BassMaster Classic

[WLB]

Should be a good one! Who will win?
Allot of TV coverage, it's getting almost like NASCAR:D
Here's a tv schedule:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b132/wlb_28/bassclassic06.jpg

[CritterGitter]

Since when is the Bassmasters Classic in February. This is the 2nd dumbest thing I have ever heard of in bass tourney history.

The dumbest was to host the event on the Delaware River last year so we could watch pro fishermen catch 4 or 5 fish the whole day and they were all 12 1/2 to 13 inchers. PLEASE!

How's about show the world's best bass fishermen in their element:

Give me Lake Okeechobee or a nice big Texas lake, no boundaries, and the tounament in the fall such as the first week in October or something like that. I thought they had to fish "qualifiers" all season long which is why the Classis would be in the fall. I think having this tournament in February is retarted.

Kyle

[WLB]

Most of the anglers qualified for the event based on their stellar performance in the 2005 BASS season, including in the Bassmaster Elite 50 Series and the CITGO Bassmaster Tour, as well as in the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Classic.
The 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Aaron Martens of Alabama, automatically qualified, as did the top five finishers in the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship, held in December.
Seven bass anglers earned Classic spots through competitions that culminated this month, including six anglers from the BASS Federation Championship tournament in Leesburg, Fla., and Jeff Coble of North Carolina, who won the ESPN Outdoors Basmaster Series Championship tournament in Kissimmee last weekend, clinching the final spot.
"This group of anglers will write another page in BASS' prestigious history," said Don Rucks, vice president and general manager of BASS. "They will fish the first CITGO Bassmaster Classic held during the early spring instead of the summer on an amazing fishery that should produce spectacular catches."
Here’s the lineup:
2006 CITGO BASSMASTER CLASSIC FIELD
Anglers...............Hometown
1 Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla.
2 Chad Brauer Osage Beach, Mo.
3 Preston Clark Palatka, Fla.
4 Luke Clausen Spokane, Wash.
5 Rick Clunn Ava, Mo.
6 Jeff Coble Manson, N.C.
7 George Cochran Hot Springs, Ark.
8 Joe Conway Colorado Springs, Colo.
9 John Crews Salem, Va.
10 Anre’ de Villiers South Africa
11 Edwin Evers Mannsville, Okla.
12 Greg Gutierrez Red Bluff, Calif.
13 Greg Hackney Gonzales, La.
14 Davy Hite Ninety Six, S.C.
15 Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala.
16 Randy Howell Springville, Ala.
17 Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J.
18 Jimmy Johnson La Crosse, Wis.
19 James Kennedy Lacombe, La.
20 Stacey King Reeds Spring, Mo.
21 Gary Klein Weatherford, Texas
22 Jeff Kriet Ardmore, Okla.
23 Aaron Martens Leeds, Ala.
24 Mike McClelland Bella Vista, Ark.
25 Mark Menendez Paducah, Ky.
26 Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, Ark.
27 Ish Monroe Hughson, Calif.
28 Andre Moore Scottsdale, Ariz.
29 Chad Morgenthaler Carbondale, Ill.
30 Rick Morris Lanexa, Va.
31 Larry Nixon Bee Branch, Ark.
32 Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif.
33 Jeff Reynolds Idabel, Okla.
34 Mike Reynolds Modesto, Calif.
35 Dean Rojas Lake Havasu, Ariz.
36 Scott Rook Little Rock, Ark.
37 Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas
38 Joel St. Germain Cumberland, R.I.
39 Terry Scroggins Palatka, Fla.
40 Ron Shuffield Bismarck, Ark.
41 Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo.
42 Bob Soley Trenton, NJ
43 Marty Stone Linden, N.C.
44 Gerald Swindle Hayden, Ala.
45 Mark Tucker Saint Louis, Mo.
46 Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, Mich.
47 David Walker Sevierville, Tenn.
48 Kevin Wirth Crestwood, Ky.
49 Dave Wolak Warrior Run, Pa.
50 Mike Wurm Hot Springs, Ark.
51 Jay Yelas Tyler, Texas

[Links r Us]

I spun the 'Ole Coke bottle & came up with Jay Yelas as my man!:dizzy:

:bouncy:

[bill dowler]

hey to reply, it wasnt the delaware river, it was the ohio, and they are going to catch alot of fish down there, they are spawning in florida right now..... ill stick with kvd

[WarEagle]

I'll say Aaron Martens. He's gonna win one sooner or later.

I hope it's sooner.


WAR

[TIP]

I pick Greg Hackney.:coolgleamA:

[CritterGitter]

Ok, I can admit it. I was dead wrong on this. The tournament is in Florida which by all accounts is the MECA of big bass fishing! Oh sure, TX and CA have some big bass, but Florida is king when it comes to big bass. Also, they got the time of year right and there should be some hefty bags at the weigh-ins. They might even break some records.

For fun, I'll pick Florida native Preston Clark. Maybe he can come in a darkhorse local who knows the lake and really surprise the experts! It should be a great tournament.

:D

Kyle

[Links r Us]

Fisher ~ are you watchin' The BassMaster Real-time LeaderBoard??? -Also have STREAMING AUDIO runnin' n' it's a Blast!!!
http://espn.winnercomm.com/

15 guys in so far with 22-05 lbs tops!

30 Anglers in -- new leader > Edwin Evers 5 23-10 lbs with a new Big Bass record for the Classic!

a Nobody to a SomeBody >> Preston Clark 5 29-01 lbs w/another new Classic BB record 11-01 lbs!!!

Clunn just moved into 4th place/20-12 lbs w/a 10-10 lb BB!

New Leader > Luke Clausen (Spokane, WA) 5 29-06 lbs!!! ~ 43 Anglers in...

WildMan Iaconelli weighes in 11-09 lbs - King yet to weigh before the day #1 is a wrap...


Day #1 is a Wrap with the front-runner Luke Clausen leadin' the way into Day #2...

http://www.midwestangling.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?2318

[WLB]

15 guys in so far with 22-05 lbs tops!
Great weights!
If it wasn't for those 29 lb bags, the rest of the weigh in looks
like a Erie smallie tourney!:D
Way to go Evers and Clunn on a couple of Hogs!

[Links r Us]

Ike DQ'd for poor sportsmanship

Cursing in front of spectators and breaking safety equipment cost former Classic champion Day One catch; Iaconelli unsure of recourse
By Sam Eifling
Bassmaster.com exclusive — Feb. 24, 2006

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Everyone was waiting on Ike. After watching 49 anglers roll through and weigh their bags, the thousands of fans in the arena inside the Orange County Convention Center, and according to the public address announcer, 6 million households around the world were waiting for Mike Iaconelli, the bad boy of bass fishing and the 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion, to reveal his catch.

Mike Iaconelli
Former Classic champion Mike Iaconelli's catch was disqualified after Day One.

The crowd roared. Kids waved signs reading "I LIKE IKE" — the 33-year-old is the only angler who could command a gallery of more than a few strangers. But the Iaconelli who finally rolled up to the stage was subdued, and humbled. After an afternoon that had seen Classic record bass and bags, Iaconelli poured five fish, two dead, into the bin. After the requisite penalty for the dead fish, his catch weighed in at 11 pounds, 9 ounces, good for just 35th in the competition. He explained that he "just never got the big bite," and reminded the crowd that fishing involves good days and bad.

Little did Iaconelli know that a bad day was about to get far worse. B.A.S.S. officials shunted the angler behind closed doors for the better part of an hour before delivering to him the news that he was disqualified from the day's competition because he violated the sportsmanship rule.

Iaconelli gathered his things and left the building without stopping by the Classic's news conference. He explained on the way out that he had drawn his second disqualification — another unofficial Classic record set — for kicking a light pole and cursing when he opened his live well late in the morning and saw that his fish had died.

"I just don't feel like I can have a bad day gracefully," Iaconelli said. "Obviously I'm frustrated and after a day like that you want to go back and say, 'well, what did I do wrong?' and have a better day. And it's like they dig the dagger deeper. The rule of sportsmanship, it's a broad rule. It's Trip Weldon's decision. At this point I don't know what I can do except protest the decision, and I think that's what I'm going to have to do."
Click Here!

Just 11 hours before he was due back on Lake Tohopekaliga for the second day of the Classic, Iaconelli didn't know whether he would participate, saying it would depend on conversations with his lawyer. Iaconelli was also disqualified in the 2004 Classic for accidentally fishing in an off-limits area during Day Two of that event.

Trip Weldon
Trip Weldon explained to reporters the rule Mike Iaconelli broke on Friday.

This rule infraction, though, wasn't exactly an accident. ESPN television crews videoed Iaconelli in an angry tirade after finding that a portion of his fish had died. The tirade, according to Weldon "used very profane language in front of spectators. He removed a running light, which is part of our safety equipment and destroyed it."

"Once we saw the videotape, it didn't take long to make the decision," Weldon said, citing Bassmaster Tournament Rule Number 5, "The Sportsmanship Rule" for the disqualification.

Iaconelli didn't agree with the interpretation.

"I totally feel like I'm targeted," he said. "I totally feel like I'm being sabotaged here. I don't know what my options are. I feel like if I don't take a stand, then not only myself but anglers from here on out are going to be open to this, and I'm not going to let that happen."

Asked why B.A.S.S. would want to remove the very angler it was hyping most vigorously less than an hour earlier, Iaconelli said, "I don't know the answer to that question. But I do feel I was wronged today.

"It could have been aerator faulty, it could have been boat faulty, it could have been human error," Iaconelli said of the busted live well. "Maybe as I was driving I hit the switch off. I don't know. I'm not blaming that on anything. But again, that created a frustration for me, and I showed frustration, and again, that's all it is. I feel like there's a big huge deal created about there was a fisherman who showed frustration because he opened up his live well and saw four of his fish floating dead. That's like normal, that happens all the time."

As Iaconelli headed for an exit, a 23-year-old aspiring pro angler named Jeff Slute approached Iaconelli for an autograph. Slute told Iaconelli that he's down in Florida living out of his truck in hopes of being like him.

"Unreal," Slute said afterwards of meeting his idol. "Unreal. I've read his book four times. He's a real inspiration to me."

[TIP]

He's like the football player T.O. I never like Ike's big mouth screaming, and he's cocky. :yikes:

[Ohio Sportsman]

Plain and simple, poor judgement on his part for going into a tirade while the camera was on and filming. He should be dis-qualified from the Classic period for with those type of actions, it had to be seen by millions of kids that were watching. It's not a good way to promote the sport to children, especially when they aspire one day become a professional and earn a living fishing. It's ok to express emotions, but to do it in a way that shows anger by cursing and being physical with an inanimate object shows the guy should seek some psychological help. :coco: Just my opinion, I feel actions like that are bad for the sport.

["J"]

Mark Menandez(sp) made a mistake a couple of years ago and he called the director and turned himself in and got DQ'd for the day and put himself out of contention, now that is a true sportsman and maybe Ike can learn from this and move on, at least I hope so. Hate to see anyone get the boot for a dumb mistake, but if that is what it takes to wake him up so be it. Go Shuffield!!!

[WLB]

IKE paid the price....last place in the '06 classic, I think BASS might have got their point across to most, but Mike says they're singling him out?? Duh! :dizzy:

On another note, KVD looked good today and with those bed fish beat up, he should have another strong finish! :coolgleamA:

[CritterGitter]

Looks like my pick is currently showing in 4th. Both the Florida boys are doing well. It should be interesting tomorrow.

Also, I am not a big Ike fan either, but then I used to hate KVD and now I think he is an OK guy.

Kyle

["J"]

I used to be a Vandam fan untill I met him, not to crazy about him now, I still like Parker and Grigsby, those guy's are down to earth and will talk to you with out looking at their watches. Another one is Roland Marten I saw him at a classic kids fishing tournament signing autographs when the rest of them walked away at the minute they could and left a long line of kids shaking their heads. He is kind of a windbag at times but he showed his true color that day and my hat is off to him for that. Maybe Ike can look to the past to learn about his future.

[Links r Us]

WTG!!! ... FLW Pro Champ Luke Clausen notches a BassMaster Championship

It sounds like quite a few top-notch Anglers are closing their BASS careers and shifting to the FLW next year, from my take from the on-stage interviews...

:bouncy:

[CritterGitter]

It just goes to show you that sometimes it's the people that make the difference!

BASS was not the same when they severed ties with Forrest Wood.

Infisherman was not the same when the Lindners sold it.

I could sit and listen to Forrest Wood or Doug Hannon talk about bass fishing for hours. However, I could care less what Tommy Sanders or that goofball from The Fishin Hole has to say about it.

I could listen to the Lindners talk about multi species angling and catching bass, crappie, walleye, musky, pike or catfish. You name they can catch it! Though, I just don't care to listen to Doug Stange or Steve Hoffman at all. I also give an extra kudos to Al Lindner. No other man in history has actually taught more people how to successfully catch fish than him.

Congrats to Luke.

Kyle

[Redhunter1012]

I don't totally blame Ike on this one. Did he overreact? Yes. But Ike normally fishes out of a Ranger boat. For sponsorship reasons, BASS made them all fish out of Tritons for this specific tournament and the aeriation systems on those are really different. In a way it's not totally his fault. Why would they DQ him. It's his tirades and loud personality that's making BASS grow into a big business. It's not Davey Hites agonizingly slow speaches or Denny Brauers tips on using a jig. It's loud personalities like Gerald G-Man Swindel and Ike that has people waiting in line for autographs. Because those fish died, it cost him a chance at winning the tournament even before they DQ'd him. I just think they are biting the hand that feeds them. Maybe next time they'll let him use his own boat.