I Don't Think So Dude!

BassFan.com published an opinion piece by some dude named Steve Chaconas who uses the Nate Wellman scandal as a pretext to make the suggestion that the Bassmaster Classic should be an Elite Series Angler only tournament.Here is his thesis in a nutshell:But an even stronger argument that the Bassmaster trail is off track remains. The case is made for only Elite Series anglers to qualify for the

OK Skeet, Whatever!!!

“These younger guys don’t have that sportsmanship etiquette yet,” Elite Series veteran Skeet Reese said. “They are making some bad decisions. Unfortunately, that’s part of being young...“Anybody who fished where Denny fished that first day is out of there,” said Reese, the 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion. “I’ve turned my boat around many times when I pulled in an area where there was somebody

True Story- "It Could Have Been Me"*

This video reminds me of a accident I had back in 2001. I lived in Champlin MN at the time (NW of MPLS outer suburb) and was a member of the Vikings Bassmasters. Our last club tournament of the year was in August out at the Horseshoe Chain which is 20 miles SW of St. Cloud. A bunch of us stayed at one of the guys homes out by Maple Lake to get us closer for the morning drive. This club liked

Two True Mille Lacs Indian Point Stories

Over at Bass Parade they are asking about Weirdest Thing You Have Caught.Here are two of my true stories.I was out fishing the Fall night trolling bite on Mille Lacs for walleye on Indian Point. I didn't pay attention to how much line I let out and was past the Fireline into my backing point. A fish hit and my line broke where the knot between the Fireline and the backing line was. I always

My Biggest Fishing Train Wrecks Pt 2

This story begins with a several trips into Gander Mtn in Maple Grove Minnesota. They had a 7'6" Fenwick HMG Medium Heavy spinning rod for 50% on clearance. That rod was calling my name and about the 4th time I looked at it I finally gave in and bought it. I thought it would make a great rod for my annual Fall Salmon trip to SE Wisconsin. I was right, the rod was excellent for Salmon fishing.

My Biggest Fishing Train Wrecks

The week the Outdoor Blogger Network has a writing prompt titled Damaged Goods. Here is the idea:If you have broke, damaged, or set on fire a favorite piece of outdoor gear we want to hear your story! I have a few stories, which I will do in multiple posts.Can you guess what this first story is about?For about 10 years in a row from the mid-90's to the mid-2000's I made the trek down to SE WI to

"What makes a Professional Tournament Bass Angler?"

"What makes a Professional Tournament Bass Angler?" is the question asked in a post by bass fishing blogger Steve Adams. Steve has a bug stuck in his craw over the current state of affairs.This is how he starts:I would love to see ALL circuits that have a “Pro” category regulate who fishes as a pro! I can’t go buy a Jersey & a Baseball bat and walk on the professional Baseball field and say; “I’m

Sweet!!!

Wired2Fish blog has an excellent essay entitled Who Are We A Fishing MantraIf you love fishing, you love tackle. The rods and the reels. The line and the lures. The tackle and subsequent organization and preparation help us cure the cabin fever that sets in when we can’t be on the water for extended periods of time. They’re matchbox cars, Star Wars action figures and comic books for us as

The Bass Slam, BP Don't Give A Da Ham!!!

BASS Slam: The Angler's Ultimate ChallengeYeah, Yeah, I'm a bit behind the times as Bassmaster Magazine issued their Bass Slam challenge in the July/August Issue of 2009. Were any of my blog readers inspired to take up the Challenge or put getting the Bass Slam on the "bucket list"?Me I could care less. I am just not an adventurous person and life lists are not my thing. I'm perfectly content

To Boyd Duckett (and Kevin Short): I Disagree

On his two blogs (Boyd's Blog, Boyd's Biz Boyd Ducket writes a blog post entitled: "To Kevin Short: I agree" or at Boyd's Biz: "Dear Kevin Short — I agree with you"Boyd is responding to Kevin Short's essay found on the blog Bass Parade entitled Short Challenges Duckett, All ElitesBoyd writes:...But let me address another thing that Kevin said, because he made a great point. He said he would be

My Thoughts On Six Idea's

BassFan Editor-In-Chief Jon Storm wrote an Op-Ed entitled "Upon the Cliff" where he threw out 6 ideas that he would like to see implemented by the new management at BASS and FLW.Here are the 6 ideas and my thoughts.1. The sport needs a unifying championship to survive. Period.I guess a unifying championship would be OK, but I don't think it's something that is vital. Also I wonder exactly what

Mike Hart Cheating Scandal- My Thoughts

I am not really sure if I even have a dog in this fight. On the one hand I have and do fish bass tournaments, but on the other hand I never have been very serious about it in terms of monetary investment and probably never will get to that point, so basically there is no chance that I have or will get swindled personally. Whether I have a dog or not here are my thoughts.I think this guy Mike

Minnesota Closed Bass Season, More Thoughts

As happens at this time every year there is a lot of chatter on Minnesocold fishing forums about our closed season for bass. Guys are upset that they see people out fishing for bass when they shouldn't be. And guys like me are upset that catch and release bass fishing is against the law to begin with. And yet other guys are quite happy with the way things are and don't want to see any change at

That's A Lot of Accidents!!!

Minnesota has a closed season for largemouth and smallmouth bass and according to MN fishing regulations "You may not intentionally fish for any species during it's closed season." As you may know I hold this law in contempt.Updated to add: The actual rule/law is 6262.0100 GENERAL RESTRICTIONS ON TAKING FISH Subp. 5.B Possession of fish while on state waters, which says:"A person shall not angle

Bassmaster Classic: The Dream That Never Was

During this past Bassmaster Classic week I heard several different fishermen from Federation anglers to Elite Series pro's express the notion that fishing in the Bassmaster Classic was a lifetime "dream come true." A couple of times I heard it said that fishing in the Bassmaster Classic is the dream of all tournament bass fisherman. I must be an odd case then, because I can't say that fishing