 |
| Cal and Ranger with four of their WINNING bass |
The Bass Federation (TBF) held its annual State Tournament this past weekend at the Okoboji Lakes in Northwestern Iowa. This event was a perfect opportunity for the Indee Bass Club to double up on tournament opportunities with one long trip. Anglers would be competing in the State event and the club event at the same time. Six teams made the long trip to Okoboji, four high school teams and two junior teams. The day before the event the weather was horrible. Temperatures were in the low forties, on and off rain and the constant twenty mile per hour winds with gusts much higher. A few anglers gave it their best during this weather to come up with a plan of attack to bring in their five best bass the next day. That night students and captains gathered for the pre-tournament meeting. Here, all students received about $200 worth of fishing gear just for being part of the tournament. A Lew's reel and an AbuGarcia rod was part of that large prize package, as well as many other small gifts. It was a great time seeing all the anglers and coaches in one area talking about the sport of bass fishing. The meeting was held with directions and announcements for the next day's tournament. It was an exciting way to end the day.
Tournament day brought cloudy skies but temperatures were pleasant throughout the day, and no rain at all. Most teams found the bass willing to bite during the cloudy day. The team of Ranger Reed and Cal Sweeney caught their limit of fish using bladed jigs and deep crankbaits. They weighed in five keepers weighing 14.22#, a new Indee Bass Club record to win the club tournament. They finished 13th in the state out of 45 High School teams in the state competition. Coming in second was the partnership of Gable Eddy and Jackson Beatty. They also had a limit that weighed in at 9.07 pounds. They caught their fish using jerkbaits and craw style baits. They finished 33rd in the state standings. Coming in at the third spot in the club tournament was Christian Simmons and Aiden Svoboda. They caught two bass using crankbaits that weighed 7.43 pounds. They ended up placing 10th in the Junior division out of 18 teams. In the fourth spot for the bass club was Wyatt Mether and Carson Hanoway. They weighed in three bass that weighed 5.61 pounds, placing 35th in the state event. A big thank you to the adult boat captains that made this trip possible for the student anglers; Todd Reed, Avery Fuchs, Dave Wilson, Steve Bley, Cyrus Butters and Garry Anderson.
The Okoboji Lakes are known for their big bass, making this an exciting place to fish. Christian and Cal both weighed in largemouth bass weighing over four pounds in this event, something club members have never done since its beginnings in 2017. Although the weather didn't cooperate the day before the tournament, tournament day was awesome and the kids had an experience they won't soon forget. To find out more about the Indee Bass Club visit them on their website, Facebook or Instagram pages. As always, this free club is made possible by our great sponsors;Colony Heating/Air Conditioning, BankIowa, Klever Concrete, Tim Reed State Farm, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, Shay's Minn Kota, Rick Wendling Memorial, Cy & Charley's, SCHEELS of Cedar Falls, Lew's, Strike King, The Rod Glove, Hank's Bait and Tackle of Waterloo, Hot Rod Baits and X-Zone Lures.
No comments:
Post a Comment