Evansville Bassmasters

Ohio River - (Birdsville)

1-2 June 0515 - 1530

    Friday evening as I sat and watched the television and all of the devastation that was happening in Oklahoma the Weather Channel said that the storms headed for us were in Saint Louis and had spawned tornados. For the first time since I started fishing I was having second thoughts about fishing. I called my partner to see what his thoughts were and he was already in a hotel in Paducah Kentucky also watching the weather. I think I would not have fished on Saturday if my partner had not already been down there. So….. I put my big girl pants on, set the alarm for 2:00am and went to bed.

     As dawn began to appear Saturday morning, I pulled into the meeting area at the boat ramp to heavy rain and lightning. I'm apprehensive about the prospects of the day: Thunderstorms with rain all day and moderate winds. The Tournament director delayed the launch of the boats about 45 minutes and I waited at least another 30 before I launched. I finally get my boat on the water and make the best out of an undesirable day.

Conditions

Water Temp: 72 to 74 degrees

Clarity: Creeks Muddy/Main river medium stain

Lake Level: 29.47 rising to 29.91 Sat night then falling to 29.41 by noon Sun.

Weather: 5.58 inches of rain (Sat) Partly cloudy (Sun)

Air Temp: 63 (Sat) 63 (Sun) in morning, 75 (Sat) 77 (Sun) at weigh-in

Winds: SE 8 - 22 mph...gusts to 28 (Sat) WNW 6 – 13 mph…gusts to 16 (Sun)

Weather Pattern: High winds with showers for the 3 days prior to the tournament

Moon Phase: Last Quarter

Results

First Place: Adam Keeneth – 16.24lbs (10 fish) – Adam caught his fish Saturday by focusing on wood lined banks in creeks at depths between 6 inches and 4 feet. On Sunday he scrapped the pattern and fished the main river due to the declining condition of the creeks after the heavy rains on Saturday. His productive baits were a Chartreuse Megabass Z-Crank X crankbait and a Charmers Tube (green pumpkin w/orange and purple flake) He also took Big Bass honors both days with two Largemouth weighing in at 2.50lbs and 3.94lbs respectively.

Second Place: Rich Austin – 13.16lbs (10 fish) - Rich focused on rip rap or rock banks with wood mixed in. His key bait was a Charmers Tube (green pumpkin w/orange and purple flake) worked slowly with the current with water depth from 2 to 7 feet.

Third Place: Charlie Hardin – 12.54lbs (10 fish) - Charlie caught his fish on rip rap or rock banks with wood mixed in. His key bait was a Charmers Tube (green pumpkin w/orange and purple flake) worked slowly with the current.

Fourth Place: George Strouse – 6.50lbs (5 fish) - George fished rock on the main river to catch his fish. The bait that was instrumental in his catch was the football Green pumpkin jig.

Fifth Place: Vick Jennings - 5.22lbs (3 fish) - Vick caught his keeper fish on a crankbait.

Big Bass: Adam Keeneth caught the biggest fish both days 2.50lbs. and 3.94lbs.

Full Results: Click Here

Other Notes:

Next Tournament: Jun 23rd on Kentucky Lake (Moors) We will be fishing Moors on Saturday and out of Kentucky Dam Village on Sunday. Hope to see all of our club members at the tournament. We will be holding our next meeting at the Deerhead Tavern on Monday June 17th starting at 7pm. Please feel free to stop by and check us out and/or join the club. We are actively seeking new members, and would welcome anyone who wants to join.

Evansville Bassmasters

Lake Beshear - (Redding)

23 March 0700 - 1600

I checked my alarm as I turned off the light Friday night and it was set for 3:20am. My boat and fishing gear were all prepared to leave on the 75 mile journey from Evansville to Lake Beshear on Saturday morning. The forecast for Saturday was much improved over most of the days the previous two weeks and the snowy days since that time. The anticipation for this tournament caused me to toss and turn until I finally got up at 3:00am and left for the lake. Evansville Bassmasters had fished the lake the same time in March last year but this winter has been colder than last year and I knew the fishing patterns would not be the same. My preplanning was not as thorough as it should have been, even though I had experienced limited success last year at Lake Beshear I always look forward to this tournament.

During the drive down to the Lake I thought about where I would fish and the specific lures I would use. My lure choices in this type of weather are plastic worms, jigs, flat sided crankbaits, or spinnerbaits. My comfort zone and experience caused me to primarily fish jigs and soft plastics but earlier reports from Beshear indicated very nice fish were being caught with chatterbaits (black & blue) and Charmer Baits Timber Pups (green pumpkin). With the water temperature 45 – 47 degrees, I knew the fish would not be in large numbers in the creeks or in shallower water. The bite would be sporadic at best and I wished I had done better planning before the start of the tournament.

Several members had a better plan to fish the conditions of the lake than I had. Fish in these conditions often stage themselves close to deep water or over structure such as points, ledges, roadbeds, or trees. I was hoping to find them holding close to the base of stumps/laydowns or at the base of rocky bluffs that faced the afternoon sun, but that plan for me only produced one strike and no fish after fishing for over seven hours. At 2:00pm I picked up a spinnerbait and caught my first fish within 5 minutes and caught my second 45 minutes later.

I shared the same water with the top 2 finishers and actually a similar plan but they adapted to the conditions better than I did. What I mean by that is I stuck with the old colors (black & blue jig) that I have done well with in the past. Just goes to show you to fish the conditions and don’t try to force feed them.

Conditions

Water Temp: Cold, 46.8 to 50 degrees

Clarity: Light/medium stain

Lake Level: Normal to slightly elevated

Weather: Cloudy early/Sunny later

Air Temp: 39 in morning, 57 at weigh-in

Winds: Moderate (Approx 6 to 14 mph...gusts to 18)

Weather Pattern: Very Cold the three days prior to the tournament

Moon Phase: 3 days prior to the full Moon

Results

First Place: Charlie Hardin – 15.82lbs (4 fish) – Charlie caught his fish by focusing on wood lined points and banks at depths between 6 and 8 feet. The productive bait for Charlie was a Slongs finesse jig (green pumpkin w/orange) with a Timber pup trailer (Green pumpkin/Chartreuse tail). He also took Big Bass honors with a Largemouth weighing in at 5.66lbs.

Second Place: Andy Esparza – 10.68lbs (4 fish) - Andy worked his black and blue worm slow. He focused on tree lined banks and pockets with water depth from 2 to 5 feet close to the bank.

Third Place: Dave Beckwith - 7.88lbs (3 fish) - Dave found his fish on rip rap banks. His key bait was his trusty white bandit.

Fourth Place: George Strouse - 5.40lbs (2 fish) - George fished main lake banks and points to catch his fish. The bait that was instrumental in his catch was the Green pumpkin jig.

Fifth Place: Mark Lowe - 4.88lbs (2 fish) - Mark caught his keeper fish on spinnerbait and crankbait.

Big Bass: Charlie Hardin caught the biggest fish of the day 5.66lbs.

Full Results: Click Here

Other Notes: Steve Hopkins and Scott Esparza fished with as guests.

Next Tournament: April 20th on the Ohio River (Rocky Point) don't forget the launch fee. Hope to see all of our club members at the tournament, we need to get as much information as possible for our club members fishing the Top 8. We will be holding our next meeting at the Deerhead Tavern on Monday April 15th starting at 7pm. Please feel free to stop by and check us out and/or join the club. We are actively seeking new members, and would welcome anyone who wants to join.

Evansville Bassmasters kicked off the 2013 tournament season on Kentucky Lake March 9-10. The club was greeted with a forecast for warmer weather for the weekend but the wind was gusting to 40 mph on Sunday. The water temperature at blast-off was 45 degrees. Entering the tournament, teams were wondering whether the bite would be hampered by the cold front that had passed through late in the prior week. At weigh-in, it became evident that the Kentucky Lake bass did not like the drop in water temps, as few anglers brought catches to the scales.

Conditions

Water Temp: Very cold, 45 to 47 degrees

Clarity: Clear in main lake, light/medium stain in most creeks

Lake Level: 355.0

Weather: (Sat) Cloudy early/Sunny later – (Sun) Clear early/Cloudy later

Air Temp: (Sat) 39 in morning, 54 at weigh-in – (Sun) 50 in morning, 67 at weigh-in

Winds: (Sat) Moderate (Approx 7 to 14 mph...gusts to 21) - (Sun) Strong (Approx 12 to 26 mph...gusts to 40)

Weather Pattern: Cold with snow and rain early in the week with a gradual warming trend starting Friday.

Moon Phase: New Moon

Results

First Place: Brian Moskalick – 15.82lbs (3 fish) – Brian caught his fish by focusing on chunk rock and pea gravel points and banks at depths between 8 and 12 feet. The productive baits for Brian were jointed suspending Shad Rap in Gizzard shad and Red Eye Shad in Chrome Sexy/Red Craw. His bag was topped off each day with two very nice Largemouth weighing in at 4.30lbs and 5.72lbs.

Second Place: Rich Austin – 12.32lbs (2 fish) - Rich worked a variety of baits and patterns but only caught his fish on the infamous A-Rig. He focused on chunk rock banks with water depth from 8 to 12 feet close to a creek channel swing.

Third Place: Andy Esparza - 3.62lbs (2 fish) - Andy found his fish on lead in banks to spawning pockets in about 4 to 9 feet of water. His key baits were olive color Jerkbait and orange color Shad Rap.

Fourth Place: Scott Lincks - 2.96lbs (1 fish) - Scott fished main lake chunk rock banks and points to catch his fish. The bait that was instrumental in his catch was the red eye shad in the ghost shad color.

Fifth Place: Vick Jennings - 1.96lbs (1 fish) - Vick caught his keeper fish on the A-Rig fishing a point for suspended fish over 30 ft of water.

Big Bass: Brian Moskalick caught the biggest fish on both days – Saturday he caught a 4.30lbs largemouth.

Sunday he brought in a beautiful 5.72lb largemouth. Great Job!

Other Notes: Tim Hendricks, Shane Brooks, Phil Matanic and Steve Hopkins fished with as guests. The Evansville Bassmasters want to thank the guests that came out to fish and hope they will consider becoming a member of the club. All of the guests caught fish and would have placed well if they weighed in their fish.

Next Tournament: March 23rd at Lake Beshear (Redding Ramp) don’t forget the launch fee. Hope to see all of our club members at the tournament so we can enjoy a day on the water at a historically good late winter/early spring lake. We will hold a meeting at Deerhead Tavern on Monday March 18th starting at 7pm. Among the agenda items for the meeting will be finalizing the Top 8 team. Please feel free to stop by and check us out and/or join the club. We are actively seeking new members, and would welcome anyone who wants to join.

  As the fishing season gets in full swing.  We as competitive fisherman have many choices for our fishing adrenalin.  From the national circuits, regional, and even local lake team events, we have no shortage of spending money, fishing, and spending money.    I for one have been glad that I choose a club atmosphere over the other venues at this time.  What does the club offer, clubs offer a chance to hone your skills while not being in high pressure events.  Many times the team events are highly competitive and information on what caught fish is kept to individuals.  In the club, members are willing to share their techniques, locations, and secrets.  A club offers a chance to other fishermen with the same passion for the sport.  It offers a chance to spend time on lakes that may not normally been fished. Last, clubs offer a chance to be of a home organization in which we share our ideas, successes, and failures on the lake.  There is no critisism in the club for the level or expertise you have on the water.  We offer only the chance to get better and have a good time while doing it.  So I ask, the next time you visit this sight and think of fishing competitively give us a try.  You might find exactly what your looking for.

Dan

    Well....... The 2012 Top 8 Tournament did not go as well as we were hoping this year. With the combined team weight of a little more than 35 lbs we finished in last place.   We only had 7 fishermen again this year which put us at a disadvantage from the start. I personally made some bad decisions on the first day of the tournament and could not recover from them.

Now for the positive stuff:

1. The club gained some much needed experience at Rocky Point.
2. Our members that fished met other club fishermen in southern Indiana that love bass fishing!
3. Everyone that fished for our team caught at least one fish.
4. A couple of our guys gained experience locking through to another pool.
5. George Strouse put himself in a position to win with over 8 pounds on Day 1.
6. George Strouse took Day 1 Big Bass honors with a 4.17 lb fish and won $385.

    I am sure there are more positives and despite finishing last, everyone had a good time.

We will get'em next year boys!

Rich Austin

Club Members:

I want to take the time and thank every one so far who has participated in the two tournaments.  I believe we have a strong group of anglers with passion for the sport and friendly competition with each other.  I would also like to recognize those who have not been able to fish.  I truly understand the commitments we make as dads, husbands, and workers.  With that being said, I truly believe this has been a great start for us.  We have had good number of fishermen, good money pots, and now door prizes.  Best of all, we have had some great catches out  of the gate.  The quality of fish and quantity of fish should only get better as weather continues to improve.  I challenge every one to continue to make the tournaments, network with each other, and support the vendors who support us.  Good luck in the upcoming events and see everyone on the water.

Dan Jochun

President

The tournament on the Ohio this past weekend was difficult for some, hot for others, and challenging for all. I have never fished this area before this year.  I had the same expectations that I always do for the river, small fish!  I have to say that I was wrong.  Our club caught some quality fish and limits for the river. Two other tournaments fished this same area that weekend and caught some quality limits.  I have to say I was glad that I made it down for Sunday to fish.  With that being said, I can only speak for my self that I truly plan to make the last four events.  When I joined in 2010, my main goal was to visit areas that I had not fished.  I took that If I won money that it would be the icing on the cake.  My second goal was to meet new people who was as interested in fishing as much as me.  Some of you guys are worse! I am just kidding.   I have learned some techniques from each of the club members even if I have not spoke to them much.   As tournament director for 2011, I can only challenge each club member to make all the remaining tournaments and maximize what you sought out from the club.  I believe this has been the best group in the clubs exists, no disrespect for prior members, and can lead this club into bigger things for 2012.  I look forward to seeing everyone at KY Dam Saturday, hope I take all the money, and wish everyone safe travel to the tournament. 

Only kidding about the money but it would be nice.

Dan

This past weekend was our club's 4th tournament.  Like the other three, we faced challenging conditions.  A storm at launch, winds all day, and cooling temps both air and water.  Fish were hard to come by especially ones that were legal.  For my self, I seemed really out of it.  I  let the elements mess with my mind.  I found it hard to concentrate.  I would not give anything a chance and instead of reading the lake I wanted to force my style fishing on it.  I expected the lake to just give up fish.  At the end of the day, I realized how important it was to focus; furthermore, I realized I didn't have to travel far to find fish just change my style and get out of my comfort zone of throwing spinner baits and rattle traps.  By slowing down, reading the lake, and taking in information from others, I found fish and plenty of them.  The weekend turned out to be great.  I didn't win any money nor did I land the biggest fish ( I could have though ), but I got out of the club exactly the reason I joined.  I have started to learn more techniques to make be a better fisherman.  I believe that is what we all try to be at the end of the day.  But the money would help!!! 

Good luck to everyone at the next tournament and catch you guys on the water.

  The IBF top 8 tournament took place this past weekend at Patoka Lake. While we didn't take the prize money, it gave our club a chance to perform and represent our club members. There were 45 boats competing in the field. Six of our members competed in the tournament. The club posted 24.60 lbs of fish on some tough fishing. The fish were taken on the main lake and the river with large Texas rigged worms, crank baits, and spinner baits. The water condition was stained and choppy the first day and warming up for Sunday. I thought the tournament went great for us since the last time we entered a team.

The team seemed to have fun even with the small numbers and it now gives us a starting point for next year. I truly believe that if we rotate this lake and Rocky Pointe on to the schedule we can place in the money. Although Patoka Lake doesn't produce consistent large numbers of fish, the lake does seem to produce quality size on every catch. The running joke was to get the golden ticket like in the movie Willy Wonka. This ticket was the official weigh-in record. Our goal as a team was for each to land at a minimum 6lbs. George met his quota with 6.02. Rich and Jeff both had little over 5lbs. I landed one fish for over 4lbs, and Mike had over 3lbs. Rick unfortunately did not place any weight but many guys didn't catch.

I look forward to hopefully getting to compete in this tournament again. The team dynamics made it fun and everyone seemed to want the other to find fish. Now, the club just needs to see who will be the guys to step up this year to try and bring home some money next year. I hope to see everyone on the water and good luck for 2011.