California and Arizona Advance Anglers to Federation National Championship

The California Bass Federation played host to the first TBF National Semifinal contest for District 23 and the last to wrap up the 2016 TBF National Semi-Final Series.  The contest was held February 18-19 on Lake Havasu in Lake Havasu City, Ca.  The new TBF National Semi-Finals program pits top grassroots anglers from each state in a “close to home” weekend event with neighboring states for significant cash prizes and advancements.

The anglers were greeted with beautiful weather going into practice but by Saturday the forecast called for rain and 20mph winds with gusts up to 30mph.  Fortunately, the weather laid down a bit as 24 boats launched from Lake Havasu Marina with overcast skies.

On day one, Charlie Crawford, from Arizona commanded a solid lead on the boater’s side with a limit of bass weighing 18.02 pounds.  Right behind him were Arizona anglers, Max Hernandez with a limit weighing 17.78 pounds and Chris Cook with 13.68 pounds.  In fourth and leading the California boaters, was George Fedor with 11.91 pounds.

Richard Vizcarra from Arizona led the co-angler side with a limit of bass weighing 11.31 pounds.  The California leader was Aaron Sok-Jung Yun with two fish totaling 7.31 pounds.

After two days of competition, Charlie Crawford held on to the lead to win the 2017 District 23 NSF event.  Crawford caught four fish weighing 11.39 pounds to make his two day total 29.41 pounds.  He received a $1,690 paycheck and a slot in the 2017 Federation National Championship.

George Fedor came in second overall and was the highest finishing California boater.  Fedor was also the only boater to catch a limit both days for a two day total of 25.44 pounds.  He scored a $870 paycheck for his two days of work and will also advance to the national event.

On the co-angler side, Robin Oh of California came from behind to win with 20.42 pounds ousting day one leader, Vizcarra of Arizona who had 15.20 pounds.  Both anglers will advance as the top co-angler’s representing their respective states.

The Arizona Bass Federation made the final sweep taking home bragging rights and the first District 23 State Pride Award with 78.13 total pounds.  The award is determined by adding the weights of the top four boaters and co-anglers from each state, which are selected prior to the event.

$500 Ranger Cup winner, Bryan Kurata

A total of $9,480 with 131.5% payback in cash and prizes, National Semi-Final qualifying jerseys, trophies, champion titles and slots in the national championship were awarded in the boater and co-angler divisions.  The top four boaters and co-anglers in the 24 boat field divvied up $5,400 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 Evinrude).

In District 23, top TBF anglers competed for the chance to advance to the 2017 Federation National Championship and to win enough cash to travel to the spring event.  Anglers qualify for the semi-finals in one of two ways.  Active state clubs in good standing can send their top two anglers directly to the semi-final event, in addition, the top 10% of state event participation or a minimum of 12 anglers per state qualify, whichever is greater.

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.  In the new NSF rules, a co-angler can also move up as a boater if his/her weight totals more than the state boater’s weight.

The new event format went well thanks to its hosts, the California Bass Federation and all their support from TBF’s sponsors; FLW, Ranger, Cabela’s, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Evinrude, Berkley and Power Pole.

FULL RESULTS

PAYOUT

Humminbird® Introduces New SOLIX™ Series with Cross Touch and the Industry’s Biggest Screen Size!

SOLIX

Humminbird® Introduces New SOLIX™ Series with Cross Touch and the Industry’s Biggest Screen Size!

The revolutionary Humminbird SOLIX Series combines 12″ and 15″ displays with Cross Touch® Interface alongside groundbreaking innovations like MEGA Imaging™, CHIRP Digital Sonar, AUTOCHART® Live with vegetation and bottom hardness mapping, Bluetooth® connectivity and i-Pilot® Link™ navigation.



SOLIX SERIES


Offering the biggest display in the market – up to 15 inches – the SOLIX boasts technologies designed to make locating and catching fish easier.

A truly innovative product, SOLIX delivers game-changing sonar, imaging and mapping capabilities in the largest fishfinder anglers have ever seen. In true Humminbird fashion, these technologies are packaged in an easy-to-use interface and system that can make any angler better.


New SOLIX Series


Unprecedented screen innovation

SOLIX is setting the bar for the angling sonar category in display size with two variations – a 12- and 15-inch screen model. Both come standard with Humminbird’s Cross Touch® Interface, letting anglers operate the unit via touchscreen or keypad, all while customizing the screen with up to four independent viewing panes.

Cross Touch allows anglers to use the SOLIX either as a touchscreen or with the keypad for easier control in rough water conditions. Individual panes can be zoomed or moved to different screen locations based on angler preference or fishing situation.

According to professional bass angler Gerald Swindle, SOLIX gives him a serious advantage over his competition and the fish he’s after. “The size is amazing and allows me to see crucial screen information from anywhere in the boat. Plus, I can set up my panes to simultaneously show me MEGA Side Imaging, MEGA Down Imaging and how I’m oriented to key structure. I get all of that in a glance, so I know that every cast is a productive one,” said Swindle.

Never-before-seen image clarity
SOLIX units come in two versions. One is equipped with GPS and CHIRP Digital Sonar, the other adds Humminbird’s game-changing MEGA Imaging. This is the first Down and Side Imaging technology to enter the megahertz range with performance that’s nearly three times greater than traditional 455 kHz frequencies. It results in the clearest, sharpest imaging returns ever.

Anglers can choose MEGA Side Imaging for an incredible view to the left and right of their boat, while MEGA Down Imaging gives crystal clear pictures of what is beneath the boat. Both carry a range that covers the most popular fishing depths.

When asked to explain MEGA Imaging, Humminbird’s brand manager Ray Schaffart said, “The screen detail is so defined that that in some cases you can literally see each individual fish and make out their head or tail in the sonar shadow. Natural bottom structures like rocks and stumps almost look like photographs, while man-made structures like shipwrecks, road grades or sunken bridges, offer up imagery down to the individual beam. After people see it, they just can’t believe it.”

All SOLIX models include CHIRP Digital Sonar, firing more pulses than traditional transducers over a given period of time. More pulses mean more information, improved target separation and superior image clarity at greater depths.

The next generation in mapping
Also standard on all SOLIX models is Humminbird’s expanded AUTOCHART® Live technology that creates and saves structure maps on any body of water.  AUTOCHART Live identifies and maps depth, bottom hardness and vegetation. Anglers know that fish relate to depth, weed lines and transition points in bottom type – for example where a soft, muddy bottom transitions to firm sand or rock. By collecting all that data on an AUTOCHART Live map, Humminbird helps anglers keep their boat in the strike zone on productive structure.

Fishing takes another huge step forward when AUTOCHART Live is used in conjunction with i-Pilot® Link™ from Minn Kota®. With both technologies cooperating, an angler can tell his Minn Kota trolling motor to “follow” a specific AUTCHART Live contour at a set speed, and with the press of a button the boat will precisely follow the exact path. Now, anglers no longer need to guess where fish-holding structure is located. They can precisely follow the weedline, bottom hardness or depth contour, and stay within easy casting distance of their target.

Unsurpassed connectivity
Bluetooth is built into every unit, allowing anglers to sync smartphones to the on-board SOLIX. Text messages, missed calls, signal strength and other notifications appear right on the Humminbird display, so phones can stay safely in pockets where they belong for hands-free fishing. It creates a flawless on-board network of electronics and connectivity.

For plug-and-fish networking, high-speed ethernet provides easy connectivity to Humminbird 360 Imaging, Minn Kota i-Pilot Link, Humminbird CHIRP Radar, and additional SOLIX or select HELIX units. The new units are fully compatible with Humminbird LakeMaster® charts, SmartStrike™ and Navionics® Gold/HotMaps™.

Versatile mounting options
SOLIX owners can mount their large Cross Touch screens inside the boat dash, on the included gimbal or directly to an optional RAM Mount for multi-directional viewing.

Mark Gibson, Humminbird director of R&D, summarized the new Humminbird SOLIX technology by saying “SOLIX is the combination of decades of dedicated development in everything from the transducer to the touchscreen. It’s the best of the best and the most advanced fish locator ever created.”

Please be sure to go to www.humminbird.com to view the new SOLIX web pages.Thank you for your continued support of Humminbird and we hope to be there with you on-the-water in 2017, helping you land that record fish.

A new falling price auction starts TODAY on a NEW EVINRUDE 150 HP G2!

It’s a one time chance to buy a great 150 HP engine at a deep discount! The price falls at random until someone buys it!  Don’t wait to long or you will miss out on this rare opportunity!

Wait one day too long and it may be GONE!

Check the price daily!

Evinrude E-TEC G2 EC150FLH -(w/integrated power steering)

Check out the full line of Evinrude products and design YOUR own Evinrude out of the over 400 color combinations available, just by clicking the Evinrude Logo below.

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ONE(1) unit only when it is gone it is gone!
(But your local Evinrude dealer can get you one anytime!)

To go directly to the auction site to see the daily price or the Spec sheet on this engine click the picture below!

REMEMBERING A DECADE OF HIGH SCHOOL FISHING

By Mark Gintert.
As you may have heard by now the end of December will conclude my tenure as the National Youth Director for The Bass  Federation.  I will once again be giving retirement another try! (I have failed miserably in the past so I’m going to try harder this time!)
I have spent a long time trying to think of all the people that I have worked with over the last ten years and I have come to the conclusion that trying to recognize any of them would be nearly impossible as I would most surely forget someone along the way. So, I just  want to take a moment and thank all of you who saw the vision and had the faith in what we were trying to build in High School Fishing as well as our other TBF youth programs.

Your dedication to help build this program in your schools, communities and state federations is what made it such a tremendous success nationwide. 

The entire journey from the initial days of doing our first live in-school presentations to laying out and planning our first High School Fishing World Finals to watching our membership soar to new heights has been quite a wild ride.  For me personally I can’t begin to tell you what a rewarding experience  this has been!

The old phrase, “don’t you just love it when a plan comes together,” has never rang more true for me!

As I look back on the last ten years it will be the faces and personalities of students, parents, club advisors, youth directors and coaches who bought into the High School Fishing dream and all that it has to offer that will stay with me forever.

I leave with literally hundreds of memories of people I have met and conversations we have shared.
I love the late night calls from moms and dads who told me their child was the next KVD!  I loved those calls because when they finally brought their student angler out to a State Championship or an event like the High School World Finals they found out that High School Fishing was well beyond anything they thought had ever existed and it brought them back to planet earth a little bit! Lol  But, also the idea that the next KVD is out there in our circuit now; it’s truly exciting!
But most of all I want to thank the TBF Board of Directors for taking a chance on me ten years ago and the TBF staff who I served with on a day to day basis. You have all made this experience one that I will never forget!

Fish on my friends and remember to help just one more school in your area get involved in the great sport of fishing!

Sincerely,
Mark Gintert