2013 Top Bass Classic Full Standings

POS	Sat (pos)	Sun	Total	Captain Last	Captain First	Partner Last	Partner First
1	19.66 (3)	18.76	38.42	HUBBLE	MATT	BAIRSTOW	DAVE
2	17.58 (7)	19.98	37.56	BAKER	ED	BAKER	BRANDON
3	17.46 (8)	16.88	34.34	MACNEIL	MICHAEL	ANDERSON	PAUL
4	18.94 (4)	15.39	34.33	WILLIAMS	MIKE	JACOBS	DUANE
5	21.49 (1)	12.46	33.95	AGOUROS	SPIRO	WOROSZ	PETER
6	16.87 (10)	16.23	33.1	KWAN	KIM	CORREA	MIKE
7	20.25 (2)	12.80	33.05	LACEY	T.J	VIVIAN	TRAVIS
8	16.96 (9)	15.51	32.47	BUTTIGIEG	MIKE	CUTAJAR	JOE
9	15.25 (16)	15.54	30.79	PRIMO	SCOTT	JOJOS	GUS
10	18.73 (5)	11.68	30.41	DODD	JIM	GILES	CHRIS
11	16.58 (11)	13.77	30.35	BURNS	SCOTT	MACDONALD	JAY
12	14.88 (18)	15.30	30.18	GARNIER	PETER	LAFLEUR	ROB
13	16.09 (12)	12.49	28.58	MIFSUD	JEFF	CASCANETTE	JOE
14	15.49 (15)	13.07	28.56	GUARD	BILL	COOK	CRAIG
15	18.68 (6)	7.76	26.44	FORLER	TIM	WEILER	FOREST
16	15.52 (14)	10.63	26.15	DANG	TAI	CURRY	BRIAN
17	14.44 (20)	11.21	25.65	CHARTERS	JOHN	CHARTERS	DALLAS
18			24	WEST	IAN	HORNYAK	MARLEY
19	13.71 (22)	10.16	23.87	EVANS	CHAD	MCGARRY	PAT

2013 WON US BASS starts today! Check out Live Feed!

Las Vegas, Nev. - September 8, 2013 - Noted as one of the toughest, yet most "just" fishing tournaments in the world, the WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open bass fishing tournament will kick off Monday September 9 on Lake Mead, in the desert outside Las Vegas. Once again, the Costa See What's Out There Live show will be presented by Costa Sunglasses throughout the entirety of the three day event.

In its 31st year, the U.S. Open has proven to be an event that anyone has the potential to win because of the fact that Lake Mead presents anglers with the opportunity to catch fish in a variety of ways. Lake Mead also is the kind of fishery that gives few anglers a true home field advantage.

The desert conditions also present challenges to the anglers and their equipment. Past events have featured days eclipsing 100 degrees and afternoon monsoons that drop temperatures dramatically, bring high winds and torrential downpours to the event.

U.S. OPEN 2013 September 9 to 11 on Lake Mead

The WON US OPEN on Lake Mead is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. Check out who is fishing it this year.

Check back with IBASSIN.com for US OPEN  Coverage.

Matt Hubble and Dave Bairstow Win 2013 Top Bass Classic!

By Luigi De Rose

POS	SAT	SUN	TOTAL	Captain	Partner	Payout
1	19.66	18.76	38.42	Matt Hubble	Dave Bairstow	$13,500.00
2	17.58	19.98	34.56	Ed Baker	Brandon Baker	$5,100.00
3	17.46	16.88	34.34	Michael Macneil	Paul Anderson	$4,000.00
4	18.94	15.39	34.33	Mike Williams	Duane Jacobs	$2,500.00
5	21.49	12.46	33.95	Spiro Agouros	Peter Worosz	$2,100.00
6	16.87	16.23	33.1	Kim Kwan	Mike Correa	$1,250.00
7	20.25	12.8	33.05	TJ Lacey	Travis Vivian	$1,100.00
8	16.96	15.51	32.47	Mike Buttigieg	Joe Cutajar	$1,050.00
9	15.25	15.54	30.79	Scott Primo	Gus Jojos	$1,025.00
10	18.73	11.68	30.41	Jim Dodd	Chris Giles	$1,000.00

Only have the Top 10. Full standings will be posted tomorrow.

2013 Top Bass Classic Result Day 1: Agouros and Worosz Take Lead with 21.49lbs!

By Luigi De Rose

Big waves and cloudy skies met the top 75 Top Bass Classic anglers on Rice lake this morning. None did better than Spiro Agouros and Peter Worosz as their five biggest bass weighted 21.49 pounds. Weights are close, tenth place has 16.87lb and held by Kim Kwan and Mike Correa. Any one in the top ten needs just one more big bass and the rankings could flip flop easily. Another day of competition will have to unfold tomorrow before the any angler is truly out of it.

Sunday's weather will have a lot of 10C and a high of 18C with some morning fog patches. Winds are from the northwest at 20km.

Rank	Weight (lbs)	Anglers
1	21.49	Spiro Agouros  & Peter Worosz
2	20.25	TJ Lacy & Travis Vivian
3	19.66	Matt Hubble & Dave Bairstow
4	18.94	Mike Williams & Duane Jacobs
5	18.73	Jim Dodd & Chris Giles
6	18.68	Tim Forler & Forest Weiler
7	17.58	Ed Baker & Brandon Baker
8	17.46	Michael Macneil  & Paul Anderson
9	16.96	Mike Buttigieg & Jjoe Cutajar
10	16.87	Kim Kwan & Mike Correa

2013 Top Bass Classic Pre-tournament Report and Interviews

By Luigi De Rose

Gerard Cocks and Jarrod Dean hope to add another
Classic Win to their name.
(Photo: Lures and Tours)

Rice Lake, Bewdley, Ontario, will be host to the Top Bass Classic. Seventy-five of the best will fight on September 7 and 8 to claim the Classic crown. This year, Top Bass was the hottest ticket in town and had larger than average fields. Culling through so many anglers, only the top will be able to fish for cash and prizes this weekend.

Rice Lake holds historical significance with so many tournament circuits and anglers. Part of the famed Trent Severn system, Rice Lake has a bounty of structure and cover appealing to all anglers. Home to potbellied smallmouth and largemouth, this lake allows anglers to play to their strengths. September can be fickle. Cool nights mixed with hot, humid afternoons can be tricky for anglers to juggle.

With heaps of trophies and several Classic wins to their name, the team of Gerard Cocks and Jarrod Dean make IBASSIN's list as a potential Classic winners. Currently, they dominated as Team of the Year with an approximate 37-pound lead but Rice Lake has not been overly kind to them in 2013. Regardless, this team knows Rice Lake intimately.   

IBASSIN: How has your practice been going?

Cocks: It has been OK. I'm worried about the cold front that came through on Thursday. We have a lot more fishing to do before we can make any serious decisions.

Dean: This year we have not done well. No big bags for us!

IBASSIN:  What is your biggest tournament bag here?

Dean: My best was 24.90lb but that was some time ago.

IBASSIN:  So, will smallmouth or largemouth be the key?

Dean: Definitely, smallmouth will win this Classic. Time of year and the lack of weed in large sections of the lake make it difficult to dominate with largemouth. Gerard is unconvinced that largemouth will not play a key role in victory. He feels a few key largemouth will vault them to victory.

IBASSIN:  Will the rivers play any part in producing a winning creel?

Dean: I doubt it. The rivers have not done much for us in years. The main lake is where we will focus our efforts.

IBASSIN:  Winning baits?

Dean:  Tube, jerkbait and jigs. The jerkbait has not been great for me this year but it works. A lot of good bass will come on it.

Spiro is after two titles this year
AOY & the Classic

Spiro Agouros, Peterborough, Ontario, is another heavy hitter.  With over 20 years experience plus several years as a co-angler on the FLW circuit in the States, Spiro is well groomed. The 2011 Top Bass Angler of the Year will be fishing with Peter Worosz and hoping to capture another Angler of the Year Title plus the Classic.

IBASSIN: How will the cold front affect the bass?

Agouros: The weather is going to be a big factor. Water temp was 76 F last weekend and I figure it will fall to about 67 F by Sunday. This might kill the shallow water largemouth bite. But, it is not cold enough to group up the smallmouth.

There has been some good largemouth deep if you can find the correct weed. The guys who are good dunkers (off-shore pitching) will do well like they always do.

IBASSIN: Smallmouth or largemouth?

Agouros: I think it will be a mixed bag. A few good largemouth will be caught on Saturday but then taper off by Sunday.  Smallmouth should do well and be more consistent.

IBASSIN: Winning Weight?

Agouros: 38lb or 39lbs. This is lower than past years but the whole year (weather wise) has been this way. The weather patterns don’t last more than a few days and the fishing has been up and down. Some one will have a 20lb bag and then follow up with a day 2 catch of 18 or 19lbs.

The Goo Bug from Trigger-X should be Spiro's ace. 

IBASSIN: Will the rivers play a role?

Agouros: Yeah, the rivers will be good. I find there are more smallmouth in the river than usual. It isn’t cold enough for schools of smallmouth to pack up but there are a lot of scattered bass out there. If the river current is moving, the smallmouth bite should get better. One thing I noticed this year is that the largemouth size is smaller than past years. Not as many big largemouth in the river this year or even last year as in the past.

IBASSIN: 3 Top Lures

Agouros: The three best should be:

Jerkbaits

Flipping Jig

Texas Rig soft plastic like a Trigger X Goo Bug.

There you have it from three-esteemed anglers who know Rice Lake well enough to be hoisting the Classic Crown over their heads Sunday afternoon.

Come back for daily reports and the Classic Champion interview.

Tomorrow: 2013 Top Bass Classic Pre-Tournament Report

IBASSIN's Review: The New Redesigned 7'4" Simax Loca Casting Rods



Simax is a Canadian company with strong roots in China. They offer several rod series and have expanded into techniques specific rods such as drop shotting, jerkbait and steelhead.

The Loca series has been in production for several years. Made in China but designed in Canada, it has been refined several times. Here are their newest designs.

IBASSIN.com is not providing a rating scale in this review. I feel that a rubric (scale) is a fine method of providing evaluation, but it is unjust to critically evaluate this style of equipment. Rods are tools and tools need to fit its owner. What is suburb for me might be a miss for you.
We are judging this rod on its own merits. Priced for around $200, it isn't an entry level rod nor at the top. Here are its features:

We got to sample two different 7'4" models. The top is the heavy action
and the lower rod is medium-heavy. Both have identical length.

 A primarily black blank with red accents and threading makes for a sharp,
attractive fishing rod. Each rod action was appropriately rated and had fast actions. The heavy action
rod was strong and powerful enough to double as a flipping rod. I found it perfect for pitching and jig fishing. It would also double for Carolina rigs, medium Alabama rigs, or swimbaits.

The medium heavy rod offered more of a tapered action than it's heavier action twin.
 This would be ideal for spinnerbaits, frogs (especially if you like to walk the dog), chatterbaits and swimbaits.




 Created out of black EVA foam this split grip handle and wrap is very stylish. Past models had cork with no fore grip. The 2013 models are all foam with a hard plastic fore grip. The first thing you'll notice is the handle difference. The heavy action (right) has a much longer handle. Each rod's fore grip is equal in size and is rigid plastic. Personally, I find the shorter handle more ideal for working topwaters, jerkbaits and frogs. I did find it a bit too short for pitching or deep worming. The longer handle model (heavy action) was very well balanced. I found it more comfortable and offered less fatigue especially when pitching or long range casting.  

One major change was omitting the balancing system. Prior models had a weigh system were the angler could add or subtract washers in the butt to fine tune the rod's balance. Simax has done away with this feature and offers a simple butt cap.

Bass University coming to Niagara Falls, New York!

New Class Location Added- The Bass University’s bass fishing classes are coming to Niagara Falls, New York.  Classes will be at the Greater Niagara Fishing & Outdoor Expo at the Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls on January 25th and 26th, 2014.  The Bass University is offering a limited-time 25% discount off all Niagara Falls class registrations.  Promotion ends after September 30, 2013.  This event is limited to the first 175 students who enroll, so register soon!