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Best Bass'n: |
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North East Bass
Anglers |
www.TheBassBureau.com
Column: Best Bass’n
“D.A.R.E.”
North East Bass Anglers
Massachusetts’s FLW/TBF bass club
the North East Bass Anglers is the
only Bass Club that I am aware of in
New England that has been totally
devoted to working hand-in-hand with
our nation’s D.A.R.E. program.
Situated along the Connecticut
Massachusetts border in the rural
communities of Southwick, MA and
Suffield, CT, the North East Bass
Anglers have deep roots when it
comes to community involvement.
Relying solely on sponsor donations
both product and monetary, North
East Club President Skip Bryant and
his 26 NEBA members have continually
supported the Southwick, MA Police
D.A.R.E. program for 18 years, by
hosting it’s annual benefit Team
Bass Tournament on Congamond Lakes.
According to Club Tournament
Director Mark Consolini Congamond
Lakes has been the clubs initial
source for drawing competitive bass
anglers to their eighteen-year-old
charity event. Ranger/Evinrude
sponsored angler Eric Kaplan
believes there are many reasons, but
two standout the most; Congamond
Lake has an ever growing bass
population supported by an enormous
healthy supply of forage and
secondly the lakes location allows
for acceptance of either
Massachusetts or Connecticut fishing
licenses, thus encouraging the
involvement of anglers from both
states.
“Had it not been for the strong
support we have received over the
last 18 years from Massachusetts’s
Federation Anglers (www.Massbass.com)
throughout the state, the Southwick
Police Departments D.A.R.E. Program
would not have been able to expand
its Drug Abuse Resistance
Educational efforts to the
productive level they are at today,”
suggests Bill Penney NEBA Treasurer.
Founded in 1983 in Los Angeles, CA.
the D.A.R.E. Program today is
utilized in 75% of our nations
school systems and forty-one
countries around the world. D.A.R.E.
trained police officers interact
within the school systems teaching
the children skills they need to
avoid peer pressure leading to
drugs, gangs and violence. In 2007
President Bush declared April 12th
National D.A.R.E Awareness Day,
encouraging parents and caregivers
to work hand-in-hand with their
local Police Departments D.A.R.E
educational programs.
Logging unto the National D.A.R.E.
web site
www.DARE.com
Adults and Kids will find an array
of interactive activities designed
exclusively for them. In fact there
are separate sections leading adults
in one direction and kids in another
direction. This site provides all of
the information needed for local,
regional and national involvement.
As the synchronized launching of
forty-eight bass boats continued
Congamond’s Lake Management Team
directed anglers to secured parking
areas, morning registration was
quickly completed and teams found
themselves shoulder-to-shoulder as
NEBA President Skip Bryant reviewed
the pre-tournament briefing prior to
the 7:00 a.m. take-off.
Congamond Lakes offer competitive
bass anglers several options with
its three interconnecting ponds,
North, Middle and South Ponds. Then
add in the idle speed only until
10:00 a.m. Lake Management Rule and
teams need to consider seasonal
transitional movements of the black
bass when considering their
Tournament Strategy. Harold Cote
considered by many anglers to be the
Top Angler on Congamond Lakes added,
“Early Spring on Congamond can find
North Pond loaded with spawning and
pre-spawn bass, but the area is
extremely small add to that ten or
twelve bass boats and it limits the
areas a team actually can fish!”
Marine USA, Inc. (www.MarineUSAInc.com)
Tracker Pro Staffer Chris Blais
readily agrees with Cote. “Harold is
absolutely correct, however in the
twenty-thirty minutes it takes a
team to idle south from the State
Ramp, another team in North Pond
could have a limit!”
Predictions on the winning weight
varied, but FLW Professional Bass
Angler Jim Leuthner seem to project
positive results by the time the
3:00 p.m. weigh-in started. “Water
temperatures have leveled out
through the three lakes with
slightly higher temperatures in
North Ponds shallower section, I
believe we will see some twenty
pound plus eight-bass limits today.”
Anglers monitoring their temperature
gauges reported water surface
temperatures ranging from the
mid-high 50’s to low 60-degree
range. Consistent weather patterns
of daily high temperatures reaching
70-80-degree highs and nightly lows
in the mid-high 40-degree range
scattered Congamond’s bass
population into shallow spawning
areas, cruising pre-spawn bank
runners, and those bass utilizing
transitional highways leading to
contour break lines in six-eight
foot depths.
It was obvious when the clock struck
10:00 a.m.! The roar of high power
outboards signaled the running of
teams as the morning’s calm surface
sent waves along the shorelines.
Teams could be seen; running main
lake points chunking and winding
spinnerbaits, while others opted for
jerkbaits or deep diving crankbaits.
Patience angling teams were
witnessed paralleling deeper banks
methodically crawling jigs, hula
grubs or small finesse worms, while
others stood on their front decks
cruising with their electric
trolling motors searching the
shallows for lunker bass. As the
hours ticked away the roaring sound
of outboard motors throttled down to
an idle as all forty-eight teams
passed the 3:00 p.m. check-in boat.
Teams were called to the scales in
groups of five in numerical order
via their tournament registration
boat numbers. Tallies on the leaders
board changed with each arriving
group and ounces separated the top
teams when the scales were
officially closed. As the tournament
committee assembled the Top-Twelve
Cash Payouts and Trophies teams were
called in descending order revealing
some of their tournament techniques
used to establish their eight-bass
limits.
Claiming the 2008 D.A.R.E. Congamond
Crown with eight bass tipping the
scales at 22.70 pounds the Father
and Son team of Feltault and
Feltault secured their Championship
title anchored with the tournaments
6.40 lb Lunker Largemouth Bass.
Their efforts were rewarded with
handsome wooden plaques, $1,000.00
and a Marine USA, Inc Gift
Certificate valued between
$500-$1,500 on the purchase of a new
Tracker/Nitro/Z-Series Bass Boat.
Although the team seemed tight
lipped as to their techniques “Dock
Talk’ rumors claim jerkbaits were
the key to their success? (www.Nitro.com)
Leuthner and Simoneau managed to
assemble an eight-bass limit for
second place honors with a total of
19.91 pounds, but it wasn’t easy
according to FLW Pro Angler Jim
Leuthner! “We went into North Pond
and by 10:00 a.m. we had four bass,
when we decided to start up the
outboard to make our run to South
Pond, it wouldn’t start? After
several attempts it was obvious we
were stranded to trolling motor
power only!”
Concentrating their efforts close to
the weigh-in site, Leuthner and
Simoneau worked finesse worms along
tapering banks. Besides their second
place Cash Payout the 2nd Place Team
also received a Marine USA, Inc gift
certificate valued up to $1,500.00.
Father and Son Team of Ed and Ed Jr.
Rosienski, landed in 3rd Place only
.37 lbs behind Leuthner and Simoneau
with 19.54 lbs. “We really needed a
kicker bass to win the tournament
and we saw plenty of them cruising
the banks, we just couldn’t get them
to take our baits,” replied Ed Jr.
(For the Top-12 D.A.R.E. Teams log
unto www.MassBass.com or(www.northeastbassanglers.com)
Receiving a Marine USA, Inc gift
certificate valued up to $1,500.00
for the Top Tracker/Nitro Bass Boat
was NEBA’s Youth Director Tom
Blanchard.
To an overwhelming around of
applauds North East Bass Anglers
President Skip Bryant presented the
Southwick Police Departments D.A.R.E.
Program a check for $2,750.00.
God Bless and Best Bass’n
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