Welcome to BassFan's Dock Talk section, where you will see brief, newsworthy items that for one reason or another can't be made into full-blown news articles. Despite the name, and in keeping with BassFan's editorial policy, every effort will be made to avoid publishing outright rumors.
As promised, Joe Balog checks in today with some observations from last week's ICAST show in Orlando, Fla. He came across a lot of noteworthy stuff – some he'd like to use himself and some that ... well, might appeal to somebody else.
To read the newest edition of Balog's Bass War, click here.
BassFan stopped by the Megabass booth at ICAST last week and caught up with reigning Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year Aaron Martens to hear about two of the company's new products that should catch the eye of swimbait anglers.
To read and hear more about the new I-SLIDE swimbait and Orochi XX Leviathan rod, click here.
Rumors about the 2015 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule were rampant in the aisles of ICAST last week. There's talk of a Western swing to Lake Havasu and the California Delta at the start of the season and possibly using the St. Lawrence River as the venue for BASSFest, should B.A.S.S. opt to repeat the concept that seemed to be a hit at Lake Chickamauga last month.
It was reported in March that the Elite Series will return to the St. Lawrence in August 2015.
Another event appears to be locked in at this point as a report in Tuesday's Orange County (Texas) Record says the Elites will be returning to the Sabine River in March of next year.
The dates mentioned in the report are March 19-22, 2015 with Orange, Texas, serving as the host city and Stark Cultural Venues lending its support as it did when the Elites first came to the Sabine in 2013. That event was a runaway success in terms of attendance and the financial impact on the local economy. Organizers are hoping for even better results next year.
“We really didn’t know what to expect that first year. They have a huge fan base and following,” Ida Schossow, president of the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce, told the newspaper. “We began working on this one the day after the 2013 one.”
To read the full report, click here.
The Professional Anglers Association (PAA) website was updated recently with new information about the 2014 tournament schedule.
It was previously reported that Douglas Lake would be the venue for a tournament on Oct. 16-18, but the dates have been changed to Sept. 25-27. It was moved because of a conflict with a Major League Fishing event.
In addition, the PAA will have a tournament at Kentucky Lake on Oct. 9-11 with Moors Resort and Marina in Gilbersville, Ky., serving as the launch facility.
The remaining two events are still being planned, according to the PAA website.
Ramie Colson Jr. recently completed the second-best season of his 10-year FLW career as he finished 16th on the points list and notched a pair of Top-20 placements to earn his third career Forrest Wood Cup berth. He hasn't been resting on his laurels over the past month, though – he's spent much of it pouring concrete.
"My dad started this business and did it for 45 years and I picked up the trade in high school," he said. "Besides fish, it's all I've ever done, and me and my little brother run it now.
"Last year was pretty slow and this year up until May was really slow, but since then it's been like somebody turned a light switch on. There's a few new houses being built around here (he resides in Cadiz, Ky.) and it's really ramped up.
"I wish I was as good as Andy," he continued, referring to frequent road roommate and longtime friend Andy Morgan, who's won the past two Angler of the Year awards. "Then I wouldn't have to do all this."
When asked what separates Morgan from the average Tour pro, Colson pointed to the Tennessean's ability to quickly evaluate areas within a body of water.
"He can cover a whole lake in about 2 days," Colson said. "He's got that down pat. I pick out one area and by the time I get done fishing it, he's gone through the whole lake.
"Maybe I try to dissect an area too much and put too much thought into it. He just goes fishing and he still covers everything. I'll see him come in and in 15 minutes he's checked everything he needs to check and he's gone down the lake. It's hard to keep up with him."
Attention squirrel hunters: Mepps needs squirrel tails to create hand-tied, dressed hooks for its lures.
“We’ve tried hundreds of other natural and synthetic materials; bear hair, fox, coyote, badger, skunk, deer, even Angus cow, but nothing works as well as squirrel tail hair,” explained Mepps communications director Kurt Mazurek.
The fact is squirrel tails are all hair – no fur. Practically all other animals have fur tails with just a few guard hairs. Fur doesn’t have the rippling, pulsating movement of squirrel hair in the water.
Squirrels are a plentiful natural resource. Plus, squirrel is some of the best wild meat and
their skins are used for caps, coats, glove linings and many other items, but the tail is usually thrown away. Mepps is asking squirrel hunters to help them recycle this valuable resource and hunters will be paid for their efforts.
Mepps buys fox, black, grey and red squirrel tails and will pay up to 26 cents each, depending on quality and quantity. Plus, the cash value is doubled if the tails are traded for Mepps lures.
“We do not advocate harvesting of squirrels solely for their tails,” Mazurek said
For full details on the squirrel tail program, go to www.Mepps.com or call (800) 713-3474. Please note: Squirrel tails cannot be sold in California, Idaho and Oregon.
Johnson Outdoors, the parent company of Minn Kota, Humminbird and other brands in the fishing sector, announced today that it's named Patricia G. Penman as its VP for marketing services and communication worldwide. Penman will be responsible for leading development of
consumer/brand research and market analytics strategies and programs, and overseeing the company's internal and external strategic communications.
"The breadth and depth of experience and expertise Pat brings will be invaluable in our efforts to deliver continuous meaningful innovation and value to our consumers, customers and stakeholders," said CEO Helen Johnson-Leipold. "We are thrilled to have her on board."
Penman spent more than 30 years in the consumer packaged goods industry, including stints at Kraft and Campbell Soup prior to joining SC Johnson, where she held key roles that included director of North America marketing services.
Bassmaster Elite Series young guns Brandon Palaniuk and Justin Lucas will be Mike Iaconelli's guests on Ike Live, which will stream at 9 p.m. ET from www.MikeIaconelli.com.
The trio will discuss the newest products unveiled last week at ICAST in Orlando, Fla. A representative from Internet retailer Tackle Warehouse will join them for that conversation.
Iaconelli and his guests will answer fans' question submitted via Twitter or the free call-in number.
Michael Marini of Slingerlands, N.Y. weighed a 19-14 sack on Saturday to win the Lake Champlain Northern Rayovac with a 3-day total of 57-07.
“It feels incredible,” said Marini, who weighed the biggest bag of the day on Saturday to move up from 4th place and earn his first win in FLW competition. “It is honestly one of the biggest accomplishments of my fishing career. I’m looking forward to fishing more in the future. I’m very confident on this lake and it paid off.
“I fished the same exact techniques all 3 days,” he explained. “The first 2 days I rotated between two primary spots. Today I recognized that it was a slow bite. I stayed with one spot and milked it all day. I never fired up the main motor except to go get gas for the run back from Ticonderoga.”
He said that his primary area was a grass flat about the size of a football field and that he targeted depths ranging from about 4 to 6 feet. He caught all his fish on a bright-colored Yamamoto Senko that he either wacky-rigged or Texas-rigged with a 1/2-ounce weight.
Full details of his winning pattern will be published soon.
Following are the totals for the final Top 10:
1. Michael Marini: 58-07
2. Chris Johnston: 56-11
3. Dave Lefebre: 56-01
4. Jordan Lee: 55-09
5. Derick Olson: 53-10
6. Glenn Babineau: 52-12
7. Mark Daniels Jr.: 52-00
8. Mike Neilson: 49-08
9. Mike McDonald: 47-12
10. Cory Johnston: 47-03
The annual ICAST show concluded Friday in Orlando, Fla., but not before BassFan Editor Todd Ceisner did some more aisle roaming while seeking out the cool new products that BassFan readers may find interesting.
To check out some of the gear that caught his eye Friday, click here.
By Pete Robbins Special to BassFan Just about every famed bass fishery, from Okeechobee to Guntersville to Falcon, has experienced its ups and downs.
By John Johnson BassFan Senior Editor Next month's Bassmaster Elite Series event at the Delaware River certainly won't be a big-fish extravaganza.
By Todd Ceisner BassFan Editor There was no denying where the best fishing was last week during the Lake Champlain Northern Rayovac Series. It was
