District 19 Hosts National Semi-Final Event on Noxon Reservoir

The Montana Bass Federation hosted the 2017 TBF National Semifinal District 19 event September 23-24 from Lakeside Resort on the Noxon Reservoir in Trout Creek, Mt.    Scheduled reservoir draw downs forced the event date to change and forest fires in the N.W. even threatened cancellation of the event.  Fortunately, the weather cooled down and the fires were controlled, allowing District 19 NSF anglers to compete.  The boats launched from Trout Creek ramp to fish for state bragging rights, deeper payouts, trophies, Ranger Cup and Evinrude contingencies plus coveted spots in the 2018 Federation National Championship.

A total of $8,200 with 138% payback was awarded in cash and prizes.  The top four boaters and co-anglers in the 20 boat field divvied up $4,500 in total cash payback, not including the $500 Ranger Cup award and the $1,000 Evinrude E-tec award for the winning boater (if he/she runs a 2012 or newer Etec Evinrude).

The new format pays back 100% of the entry fees, 75% to the top 20% of the field, 10% to the state federations and 15% to the TBF Federation National Championship.

All 40 contestants caught fish on Noxon with healthy limits averaging in the mid-teens and one bag weighing a whopping 20.24 pounds.  The big bag brought in by Idaho angler, Loren Torok, would be the first solid limit of two to make his tournament total 31.91 pounds and secure him the 2017 National Semi-Final District Champion boater title.  Torok will advance to the 2018 national championship and also received a $1,410 paycheck for his win.

The National Semi-Final Co-angler Champion was J.D. Woods, a local Trout Creek angler.  Woods had a tournament total of 19.84 pounds for a total cash payout of $705.  Woods will also advance to the national contest in the co-angler division representing Montana.

Second place finishers both on the boater and co-angler sides also earned berth in the 2018 Federation National Championship being the highest finishing anglers representing their respective states. Montana boater, Tim Johnston, caught 30.6 pounds to advance and Idaho co-angler, Shannon Wadas, caught 17.58 pounds.

The tournament big fish was caught by Idaho co-angler, Keith Hoffman, on day one.  The largemouth tipped the scales at 5.76 pounds. Ranger Cup winner was Ben Warren also from Idaho.  Warren received $500 Ranger Cup award for being the highest finishing Ranger Cup qualified angler.

The Montana Bass Federation made the final sweep taking home bragging rights and the District 19 State Pride Award with 142.95 total pounds to Idaho’s 123.41 pounds.  The award is determined by adding the weights of the top four boaters and co-anglers from each state selected prior to the event.

The National Semi-Final format rolled out last year replacing the divisional events and state team line-ups.  TBF anglers can now advance to a close-to-home NSF event in one of two ways.  Active state clubs can advance their top two anglers, in addition, the top 10% of state event participation or a minimum of 12 anglers per state qualify, whichever is greater.  The new format has been highly successful with state participation and membership up across the nation.

The event also went well thanks to the Montana Bass Federation that ran the event, Lakeside Resort in Trout Creek and all the support from TBF’s sponsors; FLW, Ranger, Cabela’s, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Evinrude, Berkley and Power Pole.

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Cabela’s Renews Support of The Bass Federation (TBF)

Cabela’s Renews Federation Angler Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ponca City, Okla.—Sept. 18, 2017—Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, has renewed its support for North America’s largest network of grassroots tournament fishing organizations by extending its Federation Angler sponsorship for the 2018 tournament season.

“We are happy to continue our support of Federation Angler, and are looking forward to another great year in 2018,” said Jennifer Murphy, Cabela’s brand partnership program manager. “Federation Angler is a dedicated group of knowledgeable and passionate anglers. That dedication shows in the quality events they plan and execute, and all the great work they do to promote fishing and conservation.”

“We are extremely proud to continue our Cabela’s partnership,” added Kelly Gohman, Federation Angler VP of sales and marketing. “Cabela’s has been a great supporter of Federation Angler’s competitive fishing, youth outreach and conservation efforts. Plus, their industry-leading products are a perfect fit for our hard-fishing members and the thousands of fans following them across our media platforms.”

Cabela’s, headquartered in Sidney, Nebraska, is the world’s largest direct marketer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor merchandise. Since the company’s founding in 1961, Cabela’s has grown to become one of the most well-known outdoor recreation brands in the world, and has long been recognized as the World’s Foremost Outfitter.

Through Cabela’s expansive network of retail stores and its well-established direct-order business, it offers a wide and distinctive selection of high-quality outdoor products at competitive prices while providing superior customer service. Cabela’s also issues the Cabela’s CLUB Visa credit card, which serves as its primary customer loyalty rewards program.

Based in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Federation Angler represents the largest collection of fishing, youth and conservation organizations under one roof in America today, including two National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame entities and some of the oldest and largest tournament organizations in existence.

The Federation Angler network includes The Bass Federation, Student Angler Federation High School Fishing, The Walleye Federation, Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit, Cabela’s North American Bass Circuit and National Bass Anglers Association. For complete details, visit federation.com or call (580) 765-9031.

District 12 Competes for Titles and State Pride on Summersville Lake

The West Virginia Bass Federation hosted the 2017 TBF National Semifinal District 12 event September 23-24 on Summersville Lake in Summersville, W.V.  Although anglers were met with warm temperatures and beautiful skies, the water temperatures in the upper 70’s and the lake entering its seasonal drawdown made for a tough bite.  Top anglers managed to secure their respective berths in the 2018 Federation National Championship, not to mention, state bragging rights, deeper payouts, trophies and Ranger Cup and Evinrude contingencies.

The National Semi-Final format rolled out last year replacing the divisional events and state team line-ups.  TBF anglers can now advance to a close-to-home NSF event in one of two ways.  Active state clubs can advance their top two anglers, in addition, the top 10% of state event participation or a minimum of 12 anglers per state qualify, whichever is greater.  The new format has been highly successful with state participation and membership up across the nation.

A total of $16,840 with 120% payback was awarded in cash and prizes.  The top 9 boaters and co-anglers in the 47 boat field divvied up a whopping $10,575 in total cash payback, not including the $500 Ranger Cup award and the $1,000 Evinrude E-tec award for the winning boater (if he/she runs a 2012 or newer Etec Evinrude).

The new format pays back 100% of the entry fees, 75% to the top 20% of the field, 10% to the state federations and 15% to the TBF Federation National Championship.

After two days of competition, Chris Lewis from Virginia bested the boater field with limits across the board and a two day total of 16.61 pounds.  Lewis was crowned District 12’s NSF Champion boater and received a $2,440 paycheck.

Cody Huddleston also managed five fish limits both days to finish in second overall with 14.43 pounds.  Huddleston was the top finishing angler from West Virginia and will advance to nationals representing his state.

The NSF co-angler champion was Rick Hamer from West Virginia. He was awarded a $1,220 paycheck for his win.  Hamer found limits both days for a tournament total of 12.68 pounds, narrowly edging out Virginia’s Jason Clark who weighed 8 of 10 bass for 11.60 pounds.  Clark took home second overall and also “Big Bass” honors with a 2.68 pound smallmouth from day one.  Both anglers will advance to nationals in the co-angler division representing their states.

The West Virginia Bass Federation made the final sweep defending their home waters to win the District 12 State Pride Award with 64.07 total pounds.  The award is determined by adding the weights of the top four boaters and co-anglers selected prior to the event from each state.  Last year, Virginia came out on top so District 12 sits 1 and 1 for state bragging rights and the title.

The event went well thanks to the West Virginia Bass Federation that ran the event and all the support from TBF’s sponsors; FLW, Ranger, Cabela’s, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Evinrude, Berkley and Power Pole.

 

District 17’s National Semi-Final Wraps up on Lake Winnipesaukee

Maine and New Hampshire Advance Anglers to Nationals

 The New Hampshire Bass Federation hosted the 2017 TBF National Semifinal District 17 event September 23-24 on Lake Winniepesaukee in Gilford, N.H.  Anglers saw ideal weather for the end of September with bluebird skies and temperatures pushing 90 degrees. A lot of fish were moving shallow, but several big fish still held deep patterns.  Twenty-six boats launched from Silver Sands Marina to seek them out and claim state bragging rights, deeper payouts, trophies, Ranger Cup and Evinrude contingencies plus coveted spots in the 2018 Federation National Championship.

The National Semi-Final format rolled out last year replacing the divisional events and state team line-ups.  TBF anglers can now advance to a close-to-home NSF event in one of two ways.  Active state clubs can advance their top two anglers, in addition, the top 10% of state event participation or a minimum of 12 anglers per state qualify, whichever is greater.  The new format has been highly successful with state participation and membership up across the nation.

In District 17, a total of $10,120 with 130% payback was awarded in cash and prizes.  The top five boaters and co-anglers in the 26 boat field divvied up $5,850 in total cash payback, not including the $500 Ranger Cup award and the $1,000 Evinrude E-tec award for the winning boater (if he/she runs a 2012 or newer Etec Evinrude).

The new format pays back 100% of the entry fees, 75% to the top 20% of the field, 10% to the state federations and 15% to the TBF Federation National Championship.

After two days of competition, Sean Graves from New Hampshire bested the boater field with a two day total of 26.13 pounds to be crowned District 17’s NSF Champion boater.  Graves received a $1,700 paycheck and a spot in the 2018 Federation National Championship.

Nick Deering was the top Maine boater with a third place finish overall and 23.95 total pounds. He also won the $500 Ranger Cup award being the highest finishing Ranger Cup qualified angler.  Deering will advance to the national championship representing his state.

The NSF co-angler champion was Myles Tripp from New Hampshire.  Tripp had a tournament total of 21.68 pounds for a total cash payout of $850.  He will also advance to the national championship representing New Hampshire.

Maine’s Lewis Mendall finished right behind Tripp on the co-angler side with 20.73 pounds.  Mendall will also represent Maine at the national championship event.

Big bass honors in the largemouth category went to Bayard Lohmiller with a 4.09 pounder on day one and Rick Landry with a 6.69 pound lunker on day two.  In the smallmouth category, John Digennaro had a 4.04 pounder on day one and Dave Pfeiffer found a 3.84 pounder on day two.

The Maine Bass Federation made the final sweep to take home bragging rights and the District 17 State Pride Award with 153.08 pounds narrowly edging out the host state of New Hampshire with 135.32 pounds.  The award is determined by adding the weights of the top four boaters and co-anglers selected prior to the event from each state.

The event went well thanks to the New Hampshire Bass Federation that ran the event and their sponsor partners at the Belknap County Sportsman Club, Silver Sands Resort, The Rod Glove, Dude Products, Beast Coast Tungsten and Tackle, Eagle Claw – Trokar, Samatis Baits Company and PLine.  Also, the National Semi events would not be possible without all the support from TBF’s sponsors; FLW, Ranger, Cabela’s, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Evinrude, Berkley and Power Pole.

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