The NH Bass Federation held it’s annual Mid-Summer Open on July 9, 2006 on the Connecticut River out of Norm’s Marine in Hinsdale New Hampshire. A favorite stop for Federation anglers, this year the old C-River had recently taken some mighty abuse at the hands of Mother Nature. Historic Spring floods in New England had washed away many familiar spots and created many new ones along the way. Fresh downed trees seemed to be everywhere and old weed beds had all but vanished. The River had come down about 5 feet in the week prior to the tournament and varied between muddy and stained in most sections. The morning weather featured sunny skies and normal summer temperatures that eventually rose to near 90°F by the afternoon weigh-in. Water temperatures ranged from 70°F in the cool North section of the River to near 80°F in the Southern backwaters.
Despite the fluctuating water levels and muddy appearance, the River actually fished pretty well. Nice limits of both smallmouth and largemouth bass crossed the scales at the end of the day. Choosing smallmouth and making the right choice was the team of Dave Andrews and Scott Leppanen from the Back Bay Bassmasters. Andrews and Leppanen keyed on Northern gravel bars and current breaks and brought back an 8 fish limit that weighed 20.00 lbs. They used perch colored Bomber Long A’s and Norman Pro Pops and sight-fished with Yamamoto Watermelon colored Senkos to land roughly 20 keepers on the day. Andrews reported the key to their success lied in a recent switch in line brands. They used Gamma 12 lb. Copolymer line and claimed that they lost no fish on the day, certainly a rarity with river smallies. They banked $1400 for first place and will get a $500 bonus from the Basscat Quest program as well.
Finishing in second place and earning $1040 was the veteran team of Scott Canelas and Alan Denise. They too targeted smallmouth bass in the northern section of the River and finished the day with an impressive limit that stretched the scales to 19.66 lbs. Alan claimed they caught fish early on ¼ oz. Gold Rocky Ledge Vibra Bug spinnerbaits. They also confirmed that key fish were caught with Gold Bomber Long A’s and Yamamoto Hula grubs.
Third place went to the team of Martineau and Hall who checked in with 8 smallmouth for 18.96 lbs. They reported catching upwards of 20 keepers on the day using mostly chartreuse spinnerbaits and black Yamamoto Senkos. They targeted gravel bars and break-lines and caught fish throughout the day. They received a check for $720 for third place.
Mass Bass anglers Pete Demoya and Eli Delaney took fourth place with 18.51 lbs. of river bronzebacks. Pete reported running North and concentrating entirely on smallmouth bass. They used green-pumpkin tubes and Hula grubs and also caught some fish on crankbaits. They patterned the smallies on current breaks and grass beds and caught 15 keepers on the day.
Fifth place went to the team of Rob Frye and Bruce Acox who caught 17.63 lbs.. They broke away from the other top finishers and targeted largemouth bass in the southern section of the river. They used white buzzbaits and junebug colored Senkos and worked both main river and backwater areas. Their 8 fish limit was anchored by a beautiful 4.67 lb. largemouth bass.
The team of Sinclair and Roux took sixth place with 17.23 lbs. and Sweeney and Reynolds grabbed first loser pool money with 17.19 lbs.
The lunker largemouth of the event went to the team of Bob Hurst and Ben Woods and weighed 5.16 lbs. Lunker smallmouth went to Jeff and Leslie Carr and topped the scales at 3.64 lbs. Both fish reportedly fell for Yamamoto Senkos and were worth $215 each.
The NH Federation continued it’s excellence in fish handling as 291 of 295 fish weighed in were returned alive and kicking to the Connecticut River.
As always we appreciate the support of our TBF sponsors: Shimano, Pennzoil Marine, Plano Molding Company, Poor Boyz Scent, Northeast Prop Repair, Skeeter, Ranger, Yamaha, Minn Kota, Quantum, Lowrance Electronics, Berkley Powerbait, Northern Bass Supply, Keep Alive, Mepps/Mister Twister, Lucky Craft, Luhr Jenson, Stealth Stik, Zylas, Yamamoto Custom Baits, Castrol, Ultimate Lure Saver, Hotspots Outfitters, Lil Hustler Tackle, Extreme Bass, Xtreme Marine, Stealth Charging Systems, J&D Screenprinting and Embroidery, Tournament Force, Cull-m-Rite, Rocky Ledge, Havoc Lures, Aqua View.
The Fall Open is set for Sunday October 1, 2006 at Squam Lake in Holderness New Hampshire.
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