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Tournament Update
9.01.08
Saturday August 16, 2008 Auburn Dam PA: Let me start off by saying
that I did over sleep for this tournament, which is not unusual, but for
a tournament it is. I arrived 5 minutes before blast off, but the guys
in the club were in no hurry due to the severe fog that covered the
lake. Within a few minutes we blasted off. I started off down near the
dam, but did not have a keeper in the boat until 9:30AM, when I boated a
14” largemouth. At 10:30AM I caught another 15” largemouth. I did catch
some dinks in the course of the day, but all my fish were caught on a 5”
weighted senko bait. At 11AM I decided to head for the grass, which is
where I spent the rest of the day.
I
flipped the vegetation with a sweet beaver, but to no avail. I did have
some nice pickerel, but that did not help my situation. At 1PM our weigh
in started, and I knew that I did not have the weight to win, but I had
no idea how good the rest of the club did. Wow, they never seem to amaze
me with how good they are. 28 largemouth's were weighed in for a total
of 38.53lbs. 1st place again went to JR with 5 fish for
8.98lbs., 2nd went to my buddy and a rider Ryan Fronina with
5 fish for 7.06lbs., and 3rd went to our Club President Rick
Steinman with 3 fish for 4.42lbs. I ended up in 6th with 2
largemouth's for 3.34lbs. Congratulations to the fisherman who placed.
JR is a good fisherman and I am glad he is fishing in our club, because
him fishing will only make everyone else a better all around angler.
This makes for even better competition. My hat is off to him for winning
two tournaments in a row.
Tournament Recap: Going into this tournament I was a bit worried
with how small the body of water was, but looking back the size of the
lake really never came into account. In the morning I rushed my fishing
techniques, because I wanted to hit some key locations before another
competitor got the chance. I think if I could have changed anything from
the day, it would have been to slow down and stay with my fish. My plan
in the morning was to fish wood and rock cover then later in the day
switch to the grass bite. Well needless to say the plan did not work the
way I wanted, but it was a gamble and sometimes gambles work and
sometimes they don’t. I have to say that when I fished Port Deposit and
Auburn that I gambled at both tournaments and at both tournaments I
really struggled. This is kind of a concern to me and I will work on
trying to make better judgment calls and know that I can never assume
that something will or will not work until I try it.
Not all
was lost in the tournament. I am still leading the AOY Standings by all
but 18lbs. with 3 more tournaments remaining. Our next tournament is at
North East MD on September 6th. I feel confident that I can
get back on track at the flats. Also, I would like to announce that I
will be fishing Sunday at Blue Marsh PA with my Dad (Troy Wink). We will
be trying our luck in a local tournament held by the Berks Bassmasters.
I am very excited. Please check back next week for results, and don’t
forget to check out the photo gallery.
Season Update
Saturday August 2nd
and Sunday August 3rd Lake Ontario/ Oneida Lake-
I went on a trip up to
Lake Ontario for my first time. I went with Randy Snyder (Step Father),
Ron Snyder (Grandfather), Matt Snyder (Uncle), Rick Oswald (Father
In-law), and Ryan Wagner (Friend). Ryan and I decided we were going to
take my boat up for Small Mouth Bass, while the rest of the group went
on a Charter Trip for Walleye and Lake Trout. Friday, when we arrived I
could see white caps on the lake, and a local told me to wait until
morning to go fishing. On Saturday morning Ryan and I headed out and
decided we were going to fish a shoal off a point, near Henderson. We
tried dragging tubes, but with no luck. The wind was pretty strong out
of the West. I never seen waves like that before, but it wasn’t too bad.
We decided to fish in Henderson Creek, where we caught a couple nice
Largemouth's on Jerk baits. After catching a few Largemouth's I was
interested more in catching Smallies, so we headed back out to a sunken
Island. I put out the drift sock I bought at Susquehanna Fishing Tackle
and we finally caught a couple nice Smallies with tube baits. When the
rest of the group called and said there Charter Trip was over for the
day, we also headed in. The Charter gang did pretty well. They caught 1
Walleye and 5 Trout. That night I decided we would try Oneida Lake on
Sunday morning, which Ryan was all for it.
Sunday morning we
headed to Oneida Lake, which is only 1 hour from Henderson. I really
went with an open mind. I know there are tons of fish, but I have never
been on the lake and I just wanted to get a feel for the lake. We
arrived at 8AM to a strong West wind. I caught a keeper Smallie right
away with a spinnerbait, off of an Island. At that point I thought I
might be on to something, wrong. We went about 3 hours without a bite.
With about 1 hour to fish I decided to make a run to a point I seen on
the Lake Map. We arrived and right away Ryan missed a good fish. Within
20 minutes I caught 4 more real nice Smallies on tube baits. Man, do
those Smallies fight. I never had so much fun. I was literally laughing
when I was fighting the fish. Before I knew it, we had to leave. What a
great time though. I had so much fun with those guys up there. This is a
little off the fishing path, but every one of those guys that went with
are absolutely phenomenal people.
To recap this trip I
would have to say that, when you are fishing in a lake that has a good
number of fish and no so much fishing pressure, it makes all the
difference in the world. At my local lakes you are lucky if you catch
1-2 fish per outing, and that’s if you know what you are doing. I think
if I had a couple of days at Lake Ontario and Oneida I would definitely
have figured the fish out much better. I am happy that in 1 day on each
lake I found fish and put them in the boat. I look forward to going back
up and hopefully next time will be in a tournament setting.
Lake Seneca Update- I
regretfully say that I did not get to fish the Lake Seneca Tournament on
August 9th. I am bummed out about it, but because of personal
reasons (not related to fishing) I had to back out of the Tournament. I
would like to thank the American Bass Anglers for giving me a refund.
Auburn Dam Preview-
My next stop for the season is Auburn Dam. I really do enjoy fishing
this lake, but 8hrs is a long day due to how small the water is. If you
fished the lake you know what I mean. We will have about 10 boats and
that will pretty much cover the lake. One thing I will say is, there are
plenty of fish in the lake. I think top water and spinner baits will
work, but if the cold fronts have been getting keep coming, things could
change. Check back next week for updates.
Tournament Update
Saturday July 12, 2008 Port Deposit MD: What a day to forget!!!! The
Berks County Anglers met at Port Deposit at 5AM. I remember thinking to
myself that I was going to have a great day. I thought I had a good game
plan. Kim Steinman, who usually is a boat owner made a bad decision and
decided to be a rider. Even worse he got lucky enough to pick my boat.
At 5:30AM Kim and I started fishing top water in Port Deposit.
We fished a long stretch with no blow ups. Finally, Kim talked me into
fishing one of his honey holes, and fortunate enough for me I caught a
13” small mouth on a 5” senko. At this point I thought I still had
plenty of spots to catch a good limit. After zeroing out at a few other
areas I decided to make a run to the Sassafras to a area that I always
catch nice bass. Now the sun is beating on us and boy was it hot. We
fished my so called good area for about 4hrs and guess what…… you
guessed…. nothing. Kim did have one nice fish on but it came
unhooked before we could do anything about it. I stayed in that area for
to long, but I was always told not to leave fish that you know are
there, especially in tidal water. Well, I guess there are no fish in
that area. We finally decided to head back to Port Deposit and finish
out the day. We went back to were I caught the smallie earlier and I
ended catching 4 more dinks. At 2PM we headed in for weigh in. Now, if
you have been keeping up to date, you know that I am trying to win
Angler of the Year in the club. Knowing that 15lbs. or more is not
unheard of on the flats I was feeling pretty worried about my chances to
keep the lead. When we started weighing in fish I was really glad that
just about everyone weighed in at least 1 fish. Unfortunately, I never
could put Kim on a fish and boy did I feel bad, because he fished dang
hard all day long. The winning weight for the tournament was a little
over 6lbs., by new comer JR Schoener, Ryan Wagner was 2nd
with 6lbs. and 3rd place and lunker was Jeremy Gordon with
5lbs and a largemouth at 3.7lbs. I got 8th with a single
smallmouth that weighed a whooping 1.26lbs.
Tournament Recap: Obviously I was disgusted about the way my day
went, but I guess it could have been worse. Going into this tournament I
had my sights set on catching 13lbs. and when I think about it, I should
have just worried about a limit. Also, if I could change anything I
would have just stayed in Port Deposit and not taken the run to
Sassafras. I will take some positive learning lessons out of the
tournament and hopefully it will help me next time I am on the flats. As
far as Angler of the Year, the weigh in was not at all what I thought it
would be so I am still in first, but the competition is so good out
there so you always have to bring you (A) game. Fortunately, I squeaked
out of this tournament ok, but I don’t want to make a habit out of it.
Saturday July 26, 2008 Raystown Lake PA: I was really looking
forward to this tournament. There were a couple reasons for this. 1) I
wanted to redeem myself from the disaster from Port Deposit. 2) I was
looking forward to fishing with my brother (TJ).
We woke up at 3AM and headed to James Creek to get ready for the launch.
15 teams showed up and we happened to pick the lucky #13. At 5:30AM we
blasted off. My brother and I started out throwing top water baits with
no takers. By 9:30AM we had a small limit caught on jig/pig off of bluff
walls. My brother thought we had a good weight, but I knew that we still
needed a kicker fish. We fished hard all day, but we could never get the
one big bite we needed. At 3:00PM we started weigh in. As soon as we got
to the dock I could see nice fish being brought to the scales. At that
point I knew we did not have the weight to win, but we did have a good
day. We ended up in 5th place with 5 largemouth's at 8.08lbs.
1st place had over 11lbs. and 2nd place had over
10lbs.
Tournament
Recap: I am very happy with the out come of the tournament. Don’t
get me wrong I would love to have won the tournament, but being that I
hung with locals on a lake that I did not pre-fish for I felt pretty
good. I learned a lot this year at Raystown, but there is still so much
to learn. This tournament was held by Fishers of Men. You can see the
results on
http://www.fomntt.com/schedule.php?id=1337
.
News: I will be fishing in Ontario on 9/1-9/3 (for fun). My next
tournament is at Lake Seneca NY on 9/9/08 which is a Bassmasters Weekend
Series Tournament. I have never fished Ontario or Seneca Lake, so stayed
tuned. Please check back next week for more updates.
Season Update
Friday June 27, 2008 Sassafras MD: Believe it or not, I was not bass
fishing. I took Randy Snyder (stepfather), Ronald Snyder (grandfather),
and Ryan Fronina down to the Sassafras River for our annual catfish
night. We arrived at 8:30PM on Friday and fished until 8AM on Saturday
morning. We had a great night. All together I would say we had 50 or
more catfish. We ended up keeping 8 catfish over 5lbs. and of course I
won our little lunker wager with a 9lber. You can see pictures of the
catfish in the photo gallery.
Thursday July 10, 2008: I am currently getting ready for a club
tournament this Saturday at Port Deposit. I will admit that I am a
little worried about this tournament. I do not have a great track record
on the flats, even though I love fishing down there. The grass bite
seems to be the key, but I never really do well fishing the grass. I
style of fishing is running and gunning, which does not really fit the
bill on the flats. I just can not figure out fishing the tides on a
consistent basis. Sure, there are days when you feel like you are the
man, but then you go out and blank, which puts you back into reality.
All I know is that on Saturday I will be fishing hard because I know
that someone may come in with a big bag and I want to keep my lead in
the club. To keep everyone up to date, our club does not go by points.
They go by pounds, so as you can see the Flats will play a major part on
the Angler of the Year Standings. So far I have won all three events,
but if I slip on this one it could cost me big time. Check back next
week to see what happens.
Please
check out the Ron Phillips Benefit Bass Tournament Link on my Main Page.
Ron is a very young man that has been in A. I. DuPont Hospital in
Wilmington Delaware since February where he has undergone a liver
transplant and is currently being treated for Burkitt’s Leukemia, a
rare, fast-growing type of blood cancer. Although he has had several
major setbacks along the way, slow steady progress has been made in his
long recovery. Dave Kilby of US Anglers Choice will be holding the
Benefit Tournament out of the North East River MD. on Saturday August
16, 2008. Please check out the link.
Tournament Results
Tuesday June 17, 2008
Raystown PA:
Ryan Fronina and I
arrived at the lake at 9:30AM to perfect overcast conditions. Usually I
would be a little bit worried that we arrived so late, but this time I
was not. I started out with a Secret Weapon Spinner bait and nailed a
14” Largemouth within 4-5 casts. I was ripping the spinnerbait through
weed patches. We then left the area and headed to some weed points were
we found some bass feeding on top water lures. After catching a few
small bass I decided to fish some bluff walls with a Bass Stalker Jig
tipped with a Strike King 3X Chunk. The big bass were stacked on the
bluffs. We caught 3-4lb. Smallies and I even seen a 7-8lb. largemouth
cruising the shore line. After hitting a few bluffs and realizing that
we have found a pattern, we decided to leave for the day.
Wednesday June 18, 2008
Raystown PA:
Wednesday was the clubs
official practice day, also known as our lunker day. Again, Ryan was on
my boat. After fishing on Tuesday I knew what the fish were doing, and I
did not want to go around stinging all my fish for the start of the club
classic. Ryan and I hit a few knew areas and caught a few small keepers.
At 12:30PM I received a phone call from my buddy Ryan Wagner, and he
said he caught a 6lb. Largemouth. I decided my fishing day was over,
which I was fine with. I headed to the weigh in and boy was he right.
That was a bruiser of a bass. Ryan Wagner won lunker for the day with a
6.08lb. Largemouth. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the
bass, because my batteries were dead.
I went back to the
cabin that night and started getting my gear together for Thursday. That
night we had severe rain and change in temperature. All I was hoping is
that I would not wake up to post front conditions. I was hoping the
clouds would stick around for the next 2 days. My plan for Thursday was
to hit some bluffs in the morning, and hopefully catch a quick limit,
and then go after bigger fish.
Thursday June 19, 2008
Raystown PA:
I woke up to my worst
night mare. The clouds disappeared and the stars were bright. We blasted
off from James Creek Boat Launch at 6AM. I arrived to my first bluff
wall and started throwing my jig. Now, usually I can catch at least 3-4
small keepers first thing. I could not get my first bite. At 8AM I still
did not have a bite. I started throwing a Senko Worm around wood cover
and by 12PM I had a small limit. At 1PM I finally caught the fish I
needed, a 3.51lb. Largemouth. This fish allowed me to call a 12” Smallie
I was desperate to get rid of. At 2PM our weigh in started. After Day 1,
I was in first with a 9lb. limit, second was Gary Heydt with a 6lb.
limit, and third was Doug Coldren with a 6lb.limit. I also caught lunker
of the, a 3.51lb. Largemouth.
Thursday night I was
real nervous, because I was out of fish for Friday. I knew that if I
wanted to win that I would need to find another way to catch fish.
Friday June 20, 2008
Raystown PA:
Again, I woke up to
perfectly clear skies. Knowing that a State Tournament was being held
out of James Creek, we decided to launch out of Tatman Run. Just like on
Thursday I decided to start out on the bluffs. I was thinking that there
was no way that I would get skunked two days in a row on the walls. Boy
was I in for a rude awakening. I never had a bite yet again. I started
hitting the same wood patched with the Senko that I hit on Thursday, but
no luck. By 11AM I had 2 decent Largemouth in the boat, but I could not
get another bite. I decided to take a gamble and try and find new wood
to fish. At 12PM I stopped at a point with two lay downs and found the
mother load. Within 45 minutes I was loaded up and still catching fish.
Finally, the bite stopped and I thought maybe I found something, but I
could not catch another fish after that. At 2PM our weigh in started and
I knew that if Gary or Doug did not have 5 good fish that this
tournament was over. I ended up being right. My weight for the second
day was 8.72lbs. I won the tournament with a total of 10 bass for
18.04lbs., second place was Gary Heydt with 10 bass for 12.69lbs., third
was Doug Coldren with 8 bass for 9.24lbs. The lunker for day 2 was Glenn
Franklin with a 3.64lb. Smallmouth. You can see more pictures from the
tournament in the photo gallery.
Tournament Recap:
I would say
my key to winning this tournament was versatility and making some key
decisions on the water. When I practiced Tuesday and Wednesday I could
have swore that it would have taken 12-13lbs. per day to win, but like
usual the weather decided to play a role in the tournament. Years ago I
would have went out both days and just fished bluffs with the jig all
day, no matter what. I have found that if you are no catching fish then
you need to change it up. Even if it means trying new things. I fished
Thursday and Friday as a tournament, but also as pre-fishing for the
following day. Going into Friday I knew what was working, but I still
wanted to keep the fish honest on the bluffs. Remember a tournament is 8
hours long, which gives you time to rebound quickly. Most of my fish
came off of wood, but for most of the other guys in the club, the fish
were in the weeds, but not very active.
I am very happy that I
won the tournament and get to keep the Battle of the Bass Shootout
Trophy for another year. I accomplished one of my goals for the year,
but I am not finished.
My next tournament is at Port Deposit MD. on July
12th. I am very excited about this tournament and hope to do
very well. Check back next week for more updates.
Season Update by Nicholas Wink
Monday June 2nd: Hello to all. I have not fished since my
tournament at Candlewood Lake. For the past week, free time has been
hard to come by. This week I have been planting fields with corn and
soybean for the upcoming whitetail season. I own a 40 acre farm and as
one of my hobbies, I enjoy managing the land for whitetail and small
game.
I
would like to report that I have received my new tournament jersey from
Gemini Marketing. I am very pleased with the design and would highly
recommend a Gemini tournament shirt for anyone who would like to promote
there sponsors with comfort from a light weight shirt. Check out the
photo gallery for updated pictures. Also, you can custom order your own
Gemini Tournament shirt by going on
www.geminisportsmarketing.com
.
Other Fishing News:
My next tournament is at Raystown Lake on June 19th and 20th.
Currently I have maps out and I am making notes of areas to fish and
tactics to use. In the past I have always fished from mile marker 16
thru 29, but have found myself fishing water that has been fished hard
by locals and other tournaments. This year I am really determined to
fish the lower end of the lake. I know the water is clearer and the
fishing can be tougher, but if I find the fish chances are that I will
have them to myself. I have some areas marked on the maps to try. I will
go with an open mind though, because I found that this year, the
seasonal movements of the bass have been behind for the most part. Just
recently, I have taken a stroll over to the Susquehanna Fishing Shop and
talked to Mike Accord. He agreed totally that the bass seem to be behind
this year as well as the weather patterns. It seems that you can find
bass in a spawning and post spawn mode. Like I said the key is to have
an open mind and use your better judgment in making tournament winning
decisions.
This weekend I will be
taking a trip to Raystown for some pre-scout touring of the lake. I will
be looking for specific structures on key locations. Also, Sunday I will
be making a trip to North East MD. I am going down for a fun day of
fishing, but also to look for some summer bass hideouts for some
upcoming bass tournaments this summer.
At this time I would like to
let everyone know about what I consider to be the best Bass Club in PA.
The Berks County Anglers!! Our club was established in the 80’s and is
currently at 15 members. Berks County Anglers are not an affiliated
club, because we have found that many clubs have had arguments and even
fist fights over what affiliation to follow. Our number one goal is to
have a fun fishing experience. Don’t get me wrong this is competition
just like any other tournament, but at the end of the day, and even
during the day we are all there to help each other become better
fisherman. We usually hold 3-4 club meetings a year. Our schedule
consists of 7-8 tournaments with moderate traveling, and one two day
trip a year. We do have a club classic which the year is at Raystown.
Trophies are given out at the end of the year for 1st place,
2nd place, and 3rd place AOY, also trophies for
lunker largemouth and smallmouth of the year, also a trophy for rider of
the year. Dues are $25 to join and $20 per tournament. If anyone has any
interest at all in joining or fishing with a great bunch of guys who
just want to have a competitive good time, then please call myself at
717-587-5036.
Lastly, I hope everyone has
looked at the Blue Marsh Conservation Project on the Home Page. For
anyone that wants Blue Marsh to be a better fishery, you should
seriously consider donations or voluntary work. Like I said before, the
lake officials are willing to work with us and if we can get some
resources together we can greatly enhance the lake for all fisherman.
Tournament Results by
Nicholas Wink
WINK WINS AT
CANDLEWOOD, CT.
Wednesday
May 21, 2008 Candlewood CT:
I left home at 4:30AM and arrived at Candlewood Lake at 8:30AM, and
made a stop at a local tackle shop for my 3 day non-resident fishing
license. While I was at the tackle shop I asked the shop worker what
phase the bass were currently in. He said that the fish were spawning,
but major cold fronts over the last couple days could have changed what
the fish were doing. I left the tackle shop and headed for the ramp.
After arriving at the Sqauntz Cove ramp, I could see that there was a
local tournament of approximately 20 boats being held. I unloaded the
boat and checked the water temp., which was 57 degrees in the cove. In
my mind I was thinking that the largemouth should be in pre-spawn and
some of the smallies should be spawning. I headed south to Danbury Bay
to see what the water temp. was, and it showed at 59 degrees. I fished
a couple of points with rattle traps and jerkbaits without any luck. I
then decided to check a few coves in the area to see if the fish were
spawning. I could see a bed or two, but no sign of a full wave of
spawning activity. I did have a smallie follow a spinnerbait. I headed
north to the Sherman Arm and I was throwing Jerkbait due to the wind
that picked up on the lake. I did catch 2 keeper bass, but nothing over
13”, which is not what I was looking for. Again, I checked a cove or
two and found very little sign of spawning activity. Last but not least
I headed to New Milford Bay and again threw jerkbaits. I had 5 or 6
keeper bass follow the lure to the boat, but just 1 short taker. At 2PM,
I decided it was time to leave, because my brother Troy Jr. and I had
tickets for a mid night showing of Indiana Jones. Overall I was not
overly impressed with what I found, but I did find out that the
Largemouth’s were not ready to spawn, and the smallies are active enough
to hit a jerkbait. I think the previous cold fronts have a lot to do
with the fish following the lure, but not taking it. For Friday’s
tournament I will downsize my lure presentations. Also, with the
15-20mph winds they are calling for, I think moving water with Jerkbaits
and Spinnerbaits will be my best bet.
Friday May
23, 2008 Candlewood CT:
On Thursday night the participating club members met at Rt. 183 and
headed to Candlewood CT. We arrived at a truck stop close to the lake at
8:30PM, where we spent the night. At 5:30AM on Friday we started getting
ready, and headed to the lake. At 7AM the tournament officially started.
I headed up the Sherman Arm and started out by fishing 3.5” tubes on
rock banks with submerged weed growth. By 9AM, I had a small limit,
which consisted of 4 smallies and 1 largemouth. At the time I guessed I
had approximately 5lbs., but I had 2 smallies at 12” that needed to be
called. At around 9:30AM the wind really started to pick up. I decided
to throw the Jerkbait. I caught a 3lb. smallie on a wind blown point,
which helped me dink a 12” smallie. I had a few small fish after that on
the Jerkbait, but nothing that helped my weight. At 1PM I decided to
take a run up the New Milford Arm. I switched over to a spinnerbait and
dinked 2 more smallies before it was time to weigh in. At 2:50PM I
headed to Sqauntz Cove for weigh in. As the weigh in started I really
thought that I did not have enough weight to win, because it usually
wakes 10-11lbs. to win. As the weigh in went on I could see that maybe I
did have enough. When I put my fish on the scales the leading weight was
a little over 7lbs. I ended up with a little over 8lbs., which sealed
the deal. My lunker, which was 3.14lbs. was not enough, because my good
friend Ryan Fronina decided it was a good day to catch his first fish of
the year, and he won lunker with 3.4lbs. I would also like to
congratulate Ryan Fronina for getting second place, and Ryan Wagner for
getting third place. Both of them had over 7lbs. with 4 fish each.
Overall it was a successful tournament. I would have liked to catch more
weight, but I just could not find the bigger fish. My next tournament is
at Raystown Lake, and is the Club Classic for the year. Last year I won
this tournament, but the fishing was very tough. I think the key for the
tournament will be finding fish in deeper water, because the spawn
should be well over with and the summer pattern should be key. Weeds are
taking over the lake, and they should also be a factor. Stay tuned and
check out the updated photos.
Season
Update by Nicholas Wink
Wednesday May 14, Blue Marsh PA: As most know, I work for National
Earth Services, Inc., which my dad (Troy Wink) owns and operates.
Starting today we are putting rip-rap in Blue Marsh Lake. The Army Corp.
of Engineers and The Izaak Walton League have donated funds to help
reduce erosion control and create fish habitat. Last year we stoned
three areas that most have probably already fished. I think you will
enjoy the new structure that is being put in the lake. If local clubs,
businesses, and fisherman could help donate to the cause, we could make
this lake a great fishery. The funding that we currently have only gets
us so far, and the Army Corp. of Engineers would like us to do much more
if we can get the funding. Please check out the new pictures to see some
of the rock and structure we have placed in the lake.
Saturday May 10th, North East MD: The fishing day was
scheduled with the Berks County Anglers. What was suppose to be a make
up tournament, turned out to be a fun lunker only contest with 5 club
members. We decided as a club that it would be unfair to reschedule a
tournament on a day that was not suitable for all the members that could
have made the original tournament date. Anyways, let’s get onto the
fishing. As a group we arrived at Anchor Marina at approximately 7:15AM.
We decided to fish until 3:30PM and that it would be a lunker only
fishing pool, of $10 each. Ryan Fronina was once again lucky enough to
pick my boat. We headed to the Havre De Grace area where I caught one
keeper 16” largemouth on a Bass Stalker Jig with a Strike King 3X
Trailer. After fishing the area for two hours we decided to follow the
tide to the Sassafras River. We pitched and flipped to submerged wood in
the backs of creeks, but no luck. After finding a weed flat I finally
caught a 15” largemouth on a Chatterbait. Time was dwindling quickly and
we decided to again follow the tide back to the North East.
Unfortunately, when we arrived tournament boats were everywhere and you
basically had to pick a number. We did not catch another fish for the
day. After heading in for weigh in, I came to find that the fishing was
tough for the others as well. I ended up winning the lunker pot with a
2.07lb. Largemouth and in second was Rick Rhodes with a 2.06lb.
Largemouth. Wow, was that a close weigh in. Overall I thought the day of
fishing was really tough, but there is always someone who figures the
fish out. The tournament that was held took 20lbs. plus to win. I think
the weeds are becoming a major factor right now, but you have to know
where to go and what tide to be fishing. For me I am finding that tidal
waters are a little bit of a weakness for me. I have some homework to
do.
Update: My next tournament is at Lake Candlewood in CT. I am very
excited about this tournament, because the fishing is phenomenal. I will
keep everyone posted on my pre-fishing and tournament results.
I am
not sure how much fishing I will get done this weekend due to my Wife
(Mia) graduating from Alvernia College. She now has a Masters Degree in
Occupational Therapy, which is a major accomplishment in my eyes. Maybe
now I can retire, and fish everyday (Dreaming). Check back for updates.
Tournament Results by
Nicholas Wink
Friday May 2, 2008
North East MD:
I launched at 7:30AM and headed south.
The water temp. was around 60-62 degrees. The first thing that popped in
my mind was that the bass should be starting to spawn, if they haven’t
already. I fished wood in protected coves with soft plastics. I would
like to say I hammered them, but I did not. I caught one 3.5 lb.
Largemouth, which was full with eggs. I fished until 12PM, and then had
to leave to finish some work duties.
Tournament Updates:
It has been
a while since I updated anything regarding tournament results, but
unfortunately I have nothing to update. May 3rd’s tournament
was cancelled due to a death in a club member’s family. The funeral was
Saturday, and as a club we decided that some things are more important
then fishing. May 4th I had a tournament scheduled, but I had
to drop out due to personal reasons. The good news is that the
tournament that was scheduled for Saturday might be rescheduled to this
upcoming Saturday. I will keep everyone posted.
Other News:
Since I do not have
much actual fishing news, I would like to keep everyone up to speed with
some changes I have made over the last month to some of my equipment. My
dad (Troy Wink) has recently bought a Nitro Bass Boat from Bowers
Marine. Very nice boat, but the problem is, he had no fishing gear.
Since he gave everything to me when he started racing 358 modified’s at
Grandview and Big Diamond. I gave him all his rods, reels, and most of
his tackle back, which he greatly appreciated. Now, that left me with a
dilemma. I needed new rods and reels. I went to Susquehanna Fishing
Tackle and looked at the immense amount of rods and reels they have to
choose from. All of a sudden my eyes were drawn to these orange rods.
When I asked George Accord Jr. about them he told me they were Carrot
Stix. I bought two of them, and matched them with Quantum PTI Energy
Reels to try out. I used them at the Delaware Federation Tournament at
North East MD, and boy was I impressed. Carrot Stix are a very nice rod.
They are light weight, but still have a lot of hook setting power. The
Quantum PTI Energy Reels are very smooth, and come in different gear
ratios for special occasions. I got the 7.1 ratio for Topwater and
Flipping, 6.3 ratio for spinnerbaits and jigging, and the 5.1 ratio for
crankbaiting. Needless to say I went back to Susquehanna Fishing Shop
and loaded up on Carrot Six and Quantum Reels. Whenever you have time go
check out Susquehanna Fishing Tackle. I know most fisherman shop at
Cabelas and Bass Pro, but let me tell you something. Not only does
Susquehanna have all the fishing supplies you need, but they are also a
great family owned outfit that will give you one on one attention. They
also know everything there is to know about each product line. So, if
you are like me and want customer service that actually has knowledge
and information about the products they sell, please check out
Susquehanna Fishing Tackle.
Another item that I
would like to report on is the Vicious Flourcarbon that I reported on
earlier in the season. I found some defects in the line that just do not
suit my style of fishing. When I am on the water I try to keep my bait
wet as much as possible and with Vicious Flourcarbon, I just do not feel
that I am maximizing my fishing time. With that said, I went back to a
line that I love to fish, P-Line Flouroclear. I have been using this
line for three years and I love using it on either spin cast or bait
casting equipment. I guess the old saying “If ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
is true.
I would like to thank
Reading Boat Works for working with me over the past four to six weeks
with my electronics problem. To get everyone up to speed, my control
panels which operate the lights, pumps, and livewells were completely
shut down. Water must have worked its way in the computer system of the
panels and that was all she wrote. After many, many phone calls to
Triton we finally got the parts needed to fix the problems and get me
back on the water. Again, I would like to thank Reading Boat Works and
Triton for getting me back on the water.
The weather is starting to shape up and warmer
days and nights are upon us. If you have nothing to do on a Friday or
Saturday Night, why not head to a local dirt track for some
entertainment. Friday Nights at Big Diamond Raceway, and racing starts
at 7PM. Saturday Nights at Grandview, and racing starts at 7PM. My dad
(Troy Wink) will be driving the #27 Wink Motorsports Car. He is looking
to win his first ever Feature Event. When he accomplishes the task, what
a party there will be!!! Also, Doug Manmiller is driving the #00 Wink
Motorsports Car at Big Diamond, and is looking for a point’s title. Come
and see the dirt fly.
Tournament Results by
Nicholas Wink
Saturday
April 19, 2008 North East MD:
I arrived
at the ramp at 7:30AM. When I arrived at the North East it was high
tide. I launched the boat and headed south down the river system. I
really do not have much to report for the day because the fishing was
really tough. I was fishing fast moving baits all day and moving water,
but no luck. I will say it was a beautiful day, weather wise. I left the
river at around 4PM. I went home and got all my fishing gear ready for
Sunday. I called my dad (Troy Wink), and let him know that I am really
worried about Sunday, because I want to catch fish so bad. He said just
keep fishing hard and good things will happen.
Sunday
April 20, 2008 North East MD:
I met my partner (Rick Rhodes) at 3:30AM, and we headed down to the
North East River. When we arrived we registered and launched the boat.
At 7AM blast off started and all the boats headed to there first spot.
Rick and I started in a little inlet thinking maybe some spawners would
be on beds. The water temp. was 63-66 degrees and the moon phase was
right. We fished the inlet without any takers and decided to head south.
Rick and I headed into a marina and started flipping and finally found
some fish. Fortunately, we found nice fish. In 45 minutes we had 3
largemouth's in the boat which we estimated at 12lbs. of fish. I took a
while but we finally caught a fourth fish, which helped or weight. After
we caught the fourth fish around 11AM, our luck changed drastically. A
rain storm came through followed by 35mph wind gusts. We tried to stick
with the flipping bite, but it was real hard to even position the boat.
Rick and I fished hard the rest of the day, but we just could not get
the bite we needed. At 3PM we headed to the weigh in scales, eager to
see what we had. Our final weight for 4 Largemouth was 14.28lbs. with a
4.99lb lunker, this was good enough for 7th place out of 28 boats. The
winning weight was 20lbs., and lunker was 5lbs. Overall, Rick and I were
pleased with the outcome of the tournament, but we still would have
liked to catch one more keeper. I will say the flats have some beautiful
fish, and unless you have 19-22lbs. you really do not have a chance,
awesome! I would also like to thank Rick Rhodes for being my partner. He
is a great guy and a great competitor.
Next week I
will be pre-fishing at North East MD again. Check back to see more
updates and some new pictures.
Tournament Results by
Nicholas Wink
Saturday April 5th,
Blue Marsh PA:
My brother (Troy Wink
Jr.) and I arrived at the State Hill Ramp at approximately 4:45AM. I
could feel the cool breeze coming from the North and knew that it would
be a windy day on the lake. We registered for the tournament and picked
our starting number (36). Troy ate a few donuts compliments of the Berks
BassMasters, who held a very nice tournament in my opinion. Also, Troy
thought he lost his wallet which he looked for until blast off, but
later found it in his bibs. Anyways, back to the tournament. At 6:45AM
the first flight blasted off, and a half hour later our number was
called. We decided to start on the main lake, but did not receive a bite
until about 10:00AM when I caught a nice Smallmouth. When I went to put
water in the live well none of my switches worked so I had to manually
fill the live well. To make maters worse when we decided to leave the
area, I tried to pull up the trolling motor and sheered a pin off, and I
could not get the trolling motor up. We spent three hours working on it
until it was fixed thanks to some much appreciated help. At that point I
was a little irritated and debating whether to finish the day or leave
and take care of the problems before Sunday’s event. I made the right
decision and decided to stick it out for the rest of the day. We decided
to try Spring Creek for the remainder of the tournament and I ended up
catching two nice Smallmouth's. Our weigh in time was 3:30PM, so we
decided to take the last half hour and try the main lake again, but no
takers. At 3:30PM we headed for the State Hill Ramp for weigh in. When I
arrived at the ramp one of my buddies said 23lbs. was winning. I knew I
had nothing that was going to contend with that weight, but I headed to
the weigh in scales. My three Smallmouth's’ weighed in at 8lbs. 13oz.,
which is not bad for three fish, and was good enough for a 7th
place finish out of 32 boats. To confirm 1st place did have
just about 23lbs with 6 bass, WOW!!! Congratulations to those guys.
Lunker was a 5lbs. 13oz. Largemouth. That kind of weights is very
impressive at Blue Marsh. All in all my day was a success. I did not win
which obviously I would like to do, but I fished hard and made some good
decisions when I could have given up. The tournament was well run, and
32 boats seemed to be a good amount for the lake.
Sunday April 6th,
Blue Marsh PA:
Waking up for this
tournament was a lot harder then Saturday, because I knew the fishing
pressure would be very tough to say the least. My buddy, Ryan Fronina
must have felt the same way, because he over slept. Ryan was my partner
for the day. We arrived at the State Hill Ramp at 5:30AM, and there were
boats everywhere. We registered at the tent, and some how I was boat
number 1. I told the guys that at least I am number 1 for the first five
minutes. We shot the breeze with friends and competitors. I will say
this, some of the best fisherman that I know of are at that tournament.
When you win an Izaak Walton Tournament you are definitely on top.
Unfortunately, Ryan and I never seemed to have the luck we needed to
really be competitive. When you fish the Izaak you need everything to
fall your way big time, because like I said last week, Blue Marsh fishes
very small and the fishing pressure is immense. I did catch a keeper
Largemouth at 11AM. I also caught a dink Smallmouth, and Ryan lost a
keeper Smallmouth. Our weigh in time was 3PM. At 2:50PM we decided to
head to the beach area for weigh in with one fish. Our Largemouth
weighed in at 2.07lbs., which put us in 24th place out of 61
boats. 1st Place was little more then 9lbs with 3
Smallmouth’s. My conclusion for this tournament is that the fishing
pressure from Saturday and during the tournament had a lot to do about
the smaller weights. I will admit that Sunday I was frustrated and not
as focused as I should have been. I let some things get to me that I
should have brushed off, but that is how it goes. I would like to
congratulate all the winners for this past weekend, and to applaud the
Berks BassMasters and Izaak Walton League for well run and organized
tournaments.
This weekend I am headed to the Susquehanna Flats
to get ready for a couple North East, MD tournaments coming up. Check
back next week to see how my pre-fishing turns out, and take a look at
the updated photo gallery.
Tournament Results
Saturday March 29th,
Blue Marsh PA:
The Berks County
Anglers arrived at the State Hill Boat Ramp to a bitter cold morning
with the temperature being 31 degrees, and blue bird skies. I knew going
into the day that there was good possibility for heavy winds due to the
post front conditions that have been forecasted. When we launched the
boats the wind was very calm and I thought the fishing would be good
first thing in the morning.
We docked our boats and headed to the trucks for a
pre-tournament briefing. 8 members of the club showed up and were ready
to catch fish. Riders picked out of a hat to see which boat they would
be fishing from for the day. My good buddy Ryan Fronina was the lucky
duck that would be fishing with me. All the riders then put there
fishing gear in the boats they picked.
At 7AM we blasted off to officially start the 2008 season. We
fished for the first half an hour without a bite. All of a sudden at
7:45 the wind kicked up out of the North and would not die down the rest
of the day. We are talking 15-20mph constant wind blasts, which made for
tough fishing conditions for everyone. I was trying to throw my baits
with bait casters into the wind, but I received birds nests quite often.
At 9:30AM, with no fish in the boat and the wind not letting up I
changed all my rigs over to spin casting equipment so I could cast
easier. I knew this change would hinder the detections of bites I could
feel, but it was a change I had to make. Within three casts I had my
first keeper. It was a largemouth that was right at 15”. When I measured
it, I told Ryan I wanted to try and call this fish, but really did not
think I would have a chance to do so. If you know anything about Blue
Marsh, then you know that one keeper is hard enough to come by let alone
three. I guess it was my lucky day because within 45 minutes I had three
keepers in the boat (15” LG, 151/2” LG, and 19” LG). Needless to say I
was very happy. All that was on my mind was to call that 15” LG. We
fished as hard as we possibly could, and finally I caught an 18” SM,
which called out the 15” LG that I was happy to unload. I tried to call
the 151/2” LG, but it just did not happen.
At 2:55PM Ryan and I decided to call it a day, and headed to
the weigh in. Unfortunately Ryan did not catch anything, but we still
had fun. We loaded the boats on the trailers, and organized everything
for the weigh in. I was very pleased to see that just about everyone
caught at least a dink and four of us had fish to weigh in. Ryan and
Rick Steinman (Club President) took pictures of all the fish. When I
brought my bag to the scales I really had no idea of the weight I had. I
put the fish on the scales and was amazed to have 8.14lbs. with three
fish, which was good enough for 1st place. Almost a 3lb
.average. My lunker LG was 3.13lbs and my SM was 3.3lbs. In 2nd
place was Kim Steinman with 2 SM at 4.13lbs., in 3rd was Joe
Orlando with two LG at 3.3lbs., and in 4th place Ryan Wagner
with one LG at 2.8lbs.
All in all I am very pleased with the way things went and
with the fish I brought to the scales. As I discussed in my previous
updates the fish seem to be down and slow. Everyone that weighed in fish
had the same feeling. Next week I have two tournaments at Blue Marsh,
which I think will be real tough due to the fishing pressure and how
small the lake fishes. I am real excited about competing and all I can
do is give it my all and see what happens. Please take a look at the
pictures from the tournament in the photo gallery, and check back next
week to see the results for this upcoming weekend.
Season Update by
Nicholas Wink
Saturday March 23rd,
Blue Marsh PA:
What a cold morning on
the lake. I arrived with my good buddy (Ryan Fronina) at the State Hill
Boat Ramp at 7:30AM. There was not much wind, but it was snowing pretty
hard with an outside temp. of 36 degrees. We unloaded the boat and
decided to make the best of it. Check out the pictures page to see me
fishing in the snow.
We started out by going
up the Tully to find some warmer water since the main lake was 45-46
degrees. The water temp. was a slight bit warmer, but I am not sure if
the fish in the lake moved up yet.
After fishing the Tully
we decided to take a stroll up Spring Creek where we found the warmest
water of the day. To some up the day on the lake; I personally do not
think that the fish in any part of the lake moved up to the shallows
yet, but with a couple weeks of warmer days it will not take long.
Sunday March 24th,
Blue Marsh PA:
I launched the boat
again from State Hill around 11:30AM. It was a very nice day to be out
on the boat, but I had a Flyers game to go to and had to leave at
12:30PM. I fished the main lake a little and took some photos to update
my photo album. After fishing this weekend, my conclusion for the
tournaments coming up (starting March 29th). I think the
fishing will be slow, especially next weekend. With a week or two of
warm sun on the lake, the fishing should get better for the Berks
Bassmasters and Izaak Walton League Tournaments. I am very excited and
am looking forward to weighing in fish.
Do not forget to check
out some of my new pictures and please check in next week to see how I
finish in my first tournament of the year.
Season Update by
Nicholas Wink
March 17th, Leesport
PA:
First and foremost I
would like to send my sympathy to the Hacker Family for there lost loved
one. Glen “Jake” Hacker passed away on March, 7 2008. Glen is Donna
Wink’s father and my grandfather. He will be sorely missed, but never
forgotten.
As for the season
update. My first tournament is two weeks away, but I can feel the itch
of competition already. I did not get to fish this past weekend,
although I did work on my fishing equipment. I inserted three trolling
motor batteries, put New Vicious Line on my rods, and put all my fishing
gear in the boat. I am ready to go.
Talking about fishing
line, I have been practicing casting with the Vicious Fluorocarbon. Wow,
that stuff is very smooth and easy to work with. For those of you that
use Fluorocarbon and know how expensive it can be, give Vicious a try.
For a spool of 550 yards 4lb-10lb it costs $14.99 and for 12lb-20lb it
costs $16.99. When you compare that to a 200 yard spool of 4lb. Trilene
100% Fluorocarbon for $17.99, you do the math. Cabelas sells Vicious
through mail order, but you get free in store pick up now.
Finally, I will be taking my boat out this
afternoon. I can not wait to get the Mercury Optimax running and try out
my new Lowrance LCX-28 HD. Also, later this week I will be updating
pictures. Please check in weekly for more updates.
Off-Season Preparations by
Nicholas Wink
March 7th, Leesport
PA: Many people wonder what anglers do during the
off-season. I live in Pennsylvania so the off-season is a little bit
longer then if I lived in Georgia or Florida. Although there are a
couple of months out of the year I can not take my boat on the local
lakes and rivers, it does not mean that the fishing season is over.
For so long I have been
fishing with the Berks County Anglers and during the off-season I would
not do much pertaining to fishing. Deer hunting would take over my
priorities and I would be in the tree stand every chance I could get.
Basically my interests changed with the seasons, which happens to more
people then like to admit it.
Times have changed for me
over the past two years. My mind is now always thinking about new
fishing tactics and ways to make my time on the water more efficient. I
have found that when the tournament season is over there is work yet to
be done. First, and foremost I take care of boat maintenance. I take my
boat to Reading Boat Works who have taken great care of my boat for
years. They check and work on the following: batteries, winterizing,
sonar and gps upgrades, and trailer inspections. Second, I find myself
organizing and updating tackle, keeping up with new tactics and trends,
practicing casting, scheduling tournaments, and dissecting lake and
river maps for the upcoming season. Also, this year I am working on
attaining sponsors and building advertisement material, such as this
website with the help of Blake Tobias Motorsports and Printostat.
It is easy to get lazy and
put fishing on the back burner during the off-season, and is totally
understandable because of other activities that you are busy doing. I
strongly recommend keeping up with the new tactics, techniques, and
practicing casting. You worked all season long to better yourself and
your abilities, and your priority should be to maintain the skills you
learned.
This week I will be
attending the Spring Sale at the Susquehanna Fishing Store in Lancaster,
PA, which starts on 3/5/08 and is running thru 3/8/08. Every year
Susquehanna Fishing does a great job of having huge sales and they give
great advice;
they are a first class outfit. I am going
to finish up my shopping as I get ready for the season to start at the
end of the month. I will be getting the boat out this weekend and I am
planning on updating pictures and maybe even do a little fishing. Please
check back weekly for fishing updates and news.
Creating a
Personal Tournament Schedule-by Nicholas Wink
February 28th Leesport
PA: The
off-season is coming to an end, and I am still in the midst of
finalizing my ‘08 fishing schedule, the majority of it anyway. I have
been involved with the Berks County Anglers Club for several years now,
and building a schedule with them has seemed so simple over the years.
Now that I am trying to build my own schedule this year I am finding
that it is a lot of work. The most demanding part for me is scheduling a
tournament that I will have time to pre-fish or pre-scout for, but for a
regular working man, time is not always easy to come by. I feel very
comfortable going into a tournament day when I have had time to pre-fish
or pre-scout and come up with ideas going into competition.
Another
aspect is, depending on what tournaments or circuits you want to fish
in, you come to find that most of the time there are organizations you
must be an active member in just to be able to participate (Fishers of
Men, American Bass Anglers, Bassmasters…….). As you are probably
thinking, this can get costly. Other areas to consider when building a
schedule would be family (time away), traveling expenses (gas, rooms,
food), time off (work/ vacation), and fishing strengths (maybe you only
want to fish where you feel confident). When I look at my tentative
schedule, I get really excited. I look at some of the lakes and rivers I
will be fishing, and see the different tactics it will take to compete
at each location. I have yet to fish at Seneca Lake in NY, but I will do
my homework and will be ready. Again, I am very excited about this
upcoming season. Please check back weekly for more updates as the season
continues.
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