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Fish Tales |
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"C.A.S.T.ing for Kids" |
www.TheBassBureau.com
Column: Fish Tales
“C.A.S.T.ing for Kids”
By Billy “Hawkeye” Decoteau
While most champions seem to format
their next step along the path of
success concentrating on personal
goals and objectives, this
individual champion decided to
utilize the role of a mentoring
servant for disabled and
disadvantage children!
Holding the coveted 2007 FLW
Outdoors ‘The Bass Federation’ title
as Rhode Island’s “2007 TBF Junior
Champion” fifteen year old Delainey
Broggi assembled her accolades into
a formatted pattern then applied
them to a school project that would
touch the hearts and souls of bass
anglers through out New England.
According to Russ Thetonia,
Northeast Events Coordinator for
C.A.S.T. For Kids (www.castforkids.org),
a national program devoted to
introducing disabled and
disadvantage children to the sport
of fishing, young Delainey Broggi
approached him with the idea of
hosting a charity team bass
tournament as a means of raising
funds to support the Rhode Island
C.A.S.T. program. “Taking on the
task of tournament director, event
coordinator, sponsor liaison and
every other aspect of assembling a
bass tournament, didn’t seem to
discourage Dee in the least,”
recalls Thetonia. “I knew Dee was
very familiar with the
responsibility and accountability
revolving around such a major
undertaking, as her dad Mike Broggi
is the Youth Director for the Rhode
Island B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.”
(www.RIBassFed.org)
April 2007 Delainey Broggi laid the
foundation for what has become an
annual event, by hosting the 1st
Annual Roger Williams Ice Out Team
Bass Tournament benefiting the Rhode
Island C.A.S.T. For Kids Program.
Over twenty-five teams registered,
and young Tournament Director
Delainey Broggi ran the event like
clock work. Supported by some of New
England’s top bass anglers, Rhode
Island’s two-time Bassmaster Classic
Qualifier Joel St. Germain showed
his individual support by teaming up
with 2007 FLW Outdoors Championship
Contender Delainey Broggi. (www.JoelStGermain.com)
So when Massachusetts B.A.S.S. 2007
Youth Champion and Bassmaster
Classic Youth Qualifier Rob Ramasci
mentioned teaming up together for
Delainey’s 2008 2nd Annual C.A.S.T.
For Kids Team Tournament, I jumped
at the opportunity to share my Nitro
911 CDC front deck with this young
accomplished angler. (www.Nitro.com)
Thirty-nine teams came out in
support of Delainey’s early spring
Ice Out charity tournament. Braving
the April 6th 40-degree air
temperatures, angling teams found
the water temperatures within the
three shallow interconnecting ponds
located in Roger Williams Park, only
a few miles from downtown
Providence, to be much warmer as
teams registered surface
temperatures in the low 50-degree
range.
Rob Ramasci and I were bundled up
more for ice fishing than ice out
fishing, yet our enthusiasm to
explore Roger Williams Ponds, tied
together with our
shoulder-to-shoulder front deck
casting techniques proved to be a
bonding experience I will remember
for a longtime!
There is something about benefit
tournaments that always seem to
bring out the best in every
competitor, maybe it’s the thought
of knowing that no matter how many
or how few bass are brought to the
scales the real winners in these
tournaments are always the charities
receiving the overall donation
raised.
With trolling motor only
regulations, Rob and I were able to
share our tournament strategy
concentrating our efforts on normal
early spring transitional movements.
I was totally amassed as to the
knowledge of my fifteen-year-old
partner as he pitched and flipped
his favorite bait, a jig and pig,
into the downed trees.
As the day went on the air
temperatures dropped like a 1 oz
jigging spoon, while the wind
decided to audition for a leading
role as Mariah in Paint Your
Wagon!!! Donning wool caps, hooded
sweatshirts, gloves and anything
else we had in my storage
compartment we throttled up our
trolling motors thrust as white caps
splashed over the front bow. “This
might be a good opportunity to work
a spinnerbait or crankbait,”
suggested Rob.
Rob tied on a lipless crankbait,
while I made low cast to wind blown
shoreline cover with a white tandem
Hog Sticker. (www.spinnerbaits.com)
Methodically Rob worked his lipless
crankbait, ripping it out of
isolated grass patches along contour
lines, then fan cast tapering points
from a variety of angles. Rob’s
techniques helped to located some
isolated rock piles, and we
re-positioned our Nitro’s bow facing
into the wind making a change-up in
our baits.
Tying on a heavier jig due to the
windy conditions, my Youth-Team
Marine USA Pro Staffer, (www.MarineUSAinc.com)
kept me informed as to the rocks
location as I tossed a four-inch
Optimum Baits ATT Dancing Shad (www.Optimumbaits.com)
rigged with a Top Brass drop-shot
weight. (www.TopBrassTackle.com)
After twenty-minutes of precision
casting and only one bite, that
literally just about ripped my ALL
STAR Drop-Shot rod (www.AllStarRods.com)
out of my hand came up empty, Rob
and I decided it was time to head
back to the weight-in.
Greeting every team with her huge
‘Ocean Girls’ smile Delainey Broggi,
pointed teams in the direction of
hot pizza……….a welcome site to the
freezing competitors. (www.OceanGirlfishing.com)
Only six teams managed to land bass
and as with every tournament there
is always one team that somehow
magically unlocks the secret to
enticing the bass to bite.
As the few Teams with bass worked
their way to the scales, their
pizza-munching competitors applauded
their success. When Mike Broggi
officially closed the scales the
leaders board revealed no team
managed to land a five-bass limit!
Most anglers came up empty handed,
but all teams stayed for the awards
in a show of support for Delainey
Broggi’s C.A.S.T For Kids benefit
Team Tournament.
Jim Johnson an ‘Ole Salt’ on Roger
Williams Ponds claimed 3rd Place and
Lunker with his 4.83 lb largemouth.
“I have been fishing these ponds
since I was four years old,” laughed
Johnson. Then added, “That was
sixty-one years ago and this has to
be one of the toughest tournaments I
have ever competed in!” Holding his
$194.00 check in the air for
pictures, Johnson responded to the
crowd’s questions. “I caught my bass
early this morning on a white
Chatter Bait along some down
timber.”
The Team of Ken and Bob Varry
managed to entice three bass to eat
their finesse worms, tipping the
scales at 7.68 lbs. “Three bites
three bass all keepers,” reveal the
2nd Place $386.00 winners. In
addition to collecting their payout
the team also received a Marine USA,
Inc. Gift Certificate valued between
$500-$1,500.00 towards the purchase
of a Tracker/Nitro/Z Series bass
boat. (www.MarineUSAinc.com)
Nathan and Pete Bradshaw, were
crowned the 2008 Roger Williams Pond
Champions, when their four bass
registered10.94 lbs on the official
scales. “We made our way to the Polo
Pond and spend the day there working
a small hump,” says Nathan. Partner
Pete added, “There were boats all
around us but few caught any bass.
All but one of our bass came on
orange brown colored Rattle Traps,
the other bass actually came on a
jigging spoon hopped off the
bottom.” Nathan and Pete received a
check for $585.00, along with a
Marine USA, Inc Gift Certificate.
Greg Home Sr. and Greg Home Jr.
claimed the Top Nitro/Tracker Boat
position with a 5th Place finish of
1.28 lbs. Much to their surprise
they received a Marine USA, Inc Gift
Certificate valued between
$500-$1,500.00 towards the purchase
of a new Tracker, Nitro or Z-Series.
Their prize was also transferable!
Calling Russ Thetonia, the Northeast
Events C.A.S.T. For Kids Coordinator
(www.castforkids.org) to the stage
Tournament Director Delainey Broggi,
presented him a check for $785.00 to
the Rhode Island C.A.S.T. For Kids
2008 program.
Looking at my partner Rob Ramasci,
he smiled backed and replied, “It’s
amazing, just how much you can learn
even when you don’t catch any bass!”
God Bless and Best Bass’n
The 2007 New England Bass Tournament
season will witness the first NEPVA
Bass Trail Angler proudly wearing
Pro Staff colors as Brandon J.
Wettlaufer competes from his Wood
Boat & Motor sponsored Champion
183CX powered by an Evinrude 150 HO
E-TEC outboard.
B.J. God Bless and Best Bass’n
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