The buzz over bass
Fishing tournament held on Lake AudubonBy KIM FUNDINGSLAND, Staff Writer, kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com
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COLEHARBOR Spinnerbaits, top water lures, tube jigs or crankbaits? So many choices. So much water. So much structure and just too much fun.
From the young and the old, veterans and newcomers, that was pretty much the consensus of the fishermen taking part in Saturday's Badlands Bass Bandits tournament held on Lake Audubon. One of the youngest, 10-year-old Allison Hinton, Minot, caused a little bass buzz of her own by landing a 13 1/2-inch smallmouth that wowed tourney anglers during the weigh-in.
"It was just really fun. I caught the one around 13 inches and one that was a little bit smaller, but those two were both keepers. I basically just used grubs," said Hinton, sounding very much like a serious bass angler instead of a youngster fishing in her first tournament. A short while later she was wading on the boat ramp, watching young-of-the-year bass dart in front of her toes.
Bryan Hinton, Allison's father and a veteran bass tournament fisherman, drove the boat and was also entered in the tourney. His catch couldn't match his daughter's, but that fact only added to the family fun.
"It was a tough day. We fished all over the place and I just couldn't pick anything up, but Allison did pretty good with a couple of them," he said. "It was her first tournament so it turned out pretty good for her."
Another lady angler and the defending season points champion, Janine Wetzel of Mandan, also had a strong showing. Wetzel flipped her way to a total catch weighing 5.83 pounds, good enough for second place behind winner Matt Jahner of Dickinson. Jahner's three bass limit of 7.05 pounds included a 3-pound, 16-ounce smallmouth.
"I got that big one early and after that it was pretty slow. I kept using the same lure because I knew it would work," said Jahner while displaying his trophy. "Everyone's pretty good. It's a fun group to be with and fishing is always fun."
Jahner didn't have any problem cracking a broad smile while several pictures were being taken of him and his winning fish. It was Jahner's first bass tournament victory.
James Francis, Minot Air Force Base, had one of the better days on the water among tourney anglers but couldn't land the big fish he was looking for.
"There was a lot of little fish today. I'd say about 13 or so caught, but I lost one decent-sized one," said Francis. "It was a good time though, especially since it was flat calm most of the day."
Lake Audubon is becoming well known both for the number of smallmouth bass it contains and their size. Because of that, the Bass Bandits held their first tourney at Audubon a year ago. Several fishermen in the field remarked that even though fishing bass in August at Audubon can be challenging, the belief that a new state record is swimming in the lake makes it a good fit for a tournament.
Tony Reinbold, of Timber Lake, S.D., has been active in Bass Bandits events since their inception three years ago. He was on the water Saturday, doing his best to entice big bass. Unfortunately, Reinbold's favorite spots weren't delivering their expected action.
"A lot of bass were just chasing us and wouldn't bite. We were changing lures but just couldn't get a combination going anywhere," said Reinbold. "They were biting short. Nothing hard. We had a lot of follows from small ones with two big ones coming behind the little ones."
Other fishermen said they had similar experiences. Some speculated that the warm water, 76 degrees in places, kept the bass scattered and skittish. Almost all reported seeing lots of bass that they just couldn't get them to cooperate.
"The bass were quite a bit different today than they were for my practice fishing. That's for sure," remarked Francis.
The Badlands Bass Bandits have emerged as the leaders in promoting bass fishing in North Dakota, conducting a regular tournament schedule and encouraging fishermen from throughout the region to participate. The Bandits are scheduled to fish New John's Lake today. Their season championship is set for Nelson Lake on Sept. 14.
