Drug-Free Bass

By Billy “Hawkeye” Decoteau

Southwick, MA April 20, 2008: Massachusetts’ FLW/TBF bass club the North East Bass Anglers is the only Bass Club that I am aware of in New England that has been totally devoted to working hand-in-hand with our nation’s D.A.R.E. program. Situated along the Connecticut Massachusetts border in the rural communities of Southwick, MA and Suffield, CT, the North East Bass Anglers have deep roots when it comes to community involvement.

Relying solely on sponsor donations both product and monetary, North East Club President Skip Bryant and his 26 NEBA members have continually supported the Southwick, MA Police D.A.R.E. program for 18 years, by hosting it’s annual benefit Team Bass Tournament on Congamond Lakes.

According to club Tournament Director Mark Consolini, Congamond Lake has been the club's initial source for drawing competitive bass anglers to their eighteen-year-old charity event. Ranger/Evinrude sponsored angler Eric Kaplan believes there are many reasons, but two standout the most: Congamond Lake has an ever growing bass population supported by an enormous healthy supply of forage, and secondly, the lake's location allows for acceptance of either Massachusetts or Connecticut fishing licenses, thus encouraging the involvement of anglers from both states.

“Had it not been for the strong support we have received over the last 18 years from Massachusetts’s Federation Anglers (www.Massbass.com) throughout the state, the Southwick police department's D.A.R.E. Program would not have been able to expand its Drug Abuse Resistance Educational efforts to the productive level they are at today,” suggests Bill Penney NEBA Treasurer.

Founded in 1983 in Los Angeles, CA. the D.A.R.E. Program today is utilized in 75% of our nation's school systems and forty-one countries around the world. D.A.R.E. trained police officers interact within the school systems teaching the children skills they need to avoid peer pressure leading to drugs, gangs and violence. In 2007, President Bush declared April 12th National D.A.R.E. Awareness Day, encouraging parents and caregivers to work hand-in-hand with their local police department's D.A.R.E. programs.

Logging unto the National D.A.R.E. web site, adults and kids will find an array of interactive activities designed exclusively for them. In fact, there are separate sections leading adults in one direction and kids in another direction. This site provides all of the information needed for local, regional and national involvement.

As the synchronized launching of forty-eight bass boats continued, Congamond’s lake management team directed anglers to secured parking areas, morning registration was quickly completed, and teams found themselves shoulder-to-shoulder as NEBA President Skip Bryant reviewed the pre-tournament briefing prior to the 7:00 a.m. take-off.

Congamond Lake offers competitive bass anglers several options with its three interconnecting ponds, North, Middle and South Ponds. Then add in the idle speed only until 10:00 a.m., according to the lake management rule, and teams need to consider seasonal transitional movements of the black bass when considering their tournament strategy. Harold Cote considered by many anglers to be the top angler on Congamond Lakes added, “Early Spring on Congamond can find North Pond loaded with spawning and pre-spawn bass, but the area is extremely small add to that ten or twelve bass boats and it limits the areas a team actually can fish!”

Marine USA, Inc. Tracker Pro Staffer Chris Blais readily agrees with Cote. “Harold is absolutely correct, however in the twenty-thirty minutes it takes a team to idle south from the State Ramp, another team in North Pond could have a limit!”

Predictions on the winning weight varied, but FLW Professional Bass Angler Jim Leuthner seem to project positive results by the time the 3:00 p.m. weigh-in started. “Water temperatures have leveled out through the three lakes with slightly higher temperatures in North Ponds shallower section, I believe we will see some twenty pound plus eight-bass limits today.”

Anglers monitoring their temperature gauges reported water surface temperatures ranging from the mid-high 50’s to low 60-degree range. Consistent weather patterns of daily high temperatures reaching 70-80-degree highs and nightly lows in the mid-high 40-degree range scattered Congamond’s bass population into shallow spawning areas, cruising pre-spawn bank runners, and those bass utilizing transitional highways leading to contour break lines in six-eight foot depths.

It was obvious when the clock struck 10:00 a.m.! The roar of high power outboards signaled the running of teams as the morning’s calm surface sent waves along the shorelines. Teams could be seen; running main lake points chunking and winding spinnerbaits, while others opted for jerkbaits or deep diving crankbaits.

Patience angling teams were witnessed paralleling deeper banks methodically crawling jigs, hula grubs or small finesse worms, while others stood on their front decks cruising with their electric trolling motors searching the shallows for lunker bass. As the hours ticked away the roaring sound of outboard motors throttled down to an idle as all forty-eight teams passed the 3:00 p.m. check-in boat.

Teams were called to the scales in groups of five in numerical order via their tournament registration boat numbers. Tallies on the leaders board changed with each arriving group and ounces separated the top teams when the scales were officially closed. As the tournament committee assembled the top twelve cash payouts and trophies, teams were called in descending order revealing some of their tournament techniques used to establish their eight-bass limits.

Claiming the 2008 D.A.R.E. Congamond crown with eight bass tipping the scales at 22.70 pounds, the father and son team of Feltault and Feltault secured their championship title anchored with the tournament's 6.40 lb lunker largemouth bass. Their efforts were rewarded with handsome wooden plaques, $1,000.00 and a Marine USA, Inc gift certificate valued between $500-$1,500 on the purchase of a new Tracker/Nitro/Z-Series bass boat. Although the team seemed tight-lipped as to their techniques, “dock talk’ rumors claim jerkbaits were the key to their success.

Leuthner and Simoneau managed to assemble an eight-bass limit for second place honors with a total of 19.91 pounds, but it wasn’t easy according to FLW Pro Angler Jim Leuthner! “We went into North Pond and by 10:00 a.m. we had four bass. When we decided to start up the outboard to make our run to South Pond, it wouldn’t start. After several attempts it was obvious we were stranded to trolling motor power only!” Concentrating their efforts close to the weigh-in site, Leuthner and Simoneau worked finesse worms along tapering banks. Besides their second place cash payout, the 2^nd place team also received a Marine USA, Inc gift certificate valued up to $1,500.00.

Father and son team of Ed and Ed Jr. Rosienski, landed in 3^rd place, only .37 lbs behind Leuthner and Simoneau with 19.54 lbs. “We really needed a kicker bass to win the tournament and we saw plenty of them cruising the banks; we just couldn’t get them to take our baits,” replied Ed Jr. (For the top twelve D.A.R.E. go to MassBass or D.A.R.E. Tournament Results). Receiving a Marine USA, Inc gift certificate valued up to $1,500.00 for the Top Tracker/Nitro Bass Boat was NEBA’s Federation liaison, Jim Blanchard.

To an overwhelming around of applauds, North East Bass Anglers' President Skip Bryant presented the Southwick Police Department's D.A.R.E. Program a check for $2,750.00. God Bless and Best Bass’n.