The New Hampshire Bass Federation held its annual State Team Qualifying Tournament on September 8-9, 2007 out of Ames Farm Resort on Lake Winnipesaukee. The top anglers from all NHBF clubs gathered with the sole purpose of qualifying for next year's TBF Regional Championship, which New Hampshire plans to host. Friday night registration was seamless and allowed anglers more time on Saturday morning to pair up and organize tackle prior to take-off.
The weather on Saturday featured a mix of sun and clouds with a very hazy, humid feel to the air. Temperatures reached the low nineties in the Lakes Region. Water temps hung around 70-73 degrees and winds were light and variable. First flight checked into the docks in Paugus Bay at 3:00 pm. Weighing in early and setting the pace for the rest of the field was Bass Hookers angler John Diaco who brought an outstanding limit of largemouth bass to the scales that dropped the needle to 15.38 lbs. Craig Cushman captured a nice limit of smallies and then added a 4.43 lb. kicker largemouth for a second place total of 14.28 lbs. on Day One. Overall the fishing seemed decent for Winnipesaukee in September and the top 12 cut was 10.37 lbs.
Following the Saturday weigh-in, the anglers all received their STQT T-shirts and had dinner at Burger King in Paugus Bay. Special thanks to John Woodman for coordinating the cookout and also to Burger King Manager Roy Norman.
Sunday's weather featured a drastic change for anglers as they headed out of Ames Farm for the final round of the competition. A cold front was fast approaching and heavy cloud cover and fog enveloped the Lake. Rain began falling on the morning run and would continue off and on all day. Temperatures plummeted to the low 60's during the course of the day. Most anglers were forced to alter their plans if they wanted to make the team.
Despite the nasty cold front, the bite appeared to improve a bit on Day Two. The largemouth came on a bit and anglers that gambled made big leaps in the standings. One angler who decided to play it a little safe and focus on the more plentiful smallmouth bass was Saturday leader John Diaco who brought a very respectable 11.38 lb. limit to the scales and cruised to his first ever State Championship title with a total weight of 26.76 lbs. John targeted largemouth around docks on Day One with a jig and pig. On Day Two, he switched to jerk-baits and top-water plugs fished over flats in 20-22' to catch his smallies. John will be fishing his second TBF Regional Championship.
Finishing in 2nd place and earning his fourth trip to the Regionals is none other then Federation President and Bubba Bassin Founder Rob Frye. Rob posted nearly identical limits of 12.41 and 12.58 lbs. giving him a total of 24.99 lbs. for the tournament. Rob mostly focused on smallmouth bass and utilized a drop shot rig in 30 feet of water. He relied on Berkley Gulp Alive leeches and emerald shiners to catch the finicky smallmouth. Believe it or not, this setup, in 30 feet of water no less, yielded his big fish of the event-a 4.41 lb. LARGEMOUTH! Other key fish were caught off marina docks with a black jig. Rob was also the NHBF Club Angler of the Year and will enjoy all his entry fees paid for by NHBF for the 2008 season.
Grabbing third place and making his 10th State Team is Manchester Bass Club angler Scott Parker who finished with 24.86 lbs. Scott was consistent both days with solid limits of smallmouth bass that he targeted with a run and gun style. He relied mainly on a Lake Fork Tackle baby ring fry on a drop shot rig and worked the bait in scattered grass in 25-35 feet of water. Parker pushed hard and used the whole lake. His Skeeter/Yamaha performed flawlessly throughout the event.
Fourth place went to Manchester Bass Club angler Craig Cushman. Craig had a mixed bag strategy throughout the tournament, weighing and equal amount of largemouth and smallmouth for a total weight of 24.48 lb. Craig targeted smallmouth in 35-40 feet on a drop shot rig and his largemouth came from scattered cabbage in 10 feet of water on Yamamoto Senkos. This will be Craig's first trip to the Regional Championship.
Fifth place went to venerable old-timer (and the hottest angler on the planet) Alan Denise of the Bass Casters. Alan finished the event with 24.35 lbs. Alan targeted largemouth bass exclusively on day one and caught a limit on buzz baits and senkos. On Sunday, Alan switched to smallmouth bass and caught his fish shallow on Pop-R's and Zara Spooks. This will be Alan's 10th trip to the Regional Championship.
Sixth place went to Danny Peckham from Manadnock Valley Bassmasters. Danny finished with a total weight of 23.22 lbs. He relied on the omnipresent drop-shot rig to catch his fish on both days. He targeted smallies in 35-40 feet on Saturday, but moved up to 20-25 feet on day two. His primary weapon on the DS was a watermelon-red flake finesse worm. Danny, a former Federation National Championship qualifier, will be making his third trip to the Regionals.
Seventh place went to long-time NHBF angler Mike McNamara of the Bass Casters. Mike Focused exclusively on smallmouth bass and caught consistent limits that totaled 22.31 lbs. Mike fished spider jigs and top water plugs over weed beds in 15-25 feet of water. This will be Mike's first trip to the Federation Regional Championship.
Back Bay angler Jim Hanatow grabbed the eighth spot on the team. Jim targeted smallmouth bass exclusively and finished with 10 fish that weighed 21.97 lbs. Jim worked Yamamoto hula grubs and gold colored spinnerbaits over rock piles in 15-20 feet of water to catch his fish. He reported catching many fish over the two days, but never got a big bite. This will be Jim's third tip to the Regionals.
Ninth place went to Bruce Acox of the Lakes Region Bass Club. Following a lackluster day one, which left Bruce in 34th place with 7.16 lbs, he gambled on day two and was rewarded with the heaviest limit brought to the scales that day. Bruce flipped docks for largemouth bass with a Yamamoto Hula grub and caught a limit that weighed 14.62 lbs. and included the lunker for the tournament at 5.41 lbs. His big comeback enabled Acox to make his third state team.
Tenth place went to Roger Urbanski of the Bass Hookers. Roger finished with a total weight of 20.99 lbs. He targeted mainly largemouth on day one with Senkos and switched to Carolina rigging and spinnerbaiting for smallmouth on day two. This will be Roger's first time on the State Team.
Finishing in 11th place and making his 5th State Team was MBC angler Fred Anderson. Fred finished with a total of 20.48 lbs. He caught mostly smallmouth bass and used a dropshot rig and a senko to catch most of his bass.
Twelve place went to Contoocook Bass Angler Bayard Lohmiller who finished up with a total of 20.47 lbs. Bayard had a mixed bag each day and utilized a drop-shot rig for the smallmouth and a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver for his largies. This will be his first trip to the Regional Championship.
Thirteenth place and the alternate on the 2008 State Team went to Dave Andrews from the Back Bay Bassmasters. Dave finished with 20.11 lbs and targeted both species during the event. Most of his fish were caught on Hula grubs and plastic craws fished in sand grass/rock combinations over 20 feet of water. This is Dave's 16th trip to the Regionals.
Day One Lunkers:
Lunker Largemouth: John Diaco - 4.94 lbs.
Lunker Smallmouth: Mike McNamara - 3.78 lbs.
Day Two Lunkers:
Lunker Largemouth: Bruce Acox - 5.41 lbs.
Lunker Smallmouth: Scott Parker - 3.49 lbs.
There were 610 bass weighed in during the event with 582 being returned alive and well to the deep water off of Ames Farm. This resulted in a 95.4% live release percentage.
Considering the circumstances surrounding this event, Rob Frye and his tournament staff did an outstanding job. Special thanks go out to the volunteers: Dave Tsao, John Woodman, Kevin Pederson, Henry Boone, Frank Campisi, Jim Peake, Kevin Phaneuf, Mike McNamara, Dan Debutts, Brad Russell, Dave Andrew, Scott Leppanen, Mike Day, Greg Day, Mark Anthony, and Bruce Acox.
As always we appreciate the support of our NHBF/TBF sponsors: Shimano, Castrol, Minn Kota, Plano Molding Company, Northeast Prop Repair, Ranger, Yamaha, Quantum, Lowrance Electronics, Berkley Powerbait, Northern Bass Supply, Keep Alive, Mepps/Mister Twister, Lil Hustler Tackle, J&D Screenprinting and Embroidery, Tournament Force, Rocky Ledge, National Guard, Aqua View, Abu Garcia.
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