By Wil Wegman

As his prowess with a rod and reel grows Jon finds himself fishing bigger and bigger tournaments – often traveling south of the border to compete in some of the larger events. In 2005 while only fishing five major events Jon secured two ‘Top 10’ finishes in Bassmaster tournaments, including one second place spot. In 2006, Jon completed his rookie season on the Bassmaster Elite series. This is the premier professional circuit in North America.  His best 2006 finish was on Table Rock Lake, Mo where he took 5th place overall. He's won over $117,000 during the last two seasons and qualified last year to fish the 2007 Bassmasters Elite Series. Jon is the only Canadian pro who qualified for this series!

CSFL announced today a ranking system for Competitive Bass Anglers.

Toronto, Ontario – March 13, 2006 – The Competitive Sport Fishing League announced today that they will be hosting a four day event on a lake yet to be announced which will rank competitive anglers based on their performance.

The top ten teams/positions from each recognized tour will be invited to compete for his or her national ranking to determine their position amongst the top finishing anglers in this Province.  

A DAY OF BASS FISHING INFORMATION FROM SOME OF CANADAS TOP ANGLERS.
BASICS TO PRO SECRETS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. WE GUARANTEE MORE BASS IN YOUR BOAT AFTER THIS IN DEPTH ONE DAY SEMINAR 9:00-5:00 Saturday March 25, 2006

BASS PRO SHOPS Spring Fishing Classic – Reel Trade-In

Reel Trade-In Program Helps Develop Future Fishermen
Only at Bass Pro Shop’s Outdoor World’s SpringFishing Classic

Vaughan , ON - We all talk about passing on our love of the outdoors to the next generation; now there’s a simple way to accomplish it! The program is called “Pass It On” - a fishing reel trade-in event that takes place only during Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World’s Spring Fishing Classic slated for Mar. 11 th – 19 th.

Just donate your old reel (in working condition) and receive an instant discount coupon towards the purchase of a new reel. The generous discount amount is based on the purchase price of the new reel. For example, if the new reel you’ve been eyeing sells for $129, your discount is $25 when you trade-in a reel. Discounts range from $5 to $100.

Coming In January 2006 - Canada`s TOURNAMENT ANGLER NEWS!!

The masses have asked for it...and now its coming!

A no-holds barred HARDCORE publication for Canada`s serious competitive angler. Jam packed with the Who`s, Whats and Where`s of  Canada`s Fishing Industry and Tournament Angling. A "must have" for todays TOURNAMENT FISHERMEN!!

More from Extreme Angler here...

MARRIOTT TORONTO AIRPORT TO HOST - Classic Champions as previous attendees. Mike Iaconelli, Robert Hamilton  and the late Bryan Kerchal were all Bassmaster University™  participants prior to winning the world championship of bass fishing -- The Bassmaster  Classic. Iaconelli is the most recent Classic winner of the three.   He attended Bassmaster University™   in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, several years before winning the Classic title in  2003.

We are pleased to announce the inaugural season for the Facts of Fishing Casting for a Cure Campaign. Casting for a Cure is a non-profit initiative endorsed by the Canadian Cancer Society and operated by Dave Mercer Outdoors Inc.

October 9, 2005 , on a cold and windy day that made it rough even for Lake Couchiching , Marina and her husband Morgan won their 2nd amBASSadors Cup Tournament.  The former students of the Successful Bass Fishing Course taught at Seneca College brought in 14.87 pounds for their five fish limit. They also caught the big bass of the day at 3.62 pounds.  We caught up with Morgan and Marina after the tournament and asked them how they caught their fish as well as how they got into competitive angling. Here's what we learned about one of the finest young tournament couples in the province.

by Willis “SNAGMAN” Beam

In early 1998 I was approached to look over and use (test) a bag of tubes that was supposed to be hand dipped and unique. They were sent to me with the understanding I would use them and in return I would provide a detailed report of (only) their fish catching success’s. After some research and product comparisons I found these tubes were not what was claimed and that actually they were factory seconds and closeout stock. I did use them and sent a report not exactly the report that the fellow wanted to read or expected, my personal beliefs and convictions of my ideas in field testing would not allow me to support a product for deceit of my fellow anglers for the profits of one individual. Needless to say I never heard from him again nor did I see or hear about any other marketing scheme to sell this individuals products.

Wednesday August 24, 2005
on
Lake Scugog
out of
Goreski’s Lakeside Recreation Resort
1 Large Mouth, 1 Small Mouth, 1 Walleye, 1 Pan fish
Prizes in each category, plus overall weight prizes

Ties for any individual fish will be determined by the overall weight

Toronto , Ontario June 27, 2005 – For the first time ever in Canadian history the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association(“CSIA”), Canadian Marine Manufacturers Association (“CMMA”) / Discover Boating, and the Competitive Sport Fishing League (“CSFL”) together with competitive anglers will come together for a national fundraiser to support the First Annual Industry Pro Am Event.

Ten years ago Bassmania introduced an innovative way to stage its weigh in show. The Bassmania on-water stage provided anglers an avenue to use their boats as billboards for their sponsors, show off their electronics and tackle and give spectators an exciting thrill as they removed their fish from their live wells and placed them onto the scales. This was the beginning of the Bassmania interactive weigh in show.

Come and join in the fun and let’s make this truly a day to remember! This is a phenomenal opportunity for many of us as tournament anglers to give back to the sport that we all love by introducing a child to joy of fishing! Anglers with boats and sponsors are required to make this event a success! Please contact David Chong at dchong@fishharddreambig.com if you would like to help out! Full details and an itinerary will be sent out to the media, sponsors and participating anglers shortly!

Our sponsors so far include FISHHARDDREAMBIG.COM, Berkley/Abu Garcia, Rex Building Supplies, Minn Kota/Humminbird, Fish Crisp, Kodak Canada, Exposures Plus, Trepanier Originals, Washington Produce, Strike King, Shimano, St. Croix Fishing Rods, Black Mamba, Lightning Series Lures, Mizmo Bait Company, Set The Hook, Normark Canada, Bass Pro Shops, Dymin Steel Inc., Lunker Hunt …

On June 19th 2004 , Harrison Outdoors and the Ajax/Pickering Big Brothers and Sisters co-ordinated a "Learn to Fish" day. The purpose of this event was to introduce the sport of fishing and the great outdoors to those who otherwise might of never of had the opportunity. While spending quality time with the big and little brothers and sisters we hoped to spark an interest for them to pursue the outdoors, especially fishing, on their own excursions.

This event was a HUGE success. Everyone had a great time, each little brother and sister left with their own rods/reels and a smile from ear to ear. I think alot of the youngsters enjoyed the boat rides as much as the fishing. They spent a few hours on Rice Lake in search of some panfish. At one time or another it seemed fish were being hoisted over the gunnels in every boat we saw. Knowing you can get hungry after a few hours on the water Licks burgers was ready for us when we got off with some of their burgers and hotdogs. Everyone was able to mingle about with one another and share their experiences of the day.

We were fortunate to have a great group of anglers come out and support this event with their time, experience and boats. Without the support of them this event would not of been such a success. On behalf of Harrison Outdoors and Ajax/Pickering Big Brothers and Sisters I would like to thank, Ben at BJ Tackle for use of his facilities, Licks Burgers for their time and the awesome food, Okuma, Gambler-Bang, Luhr Jenson, Rapala, Hawaiian Tropic, MNR, and of course the anglers- J im Dodd, Chris Giles, Joe Figuera, Danny Dunn, Steve Hatton, Mark Kennedy, Jason Davis, Ken Kirkwood, John Sutherland, Al Patton , Mark Gillson, Charles Nahm, Frank Rotundo, Darren Cavanaugh, Rob Patricio, Rich Fransky, Adam Hillen, Jay Martin, Brad Arnott and Doug Ferguson. And to all other volunteers helped make this day a special one.

There will be a 2005 "Learn to Fish" day on Saturday June 18 th Rice Lake , Bewdley , Ontario . I have already gotten word from Big Brothers and Sisters that they can't wait! If you are interested in participating in this event please contact me, we are looking for more boaters. If the numbers allow I would like to branch out this event and include some other Big Brother and Sister districts.

Contact phil@harrisonoutdoors.com or by cell at 416 346 8270.

The Shimano Take a Kid Fishing Day at the Belwood Lake Conservation Area is designed to get new anglers involved in fishing and improve their skills. This event is designed for children from 9-14 and their parents. Come out and visit the many educational stations where young anglers will learn new skills and try their hand at fishing in 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 tournament bass boats. And more!

The EVENT IS FREE for registered participants, but park entry fees apply ($2.25 for children, $4.00 adults). Please Pre Register as there are limited spaces available!

While many Ontario Bassmasters are still watching the ice slowly disappear from their local lakes, Bill Todd of the Barrie Bassmasters club has already spent nine days prefishing Lake Toho near Kissimmee Florida so far this year. Bill qualified for the Citgo BASS Federation Championships last September when he placed 1st on the 12 person Team Ontario in South Dakota at the Northern Divisional Championship tournament. He leaves for this World Championships of amateur bass fishing on April 25th and competition begins April 27th and raps up on the 30th.

April 9th, 2005, Port Perry, Ontario, Canada

We are pleased to announce that factsoffishing.com has received a brand new look! You will find the new Facts of Fishing website much more cleaner and easier to navigate.

Factsoffishing.com also has some new and exciting features including lots of video, and a featured video of the month section. Alot of the video that will be featured on factsoffishing.com has never been seen on television before. Another exciting feature new to the website is our contest section. Some of these contests include the BOATsmart! Win a Day Fishing With Dave contest, and of course, the Fujifilm Trip of a Lifetime contest, with a first place prize of over $20,000. We have also started a newsletter which is another great feature of the new website.

Viewers will find our new look alot more appealing as we will be updating the many sections, including news, on a weekly and even sometimes, daily basis. So, be sure to check out www.factsoffishing.com on a daily basis!

The Competitive Sport Fishing League announced today that they will be providing financial support to Team Ontario of the Ontario BASS Federation (“OBF”). Andrew and Vita Pallotta of the Competitive Sport Fishing League (“CSFL”) have launched a campaign to help Team Ontario become more competitive in the annual Eastern Division B.A.S.S. Federation Championship, by providing financial assistance to absorb expenses incurred around these events.

We are very pleased to announce that effective January 31^st, 2005; Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing will be airing on Canada’s #1 specialty channel – TSN!

This is a partnership that we have been working toward for quite some time.  Not only will we be airing on TSN, but TSN has situated us within all Bassmaster broadcasts.  The Citgo Bassmaster Tournament Trail is widely recognized as the most prestigious tournament circuit in the world and home to the super bowl of bass fishing – the Bassmaster Classic.  As well as airing during all Bassmaster programming on TSN throughout 2005, the Facts of Fishing will be seen by many other viewers on additional TSN broadcasts to be announced.

I feel with our current team of broadcast partners (OLN, The Weather Network, ESPN Classic Canada, Wild TV and TSN), we have covered a huge portion of the Canadian public.  It is our hope that through this we can encourage more and more Canadians to take up the great sport of fishing.

On September 1/2004 members of Big Fat Bass were invited to enter the big fish they caught and weighed in at any Canadian Bass Tournament, the contest dates were Sept. 1/04 to Dec. 31/04. In the following weeks we saw some really nice fish entered into the contest.

• Dave Baristow entered a 7.13 lb Largemouth caught at the Bassmania Basseye tournament.
• Adam Hillen entered a 6.72 Largemouth caught October 3, 2004. Fall Big Nutz Challenge.
• Al Gorrie entered a 5.98 pound Smallie caught off of Sherkston Beach ( Lake Erie ), in 44 feet! Sept 18 / 04 - Niagara Bassmasters Club Tournament.

Those were all great fish but the winner turned out to be a 7.28 lb Largemouth caught at the 2004 Quinte Classic by Robert Mitchell with his partner Rob Coolahan doing a splendid job as his partner.

Competitive Sport Fishing League announced today that they have signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Lund Boats and Mercury Marine.

Wil Wegman - Well here I am again – covering another Bassmasters Classic in the US. This year we are back in North Carolina – but this time it will be a new lake (Wylie) and a new city ( Charlotte). Although the tournament doesn’t begin until Friday July 30, the excitement of Classic week is well under way. In fact, one of the Canadian components to this year’s Classic has already occurred and the news has made its way north to Canada’s avid Bassmasters.

Boyer, of Bracebridge, Ontario, was fishing out of a 14-foot canoe with her husband, Ed Hiltz, on a small lake near Haliburton on Oct. 7 when her miscast resulted in what could be the biggest largemouth bass ever caught in Ontario.

BASS TO MOVE NEAR WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT IN 2005 - BASS, the worldwide authority on bass fishing, will move its headquarters to Central Florida near Walt Disney World Resort in Spring 2005. BASS offices will be located in Celebration, Fla. , in Osceola County . The move promises to create even more BASS programs at the popular vacation destination and throughout the region.

• Mike Desforges, Burlington
• Lawren Wetzel, Sharon
• Gregory Roth, Cambridge
• George Saliba, Lakefield
• Jon Bondy, Windsor

CITGO BASSMASTER NORTHERN OPEN MOVES TO HUDSON  Famed New York River Home to Abundant Smallmouth, Largemouth

CATSKILL, N.Y. -Torrential rains that flooded upstate New York in recent days has given a new look and created a more challenging playground for the boaters and non-boaters in the CITGO Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Busch Beer than they are accustomed to. They will have plenty of water to work with when the action takes place Aug. 12-14.

The Ontario BASS Federation (OBF) is pleased to announce that two key chair positions have been filled. The first is that of fundraiser ­ which is being filled by Dave Rochette.  Dave is a founding member and past president of the Muskoka Bassmasters as well as a successful businessman, partnered in his own company "Northern Exposure".  Dave has some great plans in store to help the OBF become financially secure and to see this federation grow to new heights.

The next position will be co-chaired by one of the most dedicated members the OBF Executive has ever seen ­ Herb Quan of Toronto. Herb, who is a civil engineer with the City of Toronto, is currently also the secretary for the OBF and VP for his Aurora Bassmasters Club.  Alongside Herb will be Gerry Heels of Barrie who is the president of the Barrie Bassmasters.  Gerry owns and operates Heels Monuments, has had extensive experience with the Junior Bassmaster team and will therefore dedicate most of his time and expertise dealing with the day to day challenges associated with running the Junior Bassmasters.     

"I am very excited about the talents these three men bring to our federation", responded OBF president Ken Hamilton.  "Each of them has already proven their ability to work hard on behalf of the federation and its members across Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The commitment by these and other members of our organization is but a small indication of the renewed energy the Ontario BASS Federation is experiencing at this time. On behalf of the OBF, I would like to thank them for stepping up to the plate, and look forward to working alongside them in these exciting times".

The Ontario BASS Federation was founded in 1995 and is made up of about 28 clubs from across Ontario and one in Quebec and Nova Scotia.  The OBF is one of 53 Federations belonging to the largest fishing organization in the world Š BASS, with federations in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Mexico, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Italy, Japan and of course Ontario.

Today was the first day of competition for the 2004 CITGO BASS FEDERATION CHAMPIONSHIP Presented by BUSCH BEER.  Being held out of Tulsa , OK on Keystone Lake , you may think that only southern US anglers would be fishing this event, but there are anglers from 46 States, plus the District of Columbia and the countries of Zimbabwe , South Africa , Italy , Japan , Mexico  ... and Canada .  The elite Federation anglers, also compete against defending 2003 champion Jerry Shawver II and reigning Paralyzed Veterans of America champion Jimmy Lankford. Representing our country and the Ontario BASS Federation (OBF) is St Catherines Bassmaster Jamie Janzen, who qualified for this prestigious event back in September 2003, at the Northern Divisional Championships in Midland ON .

Results from all 3 days plus more

For the last several years the Ontario BASS Federation (OBF) has had to rely on President Bob Peters to double his workload and act as both tournament director and president of Ontario ’s well established Bassmaster clubs. With OBF clubs that stretch from Windsor in the west to Ottawa in the east and then north to Muskoka, (as well as one in Nova Scotia ) Bob has been kept quite busy and for awhile has been looking for someone to take over the Tournament Director position. Fortunately, the president of the Peterborough Bassmasters has now stepped forward and taken on the role of Tournament Director for the OBF.

The West Coast Bass Anglers Association (WCBA) is pleased to announce an innovative reward offer to help curtail the illegal spread of bass throughout the province of British Columbia . In this its first year, the reward offer will dole out up to $1,000 to anyone offering information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of any person(s) caught illegally transporting or transplanting smallmouth or largemouth bass from one water body to another.

Back in 1997 Mitten Vinyl Inc. of Paris , ON started a special event that would bring together their customers and clients from across Ontario and the United States . This event would give everyone involved an opportunity to enjoy and experience the greatest resource Ontario has to offer……….fishing!!

Largemouth Bass Update Sheet  

Largemouth Bass Fact Sheet