The New Hampshire B.A.S.S. Federation held its 14th annual
Spring Open on Lake Winnipesaukee
on Sunday April 28, 2002. The
weather was the major story heading
into the event. With one of the
mildest winters in New England
history and the third earliest
ice-out in the last 100 years,
everyone was set for a record-setting
Spring Open. This thought was
fueled by record high temperatures
that the Lakes Region saw just
a week or two prior to the tournament.
This string of 80-90 degree days
cooked Lake Winnipesaukee's water
temperature into the mid fifties
on the main lake and up to 70
degrees in the backwaters.
Of course New England weather
is famous for being unpredictable
and subject to massive change
in a hurry. Several cold fronts
bashed the region in the week
prior to the tournament and Mother
Nature saved her best for last
as the 56 teams competing in this
years Open launched their boats
and prepared to start the tradition
kickoff to the new tournament
season. Snow began falling shortly
after take-off and continued all
day, turning to sleet on occasion
and finally to rain by early afternoon.
High temperatures hovering around
the freezing mark and lake temperature
plummeted into the low forties.
Add winds of 20-25 MPH from the
Northeast and three foot waves
and you have the recipe for some
hardcore bassin'.
The severity of the cold front
cannot be underestimated, and
might have spelled disaster on
any other lake, but Winnipesaukee
has a reputation for being one
of the finest fisheries in the
country and even in the worst
of conditions it never disappoints.
As the first flight began to weigh-in
at 3 p.m. it became clear that
the bass did not mind the weather
one bit. Most teams checked in
with 4 fish limits, in fact many
teams reported catching astounding
numbers of smallmouth bass. Setting
the pace early and then holding
on to win the event was the team
of Kurt Damery and Joe Oslizlo
of the Honky Tonk Bass Rangers.
They weighed-in an impressive
bag of 4 smallies for 14.27 lbs.
anchored by a 4.20 lb. beauty.
Joe reported that the team fished
gold colored husky jerks and ½
oz. Silver Buddies to catch their
fish. They worked main lake breaklines
and targeted water 12-15 feet
deep. They reported catching an
amazing 75-80 keepers on the day.
The team netted $1200 including
2 paid slots for the upcoming
State Qualifying Tournament on
Lake Champlain in September.
Taking second place was Skeeter
National Team member Scott Smith
of Sandown NH and his partner
Pat Kennedy of Auburn Massachusetts.
Their combined weight for 3 smallmouth
and one largemouth bass stretched
the scales to 14.01 lbs. Scott
claimed that the team utilized
Silver buddies on a flat in the
northern end of the lake to catch
approximately 25 keepers on the
day including a beautiful 4.32lb.
smallmouth. They worked depth
ranges of 6 to 10 feet and reported
catching their sole largemouth
on a black and blue Hi-Tek jig.
A pair of touring professionals
found time in between National
events to team up and take third
place. Skeeter Pro Scott Parker
from Bedford NH and Triton Pro
Scott Canelas from Pelham NH weighed
in 13.98 lbs. for 4 smallmouth
bass. Their big fish weighed 4.42
lbs. and was the lunker smallmouth
for the event. The team reported
catching over 50 smallies on the
day by rotating through three
different spots. They worked silver
buddies and Norman DD-22 crankbaits
along sharp breaklines in 18-35
feet of water.
Finishing in fourth place with
a 13.60 lb. limit was the team
of Eric Bouldin and Dave Debelis
from T.H.E. Granite State Bassmasters.
They weighed in 3 smallmouth and
1 big largemouth bass. Their largemouth
weighed 5.18 lbs. and was the
big fish for the tournament. The
lunker largemouth grabbed a storm
wiggle wart crankbait fished amongst
rocks in 10 feet of water. The
pair caught 15-20 fish on the
day and utilized cinnamon colored
Yamamoto hula grubs to catch their
Smallmouth.
Teaming up to take fifth place
was Alan Denise and Danny Todd
from the Windham Hill Bass Anglers.
These two veteran New England
anglers also weighed in 13.60
lbs. for 4 smallmouth bass, but
slipped to fifth place by virtue
of the big fish tiebreaker. Danny
reported that he and Alan caught
over 25 keepers using ½
oz. Silver Buddies and DD22 crankbaits
fished along 18-20 foot breaklines.
The New Hampshire B.A.S.S. Federation
paid through 10 places and the
following teams all got checks:
6th place: Dan Lewis and Mike
Lesquade - 13.16 lbs.
7th place: Mark Noel and Paul
Cyr - 12.71 lbs.
8th place: Greg L'Heureux and
Bill McNaught - 12.57 lbs.
9th place: Rob Frye and Bruce
Acox - 12.52 lbs.
10th place: Dennis Brophy and
Peter Ayer - 12.50 lbs.
Considering the horrible conditions,
the tournament was a big success.
Everything ran smoothly and all
boats returned safely to the launch
at Ames Farm. Special thanks to
fill-in Tournament Director Sandra
Flanders, President Rob Frye,
and the 2002 State Team members
who served as staff at the event.
The tournament achieved 100% live
release of all fish weighed in.
The New Hampshire B.A.S.S. Federation
would like to thank it sponsors,
especially the name sponsor Flowmaster
Exhaust Systems. Also, The Alliance
(Triton Boats/Mercury Outboards,
Skeeter Boats/Yamaha Outboards),
Quantam/Motorguide, Lowrance Electronics,
Berkley Powerbait, Citgo, Chevy,
Kumho Tires, Eagle Claw, Strike-On,
Rocky Ledge Tackle, Northern Bass
Supply, Netters Inc., Keep Alive.
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