The Fishing Line - Irving Bass Club

The Fishing Line
June 26, 2009
Next Club Meeting:
Date:
July 1, 2009
Location:
Elks Lodge
2015 North Britain Road
Irving, Texas 75061
Start Time:
7:30 PM
Dinner may be purchased: Call the Elks Lodge to see
what’s on the menu: (972) 579-0005
Bring a friend, co-worker or fellow angler to join the
Irving Bass Club. Remember our special offer for
new members – one free Club Tournament Entry!
Be sure to plan to buy raffle tickets! Roger Beall will have
dial-in culling rings as the big prize this month.
When you arrive, sign in with Tom Briner at the back table.
It’s an easy way to win free stuff!
Richard Osborn will discuss Boater Safety. Also, bring old
fishing line for recycling!
Membership
Members: Bring friends to join IBC! Membership fees are
only $25.00. Applications are available from the Board
Members or at the website. Or contact Nancy Simms at
214-538-4620, for an application or an address to mail a
completed application. Currently, the Club lists 53
members.
Birthdays
Birthdays for the month of July are: Ernest Harrington
(Big E), Phillip Hoover, Joe Larkin, and Michele Osborn.
5lb Exacta Pot:
July:
TBA at meeting
_____________________________________________
2009 IBC Board Members
President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Program Director Tourney Director Director at Large Sergeant at Arms Historian -
Perry Walsh
Joe Larkin
Nancy Simms
Charles Smith
Richard Osborn
Shawn Maner
Roger Beall
Tom Briner
John Bowen
IBC 2009 Tournament Schedule
July
Bob Sandlin
Aug
Lake O’ The Pines
Sept
Ray Roberts
Oct 10 Open: Lake Fork
Oct 17-18 Club: Ray Hubbard
Nov
Cypress Springs
Dec
Lake Lewisville
State Park
Johnson Crk Pavilion
Isle DuBois
Lake Fork Resort
TBD
Dogwood Park
Arrowhead Park
6:00
6:20
6:45
7:00
7:00
6:30
6:45
Note that our Fall Open Tournament will be held on October
10th, because we don’t have a place available at Fork for the
17th. For reasons contained in our Constitution, we have to
hold our Club Tournament on the 3rd weekend anyway, so it
will be separate this time from the Open. Make your motel
reservations early for upcoming IBC events!
____________________________________________
Tournament Director’s Notes
Wow – it was a hot one at CC - weather-wise,
that is. You can view the results on the Standings Page.
This month we will be at Bob Sandlin and will
have weigh-in at the State Park Ramp. Start time will
be 6am. Weigh-in on Saturday will be 2:30 – 3:00
because of the heat. Sunday weigh-in will be 1:302:00. Hope to see ya at Ragan’s for the cook-out.
Last year was a blast. Please bring desserts.
Members’ Update:
Jerry Reese is at Zale Lipshy Hospital for at least a
month. He has a precursor to Leukemia and has been
getting platelet infusions for several months. He is now in
the hospital to stabilize him, but he has developed
pneumonia in one lower lung. They are having trouble
getting that under control. The good news is that they
have found a bone marrow donor in Germany. The
procedure is scheduled for September. He would welcome
calls and visitors. His cell phone number is posted at the
Members page. The phone number to the nurse's station or
his room is 214-645-5555. The location is 5151 Harry
Hines in Dallas, 75235, at the corner of HH and Medical
District Drive, I think, and he is in room 722. HE
CANNOT HAVE REAL FLOWERS IN HIS ROOM.
Sheri Larkin is recovering from an ankle sprain. She’s
getting ReALLY good with those crutches, so don’t make
her mad! Barbara Mullen is making good progress after
her foot surgery. Perry Walsh will become a grandfather
very soon! They are on ‘baby watch’ now at the Walsh
household. And Roger Beall’s daughter, Heather, will get
married on July 25th, and in January, Roger, too, will
become a grandpa!
The Fishing Line
June 26, 2009
News
Greetings and Salutations:
At the June meeting, Richard Osborn and Bobby
Jacobs presented on topwaters. Their discussions were
excellent, and I know that all of the members present really
appreciated the in-depth information.
Richard brought samples from Vision Lure
(www.visionlure.com) and discussed how they worked.
One model was basically a swimbait attached to a double
spinnerbait. This particular bait is listed at the website as
the “Secret Bait from Texas”. Their spinnerbaits fall
differently than others and seem to be irresistible to fish.
They also have special buzzbaits. Look up the Swim Buzz
and the Black Honey Buzz.
The discussion then turned to the topwater frog.
Zoom led the craze ten years ago with the horny toad,
which is very heavy and bulky. The Ribbit was basically
designed from the Sassy Shad, but the tail was removed
and frog legs were added with the little flutter feet. This
bait has a ‘soft’ presentation, which is very different from
the horny toad. Ozzie likes yellow and white, and green
baits, and he uses the screw lock hook. The Ribbit is easy
to use because it can be thrown into any trash at all – any
lilypads, grass, or scum – and it won’t hang up. A slow,
steady retrieve works, or stopping and twitching
occasionally. Ozzie throws the frog all day – not just
during the topwater period in the morning. He likes a 7’
heavy action rod with a lot of tip and uses 60# braid
because of fishing in heavy cover. Mono will wear out in
the grass, while braid cuts through the grass. He likes to
make long casts with the Ribbit but cautions to count to
TWO before setting the hook. He says that on reels that
hold a lot of line, the spool can be backfilled with mono
and then finished with braid. No trailer hook is used. On
each of these lures, the tip of the hook should just lie in the
groove on the back. The tip should NOT be buried. And if
the Ribbit flips over in the water, that’s OK. Ribbit has a
new floating frog on the market now, too.
Dean Rojas throws a SPRO frog on the circuit – all
day. It is basically a big-fish bait. It doesn’t sink. There
won’t be a lot of little fish and bites, but the fish that hit it
will be GOOD fish. Ozzie uses yellow with black dots or
green. Dean likes black. Ozzie relates a trick: cut off one
trailing end shorter than the other. And remember that
when retrieving, LESS is MORE. Use braid with this bait
as well.
The Skip-n-Pop is another soft presentation bait
that has proven to be good for getting the big bass. This
lure is sold by JDC Baits. See more at www.jdcbaits.com.
Many thanks to Richard for the presentation, and
also for contributing these powerful baits to our raffle
table!
Bobby Jacobs then discussed other topwaters. One
of Bobby’s ‘confidence’ baits is the Sammy 85 in silver
with a blue (straight) back. He uses a regular knot in his
presentation. He says that if you keep the rod tip low and
twitch it, the bait will ‘walk the dog’. It’s very important
that the rod have a ‘forgiving’ tip because it will be a
reaction response to jerk the bait out of the fish’s mouth.
He uses a 6’8” or 6’9” rod with an extra fast tip and uses
mono line.
The next topic was poppers. Nobody knows
exactly WHY the Yellow Magic is so good, but it somehow
catches more fish. Like any lure, they have their own place
and time. It’s productive to actually throw the popper to a
target, present it, and then reel in and throw to a target
again. Bobby uses a popper even in open water. He uses
12 lb. line with a split ring for more action, but he doesn’t
use a loop knot.
Bobby’s opinion is that color doesn’t matter as
much as place and presentation. He warns to not get
consumed with colors.
Bobby also likes the SPRO Jr in black & white or
in green, and he uses it even in open water. On a summer
morning, he likes to start with a popper, a Sammy, and a
frog.
Bobby uses the Zoom horny toad on a flat lake and
the Ribbit when there is a bit of chop.
Independence Day Parade: Merle Halcom is managing
IBC’s entry into the Irving parade this year. He needs two
more boats besides his own, but he also will need people to
decorate the boats, decorations, and people to ride in the
boats and throw out candy. Please contact Merle directly if
you can help.
Changes to the Constitution: Be prepared for the August
meeting to discuss possible changes to submit in
September. Write up any changes you plan to suggest so
we can fine-tune them before time to submit.
Perry Walsh and Tom Cornelius take 3rd Place at Ray
Hubbard: Perry and Tom fished the Rockwall Marine
Boys and Girls Club Tournament in January and took home
some moolah! Tom also won Big Bass with a 7.74.
Congrats!
Fishing Club in Iraq(!?!): Yep, that’s right! A friend of
Perry’s daughter is stationed in Iraq, and he’s living at one
of Saddam Hussein’s palaces, with its own private lake! So
the soldiers have organized a fishing club and are
requesting tackle. They don’t have bass in this lake, but
they DO have several other interesting fish, including
mangars as big as a tabletop. Check out their website at
www.baghdadflyfishing.com. At the July meeting, Perry
will be gathering up donated tackle and will send it to them.
They use both fly fishing tackle and baitcasting tackle.
Check the website for the current list of requested baits – at
this time, they post the following list:
The Fishing Line
June 26, 2009
Spin Fishing Equipment
Spinning rods/reels 6 1/2 to 7 ft (med action 8-12lb line)
Bait casting rods/reels 6 to 6 1/2 ft (med action 8-12lb line)
Small Tackle Boxes
lead egg sinkers or split shot 1/2 to 1 oz
Snelled bait hooks - Sizes 1-6
Snap swivels or barrel swivels size 5 and 7
Jig heads 1/4 to 1/2 oz
Leader material - 8-14lb test
Small Spinners - (Mepps, Panther Martin, etc.)
Small Silver Spoons - (1/4-3/8 oz) (Cast Master, Lil' Cleo,
Thomas Lure)
Small plastic swim baits
Split rings
Fly Fishing Equipment
Fly Reels - Probably the most in demand item for fly
fishing gear. We have rods from 6wt to 8wt with
no matching reel
Fly lines - Second most needed item - as with the reels, we
have more rods than lines, backing too is always needed.
Polarized sun glasses - nothing expensive, but they are a
great help in spotting the fish and casting directly to them.
Tapered Leaders - 7 1/2 - 9 ft, tippets 0x-4x
Fly Rods - The best rod to use where they are fishing is an
8 1/2 ft 7wt with a weight forward line.
Lighter rods work well too.
Leader Material Spools 0x-4x
Olive Wooly Buggers Sizes 4-10 (with and without
beadchain eyes)
Black Wooly Buggers Sizes 4-10 (with and without
beadchain eyes)
Silver Marabou Minnows Sizes 4-10
Dragon Fly Nymphs Sizes 6-10
Fresh Water Shrimp Sizes 8-10
Fly Boxes
If you are just interested in sending something to the club
any of the following go over well:
The most requested and useful item is a prepaid phone
card
Fishing magazines
DVDs
Powdered drink mixes (Gatorade, Crystal Light, etc.) in
individual pouches
Packaged tuna in pouches,
Again, contributions can be sent to:
BAC&SFF C/O MAJ Thomas D. Baker
HQ MNC-I C5
APO AE 09342
Beginner’s Luck: Well, Steve Pecina finally got his
son Marcus to join the Club. So Marcus got a free Club
Tournament entry. We better watch this guy – he sure
has good luck! At his very first meeting, Marcus won
the drawing off the attendance list, plus he won three
raffle prizes off the table! What a haul! I tried to tell
him that things wouldn’t always be that easy.
IBC Tent Cleaning: Several of the members got
together a few weeks ago and cleaned the tent. After the
Open Tournament, it was stored wet, so it was important
to get it out and thoroughly wash and dry it. Many
thanks to those that came to help Charles and me with
this task and then helped store it back in the trailer: Bill
Mullen, Tim and Cheryl Holt, John Bowen, Merle
Halcom and Perry Walsh. A big, extra thank-you to
Shawn Maner for helping and for bringing a power
washer, which helped immensely.
John Bowen's first IBC Tournament
Back in the day (1988), I fished my very first IBC
Tournament with Betty as her Guest. She was already a
member, but in August of 1988 she needed a boat. So
we borrowed our neighbor's (Phil Smith) Glasstron Tri
Hull, borrowed a truck from my employer (Motorola)
and went down to Sunny Glen on Friday night before
the tournament. We got there about 11pm and had to
wake up the owner to let us in one of the trailers (with a
rotten floor and poor plumbing).
Come 4am, Betty is demanding I get up and get
everything ready to fish. Remember, I said AUGUST. I
had been on lots of small boats, but I had never
launched one at a narrow ramp full of potholes.
If memory serves, I was going to use a 5-1/2-ft
Diawa pistol grip combo that I had borrowed from Phil.
We didn't have a clue as to where to go or what to use.
Our electronics consisted of a Lowrance flasher, and
that's all. The launch was uneventful, and we made our
way over to Caney Creek. Betty said that we should
fish around the boathouses, with plastic worms. I had
lots of experience with hard baits but never with soft
plastics. She had to show me how to rig a worm.
As we cruised the boathouses we ran into
Cheryl Davenport. A little further and we said hello to
Scott Dean. As the day wore on, the temp got higher,
and my patience grew shorter. Finally, Betty said, "Let’s
go in early and get out of the heat.” Needless to say, she
didn't get an argument from me!
As we approached Sunny Glen, I realized that I
was going to have to load this tub on the trailer, which
had rollers that went in every direction because they
were loose. I got the trailer in the water, and since this
The Fishing Line
June 26, 2009
was before Betty had learned how to load the boat on
her own, I had to get the rig out of the water and up the
ramp. I got into the truck and start out slowly, watching
in the mirror to see when the boat cleared the water.
Then I heard the bone chilling sound of the winch
UNwinding, and I see the bow of the boat disappearing
from the trailer!
Quickly, I glance over to where some of the
Club Members were enjoying their Bud Lights to see if
they were laughing at me. They weren’t (Thanks for
understanding, guys). With the help of several of the
members, the boat was secured to the trailer and we
headed toward Plano.
Such was my first IBC Tournament and trip to
Cedar Creek.
(Roger Beall with a Limit on Saturday at CC)
Jb
(Below: Jose Yllana with a good fish, and Weigh-in)
Above: Cleaning the tent.
Below: Just call him CinderFella!
The Fishing Line
June 26, 2009