The Badlands Bass Bandits will be hosting their Annual Meeting on January 19th, 2013 at 1 p.m. central time located at 320 E. Ave. B at the old Governor’s Mansion in Bismarck. There will be many topics that will be discussed in regards to the well being of the club and the upcoming 2013 tournament season. Rule changes and updates will be one of the topics of discussion as well as electing new club officers. New comers welcome! We encourage other anglers across the region that love to bass fish and want to learn more about the sport as well as meet other people who share the same passion to attend this meeting and become a Bass Bandit member.

Reinbold Qualifies for 2013 B.A.S.S. State Team!!

The Badlands Bass Bandits very own club member Robert Reinbold of Timber Lake, SD accomplished another goal in his fishing career. Certainly 2012 was a good year for Robert, especially the last few months of the fishing season. Not only did he win the biggest smallmouth of the year award and the prestigious Badlands Bass Bandits Classic Championship on Lake Sakakawea he also qualified for the 2013 South Dakota B.A.S.S.(Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society) State Team! The South Dakota B.A.S.S. federation held their annual state team qualifying event on September 29th and 30th at Lake Sharpe. Robert headed down a day earlier before the event to check out the lakes water clarity and temperature to help him develop a game plan. On day 1 of the event Robert got on the fish early was able to stay on them all day. Armed with Whiskey River tube jigs the smallmouth of Lake Sharpe didn’t stand a chance. He brought in a nice limit of smallmouth bass that weighed 12.31 lbs which put him at 9th place after day 1. Even though he lost a key fish due to the hook breaking Robert was pleased with his finish that day because only a pound separated 1st place and 10th place so he knew he was in striking distance. Day 2 rolled around and the smallmouth bite was on again for him, boating bass after bass Robert had a busy day of culling. At the end of the final day he weighed in at 12.71 lbs which was key because he knew he needed to have a consistent weight on that lake. Reinbold’s final total weight for the tournament was 25.02 lbs which gave him a 4th place finish which was more than enough to qualify for the 2013 South Dakota State Team. He and his teammates will be competing against other state teams this fall in hopes to advance on to the B.A.S.S. divisional! Good Luck Robert and way to go the Bass Bandits are all proud of you!

In life all things good or bad come to an end. Unfortunately for the Badits the 2012 tournament season has come to just that. With the water hardening up and the reindeer starting to fly it is clear that it is time to put the boats away. Many Bandits will cure the cabin fever by going pheasant or deer hunting while others will venture out onto the ice and take advantage of North Dakota's ice fishing season. Perhaps one thing all of the members will have on their mind is the anticipation of the 2013 tournament season. Accompanying that anticipation will be club members sharpening their hooks, prepping their tacl;e, and spooling their reels for the up and coming tournament season. But before we look to far into the future let's take a moment and reflect on the 2012 season.

When June rolled around the Bandits wrote a new chapter by adding a new lake in their schedule. The gang headed east to fish Spiritwood Lake near Jamestown. That day mother nature reminded the Bandits that she is in control by providing them with gale force winds and rain. Nonetheless the club launched their boats and held a tournament that day. Smallmouth King Mantz took the top honors that day by weighing 9.96 lbs, he also won the big bass award with a 3.86 lb smallmouth. Shawn Keena also had a great day with his best finish as a member since joining a couple of years ago. Kenna took 2nd place honors with a three fish limit that weighed 7.27 lbs. In the last weekend of June the Bandits held a tournament at Lake Audobon on saturday and Lake Sakakajawea on Sunday. Jeff Wetzel fished his way to a 1st place finish by weighing in 9.19 lbs. Jeff also won big bass honors that day with a nice 3.38 lb smallmouth. His wife Janine took 2nd place honors with 8.30 lbs and Junior member Dylan Sandberg took 1st place honors by catching a personal best 5.03 lbs. On Sunday the club moved acrossed the highway to fish Lake Sakakajawea. It was a warm beautiful day with many members in attendance. The Wetzels had the hot hand coming into that days event and they never looked back. Coming in that day with a 1st place finish was Janine Wetzel at 7.58 lbs. She was also able to capture the big bass award that day with a 2.96lbs smallmouth!

In August the Bandits held their annual club camping weekend. The first stop of the weekend was Sheeps creek dam. Marty Mantz was able to bag three nice largemouth that day for a total weight of 10.33lbs. Chase Fernandez won the big bass award that day with a 4.29 lb largemouth! After the weigh in was complete the club setup camp by Lake Tschida. After eating some great food the members prepared themselves for battle. Names were drawn and teams were formed to compete in the annual Badlands Bass Bandits Ladder Ball Championship! As usual there were many great plays and memories made during the fierce competition. Coming out with a narrow win Mr. and Mrs. Team Keena! After the ladder ball tournament was over the bandits settled around the campfire for some good ol' fish stories. The next day the bandits headed out onto Lake Tschida. Coming out on top with a nice bag of smallmouths was Eric Vossler at 7.02 lbs. This was a sweet victory for Vossler because it was his first and I am sure this rising start will have many more to come. Weighing 3 more nice smallmouths was Curtis Wentz of Lemmon, SD. Wentz is no stranger to Lake Tschida and he showed it by weighing in 6.67 lbs, he also weighed in the biggest bass that day with a 4.01 lb smallmouth. Also having a good day was Dylan Sandberg who captured his 3rd Junior member victory by weighin in 1.53 lbs.

Collecting his 3rd consecutive Angler of the Year award was Marty Mantz. Marty had a great consistant year by placing in the top three at each event. Here are the rest of the 2012 seasonal awards:

It sure was an exciting year for the Bandits and I am sure that the 2013 will be even better. Stay tuned to this website for club updates and other information that will be happneing during the winter season. Merry Christmas to all and as always we'll see you on the water.

The Bandit gang will be launching out of Three Mile Corner Ramp for the Lake Audobon tournament. If you are not familiar on how to get there turn east on the first highway just north of the Dam. Go about 4 miles and when the paved road curves to the north take a hard sharp right hand turn onto the gravel road and stay on it unitl you reach the boat ramp. Ya can't miss us we'll be the only group out there with bass boats! Lake Audobon is full of sunken islands so if you have a GPS use it to navitgate safely, if ya don't be sure to navigate your way through the lake at a safe speed....better yet just ask members and they can point ya in the right direction.

Once the weigh in for the Audobon tournament is done and the dust has settled we will head west just a bit to Fort Stevenson (by Garrison) on Lake Sakakajawea. That will be the launch location for Sunday's tournament on Sakakajawea. This is a large lake that can get rough reallly quick so if you have a small boat be weather conscious and stay inside the many safe bays this lake has to offer. There are smallmouths to be had every where! Oh and don't forget your tent and sleeping bag because many will be staying overnight! Good luck and stay tuned for the results of this mighty double header!
- Paul Reinbold

The Badlands Bass Bandits will be hosting their 3rd tournament of the year at Spiritwood Lake. Spiritwood Lake is 10 miles North and 4 miles East of Jamestwown and it will be our first tournament on this lake. Spiritwood is a really deep lake with a maximum depth of 55.5 feet. This place is filled with monster smallies so it should be a great tournament. Maybe even record breaking?! There is a chance of rain so be sure to bring your rain gear. Tournament start time is 7am mountain (8am central) but be sure to get there early to sign up and get your boat in the water. The pre tournament meeting will start half an hour before take-off . Hopefully the bass will be biting!! See you all there.

Well ladies and gentleman it’s time to talk about the clubs most favorite time of year, and that is the club camping weekend! To start things off the club will be heading to Lake Pudwell in South Dakota which is just below the ND borderline, and then once that battle is settled, they will head back up north to Raleigh reservoir Saturday afternoon for some club camping fun. Perhaps the most anticipated event of the year isn’t actually a fishing tournament; instead it could be one of the clubs most favorite club camping weekend traditions. What is it you ask? I’m talking about the ladder ball championships that will be held Saturday evening after the big camping supper! Last year the team of Mike (uncle) and Curtis Wentz (nephew) of Lemmon, SD were crowned champions and I’m sure they will be ready to defend their title against some fierce competition. There is no money to win, just some sweat plaques ladder ball plaques and of course a year of bragging rights. Once all the dust has settled the club will huddle around a camp fire and tell all sorts of tall fishing stories and hilarious jokes.

Then on Sunday morning at 7 a.m. (Mountain Time) the bass bandits will get their boats in the water for the Raleigh Reservoir bass tournament. Weigh in will be at 2 p.m. to conclude the tournament and the club camping weekend festivities. So far this year Mother Nature has been kind to the bandits 2 out of the 3 tournaments, hopefully she will be kind to us for a whole weekend. Last year at Raleigh there were a lot of nice bass caught and weighed in and at the end of the day Mike Wentz of Lemmon, SD was crowned champion. I’m sure he will be antsy to get to work on those nice bass that Raleigh has to offer, but I am sure he and the rest of the members will have to battle through the thick population on northern pike to get to the bass.

In case you’re unfamiliar on how to get to Lake Pudwell SD, or Raleigh Reservoir here are some directions:
Drive to Raleigh, ND which is south of Flasher, ND. Once you get to Raleigh continue SOUTH on HWY 31 to McIntosh, SD. (approx 32 miles). Once you get to the junction of HWY 12 and 31, turn LEFT and head EAST on HWY 12 for 4.5 miles. Lake Pudwell is located on the north side of the highway and is clearly visible. Turn left onto the lakes approach, and head through the cattle guard and there you will be right at the boat ramp. For directions on how to get to Raleigh, well it’s simple turn around and head straight back where you came from! HA! But seriously, its south of Flasher, ND on ND highway 31. Once you get to the town of Raleigh turn and head west and drive until you get to the main street and then turn right and head north a two blocks then turn left onto a gravel road. Head 4 miles and there will be a Park and Lake Sign there that says Raleigh Reservoir.
Hope to see you all there, if you have any questions please contact the officers.

Ding ding ring the bell it is tourney time again! This time around the featured lake will be Fish Creek dam located in Morton county, ND. Fish creek Dam is a small lake at 52 acres but big on potential, it is absolutly loaded with tons of smallmouth bass and a pretty healthy population of Largemouth Bass also. It is a deep lake with an average depth of 18 feet and a maximun depth of 50 feet and has 2.3 miles of shoreline.

Fish Creek Dam is typically very clear water but with all the recent rains it is probably murky at best, It has a variety of different types of structure the northern end is where the creek enters and the shallower water can be found and the middle portion and most of the western side are very deep, huge schools of smallies can usualy be found suspended on any type of structure close to deep water, there are sunken trees in this lake also, dont be surprized if ya yank out a 7lb LMB cause they are in there!

Fish Creek Dam also boast a very healthy population of trout both Rainbow and Brown and there are some big ones in there 5 lb trout are common in this lake and trout over 10 swim these waters too. it is a great lake to take a kid fishing. There is a no live bait restriction on this lake and also it is idle speed only because of the size. Please be considerate during the tourney of your fellow fisherman it is a small lake and people will be fishing next to other people, hopefully the fish cooperate and everyone has a good time!

Tourney runs from 7 AM to 2 Pm MST Saturday June 4th make sure you are at the ramp and have your boat loaded a minimum of 30 minutes prior to take off time so we can get the drawings done and take care of business.

Directions: From Interstate 94 Take exit 134 (sweetbriar exit) you will see a sign says fish creek dam, from here it is mostly all gravel road, go 8 miles south than 2 miles east than 1 mile south and you will be at the boat dock on the north end of lake. good luck everyone and well see ya on the water

Well mark it down ladies and gentleman the first tournament of the year is in the books! The Bass Bandits had a great turn out of club members on the 7th of May held at Lake Nelson, which is one of the best bass fishing lakes in North Dakota. The next stop on the tour for the Bass Bandits will be held at New Johns lake on May 21st, the Bandits will be docking out of the east park boat ramp.

New Johns lake is one of North Dakota's most premier smallmouth fisheries as well as one of the Bass Bandits favorite place to come and fish. New Johns is a large lake with lots of fishing to be had, along with the canals that connect Heckers and East Park lake together this smallmouth fishery gives anglers the opportunity to catch a bass of a lifetime! Just ask veteran Bandit angler Jeff Wetzel of Bismarck who weighed in a smallmouth that tipped the scales at a whopping 4.47lbs which was big enough to edge out Marty Mantz's largest bass of the day by .24lbs. That big smallmouth gave Wetzel the big bass award for the day along with the largest smallmouth award for the 2010 tournament season.