Steady Overall Participation Levels Conceal High Annual Rate of Churn Among Anglers

While the total number of anglers who enjoy fishing remains fairly consistent year-in and year-out, the number of anglers who actually bought a license in ten consecutive years remains amazingly small -four percent of the approximate 33 million anglers in the United States to be exact. This was the startlingly discovery revealed by a recent study conducted for the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) by Southwick Associates.

"The fact that overall fishing participation numbers are quite stable from year to year could lead to the erroneous conclusion that anglers consistently renew their licenses," stated Tom Allen, Vice President of Research at Southwick Associates. "This is the first in a series of reports to be released on the topic. Upcoming reports will show which types of anglers are at greatest risk of not coming back, how to keep them engaged and lifestyles of various angler segments."

Summer Dock Fishing for Largemouth Bass with Luigi De Rose and IBASSIN

With the hot weather, the largemouth were hiding deep under the docks. Nothing beats a spinning rod and reel loaded with Power Pro braided line and a 4" tube jig. Watch as outdoor writer Luigi  De Rose snaps his tube under docks and boats to find good sized bass.

Patrick Milot and Jean-Martin Landry win 2015 B1 Tournament!

Big Bass Abound at B1!
By Luigi De Rose

The tema of Milot and Landry show off the hardware.
(Photo: B1)

The annual B1 tournament is where smallmouth experts flock come September. With super summer like weather, the giants came to play. Smallmouth are smallmouth so it is never easy but one look at the scoreboard you get a sense of how great the fishing was this weekend.

Pos.	Total	Team	Day 1	Day 2	Big Bass
1	47.52	11-Patrick Milot / Jean-Martin Landry	24.10	23.42	6.13
2	42.63	1-Nicolas Gendron / Jason Gramada	23.47	19.16	5.34
3	41.40	60-Peter Larmand / Skip Lafreniere	20.78	20.62	5.76
4	41.18	4-Denny Andrade / Bruce Gammon	17.75	23.43	4.09
5	40.52	3-Ryan Thornton / Josh Lewis	19.65	20.87	5.45
6	40.26	50-Mike Desforges / Jay McCormack	19.74	20.52	4.97
7	40.14	105-Scott Lecky / Andy Kinstler	19.90	20.24	6.01
8	39.75	67-Cal Climpson / Tommy Lee	14.84	24.91	6.14
9	39.68	48-Cory Johnston / Chris Johnston	23.53	16.15	6.55
10	39.46	57-Marc Landry / Marco Lavallée	18.15	21.31
11	39.06	86-Bobby Jordan / Stefan Wenek	18.53	20.53	5.31

Full results below

Whitney Stephen Wins the 2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open on Lake Erie!

Wild Last Day Spins Leaderboard.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release 

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Whitney Stephens’ tournament winning edge came not from a secret lure but a widely used electronic gadget rigged on the front deck of his boat. Knowing how to use it well paid at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate. 

A win & Classic bound!
(Photo: BASS)

Stephens, of Waverly, Ohio, won after three days with a final weight of 65 pounds, 1 ounce. He fished consistently all week, beginning in fifth place and moving to third on Friday. Jeff Lugar of Virginia took second place with 64-8, followed by third-place finisher Jason Root with 64-7. 

Stephens relied on his bow-mounted fish finder to pinpoint the location of smallmouth bass holding on isolated rockpiles. Those ranged in depth from the bottom at 28 to 23 feet on the peaks of underwater ridges. The rocks created a buffer of calm water for the bass until baitfish swept by in the current. 

“I found the baitfish first and the bass were nearby,” he said. “It would have been nearly impossible to find them without the fish finder.”

The electronics proved invaluable due to constantly shifting winds. The direction and velocity shifted each day, causing the bass to relocate their precise position on the rocks.  

“It was like starting over every day because the wind made the current shift and reposition the bass," he added.

2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open Lake Erie Day 2: Derek Remitz Leads with 46lbs!

Persistence Paying off for Leaders.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release

SANDUSKY, Ohio — While some anglers would give up and move on to find new water, Derek Remitz knew better. He remained persistent, fine tuning what worked Thursday until it finally clicked today. As a result he leads the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate.

Remitz reaps another big bag.
(Photo BASS)

Remitz, of Grant, Ala., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces. Added to his Thursday score the total weight is 46 pounds, 10 ounces.

Remitz lost at boat side what was a crucial 4-pound smallmouth about 10:30 a.m. Until then his livewell was empty. After regaining composure his renewed concentration paid off during a feeding flurry when he added four bass to his catch. Even then he didn’t leave. Staying resulted in another late afternoon feeding frenzy that sealed the lead.

“I got a late start but knew the bass were still in the area,” he said. “The biggest key is the wind, which is blowing so I can make controlled drifts across the best habitat.”

Ironically, the wind blew again from the northeast, although its predicted shift on Saturday could require making significant adjustments.

2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open Lake Erie Day 1: Reault Rules with 25lbs!

Rough Seas Sink Many Anglers.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release

Reault steals the show with 5 pounds!
(Photo BASS)

SANDUSKY, Ohio — David Reault of Livonia, Mich., battled against the wind Thursday to take the lead in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate on Lake Erie.

Reault has 25 pounds, 9 ounces with a lot of close company behind him. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Derek Remitz is second with 24-4, and New Jersey pro Pete Gluszek is third with 23-1. Charlie Hartley, another Elite Series pro from Ohio, is fourth with 22-4.

The 20-pound mark set the benchmark for success. The Top 19 anglers have bags at or exceeding that mark, with the next 10 anglers with 19 pounds or better.

Reault, a real estate broker, is a part-time tournament angler with expertise fishing for smallmouth on the Great Lakes. He is unsure of duplicating his success on Friday to make the Top 12 on Saturday.
 

Pitching a JACKALL Sasteki Craw into the Trees with Luigi De Rose and IB...

Enjoying a hot day on the water. The largemouth bass were tucked under the overhanging trees and one of the best ways to get one them out is to pitch a JACKALL Lure's craw on heavy PowerPro line.
Bait: Jackall Sasteki Craw in Black Blue Flake
Line: Power Pro 50lb

Get Ready for the 2016 Rayovac Tournaments.

2016 Rayovac FLW Series Schedule

FLW announced today the 2016 Rayovac FLW Series schedule, which will consist of three events in each of the five divisions: Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. The former Texas Division has been renamed the Southwestern Division and will feature stops in Oklahoma and Texas. 

The 2016 no-entry-fee Rayovac FLW Series Championship will be held on Table Rock Lake in Kimberling City, Mo.

The top 40 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each division after three qualifying tournaments will advance to the 2016 Rayovac FLW Series Championship, provided they fished all three qualifiers in a division.

The highest-finishing pro from each of the five regular Rayovac FLW Series divisions plus the new International Division based on final results at the 2016 Rayovac FLW Series Championship will qualify for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. Also, the top five overall finishers at the 2016 Championship who have not already qualified as their division representative will qualify for the 2017 Cup, for a total of 11 Rayovac FLW Series pros advancing to the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup.

Complete rules and entry dates will be announced soon.

Link below for events and sites

Chris Zaldain Wins 2015 BASS All-Star Event!

Ten Anglers Get Bounced from Classic!

By Thomas Allen

bass press release 

DOOR COUNTY, Wis. — Thrills and heartbreaks were center stage on Sunday at the 2015 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Titles were earned, goals became reality and dreams turned to dust at the final Bassmaster Elite Series event of the year.

Chris wins with Megabass swim bait.
(Photo: BASS)

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., was crowned 2015 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year and Brent Ehrler of Newport Beach, Calif., wrapped up a very dominant freshman year on the Elite Series and was named Rookie of the Year.

Martens collected $100,000 for winning Angler of the Year, his third title. Justin Lucas finished second in the season-long points race and earned $55,000, while Dean Rojas, third in points, earned $45,000

Heartbreak is a big part of this sport, but it is especially pertinent at the AOY Championship. Out of the Top 50, only 40 would earn a berth into the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro on Oklahoma’s famed Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

Following Thursday’s weigh-in, the top 24 anglers locked in their positions to fish in the Classic next March, but Classic cutoff is 40th place, meaning 10 anglers would return home disappointed.

2015 Toyota Angler of the Year Championship on Sturgeon Bay Day 2: Greg Hackney Leads as Anglers Stress.

Making the Bassmaster Classic is Everything!

By Steve Wright

bass press releaseSE

DOOR COUNTY, Wis. — The lack of drama in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race is more than compensated for at the other end of this Sturgeon Bay measuring stick.

Hackney leads event but eyes on Classic spots.
(Photo: BASS)

All the theatrics center on the final berths for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic from the AOY point standings. And it’s quite the spectacle.

Mike Iaconelli is the perfect example of how treacherous the footing can be around the 40th-place Classic cutoff mark. He felt horrible when he came off the water with only four bass weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces Thursday, after experiencing a two-hour loss of fishing time due to mechanical problems.

Iaconelli entered the tournament 45th in AOY points, so anything less than a stellar day would drop him even lower, right? As Iaconelli boated to the service yard for further work on a balky oil pressure system, he got a text message from his wife, Becky, telling him that he was 27th in the tournament and had moved up to 38th in the unofficial AOY standings.

“I’m like, ‘That’s not possible. Are you sure?’” Iaconelli recalled.

2015 Toyota Angler of the Year Championship on Sturgeon Bay Day 1: Greg Hackney with 21-7lbs!

Classic spots secured by some, being sweated out by others

By Thomas Allen

bass press release

STURGEON BAY, Wis. — One million dollars is on the line for the Top 50 Bassmaster Elite Series anglers at the 2015 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year championship on Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

As Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer put it today: “These are the final days of a year-long tournament.”

Having already secured the points title, Aaron Martens is wrapping up one of the most dominating seasons in Bassmaster history.

Hack Attack works also works on smallies.
(Photo: BASS)

“I’m fishing for fun, but I’m making sure I don’t catch fish that another anglers need to improve their standings in the AOY race,” Martens said. “There’s no pressure for me to perform here, and I kind of like that.”

By finishing sixth at the final regular-season tournament on Lake St. Clair out of Detroit, Martens earned enough points to become untouchable and clinched his third AOY title.

The story on Sturgeon Bay is the anglers battling for the required points to qualify for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro on Grand Lake, Okla.

The Top 24 anglers in the points only had to catch one fish Thursday to secure their Classic berth, and each of them did. The proverbial bubble exists within a few places either side of 40^th, which is the Classic cutoff.

How Tim Fernandes and Mike Quesnelle Won the 2015 Top Bass Classic!

Winning Ways from Classic Champs!
By Luigi De Rose

With the kids back at school, Top Bass anglers had one thing on their mind, the Classic on Balsam Lake. Under high heat and humidity,  practice for most was decent. The black cloud that was hanging over everyone’s head was the horrible weather that was forecasted for the tournament. Rain, strong winds and bitter cold would shock the bass and anglers from their summer bliss. 

Jerkbaits and smallmouth a winning combo for Tim and Mike.
(Photo: Jeff English)

Balsam Lake has the highest elevation of all the Kawartha Lakes and it’s water flow both east and west to feed the Trent-Severn System. It has a rich wealth of smallmouth and largemouth but it can be difficult to fish. Most anglers target bass away from the shoreline that is dotted with expensive homes and cottages. The lake’s famous grass beds and rocky flats are where fame and fortune can be found.

Having only fished occasionally as a team, Tim Fernandes and Mike Quesnelle work exceptionally well together. Tim and Mike worked so well together they captured the 2015 Top Bass Classic in dramatic style. Both bringing qualities to the partnership that benefitted each other this weekend. Specifically, Tim enjoys offshore fishing for smallmouth and prefers to target bass he can see on the electronics. Mike, with over two decades of tournaments under his belt, is solid as a rock and provided tremendous strength and a voice of experience throughout the tournament.

Practice

“I only got to fish the weekend before but I found a great pattern.” Declares Fernandes. He discovered a specific weed bed on a mid-lake flat that held three-pound smallmouths. Setting the hook on the first bass, revealed smallmouth buried in the grass and not the typical largemouth. The jig and Lake Fork trailer produced many more bites but Tim didn’t wish to string bass so he left the area once he determined the specific area the bass where hold in.

Practicing several days without much fanfare, it wasn’t until Thursday that Mike discovered the winning pattern. “On Thursday, I started using a jerkbait on rock piles. Then I started creaming them and I when I hooked one, five others would come with it. Shallow rock seems to work best.” Reflects Quesnelle.

Casting gear was key for slow retrieve and power.

On Friday, the team paired up and tried to establish a largemouth bite. With the pending poor weather and the notorious disappearing smallmouth, they wanted a largemouth pattern as backup if the smallmouth bite died. Unfortunately, after an entire day on the water, they only latched into two bucketmouths and decided the jerkbait bite was their best bet.

Day 1

After the first day they sat in 2^nd place with 16.45lbs. The day unfolded slower than they expected but were pleased with hooking a good smallmouth right off the bat. The morning bite was best. They netted

11 keepers on Saturday but were disappointed compare to the practice where 40 bass could have come easily if they worked their best areas.  Tim says, “We expected everyone was going to do well and it would be a slugfest. Even with the windy weather we expected the fishing to be better.”

Interview With the Champs!

The much anticipated interview with Tim and Mike on how they won the 2015 Top Bass Classic goes live tomorrow!

Caged Bass Reveals Cheaters at 2015 TOP BASS Classic on Balsam Lake

Fraud Fumbled!

By Luigi De Rose

Here are the facts that I have been able to tease out from the scandal that broke out on Friday, September 11, the eve of the 2015 Top Bass Classic on Balsam Lake, Ontario. 

During the last day of pre-fishing, an angler witnessed a white bass boat and three people at a distance. The people in question were working with something in the water in a creek towards the vicinity of Mitchell Lake, a portion of the Trent-Severn System that was open to competitors. After they left, he went to investigate. When he arrived, two large laundry baskets zip tied together held bass in it was discovered. Once he retrieved it, the witness immediately brought the basket to the town of Coboconk, of his own accord, where the pre-tournament meeting was being held. This person alerted the gathered anglers and officials in the parking lot and told them who he saw and displayed the cage. Outrage quickly spread throughout the meeting.

The two anglers who allegedly planted the basket of bass were not at the tournament meeting. On Saturday morning, day 1 of the two-day tournament, the accused two-angler team arrives but had yet to officially been checked into the tournament. While on the water, competitors quickly confronted the two anglers.  The alleged cheaters broke away from the pack of boats, loaded their boat and left.

Further investigation in the area where the first cage was discovered, a second cage was located with bass that weighed close to 19 pounds. 

In the eyes of the law, several key elements have not been met.

• The alleged cheating anglers were never seen removing bass from the cage nor did they try to enter bass as part of an official tournament creel.
• All alleged activities didn’t take part during official tournament time, so they cannot be considered illegal or fraudulent.
• Caging bass reflects that the alleged anglers were showing intent to cheat but due to others actions failed to follow through on any possible intentions.

The unfortunate situation cast a dark cloud on tournament fishing and one of the significant pitfalls of “team or buddy” tournaments. While many anglers were frustrated with the scandal, it has also unified anglers and has forced tournament officials to be more vigilant while enforcing tournament rules.  

Top Bass Press Release on Cheating Scandal.

Top Bass Press Release.
September 15, 2015.

There were 2 makeshift cages discovered on Balsam Lake at the TOP BASS Classic (one Friday prior to the event and one Saturday morning during the event) and brought to the attention of the Top BassTournament Director. In consideration for the safety of the fish, they were released back into Balsam Lake.

We are currently consulting with the appropriate professionals and are taking this situation very seriously.We will be exhausting every option that is available to us at this time.

Please be patient while we deal with this professionally. We will provide updates on this matter when they are made available to us.

Thank you for your continued support,
TOP BASS
Ted

Tim Fernandes and Mike Quesnelle Win 2015 Top Bass Classic with 32.27lbs!

Anglers succeed despite horrible weather.
By Luigi De Rose

Tim (r) and Mike are crowned 2015 Classic Champs!

The top 75 teams from the 2015 Top Bass season did battle on Balsam Lake, Ontario this weekend. Despite a dramatic cooling trend, wind, rain and high drama (alleged cheating scandal) anglers brought good limits of smallmouth and largemouth to the scales. None faired better than the team of Tim Fernandes and Mike Quesnelle. In second place after Day 1, they rallied for the win. Claiming $12 000 in prize money, they also got the title of Classic Champs this season.  The team of Gerrard Cocks and Jarrod Dean won Team of the Year again and Mike Williams won Angler of the Year for the 4th year in a row.

Here's the Top 10:

POS	Day 1	Day 2	Total	Captain, Surname	Captain, Given	Partner Surname	Partner, Given
1	16.45	15.82	32.27	FERNANDES	TIM	QUESNELLE	MIKE	$12,000.00
2	16.83	12.21	29.04	GUARD	BILL	COOK	CRAIG	$4,000.00
3	15.29	12.99	28.28	LACEY	TJ	VIVIAN	TRAVIS	$3,000.00
4	16.10	12.10	28.20	WILLIAMS	MIKE	JACOBS	DUANE	$2,000.00
5	15.79	11.85	27.64	JENKINS	STEVEN	WESTERINK	JOSH	$1,800.00
6	14.63	12.86	27.49	ADLER	BOB	CRUPTON	JOEY	$1,100.00
7	13.98	12.65	26.63	BULLOCK	JIM	GRAHAM	JARROD	$1,075.00
8	16.06	10.22	26.28	BALIN	BERNARD	O'CONNER	PAT	$1,050.00
9	12.40	13.58	25.98	GONSALVES	DUANE	HASHIMOTO	STEVE	$1,025.00
10	13.48	12.36	25.84	PILKEY	RON	MARTIN	JAY	$1,000.00