The NH BASS Federation held its State Team Qualifying
Tournament on September 8th and
9th on the Connecticut River out
of Norm's Marine in Hinsdale,
New Hampshire. One hundred and
twenty eight of the best anglers
from B.A.S.S. Federated clubs
across the region converged on
the river with the goal being
to qualify for the prestigious
B.A.S.S. Federation Eastern Regional
to be held in September of 2002
on the Connecticut River in Hartford
CT. Only the top 13 (12 team members
plus an alternate) would survive
to fish the Regional.
Day 1 began overcast and muggy
with patches of thick fog enveloping
sections of the river. Tournament
Director Jim Orrok briefed the
contestants on the rules and encouraged
all anglers to have a safe day.
Shortly after 7 a.m. the 64 boats
were released, with many choosing
to make the long run north to
the upper regions of this stretch
of river in search of smallmouth
bass. Others ran a short distance
south to probe the many weedlines
and wood-covered shorelines in
search of largemouth bass. Whichever
path was chosen, all contestants
pinned their hopes on the draw
of water from the hydroelectric
dam that would ensure a good bite
on this fertile yet unpredictable
river.
The sun broke through the fog
by 9:30 a.m. and the temperatures
soared into the mid 80's with
bright, cloudless skies. Water
temperatures ranged from 70°F
on the main river to 76°F
in the backwaters. The Power Company
generated power between 9 a.m.
and 12 p.m. causing strong current
to flow in the upper sections
of the river. The afternoon bite
was almost non-existent, as the
river looked more like a pond
with no current and no wind.
Scott Parker from Manchester
Bass Club and Bedford NH paced
the field with a Day 1 weight
of 15.12 lbs. for 5 smallmouth
bass. Overall, weights were low
and most bags were comprised of
smallmouth. The Top 12 cut was
roughly 9 lbs. and many anglers
remained in contention for the
team. Sunday, Day 2, dawned much
like the previous day. However,
this time the heavy fog from Saturday
did not plague the anglers on
the morning run. Temperatures
were again unseasonably warm after
the sun burned through the early
morning overcast. With over 35
miles of navigable river to fish,
again most anglers headed north
to the shallow gravel bars and
grass flats to target smallmouth
bass. Unlike yesterday, the Power
Company decided to draw minimal
current today and this left most
of the anglers scrambling for
bites.
At the afternoon weigh-in, it
was soon clear that there would
be a major shake-up on the leader
board. The top five contestants
from Day 1 all checked in with
1 fish in their livewells, and
all but one slipped out of contention.
Day 1 leader Scott Parker weighed
a single bass for 1.4 lbs. and
eventually finished 8th. Alan
Denise of Haverhill Massachusetts
shocked the crowd gathered at
Norm's Marine as he checked in
with the day's biggest catch,
5 smallmouth bass for 12.35 lbs.
and cruised to his second straight
STQT Victory and NH Bass Federation
Angler of the Year Title. Denise's
final weight of 21.42 lbs. provided
him with nearly a 4-lb. margin
of victory. Denise fished the
extreme north section of the river
working gravel bars and riprap
shorelines in 2-8 foot of water.
He relied on a Pro Competitor
Vibra-Bug Spinnerbait (gold skirt,
single gold elephant ear blade)
and a ¼ oz. Tennessee Shad
colored Pop R to catch all of
his fish.
Finishing in 2nd place and qualifying
for his 11th State Team is Dave
Andrews from the Back Bay Bassmasters.
Andrews also targeted smallmouth
bass and relied on a Gold Bulldog
Pro Pop for his morning fish each
day. He worked gravel/grass beds
in 4-7 foot of water with the
top-water bait. When the sun peaked
out each day, he put down the
popper and maneuvered his Triton/Mercury
rig into the extreme north section
of the river where he worked shallow
gravel bars by ripping a gold
colored Bomber Long A in the swift
current. Andrews checked in consistent
limits each day and closed the
tournament with a weight of 17.87
lbs. Andrews claimed the key to
his jerkbait pattern was being
able to spot the chasing smallmouth
in the fast, clear water. He said
that his Costa Del Mar sunglasses
enabled him to see all of the
fish before they bit.
Larry Shirk, of Eliot Maine also
worked the north end gravel and
grass beds for smallmouth bass.
The Coastal Six Bassmaster reported
catching all of his smallmouth
on a 5" green-pumpkin Senko,
rigged texas style with a 4/0
wide-gap Gamakatsu. He used spinning
equipment and 10-lb. test line.
Shirk's final weight, good enough
for 3rd place, was 8 fish for
17.43 lbs.
Jim Hanatow of The Manadnock
Bassmasters claimed 4th place
with a 2-day total of 9 fish for
17.34. Hanatow, who lives in nearby
Alstead NH, reported using black
3-½ inch Tender Tubes rigged
on a ¼ oz. leadhead to
catch all of his smallies. Hanatow
caught nearly 20 keepers on Saturday
by slowly dragging the tube down
the gravel flats in 10-12 feet
of water. On Sunday, he checked
in only 4 bass, but reported losing
an astounding 12 keepers that
day. He used a light-line approach;
employing 4-lb. test monofilament
coupled with a light action spinning
outfit to make his finesse presentation.
He will be making his first trip
to the Regional Tournament.
Brian Morin from the Hardcore
Bass Anglers placed 5th with 7
bass for 17.11 lbs. The New Boston
NH angler caught only 2 fish on
Day 1, but stormed back on Sunday
with one of the biggest limits
of the tournament including day
2 lunker smallmouth at 3.93 lbs.
Morin drove his Triton/Mercury
rig to the north section of the
river and worked a PopN Image
Topwater over gravel flats in
2-8 foot of water in the morning,
and then switched to a texas-rigged
5" Senko (christmas tree
color) in the afternoon. Morin
will be making his first trip
to Regionals.
John Rafuse of the Contoocook
Valley Anglers placed 6th and
will be making his first trip
to the B.A.S.S. Eastern Regional.
He checked in 9 fish for a total
weight of 16.81 lbs. Rafuse targeted
smallmouth bass, primarily relying
on a gold Bomber Long A jerkbait
in the morning and then switching
to a carolina-rigged 6" Zoom
lizard (watermelon) once the sun
came out. He claimed that his
best spot featured a gravel and
grass mix and his key depth was
12-14 feet.
Dan Lewis of MBC earned his 2nd
trip to the Regional in dramatic
style. He boated the biggest bass
of the tournament with only 20
minutes remaining on day 2. The
lunker largemouth weighed 5.08
lbs. and instantly vaulted Lewis
into contention. Lewis caught
the big fish just a few miles
south of the launch on a rocky
shoreline. Lewis claimed that
he had hung his Watermelon colored
Yamamoto Hula grub on the bottom
and was trying to snap the bait
free; when he did, the big fish
hit. The Atkinson NH angler employed
a watermelon Lake Fork Ring Fry
as well as the Hula grub to catch
most of his fish. He was targeting
largemouth bass and using a run
and gun pattern, hitting over
a dozen spots each day, mainly
consisting of wood cover. His
7th place weight was 16.55 lbs.
Scott Parker, Day 1 leader, and
also of Manchester Bass Club,
finished the tournament in 8th
place. His big bag on Saturday
was caught by ripping Gold Bomber
Long A jerkbaits over 1' to 5'
clean gravel bars that featured
strong current. The young Skeeter
Pro will be making his 6th trip
to Regionals and he claimed that
while catching and culling nearly
3 limits on Saturday, including
a 4.01 lb. lunker smallie, the
bite simply died on Day 2. Parker
thought the lack of current was
the big factor in moving his fish
on Sunday.
Jason Faro of the Back Bay Bassmasters,
closed the tournament with 16.51
lbs. and finished 9th. Unlike
most of the other successful anglers,
Faro targeted largemouth bass
in the river's south end. The
Skeeter/Yamaha sponsored angler
reported catching most of his
fish by pitching a black/blue
5" Senko into main river
milfoil beds. Faro claimed lunker
largemouth the first day by catching
a 3.96 lb. fish on the Senko out
of a downed tree. He will be making
his 4th trip to Regionals.
Mark Anthony, of Alton NH, will
be making his second straight
trip to Regionals on the strength
of 2 consistent days. His closing
limit of 6.80 lbs. gave Anthony
a 2-day total of 9 fish for 16.24
lbs. Anthony targeted largemough
bass and caught most of his fish
while casting ¼ oz. Stalker
Buzzbaits and 3/8 oz. fire-tiger
Fat Boy Spinnerbaits. Anthony
was fishing in a backwater slough
off of the main river. The Castaways
angler also reported catching
a few key smallmouth on an 8 inch
white Zoom trick worm, rigged
wacky style. Anthony wished to
thank his 2 partners, Dave Morin
and Russ Lauffer for their support
and sportsmanship.
Al Smith, of The NH Bassmasters,
earned his 3rd trip to the Big
Dance by catching a limit of smallmouth
bass each day. Smith closed the
tournament with 16.22 lbs. and
commented that he caught all of
his fish on a 5" mossy pumpkin
colored Yamamoto Senko. Smith
employed spinning tackle and rigged
the Senko texas-style on a 3/0
Gamakatsu hook. He worked the
bait extremely slowly with long
sweeps of his rod. Smith fished
gravel/grass beds in 4-10 foot
of water for his bites.
Earning the 12th and final spot
on the 2002 team was Robert Hurst
of the Bubba Bassin Club. Hurst
caught a limit each day and finished
with a total weight of 15.72 lbs.
His 1st trip to Regionals was
secured by camping out both days
in a backwater cutback that featured
heavy weed cover and shallow shoreline
brush. Hurst cast 6" watermelon
Zoom Super Flukes, loaded with
Crawfish Bang, into water as shallow
as 6 inches to catch his limits
of largemouth bass. He employed
spinning tackle and 10-lb. Spiderwire
line, while rigging the Super
Fluke with a 3/0 easy-link Tru
turn hook.
Don Fales, of The Contoocook
Valley Anglers placed 13th and
will serve as the team's alternate.
Fales, who is sponsored by Morse's
Sporting Goods, worked a 10-12
foot trough that was between a
main river ridge and the shoreline.
He theorized that the deeper trough
held better quality smallmouth
bass that were seeking cover from
the bright sunlight. Fales utilized
gold colored spinnerbaits and
top water plugs to catch his 7
fish that weighed 15.52 lbs.
The NH Bass Federation would
like to wish the 2002 State Team
the best of luck and to thank
it's sponsors (new and old) for
their continued dedication: The
Alliance (Triton Boats/Mercury
Outboards, Skeeter Boats/Yamaha
Outboards), Pennzoil Marine, Quantam/Motorguide,
Lowrance Electronics, Flowmaster,
Berkley Powerbait, Stowaway Batteries,
Netters Inc, Northern Bass Supply,
Zylas. We would also like to thank
The Nissen Bread Company and C
and S Wholesale Grocers of Brattleboro,
VT for donating food and drinks.
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