Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

Tournaments => FLW Fishing => BFL Bass Fishing League => Topic started by: SethV on August 31, 2007, 01:53:16 PM

Title: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: SethV on August 31, 2007, 01:53:16 PM
Who is planning to go??  I am planning to go, but after last years whuppin I can't say that I am looking forward to fishing there.

Not much good water to fish (that i found) and the water that is holding lots of fish also gets a ton of pressure.

I get back from a business trip at 6 PM on Saturday the 29th, so I hope to leave Wixom early Sunday AM and get a 1/2 day on the water Sunday.  Prefish Mon, Tues and Wend and then take my punishment on Thurs and Friday.  Head home Friday night (how is that for positive thinking??   ;D  )

Seth
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: Slipkey on August 31, 2007, 02:23:42 PM
Seth,

I'm not going to be going since I missed St. Clair and am going to miss the Super Tournament as well, but have you checked out the Muscatine Pool (can't remember the number now, sorry, but it goes from Muscatine south) up there?

It's a long run plus locks from Ft. Madison, but when I lived in the Chicago area, my club used to have our Classic every year out of Muscatine.  There are some very nice fish in that pool.  Plus it has some deeper backwaters with more clarity.

Feel free to PM me and I'll give you a couple of spots to check for when you go.

- Jon
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: bshaner on August 31, 2007, 09:01:16 PM
IF (big IF) I qualify, I will be going.   I'm sitting on the bubble in 46th so we'll see.  I have not had a good season and each lake has been new water.  I need a really good tournament on the River.

The Mississippi from what I hear is the type of fishing I like to do, so maybe I'll have fun.  No guarantee on a limit, but fun anyway.

B
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on September 01, 2007, 09:51:54 PM
I'm sitting in 18th right now so I'm pretty sure I'll qualify. But I would almost have to win the super to finance the trip. I would love to go but my family always comes first.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: motocross269 on September 04, 2007, 09:29:35 PM
That is the way to be doug..My wife's family put me in the same boat.  I don't want to get into the gory details here, but it looks like I won't be fishing the super tourney. I am going to let the scheduling conflict slide this year, but next year they will be SOL. 
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on September 05, 2007, 05:28:30 PM
Sorry to here that Brian. Looks like we both are looking ahead to next year. Do you have any idea if passports will be required to fish in Canada next year? If so, I might just have to stay down here in Ohio, unless FLW closes Canadian water like they did at the Sandusky Bay BFL. (hope that doesn't happen). If Canada is open, I'll be back!
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: motocross269 on September 05, 2007, 07:43:41 PM
I think you will be OK a long as you don't touch canadian soil.  I think it would be almost impossible to enforce.  Hopefully they use some common sense on these border restrictions. (I know it is the government and common sense isn't in their dictionary)
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: Slipkey on September 05, 2007, 09:41:19 PM
Quote from: motocross269 on September 05, 2007, 07:43:41 PM
I think you will be OK a long as you don't touch canadian soil.  I think it would be almost impossible to enforce.  Hopefully they use some common sense on these border restrictions. (I know it is the government and common sense isn't in their dictionary)
I used to fish Lake of the Woods  out of the Northwest Angle in MN and would get a Remote Area Border Crossing Pass (http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel/canpass/rabc-pfre/menu-eng.html) which was good for a couple of years at a stretch.   Once you had one you were good to go back and forth without calling customs.  I never understood why they didn't implement something similar on the Detroit/St. Clair Rivers and the lakes.

I see now that one of the resorts up there has video phones to handle daily customs declarations before leaving the dock (http://www.angleoutpost.com/RABC.html) on the U.S. which could be pretty easily implemented at the more popular launches here.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on September 16, 2007, 08:07:43 AM
Well, the wife is practically pushing me out the door already to go to the regional. Although I didn't do as well as I hoped at the Super tourney, looks like I'll be heading west October 3rd, So if anyone wants to share a room, let me know.
Thanks
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on September 17, 2007, 06:31:18 PM
Well.....The wife called FLW behind my back today while I was at work and told them I would be there, so I guess I'll be there. It's great to have a wife like that isn't it? We might be eating peanut butter for a week, but she's willing to sacrifice that for me to fish the regional. Now I guess I better get a check out of this for her!
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: Duke on September 18, 2007, 08:31:09 AM
Does she have a sister?
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on September 18, 2007, 03:19:10 PM
Yes she does but she is 20+ years older with no sense of humor. I got the good one!
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on September 18, 2007, 06:33:13 PM
I was wandering, this being my first BFL regional, what to expect when I get there for the meeting. Do they do anything different than the regular BFL's? I've been reading up on the pool's we will be fishing and I'm ready to get that party started!
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: motocross269 on September 18, 2007, 08:09:17 PM
That is great Doug..Good luck...Hope to see alot of anglers from the michigan division move on to the All-American.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: Skip Johnson on September 21, 2007, 03:01:04 PM
I will be there monday the 1st and hopefully through saturday ;)
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: Jighead on September 22, 2007, 07:38:04 PM
Quote from: dashaver63 on September 18, 2007, 06:33:13 PM
I was wandering, this being my first BFL regional, what to expect when I get there for the meeting. Do they do anything different than the regular BFL's? I've been reading up on the pool's we will be fishing and I'm ready to get that party started!
It seems that the meetings at the regionals always take longer.  Hmmm...no wait.... they ARE longer.  They give away the points leader awards for each of the divisions, and there is usually a guest speaker that talks for a few minutes.  The basic gist of things is the same, but with more fluff.  And registration always takes forever for some reason, so don't show up at the last minute.

And since this is your first time going to Fort Madison, pick up a flipping stick and start practicing now, if you haven't already.  Chances are pretty good you'll be using it at least one day.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on September 25, 2007, 06:02:03 PM
I'm actually taking 3 flippin' sticks. Hoping to use them both days.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: motocross269 on October 05, 2007, 02:57:30 PM
Dashaver...you must be doing something right I see you are in 18th place with a qualifying spot well within reach...Keep it up and good luck.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on October 06, 2007, 04:44:46 PM
Thanks moto, day 1 started extremely slow, downsized untill I couldn't downsize any farther with no success. So I went big with a 5" Berkley Beast and boated all my fish and a couple shorts. Yesterday I had 10 short bites before I got my keeper, a 3-13 piggy that gave me 11-05 for the tournament. 1-05 out of the top 12. What a heartbreak, but that $250.00 check helped ease the pain a little. Can't wait till next year!
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: Team houston on October 08, 2007, 09:14:20 AM
Good job! Come on guys lets hear some more stories. Congrats to Randy Ramsey looks like he was the only Mi guy to make it. I hope I am wrong. I am puzzled though I thought that only the top 6 went to the third day and the All American. Did they change this?
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: LAPORTE on October 08, 2007, 09:31:15 AM
Nice job dashaver63, I was keep track of you thru the whole thing .... Better luck next year. ;D

Now how do you feel about fishing Belleville? Or do you need a break.lol


Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: rufus on October 08, 2007, 09:35:45 AM
Phil,
Yes they did change the format. On the final day the top 12 now fish. I guess this would be great if you were in 7th, but I think me personally would much rather fish the final day knowing I had already made the All American. Maybe next year I will be in 7th and will change my opinion  ;D.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: Team houston on October 08, 2007, 11:52:10 AM
Yes, my thoughts are like yours. If you jumped from the bottom 6 to the top 6 on the last day then I guess our opinion would change.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on October 09, 2007, 05:15:48 PM
Thanks guy's. I had 2 awesome boaters to fish with. I felt bad for my first day guy, Chris Burgess. He is from Joplan, Mo. I think everyone that is used to fishing clean water probably struggled a little. Being from Ohio and fishing dirty water everywhere I go down here, I've learned that clear water is no good, the fish will move out deeper. And on the Mississippi, that means the main channels. I talked my first day guy into finding VERY dirty, almost choclate milk muddy water no more than 2 1/2 feet deep, and instead of downsizing, I threw a 5" Berkley Beast. You want to move as much water as possible. As soon as we did, I put my 3 keepers in the boat and a bunch of shorts. Chris couldn't get bit at all even on the baits I gave him. Day 2 I had the 2nd place guy going into the final day, Jared Pederson, I think was his last name. We fished matted eelgrass covered by thick duckweed. He had a good bag on a frog, My frog bite was all short fish so I started flipping heavy plastics through the weeds and my first fish was that 3-13. I started flipping to late because it was already 2:15 by that time and we headed back at 3:00. 3 more shorts was all I could get. All-in all, I had a decent tournament,  just glad I don't ever have to go back there.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on October 11, 2007, 06:35:34 PM
Sorry guy's. I just re-read my last post and I didn't mean to sound like I know it all. Actually far from it, I'm still learning. 
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: djkimmel on October 13, 2007, 01:56:20 PM
dashaver63 - your reports were fine and exciting to read. It's always good to hear the thought process that leads from struggling to success. Most us fish tournaments and know how things go. We all know some things and we all can learn more. Congratulations on your very good finish.
Title: Re: Ft Madison Regional
Post by: dashaver63 on October 13, 2007, 06:15:45 PM
Thanks Dan