Massachusetts Leads the team standings, Matthew Applebaum from Vermont is the individual overall leader

Ticonderoga, NY – September 16, 2009- Ninety-six championship anglers from 7 TBF state federations and one Canadian provincial federation converged on Lake Champlain at Ticonderoga New York this week to compete in the 2009 TBF Eastern Division Championship.

The city of Ticonderoga rolled out the red carpet for the TBF anglers and made them feel right at home. Many of the anglers have been here for a week or more and some of the local businesses are already calling them by name! It is really a beautiful place and full of history, if you ever want to go to a place that treats you “like home” where you can learn some about our history and catch some very nice fish in the process…..Ticonderoga is your destination.

TBF anglers caught 49 limits of bass today out of the Champlain waters and a total of 362 fish. The Champlain Fish were HUNGRY! It was a good day!

This event is a “two in one” championship event where we track two sets of standings. All money is paid out based on where each 12 person state team finishes and a collective group…that’s one standing. Then, the top two anglers from each state advance to the 2010 TBF Federation National Championship, presented by the National Guard, the top angler as the boater and the second place angler as a co-angler, so 16 will advance from this event.

In the state standings, Massachusetts leads! The squad from Massachusetts hovered near the top all during the weigh-in but the final few bags weighed pushed them over the top with a team weight of 129 pounds and 12 ounces. It is not, however a runaway. Vermont is right behind them with 127-10, New Hampshire sits in third at 123-13, so only six pounds separate’s the top three teams. Maine and Connecticut are in fifth and sixth with 101-05 and 90-09 respectively. While New York – 84-05, Rhode Island – 82-14 and Canada – 80-06 rounds out the field. Two more days to go, 12 anglers per team fishing….. this deal is still wide open and a long way from done.

In the race for the division champion’s title and the Castrol Maximum Performer award bonus Vermont’s Matthew Applebaum has a three ounce lead over Massachusetts Angler Ed Soule. 17.06 vs 17.03

Jim Gildea, another Massachusetts big stick is breathing down their necks and holding down the third place spot with 16.15. Fourth place and the Connecticut team lead belong to Scott Janus who brought in a 16.11 bag. John Coloutti from Castleton, VT rounds out the top five with 15.05.

Other state leaders are Bruce Acox, he is 7th overall and leads New Hampshire with 15.04, Eric Guimond is in eight overall and leads the Maine state team he weighed in 14.13. The Canadian Bass Anglers Federation, TBF newest International Federation is here attending their first divisional. Their team leader is Gerard Ling, he is tied for eighth overall with 14.13. New York’s leader is Tim Post, Tim was the second angler to weigh in today, and he posted a weight of 13.14, which was good enough to hold the New York lead for the entire day. Rhode Island angler Ronald Bestwick anchors his team with 10.01.

Around the TBF Youth Newsletter – September 2009

School is back in session in almost every state and now is the time to contact your local principle or teacher about introducing a school fishing program to your area.
 
The steps are easy; just find a school representative that is interested in looking at our program. Contact the TBF for an application to our Student Angler Federation and we’ll send out a packet with all the information that you need to get you started.
Our packet includes a 15 minute classroom DVD that has become our “calling card” to schools. There is a very good tie to education in that DVD and educators like that. From there you only need to circulate the word that your school is interested in starting a fishing club and set a time for an initial meeting. Usually word of mouth and a few flyers will get things started. At that first meeting we can give you all the information that you need to get your club started and let everyone know what the Student Angler Federation is all about.
One of the most important items that the SAF brings to the table is insurance coverage for your clubs participants and its volunteers. This is a really big issue that many people fail to realize when setting up their school clubs but we have all of those details in place.
 
One of the questions I get asked most often is where are we going to get the boats to take us fishing? My first response to this question is don’t let yourself get caught up in needing to have a boat to take everyone fishing! There are a lot of school clubs out there that utilize both bank fishing events as well as boating events. Often times those bank events are a good way to start the club out so that you can evaluate what the skill level is of your members.
Eventually working your way up to boating events is the eventual goal and that can be accomplished by parent volunteers and others throughout your community. We have plenty of ideas that we think can really help you there.
 
Last but not least I’ll tell you that starting a school club takes a little effort to get started but the established school clubs that we have seen in operation do a wonderful job of getting students reacquainted with the great outdoors and also give some the reason they need to continue their education.
 
Until next month, don’t forget to take a kid fishing today!!  
                                                                                                         Mark Gintert

Michigan Wins Back To Back Division Titles, Jason Knapp is the Castrol Maximum Performer Division Champion and Ranger Cup Winner

The 2009 Northern Division Champions from Michigan made a statement this week in Iowa that they will be the team to beat. They led the event wire to wire and finished up back to back division champions. Can they make it three in a row?

Next year’s event will tell that story, but the Michigan team fished a nearly flawless event out of Fort Madison, Iowa on the Mississippi river this year and finished with 171 pounds even, besides the lion’s share of the nearly $25,000.00 in prize money, they also took home the Team Standings Ranger Cup money.

Wisconsin did make a valiant effort on the final day to overtake the Michigan anglers and cut their lead in half, but it was too little, too late and Wisconsin finished second with 166-09. The host state of Illinois who had been struggling all week made their move on the final day as well and moved up into third place finishing 6-05 ahead of the fourth place Ohio squad. Illinois finished with 135-13 to Ohio’s 129-08. Minnesota wound up in fifth with a team weight of 127-11 and Indiana rounded out the field at 85-08. The 2010 TBF Northern Division Championship will be hosted by Indiana on Lake Patoka.

While there was not a single angler in the 72 angler championship field that weighed in a five fish limit all three days in a row. It was Michigan angler Jason Knapp that proved that a steady hand will prevail as he fished his way through a crowd to the Division Champions title, the Castrol Maximum Performer Bonus award and a $600.00 Ranger Cup bonus.

Knapp only weighed in 3 fish the first day but they weighed 7-03. On both of the last two days he weighed in a limit and was the only angler in the field that weighed in two limits over the course of the event and finished as the Division Champion with 28 pounds and 9 ounces. Knapp was fishing small creek and had lots of company in and out of it, but no other boat managed to catch the fish in there like Knapp and his partners did.

Tony Waugh went on to catch solid sacks on days 2 and 3 to finish his work and place him into second place overall and leading his Ohio team with his weight of 26-05. Tommy Robinson who was the tournament leader going into the final day only managed one fish on Friday as the river continued to drop and hurt his area. He finished up in third overall at 22-14, only two ounces back in fourth was Illinois angler Lee Lewis with 22-12 and 6 ounces behind him in fifth was Wisconsin’s James Tomsovic.

The top two anglers from each state team progress to the 2010 TBF Federation National Championship, Presented by The National Guard. That event will be held in Knoxville, TN the week of April 19th. The top angler from each state progress as the Boater and the second place angler on each team progresses as the co-angler. Here are the 12 who will advance from the Northern division.

Michigan – Jason Knapp- Boater, Tommy Robinson – Co-Angler:

Wisconsin – James Tomsovic- Boater, Jim Dick – Co-Angler;

Illinois – Lee Lewis – Boater, Darin Reed – Co-Angler;

Ohio – Tony Waugh – Boater, Kevin Wells – Co-Angler;

Minnesota – Tim Domaille – Boater, Nate Carlson – Co-Angler;

Indiana – Aaron Ault – Boater, Steve Quiggins – Co-Angler

Be sure and check out the photo gallery on this website and the TBF Facebook Page and become a fan!.

For complete standings click here

MICHIGAN STILL IN COMMAND with Wisconsin closing the gap

Robinson and Waugh Battle for Castrol Maximum Performer Division Champions Title

On today’s second day of the TBF Northern Division Championship at Fort Madison, Iowa. Defending Division Champs from Michigan held on to their day one lead in their quest to become back to back champions their two day total is 113-07. While still in command, the Michigan lead is somewhat smaller today as the always tough Wisconsin squad closed some of the ground that was between them finishing second at 102-06. Minnesota made a jump to finish in third with 92-08 while Ohio slid one spot into fourth with 89-03. Illinois and Indiana held down the fifth and sixth places with 87-15 and 59-10 respectively.

In the individual overall race for the Castrol Maximum Performer Division Champions Award, Michigan’s Tommy Robinson took over the lead with 21-07 from day 1 leader Tony Waugh from Ohio who now sits in second on a weight of 20-07. Robinson spoke briefly form the weigh in stage to tell the crowd he is having to scramble every day. His fish today were biting completely different that on day 1, so day 3 will come down to whether he can adjust to what his fish are doing or not.

Another Michigan angler, Jason Knapp and a good friend of Robinson’ s sits in third with 19-07 and is breathing down Robinson’s and Waugh’s neck. They cannot let up or stumble on tomorrow’s final day or Knapp’s may overtake them.

Peoria, Illinois Angler Lee Lewis held down the fourth spot overall at 16-11 and the top spot on the Ohio Team. He has a 6 pound cushion on his state team lead so barring a disaster tomorrow by Lewis or a huge bag by one of the other Illinois anglers, he should be on his way to representing Illinois as their boater in the 2010 TBF Federation National Championship! Leading the Wisconsin’s Team and sitting in fifth overall with 15-03 is James Tomsovic from Sparta, WI.

Minnesota’s Nate Carlson caught a 4-09 largemouth that held up for the days big bass.

In addition to the $24,000.00 cash payout and Castrol Maximum Performer bonus there is also a total of $1200.00 in Ranger Cup monies at stake for those anglers who are Ranger Cup qualified.

Final day weigh in begins at Captain Kirks Marina in Fort Madison Iowa, it is free to the public.

Be sure to check out the photo gallery on this website.

For full standings go to our tournament standing page or click here.