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[ebond]

The Michigan BASS Federation Nation announced, during the presidents meeting in Mason, Michigan yesterday, the following revised tournament dates for 2010.

Jun 6 Classic Series Qualifier
Jul 11 Classic Series Qualifier
Jul 17 Junior Championship
Aug 29 Classic Series Qualifier
Sep 12 Classic Series Championship
Sep 24-26 State Championship

All locations for these events are still undetermined. For more information, visit www.michiganbass.net and http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/federation/index. 

[markgoetsch]

What are the classic series qualifiers??

[motocross269]

That late September date for the State Championship is disappointing for me.....I know scheduling is tough through the summer but it will probably prevent me from fishing....With everyone back in school it is tough for me to get time off during the week..

I had a good time at my first Championship last year.....

[ronhuntfish]

I have to say, I'm disappointed in the Late September date for the Championship also.  Kids are back in school, wife is back to school/work, planning a hunting trip that will probably coincide or in the least be within a week of that date. 

[djkimmel]

Way back in the 'old' days, we (I was on the board during that time) used to have the state championship that late to get around the crowded summer circuit and clubs. When it was first switched to an earlier date, it met with some resistance as change often does. Been so long now though that it seems accepted to be earlier.

[MBell]

Have the lakes been annouced for the classic series yet?  If not, when can we expect them?
-Matt

[djkimmel]

According to one of the board members, tournament director Larry Gargus will have tournament brochures that include the lakes for the schedule at the Novi Ultimate Fishing Show.

[TritonTR20]

State Tournement lake been picked yet?

[ronhuntfish]

State Tournement lake been picked yet?

I heard  a rumor... Manistee Lake.  The one that connects t olake Michigan.

[JohnBoy]

I heard its either going to be Hamlin or Muskegon

[ronhuntfish]

I've heard about 7 different lake so far.  I even thought it was already voted on.

Any FED board members want to chime in?

[Dan]

I was told at the Novi show that they needed some Chamber of Commerce to step up and cough up the money needed to cover the cost of the Thursday night dinner meeting. Whichever town did that, that's where the tournament would be held. I was also told that Ludington's Chamber doesn't pay organizations to come so .... If I was a betting man I'd say Hamlin is a long shot. I'm not sure about Manistee. They do have a ramp large enough to park 100 plus boats and there are about seven or more ramps. So, you could dump a lot of boats in in a hurry. I don't know how busy that ramp is toward the end of September. In August, the Salmon guys line up almost back to downtown to launch in the morning.   As you know there are a ton of tournaments out of Muskegon so I'm guessing that maybe the Chamber there is more loose with their chang$. Muskegon and Manistee you can run the big lake, but Hamlin has a dam. Hamlin is quite large though. At Hamlin, the ramps don't accomodate many boats. You'd have to take off from the State Park I would imagine. I do know there is local effort being made to contact businesses to chip in to attract the federation. Don't know how successful that will be. They cater more on the West Side to Salmon Tournaments.
If it's on Manistee, I doubt, it would be won without running.  There are some good fish there, but it can get very tough. From Manistee guys would be running to PM, Portage, and even further. Often the case on Muskegon as well.
The State Championship has closed the big lake more than once. Charlevoix it was closed after Day 1 and when it was on Saginaw Bay, both days boats were restricted to the River. If it is on Manistee, and the big lake blows up, you'd better know your slab piles.

[TritonTR20]

I heard Manstee offered $. It would be my last choise. Picking the lake should not hinge on what city want to pony up money to have us IMO. If you could not get out to the big lake due to wind, it would get really crowded on that pond!

[Dan]

Manistee is more than a pond. There is a lot of water there with a variety of techniques in play. You have quite a long channel out to the big lake, much longer than most. You have the big river, and then there are several miles of Manistee Lake proper.
It's always a bummer if you are planning to run and can't, but it happens. Remember Saginaw Bay a few years back when both days the Bay was out due to weather.
In terms of $, did you listen to Ron Lindners piece on tournament bass fishing? He talks about that very thing. The link is available above in "Bass Fishing Tips...," or I have it on my last blog on my teardropbass.com website.
You can also look at the 2008 Manistee Lake tournament report and see  pics of Manistee on the site.
The local tournament that day took 13.3 to win it, and that's about what you would expect per day give or take a couple of pounds. That's based on 20 years or so of fishing Manistee Lake. Throw the big lake in and that might add a pound or two. I doubt that running would produce a 17-20 lb. sack that time of year, but maybe.

[JohnBoy]

Manistee is more than a pond. There is a lot of water there with a variety of techniques in play. You have quite a long channel out to the big lake, much longer than most. You have the big river, and then there are several miles of Manistee Lake proper.
It's always a bummer if you are planning to run and can't, but it happens. Remember Saginaw Bay a few years back when both days the Bay was out due to weather.
In terms of $, did you listen to Ron Lindners piece on tournament bass fishing? He talks about that very thing. The link is available above in "Bass Fishing Tips...," or I have it on my last blog on my teardropbass.com website.
You can also look at the 2008 Manistee Lake tournament report and see  pics of Manistee on the site.
The local tournament that day took 13.3 to win it, and that's about what you would expect per day give or take a couple of pounds. That's based on 20 years or so of fishing Manistee Lake. Throw the big lake in and that might add a pound or two. I doubt that running would produce a 17-20 lb. sack that time of year, but maybe.

You are totally right about manistee but totally wrong about the running and not getting 17-20lbs a day. There are a few lakes up that way that will produce that that time of year over and over again. But I still say it will probably be on Muskegon. Then it drops back down to 14 to 15lbs a day.

[fear no fish]

The classic series tournament lakes have been picked. They are:
June 6 Houghton Lake
July 11 Wixom Lake
August 29 Saginaw Bay
Sept 12 St. Clair
The St. Clair tournament is the championship and you must fish all of the three qualifiers to fish it. You must also be a BASS member to fish these tournaments.
The State Championship lake will be decided at the President's Meeting on February 14th.
Tom

[ronhuntfish]

I'm not saying it will be a bad Idea to fish Manistee, but a few things to consider;

As I understand it, the south end of the lake will be closed to fishing during that time (it's in the fish guide) because of salmon egg something-or-other.  I don't think this is a big area, but can you still get into that part of the river?

Lake Manistee is considered a drowned river mouth, so no drop-shotting (it's also in the guide).  Not a big deal to me, but maybe some.  Can you even have that rig tied on while your on the lake, even if you only used it at a lake you ran too?

The closest run is to Portage Lake, looks like about 10 miles.  Other than that, it looks like only a couple small lakes unless you really make a long haul (which people do all the time).  I am not familiar with that area, so I have no idea how these lakes fish or if there are places to fish in the Big Lake.   This is all assuming we could get on the lake because of weather.

Will there be salmon fisherman everywhere?  That could cause some congestion and frustration at the boat ramp.  I don't salmon fish, so I don't know if this is an issue.

These all just my initial observations and thoughts.  I'm not saying this will be a bad place to have the event.  I think a lot of us are a bit surprised, since this is the first time Manistee was even mentioned as an option.  Heck, I don't like Lake Muskegon either!  Also I don't feel that we should just fish the city that give us the most money.  The MI FED has the most money they have ever had right now. 

Again, these are just my questions that I would pose.  I am an 'East Sider', so I have very little knowledge of that area.

Thanks.

[MBell]

Saginaw Bay in August?  Don't they learn?  I fish about 30 days a year on the bay and mid to late august every year it's about 50/50 chance a being blown out.
-Matt