Hot Rod Baits Bass Series Recap

There are many bass tournaments scattered around the state of Iowa.  Some are simply a tournament where anyone can show up, pay the entry fee and go fishing that day for cash and prizes.  Those events are fun and I have joined in on those types of events for years.  There are also dozens of bass clubs around the state that offer tournaments to fish,however you must be a member to fish those tournaments.  I created the Hot Rod Baits Bass Series with the best of both of those types of tournaments.  The bass series is limited to 20 teams that pay up front for the years' tournaments.  Every event you fish against the same team members, it feels like a club, yet you have all the advantages of the open tournament field by choosing your partner and cashing in when you find the right bass.  I must admit, I did create this circuit like the professional circuit of the BASS corporation, which I feel is the most elite group of anglers in the world.  It takes courage to pay for the entire year and fish schedule that may have a lake or river pool that you aren't real comfortable fishing.  The 19 teams that have fished this circuit the past two years are an elite group of anglers in Iowa.

The series has consisted of 3 events the past few seasons.  Each team must sign up for all 3 and pay the $300 before the first event.  This gets them in all three events which pay the top 5 teams at each event, all 3 big bass payouts and the Team of the Year bonus money.  $500 to the top team and $300 to the Runner-Ups, nothing to sneeze at that is for sure.  This year the schedule began in April at 12-Mile lake in southwestern Iowa.  The next stop was Pool 10 of the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa, and finally Lake Belva Deer in July located in southwestern Iowa.  It is always interesting to see who comes out on top of each event, and this year we had 3 different winners at the events, and 16 teams out of the 19 got paid along the way.

I am already thinking about what the 2016 Hot Rod Baits Bass Series might look like.  I know from all the interest and the unique format that there will probably be once again a near full field, if not a full field of 20 teams on the series next year.  I do know for sure, as long as there are dedicated anglers, bass to be caught and sunrises to see, the Hot Rod Baits Bass Series will continue to the THE circuit in the state to be involved in.   www.hotrodbaits.com

Brushy Creek Lake 4-Man Tournament

Just a small sampling of the boats ready for the start of the event.

For the past 11 years I have helped my bass club, the Tri-County Bass Club run a 4-man tournament at Brushy Creek.  This was an idea I had back in 2005 when I saw the neighboring state of Minnesota conducting similar events.  I am always looking for fun and new things to do with my passion of fishing, so spawned the 4-Man event held at Brushy Creek.  In 2005 that event brought in 7 teams or 14 boats, an average sized tournament for the state of Iowa.  In the past we have seen 24 teams or 48 boats participate, and the last 4 years have averaged about 19 teams or 38 boats.  It also brings in anglers from Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois.  This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest tournament in the state of Iowa this year.  I, along with the Tri-County Bass Club are pretty proud of that fact.  Needless to say a lot of planning goes into an event like this before the event takes place.  Many club members also play a crucial role in getting this event going and making sure the event is fair and takes good care of the bass at the weigh-in.  I would like to publicly thank Don Henry for the hours of work behind the scene he does each year, Dave Jordan and Doug Chaloupek for helping each year with boat inspections and weigh-ins, and finally Brad Rozendaal who does a fantastic job at being the weigh master at several of these past events.  As a group we make sure every angler that enters these events has a fair and equal shot at collecting prize money.  Speaking of that, with a $200 per team entry fee, the club handed out almost $3,000 to the top 4 teams and big bass winners.  We also strive to get the bass weighed in quickly and back in the lake with little time out of the livewell.  All in all there wasn't one hiccup at the event this year, except for the slow fishing.

Fishing at Brushy Creek Lake has slowed down for the past couple of years.  No one really knows why this is occurring, however being one of the deepest and busiest bass lakes in the state probably doesn't help it at all.  That is one reason why it is extremely important to handle your fish with care and make sure your tournament organizations are doing the same.

The team I participate on each year has stayed constant that past several years; Doug Chaloupek, Dave Jordan, Don Henry and myself, all from Marshalltown.  We have a great time with each other, and even though we are there to "work" the event we don't let that get in the way of fishing too much.  This year the team collected 6 keeper bass, Dave and Doug did the most work with 5 keepers and we finished in 3rd place.  It wasn't a great day of fishing, rather slow for both boats but I guess we did enough to earn a top spot and a nice payday.  It was tough on most anglers, only a local team caught more than 6 keeper bass which got them the win.  Brushy Creek can be a great lake, and I hope the slow fishing is not a sign of what is ahead for this lake.  It's a great Iowa treasure and I hope everyone does their part to keep it that way.