2012 VA BASS Region 7 Open Team Bass Tournament

As predicted, a threatening sky greeted the 42 anglers in 21 boats that showed up at 0-dark-30 this morning to fish today's tourney out of Munden Point Park in Virginia Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last-minute preps, talkin' trash, and gettin' psyched...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waitin' for the "go" signal...

 

 

Hammer down...

 

 

Headin' for the weigh-in...

  

 

 

 

 

Takin' 'em to the scales... 



 

 

Recoverin' the boats...

 

 

Chowin' Down...

 

 

The happy prize-winning teams...

 

1st Place
8 fish
Weight - 20.01 lbs.
(L) Allen Napier
(R) Chris Napier

Big Fish
Weight - 5.45 lbs.
(R) Chris Napier

  



    2nd Place
    8 fish
    Weight - 18.66 lbs.
    (L) Rick Hodges III
    (R) Keith Webb

3rd Place
8 fish
Weight - 17.96 lbs.
(L) Rob Peppers
(R) Don Carter      

Coming Soon...

Just giving everyone a heads-up to be watching for some photographic coverage of this event in my blog within the next few days. I've been asked to bring my camera to the tourney and have agreed to do so, even though, if the weatherman is right, I very well may be shooting from under a large umbrella. If that happens, it won't be the first time, nor do I expect it to be the last. This tourney usually has a big draw, so I'm hoping to see some lunkers cross the scales. Stay tuned.

Hook, Line & Sinker...

After nearly two weeks without a fishing rod in my hand, I couldn't wait another day. I checked the weather forecast early this morning and decided to take my chances with the "isolated showers" the weatherman was predicting.

It was 9:30 before I got on the water, and I came off at 2:30. In those five hours, I fished a 5-inch Senko worm, a chatterbait, a couple different topwaters, and several different colors in a silent Strike King crankbait. The only producers were the Senko worm and three colors of the crankbait series. My total bag was only three bass, three white perch, one small striper, and two pickerel. The best fish of the day was a 2-15 that snatched the Senko as soon as it hit the water. I also lost a couple of decent bass today--both on crankbaits. I didn't have a single topwater strike, even though there were a fair number of fish chasing pods of baitfish.

The best news of the day, as far as I was concerned, is that I seem to have full use of my left arm again. I kept the band on it all day and never had the slightest twinge. However, for the time being, I'm sticking with the left-handed Lew's baitcaster for fishing my worms. I just wish I could get past the awkward feeling I experience every time I try to pick out a backlash or, as I learned today, to reel in a decent-sized bass with my left hand. Perhaps, with time, I will get used to the new way of doing things. However, I'm using my right-handed Lew's for everything besides worms.

I was lucky enough to get my boat tucked in the shed before three of those "isolated" heavy showers hit this afternoon, drenching everything in their paths. I'm happy to be getting in my licks again--just hope things stay "cool," at least until after the Classic the weekend of Oct. 13-14.

Sept. 29, 2012 Dewey Mullins Tribute Bass Tourney

                                                           It rained...

 and it rained...

                             and it rained some more.












That's why all the anglers in these photos look more than a little wet around the edges. They barely had motored away from the boat basin this morning when Mother Nature opened her arms and started dumping on them. I had chosen to take myself out of today's competition to rehab my arm a bit more from the tendonitis attack I had a couple weeks ago, and I truthfully never missed a single moment of the soaking all my friends had to endure.

A total of 21 anglers in 15 boats participated in this final regular tourney of the 2012 season. Claiming the first place prize was Bob Glass and Randy Conkle (right top), with a five-fish limit weighing 11.70 lbs. after a 0.25 deduction for one dead fish. Coming in second was Mark London (right middle), with a five-fish limit weighing 11.35 lbs. Rounding out the leader board in third place was Wayne Hayes and Paul Celentano (right bottom--Wayne wasn't available when photo was taken), with a five-fish limit weighing 9.89 lbs.

Here's how all the other anglers finished today:
     * Tom Acree and Joe McDevitt, five fish, total weight 9.72 lbs.
     * Rob Peppers, five fish, total weight 9.05 lbs.
     * J. P. Twohig and D. McDonough, five fish, total weight 9.04 lbs.
     * Andrew George and Drew Iannetti, five fish, total weight 8.97 lbs.
     * Chris Fretard and Mike Miller, five fish, total weight 8.12 lbs.
     * Bryan Dear, five fish, total weight 6.95 lbs.
     * Gary Coderre, four fish, total weight 5.61 lbs.
     * Duane Kessel, four fish, total weight 5.10 lbs.
     * Al Lemieux, four fish, total weight 4.57 lbs.
     * Skip Schaible, two fish, total weight 4.05 lbs.
     * John Goodman, two fish, total weight 3.03 lbs.

Jim Bauer didn't weigh any fish.

Big-fish honors today went to Bob Glass and Randy Conkle, with a bass weighing 4.08 lbs. That's the fish that was declared dead at the weigh-in.

The field of other anglers finished in the following order behind Bob and Randy's lunker:
     * Wayne Hayes and Paul Celentano, 3.73 lbs.
     * Mark London, 3.45 lbs.
     * J. P. Twohig and D. McDonough, 3.16 lbs.
     * Skip Schaible, 3.03 lbs.
     * Andrew George and Drew Iannetti, 2.97 lbs.
     * Rob Peppers, 2.69 lbs.
     * Bryan Dear, 2.31 lbs.
     * Tom Acree and Joe McDevitt, 2.06 lbs.
     * Duane Kessel, 2.05 lbs.
     * John Goodman, 2.04 lbs.
     * Al Lemieux, 1.56 lbs.

Anglers Gary Coderre, Jim Bauer, and Chris Fretard and Mike Miller didn't weigh lunkers.

Those 20 fishermen who participated in the weigh-in accounted for a total of 61 bass weighing a combined total of 107.15 lbs., which amounts to an average of 1.7 lbs. per fish. Added to our seasonal totals, we end up with a total of 765 bass through 17 events and a grand total weight of 1,422.57 lbs. These figures translate into an overall average of 1.8 lbs. per bass.

(Left) Some of the fish that were weighed in today.

Here is the list of contestants who have fished four regular tourneys this year and therefore are eligible to participate in the 2012 two-day Classic scheduled for Oct. 13-14:

Gary Coderre                                               Lenny Hall

Steve Bailey                                                  Eddie Sapp
Paul Celentano                                             Bob Glass
Randy Conkle                                               Jim Bauer
Rob Powell                                                   Wayne Hayes
J. P. Twohig                                                  Al Napier
Skip Schaible                                                Chris Napier
Joe McDevitt                                                 Jeremy Gatewood
Rob Peppers                                                John Matyiko
Mark Cable                                                   Bobby Moore
Al Lemieux                                                   Aaron Phillips
Tucker Blalock                                             Mike Evans
Tom Acree                                                    Chris Sims
Mark London                                                 Duane Kessel
Ken Testorff

Some anglers on this list no longer are in the geographical area. Those who are, however, can be looking for me to contact them by email or phone within the next few days to find out how many of them plan to fish the Classic.

Hook, Line & Sinker...

I had an email from Jim Bauer last night, telling me about the day he had spent in West Neck Creek. The highlight of his day was this 2-1 and a small striper, both of which he caught on a swim senko. He also caught two dinks on a Bandit crankbait in firetiger. Rounding out his day were four crappie (three of which he gave to Dewey) and a bream, all of which he boated at the West Neck Bridge.

Jimmy reported seeing a fair amount of bait fish in the creek yesterday, but there only were occasional blowups from bass chasing them--and he couldn't generate any interest whatsoever in a topwater bait. The water temperature at launch time was 72, compared to 79 when he came in about 3:30. Duckweed again was everywhere from the ramp area, all the way out to the bridge, during the afternoon.

Like Charlie Bruggemann did the other day, Jimmy encountered a cottonmouth yesterday--"just popped up around some bait fish as I started to cast," he reported. The cottonmouth decided to turn and head for the far bank, which probably was a good idea, given the fact that Jimmy had his "dose of prevention" handy.

Before leaving the marina yesterday afternoon, Jimmy stopped in at the store to visit with Dewey. While there, Bob Glass showed up, and Jimmy was able to show both of them the nice 6-8 he had gotten during his latest trip to Lake Gaston. Both Dewey and Bob couldn't believe the fish weighed only 6-8, given the size of its mouth.

It appears everybody is catching fish. Here's the mixed bag Skip Schaible came up with today. He didn't hit the water until 10:01. All the fish you see in this panoramic photo then came into the boat between 10:30 and 1 o'clock, which is, as Skip noted, when it started clouding up. Skip told me that he had one other hookup today--it hit a crankbait and swam under the boat, ultimately gaining its freedom. According to Skip, "It felt a little bigger."

In the email these photos were attached to, Skip described an unusual event he witnessed today while on the water. He sent me a photo, but I couldn't get it of usable quality for the blog. In any event, he said he was fishing a cove when a small duck happened on the scene and began swimming around. All of a sudden, though, Skip started hearing some splashing. He first just figured the duck was diving or doing whatever it is that ducks do. When the racket kept up, he turned and had a look.

He first noticed that some bass had a school of shad herded up. But then he realized something was after the duck, too. "I have no idea what it was, but it kept trying to get him," he said. "I'd see this wake in the water, and then--POW!--something would grab for the little duck. Whatever it was made four or five passes before things settled down."

Skip noted that he has heard of bass trying to eat baby squirrels--and I've seen 'em chase snakes before, too--but he's never heard or seen anything like what he witnessed firsthand today. He tried big frogs, white mice, and gray mice to get the attention of whatever it was after the baby duck, but no such luck.

Here's wishing both of you fellas the best of luck in tomorrow's tourney.

Hook, Line & Sinker...

A little earlier today, when I was out to the marina taking care of some things with the boat, I ran into Skip Schaible, who just had come off the water from a day's fishing. I asked him if he had done any good, and he told me about these two fish:

                     Weight: 2 lbs. 8 ozs.

  Weight: 3 lbs. 3 ozs.





The 2-8 was caught on a fluke-style bait. The 3-3 fell for a popper. Both fish came from West Neck Creek.

Later this afternoon, I also received an email from my kayaker friend, Charlie Bruggemann. He went to Back Bay this morning--before sunrise. "I found nothing moving," he said, "and it stayed that way all day. The water was low and muddy," which he surmises was at least part of the problem.

Until about 10 minutes before he quit, Charlie only had had three dinks on for a second, and when he set the hook, each of them went airbone and spit the business end of his Gamakatsu EWG. It was while Charlie was trying to avoid a cottonmouth in that last 10 minutes that he managed to boat a 2-2 and salvage his otherwise dismal day--or so he thought.

Charlie then experienced what my family doctor keeps referring to as one of those "age-related events." In simple terms, he pulled a muscle in his back, which likely will put him on the shelf for a couple of weeks or so. Misery may love company, Charlie, but I assure you I wouldn't wish that on you, even if you were my enemy. If I did, I'd probably end up with tendonitis in both arms, or maybe worse.

With both of us laid up, Skip, it looks like you'll have to carry the load all by yourself for a spell. Tight lines!