Indee Bass Club Kicks off the 2023 Year

 The Indee Bass Club held its first tournament of the year on the Wapsi River on May 3rd.  This event took place on a Wednesday evening and the weather couldn't have been any better.  Sunny skies and nice springtime temperatures made the night a beautiful one for fishing.  Eighteen anglers set out to catch as many legal bass as they could and bring back their five largest to the scales.  Although the weather on this day was picture perfect, the weather in the weeks prior to the tournament was not the typical spring weather the bass are used to.  Extremely warm temperatures and then a big cold front had the bass in unusual places and not willing to feed up as they typically do this time of year.  That did not stop the members of the Indee Bass Club though, as spirits were high when they were released to begin the event.

As sun was setting and the boats were coming back to the dock to weigh in their catch for the night the chatter around the parking lot wasn't as jovial as when they started.  Reports of bass being caught were on the low side.  Walleye and Northern Pike kept a few anglers busy, but the goal was to bring in five keeper bass.  The Wapsi River has a length limit on bass species, they must be 12-inches to keep.  That was also the regulation for the event.  No team was able to bring in a limit of five bass, which is very unusual for the Wapsi River.  However, as in any bass tournament, someone always finds some fish to weigh-in.  In first place tonight was the team of Colton Cameron and Carter Eddy.  They had three bass that weighed 5.36#, they were captained by former club member Cyrus Butters.  In second place was Gable Eddy and Zach Sidles, they had two bass that weighed 4.25#, their captain was former bass club member Jackson Toale.  In third place was EJ Miller and Owen Latwesen, they had four keeper bass that weighed 4.08#, captained by Brian Miller.  In fourth place was Ranger Reed and Carter Cameron, they had one keeper bass weighing in at 2.17#, captained by Todd Reed.  In fifth place was Christian Simmons and Carson Hanaway, they had one bass that weighed 1.09#, captained by Dave Wilson.  Big Bass honors went to Gable Eddy, he brought in a big smallmouth bass that weighed 3.35#.  Others involved in the event were not able to bring a keeper bass to the weigh-in.  

All anglers were treated with Subway sandwiches, chips and drinks at the weigh-in, provided by Tim Reed State Farm Agency.  Needless to say, they were hungry and very appreciative of our sponsor helping out!  The Indee Bass Club is a free club to any student in grades 7-12 at the Independence schools, including St. John's.  This is made possible by the awesome companies that support the club.  They include Colony Heating/Plumbing/AC, BankIowa, Klever Concrete, Tim Reed State Farm Agency, Cy and Charley's, Rick Wendling Memorial, Shay's Minn Kota, Hank's Bait and Tackle, SCHEELS, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, Quantum Rods/Reels, The Rod Glove, X-Zone Lures, and the Hot Rod Baits Bass Series.  You can find the Indee Bass Club on Facebook, Instagram, and their website.  The next club event is June 24th at Pleasant Creek Lake.