Indee Bass Club Year in Review

2023 Angler of the Year: Colton Cameron
and Coach Todd Reed

The 2023 Indee Bass Club fishing season has come to an end. A few weeks ago, the club had their end of the season banquet. Many awards were passed out at this event and a record number of families and friends of the club were in attendance. The bass club offered students of the Independence community a fishing event every month from April through October. Let's look at these events and which anglers took home end of the season awards.
April brought some very cold weather to Eastern Iowa, causing this event to be pushed back a week. With temperatures in the low forties and wind gusts up to thirty miles per hour, Coach Reed along with President EJ Miller and Vice President Ranger Reed decided it would be best to postpone the first event. This was a wise decision as the weather was horrible that day. The rescheduled tournament was held on the Wapsi River here in Independence. The weather was much better that day and 18 kids participated in the April event. Colton Cameron and Carter Eddy were the champs that day, they caught three bass that weighed 5.36 pounds. Gable Eddy caught the big bass of the event, a smallmouth bass that weighed 3.35 pounds.
The May event was the annual Iowa High School Bass Team Championship held at MacBride Lake. Forty-Nine boats (98 anglers) from seventeen different schools took part in this event, including several boats from the Indee Bass Club. The top placing team from Independence was Jackson Beatty and Gable Eddy. They were 4th place out of those 49 boats. Team Independence (calculated by the top two boats) placed 2nd out of the 17 schools.

April Wapsi Champs

As the students moved into summer, the bass club traveled to Pleasant Creek Lake near Palo, Iowa. Once again Colton Cameron and Carter Eddy came away with the win. They had a five fish limit that weighed 10.85#. Carter also had the big bass of the event, it weighed 3.24 pounds.
July was home once again to the annual "scramble event". This event randomly partners anglers and captains together to fish for the night. It was a gorgeous night on the Wapsi River and a lot of bass were brought to the scales. Colton Cameron and Will Clark found the winning bass, they had a three keeper limit that weighed 6.35 pounds, Colton also had the big bass that weighed 2.36 pounds.
The Iowa Bass Nation State Tournament was held in August on Pool 10 of the Mississippi River. Again, teams from all over the state participated in this event, the Indee Bass Club had 5 boats represented. The highest placing Independence team was Cal Sweeney and Hunter Sherwood, they placed 11th out of 37 High School teams. Later this month a virtual fishing tournament was held. Anglers from all over Independence fish whenever their schedule allowed and sent pictures of their catches on a ruler to Coach Reed. The top three anglers were 1st- Carter Eddy, 2nd- Clinton Junk, 3rd- Ranger Reed.
As school started back up again for the students, excitement around the September tournament grew. The last points tournament of the year was scheduled at Lake Delhi, and that would decide who was Angler of the Year for 2023. Fourteen students fished in this tournament, and every boat weighed bass in, a first for the year. Ranger Reed and Jackson Wolf were the Delhi Champions, they had five keeper bass that weighed 8.55 pounds, included in that was Ranger's Big Bass, a smallmouth bass that weighed 3.00 pounds.

Gable & Jackson at the HS Team Championship

A special event took place in October. The Highway 20 Bass Club Battle, for the second year in a row took place between the Cedar Falls Fishing Team and the Indee Bass Club. The Indee Bass Club won this event in 2022 on Lake Delhi, but in 2023 it was Cedar Falls that picked the venue. The Cedar River in Waverly was the site for this year’s event. Once again, the Indee Bass Club came away with the team win. In this unique format that places one club versus another, all boats go out fishing like a typical tournament, however at the end of the day only the top three boats from each team count in the club totals. The Indee Bass Club was led by Wyatt Mether and Carson Hanoway, they had 11.02 pounds, Ranger Reed and Jackson Wolf had 10.81 pounds including Ranger's big bass that weighed 4.40 pounds, and the third team was Colton Cameron and Carter Eddy with 9.16 pounds. The total was 30.99 pounds compared to 25.66 pounds that Cedar Falls was able to weigh in. It was a great fall day of fishing, and the traveling plaque once again is displayed at the Independence Junior/Senior High!
The Indee Bass Club is run by volunteer coach Todd Reed. Garry Anderson and Keith Donnelly assist at events as well. This club is free for any student in the Independence or St. John's school system. The club was able to give out fishing gear and gift cards throughout the entire year at every event, totaling several thousands of dollars. The club also pays for memberships for students which includes a subscription to the Bassmaster magazine. These great perks available to students would not be possible without the help of our great sponsors: Colony Plumbing/Heating and AC, BankIowa, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, Cy & Charley's, Tim Reed State Farm, Rick Wendling Memorial, Klever Concrete, Shay's Minn Kota, Scheels of Cedar Falls, Hank's Bait and Tackle, Quantum Rods and Reels, Hot Rod Baits, The Rod Glove and X-Zone Lures. This great list of sponsors keeps all these activities free for students and puts fishing gear in their hands for future enjoyment. Another huge shoutout to the many "Captains" that took the kids out fishing, many are parents of students, and some are just volunteers to help the next generation enjoy the great sport of bass fishing. These captains include Todd Reed, Dan Sweeney, Brian Miller, Jackson Toale, Cyrus Butters, Travis Butters, Dave Wilson, Chris Weepie, Steve Bley, Shane Beatty, Garry Anderson, Andy Sommerfelt, Kevin Christensen, Aaron Svoboda, Chuck Lee and Chad O'Brien.

Hwy20 Bass Club Battle CHAMPS

It is hard to believe that fall is here, and winter is just around the corner. As the seventh year of the Indee Bass Club came to an end, the annual awards banquet caps off all the great accomplishments brought forward by the members of the club. The awards banquet took place on October 12th. The largest group ever showed up to celebrate with the club members with cookies and milk enjoyed by all. During each club event, four in total, anglers accumulate points towards the Angler of the Year. A 1st place gets you 10 points, 2nd place 9 points, 3rd place 8points, etc. When all things were calculated, Jackson Beatty was in 5th place, Ranger Reed in 4th Place, Gable Eddy finished in 3rd Place, Carter Eddy in second place and Colton Cameron was crowned the 2023 Angler of the Year. Ranger Reed earned this title in 2022, and Jackson Toale won it in 2021. Anglers that weighed in a limit at a tournament received their 2023 Limit Medals, those included Will Clark, Ben Anderson, Colton Cameron, Carter Eddy, Jackson Beatty, Gable Eddy, Ranger Reed, Carter Cameron, Hunter Weepie, EJ Miller, Owen Latwesen, Jackson Wolf. The Big Bass of the year award went to Gable Eddy, he weighed in a 3.35# smallmouth bass he caught on the Wapsi River.
It was a great year for the anglers and a lot was learned about the sport of bass fishing. Again, the Indee Bass Club thanks all fourteen of the different boat captains for their help and the sponsors for allowing the club to give away fishing gear and gift cards to help build the kids' equipment and enjoyment of fishing. Kids have already voted on places to fish for the 2024 season and planning is already happening to ensure another great season for the Indee Bass Club. You can find out more information about the club on their Facebook, Instagram and website, search them out for pictures and information.

2023 SPONSORS

4 Rivers in 4 Weekends

 

Fall in Northeast Iowa means one thing to me...time to get on the rivers as much as possible.  While thinking back this week, I realized I have fished four different river systems in the past four weekends...something I have never done before.  It started off on the Mississippi River near Lansing, then the Maquoketa River near Manchester, then my adventures took me to the Cedar River near Waverly and of course, lastly the Wapsipinicon River in Independence.  All four of these are very different, however there were definitely some similarities at each river that will always be consistent.  River bass love Texas Rigged Hot Rod Baits tubes, they love IMA crankbaits and they love current.  These are all things I have come to find out over the years and in the fall it can be no truer.  October is special time on the rivers of Iowa, smallmouth bass really start to show up like no other time of the year.  As the water temperatures dip into the low fifties and high fourties, the smallmouth start feeding up, they know winter is around the corner.  The weather patterns are a bit behind the typical year, this past weekend the Wapsi River still had water temperatures around 54 degrees.  It is close to the prime time of the year, but not quite there yet.  It does make for some fantastic fishing, and applying those baits with a proper Quantum combo just makes things that much sweeter.  

I have started to see the bass slowly get out of the current, several weeks ago on the Cedar River, anywhere that you could visually see current, you would catch bass.  More recently on the Wapsi River, the bass are not currently in those current areas.  I do believe as the cooler weather moves in, the bass will rush to the current areas once again for some easy food, and then start to migrate to their winter haunts.  

It is an exciting time of year to chase bass, and any day could be your best day of the year.  Get out when you can, the days are numbered.

Topwater Time Running Out

 

Fall is definitely here in Eastern Iowa, the first "frost warning" has been issued for tomorrow morning.  I absolutely love this time of year, topwater bass, smallmouth start to group up, and of course ice fishing is within sight.  The only sad thing about this time of year is that the topwater rods and boxes will be put off to the side shortly.  There is still time...that is for sure, but the days are numbers.  This time of year my favorite topwater has to be the IMA Lures Little Stik.  This walking/spitting bait is fantastic as the water cools.  You can work it erratically or slow it way down, enticing the most lethargic bass this time of year.  It has a smaller "brother" too, the Baby Stik which measures 4.1 inches, which works great for smallmouth and more finicky bass as the water cools.  Rig this bait on a 7'2" Quantum SmokeX Rod/Reel combo and you have yourself one BIG BASS catching machine.  

Get out there...topwater time will soon be gone!

Indee Bass Club: Lake Delhi Season Finale

Ranger and Jackson with the winning bass

The Indee Bass Club traveled east to end their season on Lake Delhi.  Back in the winter of 2023, students voted for areas to fish, and Lake Delhi was once again the top vote getter.  Delhi is known for a large population of bass, both smallmouth and largemouth.  The lake has large numbers of bass in it, however, catching the bigger 12-inch keepers is sometimes a chore.  No matter what, fishing Lake Delhi after the Labor Day weekend is always a fun thing to do, the water is cooling and that typically means the fish are hungry.

Fourteen members of the bass club made the trip to try and find a limit (5) of bass, 12-inches or larger to weigh-in. It was a beautiful day, a southern breeze, partly cloudy and temperatures in the sixties and seventies. As the tournament got underway at 8am, boats spread out over the entire lake to try and reach the goal of five keeper bass. On this day, every team of students was able to bring a keeper to the scales at the 2pm live weigh-in, which was a first for 2023 season.

 
The results of this tournament varied quite a bit from first place to 7th place, proving once again that putting the right baits in the right locations will yield more bass than others. The winning team of Ranger Reed and Jackson Wolf came to the scales with five keeper bass that weighed 8.55#. When asked about the day, they stated, "We caught our first good one on a deep diving crankbait in about ten feet of water. After that, all of our keepers came on Hot Rod Baits tube in the Dirty Craw color and Stickbaits. We caught fish all tournament long, it was a great day." Ranger Reed also caught the big bass of the event, a 3.00 pound smallmouth bass, this pair was captained by Todd Reed. In second place was Jackson Beatty and Gable Eddy. Jackson said, "We caught them on Hot Rod Baits tubes in the black and blue color. We fished around rocks and docks around six-foot in depth." They were able to bring in a limit of bass that weighed 6.35#, Shane Beatty was their captain. In third place was Colton Cameron and Carter Eddy, with captain Dan Sweeney. They reported catching all their bass on Texas-Rigged Hot Rod Baits Tubes or Wacky rigs. They ended up with 4 keepers on the day that weighed 3.50 pounds. Chris Weepie was once again a captain for his son Hunter Weepie and Clinton Junk. They weighed two bass that weighed 3.19 pounds, good enough for fourth place. In fifth place was Ben Anderson and Curran Meyer, Garry Anderson was the captain for this Junior High duo. They had one keeper that weighed 1.52 pounds. Sixth place belonged to Christian Simmons and Aiden Svoboda, along with captain Dave Wilson. They had one largemouth that weighed 1.43 pounds. In seventh place was Carson Hanaway, Wyatt Mether and their captain Steve Bly. They had one keeper that weighed 0.91 pounds. The top three teams along with the big bass were awarded prizes from Scheels and Hank's Bait and Tackle. Other sponsors of the club include Colony Heating/AC Plumbing, Klever Concrete, Tim Reed State Farm, Cy & Charley's, Shay's Minn Kota, BankIowa, Rick Wendling Memorial, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, Quantum Rods/Reels, X-Zone Lures, The Rod Glove, and Hot Rod Baits Bass Series. The bass club was able to send everyone home with fishing gear after the tournament, as well as a great meal at the ramp, thanks for cooking Jennifer and Taylor Simmons. The club would not exist, and the kids would not get the opportunities without our great list of sponsors.

 
The Indee Bass Club is free and open to any student at the Independence and St. John's schools. You can find out more details on the opportunities the club has for students on their Facebook, Instagram and website.

BIG BASS: 3.00# Smallmouth

Ending Summer with a Bang

I was able to fish the Mississippi River for three days this past weekend.  This was in preparation for the Hot Rod Baits Bass Series final tournament of the season.  As you probably know, I am a school teacher, so this was a great way to end my summer break.  Having three days to fish one of the best bass fisheries in the Midwest is always a treat, and it certainly didn't disappoint this time around.

Dan Sweeney and I teamed up for this event at Pool 9 out of Lansing, Iowa.  We were able to fish Friday and Saturday to try and find the best quality of bass we could.  The river was a bit lower than normal, but the water quality was fantastic everywhere we fished.  We were greeted by clean water and a mild to low flow from the Mighty Mississippi.  Typical summer patterns on the river were holding true, bass were hanging on the wing dams, points and weeds where current was present.  Our practice fishing time led us to four areas that we planned to hit during the tournament hours on Sunday, we were feeling pretty good about this, as all four were within 5 miles of each other. 

Popular baits for us were bladed jigs, Texas-Rigged Hot Rod Baits Tubes with a Reins tungsten weight, swim jigs and an IMA Lures Little Stik, a topwater walking bait.  Having the proper Quantum rod/reel combo is very important for each of these baits.  With their wide selection of rods and reels it is so easy to get the perfect combo for any bait. These different baits were key in the many areas we fished, but come tournament day, it came down to one bait.  We caught all our keeper bass on the IMA Little Stik.  It was an amazing day of topwater action.  We ended up staying in our first area all day, never having to move around.  Shallow water next to a deeper channel was the key area for both largemouth and smallmouth bass.  The smallmouth were using the shallow water to feed and the largemouth were traveling the deeper channel.  

At the end of the day, we had three smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass to complete our limit.  Our best five bass weighed 15.26 pounds, good enough for 2nd place in this event.  We were very pleased with our weight and finishing second against this group of anglers is an accomplishment. Catching so many bass on topwater baits throughout the entire day may never happen again, however I will always remember what we learned this past weekend about the behaviors of bass on the Mississippi River, and as always, I can't wait to get the boat back there to look for more beautiful river bass.

The IMA Little Stik is a walking bait
that is 5.5 inches long and weighs an ounce