Art Simms Bass Fishing

My photo
I started bass fishing after watching all of the fishing shows on tv. A few years later I thought I was pretty good, until I entered a few tournaments. I quickly realized that I wasn't as good as I thought and was only donating my money. In 1997 I joined the Viking Bassmasters of the Minnesota Bass Federation to hone my skills with some guys more experienced than me. Since that time I have learned a lot and had some major success. I have been Viking Bassmasters Club Champion three times and won sixteen club tournaments. I was the Fishers of Men Minnesota East division champion in 2006, along with a few money tournament wins and numerous top tens.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Merry Christmas to all!

Sport shows

The 2010 Sportshow season is right around the corner. Time to stock up on FlaMinn Lures Spinnerbaits & Jigs. Look for the FlaMinn Lures booth at the following shows. I will be working some days at the MPLS, St. Paul and St. Cloud shows, stop by and say hello.

Minnesota Sportsmens Show
Jan 13 - 17
St. Paul Rivercenter, St. Paul, MN.

St. Cloud Sportsmens Show
Feb 12 - 14
St. Cloud Civic Center, St. Cloud, MN.

Northwest Sports Show
March 24 - 28
Minneapolis Convention Center, MPLS. MN.

Sporting Collectible Show
April 17 - 18
Perham Area Community Center, Perham MN.

Polk County Sportsmens Show
April 24 - 25
Polk County fairgrounds, St. Croix Falls WI.

FlaMinn Lures will also be at various other sportshows in the upper midwest, check their website for more information. http://www.flaminnlures.com/

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

2009 Bass Derby

The 2009 Bass Pundit Bass Derby is in the books and unfortunately, I fell short of my goal. I ended up finishing in second place with 25.27 lbs.
Congratulations to Jason Holmer (Minnesota Bass Fishing Blog) for being this years Champ with 28.92 lbs. Jason got into some big fish, including a 7 pounder, which gave him a lead that no one could overcome. Great job!
Thanks Dave for putting it all together.
Now, all I can do is look forward to next years derby, and wait for my 2nd place check - I hear it's in the mail!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Kistler news!

Great news! Follow this link http://www.kistlerrods.com/KistlerDoesTheRightThing to see whats going on at Kistler Rods. Guide upgrades for previously purchased rods, Gary Loomis designed blanks, micro guides, new total custom rod program and the new Zbone rod are all in store for 2010.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Youth Services Bureau tournament

This years Sunrise Bassmasters fundraising tournament for Youth Services Bureau was changed to Big Marine lake, due to the low water at North/South Center.
My brother Scott and I decided not to pre-fish because I have one spot that normally produces big fish and didn't want to hook any. We figured if the big fish were not going, we could still catch fish there along with an occasional good one.
The morning started partly cloudy and cool with a good 15 mph South wind, with a forecast for strong N/NW winds in the afternoon.
After blasting off boat #6 we arrived at our spot and started casting our jigworms. After a few casts, I set the hook into our first keeper, a 16+. A few casts later I caught a 15 incher. It took a while but then Scott caught our 3rd fish - a 13 incher.
The bite was very slow and the strong wind was making it difficult to fish, but a while later a 14 incher made it into the livewell. We continued fishing the spot for about another hour but had no more bites, so we decided to start working around the area, hoping they would be grouped up somewhere nearby.
Around 11:00, and still only four fish, we decided to flip some reeds in hopes of filling our limit, then maybe going back to our original spot and try for bigger fish.
The reeds were almost impossible to fish due to the wind, but after getting around to the protected side, I managed to catch our fifth fish - a 14 incher.
The reeds did not produce any more bites, so we ran to a spot where Scott had won a club tournament previously. Scott managed to cull one, but that was it.
We had about two hours left and opted to kill them on our best spot where we managed a few culls but nothing big.
While waiting for weigh in, we heard a couple of teams talking that had about 15lbs each. We considered dumping our fish thinking our 8lbs wouldn't get us anywhere, but decided to weigh anyway. Turns out our 8.34lbs was good for 5th place and another check!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Derby culls

I made it a point to get back out to "Hawg Heaven" on Friday and managed to make a couple of culls for the Bass Pundit Bass Derby.
I was joined my my friend and fellow bass fisherman Sammy Lewis who was as anxious as me to return to the lake.
We started flipping a set of reeds that held a lot of fish on my last visit, but nothing big. My first fish of the day was only a 16 incher, but the next one was a healthy 19 incher that went 4-4 on my scale, giving me a slight cull. I continued catching catching fish most of the morning but nothing big, but after a while the bite just stopped.
I decided to try something different and went to some off shore structure. On about my fifth cast I felt a solid thump, and after a hard fought battle Sammy lipped a bass that weighed 5-10. We continued working the area but didn't get any more bites.
While trolling to the next piece of structure, Sammy noticed bait fish surfacing and started throwing a spinnerbait at them and quickly boated two 14 inchers.
On the next spot, after making a few casts, I felt my lure climb over some brush and then get whacked. I set the hook into the fish but it had me wrapped, after see-sawing a couple times the fish pulled out of the brush and Sammy again lipped another big fish - 5lbs even.
We continued to run this pattern all over the lake but had no other bites.
I was getting close to calling it a day, but on the way in we decided to hit the same reed bed we started on and it was on fire. Lots of fish but all small. After about an hour we headed in.
This gives me three good culls and should move me up in the Derby.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Bass Derby update

Well, I didn't get out fishing as much as I hoped last week, but I did manage to get out a couple times and make one cull that should move me up to third place in the Derby.

On Thursday I went to Rush lake and spent the day flipping reeds. I had a pretty good day of fishing, lots of 14 - 15 inch fish with an occasional 18+, including a fat 19 incher which culled an 18 incher in the Derby.

On Sunday, my brother Scott went with me to a lake that I heard guys were catching six to seven pound bass. We had another great day catching lots of fish, again flipping reeds, but the biggest were only in the 16 inch range.

Unfortunately for me, Jason Holmer was fishing a tournament the same day on the same lake and he whacked the big ones - one over 7lbs, one over 6 lbs and a couple that were close to 6 lbs, giving him a commanding lead in the Derby.

I may be fishing for second place at this point but I am still going to give it my best.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Bass Pundit Bass Derby

The tournaments are winding down for the season and with only a few opens left to compete in later this fall I have shifted my focus to winning the Bass Pundit Bass Derby.
As of now I am sitting in 3rd place with 22. 07lbs, a little over 2 lbs out of first. I have all next week off work and my plan is to hit some of my favorite big fish lakes and try to do some culling. My creel includes two fish over 5lbs, but I still have three fish in the 18 inch range. If I can cull the 18's for some 19-20 inchers I think I could have a pretty good shot at winning the title.
Look for a report in a week or so.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Bubba's Bass Bonanza - Rush Lake

Rush lake had not been kind to me the last two years, and the couple times I was there this year, the spots that normally put out big fish were not going. My partner Shawn and I decided to fish the tournament anyway, because you just never know - I'm glad we did.
We arrived at the West access about 6 am to a very cool 44 degrees with light Northwest winds. After a short meeting, and drawing boat #5, we launched the boat and discussed our strategy. Since we did not pre-fish, we decided to stick with what worked in the past - flipping reeds. When our number was called we ran straight to one our best reed beds. It didn't take long and my Kistler HE76XHC was swinging a 16 incher in the boat, a couple minutes later Shawn caught a 14 incher. Next we ran to what used to be our best spot and I quickly caught a 17+, a short while later Shawn boated another 17+. We worked back through the same reed bed and I picked up another 17+, which now gave us a limit, then Shawn caught a 17 that culled the 14. The action was not fast & furious, but almost every bite was a good one
About 11 o'clock, the bite had really slowed, so we thought we would let the area rest and fish a nearby row of docks that have produced some big fish in the past. On the last dock I caught a 15 incher which didn't help, then in a small patch of reeds next to the docks, Shawn stuck another 15 incher.
We then fished another small patch of reeds that is known to give up a lunker now and then, but no success this time.
At this point, thinking we had about 14 lbs, we knew we had a shot at a good finish. We decided that since almost every bite on our best spot was a 17 incher, we would kill the last two hours there and try to get a couple of good culls.
We continued catching fish, but everything was in the 14-15 inch range, so we headed in with what we had and hoped for the best.
I was very surprised when our fish were put on the scale - 15.13lbs, good for first place and a check for $1000.00. I really didn't think we had over 14lbs but Rush lake fish are fat! Second place was about 14lbs and third was 12+.
Thanks to Bubba for running a good tournament, check out his circuit if you're looking for more tournaments to fish.

Monday, August 10, 2009

FTO Forest Lake update

FTO Outdoors finally posted the Forest Lake results and final standings for the year. Turns out we took 7th place in the tournament, giving us a top ten finish in each of the three tournaments in the series. Also, after some initial confusion in the year end final standings, we ended up in 4th place overall, good for a free entry into a FTO tournament next year.
Congratulations to the team of Whiting & Wood for winning the points title.

Monday, August 3, 2009

FTO Outdoors - Forest Lake

The final stop of the Full Throttle Outdoors Z Series was on Forest Lake July 25th. We were sitting in fourth place going into this one and mathematically we were still in the points race, but being 15 points out of first, the odds were against us. Still, we hoped for a good finish to move us up maybe a couple more places and make the money.
We decided to start on a reed bed that normally holds good fish. Scott was flipping a MG Lures Rhino Craw and I was flipping a Mister Twister B-A-Hawg, both of us using Kisler HE76xhc flippin rods. After about an hour and a half the wind started blowing pretty good and with only a 12 & 13 incher in the livewell, we abandoned the reeds and ran to some docks. Scott continued flippin the craw but I switched to a Texas rigged black neon Comida with a 1/8 oz weight tied to a Kistler Helium 2 69 mh. After a few fishless docks I finally stuck a 17 incher, a couple docks later a 14 incher, then a 15 incher went into the boat. We now had a limit and figured out what kind of docks were holding fish, but we still had lots of culling to do.
We ran to the next set of docks that fit the pattern and pretty quickly culled the 12 with a 14 incher, then Scott stuck a 14 incher which culled the 13. Next I caught a 16 that culled our smallest 14. On the next row of docks I caught a 15 that got rid of another 14 and caught some smaller fish that didn't help.
At this point we had a decent bag but still had a 14 incher in the well. We figured it would take about 12 pounds to make the money and we needed to upgrade to have a chance. With about 45 minutes until weigh in we had enough time to run another row of docks, but ultimately never caught another fish that would help.
The winning weight for the tournament was a little over 14lbs, second was 13 lbs and 3rd was 12 lbs, the last money spot and 5th place was 11.03lbs and our weight was 10.63lbs, just missing the money.
As of yet we still don't know what place we finished because FTO Outdoors does not post the weights at the tournament and they are very slow at posting the results on their website.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

FlaMinn Lures

I have been using Flaminn Lures flippin jigs and spinnerbaits for about five years now and I truly believe they are the best on the market. FlaMinn Lures is a small company based in Audubon Minnesota, that still takes pride in the product they build. The spinnerbaits are made with all quality components like ball bearing swivels and silver or gold plated blades. The Ultimate Flippin Jig is also top notch quality, made with Mustad hooks and a hard epoxy finish that lasts. They also carry buzzbaits, mushroom head jigs and crankbaits. They have a great color and size selection and Dave may even custom make something to your specs.

FlaMinn lures is running a Web special through Labor day, get a free spinnerbait or Ultimate Flipping Jig with any order over $50.00, get 2 free with any order over $100.00.

Check out their website at http://www.flaminnlures.com/

Monday, June 29, 2009

FTO Outdoors - Green Lake, Chisago

Arriving at the ramp Friday morning to pre-fish, all the dock talk was about how tough the fishing on Green Lake was, and that some guys were not even going to fish the tournament. After pre-fishing Friday, I was not convinced it was tough. All my spots had fish going and they were biting good.
Tournament morning started out 65 degrees, sunny and calm. We decided to start on a small point that seemed to have the best concentration of fish on it. After a couple of casts, my brother Scott hooked up with a 15 incher. A while later I caught a 13 incher and a short time after that a 12 incher went in the livewell. The bite slowed a bit but we managed to put another 14 in the well. After some time, and only a few shorts, we decided it was not worth sitting any longer on small fish, so we moved to a weedline that I had done well on the last few years. We were rewarded with a fish over 17 inches that filled our limit and another around 14", which culled the 12 incher.
A couple hours went by and the bite had all but stopped. Around 12:30, knowing we had no chance of making the money with the 9 lbs we had, it was time to make a change. We opted to run a stretch of docks that I had my eye on all day.
We fished the first dock with no takers, but while moving to the second dock we saw a 3 pounder swim under it. After fishing the dock thoroughly I moved around and skipped under the boat lift, my line tightened and I set the hook on what I thought was the 3 pounder. As I pulled the fish from under the lift I was amazed to see a giant on the end of my line, and the 3 pounder was swimming with it! After a heart pounding battle, Scott scooped up the 5 pounder. When the high fives were done we realized we were culling a 13 incher with a 5 lber and added about 4 pounds to our weight. We then circled back and continued fishing the same dock & lift, hoping to catch the 3 lber that was still there. After no success we moved to the next dock and again saw bass swimming under the dock - but this time there were three, about 3 lbs each. We worked this dock like no other, but after no bites we continued down the row of docks, excited knowing the kind of fish we were around. After finishing the docks with no more fish, and about 20 minutes before weigh in, we ran back and started over, hoping to catch the 3lbers we saw. We were unable to cull any more and ran out of time. We were still excited about the 5 lber but not thrilled with our total weight since historically it takes over 16 lbs to make the money.
At the weigh in it was apparent the dock talk was not all bull, lots of small limits were making their way across the scales. We weighed in with 12.72lbs good for 7th place and a check, and big bass for the day at 5.25lbs. Overall the weights were down, there were a couple 18lb bags, a few 15 lb and a few 13 lb with our bag taking the last money spot.
This finish should move us up in the standings to about 4th place with one event to go.

Monday, June 15, 2009

ABA - Big Marine

After all the success I had on Big Marine last year I was really looking forward to this years tournament. My only concern was since the tournament is in June instead of August, the big fish might not be on my best spot yet.

I had been on vacation all week and did not plan on pre-fishing but decided to go out Saturday anyway. I went directly to my best spot and on my first cast caught a 3 pounder, I made another cast and got bit again. At this point I was convinced the big ones were there, so I spent the next couple of hours checking some other spots that normally have lots of fish on them, but not the size. They all had fish on them and they were biting well, so I called it a day and left to prepare for the next day.

Tournament morning it seemed as though everything was going my way, beautiful 55 degree morning, light winds, no rain in the forecast, my fish were there and I even drew boat number one!

I arrived at my spot and made my first cast with a jigworm tied to my Kistler HE70MS, put down the trolling motor and when I picked up my jig, a fish was on, a 14 incher went into the livewell. On my next cast another 14 incher, then a 15, then a 13, then another 14. Five casts and five fish, only not the size I planned on. My next cast produced another 13 incher which I released, then I caught a 14 1/2 which culled the 13. In 25 minutes I caught a limit and culled, but then it shut off. I continued to fish the spot for a couple more hours hoping the big fish would turn on, but it never happened. I had two other waypoints in the same general area so I decided to move around a bit and hopefully cull up. I fished the other two spots with no success and decided to spend more time on the original spot. About noon, without another bite, it was time to hit some other spots I knew of. After about a hour and a half and several spots later, and still no more bites, I opted to kill the rest of the day on my best spot. About 2:30 I finally got another bite and culled a slimmer 14 with a fatter one, adding maybe an ounce or two to my weight. At this point my only hope was that everyone was having as tough a day as I was and hopefully I had enough to make the money.
Turns out it was a tough day for everyone, it took only about 11 pounds to win and a few bags in the 10 pound range finished out the money spots. I finished with 7.82 pounds although I'm not sure what place I ended up in because there were a few bags between 7 and 8 pounds.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

FTO Outdoors - Balsam Lake, 5/16/09

The Balsam Lake tournament did not go as well as I hoped, but to be honest, it went better than I expected. I always seem to struggle at Balsam when the weather is unstable, and the massive cold front that blew through Friday night had me worried. Fortunately, our first fish clued us into a pattern that worked throughout the day.
When we prefished a week earlier, the weather had been stable and we found water temps in the upper 50's in the bays and lots of fish cruising typical spring shallows. We figured the fish would stay shallow and the spawn would start soon, so we decided to mark the areas that held the best fish and figure out how to catch them. After trying several different lures and catching some fish, we determined a weightless Texas rigged Mister Twister Comida in watermelon candy with the tip dyed chartreuse was the most productive presentation.
We hit the water again on Friday, the day before the tournament. After verifying the fish were still in the same areas and the same lure would work, we decided to check out a couple of my deep spots, both held fish but the quality was not there. So our game plan was set, we just had to decide where to start.
Tournament day arrived and we were greeted with 38 degree air temps, 15 - 20 mph NW winds gusting to close to 30 mph, and water temps that had fallen to 50 degrees. We decided to start in a small protected bay that had docks & weeds and held some good fish, but being boat #26 we weren't sure how many other boats would be there. Our number was called and after a blustery ride we were pleasantly surprised to find only one other boat in the bay, and they we anchored, which left us plenty of room to move around.
The first thing we noticed was no fish cruising like the previous day, so we knew we had to really slow down. I was skipping the Comida under docks & lifts with my Kistler 6'9" Helium 2, while my brother Scott was fishing the surrounding areas. On the third dock I stuck our first fish - a 15.5 incher, which told me the fish were still there. We continued around the bay and after a few more docks I caught a 17.5 under a boat lift. We now had a pattern - protected bays with docks & weeds. Next we ran to another protected bay and after fishing quite a few docks I finally hooked up with our 3rd fish - a 16 incher. We were now pretty confident we would have a limit since there was plenty of time left. We continued fishing the bay without any more bites and then ran to the next protected area. Again, after fishing a few more docks I caught our 4th fish, just a little over 14 inches but a keeper. By now we only had a couple hours left and had run out of protected spots, so we ran back to our starting spot and fished the docks over again without any bites. We then ran back to our second spot and again no fish. Now with only about 45 minutes left, we decided to end the day in the bay by the park and refish those docks. With only a few minutes left before check in, on the last dock in the row, I felt a bite and my line tighten up, I set the hook only to be broken off by what I am sure would have been keeper number 5.
We never did catch our 5th fish and ended up with 4 fish for 8.82 pounds, good for 10th place, but only missing the money by 3/4 of a pound.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Finally ready

The reels are cleaned and spooled up with fresh line, the new LMS520c is mounted on the bow, the trailer bearings are repacked and the motor is tuned up. Finally, I am ready to go fishing! I'm planning on going to Balsam lake Friday with my brother Scott to do a little scouting for the Full Throttle Outdoors tournament next Saturday. I'm not sure what to expect, but from what I have heard the fishing has been tough. I'm guessing the bass will be pre-spawn so I'll spend some time looking around, checking water temps and looking for new weed growth, and hopefully catch a few fish in the process.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Bass fishing blogs

I had a little time today so I thought I would post a blog roll on my sidebar to return the favor to some of my fellow bloggers who follow mine. Of special note are the Bass Pundits blog and Rich Lindgrens Bassin Blog, these are the guys who started the bass fishing blog revolution in Minnesota. The Bass Pundit is a former Viking Bassmaster club member that I was fortunate enough to fish with a few times. I have not had the privilege to meet Rich Lindgren, although I'm sure our paths have crossed at a few tournaments, and I do look forward to meeting him someday. Both are great sites, loaded with info and worth following.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

A&J Towing LLC



I have not had much time to blog lately because about a month ago my brother and I started a towing company - A&J Towing LLC. Between keeping my full time job, getting set up and working out all the kinks for A&J Towing, it just didn't leave any extra time.

We are based in Coon Rapids, MN. but service the entire Minneapolis, St. Paul & surrounding areas. If any one needs a tow, jump start, tire change, or lockout, give us a call. Mention you saw this blog and get 10% off.


A&J Towing LLC
24hrs/7 days wk
763-592-9697


Monday, March 9, 2009

Northwest Sportshow

The Northwest Sportshow starts Thursday March 12th and runs through Sunday the 15th at the Minneapolis convention center. I am not sure if I will be working there this year, but if I do, I will be at the FlaMinn Lures booth #925, stop by and say hello. Be sure to check out the FlaMinn Lures Ultimate flippin jigs and spinnerbaits - the quality is outstanding! If I am not there tell Dave or Judy I sent you.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Skeet Reese - Classic Champ!

Congratulation to Skeet Reese - Bassmaster Classic Champion!

Skeet has proven he is one of the most consistent & versatile anglers on tour. With his Classic win, a few tournament wins and an Angler Of The Year title to his credit, he is setting himself up to be one of the true legends of bass fishing.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Bassmaster Classic

Here are my picks to win the Bassmaster Classic, in no particular order.

Kevin VanDam - Obvious threat, any where, any time.

Greg Hackney - Somewhat of a local, the fishery fits his style.

Scott Rook - Knows how to win on river systems, may quietly sneak up on everyone.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Elite tournament

Normally, I like to keep my opinions to myself, but after reading an article on BassFan, I must vent.

Seems some morons in Virginia have organized a tournament to coincide with the Bassmaster Elite tournament on Smith Mountain Lake in April 2009. Stemming from their disapproval of the elimination of co-anglers by BASS, they are billing it as “beat the elites”. Sounds like they will mirror the Elite format with cuts, keep the take off site a secret, and even offer a $1000.00 bonus to any competitor whose four day total weight beats the pros. They claim this is their chance to prove they are as good as the pros.

First, all these guys are trying to do is feed their own egos and interfere with the Elite tournament pros. Sure, some of them will beat the pros, but being locals, some of them should. Also, we all know there will be numerous confrontations over fishing spots, which will lead to bad publicity, adding another black eye to the sport of competitive bass fishing.

Second, if indeed this is over the elimination of co-anglers, get over it! BASS is a business, they listened to the pros and did what they thought was in the best interest of the sport, and I agree with their decision.

The way I see it, nothing good will come from this tournament!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Mister Twister Comida

The air temperature was crisp like most spring mornings, the cool water of the shallow bay I was fishing was quickly being warmed by the rising June sun. With each degree of warmth there was an increase in activity by the cold blooded creatures inhabiting the small bay. After making a long cast with a weightless Mister Twister Comida and letting it sink slowly to the bottom, I saw my line move indicating a strike from a hungry largemouth bass, I quickly set the hook and reeled in a chunky three pounder.
The soft plastic stickbait quickly made a name for itself because of its ability to catch bass in many situations. As the name implies, this stick shaped bait has no appendages of any kind and is available in various lengths, it can be fished shallow or deep, and rigged many ways, but the stickbait really shines when fished weightless in shallow water due to its enticing wobble as it sinks.
My favorite soft plastic stickbait is the Mister Twister Comida. The Comida is 5 inches in length and available in many colors, my favorites being pumpkin pepper for clear water situations, Christmas tree for stained water, and black with red flake for dark water. Rigged Texas style with no weight, this bait is deadly on spring largemouth.
Generally in spring, the water is clear, so I will use a natural color like pumpkin pepper or watermelon seed. A 3/0 wide gap hook, 17 lb fluorocarbon line and a Kistler HE2 6'9" medium heavy completes my setup.
After searching for and locating typical spring largemouth haunts, like sandy shorelines or inside weedlines, start by making a long cast to your target and let the bait sink to the bottom. Because the Comida has the ability to attract bass while sinking, pay special attention for a strike during this time, which may be indicated by either line movement or a telltale tap. If no bite is detected on the fall let the Comida rest motionless for a few seconds, give it a couple of short hops and let it sink again, if still no takers, reel in and cast to another spot repeating the sequence until a bass is caught. When a fish does strike, be sure to make note of whether the bass hit on the fall, while hopping the Comida, or while motionless, and try to duplicate that presentation to continue catching bass.
Another of my favorite techniques is to Texas rig a Comida with a 1/8 ounce bullet weight and skip it under docks. This technique can be very productive year round. Try to skip to the shadiest or most inaccessible areas as possible as these are the places the lunkers tend to hang out. Fish the Comida exactly as previously mentioned except heavier line may be needed to get the fish out as quickly as possible before it tangles around the dock pilings.
You can also Texas rig the Comida with a ¼ ounce bullet sinker and fish it on deep weedlines or pitch it to holes in the milfoil, Carolina rig it on the deep rock piles, wacky rig it or use a mushroom-head jig and fish with the hook exposed.
Spring, summer or fall, under any condition, you can always find a way to catch bass on the Mister Twister Comida.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

2009 tournament schedule

Thanks to a little reminder from the Bass Pundit, I thought I would post my tournament schedule for 2009.
One item of note, I found out there will be no Fishers of Men East division in 2009. It appears former FOM Director Mark Shutz has started a new tournament circuit called Full Throttle Fishing. He started with a walleye circuit in 2008 and has expanded with a bass circuit for 2009 consisting of two divisions with three tournaments each. My understanding is the points Champions from each division win a free entry into the Frankies 2 day tournament. Full Throttle Fishing seems structured very similar to FOM with a Friday night pre-tournament meeting, meal and guest speaker. I plan to fish the FTF circuit this year although I am not thrilled about the Friday night meetings, I would rather be home getting tackle ready and charging my batteries.
I also plan to fish the ABA again this year. These are very well run tournaments and a great group of guys.

ABA - 6/14 Big Marine
6/28 No/So Center
7/12 Waconia
7/26 Coon
8/9 Forest
8/23 Clearwater
9/19-20 White Bear & Big Marine

Full Throttle Fishing - 5/16 Balsam
6/20 Rush
7/25 Forest

Fishers of Men West - 5/30 Clearwater
8/29 Horseshoe

Viking Invitational - 10/4 Minnetonka

Sunrise YSB - 9/19? No/So Center