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Sakakawea Up Next!
Well with only two tournaments left in 2011 season the Bass Bandits will find themselves fishing one of North Dakota's premier fisheries - Lake Sakakajawea. This is an all time first for the clubs 6 year history. This is by far the largest lake the Bandits have ever fished, so I am sure there will be plenty of fishing room.But with luxry there is usually a price to pay. Finding and locating smallmouth bass on such a large body of water may sometimes feel like your trying to find a needle in a haystack. But, there are a lot of good anglers in the club that are eager to help each other out to ensure that everyone will have a good day on the water....that is if mother nature has anything to say about. Not only is Lake Sakakajawea a great fishery but its large body can produce some massive waves. So be sure to check the weather report before you head out and fish it. This will help you decide where you can and can't fish, not to mention it will keep you safe! With the points race pretty much all sewed up the Bandits are pretty much shooting for bragging rights as well as ending the year with a good finish before heading into the Classic Championship at the end of the month.
Another great feature about this weekends tournament is the fishing seminar that will take place after the weigh in. If you ever wanted to know anything about drop shotting, our very own Johnathan Campbell will be doing a seminar on his favorite bass fishing technique - drop shot rig. Johnathan has become a very knowledgable angler in this area and has improved his tournament success in the past few years with this specific fishing technique. If your unable to attend the seminar email or call Johnathan and I'm sure he'll give ya all the tips and secrets ya need!
The tournament starts at 7 a.m. and weigh in is at 2 p.m. MOUNTAIN time at the State Park boat ramp next to the marina. If you are coming from the west drive through Pick City and when you pass the Bar n Grill keep heading east for a bit until you see sign for the state park. Turn left there and head north, go passed the toll booth that is located in the middle of the road (make sure you purchase a day pass unless you have a annual sticker pass). Just past the booth there will be a ranger station, keep heading straight until you get to a stop sign. Keep going straight until you get to the 2 marinas, on the left that marina is a private one and the one next is the state marina which is the ramp that we will be using.
Tune in next week for tournament results pictures and fishing tips!! Let's ride Bass Bandits!!
Club Camping Weekend 2011
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.
Battle at Fish Creek Dam
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
Battle of the Canals!
New Johns is next on the schedule for May 21st!
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.
Nelson Tournament!
Well it certainly has been a long tough winter! and by the looks of things outside it is not over with quite yet! A couple days ago I was fishing out at Nelson Lake and it was 70 degrees and sunny and perfect! it was a good day, and than of course Mother Nature decided that she would hit us once again with 50 mph plus winds and some more of that yukky white stuff!
It's time people! regardless of mother nature has in store for us the tournament season starts this Saturday May the 7th at Nelson Lake located 5 miles east of Center,ND. Tournament starts at 7am MST and ends at 2 PM MST. Be at the dock early enuff that you can have your boat inspected and be launched and ready for action 30 minutes prior to the start time!
With the way the weather has been this year it looks as though we are not going to have spring? but we will fish on no matter what! Nelson is back to full pool again after being lowered for the melting snow and now filled again by the creek, water temps are really up and down changing daily with the weather, the plant is back to running full speed and pumpin out a lot of water!
Couple things to note be cautious of the bank around any high bluff areas! the soil is eroding bad this year and there have been several large landslides! twice one has occured not far from where I was fishing, do not walk on the bank anywhere on the east side that has bluffs, you could be risking your life! watch out for debris on the lake I almost hit a floating log the other day! the creek really let loose this year putting a few hazards in the lake so dont b roaring around unless your paying attention! there are softballs floating all over the place in the lake! they will make a nice little dent at full speed! for any new anglers when launching from the east boat dock go straight out into the main lake a long ways before turning, there are large rocks on your left and shallow shallow on your right.
It will be good to see everyone again! and of course any new members will be greeted warmly, Defending champ from last spring is Paul reinbold from Dickinson, I am sure he will try hard to keep his crown, but there are lots of people out there that will try to take it away! should b a great tournament with a lot of fish being caught! Janine will probably catch a big one like she always does, time for one of the youngsters to step up and show us how its done! who is it going to be?
This week weather looks to be rainy a lot of the week including a 60% chance of rain on Saturday with temps around 60 and W/NW winds around 15 mph, things could change between now and than but rain is likely so bring a good set of rain gear and some warm clothes! get out and dust the snow off your boats! spool up some fresh line, pick your favorite lures! and well see ya on the water Saturday! good luck to all
Missouri River
Well here we go again this time around it is on the biggest water we have faced so far this season. The tournament this week will be held on the mighty missouri river at the Beaver bay boat ramp located aprroximatly 60 miles south of Bismarck, ND along highway 1804, from Bismarck follow 1804 south till you hit the Linton Turnoff and head west approximatly 5 miles the ramp is right by the bridge in the bay. Tournament times are from 7 AM to 2 PM MST saturday August 28th.
New Johns Round 2
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.
Sweetbriar Dam
Marty
Raleigh Reservoir
Alan Hildebrandt with two nice bass (left) Curt Manley with a 10lb Pike (right) caught last year at Raleigh Reservoir
Nelson Lake Ice Bowl
( check out the photo gallery )
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!!
Joining a bass club is a life changing experience!
( check out the photo gallery )
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 Audubon 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 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 Club Records. 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