"Unofficial" Fly-Only Bass Tourney 9/22 @ Rosey

[Seldomseen]

“Unofficial” tournament will be held at Roosevelt Lake Saturday Sept 22, ’07 from first light until 12 noon. Meet at Windy Hill east ramp area (Bobcat).

Rules:


Five fish limit
13” and over, mouth closed, tail pinched on Golden Rule(Roosevelt and Alamo exception, 13”-16” fish must be released immediately * )
All baits must be presented with a fly rod and flyline, no conventional gear allowed
Plastics allowed
No live bait or trolling
Only one rod allowed fished at a time
Life vest must be on while big motor is on and in gear
No alcohol during tournament
Boat must have working livewell and kill switch
Livewell check before start of tournament
Prefishing off limits: 5 pm Friday before the tournament
* At Roosevelt an Alamo fish under 13" can be considered as a part of the limit





.pdf Map:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/recreation/fishing/rogsAndMaps/roosevelt_lake_sketch.pdf

There are no entry fees or prizes associated with this tournament. It is intended as a "show up and have a good time" .

[WMF]

As a side note, any info on how to fish the lake with a flyrod for bass might come in handy. There are some like me that have no clue, other than a sinking line and DHM. The reason i ask is that a tourney is a great idea, but it may prove to be more frustrating than helpful in Kicking the Bass flyfishing thing kicked into high gear. So a thread on equipment needed and tactics would go a long ways in helping get the ball rolling! Just an idea and maybe off base but if i was to show up at a lake of that size, I'd be fishing for gills, cause the bass would kick my b-ass

[addicted1]

Yea its a little different than fishing for torut so any helpful tips would be great!

jake

[Seldomseen]

It is a little different. A unofficial tournament like this with no money involved will be a great way to show up and learn.

Also, we have an entire forum for this purpose including some good info already. It would be great to fire it up and get some Q&A going with new topics.

[Dub]

Mike....I understand your initial thoughts here. The best thing I can tell you is to go back and read all the threads on bass fishing. Buddy S. gave out a lot of info. It's just like any other kind of fishing, though. The only real way to learn it is go do it....and realistically it's not for everyone. I have found it to be really challenging and it has sucked me in bigtime. The main thing I find that is different between bass and trout fishing is bass are so unpredictable. Just because you find them in a spot one day doesn't mean they will be there tomorrow. They can humble you big time, but I like that. I guess I enjoy the challenge more than I used to. I will always love the high country and trout but this gives me some options and I appreciate that. I don't expect a huge turnout for these events, but for those that do come out, they will learn new techniques that will help them become better all around fishers....for sure. For me that is what it's all about...opening new doors and opportunities to catch fish with a fly rod. I even have tried to learn the conventional methods to become a better bass fisherman. The only real thing I have learned is that flyfishing is definitely MORE fun!

[On The Fly!]

Good comments from Seldom and Dub. The challenge is everything. Nothing better than pulling into a cove with bass boats, slinging a flyline, watching the looks, hooking up, landing a good fish and leaving!

Two rigged and ready rods a must. one for topwater and the other with the fastest sinking line you can buy.

read all posts in "Bass on the Fly". great stuff.

Don :)

[WMF]

I did read the Buddy posts; I had read them all before. They are well written and have good info. Sounds like a good amount to let soak in. It's not trout fishing, and that is fine. For me from Buddy's posts, I got that you have to find the fish (he gives good info on spring, summer, fall, and winter depth, points, coves,ect.) He also gives a good pointed view of the feeding behavior of bass versa trout. This is indispensable information that should effect how and what you present as the fly. It seems a bit different, in that the how close your fly looks to the real thing is much less important then how well your fly moves in the water.... like what a bass will eat or kill. It does sound like Buddy does his own flies, and only mentioned clousers and some poppers.... I guess what I am saying is that I might be in a pickle if I show up with my Juan box and 3wt.....;) I would guess I would do better with the 6wt and a sinking line, the 4wt and a floating line, and some poppers and streamers. However I think there are others like John, Buddy, Don Ect who could give us a heads start on the correct gear to bring, and some other flies to pick up.:) While the event will serve as an educational/entertainment (watching me try to roll cast a popper with a streamer dropper will serve as the entertainment) I would hate to show up with indicators and a box of midges :ROFL::ROFL:

[On The Fly!]

WMF, imo your rod choice is correct. as to flys, I will fish proven patterns such as clousers, decievers, dhm's, and simi seal leeches. poppers are fun but in a tournament situation where size matters, I would throw a sinking line rigged w/a clouser at topwater action hoping to attract larger bass that lurk below waiting for an easy meal. this has worked for me on countless occasions.

As far as finding fish goes, it is all about structure. I rarely use electronics to locate fish. a look at the shoreline will tell you most of what you need to know about what is below be it gravel, boulders, sand, grassy, steep dropoffs or shallow water. I fish what I call "likely" to hold fish water and yes, it is a crap shoot but often pays off.

Hope this helps and good luck! Attached are a couple pics of what I consider to be avg. Roosevelt bass.

Don :)

http://i9.tinypic.com/61jvm3d.jpg

http://i11.tinypic.com/662wfmx

http://i8.tinypic.com/2vj5w0m.jpg

[WMF]

Great info Don, thanks. A lake that size is rough for me to read other than the brushy areas....

[On The Fly!]

Not sure if these suggestions are practical and can be implemented but I will throw them out there. Participation is going to be somewhat limited to those that have boats. Is it possible to allow toons/tubes to fish in a restricted area that can be reached quickly by official to weigh fish? Radios could be used to communicate. Secondly, how about registering boats and then using a lottery system to select non boatowners as partners. At first, I wanted to partner with experienced bass guys but my wife pointed out that they all have boats that would be left behind! The lottery system would insure greater turn out and allow more of us to get experience flyfishing for bass!

I volunteer to fish close to toons/tubes and record fish if they are allowed to participate.

Don :)

[Dub]

Don.....that would be great if we could include pontoons and tubes but I would bet that whoever volunteers to go to every toon and tube to weigh a fish would not get any time in to fish themselves. This first tourney is not a "real" event with no money involved anyway so there are no rules whatsoever. Just have guys come out and fish to get the feel of what's going on and worry about a boat when the real money events get scheduled. I am off to the Delta tomorrow but have already contacted several of the ranger districts to get the necessary permits and will get a schedule up when I get back. This is a first time event for me...I have no previous experience with doing anything liike this....so bear with me and we'll get this up and running.

dub

[Seldomseen]

A thought on tubes and toons.

As John stated, this would require a referee type of role. Due to logistics, this would be difficult on a large body of water.

A possible solution would be to hold an occasional mini-tournament on a smaller body of water. A small southern Arizona lake like Arivaca might be a way satisfy this parameter in addition to getting some of the folks down south involved.

Just thinkin' out loud (as a non-boater).

[addicted1]

Or how about a tourney in boulder at canyon lake! It is the best big bass lake in the state!

jake

[pheasanttail65]

As a side note, any info on how to fish the lake with a flyrod for bass might come in handy. There are some like me that have no clue, other than a sinking line and DHM. The reason i ask is that a tourney is a great idea, but it may prove to be more frustrating than helpful in Kicking the Bass flyfishing thing kicked into high gear. So a thread on equipment needed and tactics would go a long ways in helping get the ball rolling! Just an idea and maybe off base but if i was to show up at a lake of that size, I'd be fishing for gills, cause the bass would kick my b-ass

WMF there also several books written for bass on a fly rod. I have minimal fly fishing experince. I have purchased some books L.L. Bean Fly fishing for Bass by Dave Whitlock, Largemouth Bas Fly fishing also Bluegill Fly fishing & Flies by Terry and Roxanne Wilson, and Fly Tying and Fly Fishing for Bass and Panfish by Tom Nixon. The last book is alittle high but good. Tom Nixon is a pioneer in the sport of Fly Fishing for Bass one of the first to compete in Bass tourneys with a fly rod. There are many more out there to read.

[Penner]

That would be great if pontoons were allowed! :)

Theres lots of us who have pontoons / float tubes (maybe more than those who own $30K 150HP floating tackle boxes??)

[pheasanttail65]

I agree with Don on the lottery system. Maybe not on the so called unofficial tournaments but for the real ones. They do use the lottery for the WON Bass and FLW for boater and non-boater. They don't score as a team but individual scores. Maybe WON Bass scores teams not individual but they still use the lottery. I believe if you pick your partner than the deck is stacked. With some teams being experienced and some non-experienced. I don't paly poker with a stacked deck why fish that way. I think if people show up and can't get on a boat then fish from a tube or toon. It's just for practice any ways right and I believe we can weight a fish. It might not be the offical weight but we can be trusted I believe. I personally think if we start to alienate people than you will lose interest. I've been a supporter of this since the beginning. It can be a good thing if done right and not alienate people. It suppose to be for fun until the big show so lets try to make it that way.

[Billiam]

Is this going to cause a problem?
http://www.nhfday.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

[Dub]

PT65....I agree 100% with getting as many people involved as possible. The boat riule is not for alienation purposes. It is for the protection of the fish. If you can figure out a way to keep 5 fish alive and healthy for 5-8 hours you can fish from the bank if you want. I am not promoting boats....I'm promoting the safety of the fish. Anyone who knows me will tell you I HATE boats, but in this sport they are necessary to get the job done.
As far as Sept 22, I can't see why tubes or kickboats shouldn't be allowed. It is not an official tourney, so why not? At least this way I can see how many are serious about this thing happening. I just got back from the Delta and it is going to happen there for sure.
The date I picked (Sept 22) is the best available for the area. There are two tourneys going on that day already, but smaller ones (hopefully). There are always tourneys going on at Roosevelt. I was in one there last year that had 5 tourneys going on at once. It is a problem we will always have here especially since we have lost several of our lakes.

[pheasanttail65]

I understand the saftey of the fish that is a big concern. I don't need to keep my fish to weight in. I'll weight them the best I can and if any body doubts me oh well. I don't need the bragging rights that and $1.00 will buy me a cup of coffee. I just want to fish and have fun and see other people involved. It sucked driving 2 hours to find 3 others interested in this. Thats all

[ASU]

...you can fish from the bank if you want...


OK, I'm in.

[Penner]

Here is a way to keep fish safe, that are caught by pontoon:


I placed a live well on the back of my boat, cradling out of the water a nineteen-gallon Rubber Maid plastic container, powered with a 12volt motor cycle battery. I use a switch in front of my boat next to my fish finder, to pump in and circulate water. Using a 750GPH Mayfair Pro-Line Bilge Pump.

If someone is ambitious enough... :D


183

184

185

[tightlines57]

How do you cast with the canopy? Anyway, that's a sweet lookin' toon. :D

[CHIEF]

Just buy a boat......

CHIEF

[Penner]

LOL!

Thats not my pontoon, but I think the livewell is a nice idea.