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New Johns Round 2

There will be a team tournament on 14 Aug 2010 from 7 AM to 2 PM MST on the New Johns Lake GDU canals complex, Launching point will be the usual East Park Lake access boat dock.

Ding Ding let the bell sound for round two at this fabulous lake and canal system! this time around it is a tournament featuring fishing with partners! rules and regulations and all thta stuff will be explained by Geo prior to launch at the start of the tournament Saturday morning.

Let the battle of East VS West begin! last tourney was won by a fisherman fishing the east side! but 2nd, 3rd, and 4th all came from the west side! who will win this time? which deirection will the boats head? I guess we will see the strategy play out when we launch and the boats head out for battle.

One thing is for certain the fish population in this system is alive and healthy and there are some very large fish swimming around of all species and if the last tournament was any indicator than this looks to be another record breaking tournament with some big weights coming in and a lot of smiling faces.

This tournament is not for points towards and or status for angler of the year of rookie of the year it is for the pure fun and enjoyment of the anglers so make sure you find yourself a partner and see you on the boat dock saturday morning and lets have some fun. Weather looks to be a bit cooler than recent with temps in the mid 70's and wind out of the Northwest, bring some rain gear! you never know when a storm may pop up these days!

P.S. Jeff I will be gunning for your smallie big fish record! gonna be hard to beat that fish! but I will be trying!

Marty.

Club Camping Weekend

Club camping weekend is almost here! it will be this weekend the 24Th and 25Th of July to be kicked off with the first tournament at lake Audubon on Saturday the 24Th from 7 AM to 2 PM. to be followed by the tournament at East Park Lake on Sunday the 25Th from 7 AM to 2 PM.

You could not find two different lakes! Lake Audubon is a large reservoir that is actually part of lake Sacajawea just separated by a highway. Audubon is home to a lot of Walleyes and perch, some crappies, lots of carp and shiners some very large Northern Pike (25 pound range) and plenty of smaller ones, it also has a very good population of Small mouth Bass and some over 5 pounds! Typical structure on the lake is a lot of rocks and reefs so be very careful if it is your first time on the lake dont be zooming around or you may find yourself on a reef and in trouble! stay away from the gates on the highway on the dam that is where they release water from the big lake into Audubon! if you hear a siren leave the area immediately! there is a lot of deep water in excess of 50 feet and a lot of shallow water too. weed beds galore around the islands and all over the lake in the middle of nowhere! also be careful to observe the buoys on this lake as the southern portion of the lake is closed to fishing and vessels of all types! it is a wildlife refuge so dont be harassing the wildlife! do not cross any of the buoys on the middle portion of the lake going south or you may fins yourself on the receiving end of a visit from a game warden.

The dock we will be using is the 3 mile corner dock go north of the lake to the Garrison exit and take a right hand turn go down the gravel road until you see a fork in the road go down towards the lake and the ramp is there.

East park Lake is part of the New Johns Lake and Mc Clusky canal system from washburn turn at the John Deer dealership on the highway 83 go northeast till the highway ends and comes to a tee (about 11 miles) and take a left in about 3 miles you will see the sign for new johns lake bypass that keep going 2 more miles, when you come to a bridge you will see a sign says east park lake and west park lake go over bridge ramp turn left ramp is 100 yards down the road. people will be camping at East Park lake immediate following the tournament Saturday at Audubon.

East park lake and west park lake and new Johns and all the associated canals have a very good population of Small mouth bass from 1 to over 4 pounds, also present are white bass, perch, walleye, carp, northerners, and some very very large Muskies! State record comes outta there at almost 50 pounds! if it is your first time there you will find lakes attached to canals and more lakes! dont get lost! there are also some big LMB in the system too.

Good luck to all and keep an eye on the weather as of right now it looks to be hot and windy and a chance of thunderstorms. keep an eye on the site in the next few days to be aware of any weather alerts and tournament announcements. Camping should be fun I am sure they will have some good games for us to play again this year and a lot of good food to be eaten also. see ya t the tourney!

Sweetbriar Dam

Next stop on the tournament trail is Sweetbriar Dam located in Morton County approximately 18 miles west of Mandan, ND right alongside Interstate 94 exit 134, if your coming from the other direction than it is about 3 miles east of New Salem, ND. This Lake covers 253 square acres, average mean depth is 10.6 feet, max depth is 31 feet with 9.5 miles of shoreline to cover.

Sweetbriar contains Walleye, LMB, perch, bluegill, northerns and some pretty large Tiger muskies! Smallies were stocked in there in the last 10 years but no one knows if they still exist? So catch one and lets find out! Be prepared to loose some lures to the pike as usual! Iff you get luck enough to hook a Musky than hold on tight and take a picture and release them please!

This lake has everything you ever wanted for structure it has deep water along the reeds, it has lots and lots of weeds to play in, there is rocks and rip rap to fish along the dam, there are trees submerged and above water, a very long and nice creek flowing into it. Almost any scenario you can imagine for fishing for bass! So good luck and catch a big one! see ya on the water. tournament time is from 7 AM to 2 PM MST Saturday July 10th.

Marty

Raleigh Reservoir

Alan Hildebrandt with two nice bass (left) Curt Manley with a 10lb Pike (right) caught last year at Raleigh Reservoir

It's that time again! The next tournament will be held at Raleigh Reservoir which is located in Grant County 3.5 miles west and 1/4 mile south of the town of Raleigh, ND. the lake is approximately 59.2 square acres with 4 miles of shoreline. Mean depth is 14 feet and max depth is 34 feet, it contains Large Mouth Bass, Small mouth Bass, Trout, lots of northerners! and some bluegills.

This lake is very similar to Sheep's Creek Dam which we just fished only smaller, it has a rip rap lined canal just off the boat dock and rocks mid lake along the dam, the lake is deep and has a lot of weeds! Small mouth are not very well established but if you catch one it will be a big one most likely over 3 pounds. lots and lots of small northerners and a few big ones also! so be prepared for some lures to go bye bye at the teeth of a hungry pike!

A decent population of LMB also, last year fishing was tough with not many fish caught due to the bluebird skies and 90 degree day we had.

Tournament time is from 7AM to 2 PM MST be on time (early) and get your boat checked and launched 30 min prior to start time so we can get off on schedule! Defending champion is Alan Hildebrandt from SD. Only 2 people weighed in 3 fish last year! As usual check the forum for the weather report. It will be posted as a go or no go by Thursday night at the latest. Weather looks to be hot with isolated thunderstorms popping up throughout the weekend! see ya on the water be on time and good luck to all.

Marty.

Nelson Lake Ice Bowl

( check out the photo gallery )

Welcome to the 2010 fishing season! It is time to get out to the garage and inspect the boat, break out the rods and reels, put on some fresh line, dust them off and oil them up! Big bass await you in this years first challenge.

Nelson Lake will be the site of the first contest this year, Fishing time will be from 7am to 2 pm MT on Saturday15 May. for those who are new it is located 3 miles east and 2 miles south of Center. take highway 25 east of center to the Minnkota road sign on the paved road and go south cant miss it. boat dock is just before you get to the overlook area across from the plant gravel road going north to the lake.

Weather has not been nice lately Mother Nature does not want to cooperate but Nelson Lake is a warm water lake so fishing should still be good, current conditions are the lake is very high the weed lines are greening up nicely, the water is murky and will no doubt get worse as we had 4 inches of snow today and it will melt and runoff into the lake next week.

Fishing should be fair to good lots of fish will be caught and most likely some big ones pushing 5 pounds. Defending champions from last spring Janine and Jeff from Mandan. First and second place last year and also biggest fish (Janine). will be out to repeat there performance although I have a feeling there might be a couple other people who will try to disrupt that!

Nelson Lake is home to the state record and holds many big bass it is common to catch 5 pound plus fish out there so make your battle plans now and be ready to catch some fish! Probably should pack some nice warm clothes along for the journey also if mother nature has taught us anything it is be prepared for foul weather at any time in ND!

See ya on the water and be prepared because you know I will be! looking forward to everyone weighing lots of nice fish in and getting some of them mini burgers after wards!

p.s. Paul a big bird told me that bass dont like spinner baits at nelson so just go ahead and leave them all at home!

Marty

Nelson Lake May 15th!!

Nelson

View Pictures!!!!

Nelson Lake will be the site of the first contest this year, Fishing time will be from 7am to 2 pm MT on Saturday15 May. for those who are new it is located 3 miles east and 2 miles south of Center. take highway 25 east of center to the Minnkota road sign on the paved road and go south cant miss it. Boat dock is just before you get to the overlook area across from the plant gravel road going north to the lake.

Weather has not been nice lately, Mother Nature does not want to cooperate but Nelson Lake is a warm water lake so fishing should still be good, current conditions are the lake is very high the weed lines are greening up nicely, the water is murky and will no doubt get worse as we had 4 inches of snow today and it will melt and runoff into the lake next week.

See ya on the water and be prepared because you know I will be! looking forward to everyone weighing lots of nice fish in and getting some of them mini burgers after wards!

p.s. Paul a big bird told me that bass dont like spinner baits at nelson so just go ahead and leave them all at home!

MARTY.

Joining a bass club is a life changing experience!

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I have had the honor of being a part of a couple of different bass clubs for many years now. When I was 15 years old I joined a club called the ‘Dakota Sportsmen Society‘. It was a small club located in rural South Dakota with about 10-15 members. My dad and my uncle’s were a part of this club and I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to join and see what being part of a fishing club was all about! It was everything that I had wanted it to be, talking about fishing, learning about fishing, getting involved in the community, getting to know new people, and of course actually going out and going fishing! Those are the best parts of being a member in a club. When I started college and I learned that the internet was a really valuable tool for fishing. Using this valuable tool I was able to locate a bass club called the “Hub City Bass Busters,” located in Aberdeen , SD. I contacted the president and became a member. I was anxious for the first club event to learn new ways and tricks to catch bass. By joining that club not only did I become a more improved smallmouth bass angler, I met some new friends that I have shared many great fishing and hunting trips together ever since. A few years down the road it was getting harder and harder to make it to club meetings and other club events in South Dakota. To make matters worse, the state that I was living in did not have a bass club in the whole state of North Dakota, Uggg! What is a crazy bass fishing addict to do in a situation such as this? Simple, create one. In 2006 the Badlands Bass Bandits bass fishing club was created, it’s first tournament had ten members and was held at Raleigh Reservoir. Since then the bass club has been growing steadily ever since. But why? Why would joining a bass fishing club be so great? What is the point? The simplest answer would be “join our club and find out.” But for those of you who have never been part of a club here is some reasons why joining the club can be life changing.

The first reason that comes to mind would be meeting new people who love to fish like you do. When you meet club members for the first time it isn’t difficult at all to start up a conversation. Just start talking about fishing and that will start up a conversation that won’t quite until the sun goes down. Club members conversing with each other starts to build the main foundation of a club. It creates such a positive and friendly based atmosphere that will carry on the water during club tournaments and other club events. Do all clubs have this? No, not all, but the Badlands Bass Bandits do. It is a fact that our club helps other members load and unload boats during fishing events, it is a fact that our club tells other tournament anglers what the fish are biting on during club tournaments, and that is just the beginning. Since this club has started all of the members like to visit and share ideas with each other that people stay well over an hour or two after each event is done. The bass bandits also have a program called “spill the beans” after each tournament event. Spill the beans is a moment after the tournament awards are presented, the top three anglers of the tournament event have to share what they used and did to catch the winning fish. This is a huge learning curve for everyone, even for the winners of that tournament.
Another great side of joining a fishing club, is the friendship that you create with other people on and off the water. Our club camping weekend that is held annually is a huge hit. Club members bring food for the pot luck after day one of our tournament for that weekend and we all feast and visit. One of the top events for that evening is the “ladder ball” championship, where club members team up with each other and try to be the top dog of the game! It’s gotten so popular we had to start making trophies for this event. Another example of friendship would be my Christmas experience for this year.

I was traveling to South Dakota for Christmas and got stuck in Lemmon due to a bad snow storm. Immediately after I checked into my hotel room there was a knock at the door. When I opened the door there stood Mike Wentz with a box full of his wife’s Christmas cookies…yummy! Later on that night the gave me a call and invited my and my dog Trapper over for Christmas dinner. We had a ball that night eating good food and talking about fishing and the highlights of our bass fishing club. I could go on and on about how great the Badlands Bass Bandits club is or any other club for that matter. But, I just wanted to give people an inside story on what they might be missing out on. If you are interested in joining our club or any other club contact the club’s president and get started today!

-Paul Reinbold

The Skinny...on the Truth!

      The Badlands Bass Bandits bass fishing club consists of all different types of anglers. Some are topwater fishermen, some are tube fishermen, and some are power fishermen, the list goes on and on. At the end of each season there are a few that shine in the end to earn an award. Perhaps the most prestigious is the Angler of the Year title, or the seasons Classic Champion. But there is one award that maybe the most overlooked award that proves to be the most important one of all. Have you guess it yet? Well, if you said the “Horizon Award,” then your right! Over the course of the club’s three year history the anglers who receive the Horizon Award prove to be one of the clubs tournament contenders the following tournament season. Want proof? Okay here is a little club history lesson. But, first let’s discuss what the Horizon Award exactly is. In 2006 when the club was first born, club President and founder Paul Reinbold wanted to create an award that would reward the anglers who have improved their fishing skills the most during the course of a tournament season. Variables that are taken in consideration of earning this award was attendance to tournaments, point accumulation, # of fish caught and weighed- in versus previous years, as well as final point standings from previous years.

       In, 2006 the first two club members to receive this award was Jeff Wetzel and John Meyer. These to anglers kept on improving their fishing skills at each tournament since the very first one of that year, and it showed during the weigh-ins at each tournament. The following two years Jeff Wetzel became a factor at each tournament by posting several top 5 finishes as well as a couple top 3 finishes. He continues to show progress every season and is getting closer and closer to an Angler of the Year title. Then in 2007 our Horizon Award winners were Matt (Gunsmoke Dillion) Jahner and Lyle Weber aka Lyle “the damn” Weber. Matt and Lyle had greatly improved their bass fishing skills since the 2006 season and were contenders at a few tournaments in 2007. Lyle posted a 2nd place finish at the “Battle of the Canals” tournament at New Johns Lake as well as a strong 3rd place finish at the Classic Championship. Not, only did Lyle place in a few tournaments but the 2007 season was also his first season where he weighed – in his first limit of bass at a tournament. Matt Jahner also had a great 2007 season placing a couple of top 5 finishes and coming close a couple of times to winning the big bass award. Oh, what might have been Matt if you had been only using Stren fishing line two years ago! Ha Ha Ha! But don’t worry everyone Matt has learned to buy quality fishing line which is probably why he won the Lake Audobon tournament in 2008. Not to mention Matt did land the big fish honors there as well. His 2008 season final standings were just outside of the top five which was a huge improvement compared to previous standings.

      So there you have it two years of proof why winning the Horizon Award is just as important as any other award. The numbers and the results don’t lie! So what will our 2008 class of Horizon Award winners Jason Bader and Geo Wentz bring us? A Classic Title? Angler of the Year Title? It’s going to be an exciting year, and you can bet that these two anglers will be contenders at tournaments. But, one thing is for certain we will all be there fishing and having a good time and you can too!!!
-Paul Reinbold

2009 Was A Year To Remember

The 2009 Bass Bandit season was a year to remember. There were new lakes added to the tournament scene, new members, closest ever Angler and Rookie of the Year races, and nice weather! Add all of those elements together and all the Bass Bandits would agree that it was a great year. The club membership is once again up from the years past, and once again the main attraction to our club is the friendly based atmosphere are club has to offer. The new members, or as well ol' vets like to call them 'rookies' just admired the way our club members help each other out during club events. That is something that will never change with this club.

The 2009 season had the most closest Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year race ever in club history. Paul Reinbold of Dickinson took home the Angler of the Year award, this was Reinbold's second time capturing this award. The first time he had won this award was back in 2006 when the club was first established. Reinbold edged out former AOY winner Janine Wetzel and Robert Reinbold by a few points. Bringing home the bacon for the Rookies' was Marty Mantz of Center, who claimed the Rookie of the year title. Mantz edged out fellow club member Lance Hildebrandt of Faith, SD by a couple of points. Marty also took home an award no other Rookie has ever done in club history. Mantz also won the 2009 Classic Championship award back in September. He won it by catchin 8.88lbs of a three fish limit, convincingly beating out the rest of the pack by a 7.50 lbs 2nd place finish by Paul Reinbold. Other awards that were earned during the 2009 season was the Biggest Largemouth and Biggest Smallmouth awards. Which were both won by Janine Wetzel of Mandan. Wetzel caught the 5.50 lbs largemouth during the Lake Nelson tournament back in the spring of May, and she also caught this years biggest smallmouth at Indian Creek Dam back in June that weighed 3.90lbs. Wetzel also captured this year Bag Buster Award which awards the angler who caught the heaviest one day tournament for the year. Janine's one day total weight was 9.86lbs. Coming home with this years 2009 Horizon Award winners were Curtis Wentz of Lemmon, SD and Deryk Voller of Dickinson ND. The horizon award honors the club members who are the most improved over the course of their membership. Last but definetly not least is our 2009 Fish Hater Award winner. This year award went to Mike Wentz of Lemmon, SD. Mike earned this award by not weighing in a single fish all season long, but managed to weigh in a couple during the last event of the season but still edged out the competition to win this award. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR MIKE! Of course this award is all in fun and is greatly appreciated by our members:)

Another event that was new this year was the Presidents Big Bass Challenge. Club members used special club rulers to report their longest 3 largemouth and smallmouth for the year. There were two categories; smallmouth and largemouth each category winner received a $150 rod n reel combo from bass pro shops. This years winners were Dick Roland of Crosby, ND for the largemouth division and Geo Wentz of Lemmon, SD won the smallmouth division. Out of 3 bass Roland's total measurment was 58.5 inches and Geo total measurement was 53 inches. Congradulations to both of our winners!

After all of this years champions were crowned and the champaign bottles were empty there were some changes made for the 2010 season. Next year the Bass Bandits will be heading to the Missouri River in Bismarck to hold one of their tournament events! This will be exciting event because none of them have ever fished it for bass! I can't wait to see the results. There were also some changes in the club officer positions, our new Tournament Directors for 2010 will be Robert Reinbold and Janine Wetzel. Our new Secretary and website article author will be Marty Mantz, our youth directors will be John Campbell and Paul Reinbold and our new Vice President will be Jeff Wetzel and our new Club President will be Geo Wentz. This is a beginning of a new era for the club, never before has there been a change in Presidency, but I am very excited because the club picked a great club member to lead this club in the right direction. Geo has been a long time club member and has always show his love for the club day in and day out. We are all excited for the new things to come for the club in 2010 and can't wait for the first event! Thanks for stopping by and checking us out, if you are interested in our club please feel free to contact one of our club officers. Until then....GET THE NET!

Next Tournament

Lake Nelson is one of North Dakota’s premier bass fisheries in the state. Thanks to the power plant that uses water from Lake Nelson to cool itself, the lake is open all year. This provides anglers the opportunity to fish open during North Dakota’s frigid winter months. Not only does Nelson provide open water fishing, it also provides record setting largemouth bass due to the warm water conditions. This is one of the Bass Bandits favorite lakes to fish, because it gives the club a chance to fish earlier in the season compared to other bass lakes in North Dakota. This lake serves as a cure for the Bass Bandits cabin fever due to the winter months See last seaon's results at Lake Nelson

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