Small Boat Bass Club

2009 Tournament Recap
(Porvided by Scott Groff)

I am not sure how different this is to 2008 or any other year in the club’s history, but if there was one theme to the 2009 tournament season, I think most of us would say that it was the weather.  More preciously, it was the lousy weather. 

April 25:

We started the year in April at Anita.  After a long winter and nice weather during the week, everyone was ready to start the season.  Several people had gone over the day before to practice and do some camping.  I was not able to be there on Friday due to having to work out of town that week.  Flying into Omaha on Friday afternoon, we actually had to fly around a couple of thunderstorms before we could land.  It turned out that these same storms visited the Anita area later that evening.  The morning of the tournament broke cold with drizzle.  Twenty four fishermen started the day.  Not that many were still there when it was over.  Of those, 9 carded limits and 4 returned blank cards.  In all, 74 fish were carded.  Twenty two of those were over 15” and two of those were over 18”.  Winning the event was Dan P. who’s limit included three fish over 15” for 890 fish points.  Dan fished a black and blue jig and chunk on a submerged hump in the road bed arm for his fish.  I am not used to seeing Dan in one place all day and at one point I thought maybe his trolling motor had broken.  Second place was Scott G. with another 3 Missouri limit worth 865 fish points.  Scott wore his trolling motor and his partner for the day (Lou H.) out fishing almost the entire lake with a chatter-bait and a jig.  Lou never complained once though.  Third place with a two Missouri limit for 685 fish points was Chris R. who finessed them off of several subtle features he located in the roadbed arm as well.  Fourth place and non-boater of the day was Larry P.  Larry had a limit with one Missouri, an 18” that he caught on a jerk-bait while fishing with John K.  Big Bass for the event was caught by Dave U.  Dave caught his 18.5” fish on a shakey head ring fry from the back of Chris’ boat.

May 9:

For May we headed to the fabled land of big bass, Mozingo Lake near Maryville Missouri.  This is the place where in past years you would need 25 lbs or more to get a check in a money tournament in the spring.  Needless to say, everyone was pretty fired up for this one.  Twenty one fishermen came to fish with many of them arriving on Friday to see if the lake would live up to its billing.  Friday was a nice day if you did not count the squall that came through about 4:00 that afternoon.  In spite of that, many of the guys who were there went back out after the rain quit, as the fishing was pretty good.  Rod caught one fish on Friday that he estimated was better than 8 pounds and several other good size fish were caught.  As it usually happens in the spring around here, the wind shifted out of the north that night and started blowing pretty hard.  By Saturday morning it was windy and pretty cold.  The good news was that it was not going to rain for the tournament.  When it was over, there were more than a couple of good cards turned in as 72 fish were carded with 61 of those being better than 15”.  Seventeen fish over 18” were carded among the 11 limits that were caught that day.  It was not easy fishing however as four blank cards were also turned in.  For those that found them and figured out how to catch them, it was an amazing day.  Seven of the 11 limits were all 15” or better and the first six places all had over 1,100 fish points each.  Scott G., fishing by himself that day (you really should have come to this one Tom), put together his best card (1,630 fish points) to win.  Scott fished a small chatter-bait on the main lake for a best five that were all over 18”.  In second was Nathan B. who fished the dam area with a spinner-bait and a senko for his 1,495 point card.  Rod F. took third with his 1,350 point limit that included the big bass for the event of 20.5”.  Rod’s fish all came fishing a chatter-bait like a fleeing shad around weed clumps.  Both Nathan and Rod had their lines broken by big fish at least once during the event.  Scott was more fortunate that he landed all of the big fish that he hooked up with and that was the difference this time around.  All three of these cards had enough points on them to have beaten the big stringer of 1,320 points from 2008.  Big stringer and big bass for 2009 were both set at this one.  Non-boater of the day was Larry P. (Again!) with 1160 fish points fishing from the back of Rod’s boat.  The following club records were recorded during this event. 

Three entries were added to the 1,200 or more fish points club.

·        4^th - Scott G.               1,630

·        6^th - Nathan B.           1,495

·        18^th - Rod F.               1,350

Three entries were added to the top five point totals for the month of May.

·        1^st – Scott G.   1,630

·        2^nd - Nathan B. 1,495

·        5^th – Rod F.    1,350

Two entries were added to the 1,900 or more fish points for one boat club.

·        8^th – Rod F. /Larry P. 2,510

·        24^th – Jim C. /Jim S. (Guest) 2,095

One entry was added to the 20” or better bass club.

·        20^th – Rod F.  20.5”

June 6:

June brought us to Okoboji and another chance to battle the elements and in some cases our equipment.  Once again the weather during the week leading up to the event was pretty nice.  Quite a few participants took advantage of the club’s lodging arrangements to pre-fish during the week.  Friday was especially nice with clear skies and warm temperatures.  Friday’s cookout was great as always and everyone was ready to compete.  However, by Saturday morning, the bottom fell out of the entire thing.  We woke up to wind and rain with temperatures in the 40’s.  More than a couple people were willing to stay at the cabins that morning.  Everyone ended up fishing, but no one went home thinking it was easy.  When we got to Emerson Bay it was coming in from the north and churning up some heavy seas as you looked out across the bay.  At least we would have the lakes to ourselves.  After a quick meeting at the ramp it was decided that you would be allowed to launch from other locations.  As long as you were able to reach the place you wanted to launch at by water from Emerson Bay on West Okoboji, you would be allowed to trailer there to put in.  This is the first time that I am aware of when we were allowed to start from different ramps for a tournament.    Everyone went their separate ways in a bizarre sort of shot gun start.  When it was over everyone was wet and cold, but it turned out to be pretty decent fishing.  Twenty two fishermen carded 97 fish (the most of the year).  Forty five fish over 15” were caught, with four of those measuring over 18”.  Only one blank card was recorded.  Twelve of the fish recorded were smallmouth bass.  John K. turned in one of only two all Missouri cards (1,135 fish points) which included big bass of 19.5” to win.  John towed to the north end of West Okoboji and put in at Tri-Boji to get to his fish.  I did not even know there was a ramp up there!  John used a green jig and fished between the docks where the fish were swimming around in the open water under grey skies.  Second place and non-boater of the day was Dan P.  Dan fished with the third place finisher and guide of the day Randy M.  Randy and Dan went out of Hwy 71 on East Okoboji and caught most of their fish on the docks in the area between East and West Okoboji.  Both were throwing jigs.  Both had limits that included four Missouri’s each.  The difference between Dan’s 980 point card and Randy’s 925 point card was their biggest bass.  Dan’s big bass was 18 and 5/8” and Randy’s was 17.75”.  Dan caught his fish on a black and blue jig and Randy used a green jig for his fish.  This lake is mentioned 32 times in the club records since 1992 when Rod started keeping them.  But in spite of the good fishing, there was only one new club record entry on this day. 

·        Randy M. /Dan P. for 1,905 fish points for 40^th place in the 1,900 or more fish points for one boat club.

July 18:

July was another wind festival, especially the Friday before the event.  Twenty five fishermen (most all year) went to Three Mile.  When it was over, 82 fish had been carded with 46 of those being better than 15”.  Four fish over 18” were caught.  Nine limits were carded; four of those were all Missouri limits.  There were three blanks on the day.  Scott G. took advantage of a number one blast and went north to catch a five Missouri limit (1,095 fish points) that included the events big bass of 18.5”.  Scott’s fish came on a combination of the ring fry early and the chatter-bait and a jig later.  Scott’s big bass was caught flipping a jig and pork frog to a shallow bush.  Second place was Rod F. who caught his five Missouri limit (1,000 fish points) by slowly fishing plastics in wood off a break near the bank that had some weeds growing on the flat.  Alex N. was third with a limit that included three 15” fish (985 fish points).  Alex also had an 18.5” fish but fish points broke the tie for big bass with Scott.  Alex’ big fish came in the afternoon with a buzz-bait from a flat at the mouth of one of the coves.  Alex was also the non-boater of the day fishing out of guide of the day Bob V’s boat.  Overall, the lake fished a little different for July.  Those that fished different than they usually might were able to turn in decent cards.  No entries to the club’s record books were added as a result of this one.

August 22:

West Lake was the destination.  Cold and rainy were the conditions, at least during practice.  Saturday set up to be clear with light winds.  Twenty two fishermen took to the water.  Several including myself were expecting a tough day on the water.  It turns out that a number of good fish were there to be caught that day.  Seventy six fish were carded.  Thirty eight of those were 15” or better, with 13 of those going over 18”.  Topping the day were Chris K. (fishing as a guest) and John S. Sr.  Both fished from the same boat and both turned in cards worth 1,205 fish points.  Chris would have won this based on his biggest bass breaking the tie, but since he was not a member yet the win went to John.  John and Chris fished the area near the launch for their cards.  Chris throwing a leftover Berkley plastic thing that was tied to one of Ozzie’s old rods and John throwing his signature black and blue jig.  Second place went to Rod Frederick who also caught most of his fish fishing points near the launch.  Rod’s limit included three fish over 15” for 1,190 fish points.  Rods fish came on an assortment of plastic baits fished slowly in almost 10 feet of water.  In third and taking the non-boater of the day award was Alex N. with a limit including four over 15” for 1,140 fish points.  Alex’ guide for the day Jim C. also had limit with four over 15” for over 1,000 points and fourth place.  John K. captured the day’s big bass for 20 and 3/8” fishing and grass line with a beaver.  Club records added as a result of this event include the following:

One entry was added to the 1,200 or more fish points club.

·        48^th – John S. Sr. (Non-boater)                     1,205

Two entries were added to the 1,900 or more fish points for one boat club.

·        12^th – Chris K. (Guest) /John S. Sr.  2,410

·        18^th – Jim C. /Alex N.                                    2,255

Two entries were added to the 20” or better bass club.

·        35^th – John K.                         20.38”

·        48^th – Jim C.                           20.00”

September 12:

This month was Icaria Lake.  Finally some good weather, if you do not count the fog some of us drove through on Saturday morning.  This lake was redone in 2004 or 2005 and from what we could see they did a pretty nice job.  Only 18 anglers for this one, but they carded 66 fish with 30 of those going over 15” and six of those were over 18”.  This day the lake turned out two very solid cards.  John S. Sr. finished in first place for the second month in a row.  His limit of 15” and better fish, for 1,290 fish points included the event’s big bass of 18.75”.  John swore me to secrecy about what he was throwing that day, but I am willing to bet boats will be taking numbers next May for the chance to fish the cedar trees on the other side of the tunnel.  John was also non-boater of the day that day fishing with Dave A.  Second place was another non-boater, Nathan B. fishing with Augusts’ Guide of the Day and new club member Chris K.  Nathan carded a five Missouri limit worth 1,255 fish points by fishing and June bug Senko in brush.  Third place was Randy M. with the other all Missouri limit for 1,080 fish points.  Non-boater for the event was John S. Sr., fishing with Dave A., the guide of the day.  Ten limits were carded with only one blank.  Three new entries were added to the club record book from this event.

Two entries were added to the 1,200 or more fish points club.

·        31^st  – John S. Sr. (Non-boater)                    1,290

·        39^th – Nathan B. (Non-boater)                      1,255

One entry was added to the top five point totals for the month of September.

·        5^th – John S. Sr. (Non-boater)                       1,290

October 10:

The last event of the season was on 12 Mile and the weather was definitely the story here.  Only seven club members were on hand for this one.  Five of us were there on Friday to practice.  We did not know it at the tme, but we were going to be glad we were already there.  John K. and Dave U. ended up earning the “You Must be Nuts” award when they drove to the lake on Saturday morning, as several inches of snow was continuing to fall in an around Omaha when John got up to leave.  White-out conditions almost had them turning around and going home before they got to Glenwood.  As it was, they were about thirty minutes late for launch.  Not that any of the rest of us was in any hurry to get started, but more on that in a minute.  By the time John and Dave got to Creston, John’s tracker looked like it had been flocked like a Christmas tree.  The rest of us were at the ramp looking out into the dark as the steam poured off the 50+ degree water into the 32 degree air.  Large snowflakes were also being pushed by a 15 to 20 mph wind that was blowing down the length of the lake.  Needless to say, no one was especially eager to get going that morning.  The strangest part was that once you got on the water it was not as bad as it looked.  Once we got going, most everyone headed to the far end of the lake.  Dave A. and Larry P. had a sweet little spot by some jetties where Dave was able to card one of only 3 limits on the day.  Dave’s five fish included the events big bass of 18” and one other over 15” fish for 735 fish points and first place.  John K., who did not get enough of a beating on the way to the lake, started on the main lake in the teeth of the wind.  When his first brush pile did not produce, John was able to improvise with a chatter-bait and a Senko to catch four fish, including two over 15”, worth 565 fish points and second place.  Third place and non-boater of the day was Larry P. with a limit for 420 fish points.  Dave A. was Larry’s guide of the day and provided Larry with the magic baby ring fries that accounted for both Dave and Larry’s fish that day.  In all, 7 fishermen carded 24 fish, with only five of those over 15” and only one of those 18” or better.  No club records were recorded unless you want to count the air temperature at blast-off.

Summary:

For the year, there were 33 new records added to the club record book as compared with 20 new records that were added after the 2008 season.  Here are the season long records that were added this year.

28 Scoring Fish (Year) Club

·        7^th – Scott G.                          31 in 7 events

·        9^th – Rod F.                30 in 6 events

·        21^st – Randy M.          39 in 7 events

16 Missouri (Year) Club

·        7^th – Scott G.              21 in 7 events

·        17^th – Joh K.               17 in 6 events

·        21^st – Dan P.               16 in 4 events

·        23^rd – Rod F.              16 in 6 events

·        24^th – Randy M.          16 in 7 events

4,800 Fish Point (Year) Club

·        5^th – Scott G.              6,060 in 7 events

·        8^th – Rod F.                5,380 in 6 events

450 Finish Points (Year) Club

·        17^th – Scott G.                        455 in 7 events

3,200 Non-Boater Fish Point (Year) Club

·        12^th – Larry P.                        3,900 in 7 events

·        14^th – Alex N.             3,725 in 5 events

340 Non-Boater Finish Point (Year) Club

·        17^th – Alex N.             360 in 5 events

·        22^nd – Larry P.            355 in 7 events

As the 2008 tournament season wound down, we fished our last regular tournament of the year at Pony Creek Res., just south of the Nebraska/Kansas border.  Reports this year were that it has been a tough lake to catch fish on and traditionally, October can be very difficult.  Adding to the challenge was the fact that this lake is full of shad, and the bass there do not have to look far for a meal.  Catching fish here can be a challenge, but the ones you catch are usually fat.  The other positive was that the weather this fall has been very nice.

Dan P. and Scott G were squared off for this one with second place in the Angler of the Year race (Mr. BASS having already been locked up by John K. for the second straight year) and the Match Play championship at stake.  Neither of us was surprised to see the other at the lake early on Friday afternoon.  This was my (Scott) first time there, so I really wanted to see the different parts of the lake in order to try to figure out what the best locations were.  Bill C. and I (Scott)did our best to fish as much of the lake as possible before going in to set up a tent and recharge the trolling motor batteries.  Later that evening, several more SBBC members arrived to enjoy the last campfire of the year and to try and get a little sleep before blasting off at 7:00 am the following morning. 

The next 8 hours proved to be a challenging as everyone did their best to tempt the over fed bass residing in the lake.  When it was over, Scott G. had managed to place a homemade ¼ oz spinnerbait (white) within range of a couple of large hogs living in a bay just down from the launch ramp.  Scott's first place limit included the tournament's big bass at 20 and ¼".  Second place was Chris R. who also fished a white spinnerbait for a limit with a big bass of 18 and ½".  In third was Dave U. with three fish that included an 18' and an 18 and ¼" on a variety of lures.

On the day, Pony Creek was fairly stingy, giving up only seven Missouris to 13 anglers.  However, 5 of those fish were over 18".  This ended up being the largest number of fish over 18" caught at any tournament this year.