Continue reading »]]> Ponca City, Okla. (May 10, 2012) — The Bass Federation’s brand new Dream Team Rally tournament trail is excited to announce the Shawano Red Nek Bass Busters, TBF club # 8048 of Wisconsin is scheduled to host its first TBF Dream Team Rally event.  The event is scheduled for July 22, 2012 on Shawano Lake, at Huckleberry Harbor in Shawano, Wis.  The Shawano TBF Dream Team event is open to ALL TBF members, and non-TBF members wanting to join.    Interested teams can go online at bassfederation.com; Dream Team; to enter, the tourney # is 1027.  ALL interested TBF clubs and state federations can go online and register to host their own event today! 

“The Shawano Red Nek Bass Busters are excited to host a TBF sanctioned Dream Team event, bringing grassroots fishing back to Wisconsin,” Shawano Dream Team Event Coordinator, Mike Hofmann, said.  “Anglers of all ages and skill levels are welcome.  Each boat fishes as a team for the same prize, a coveted spot on the 2013 TBF Dream Team National Championship.”

“Think about it, even if there are 50 or 75 Dream Team Rallies in the US this year when it comes championship time those 50 or 75 qualified teams not only get a “paid” vacation but also get to compete for a new Ranger boat plus a national pile of cash and other prizes!”  TBF President, Robert Cartlidge, said.  “The odds don’t get much better than that! The more Dream Team events held the bigger the payout, and it all goes back to the members!”

TBF Dream Team Rallies are designed to fill a void not only in the federation, but also the fishing industry to give anglers exactly what they’ve been craving.  Fish no-hassle events close to home; fish with who you want, when you want, where you want.  All Dream Team Rally event payouts and advancements are based on 25 boats.  For every 25^th team, one team advances with paid entry fees to the 2013 Dream Team National Championship Rally, with travel, hotel and boat gas stipends and the chance to win big time “dream” prizes and payouts at a “dream” vacation event.  Payouts will be big and deep to the field, and the national team champions will walk away with a Ranger Boat Dream Rig!    There’s no limit on how many Dream Team Rallies members can host or fish; so get started now!

Dream Team Rally event:  Shawano TBF Dream Team event

When:  July, 22 2012; take-off, 6am; weigh-in, 2:30pm

Where:  Shawano Lake, Huckleberry Harbor, Shawano, WI 54166

Host: Shawano Red Nek Bass Busters, Event Coordinator: Mike Hofmann, 715.571.5671,

mtop234@yahoo.com

Creel Limit:  6 fish; 14 inches

Off-Limits: Monday, July 16- Friday, July 20

Restrictions:  Open to all TBF members. One person in the boat must be at least 18 years old.

Pre-tournament meeting:  Huckleberry Harbor, Shawano Lake, July 22, 5:30am

TBF’s Dream Team Rally is an extensive program with much more to offer; mostly it’s about fishing and fun.  For full details go to bassfederation.com, and click the Dream Team link, or email/call Lauren at lauren@bassfederation.com or TBF National Office, 580.765.9031.

About The Bass Federation, Inc.

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing organization. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years.  Visit bassfederation.com, www.highschoolfishing.org  

Continue reading »]]> Ponca City, Okla. (March 20, 2012) – 94 of The Bass Federation’s  best are packing their bags and heading to Flippin and Bull Shoals, Ark., next week for the 2012 TBF Federation National Championship, presented by The National Guard on Bull Shoals Lake.  This will mark the first time in the federation’s 44 year history a championship event has been held in the backyard of the legendary founders of Ranger Boats, Forrest and Nina Wood, who got their start guiding on the white river and helped birth a multi-billion dollar bass fishing industry.

Anglers from seven TBF divisions competed locally in a no-entry fee 2011 TBF Division Championship to qualify for the event.   From the division championships two anglers, the first place angler as the boater and the second place angler as the co-angler, from each TBF affiliated state federation in the U.S. and Canada advance to compete in the no-entry fee 2012 Federation National Championship. The field also contains the reigning Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) National Champions.  All 94 championship anglers will face-off on Bull Shoals Lake out of Bull Shoals Lake boat dock, just down the road from the Ranger Boats plant, in the premier national contest of federation anglers.

The event is held in conjunction with an FLW Tour Major being held on Table Rock Lake out of Branson, Mo.  The final day federation anglers will weigh-in alongside the FLW Tour Pros on the same stage in Branson, Mo.  There are three official competition days, March 29-31. The entire field will compete Thursday and Friday with weigh-ins at Bull Shoals Lake boat dock in Bull Shoals, Ark. The final day the field will be cut to the top boater and co-angler from each of the seven TBF divisions.  All 14 of those division champion anglers earn a berth in the 2012 BFL All-American. The final day is all about being crowned national champions with the best three-day accumulative weight live on the FLW Tour main stage in Branson, Mo.  Both the national champion boater and co-angler will advance to the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup World Championship.  The TBF National Champion boater earns the $100,000 TBF “Living the Dream” prize package, a unique and unequaled prize in the sport of fishing awarded each year to the champion boater.  The package includes a cash prize, sponsor merchandise, guaranteed spots in the 2012 BFL All-American and the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup, fully paid entry fees as a tour pro in all the 2013 FLW Tour majors, travel expense stipends for each event, and use of a TBF “Living the Dream” wrapped Chevy truck and Ranger boat powered by Evinrude outboard for the full 2013 season.

All weigh-ins will be live streamed daily.  First two days will be on bassfederation.com and the last day through FLW Live on flwoutdoors.com.  All events and weigh-ins are free to the public.

“Everything is ready for their arrival.  Ranger Boats has 47 brand new boats ready for the anglers to fish from as they do every year, the lake is in great shape, and if the fishing holds up we might just see all time federation weight records for the championship event,” TBF President, Robert Cartlidge, said.  “From there it’s up to the anglers to see who can claim the titles, prizes and all the glory.  Everyone here earned their spot; they are the very best of literally tens of thousands of TBF members.  No matter where they finish at this year’s championship, pride in that fact is something that can never be taken away from them.

The Federation has never been simply about fishing for money, although the anglers will vie for their share of over 200,000 in cash and prizes,” Cartlidge continued.  “The cash to be awarded is a nice bonus, however, the real prize is the TBF $100,000 “Living the Dream” prize package, two slots in the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup World Championship, and 14 spots in the 2012 BFL All-American. Not everyone wants to fish for a living…but every bass anglers in the world wants to try it one time and see how they stack up against the best professional anglers in the world on the FLW Tour.  THAT is what the TBF Living the Dream package is all about. Next week, in Bull Shoals, Ark., one angler will claim it all.”

On a national average a TBF member spends less than $200 a year in total TBF dues and entry fees.  The cost lets them advanced through their local state events to the Federation National Championship with the chance to advance there to the biggest events in the industry; in today’s economy, it’s a great deal for the money.  TBF and its sponsor partners provide all 94 champion anglers entry fees to the official tournament, hotel rooms and cabins for the event, banquets, and amenities.  Additionally, they’re provided use of a state of the art fully-rigged Ranger Boat.

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America. TBF is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years.  For more information, visit bassfederation.com, or call 580.765.9031.

Continue reading »]]> FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Rep. Joel Kleefisch (608) 266-8551

Group Lauds His Work in Bringing Tournaments to Wisconsin

March 15, 2012

MADISON – Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) has been honored by the Wisconsin Bass Federation with
the organization’s President’s Award. Kleefisch was cited for his work last year in authoring and passing
Assembly Bill 35, which lifted the state ban on culling and is helping draw fishing tournaments to Wisconsin.

The bill passed both the Assembly and the Senate on May 10, 2011 and was signed into law by Governor
Walker.

“I’m proud to receive the award, but I’m even prouder of the fact that the new law allows communities across the
state to reap the economic benefits of hosting national competitive bass fishing tournaments,” said Kleefisch, who
represents the 38th Assembly District.

Wisconsin was the last state that did not allow anglers to replace a bass in the boat’s live well with a larger one.
“While all our neighboring states were gaining the economic benefits of tournaments, Wisconsin was being passed
over,” Kleefisch said. “It’s great that the hard work of the fishing community could fix that.”

Continue reading »]]> Moving forward is the theme for 2012 …

As members of the Wisconsin Bass Federation, we can take pride for our collective efforts to get the tournament culling bill as part of State law.  Many of our members played significant roles in getting this done including all of the members that contacted their respective congressmen.  We have more issues to address in 2012 and beyond.

Our focus now must be in looking forward to our natural environment and how we can best protect the great outdoors for our children and generations to come.  I have spoken in the past about the power of partnering with other groups to get projects done that actually make a difference.  Each club has the opportunity to contact local municipalities, State and/or Federal agencies, local groups such as lake districts or associations, “friends” groups that may not having taxing authority but do many great habitat or protection projects with funds from donations, raffle or other money making processes.  These partnering opportunities are limited by only our imagination and the needs that we or others see to help protect or restore natural resources in our great State.

This line of thinking includes another topic that you have heard me talk about before and that is Aquatic Invasive Species or AIS.  We all have, and can do our part in making sure that we reduce the spread of AIS in our waterways as we go from place to place.  It takes only a few minutes to drain all water from your boat and check your boat, trailer and vehicle for plant fragments and leave them at the landing.  One novel way to accomplish this will be to talk with local lake groups about partnering with them to have the boat landings raked up on a regular basis.  Most lake groups are very concerned about the spread of AIS, especially in the northern lakes and rivers.  Cooperatively partnering with them to set up times to rake and dispose of these free floating weed fragments can go a long way towards reducing the spread.

Rakes are cheap and it will not take much effort to rake the weeds from the launch ramps and place them on land adjacent.  These weed fragments contain a significant amount of nutrients and carbon that make great and free fertilizer or mulch compost.  Place these weed fragments on gardens or flower beds and reduce the cost of buying commercial fertilizer.  This is especially important in lakes that have weed cutting operations as they do not get all of the fragments when cutting and collecting.  Boat launches seem to be collection spots based on use and wind direction.  If a club were to offer to rake the launches daily (or more than once per day) and/or remove these weed piles on a weekly or as needed basis, there will be less weeds to cling on boats and trailers and provide the benefit of reducing nutrient cycling in our lakes and rivers.

Another step in moving forward will be to keep up with current and upcoming issues.  Our 2012 radar should include the proposed mining bill, the new wetlands permitting law, Asian carp in theMississippi Riverand others and the continued efforts to ban lead in fishing lures.

Recently three species of non-native carp were netted near Winona and included grass carp, bighead carp and silver carp.  These creatures have made it all the way to LaCrosse and beyond from Asia.  This is very troubling to me and I hope it is to you also.  These fish not only pose a significant safety hazard by their behavior (jumping out of the water when boats are near), but also their affect on our native plants and animals.  They are like a bull in a china shop and will wreak havoc on our fisheries for many years to come.  We have all seen the videos of boats in the Illinois Riverand hundreds of these fish jumping out of the water and actually injuring or in some cases killing recreational boaters.  I don’t know about all of you, but my reflexes are not what they used to be and the thought of going 60+ mph on the Mississippi River with carp jumping up in front of the boat scares the carp out of me!

So in closing, keep your eyes out for ways to help Mother Nature with partnerships, help reduce the spread of AIS and keep our lawmakers aware that we are watching and give them your opinion early and often.  We all have a voice and unless we use it we will be dealing with the opinions of others that did voice their opinion while we were daydreaming of a 10 # bass on the end of our line.

Take care and stay active in protecting our natural heritage.

Steve Hjort

Wisconsin Bass Federation Conservation Director

Continue reading »]]> From the Outdoor News

Winona, Minn. — A commercial fisherman has caught a silver carp – the jumping variety – in the Mississippi River’s Pool 6 near Winona. It marks the northernmost location the invasive fish, one of four species of Asian carp in the United States, has been found in Minnesota.

Commercial fisherman Tim Adams, of Wabasha, along with George Richtman, of Trempealeau, Wis., and Bob Davis, of Pepin, Wis., caught the fish on Thursday, March 1 in the Mississippi.

They also caught a bighead carp and a grass carp in the same 1,000-foot net.

“It’s kind of scary,” Adams said. “We had one of each. I don’t think anyone’s had multiples in the same seine haul, that I know of.”

Bighead carp have been netted before on the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers in Minnesota, but Thursday’s catch is the first time a live silver carp has been found as far upstream in Minnesota. According to the Minnesota DNR website, three silver carp (two in Pool 8, and one in Pool 9) have been caught between 2008 and 2011 on the Mississippi River.

“It just verifies that they’re here,” Adams said.

Adams is the commercial fisherman the Minnesota DNR has hired in the past to try to catch silver carp in the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers near the Twin Cities. eDNA tests have turned up positive results in those locations, though a live fish hasn’t yet been caught.

The bighead carp Adams and his crew caught weighed 28 pounds. He didn’t have a weight for the silver carp, but estimated it weighed 7 or 8 pounds.

Adams informed the DNR of the catch.

“I told them ‘I have the phone call you don’t want,’” he said. “They didn’t want that phone call.”

The Asian carp were just a tiny portion of about 50,000 pounds of roughfish that Adams and his crew caught via commercial nets on Thursday. As of Friday afternoon, they still had about 20,000 pounds of fish to sort through.

“There could easily be some more hidden among all those fish,” Adams said. “They’re hard to spot.”

Adams said he was “really surprised” to catch the silver carp, though he believed they were in the area.

“I saw one jump there last summer,” he said. “Without a doubt in my mind.”

Continue reading »]]> The 2012 Fantasy Fishing season will consist of six tournaments surrounding the Walmart FLW Tour majors with a grand prize of $100,000 for the player with the most cumulative points. To ensure Fantasy Fishing participants enjoy the most competitive gameplay in fantasy sports, a membership is required to play, however current FLW members can sign up for the 2012 Fantasy Fishing season for no additional charge. In addition to gaining access to the world’s most lucrative fantasy sports game, membership benefits include:

• Unlimited access to the Digital Edition of FLW Bass Fishing or FLW Walleye Fishing magazine – includes back issues
• Opportunity to win prizes each month in the FLW Member Giveaway – Enter online today!
• Eligibility to play Fantasy Fishing – includes Fantasy Tools
• 10% off FLW Merchandise at flwoutdoors.com
• VIP access at Walmart FLW Tour Events, Forrest Wood Cup and Walleye Championships.
• FLW Partner Discounts
• FLW e-newsletter

Sign Up Now >>

To sign up to play, view official rules and a list of prizes, visit FantasyFishing.com.

Continue reading »]]> Registration Opens March 1

Ponca City, Okla. – Feb. 17, 2012  High School anglers near and far will unite in Russellville, Arkansas and Lake Dardanelle State Park, July 15-21, 2012 for the pinnacle event of high school bass fishing, the 2012 High School Fishing World Finals. Registration opens online at highschoolfishing.org on March 1.

Last year, over 600 attendees made up of high school anglers, family members and sponsors enjoyed the opening ceremonies to kick off a week-long family vacation with tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship prizes on the line.

“Russellville is extremely excited to host this tournament for the third year, and looking forward to another group of young people that love to fish,” Russellville Tourism Director, Christie Graham, stated.  “Russellville hosts many tournaments each year, but enjoys getting to invest in young people’s lives that have a passion for the outdoor world of fishing. We are excited to see what growth this year will bring.”

High school teams are made up of any two high school anglers who have graduated the 8^th grade but have not yet started college and who have a 2.0 GPA.  All anglers must be Student Angler Federation members or join at the time of registration for only $25 a year. SAF membership comes with a full list of benefits, including no entry fees to any SAF event all year.  Any high school team meeting these requirements may register and attend, even if they are home schooled. Teams bring their own boats and their own coaches/boat captains.  Teams are required to have an adult coach/boat captain in their boat with them at all times. The coach who provides the boat must be a resident of the team’s home state/province or country, an immediate family member, or in very limited situations, a volunteer boat captain/coach may be provided by TBF*. (when/where available and only with advance arraignment) Anglers are not allowed to “hire” or “choose” a local coach and the tournament waters are off-limits, when designated, to all anglers and coaches so everyone starts fishing at the same time no matter where they live.

Events are scheduled all week starting with the first official practice day Sunday, July 15.  Tuesday evening is the coaches/boat captain’s appreciation jackpot on a neighboring body of water for the coaches to get their fishing “fix” as well!  Wednesday, July 18 is the official registration and opening ceremonies. Thursday, July 19 will bring the first official tournament day, with weigh-ins at Lake Dardanelle State Park, as teams from across North America will start their journey to become champions.  All weigh-ins will be taped for television and be streamed live on the internet.  All high school anglers will compete for the first two days.  Then, the field will be cut on Saturday. The final day of competition not only will see the top teams go head to head with complete run of the lake, but also the rest of the field will be invited to fish a one of a kind consolation round event. There is no entry fee and the complete payout structure is in the form of prizes and scholarships! The 2012 High School Fishing World Championship team will each walk away with the grand prize of a four year, $5,000 per year, renewable scholarship to Bethel University in McKenzie Tenn., in addition to other prizes and some serious hardware!

“The High School Fishing World Finals is the largest tournament of its kind; it’s a low cost, family fun vacation with a full week of activities,” TBF National Youth Director, Mark Gintert, said.  “We’re excited to return to Russellville and Lake Dardanelle State Park, which provide a perfect setting for this event.  It’s centrally located right off I-40, a great fishery, and the cooperation we receive from our local partners is tremendous,” Gintert added.

“This event is more than just a tournament, it’s a great way to promote education through fishing,” TBF President, Robert Cartlidge, stated. “Our Student Anglers are required to have a 2.0 GPA and take a free test on angler ethics, boater safety and invasive species to participate.  This highlights the importance of education and being good stewards of our waterways, habits TBF want to instill in the future of our sport,” Cartlidge continued. “Our Student Angler Federation is growing in record numbers with teams forming all across the country, and this event offers everyone a chance to fish in a world class event in a fun, family atmosphere.”

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is the oldest and largest grassroots fishing organization in America. TBF is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF annually conducts over 20,000 fishing, youth, and conservation events and has provided the foundation for the bass fishing industry for over 40 years.

For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com or call 580-765-9031.

For full details and more information about the Student Angler Federation and this year’s High School World Finals, visit highschoolfishing.org or call 580-765-9031.

Continue reading »]]> Our club held its first Kids Casting event of the year at Freeze Fest in Tomah, WI. It was the second Freeze Fest ever so it was new to the area. It is going to be an annual event from now on so we should see more participation every year. This year’s event was won by a brother and sister. We almost didn’t hold the event because of our lack of paperwork, targets and no fishing rods. Our club bought 3 rods and reels and copied a few entry forms. Luckily we found 2 targets in our club trailer that we could use. We would like to hold another event this summer but will need more rods and targets. Hopefully, our club can raise some money to buy some equipment for our event. Following are the winners of this competition:

Kole Cherrier
Age 12
Birth Date- March 20, 1999
Score – 120

Keagan Cherrier
Age 9
Birth Date – March 18, 2002
Score – 70

Pat Loendorf
Secretary/ Cranberry Country Bassmasters