Abu contest: first entries up 7/2/2009

Does your Abu Garcia reel have some mileage? Then why not enter it in the Abu Garcia For Life! contest? Show us your "classic" or well-used Abu and you might win a new one. Click here to submit a picture of the reel, as well as a detailed story or two about its history.

Possible world record? (updated) 7/2/2009
Update 4:25 pm EST: BassFan spoke with Optimum Baits CEO Matt Paino about the Biwa fish. For well over a decade, Paino has been hardwired into the Japan fishing scene. He formerly lived in Japan, and was instrumental in bringing several Japanese lure lines to the U.S. through Optimum, including Deps, Ima, Zappu and Vagabond.

Paino said he doesn't yet know who caught the fish, but he received a call from current Japan record-holder Kazuya Shimada at 2:00 a.m. this morning.

"I just spoke with Shimada 3 days ago because he needed baits," Paino said. "I thought he was calling about that so I didn't answer. He called me right back, I answered the phone, and he's like, 'Dude, the world record was just caught, (but) it's not official yet.'"

Paino quickly told Shimada, "Please tell me it was caught on an Optimum," but Shimada answered that he didn't know what the fish was caught on, although he did confirm that the angler who caught it does fish for Deps.

Paino added that he expects to hear solid info later tonight when morning dawns in Japan.

Update 3:54 pm EST: Bassmaster.com has published several photos of the fish here.

Reports have surfaced of a potential world-record largemouth bass caught from Lake Biwa in Japan. The standing Japan record is a 19-15 monster caught in April 2003 from Lake Ikehara by Kazuya Shimada. It fell prey to an Optimum swimbait. The standing world record is George Perry's 22-04, caught from a Georgia oxbow in June 1932.

Biwa, stocked with Florida-strain largemouths several decades ago, has long been a focal point in the quest for a new world record. It's the largest freshwater lake in Japan, and unconfirmed reports from commercial fisherman have pointed to the presence of world-record-class bass in Biwa. Not surprisingly, a small group of Japanese big-bass hunters work Biwa, much like the posses who haunt the Southern California lakes. It's believed that the Biwa fish was caught by one of the lake's big-bass hunters.

The new Biwa fish reportedly weighs in close to the George Perry record of 22-04. In order for the IGFA to certify the Biwa fish as a new world record, however, it would need to weigh 2 ounces more.

Initial intel gathered by BassFan through Japanese contacts confirms that the fish is likely real, that the weight is right around the 22-04 mark (perhaps 1 ounce more), and that it was caught on live bait. However, that's all unconfirmed. It's nighttime in Japan right now, so solid news might be forthcoming several hours from now.

News of the fish has surfaced on several message boards, but Bloody Decks appears to have the only photos of the fish (found here).

Reporting will continue.

Genmar update: Ranger motion 7/1/2009
An important step in the Genmar bankruptcy proceedings occurred yesterday when Genmar formally petitioned the court to allow it to continue the payment and award of Ranger Cup bonuses, prize boats and branded sportswear.

In simple terms, Genmar must convince the court – or more specifically, Genmar's creditors – that it's in the best interest of all involved to allow Ranger to continue its successful marketing and tournament-contingency programs. But nothing's a guarantee. For example, the Unsecured Creditors' Committee recently filed an objection to another Genmar motion in which Genmar asked to continue its retention-bonus program for managers.

In the Ranger motion, Genmar requested permission to "continue the promotional programs for Ranger Boats and pay certain prepetition promotional expenses for promotions of Ranger Boats." More specifically, the motion names promotional activities such as "an annual conference in July of each year for dealers; providing gift certificates for branded sportswear and fishing equipment to purchasers of Ranger boats; sponsoring the Bass Federation and running a federation program called the Ranger Team Federation Program, wherein various Ranger Teams compete; sponsoring professional fishermen and women in tournaments; sponsoring fishing tournaments, including FLW tournaments, by providing boats and cash prizes; providing tournament service support; and other similar types of activities."

Such programs, Genmar noted, have helped Ranger claim the highest market share in its segment.

The motion also notes that within the named programs, several promotional certificates and/or monies remain unredeemed or unpaid – specifically, $140,000 in sportswear certificates, $95,000 in Ranger Cup awards, $26,185 in angler sponsorship agreements and approximately $500,000 in prize boats. What isn't clear in the motion is whether the $500,000 is in reference to actual prize-boat certificates, or the $500,000 Ranger bonus potentially awarded at the Forrest Wood Cup.

The motion states that Genmar has sufficient monies at present to pay all outstanding promotional claims.

A hearing on the motion is set for next Monday, July 6. However, unless a timely objection is filed, the court may rule on the motion without a hearing.

KVD's new reel 7/1/2009

The reel, part of Quantum's PT line, is about the same size as the company's 100-size baitcasters, but holds a 200-size spool, which increases line capacity. It's therefore classified as a new "150-size" and holds 145 yards of 12-pound line. Kevin VanDam feels that the larger spool improves casting performance and produces a higher inches-per-turn retrieve. In fact, along with its 7.3:1 high-speed gear ratio, the reel picks up 34 inches per turn.

Alongside the expected high-end components, the reel also features a new cast control called ACS 3 that automatically self-adjusts according to the needs of the cast up to the maximum level the angler selects. For example, if the angler chooses the "midpoint" setting, but the cast doesn't require that much brake actuation, no brakes will be applied. However, if the cast quickly ramps the spool speed up to require the selected braking level, then the brakes are applied for that setting. Quantum says the system makes it easier to switch casting styles on-the-fly – from a long-distance cast to a short pitch, for example, without having to adjust the setting. Cast control settings are infinite among the 168-degree rotation of the Tour KVD's external dial.

Suggested retail price: $299.95.

Carrot Stix aids collegians 6/30/2009

The Under Armour College Bass National Championship will be held for the fifth time this month and will offer more than $15,000 in scholarship monies and prizes. More than 170 schools currently participate in an estimated 300 Under Armour College Bass-sanctioned events each season. Due to the growing popularity of competitive collegiate fishing, College Bass expanded its 2009 season with the addition of two super regional events to compliment its annual championship.

“The Carrot Stix is the coolest high-tech rod on the market today, so a relationship with College Bass was a natural fit," said Nataliya Hearn, CEO of Element 21. “We’re thrilled to be able to interact with passionate and talented anglers at the collegiate level. Now more than ever, college students understand and appreciate new technologies and no one has been as innovative and technologically advanced as Element 21 and the Carrot Stix.”

Steve Levi, GM of fishing properties at Career Sports & Entertainment (the agency that owns College Bass) said: “College Bass has grown tremendously each year and with this expansion, we’re opening the property so more collegiate anglers can participate in competitive bass fishing and more companies can gain exposure with this lucrative audience.”

The Under Armour College Bass National Championship will take place July 10-12 in Little Rock, Ark. The first-ever super regionals were held earlier this year at Clarks Hill Lake in Evans, Ga. March 7-8 and Lake Palestine in Tyler, Texas April 18-19, and awarded the top teams more than $11,000 in scholarships and prizes at each tournament.

For more about College Bass, click here.

Ike in Men's Journal 6/30/2009
Men's Journal published a solid article about Mike Iaconelli this week. It's not just a personality piece – it contains some insights into tournament strategy and techniques.

To read it, click here.

Unwinding on the water 6/29/2009
The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News recently published a question-and-answer piece with NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte, who talked about how fishing is his primary recreational pursuit and bass are his main quarry.

To read it, click here.

Redesigned ESPNOutdoors site 6/29/2009
ESPNOutdoors.com today unveiled its newly redesigned site, featuring the cleaner, simpler design and navigation experience of ESPN.com and a richer 16:9 video presence on the main index page. New advertising integrations and flexibilities have also been added.

The new site places particular emphasis on prominently featuring content that outdoors sports fans want most, all on the main index page. Users can now easily find the day’s top stories and videos, separate tabs featuring the latest headlines and tournament news from the Bassmaster Elite Series, a dedicated section for bloggers, tournament coverage with live webcams, real-time leaderboards, tips, product reviews, techniques, pro angler blogs, ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series Coverage, Duck Trek, sweepstakes and more.

To visit the new site, click here.

Ish rolls with FLW 6/26/2009

He caught an 11-06 bag of smallmouths today to claim the final Top-10 cut spot at the Columbia River Western FLW Series in Washington. He'll go into the final day with a deficit of about 6 1/2 pounds to leader Neil Russell of Nampa, Idaho.

In May, Monroe won a Stren event at the California Delta and placed 2nd in another Stren at Lake Oroville. Those finishes came on the heels of his victory in a Western Series tournament at the Delta last October.

Winning pattern information from the Columbia River tournament will be posted early next week.

Pitch with Power 6/26/2009
Former Bassmaster Classic champion Boyd Duckett says there comes a time every year when a Berkley Power Worm becomes a more effective bait for pitching to heavy cover than a jig, and it occurs when temperatures heat up. When the air and water are hot, bass relating to wood tend to bury themselves at the deepest part of the cover, and a big worm can find its way right to them. For the full story, click here to visit the Catch More Fish page.

Abu contest: update 6/26/2009

Eligible entries must include a photo of your vintage or well-used Abu Garcia reel – not the most memorable fish the owner caught while using it. Also, the more information provided, the better – jot down at least a paragraph or two that tells us about the special memories linked to it.

If you caught a memorable fish with it, that's great – feel free to tell us all about it. But attach a photo of the reel, not the fish.

If you've submitted an entry that falls outside the criteria, go ahead and send us another one. To visit the contest entry page, click here.

JWC at Cup 6/26/2009

The event will feature youth anglers from as many as 41 states fishing for $30,000 in scholarships and prizes. Each participating state will be represented by two junior anglers: one in the 11-to-14 age bracket and another in the 15-to-18 age bracket, both of whom will receive travel assistance to Pittsburgh.

"The National Guard Junior World Championship has quickly turned into the premier youth fishing event in the country, and this year’s program is shaping up to be another great success,” said TBF youth director Mark Gintert. “The setting at the John Murtha Amphitheater is going to offer our parents and spectators a great place to watch a tournament weigh-in and the waters of the upper Allegheny River appear to be prime for our state champion anglers to conquer. We're all looking forward to the last week of July."

The junior anglers will each be paired with a veteran angler from the area for competition on the Allegheny River. Juniors will be allowed to fish pools 6 and 7.

Qualifying for the 2009 Junior World Championship takes place up to a year in advance through each state's qualifying structure.

ICAST sold out again 6/26/2009

“Given the current business climate, people have to be smart about where and how they do business, and our exhibitors and attendees are telling us that ICAST is the right place to be,” said ASA president and CEO Mike Nussman. “Orlando is a terrific location for the industry’s trade show.

"ICAST is the only place in the world that offers attendees and exhibitors alike the opportunity to conduct business and network with industry leaders. In fact, our pre-registration numbers are looking good with the number of buyers and credentialed media up over 2008.”

International attendance at ICAST has also more than doubled since 2001, with more than 800 attendees from 55 countries attending last year's event.

Central Pro Am links with PAA 6/25/2009
The Professional Anglers Association (PAA) announced that it's joined forces with the Central Pro Am Association (CPAA) to offer the top anglers on that trail an opportunity to fish the PAA Tournament Series in 2011. The 2010 CPAA Angler of the Year and Co-Angler of the Year will receive guaranteed slots in the 2011 PAA Series and the CPAA will also provide assistance with expenses.

"This could make a couple of our Central Pro Am anglers' lifelong dreams come true," said CPAA owner Jim Thompson. "Just by fishing a season with us, two of our anglers will be competing against some of the best talent in the country in 2011."

Said PAA president John Crews: "We are excited to implement partnerships such as this. We feel it gives strength to both organizations and as a result creates more
opportunities for the anglers, which is important to the PAA.”

Also, two CPAA anglers will have receive expenses-paid berths in the 2009 PAA
Corporate Cup, to be held Sept. 10-12 at Lake Pickwick in Florence, Ala. All CPAA members in good standing who join the PAA through July 31 are eligible for the drawing.

For more about the PAA, click here. For additional info about the CPAA, click here.