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| Upcoming Events & News |
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| Big Fat Bass is not affiliated with or indebted to any individual tournament series or sponsor. This site will strive to remain a platform for all Bass Anglers and all Bass Tournament Series in Canada to communicate, promote or question, within reason. |
The Afghani Bassmasters Petawawa Ontario: Site of a Canadian Military Base since 1905. It is also the site of one of the Ontario BASS Federations most active clubs – the Petawawa Bassmasters. What makes these men unique among most other Canadian Bassmasters? They are all members of our Canadian Military and they frequently find themselves sacrificing all the things in life that we hold so dear (like leaving family and bass fishing behind for six months) to serve our great country overseas. |
Bass Tournament News Big Fat Bass Forum |
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Second Annual RICK AMSBURY Memorial Pro/Am Toronto, Ontario – May 13, 2008 - The Competitive Sport Fishing League (“CSFL”) announces the Second Annual RICK AMSBURY Memorial Pro/Am in support of FLEMING COLLEGE FOUNDATION on Sturgeon Lake on July 30 together with an additional Pro/Am in support of the GEORGIAN COLLEGE Marine Unit on Lake Simcoe on July 9 which takes place during the National Fishing Week founded by RICK AMSBURY himself. Greg Hammond, Marketing Manager of Shimano Canada comments “Rick “Huck” Amsbury was very influential in the Canadian fishing industry. We, at Shimano, are very proud of Rick’s accomplishments. He laid the foundation for many fish advocacy projects that exist today. We would like to thank the CSFL and the Fleming College Foundation for their involvement in running this annual tournament in his honour. Huck would have been proud of the professionalism put forth by the participants. I know Rick was smiling down on all of us on that bright and sunny day.” Andrew goes on to say “I’m proud to be associated with a company such as Shimano who has honoured an individual for all his contributions he has made to the fishing industry.” Vita Pallotta of the CSFL adds “Cam Brownson of Angler & Hunter TV did an incredible job capturing the event and giving a biography of the life of Rick Amsbury. I was quite proud to be associated with such an event.” Greg Hammond has placed a challenge to all Pro Anglers. For every amateur a Pro refers and registers for the Rick Amsbury Memorial Pro/Am that Pro Angler will be eligible for a draw to win a $500 gas card donated by Shimano Canada. With the success of the Rick Amsbury Memorial Pro/Am, the CSFL is pleased to announce a second Pro/Am to be held on Lake Simcoe out of the Port of Orillia in support of Georgian College Marine Unit. Similar to the Rick Amsbury event, proceeds raised at this event will be donated to Georgian College. Noted below are the cash paybacks for the Pro Anglers. This payout structure can be used as a guideline for the retail value of the prize packages awarded to the Am’s.
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The Muskoka Bassmasters Club is proud to announce their annual spring Lake Muskoka pike tournament. This is one of Ontario’s most elite pike tournaments attracting anglers form all over the province. Lake Muskoka has a very healthy population of big Northern Pike with many 40” plus fish coming in every year. The tournament record still sits at 47” long, and there are bigger ones in there, so come out and try and beat this long standing record. This tournament is, and always has been a 100% pay back event. The $10,000 first prize is based on a field of 80 boats and more. There is a maximum of 100 teams and it looks like we could reach that number this year. Get your entry in as soon as possible as this is a trickle start event based on your entry number. The sooner you register the sooner you blast off. Bring the kids along this year as Pride of Muskoka Marine, Ranger Boats and Boston Pizza will be hosting a bass in a bucket event for kids under 12 on the docks between 11:00am to 2:00pm. Kids will get a pizza and a pop and at 2:00pm the kids will weigh in their fish like the big boys for some great prizes. Bracebridge Yamaha has put up a brand new Yamaha 4 wheeler this year. You could win this by catching the winning tagged fish. For all the details check out our website at www.muskokabassmasters.com and download your brochure. Hurry! This event is filling up fast. Anybody can catch pike on Lake Muskoka, so don’t be afraid to come and try your luck at this event for some great prizes. See you there. |
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2008 Shimano Take A Kid Fishing Day The Shimano Take a Kid Fishing Day at Belwood Lake Conservation Area May 10, 2008 is designed to get new anglers involved in fishing and improve their skills. This event is designed for children from ages 8-14 and their parents. Come out and visit the many educational stations where young anglers learn new skills and try their hand at fishing the stocked trout pond. Kids will learn how to cast, rig lures, tie flies, identify various fish species and their habitats, and how to find and catch more fish. They will also get to see the latest fishing equipment and tackle in a safe, natural environment area. The event is FREE for registered participants but park entry fees apply. ($2.50 children & $4.25 adults)
Space is limited to 120 people per half day session so register early. You can register for only one of the morning or afternoon sessions. List of Stations, When you register you will have to select six (6) of the following sessions:
Stations will be filled on a first come first served basis. Participants MUST be supervised by a parent or guardian. For more information or to register your child contact Belwood Lake Conservation Area (519) 843-2979 dstrub@grandriver.ca |
It’s hard to believe that it is already year #4 as Fish Hard! Dream Big! (The official website of David Chong) & the Big Brothers Big Sisters of York will be hosting their annual “Catch A Dream!” Kids Fishing Derby. The Big Brothers Big Sisters is a great charitable organization which matches up youngsters from single parent families with a Big Brother/Sister and provides other mentoring services for today’s youth. At last year’s event held in the city of Orillia, we had over 300 attendees. The weather was wonderful and the fishing absolutely amazing. There were some real “HAWGS” weighed in! Some of the top tournament anglers in Ontario donated their time and boats to provide these kids with a day that they’ll remember their entire lives. It was a sight to see, the way that these children’s faces lit up as they caught what was for many of them, their first fish!
In 2008 we will once again return to the Sunshine City of Orillia on Saturday, June 28th for what should be a bigger and even better event. Nestled between the fish rich waters of Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching, Orillia is an ideal setting for such an event. We will be teaming up with several other Big Brother/Big Sister chapters to make this event bigger and better. Tournament anglers from the CPAA, WFN Bass Tour, Top Bass Fishing Series and Bassmania will be providing boats and their guiding services for as many as 80 youngsters and their Big Brother/Sister. In addition there will be strong representation from the Canadian Bass Anglers Federation, Ontario B.A.S.S Federation and Ontario Chinese Anglers Association. We expect somewhere in the neighbourhood of 400-500 people attending this event! After 4 hours of fishing, the kids will be able to experience a tournament weigh-in and win prizes provided by our generous sponsors. The weigh-in will then be followed by a BBQ for all attendees. There will also be gift bags distributed to all participants. New sponsors are always welcome, both for cash & merchandise. Charitable tax receipts will be provided for cash amounts over $100.00 donated. Please take this opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life. Principle sponsors will have their company’s logo prominently displayed on our banner as well as in the event registration brochure. The earlier that a company can commit to some form of sponsorship the more exposure that company will receive. This will be a great opportunity to garner some great exposure at an extremely worthwhile event. The event web site is being built and will be up real soon! We also expect there to be media coverage from national publications, local television stations and newspapers. If any person or company is interested in becoming part of this extremely worthwhile event, sponsors, boaters and volunteers are all needed, please contact David Chong at dchong@fishharddreambig.com or call him at 416-993-3477!
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Jon Bondy Prepares For 2008 Elite Season By Wil Wegman
Jon Bondy of Windsor Ontario is a rare breed here in Canada. He is a full-time fisherman, who at 35 years of age has never had a full time job other than fishing. He has competed in tournaments since he was 16 years of age and has guided full time for 14 years. Jon is recognized as one of the premier full time multi-species fishing guides in the Windsor-Detroit area and is fully licensed to fish both U.S. and Canadian waters. Logging over 200 days every year on the water from March to December he is a busy guide who has clients from as far away as Japan. In 2007, Big Fat Bass readers may recall that we covered much of Jon’s progress along the Bassmasters Elite Series Tournament Trail. In 2008 we will continue coverage of this, our only Canadian representative who qualified for, and will be fishing the most prestigious bass fishing series on the planet. |
At the 2008 Bassmasters Classic in South Carolina I met up with Elite Series Pro Jon Bondy. Jon, like many of the pros who did not qualify for the Classic was working the Outdoor Show for his sponsors. He was there representing Champion Boats and although we were often interrupted by fans who wanted his autograph, we did have a chance for a great one-on-one discussion. Let’s have a look at what Jon was up to in the offseason and what his thoughts are just before the first Elite Series event on the Harris Chain of Lakes March 6-9 2008.Rob Laframboise’s Children’s Perch Derby Draws Record Crowd (SAULT STE. MARIE, ON) – Since 2005, the Laframboise Pro Fishing and Guide Services’ Children’s 14 and Under Perch Derby has been circled on the calendars of families in the Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma region. Sunday March 9th, 2008 saw the event soar to new heights of popularity as 429 eager children and their families took to the ice on Lake Huron in pursuit of fish and fun. The remarkable turnout marked an increase of close to one hundred participants over the previous record of 342, set at the 2007 derby. The combined efforts of tireless volunteers, approximately seventy sponsoring businesses and lead organizer and CPAA pro Rob Laframboise have helped this growing event expose the sport of angling to countless Northern Ontario youngsters. “We don’t do a lot of paid advertising,” says Laframboise, “so it’s pretty amazing that in the space of four years we’ve been able to grow to the point where we have more than four hundred kids and over a thousand people taking part. Word of mouth and the interest of the local media have done a lot to create excitement for the derby. Next year I think we could see over five hundred kids register if we have a good day in terms of weather.” The non-profit event was started by Laframboise as a way of encouraging young children to get outdoors with their families and experience ice-fishing. Sponsors help provide prizes and keep costs down so that children can register for only $2 apiece. “There have been a lot of people and businesses that have helped make this event a success,” says Laframboise, a back-to-back National Classic champion in 2005 and 2006. “I’m grateful to everyone who has supported the derby over the past four years and I’m looking forward to our fifth running in 2009 which I’m certain will be even bigger and more exciting.” Visit www.profishrob.com for a photo gallery from the 2008 event!
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COMING SOON.... 2008 Extreme Angler Annual
Check our website for our "soon to be released ADVANCED COPY" order that includes a Extreme Angler T-shirt, tackle pack of goodies and your name entered to WIN a signed Curtis Atwater custom framed Bass painting. |
After a successful debut in the spring of 2006, BASS TALK 2007 grew into a full fledged circuit. In 2008 BASS TALK is expanding once again. We will visit up to 8 different locations through out Ontario! It’s coming to site near you! Learn everything and anything that you wanted to know about bass fishing but were afraid to ask! Come and listen to lectures by some of Canada’s biggest name professional bass fishermen! The 2008 BASS TALK schedule is as follows: Sun. April 13, 2008 |
Lake St. Clair Fall Challenge produces nice weights despite the heat wave......
More info will be posted later, for those of you who slept in today and didn't make it to the T, sorry for your luck! |
| Dave Mercer Announces New Half Hour Show! |
After years of people asking with literally thousands of inquiries, Dave Mercer chose the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada and the fishing industry’s largest trade show, ICAST, to announce his brand new, much anticipated, half hour show. Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing THE SHOW will hit the airwaves December 1st, 2007.
