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Statistics show that the average age of fishermen/women
in the United States is overwhelmingly high, and
increasing. Factor in tournament fishing and those
numbers are, shall we say, even more “mature”. Many
have wondered and talked about adding new and young
people into our great sport. On July 18th,
Julie Palmer and Big Bucks Bass took action and hosted
the first Pro Am Draw tournament on the Chain in many
years. While not every angler was a spring chicken,
almost all were new to competitive fishing. The goal of
this event was to infuse new faces and youth into
tournament fishing and Big Bucks Bass. With 25 boats at
this “inaugural” event, it is safe to say…mission
accomplished!
With goal number one achieved before blast off, the
anglers’ attention shifted to having fun, learning and
catching fish. Big Bucks contestants did exactly that
despite another one of this summer’s many cold fronts.
Jimmy Schmehl who was paired up with Casey Maday managed
to find some great largemouth bass that the pair loaded
in the boat for a total of 16.19 lbs. and the tournament
victory. The format of this Pro Am was different than
most in the past in that each boat fished as a team.
Previously, boaters only fished against other boaters
and non boaters against other non boaters. Saturday’s
“Team Pro Am” tournament style was chosen in order to
facilitate optimum teamwork, learning and opportunity.
Schmehl and Maday were the definition of that teamwork
on Saturday catching an awesome sack of fish. Both were
excited about the $650 and $325 they took home
respectively, but even more enthused about the success
of the tournament. Jimmy mentioned that he got his
start as a non boater when he was just 15 years old and
that he feels this format will truly help to grow the
circuit and sport. Schmehl and Maday also tied for big
bass and split $250. Congratulations on a great win
guys. Jimmy is sponsored by: Raymond Chevrolet,
Triangle Sports,
www.utrap.com, Twin Lakes Marina Inc., The Roost on
59, B & D Landscaping, RL Burman Plumbing, Miholizich
Construction,
www.stickerdude.com, Ed Kanabay Remax, JM Pickers,
Can Custom Tile and Grass Lake Landing Restaurant and
Bar.
Finishing second was the team of Dave Linton and Tim
Fleischauer. Dave’s extensive time on the water always
has him poised to win any tournament and the team hit 25
different spots throughout the day, only to miss 1st
place by .09 lbs. Weighing in a total of 16.10, Dave
and Tim had a great day catching lots of keepers using a
run and gun approach and multiple techniques. For their
great limit of bucketmouths, Dave took home $500 and Tim
pocketed $250. Fantastic job guys – hope to see you
both next year.
Ending their day in third place with 13.37 lbs. was the
team of Ron Urick and Diana Sargent – Patke. These two
got off to a hot start by boating two solid keepers in
the 1st half hour of the tournament up north
before venturing south to add to their bag. Fishing in
Channel, Marie, Grass and Spring Lakes, Ron and Diana
put together some solid fish. During their venture
South in Grass Lake, Diana somehow fell out of Ron’s
Ranger while fishing in about 6 or 7 feet of water.
Luckily, the hairdresser from Cary had a life vest on
and somehow managed not to get her hair wet! With an
hour to go the team ran back north looking for two fish
to fill out their limit. When Diana caught the team’s
biggest bass, a chunky 3 ˝ pounder, both anglers were
absolutely beaming. Although they came up one fish shy
of a limit, Ron and Diana had a great time and vowed to
be back next year. Ron took home $400 and Diana $200
for their solid performance. Ron could not emphasize
enough how great it was to have his non-boater catch
such a great fish and how refreshing it was to see all
the eager new faces at this tournament. Ron is
sponsored by St. Croix Rods and Dave’s Bait Tackle and
Taxidermy in Crystal Lake. Diana is sponsored by Joe’s
Barber Shop in Crystal Lake.
As the sweet aroma of Beer Brats grilled by the Big
Bucks staffers filled the air at weigh-in time, there
was no question that something special was happening.
The large crowd that witnessed and participated in this
event had an increased and uncommon enthusiasm. There
was no mistaking the distinct buzz amongst the parents,
family, friends and participants. Whether it was an
experienced boater weighing in for the hundredth time or
an amateur weighing their first tournament bass,
everyone’s attention was locked in on the scales and
Julie Palmer as she revealed the weights. This
tournament was truly less about who won and how much
money they took home. It was about sharing this great
pastime and ensuring that it will live on for future
generations. Afterwards, everyone was talking about how
great an event this was and that they were looking
forward to the next one. Maybe there’s even a Pro-Am
Circuit in store in 2010 on the Fox Chain???
Regardless, it was truly wonderful to see first-hand the
fruits of the efforts put into this 2009 Pro Am
Tournament.
A sincere thank you goes out to Big Bucks Bass and Julie
Palmer for all the work that went into making this event
happen. It cannot go unnoticed that Dave Kranz, owner
of Dave’s Bait Tackle and Taxidermy in Crystal Lake,
teamed up with St. Croix to give away a rod to one
lucky non-boater. Dave literally chose a random boat
number and handed a brand new St. Croix to new
tournament fisherman. What better way than that type of
generosity to ensure the positive experience of a new
tournament angler. Way to go Dave! Thanks also goes
out to the Chrome Bar Grille and Smith’s Float in Park
for hosting the event. We look forward to another Pro
Am next year – hope to see YOU there. |
