Continue reading »]]> Grand Lake Recap

Practice Day 1:

We spend the morning fishing some of the main lake pockets and secondary points with little results.  It was a 30 mph south wind and fishing the areas effective proved difficult.  We then ran into Honey Creek and began to start catching some smaller spotted bass and largemouth.  After watching the graphs and seeing all the bait suspended out in front of the docks, we started catching them on a regular basis on jerkbaits over 30 ft. of water.  We probably caught 25 or so all day, but we did not get any good tournament fish.

Practice Day 2:

We decided the night before to abort our pattern we found on Day 1 and start looking for better quality fish.  We ran further south into Drowning Creek.  Once we got in there, we could immediately see that the water was much clearer.  We fished a main creek point and I could see on the graph that the bait was much shallower and fish suspended out with the bait.  Chad caught the first one on a jerkbait but again it was a smaller fish.  We then ran back of a pocket that had a secondary point on it.  I threw a jerkbait over the point with no luck when Chad yells “Big fish” from the back of the boat.  Chad caught a 5 lber on an Alabama Rig.  That fish was really key for me for the tournament.  We now knew what to look for the remaining time in practice.  We drove around the creek and our next 6 stops all produced good keeper fish as well as some kicker fish like the 6 lber I posted earlier.  If it was a 5 fish team tournament, we would have easily been over 20 lbs.  All of our good fish came on an Alabama Rig and it was hard to get any quality bites on anything other than the A-rig.  We just ran our pattern the rest of the day with very good results.

Practice Day 3:

We awoke to 40 degree pouring rain and lightning storms.  My partner and I decided to give it a try.  We ran from the launch to where we would be spending the majority of our tournament day around Drowning Creek.  In the brand new Ranger z520c boats they gave us, it took us about 30 minutes to travel the 38 miles.  I pulled into another pocket and made a about three casts on point that matched the same pattern we found the day before.  On the third cast I was greeted with a nice 4 lb fish.  We then spent the next hour just driving around looking for areas that matched our pattern before we had to take shelter from the weather.  Once the lightning let up, we traveled back up lake and put the boat on the trailer.

Tournament Day 1:

I started on a stretch where I caught the 6 lber in practice.  My non boater caught a couple of shorts on a jig and wiggle wart.  We then went to an area where I caught two spots on one cast prefishing.  I caught a nice keeper fish right away.  The wind blew me in a little too close to the point and my non boater caught a nice 4 lber right behind me.  We then worked into the pocket a little ways when a good fish just about ripped the rod out of my hand.  It was a nice kicker fish weighing about 5.5 lbs.  We then went into some pockets in Drowning Creek where I finished out my limit.  My first stop in the creek was a major point in the creek that had a tree running into the water.  We caught about a 4 lber off this tree in practice, and my first cast over the tree with my A-rig produced what I believe to be the same fish, a nice 4 lber.

Once I had a decent limit, I went running new water looking for points that had the golf ball size rock or the white ledge rock that were somewhat shallow but had quick access to deep water.  I pulled up to a point at the mouth of Duck Creek and caught a nice 4.75 lb largemouth.  I then ran some points in this area with only small keepers to show for it.  I than ran to a subtle secondary point I found just south of Drowning Creek and was rewarded with a night 4.5 lb fish.  It was about time to make the trek back to the weigh-in so I made a few more casts with my A-rig and then weighed in.  I had 5 fish for 21.6 lbs and was in 4^th place after the first day.

Tournament Day 2:

I started in the same area as Day 1 and caught one small keeper spot on the A-rig.  I then went into the area where I caught the 5.5 lber the day before and was able to catch two more small keepers.  I then tried for the next couple of hours getting onto areas where I caught the 4.5 and 4.75 lb fish the day before, but there was a ton of pressure on the lake because there was a 350 tournament the following Sunday.  I was able to scramble and catch a lot of fish, but unfortunately only one was a keeper.  I weighed in four fish 8.5 lbs which was enough for me to hang on to 6^th place overall and win the Northern Division.

Tournament Day 3:

As the boats were in the water, each angler was asked for an interview and to get setup for the camera boat that would be following us all day.  It was a pretty neat experience working with the media side of the fishing industry.  I started on the subtle secondary point just south of Drowning Creek and got two nice keepers right away.  I had a caught a 5 lber and a 2 lber right off the point.  I worked the point for a while with nothing to show for it, so I ran into Drowning Creek.  At a couple of the areas we fished, I had my camera boat, a second camera boat, and four spectator boats.  It was fun talking with everyone who was watching us fish.  For the next couple of spots, it was interesting to find out that both the winner and I were on the same pattern and fishing a lot of the same stretches.  He was able to figure out how to get the big suspended fish to bite and I was not.  With the shortened day, we had to be back at the ramp at 1:30.  I again caught a lot of fish, but was only able to get those two keepers.  We then loaded the boats up and trailered them to Rogers, Arkansas to weigh in at the arena with the FLW pros.  To my surprise as I was loading up my fish, I noticed that my 5 lber had spit up about an 8 inch crappie in the livewell.  I was able to hang on to 6^th place with weighing two fish for 7 pounds.

Overall it was a great experience.  The boats that were provided were unreal.  My shoulder is a little sore from throwing the Alabama Rig for five days straight.  I am really looking forward to using what I learned about the Alabama Rig back home in Wisconsin.  I really don’t have any

regrets from the tournament as I did not miss many fish.  There is some justification knowing that I was on the same fish as the winner, Mark Daniels Jr.  Mark and I talked backstage and he is a great guy and going to represent TBF very well.  He was able to figure out how to get those bigger bites on days 2 and 3, and I take my hat off to him and wish him the best of luck next year on tour.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for the well wishes and congratulations.  It was truly amazing seeing all of Wisconsin’s bass fishing community cheering Chad and I.  I also would like to thank Mike, Andy, and Steve for making the trip down to Oklahoma and giving us our own little cheering section.  I am still trying to wrap my head around this whole experience and it is hard to put into words.  All I can say is this was one of the best experiences I have ever had.  I am just thankful that TBF and FLW allowed me to be a part of their organizations and they put on a great show.

Continue reading »]]> Sunday, June 9th 2013
Lake Waubesa on the Madison Chain of Lakes

all boats will launch from Babcock Park starting at 6:30am

Babcock Park

2909 US 51
McFarland, WI. 53558

Fishing time is from 7:30am – 11:30am

Veterans Memorial Party will start at 12:00 noon at McDaniel Park

McDaniel Park

4904 McDaniel Lane
McFarland, WI. 53558

Festivities will begin at 12:30pm with a flag ceremony honoring our entire active and retired US Military Veterans

Food will be served starting at 1:00pm. All families of participating military personnel are welcome to join the Veterans Memorial Party starting at 12:00 noon.

A Veteran Recognition Tribute will immediately follow lunch at 2:00pm. EACH VETERAN who participates in the event will be recognized with gifts, give a ways, and raffle prizes – all donated by our sponsors.

Space is limited! All entries will be on a first-come first-served basis!

Please contact Jay Garstecki at (847) 921-0760 or jgarstecki@yahoo.com with any questions

Our Mission

TAKE A VET FISHING was created to give back to those who serve our great nation every day. The mission is simple, to show these men and women how much they mean to us. Our slogan is “A day of giving back” and that is the core of our mission. When our brave service men and women return from overseas, as a nation, we have been failing to show these heroes our appreciation. A shockingly high number of service members are returning with injuries and even the soldiers without physical wounds, are having a hard time adjusting back to the “real world”. These “hero’s” have given so much of themselves to defend our nation. Reaching out and offering a “thank you” with a hand shake, is the very least we should do. At Take a Vet Fishing, we take it a step further. Not only do we show these heroes our gratitude and shake their hand, we hand them a fishing rod!

Who we support…

Our program is open to all active duty military and veterans of current and previous wars, from ALL branches of service.

Since our soldiers have different interests when it comes to fishing… from casting to trolling, we have professional fishing guides who support: Musky, Walleye, Bass and Panfish fishing

Just let us know what your preference is, and we’ll make sure we assign our Vets to the appropriate fishing guide.

Honoring ALL branches of service!

www.Takeavetfishing.com

Continue reading »]]>
By Chad Richardson

Let me start this story by saying how honored and privileged I was to represent all of the Wisconsin Bass Federation members.  I truly felt as if we had the entire state pulling for us in this tournament and it was our duty to represent the WBF and show the rest of the country what Wisconsin could do at the national level.

Day one official practice:

Ben and I fished an area of the lake called Honey Creek.  We spent time fishing points and cuts in 10 to 40 feet of water trying to determine what stage the fish were in.  This area of the lake was approximately 55 degrees and the water was somewhat dirty with about 2 feet of visibility.  We tried many different baits and techniques but ultimately ended up with only some small spotted bass in 30 feet of water on jerk baits.  We spent 11 hours on the water that day and I did not have a single bite nor did Ben catch a keeper bass.  It was a long day.

Day two official practice:

After the day one Grand Lake beat down Ben and I got, we decided to completely change our location and tactics because obviously we were not doing something right.  We went to the far south end of the lake into the Drowning Creek area.  The water here averaged only 50 degrees but was a lot cleaner with approximately 10 feet of visibility.  We decided to try some secondary points located back in some of the boat house channels.  Ben continued to throw jerk baits and I decided to try the A-Rig, which for those who don’t know, is a bait that is not much fun to throw and will wear you out in a hurry.  My first cast on the point I thought I may have had a bite, but I wasn’t sure due to not catching a fish since last October.  I threw back across the point again and I was hooked up.  I yelled at Ben that I actually had a fish on and that it was a dandy.  Ben sprung into action, grabbed the “Slaunch” at the side of the boat, and held up what appeared to be a 5.5# largemouth.  After releasing the fish we looked at each other with a smile and knew right there at that moment that we had figured out the pattern that could possibly win this tournament.  We continued to fish similar areas on the south end of the lake with continued success catching multiple fish in the 4 to 5 pound range with our biggest weighing 5.10#.  It was another long day but much more fun that day one.

Day three official practice:

Today I was paired up with my day one partner to get familiar with the boat we were given to use (Ranger Z520C powered by an E-Tec 250) and to get familiar with what we would be fishing the first day of the tournament.  My boaters name was Brian Hickey from Kentucky and other than me having to listen a little closer to understand his accent we got along great.  The weather today was terrible with severe thunderstorms, high winds and heavy rain all day.  We ran to an area close to the landing to fish but ended up spending three hours under a bridge hiding from the lightning only to race back to the landing between thunderheads and get out of the water and back to the hotel.

Today was a wet, cold, windy day and I am glad it was short.

Day one tournament day:

Today was tournament day.  This was the day all the hard work and dedication was leading up to.  I tried to tell myself that this was just another tournament just like any other but it just didn’t work with all the camera flashes and TV reporters in our face getting interviews.  We were finally ready to take off and just needed to hear a prayer and the national anthem.  Now I have to say at this point in my tournament fishing career I have heard the national anthem many, many times before.  However for some reason this time was different, it really hit me with a big lump in my throat and I got a little emotional.  We were off, hauling the mail down the lake at 75mph.  We pulled into a secluded bay that had multiple points and docks with fairly good clarity and deep water.  Right away I knew I was going to have to throw the A-Rig because the water was so similar to what Ben and I had found in practice.  My boater was throwing a big suspending rouge jerk bait and on his third cast boated a 5 pound largemouth.  I fished the A-Rig to a solid 15 pound limit by 8:00 am.  It was turning into a good day and as it progressed I kept upgrading and culled my final weight into a dream limit of over 20#.  My partner weighed in 21.5 pounds of fish brining our boat total to over 40 pounds.  This was a good day.  Thank you, day one boater.

Day two tournament day:

Today I drew a partner from Louisiana.  Prior to take off he explained to me that we would be fishing shallow, dirty water.  With that info I knew we would be fishing the opposite end of the lake that Ben and I had fished in practice and the A-Rig pattern would not be working for me today.  We took off from the launch and ran north only about a mile before stopping to fish the first spot.  This area was a rocky rip rap shoreline with dirty water and wind blowing into it.  I began throwing a square bill 2.5 crank bait and my third cast produced a solid 2.5 pounder in the Livewell.  My next cast I hooked up again but pulled the hooks on what I thought, felt like a much larger fish.  All I could hope was that that lost fish would not hurt me later in the day.  We moved around a lot covering water and at 10:00 I still only had the one fish.  I was starting to get a little worried that my outstanding first day’s weight was not going to do me any good.  I kept working and eventually caught two more fish; one on a Spinnerbait and the other on the square bill.  It was now 1:30 and I only had three fish with our weigh in time at 3:00.  We pulled into another very small pocket that had a lot of blown in wood and debris.  I decided to try a jig which I had not caught a fish on all week.  Three casts and two fish later I had my limit; one of which was nearly 5 pounds.  I don’t know why things happen and I really am not a superstitious person but for some reason I was meant to catch those fish and it turned out to be a good day.  At the weigh in I was pretty confident that the last minute jig heroics had put me over the top but you just never know.  As all the fish were weighed I ended up winning the division by nearly 4 pounds, qualified to fish at the All American,  and fish day three for the national title.  This was a good day.  Thank you day two boater.

Day three tournament day:

Wow, I never thought I would be fishing the last day of The Bass Federation National Championship and going to the All-American.  If fact, Ben and I were so confident that we only bought a 6 day fishing license instead of an annual; which we realized at about 4:45am this morning.  You should have seen the two of us running through the isles at Wal-Mart trying to find someone that could sell us a fishing license.  I would like to thank the nice Wal-Mart lady for helping us out in our time of stupidity.  Anyway we made it back to the landing with our new six day licenses that cost us $30 more than just buying the annual the first time.  Time for takeoff and today is the big day.  We only are able to fish 6 hours today but I am confident that it will be enough.  My partner for today is from Alabama and was in 2^nd place overall with a consistent shallow water pattern that had been producing some huge bags of fish. We went to the first spot and had our camera guy jump in the boat with us for videotaping and play by play.  Right away my partner could tell something was different and the fish were not as aggressive as they had been the previous two days.  Multiple times he would tell me he had a bite but the fish were not eating his Spinnerbait only bumping it.  We both fished hard for about three hours before my partner finally caught one around 3 pounds.  Up until this point I had been throwing a Spinnerbait also due to my partners previous days success and confidence that that was the pattern.  After the tough morning I started to change it up switching from bait to bait trying to find something the fish would eat.  I finally tied on the jig that had saved my previous day and I immediately had my first fish in the boat.  This fish was only just legal length but I was glad to have a fish on the last day to go on stage in Rogers at the big show.  I continued fishing the jig and my partner the Spinnerbait.  I was fishing very used water as my partner was starting to get into panic mode and beginning to fish very fast.  I pitched to a little point and saw a huge boil in the water and watched my line head for deep water.  I reeled down set the hook and missed the fish.  I got my bait back with a half ripped off trailer and I knew I had missed a huge opportunity. We continued fishing without anymore bites until finally felt the mushy weight on the end of my line; I set the hook and the battle was on.  The fish came to the surface and showed its 5 pound head.  I immediately went into “crap my pants mode” and slowly played the fish to the awaiting net that my partner had in his hands.  In the Boat!  Fish number two was in my hands and I was starting to think I could maybe pull this off.  The camera guy was finally earning his paycheck and of course I gave him a few poses with the sow I just put in the Livewell.  Now my partner was really distressed and the trolling motor went up in speed a couple of more notches making it quite difficult to work a slow jig presentation.  I continued with the jig and made my casts when I could.  As we were pulling away from another area I had my fourth bite of the day.  Unfortunately I had so much line out I was unable to hook up and thus another lost opportunity; ouch that one was surely going to cost me. My partner managed to catch another just legal length keeper and he was ready to move to a different area.  We ran about 10 miles down the lake to a deep clear point that had produced some of his largest fish the previous days.  This was an A-Rig spot and I was ready to put the fatties in the boat.  My partner missed a couple of bites and was moving around a lot to different spots on this point.  I did manage to get a couple of casts in and on the third cast I was hooked up; Big Fish!  I played the fish to the boat and it was netted by my partner.  I had just landed a solid 4 ½ pound largemouth that our cameraman was all over.  I gave him a few more shots and in the Livewell she went.  Our day was over it was 1:00 and we had to run back 10 miles in the wind to make it back to the landing.  In hindsight I can’t really say I would have done anything different accept maybe fish the jig a little earlier in the day and to definitely catch the fish that bit.  Back at the landing and off to Rogers, Arkansas.  We were not allowed to tell anyone how we did or even if we had caught any fish; it was all top secret for the big production about to unfold on stage for FLW.  We arrived at the weigh in and we were rushed into the auditorium to weigh our fish.  I remember standing at the tank with all of the other co-anglers, my stomach in knots wondering if I had enough to have pulled it off.  Four out of the 7 co anglers had weighed in and they were not able to beat my previous two days catch.  The angler in front of me in line just weighed 15# and had taken the lead.  I was next.  I knew I needed my two big fish to weigh a lot.  I set my fish on the scale, “Mark it” he said, 11 pounds and change is what I weighed my last day of the TBF National Championship.  It wasn’t enough to win but I did place a respectable 2^nd place overall and managed to fish my way to the BFL All-American.

I would like to thank Mike, Patti, Andy, Steve, and all of the Wisconsin fishing groupies we had down in Oklahoma cheering us on.  It was an amazing experience and after being involved with two such incredible organizations as TBF and FLW I can’t wait to get back to another National Championship.

Continue reading »]]> The 2012 Wisconsin Bass Federation State Championship presented by the City of Oshkosh and the Oshkosh Tourism Bureau was held August 17th, 18th & 19th on Lake Winnebago.

Nick Smyers from Last Cast Bass Club was crowned State Champion by bringing in a limit each day, with a two-day total weight of 31.60 lbs. He edged out former federation President Jim Jones by less than one pound, Jones from Belle City Bass Club, finished 2^nd overall with a two-day total of 30.73 lbs. Jason Loewe from Beaver Dam Bass Anglers finished 3^rd overall with a two-day weight of 29.38 lbs. 4^th place went to Jim Tomsovic from River Road Bass Club with 29.32 lbs and rounding out the top five was Dan Ehman from Northern Illinois Bassmasters with 29.06 lbs.

Earning spots on the 12 Man Wisconsin Bass Federation State Team are

Back L-R Dan Ehmen Northern Illinois Bassmasters, Jason Loewe Beaver Dam Bass Anglers, Doug Blank Lake Ripley Lunkers, David Loewe Beaver Dam Bass Anglers, Dennis Ansell Racine County Bass Addicts, and Jim Jones Belle City Bass Anglers.

Front L-R Kevin Herlitzke River Road, Rick Bosshard Heartland Bass, Jim Tomsovic River Road, Alan Mecikalski Statewide Bass, State Champion Nick Smyers Last Cast Bass and  Josh Grams  Last Cast Bass.

The 2013 State Team, Captained by State Tournament Director Andy Ritchie, will compete against five neighboring state teams in September,  in Wheeling, West Virginia on the Ohio River in the 2013 TBF Northern Divisional Tournament hosted by the Ohio Bass Federation. The top two anglers from each state will qualify to compete in the 2014 Federation National Championship where the National Champion will receive the “Living the Dream” package.
During the pre-tournament meeting, President Mike Simonds, presented Vice President Andy Ritchie with the Dedication Award for outstanding service to the Federation.

Nick Smyers also won the Lowrance State Champions Bonus, a new Endura Hand Held GPS unit, for having Lowrance HDS unit with structure scan on his boat at the time he won the state championship.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Jason Loewe was the winner of the Cabela’s Angler Cash Contingency Program. 

Ranger Cup winners at this year’s State Championship were;

Robert Varvick, Max Mueller, Jason Ferge, Rex McTier, Gary Schild, Tim Schultz and Kevin Fassbind

Continue reading »]]> McKenzie, Tenn. –Wisconsin Junior State Champion Kyler Chelminiak signed with the Bethel University Bass Fishing program Thursday. Kyler is the son of Kevin and Mary Chelminiak of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He plans on majoring in Business Administration at Bethel.

Kyler was the Wisconsin Junior State Champion from 2009-2012. He was also a four-time national qualifier. He feels his biggest strength is his passion for the sport. He was a member of the National Honor Society, High Honor Roll, and Woodland Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year during his prep career at Whitnall High School.

He chose Bethel because of the incredible atmosphere, awesome campus, and the outstanding fishing program. He also considered Wisconsin-Whitewater, SIU, and several other schools.

Bethel Coach Garry Mason commented on the signing. “We are thrilled to sign a young man like Kyler. He comes from a great family and has an intense passion for the sport. He is very talented and we look forward to him being a part of our program.”

Continue reading »]]> We need you to contact your U.S. Senators to vote YES for this important bill.

The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 may yet again come up for vote in the U.S. Senate as members are working hard to craft a solution to the procedural problem that stopped the bill from passing the Senate. A diverse coalition of angling, hunting and conservation organizations is working hard to support this effort and eventual passage, but time is running out.

Please make your readers aware of the need to continue sending messages to their Senate members.

On November 26, in a surprise upset, the U.S. Senate failed to advance the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 (S. 3525). After months of discussion with Senate members by a large and diverse coalition of angling, hunting and conservation organizations who worked to create a historic bill containing 17 key provisions for anglers, hunters and fish and wildlife conservation; the bill failed to pass over a party line vote on a procedural motion.

You and your readers can still make an impact and KeepAmericaFishing™ provides an easy way to send an effective message to Senate members. We need everyone’s support to help pass this essential piece of legislation.

Please post this link on your website, your blog, your Facebook page and Twitter account and email it far and wide to friends, family and colleagues.

This link www.KeepAmericaFishing.org/sportsmensact, takes you to a Take Action Now page.

Please help us convince the Senate to bring this bill back to the floor and vote YES for fish and wildlife conservation!

Continue reading »]]> Ponca City, Okla. – November 16, 2012  The Bass Federation (TBF), the national leader in NO cost or low cost tournament fees, announced today the dates and locations of the seven 2013 No Entry Fee Division Championships.  This year’s hosts are the state federations of Washington, Arizona, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and New Jersey.  

A TBF member only has to locally fish their TBF state federation qualifying tournaments to make the state team and attend the division championship. “The division championships are the stepping stone to the biggest events in bass fishing today,” TBF President, Robert Cartlidge, stated.  “If they earn a spot on the state team, everything past the state level is a no entry fee event.  From there, the potential winnings for grassroots anglers could approach one million. TBF is the industry leader in no cost and low cost tournament fishing opportunities and we are proud of that fact.”

Two anglers from each state progress to the TBF Federation National Championship, with over $200,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs.  From there, 14 TBF anglers advance to the FLW BFL All-American where the top prize is $100,000 cash.  The 2012 BFL All –American event was won by Missouri TBF angler, Brian Maloney, who qualified through the TBF ranks to win that prestigious event.

The top anglers from the TBF Federation Championship also earn a berth in the Forrest Wood Cup, all for no tournament entry fee! The TBF National Champion earns the esteemed “LIVING THE DREAM” prize package, which includes cash prize, fully paid entry fees into the FLW tour of his/her choice, travel funds and use of a wrapped Ranger Boat and Chevrolet truck for the year!

What does this mean to the average angler? It means there is no better or more cost effective place to fish than with TBF and FLW outdoors. You can join TBF, fish close to home and qualify to fish all the biggest events in fishing! TBF members just like YOU do it every year!

It’s easy to get started, and you don’t have to own a boat.  Simply contact your local state federation through the TBF website at www.bassfederation.com or give us a call at 580.765.9031 to get your club joined up with TBF or to find a TBF club near you.

2013 TBF Divisional Championship Series dates and locations:

April 28-May 3, TBF Southwest Division Championship, Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City, Arizona 

May 5-10, TBF Northwest Division Championship, Pot Holes Reservoir, Moses Lake, Washington

June 2–7, TBF Southern Division Championship, Lake Barkley, Clarksville, Tennessee   

June 9-14, TBF Central Division Championship, Lake Ray Roberts, Denton\Sanger, Texas

September 1-6, TBF Northern Division Championship, Ohio River, Wheeling, West Virginia

September 8-13, TBF Eastern Division Championship, Connecticut River, Middletown, Connecticut

September 15-20, TBF Mid-Atlantic Division Championship, Lake Hopatcong, Mt. Arlington, New Jersey     

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 there is. 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

Continue reading »]]> Unprecedented move will impact economy and fisheries conservation

Alexandria, VA – September 24, 2012– On September 14, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its recommendations for budget cuts that include withholding parts of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, a move that would have a significant impact on fisheries conservation and the jobs it supports. OMB’s action was triggered by the failure of the Congress and the Administration to enact a plan to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion, as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

“The angling and boating community was shocked to learn that for the first time in its 62-year history, the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund – the backbone of fisheries conservation in the United States – is recommended for a cut under sequestration totaling $34 million,” said Gordon Robertson, vice president of the American Sportfishing Association.

Robertson further said, “This conservation trust fund, established in 1950 with the support of industry, anglers and state conservation agencies, is an outstanding example of what good government should be and is the backbone of the user-pay model of funding conservation in this nation. It is essential that it remain untouched. The sportfishing and boating communities are ready to work with Congress and the Administration to solve this problem.”

The Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950 placed a federal excise tax on all recreational fishing equipment, which manufacturers pay and is then incorporated into the cost of the equipment that anglers purchase. In 1984 the Act was amended to include that part of the federal gasoline fuel tax attributable to motor boat use. The total annual value of the Trust Fund is approximately $650 million. The monies from the fund are apportioned to state conservation agencies for sport fish restoration, boating safety, angler and boater access and other fishing and boating programs.

“When anglers and boaters pay the equipment tax or the fuel tax they are doing so with the understanding that this money is going to a trust fund dedicated – by law – to the resources they enjoy,” said Robertson. “Withholding funds from this essential program at a time when state fishery programs are already struggling to ensure the best quality service to anglers and resource management will only cause fishery resources to suffer even more and cause job losses associated with the loss of recreation fishing boating programs. The sportfishing and boating industries as well as anglers and boaters themselves fail to understand how cutting a user-pay trust fund helps the economy.”

Recreational fishing adds $125 billion each year to the nation’s economy and supports more than one million jobs. Since its inception, the Sport Fish Restoration Act has pumped $7 billion into habitat restoration, access and boating safety programs.

The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund’s older sibling, the Wildlife Restoration Act of 1936, after which the Sportfish Trust Fund was patterned, is slated for a $31 million freeze. That Act is funded by hunters and men and women who engage in the shooting sports and archery, who pay a similar tax to support wildlife restoration. “This level of cuts to conservation programs that pay their own way is unprecedented and all anglers, hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts must speak up to prevent these cuts,” Robertson concluded.

Along with these two cornerstone conservation acts, many other critical conservation funds are also listed for significant cuts. Congress, with the cooperation of the Administration, must address the sequestration schedule and they will not occur until after the elections and possibly not until early 2013 and with a new Congress.

“We encourage all anglers to go to www.KeepAmericaFishing.org for information about when Congress may act and when anglers should speak up to maintain critical conservation funding,” Robertson said.

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association, committed to looking out for the interests of the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry a unified voice speaking out when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. We invest in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous as well as safeguard and promote the enduring economic and conservation values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America’s 60 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways through KeepAmericaFishing™, our angler advocacy campaign. America’s anglers generate over $45 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for over one million people.

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At the conclusion of the 2012 TBF National Championship, hosted by the Wisconsin Bass Federation, State Champion & 2012 TBF Northern Division Champion Ben Otto took the victory swim in the Black River, watched and supported by his fellow team members as they stood on the dock. The weather turned cooler and it was a little chilly!

Then it was State Team Captain, Andy Ritchie’s turn! Little Andy was no match for State Team Members Chad Richardson and Max Mueller as they launched him into the river off the dock.

Congratulations to the Wisconsin State Team, you guys blew the door off the competition this week!

Continue reading »]]> La Crosse, Wisc. (Sept. 7, 2012) – The race was tight between the top three finishers this week at the 2012 TBF Northern Division Championship, presented by Cabela’s. La Crosse native and Shawano High School business and marketing teacher, Ben Otto made a clean sweep on his hometown waters this week on the Mississippi River and was named the 2012 TBF Northern Division Champion today. He finished strong bringing in 16 lbs 2 oz today to finish out the week with a 3 day total of 47 lbs 8 oz.

“He finished the tournament having tied for the overall tournament big sack with 17 lbs the first day. Otto was awarded daily big bass award yesterday with his 4 lb 12 oz large mouth. He was also the Ranger Cup winner of $450 by being the highest finishing Ranger Cup qualified angler enrolled in the program for TBF members. Otto will be advancing for the state of Wisconsin as a boater next spring to the 2013 TBF National Championship. “I’d like to thank my principal and superintendent for allowing me to have off the first week of school to be here for this tournament. Now I’m hoping they will be giving me a week off next spring for the National Championship!”Today was a pretty good day. I had saved a few spots for today and they were loaded. We caught a lot of big fish, almost 27 lbs between my non-boater and I. 80-90% of my fish came on a jig. I was using a jig from Bob’s Bait & Tackle from here in La Crosse. I caught some of my bigger largemouth this afternoon on a homemade jig. It was great to be home, nice to be back with family and win this tournament on my home waters,” said Otto.

Finishing in a close 3^rd place was Wisconsin’s Chad Richardson with 41 lbs 2 oz. Richardson was the recipient of the tournament’s $500 Cabela’s Angler Cash contingency award. It is awarded to the highest finishing TBF member who is enrolled in the program. It is free to all TBF members and takes just a few minutes to register online. Richardson will advance to nationals as a co-angler for Wisconsin.

Making a great comeback, after battling a tough first day with penalties, Indiana’s Walter Wynn finished the tournament in 2^nd place overall and advances as a boater for the always tough state team. Walt stayed with it and finished strong with a 14 lb 5 oz bag today, making his 3-day total 42 lbs 8 oz. “I had an average day again today. I caught all of them cranking, on the main current flow at the end of a spillway,” said Wynn. This is his third time on the Indiana state team and this time, it was his time to win. He has been the man to beat in Indiana and now he has qualified for the TBF National Championship. “I’m pretty excited to be able to carry my boat and be exposed to the next level of competitive bass fishing.” Wynn’s teammate Rob Kelley advances as a co-angler. He had an impressive day today weighing 17 lbs, tying him for the tournament big sack. He finished 5^th overall with a 3-day total weight of 39 lbs 10 oz.

Having very impressive finish and big bass of the day was Michigan’s Bill Simpson who weighed in 16 lbs 12 oz and kicker that weighed 4 lbs 15 oz. That bass ended up being the biggest bass of the tournament. Wisconsin Bass Federation sponsored the daily big bass award with the winner receiving a customized jersey made by Atomic Bass Jerseys in La Crosse. “I had my best day today, caught them all flippin’. I’ve only been bass fishing for 5 years and this is my first state team,” said Simpson. Simpson won his state with a 3-day total of 39 lbs 3 oz and advances as a boater. “I’m pretty excited and pumped to be fishing in the Nationals next year!”

In the state team standings, it was no surprise, Wisconsin dominated the entire week and finished the tournament besting the Ohio team by almost 50 lbs. They finished the tournament at 434 lbs 4 oz and were awarded the Northern Division ‘Cup’ for the year, as well as much-deserved bragging rights. Even though Ohio made a strong comeback today, it wasn’t enough after Wisconsin’s 50 lb lead yesterday. “I am really not surprised by the results, as the host state should win their own tournament. I’m very proud of my guys, they worked as a team at the team meetings every night. Team Captain, Andy Ritchie always keeps everything flowing smoothly and emphasizes the importance of teamwork. I’d also like to congratulate Ben and Chad and look forward to spending the week with them next spring at the TBF National Championship,” said Wisconsin Bass Federation President, Mike Simonds.

Ohio finished in state standings at 2^ndplace with 387 lbs 2 oz. Indiana came in 3^rd with 350 lbs 1 oz, Minnesota in 4^th with 297 lbs 12 oz, Illinois 5^th with 290 lbs 15 oz and Michigan 6^th with 227 lbs even.

FINAL STANDINGS

The top angler in state team standings advances as a boater and the 2^nd place angler of each state advances as a co-angler to the 2013 TBF National Championship next spring. There they’ll fish for the “Living the Dream” prize package to include paid entry fees as an FLW Pro for a year with use of a wrapped Ranger boat and Chevrolet truck, as well as, thousands in cash and prizes.

2013 National Championship Contenders for the Northern Division are as follows:

Illinois

Mark Wagle (Angler), Lonnie Winn (Co-Angler)

Indiana

Walter Wynn (Angler), Rob Kelley (Co-Angler

Michigan

Bill Simpson (Angler), Mark Goetsch (Co-Angler)

Minnesota

Lanny Isensee (Angler), Tim Domaille (Co-Angler)

Ohio

Jeff Dyer (Angler), Jason Myers (Co-Angler)

Wisconsin

Ben Otto (Angler), Chad Richardson (Co-Angler)

“We hope all the anglers had a great time in Wisconsin. I’d also like to congratulate all the National Contenders from each state and look forward to seeing them there. The Wisconsin Bass Federation would also like to thank Donnie, Norm and Tisha for all their hard work, the City of La Crosse Tourism Bureau and Days Inn Hotel,” Simonds added.