and figure out what is going on. Wheeler is a TVA lake in Alabama and has current flow created by electrical power generation. Bass mood is effected and affected by the current. The weather is hot and bass should be in a summer time pattern but don't count on it; it has been a weak spring.

Many expect the cranking anglers to win and they might. Summer means off-shore cranking, big worms, a few jigs and even a spoon tossed in. This means KVD should be at the top of the standings but he isn't in the Top 5 but who cares when it seems that he'll win another AOY.

Thursday, which was Day 1 saw Ott DeFoe take the lead and on Friday, David Walker is sitting atop the leader board. Both are considered new to BASS but both are very seasoned anglers with a lot of talent. Each one wants to fish the Classic and it looks like they will finish well.  

This photo essay is courtesy of BASS photographers: Rob Russow, Seigo Saito, James Overstreet and Darrel Jacobson
Tim Horton and Kevn Wirth are sharing an off-shore spot. Sharing is the key work.

Horton battles a good one as Russ Lane watches.

FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake Day 2: Ramie Colson in Control

Peek leads co-anglers
17.Jun.2011
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Ramie in the lead on Day 2.
(Photo: Brett Carlson FLW)
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Ramie Colson Jr. of Cadiz, Ky., caught a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces Friday to take sole possession of the lead on day two of the Walmart FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake presented by Kellogg’s. His two-day catch totals 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 11 ounces in a tournament that features anglers from all over the U.S. and Canada. The top 20 will fish day three and the top 10 will compete for the title on day four.

“I had a limit by 8:15 but they only weighed 10 ½ or 11 pounds,” Colson said. “After I got my limit and it was cloudy I figured I’d vacate the drops because the clouds aren’t good for them. I have caught them like that before, but after I fished two or three places and didn’t get bit I said, ‘Well, I need to move and come back later.’”

FLW Tour Kentucky Lake Day 1: Chappelear, Colson Jr. lead Walmart FLW

Chappelear, Colson Jr. lead Walmart FLW
FLW PRESS RELEASE

16.Jun.2011
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Pros Glenn Chappelear of Acworth, Ga., and Ramie Colson Jr. of Cadiz, Ky., both crossed the stage Thursday with five-bass limits weighing 23 pounds, 5 ounces to lead day one of the Walmart FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake presented by Kellogg’s. They now hold a 4-ounce lead over Diet Mt. Dew pro Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., who caught five bass weighing 23-1 in a tournament featuring anglers from all across the U.S. and Canada.

“I felt like fishing was a little bit tougher than it was when we were here two years ago,” Chappelear said. “I located a school of fish on Sunday morning (in practice) and caught several 3-pounders and a 5-pounder.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

IBASSIN.COM'S Luigi De Rose at the OFAH Mario Cortellucci Centre

Come and check out IBASSIN.COM's Luigi De Rose live Monday, June 20, 2011 at the OFAH Mario Cortellucci Centre in Peterborough, Ontario. See the pages of IBASSIN.COM come alive and learn about Four Bass Techniques You Need to Know! Only $2 starts at 7pm!

ADDRESS
OFAH | Mario Cortellucci Hunting & Fishing Heritage Centre
Near 2017 McNamara Rd
Peterborough, Ontario

Sunday, June 12, 2011

The JIKA RIG. Japan's newest super rig

By Luigi De Rose

The Jika Rig is Japan's newest rig. It is so new that no one in North America has used it or even has it. It only came to light in the late last fall in Japan. A bit of a splash occurred at the Osaka fishing show but after the devastating Earthquake and Tsunami, fishing wasn't a top concern for many in Japan. Check out this video and see how you can make your own Jika rig and be the first on your lake to use it!

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Denny Wins!

Missouri’s Denny Brauer closes on 17th Bassmaster win


Jun 12, 2011
BASS Press Release
Denny's 17th Bassmaster Win!
(Photos: Jamer Overstreet BASS)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Leading for three days, Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., closed on the Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive on Sunday with 52 pounds, 2 ounces, posting a winning margin of over 7 pounds.
Brauer had a 10-plus-pound lead going into the final round, an insurance policy he didn’t need. Adding 7-5 on the fourth and final day, the legend of the sport clinched a wire-to-wire victory.
His prize was $100,000 and a berth in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., was the pro who went after Brauer hardest in the final hours of the Diamond Drive. But Martens, third after Saturday’s competition, weighed 10-11 Sunday for 45-1 overall and second place.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Denny Domination

Denny Brauer Remains the Leader after Day 3

By Deb Johnson
BASS Press Release

Brauer Still on Top.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — If they’re honest about it, most bass pros would have to admit they’ve learned from Denny Brauer. Saturday, the famed pro from Camdenton, Mo., schooled some of the best in the business by keeping his lead for the third day in the Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive.
Brauer’s catch of 10 pounds, 12 ounces, fended off the changing lineup of fellow Elite pros who have been doing their best all week to wreck Brauer’s chance at a 17th Bassmaster victory. But with 44-13 over three days, Brauer stayed 10-2 ahead of Saturday’s frontline challenger, John Murray of Phoenix, Ariz., who ended his day in second place with 34-11.
Only the top 12 anglers after three days made it to Sunday’s final round. They will compete for $100,000, a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth, and points in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race.
Murray, among others in the Top 12, said he was resigned to fishing for second place on Sunday. But Brauer, a pro who has captured the sport’s most coveted titles — Bassmaster Classic champ and Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year — still was not convinced that a 10-pound lead was enough to win no matter what Day Four brought.

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 3: Mid Day Up-Date

By Luigi De Rose

On any river that has commercial barge traffic or electric generation, Saturday is always a different day. River traffic and water flow changes dramatically due to so many people not working on the weekends and a decrease in electrical energy demands. What all this means to the fisherman is that the current created by barge traffic or water flowing through turbines, is less and the bass reposition. If the current tapers off to a dribble expect the bite to die. 

According to bassmaster.com, the mid-day report's unofficial weights looks like this:
standing/name/fish/day 3 weigth/total
1 Denny Brauer 3 6-00 40-01
2 John Murray 4 10-09 33-12
3 Aaron Martens 5 12-00 33-06
4 Jonathan VanDam 5 16-00 31-10
5 Ish Monroe 5 10-08 31-07
6 Gerald Swindle 5 10-00 30-11
7 Billy McCaghren 2 3-12 28-03
8 Kevin VanDam 1 2-00 27-11
9 Timmy Horton 5 13-05 27-01
10 Keith Combs 3 5-00 24-10
11 Greg Vinsom 2 3-04 24-09
12 Takahiro Omori 1 2-01 24-07
13 Clark Rheem 2 3-03 23-15
14 Ben Parker 4 8-11 23-10
15 Randy Howell 3 5-13 23-09


Another factor is the locks. Yesterday, 5 anglers arrived late to the ramp due to delays with the locks and all suffered a late penalty. If one of the leaders comes in late today and their day's weight has deductions, the leader board can change in a hurry. Jonathan Van Dam is a great example of how one good day on the Arkansas River will change everything. On day 1 he scored a big ZERO and on day 2 his five fish limit weighted 15-10 lifting him into the Top 50. It appears he is doing well again and has leaped into the Top 10.
Stay tuned!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 2: Denny Brauer In Total Command!

By Luigi De Rose


Denny Brauer's monster 19 pound plus bag puts him in the lead. KVD in second nearly 10 pounds behind. The final cut, to make the top 50, weight was just about 12 pounds. Kevin Van Dam has taken over the lead for the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. He is in position to claim his 4th consecutive AOY title.

The Top 5
place/name/fish/weight
1 Dennis Brauer 10 34- 1
2 Kevin VanDam 10 25-11
3 Billy McCaghren 9 24- 7
4 John Murray 10 23- 3
5 Takahiro Omori 10 22- 6
Stay tuned!

Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 2: Mid Day Up-Date

Reports from Bassmaster.com
This is an unofficial leader board based on what bassmaster's writers have witnessed. Remember, this a river with many anglers using locks to reach distant areas. One delay and a top weight can be zeroed if the angler arrives late to the ramp. Locks are always a gamble especially if a barge wants to finish work quickly on a Friday afternoon before everyone leaves for the weekend. Barge traffic always get preference before tournament boats. Hopefully, no one will falter due to busy locks. 

1:15 p.m.
PlaceAnglerFishDay TwoTotal
1Denny Brauer512-0126-11
2Kevin VanDam59-0822-04
3Takahiro Omori411-0021-05
4Aaron Martens510-0420-12
5Gerald Swindle512-0020-04
6Randy Howell59-0618-12
7Brent Chapman48-1218-05
8Todd Faircloth411-0018-00
9Greg Vinson37-0017-06
10Ish Monroe22-1217-04
11Mark Davis38-0817-02
12Jason Williamson26-0017-00


Bassmaster Elite Diamond Drive Arkansas River Day 1: Brauer Battles to Top

Denny Brauer Leads Day 1
By Deb Johnson
(BASS Press Release)

Jun 9, 2011
Vetran Brauer with a solid limit to take 1st.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — For the second time of the Bassmaster Elite Series season, bass fishing legend Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., took the lead on the first day.
And on what was arguably the toughest first day of any event in the 2011 Elite season, Brauer’s 14 pounds, 10 ounces of Arkansas River bass was just enough to command the top spot in the Diamond Drive on Thursday. He was 2 ounces ahead of Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., in second place with 14-8, and more than a pound in front of Keith Poche of Troy, Ala., third with 13-8.
In fourth place was the only pro from Arkansas to slip into the top five. Billy McCaghren of Mayflower brought in 13-3, managing 3 ounces more than Shaw Grigsby, who won the season opener on the Harris Chain of Lakes in his home state of Florida. In sixth was Michigan’s Kevin VanDam, who had 12-12.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

FLW Tour Potomac River Day 4: Proven Method

Tips on How to Flip Grass Flats
By Luigi De Rose

Follow the Potomac River this week and the majority of the anglers were fishing weed flats. Keying on the heaviest matted grass and flipping and pitching seemed to be the best. Here are a few tips on how to excel while fishing the weed beds.

Quick Tips:
  • Yellow braided line. A real key when following the bait as it drops through the weeds. Many hits only reveal a jump in the line. Bright braid will detect any line movement. It really does well on overcast days.
  • Run a black marker over the bright braid for about 1 yard (1m) from the bait to avoid spooking anything.
  • Try segmented coloured braid. Originally designed for walleye trolling and jigging, its really good for this style of fishing. Depending on the brand, these lines change colour every few feet or yards (m). This way you can keep track of the bottom as your bait falls.
  • Use a neoprene bobber stop to peg the heavy weight. Saves time and won't harm the line.
  • Use a snell knot on straight shank hooks for better penetration.
  • Use a hook with a "keeper" on the shank. This keeps the plastic bait straight and always ready to fish.
  • GPS is a vital tool so use it. Not only good for structure, use it to mark key areas for another pass. Grass beds can all look the same but by using your GPS, you can always relocate a spot on a spot.
  • Pick baits with small thick bodies without a lot of tiny, dainty legs. Thick bodies hold a heavy hook well. Dainty legs only get tangle in stringy weeds. Big craws, a paddle tail or a thicker ribbon tail is best.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

FLW Tour Potomac River Day 4: Clausen Claims Potomac Win!

Luke Clausen Wins!
05.Jun.2011
FLW PRESS RELEASE

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.  Chevy pro Luke Clausen of Otis Orchards, Wash., caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 4 ounces Sunday to win $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on the Potomac River presented by National Guard with a four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 69-14.
The catch gave him the win by a 1-pound, 13-ounce margin over Michael Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J., who caught a total of 20 bass weighing 68-1 and earned $35,000.
Luke fishes the grass for first
(Photos: Gay Mortenson FLW)
“This is amazing,” said Clausen, who hasn’t won a major tournament since 2006 when he won the Bassmaster Classic. “I get pretty mad pretty easily and I would have been pretty upset with a second place finish. This is a relief really. After winning both the Forrest Wood Cup and the Bassmaster Classic and not having a victory since 2006, I have been pretty frustrated. To finally win again is just an amazing feeling.
“I was a little nervous coming to the scales today,” Clausen went on to say. “I thought I only had about 16 pounds and when I saw 19, I almost fell over.
“I fished in one area all week long,” Clausen added. “I am not real familiar with fishing tides so when I found this area in practice I felt had the opportunity of producing good quality fish. I just stuck with it all four days. And it did. I brought in six bass that weighed over 5-pounds each.
“The area fished differently every day,” Clausen elaborated. “I learned something new each day and by today, I felt like I really knew how to fish it. There were about 25 boats in there the first two days and then Bryan Schmitt and I were in there all alone the final two days.
Ike slips to second in close battle on Sunady.
“The high tide was definitely better for me,” Clausen continued. “You could see what you were throwing at. Low tide made it very difficult. Thankfully we had a long high tide today. I was pretty worried when I saw that south wind this morning. I really thought I was going to be in trouble.
“Of course grass was key to this tournament. I was throwing inside the grass and outside the grass depending on the tide. I used so many different things for bait this week but my main go to baits were Z-man finesse worms and Z-man creature baits. Today I was using a swim jig. Basically whatever felt right was what I used. It changed often depending on the wind and the tide. One of the reasons the Potomac is so fun to fish is that you can do so many different things with so many different baits and they all work,” Clausen continued. “It doesn’t matter what you use or how you fish, you’ll catch fish all day long.
Clausen opened the tournament in 17th place Thursday with five bass weighing 15-3. On Friday he added another five bass weighing 17-0 using Z-Man creature baits to move up to fourth place. He then caught five bass weighing 18-7 on Z-Man finesse worms Saturday to make the crucial top-10 cut in second place. On Sunday he sealed his victory using a swim jig.

InvisaSwivels

Sight “Seen” Beneath the Surface
New Translucent Red and Chartreuse InvisaSwivels debuts at EFFTEX

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 

Ask most anglers about those line-to-line connectors loosely called ‘swivels,’ and the replies are often dubious at best: They’re meant to minimize line twist, but they don’t always succeed. They work against, rather than with, the rest of the rig standing out like an eyesore on your line, and sinking rather than hovering neutrally in the water. Old-school metal swivels are obtrusive, corrosive and eventually, they break.

Forget all that everything you know about fishing swivels has changed, and the evolution continues...

Saturday, June 4, 2011

FLW Tour Potomac River Day 3: Ike on Top

Leonard wins co-angler title, $20,000 04.Jun.2011
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Mike Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J., caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, Saturday to capture the lead at the Walmart FLW Tour on the Potomac River presented by National Guard and advanced to the top 10 as the crucial No. 1 seed. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 51-9, he now holds a narrow 15-ounce lead in the tournament going into the final day of competition.
Ike loves his chances of a win.
(Photos: Gary Motonson FLW)
“This feels good,” said Iaconelli, who still remembers losing the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup Championship by three ounces. “I want this win real bad. I have a little fire in my chest after losing by three ounces in Pittsburgh. It only happens once in a while that you get a legitimate shot at winning and this is one of those times.
“Timing is everything on this river,” Iaconelli went on to say. “The Potomac is unique in the fact that twice a day there is a high and a low tide. If you are using the right bait and hit the tide at the right time magic happens. Every day I fish I feel like I am getting a little more in tune with the tide. I feel like I am living and breathing with the fish and it is a good feeling.
“I am not camping on one spot,” continued Iaconelli. “Unlike the other pros that seem to be fishing in one area all day long, I have four good grassy areas during low tide and four good hard places that I can run to during dead high tide. And by hard places I mean woody areas like docks. I can only explain that I am doing both power fishing and finesse fishing.

Friday, June 3, 2011

FLW Tour Potomac River Day 2: Lane On Top, Nixon Tumbles to Bottom

Bobby Lane Bolts to the Top

Bobby Lane ready to win again on the
Potomac River.
(Photo by Gary Mortenson FLW)
03.Jun.2011
FLW PRESS RELEASE

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces Friday to capture the lead on day two of the Walmart FLW Tour on the Potomac River presented by the National Guard. His two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 11 ounces gives him a 2-pound, 2-ounce lead heading into the third day of the tournament. There were 154 pros and 154 co-anglers from across the United States and Canada that started the tournament. The top 20 will fish day three and the top 10 will compete for the title on day four.

“This river has been good to me,” said Lane, who was in fifth place after day one. “The key factor in being successful on this river is learning the tides. For me there is an hour-and-a-half window when the high tide starts rolling in that gives me my opportunity. All my big fish came in that hour-and-a-half window.


“There is not one area that is going to produce consistently year after year,” Lane went on to say. “The traffic on the river is so heavy that it puts a lot of pressure on the fish and they tend to move to new areas. I have had a lot of success in many different areas on the river. This week I have been fishing some new water. The area I am fishing now seems to be where the brim are spawning and the bass are coming back to feed..

Thursday, June 2, 2011

FLW Tour Potomac River Day 1: Vetern Larry Nixon Takes Command!

Nixon, Vatalaro share overall lead during wind-swept opening round of FLW Tour competition on the Potomac
02.Jun.2011
by Gary Mortenson
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Larry "The General" Nixon takes command.
(Photos by Gary Mortenson FLW)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Heading into Thursday’s opening round of competition on the Potomac River, anglers had an idea that they would have to battle some type of wind. However, when all was said and done, most competitors seemed to be caught off guard by just how fiercely today’s wind actually blew. With regular wind speeds clocking in at 18 to 20 mph, anglers were forced to deal with giant swells as well as a heavy dose of mud which darkened waters and messed with the anglers’ prime fishing locations all day.

In the end though, Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark., and Vic Vatalaro of Kent, Ohio, managed to put enough pieces of the Potomac River puzzle together to muster identical limits weighing 20 pounds, 2 ounces – enough to grab the overall lead in one of the tougher opening tournament rounds in recent memory.

“With the way the wind and tides were today, it made fishing very fickle,” said Nixon. “A lot of anglers had some pretty good areas in practice that really got messed up today. I got a little lucky and had a pretty good backup area where the wind was just right so I could fish it. And that really helped. But a lot of other guys weren’t so fortunate.”

Nixon said another key to his successful outing, in addition to have a stellar backup plan, was lack of fishing pressure.

“I really didn’t have much pressure in my area. I think I saw only one or two other boats there,” said Nixon. “And I was kind of excited about that.”

While Nixon didn’t want to divulge too much regarding bait choices and fishing locations, he did say that he targeted grass “all day long.”

“I fished two or three different baits and caught all of my big fish pretty much fishing one way,” he said. “Overall, I feel really good about what I’m doing and where I’m at. I’m doing what I like to do.”