New Hampshire Junior Bassmasters Hold Championship on Northwood Lake

Story: Dave Andrews

Pictures

Sunday, May 8, 2005 marked a watershed moment for the NH BASS Federation as the 30 year organization held it’s first ever Junior Bassmasters Championship. The event took place on Northwood Lake in Northwood NH and was attended by 15 Junior Anglers from the Sail’em Bass Junior Club. The kids fell into two age groups (11 to 14 years and 15 to 18 years). At stake, the ultimate prize for any young angler, a trip to the BASS Junior World Championship in Pittsburg Pennsylvania.

The dismal weather forecast for this event did little to damper the enthusiasm or fade the smiles of the 15 contestants. Many spent a sleepless night anxiously awaiting their first real tournament in a bass boat. The anglers were paired two to a boat via blind draw with “coaches” from the Sail’em Bass Club. The event lasted 4 hours and each junior competitor got equal decision-making and equal time in the front of the boat. The weather was brutal, but typical of early Spring in New England. Clouds, rain and wind greeted the young anglers and temperatures stayed in the low 50’s throughout the day.

The tough conditions forced the anglers to really concentrate and make every strike count. Bedford resident and seven time Casting Kids NH State Champion Rex Rodonas wasted little time in applying his pinpoint casting techniques to the Lake and boated a 1 lb. 9 oz. Smallmouth on his third cast of the day. The fish grabbed a silver/red Rebel Jerkbait cast alongside a dock in shallow water. Meanwhile, on another part of Northwood Lake, junior angler Ryan Walsh, representing the 11 to 14 year age group was putting his casting skills to the test as he skipped a Rapala Glass Shad under an old wooden dock, jerked it down and paused it, then set the hook on the biggest bass of the event, a 3 lb. 3 oz. Largemouth.

At 4:00 o’clock, the junior anglers brought their fish to the scales. None of the anglers was able to secure a 2 fish limit, but seven anglers caught keeper bass. Ryan Walsh won the 11 to 14 year old age group and the whole tournament with his 3 lb. 3 oz. Lunker. Ryan will share top honors with Rex Rodanas who landed the only fish in the 15 to 18 year age group. These two excited anglers will be heading to the BASSMasters Classic in Pittsburg Pennsylvania in July 2005 to compete against other juniors in the Junior World Championship.

All competitors received Frog Toggs raingear and packets of Skip-n-Pop plastic baits. Congratulations go out to the Sail’em Bass Club and Youth Director Ray Meyer for organizing this great event. The following anglers weighed in fish:

Ryan Walsh	3 lb. 3 oz.
Trevor Bouchard	1 lb 11 oz.
Aarin Newell	1 lb 10 oz.
Rex Rodanas	1 lb. 9 oz.
Micheal Sargent	1 lb 9 oz.
Ethan Penney	1 lb. 5 oz.
Kyle Tibbetts	1 lb. 4 oz.