Wagner Orders Bass On The Rocks at 2010 SQT Party

Riley and Tanabe Dominate on Deep Creek

On a chilly October morning dedicated members of the Maryland Bass Federation headed north for the last tournament of the year and possibly the toughest. The clear water environment pits anglers against innumerable difficulties. Large quantities of undersized smallmouth dominate the lake making it difficult for anglers to secure a sizeable bag. Jagged-toothed pickerel also haunt the grass beds and rocky points of the lake, eagerly gobbling up anglers lures, often slicing the line and swimming off with a much needed asset. As always, a few capable anglers would cast their lines into sixty degree water and with a little luck, coupled with help from the wind, would reel in victory.

Ed Riley of the Skeeter Owners Bass Club earned his plaque by retrieving a large suspending jerkbait near main lake points and creek mouths. Riley focused on the outside of milfoil edges where he’d cater to largemouth by throwing an oversized bait, to deter throwback smallmouth from lunging at it. Riley stuck with his pattern all day, noting that his best fish came in the morning. He boated a few short fish but managed four largemouth to the net, including a four pound lunker, securing first place in the boater division with 11lbs 6oz of beautiful bass.

Central Maryland Bassmasters’ Ryan Kephart stole second place by procuring a limit of smallmouth from the clear water fishery. Kephart practiced the day before the tournament and had trouble catching fish in the grass or around docks. He found fish looming off of rocky, main lake points and returned to those areas on the day of the tournament, coaxing bass out of their deep-water haunts using an array of crankbaits and jerkbaits. The day started out slowly but when the wind picked up Kephart loaded his boat with the tournament’s only limit, bringing 6lbs 13oz of smallmouth back to the weigh-in station. Kephart would like to thank Chris Huffman for being a patient partner.

Dave Kashuba, of Wes Mar Bassmasters, fished his way into third place by developing a dock pattern two weeks prior to the tournament. Unfortunately for Kashuba, some of his productive docks would be removed before the start of the tournament. Kashuba spent the day hammering the docks that remained with his trusted Senko, pulling three solid largemouth and a couple throwback smallmouth from the water. Kashuba ended the day with 6lbs 12oz of largemouth in his bag, as well as the third place boater plaque. He’d like to thank ABSeas Marine in Fredrick for keeping his boat running and his wife Sheila for her support.

Non-boater Martin Tanabe of Champions Choice Bassmasters threw reaction baits and Senkos to nab the aggressive bass lurking on the south end of the lake. Tanabe spent the day targeting points, docks, and shorelines. After weeding through some throwbacks and pickerel, Tanabe landed the non-boater division’s lunker, turning a two-fish day into a first place victory with 4lbs of bass. He’d like to thank his boater, John Hansen III and his bass club for their support.

Chris Huffman charmed his fish into his livewell using a Mega-Bass Pop Max and a jerkbait given to him by his boater, Ryan Kephart. Huffman’s three fish, weighing 3lbs 6oz, were caught hovering off of main lake points. Huffman hustled his retrieve, forcing reaction strikes from the bass, losing a few and reporting follows with nearly every cast. Huffman would like to thank Ryan Kephart for an exciting day of fishing.

“Wasn’t a real eventful day,” reported Wes Mar Bassmasters’ Cecil Justice. Justice landed three keeper fish on a bone colored Pop-R within the first hour, then only throwbacks the rest of the day. His early flurry gave him 2lbs 11oz of bass, enough to earn the third place non-boater trophy. Justice would like to thank boater Bruce Shives for putting him on fish.

Mike Day and the Federation volunteers ran another pristine weigh-in and should be commended for their impeccable performance this season.

Another tournament has come to a close and with it the end of season. Soon the lake will be shrouded in snow and the docks that held copious smallmouth will be removed, leaving only barren shorelines, hidden by a blanket of ice. The boats that dashed across the lake will soon sit idle, wrapped in layers of plastic or stowed safely in a garage. And anglers will wait inside their homes, anxious for the warm breath of spring to tease new leaves out of the trees and force the winter’s ice to recede. Congratulations to all who competed this year and good luck in the coming season.

Gietka and Crummitt Load Up on the Nanticoke

On a sunny Saturday in August, thirty-six members of the Maryland Bass Federation were busy perusing the winding waterway known as the Nanticoke River. Each angler holding tight to the hope that somewhere, among the copious pad fields or in the acres of tangled and submerged timber, lurked their first place bundle of bass. But, to acquire their coveted prize, anglers would have to overcome one of the region’s most stifling foes- an all day high tide. High water notoriously thwarts the efforts of anglers on this cloudy water river, though a talented few would prevail.

Breakaway Bassmasters’ Paul Gietka landed himself in first place, in the boaters division, by staying versatile and focusing on several different forms of structure to procure his catch. Two weeks prior to the tournament, Gietka practiced with the Middle River Bassmasters and began to develop a plan to catch fish during a period of prolonged high water. He fished a few spots in the Nanticoke but directed his efforts on probing the structured banks of Marshy Hope Creek. Gietka used a stockpile of senkos; finesse worms and topwater lures to fill his livewell and returned to the weigh-in boasting an 8lb 5oz bag. Gietka would like to thank his partner Bob Sweeny and thank his “lucky charm”, Andy Shenholtz. He’d also like to thank the Federation’s tournament staff for driving to the shore and hosting a successful tournament.

Terry McCumber of Tri- County Bassmasters and Mudd Buggs Bassmasters employed his trusted 7ft flipping stick while launching his Cavitron buzzbait into the beryl hued pads lining the shores of the Nanticoke.

“I love that river,” remarked McCumber. “It’s a good river; people don’t give it enough credit.”

McCumber spent the majority of the tournament hammering a 100 yard stretch of shoreline, which he’d discovered during practice. The pad field camouflages a bermed drop-off, which lays clandestine, inches from the shoreline. During a high water period the gully can fill with up to 5 ft of water and pounds of hungry bass. McCumber heaved his buzzbait over the ditch retrieving it through the pads and beside adjacent docks. McCumber managed four keepers out of the trough, in addition to, a few throwbacks.

“It’s the only spot that I know that gives up good fish during high water situations and a buzzbait will work all day, despite sunshine,” declared McCumber. McCumber’s buzzbait coaxed 7lbs 10 oz of largemouth into his livewell, earning him second place in the boater division. He’d like to thank Jay Crummitt for being a great guy to fish with.

Third place finisher Scott Sewell, or Middle River Bassmasters, spent his day in Marshy Hope Creek, casting a buzzbait over pad fields, hoping to haul out a heavy bag. Sewell pulled four keepers out of the cloudy water but admitted to losing a few others and landing some short fish.

“I love eastern shore rivers,” commented Sewell. “Guys that don’t fish eastern shore rivers are really missing out. They are some of the most beautiful rivers in the country.” Sewell’s white, Strike King Jr. buzzbait skewered 6lbs 11oz of bass, earning him the third place boater plaque.

Jay Crummitt hailing from Big Dawg Bassmasters followed boater Terry McCumber’s lead and retrieved a buzzbait through pads and hurled it around docks. When the buzzbait would fail to produce a blow up, he’d pitch a Texas rigged Berkely Power Worm toward the cover.  Crummitt turned a tough two fish day into a tournament victory by landing the tournaments biggest fish, a beastly four pounder, bolstering his weight to 5lbs 15oz, earning him the first place spot in the non-boater division. He’d like to thank Terry McCumber for a great day of fishing.

Quick Release Bassmasters’ member Rick Kindle spent his day fishing behind Scott Sewell. Kindle too, found victory in the whirling blades of a buzzbait, which he cast across the pads of Marshy Hope Creek. Kindle lost a few but stowed three keepers in the livewell giving him 4lbs 12oz of bass, enough to take the number two spot in the non-boater division.

Dave Kyle of Central Maryland Bassmasters and the Maryland Hawgsters turned a half a day of fishing in to a third place finish, tossing a mixture of spinnerbaits and buzzbaits into the pad fields of Seaford, Delaware. Kyle managed four fish to the boat before ten o’clock hoping that a fifth fish would put him in contention for the first place spot. Sadly, engine trouble ended Kyle’s day, just before eleven, leaving him with four bag fish weighing 4lbs 2oz. Kyle would like to thank boater Bill Sanders for putting him on fish despite unfavorable conditions.

As always, Mike Day and his crew of volunteers worked diligently, ensuring a speedy and precise weigh-in.

The chattering blades of buzzbait seemed to be the preferred method of seducing bass into biting, proving once again that topwater baits remain effective well beyond the low light period. The close of another tournament coincides with another lesson, dictated by the angry tides and enticing curves of The Nanticoke River. Congratulations to all who competed.

Hansen and Lechert Dominate The Battle on the Bay

The day had started out so well, I thought to myself, while thundering back to the Gunpowder in Doug Hull’s 21ft Gambler. The near four pound largemouth that slammed my buzzbait at dawn had briefly aroused notions of success. Sadly, those hopes were quickly pushed to the back of my mind, when shortly after, my partner and I trolled through the slender channel of a creek-mouth. The strident bellows of what appeared to be a woman on a large boat shattered the tranquil quiet of the morning. The verbal assault, aimed at my partner and I was apparently the result of mistaken identity. Earlier another boat had entered the creek on plane, disturbing the lady, and she unloaded a barrage of expletives (causing bystander mothers to shield their children’s ears) at us as though we were the returning interlopers. We tried to politely resolve the conflict, as the current carried us past the corpulent siren but our attempts only fueled her rage. She stomped on the bow of her boat, pointing at us in her night shirt, the loose skin of her arm dangling and flapping, like the jowls of an agitated Nixon, her brunette mullet glistening in the morning sun. And as fate would have it, about the time she began threatening to retrieve her loaded shotgun; the current parked us gently on a neighboring sand bar. I wonder how everyone else is doing, I thought to myself, as I stepped into the eighty-some degree water to give the boat a push, one eye on the water, the other on the irritated onlooker, pacing back and forth across the bow of her boat.

The rest of the competitors spent the day contending with the variables that Mother Nature had bestowed upon them. Blue bird skies and a high pressure system, coupled with dingy tidal water would leave some anglers searching hard for bites, while others were frequenting their livewells.

Third place boater finisher, Ron Hines, of Big Stix Bass Club turned a tough, three fish day, into a tournament victory by loading his livewell with the tournament’s 6lb 5oz lunker. Hines’ began his day plying the grass beds in Super Cove. He landed one keeper on a fluke and when the fluke failed to fool any other fish, he switched to a frog. When the frog did not produce Hines’s decided to switch locations. He motored over to the quarry and cast a tandem bladed spinner at the shoreline. His bait instantly produced a second bass but would not draw another strike for hours. Ron then made a tournament changing decision, by opting to spend the remainder of the afternoon probing Dundee Creek, for a few more bites. His lull was about to end. Not too long before weigh-in, Hines’ swimbait was assaulted by the greedy lips of a giant. This glutton nearly bent Hines’ hook enough to free himself during the fight back to the boat, a fight in which Hines’ braided line demonstrated its durability. The new edition to the livewell was enough to bump Hines’ total weight to 11lbs 8oz, earning him the third place boater plaque.

River Ratz club member, Bill Sanders, used a black Scum Frog to procure his second place position on the boater’s side, with a 12lb 5 oz bag. During a pre-fishing expedition Sanders isolated a few groups of actively feeding bass, both in Dundee and in the Gunpowder. Most of his good fortune was found in Dundee, where Sanders landed four solid keepers before moving to the Gunpowder and using a blue-fleck worm to secure his limit. Sanders drew the majority of his strikes while keying on grass beds before 11 am. Sanders would like to thank Federation members Ron Hines and Charles Jackson for not crowding him when they saw him catching fish and hailed them as “true gentleman”.

The boating divisions tournament champion John Hansen III, of Chesapeake Bass Anglers, made his way to the Bush River, hoping to encounter some hungry bass looming among clusters of docks and piles of submerged wood. Hansen hammered selected areas repeatedly throughout the day waiting for the most productive tide period.

“As long as water is moving on the bay, you can catch fish,” advises Hansen.

Hansen managed to turn five bites into a winning 13lb 13oz bag of fish by alternating between worms and jigs and remaining patient. He’d like to thanks his sponsors, Amsoil, Health Bridge Chiropractic and Mobile Auto Service. Check out his website at www.hansenfishing.com for fishing tips and more on Hansen’s fishing adventures.

Third place non-boater Gerald Brown Jr. of Westmar Bassmasters, enjoyed a great day of fishing in the back of Scott Sewell’s boat. He and Scott spent the majority of the day in the back of a small creek. While the tide was moving Brown plucked two bass out the grassy creek using a popper. When the tide and the fishing began to slow Brown switched to a tube and flipped it next to a piece of wood lying adjacent to the shoreline. Brown turned four bites into a three fish bag weighing 6lbs 8oz. He’d like to thank Scott for being a great partner.

Dave Kyle, of both Central Maryland Bassmasters and The Maryland Hawgsters, claimed five scaly largemouth which bolstered his second place bag to an even 8lbs. Kyle spent the day traversing the bay in the back of Randy Elliott’s rig, jumping from Dundee to the Susquehanna, then to the Northeast, finally ending the day exploring the grass beds of the Elk River. Kyle received five bites from the various grass beds he visited and managed to land all five, etching his mark among the other tournament victors. Most of the fish succumb to Kyle’s trusted Berkley Powerworm but he also found success throwing a spinnerbait. The majority of Kyle’s fish struck on the high tide. Kyle thanks Elliott for being such a proficient boater, noting that Elliott was, “A hell of a guide.”

“The fish Gods were smiling on us,” declared Walt Lechert of Tiderunner Basssmasters. Lechert spent the day fishing behind boater John Hansen III, combing the featureless banks of the Bush River for bass, occasionally encountering good fortune,

beside a cluster of submerged wood or on the edge of a weed line. Lechert reported meager action when twitching topwater baits above the flotsam outstretched fronds of aquatic foliage but the majority of his strikes were drawn while precisely deploying a wacky-rigged green pumpkin senko or a Bitsy Bug, brandishing a green pumpkin trailer.

            “The water was cloudy, it seemed like you had to hit the fish in the face,” remarked Lechert.

Lechert landed fish throughout the day, four keepers and a few throwbacks, while pounding productive stretches of bank in the Bush River. Toward the close of the tournament, the pair decided to return to Dundee hoping for continued success, Lechert hoping for another solid keeper to round out his limit. The return to Dundee was delayed, due to engine trouble, stifling Lechert’s hopes for a fifth fish. Luckily, the pair made it in time for weigh-in and Lechert’s 11lb 2oz bag was heavy enough to secure a first place victory in the rider division.

Lechert thanks Hansen for the fish and Mike Day and The Comer family for all their hard work organizing the tournament and running the weigh-in.

My tournament experience ended with my back propped safely against a pier piling in Tidings, waiting for 4^th place boater, George Loope, to idle to the launch from the mouth of the Sassafras, were we’d left him hours prior, nursing his sputtering, all but lifeless Evinrude. George rounded the corner of the marina, behind a tow boat, smiling, the constant beacon of mirth, despite his seemingly chronic run of bad luck. Today’s misfortune had not only claimed his engine, but a livewell malfunction claimed two of George’s bass, the penalty left him ounces out of the top three. George greeted me with a handshake and a thank-you before coaxing his troubled rig on to his trailer, with assistance from angler Rick Moore.

“That’s fishin’,” George said in a bittersweet tone before thanking me again and making is his way back toward I-95. I walked back toward my Jeep, thinking fondly of the ferocity with which my bass had smacked my buzzbait, recalling the random pattern of black spots that flecked his sturdy green flanks and shoulders like birthmarks. I reminded myself how fortunate I was to be on the water competing with and learning from other anglers and what gratitude I reserved for any day spent watching the tides turn and ebb in the Chesapeake watershed-even under the threat of gunfire. Congratulations to all who competed.