The New Hampshire BASS Federation finally kicked off its 2005 season a few weeks later then expected. The original event was postponed when a Nor’ Easter ripped through the Lakes Region back in April, causing the event to be moved to May 14. Lake Ossipee in Freedom NH became the new venue and this got more than a few anglers excited about the prospects of catching the smallmouth of a lifetime during the prime pre-spawn season. Pre tournament reports pointed towards a record setting event as many 5 pound plus smallmouth were reportedly taken in practice and some even bigger largemouth were reportedly in the mix.
Unfortunately, in a repeat of every other weekend this spring, tourney day dawned cloudy and cool and even featured some sleet as the morning meeting was being conducted on the water outside of Ossipee Marine. Anglers from the thirty-seven teams scrambled to don raingear and as their number was called, headed off to their chosen spots. The weather remained cloudy and drizzly all day with air temps climbing into the low 50’s and water temps ranging from 48?F on the main lake to 55?F in the back ponds. The day remained virtually windless. Fishing was considerably tougher then expected and most teams struggled to even catch a 4 fish limit, but with the quality of fish in the Lake Ossipee chain, some heavy bags were brought to the scales in the afternoon weigh-in.
The Lakes Region Bass Club team of Kevin Phaneuf and Henry Boone set the pace early with a solid limit of bass that weighed 14.79 lbs. Anchoring their catch was the lunker of the day, a beautiful 5.54 lb. smallmouth bass. They also had a 4.44 lb. largemouth bass that was part of a mixed limit of two smallies and two largemouth. Phaneuf and Boone would nervously watch as several teams made a run at the title, but eventually all would fall short and they would walk away with the $1500 top prize, which included two paid spots for the NH BASS Federation State Qualifier, which is set for Lake Champlain in September 2005. The big smallmouth grabbed a gold/orange Husky Jerk early in the morning, but the team struggled to find a supporting cast for him and wound up catching their fourth fish just prior to check-in. They caught their two largemouth in shallow water using a green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog.
Finishing in second place with 14.67 lbs. and earning $1000 was the Back Bay team of Dave Andrews and Scott Leppanen. With largemouth bass dominating the money places, this veteran team weighed a limit of straight smallmouth bass including a 4.73 lb. kicker. Andrews/Leppanen worked suspending jerkbaits and Silver Buddies in deep holes for pre-spawn staging bass and reported a slow, but all day bite. The team finished with 10 keepers. They wished to thank fellow competitor Bill Vierzen for allowing the use of his boat in this tournament.
Finishing in third place was the Clearwater team of Dave Swett and Mike Plouffe. These veteran anglers stayed exclusively in the back ponds and focused on largemouth bass. They worked black colored Plouffe custom jigs along breaklines in 14 to 16 feet of water to catch 7 bass during the day. Their best 4 fish weighed 14.02 lbs. and featured a 4.38 lb. lunker. Swett and Plouffe secured $665 for their efforts. The top 3 places all received gift packs courtesy of Hotspots Outfitters in New Durham, NH.
Fourth Place went to the Manchester Bass Club team of Fred Anderson and Bill Klinger. Their limit of largemouth stretched the scales to 13.95 lbs. They targeted largemouth bass exclusively and fished in very shallow water using bluegill colored Lil’ Hustler spinnerbaits and black/blue Yamamoto Senkos. Anderson/Klinger secured the lunker largemouth of the tournament at 4.55 lbs, which earned them an additional $190.
Fifth place went to the team of John Huntley and Bayard Lohmiller with a straight largemouth limit that weighed 13.78 lbs. They reported catching seven keepers throughout the day and utilized jig n pigs and Yamamoto Senkos in 2 –8 feet of water along old cabbage lines.
Grabbing 6th place and the last money spot was the team of John Diaco and Mark Anthony who weighed 4 smallmouth bass for a total of 12.61 lbs.
The NH BASS Federation tallied another perfect score as it released all 103 bass alive and well back into Lake Ossipee. Congratulations to Tournament Director Bob Hurst and his fine staff.
As always we appreciate the support of our Federation sponsors: Special thanks go out to title sponsor Hotspots Outfitters and to our Lake Ossipee host, Ossipee Marine. Thanks to all of our sponsors: Shimano, Skeeter Boats, Irwin Marine, Pennzoil Marine, Plano Molding Company, Poor Boyz Scent, Ranger, Yamaha, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Berkley Powerbait, Citgo, Northern BASS Supply, Keep Alive, Mepps/Mister Twister, Lucky Craft, Luhr Jenson, Stealth Stik, Zylas, Yamamoto Custom Baits, Ultimate Lure Saver, Hog Sticker, Lil Hustler Tackle, Extreme Bass, Xtreme Marine, Stealth Charging Systems, Netters Inc, J&D Screenprinting and Embroidery, Cull-m-Rite, Rocky Ledge, Havoc Lures, Aqua View. The Mid- Summer Open is scheduled for July 10, 2005 on the Connecticut River, Hinsdale (Norm’s Marine).
|
