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Tournament
Maine Tournament List - Excel File / By Date / By Host / By Type / By Water
ARTICLES -TBF of Maine Holds Last Open of the Year / TBF Open on China Lake Produces Close Weights / TBF Clubs Pair Up for Tournament / Western Maine Anglers Hold 1st Club Tournament of the Year on Norway Lake / TBF Open Yields Big Weights on Messalonskee Lake
TBF of Maine Holds Last Open of the Year
Birches Campground - Cobbossee Lake was the final stop on the TBF tournament schedule for the year. It turned out to be a very nice event as all but one of the 38 teams weighed in a limit of fish. It was also the last leg of the 2009 TBF tournament trail that started in April and ran all summer over 6 different lakes.
The tournament itself was very close between the top teams and it just so happened that those same two teams were fighting it out for position in the tournament 
trail standings. Scott and Steve Harris pulled out the victory weighing in a 7 fish limit at 25.90 lbs. The runner up team of Darryl Fitzgerald and Scott Laliberty weighed in at 25.18 lbs. just ounces behind the Harris brothers. The win secured the Harris team first place in the tournament trail as well earning them an additional $2000 payout, bringing their total earnings for the day to over $3000. The team of Fitzgerald and Laliberty secured the highly contested second place spot in the tournament trail just edging out the teams of Jason Mitsin and Dwayne Turnage who finished 3rd and Ed and Laurence Hogue who finished 4th for the year. For their 2nd place finish Fitzgerald and Laliberty won themselves a new Lowrance HDS 7 GPS fishfinder valued at over $1300. Their total earnings for the day was over $2000 in cash and prizes. Mitsin and Turnage finished the trail in 3rd place earning them each a pair of Solar Bat polarized tournament fishing glasses as well as 2 cases of Castrol 2 cycle motor oil. Over $7000 was paid out in cash and prizes at this tournament.
Hopefully the trail will be even bigger and better next year as we bring more sponsors on board. TBF of Maine paid out over $19,000 in tournament winnings this year and hopes to top that next year. I want to give a special thanks to The Birches Campground who hosted this tournament and provided a great facility and had food on hand both for breakfast and lunch when all the anglers came in. We have already made arrangements to host this tournament there again next year. Thank you to all that supported our tournaments this year. All the proceeds from these tournaments go to support the TBF of Maine state team that represents Maine each year at the Eastern Divisional tournament which will be held on Lake Champlain again next September. Maine will host the divisional tournament in 2011 on Sebago Lake.
TBF Open on China Lake Produces Close Weights
July 26, 2009 – 32 teams competed in unpredictable conditions on China Lake with the team of Desmond and Ware taking down the competition to capture the victory. Conditions changed many times during the day. We had clouds, then sun, then wind and rain, and this pattern repeated all day to change the fishing over and over again throughout the day. It tested the skills of all teams and produced one of the closest finishes on record as the top 12 teams were all bunched at the top within 3 ½ pounds of each other. A total of $3,295.00 was paid out to the top 7 teams.
Desmond and Ware ended up on top with a limit of fish weighing 24.05 lbs. earning them $1,100.00. They had a nice 4.99 lb. largemouth to secure the win. Second place was taken by the team of Holland and Mank at 23.66 lbs. along with a check for $600.00. The team of the Harris brothers finished a close third with Scott and Steve weighing in 23.34 lbs. earning them $560.00. Diaco and Champagne secured fourth at 23.09 lbs. Also topping the 23 pound mark for a fifth place finish was the team of Vic Bacon and Jessica Mitsin at 23.01 lbs. This gave bragging rights to Jessica as she finished ahead of her husbands team by almost 2 pounds.
There were many quality fish caught but big fish honors went to the teams of Trask and Spaay for their largemouth weighing 5.77 lbs. and Scott and Steve Harris for a smallmouth weighing 4.35 lbs.
The tournament was hosted out of The Cabins on China Lake and it was a great facility to hold a tournament. The staff did a great job serving breakfast before the tournament and hamburgers and hot dogs at the weigh in. Everyone was pleased with the friendly atmosphere and an agreement has been made to hold another tournament there next year. Spectators staying at the cabins were also on hand and many were introduced to their first bass tournament and were not disappointed as they saw big fish come to the scales. Thank you to all 32 teams that participated. The money raised at all of our TBF opens goes to support our TBF of Maine State team each year that competes regionally against teams from all of the Eastern division states. This year our 12 person state team will be competing on Lake Champlain in New York September 13-19. Without the support of all the teams fishing, we would not be able to fund our team and represent Maine nationally. Our next TBF open will be held August 9th on Androscoggin Lake hosted at Riverbend Campground. I hope to see everyone there for another great tournament.
China Lake July 26, 2009 |
||||
Fin |
Team | Biggest LM |
Biggest SM |
Total Weight |
1 |
Desmond & Ware | 4.99 |
24.05 |
|
2 |
Holland & Mank | 4.18 |
3.78 |
23.66 |
3 |
Harris & Harris | 4.58 |
4.35 |
23.34 |
4 |
Diaco & Champagne | 4.18 |
23.09 |
|
5 |
Bacon & Mitsin | 4.30 |
23.01 |
|
6 |
Austin & Bowie | 4.37 |
3.40 |
22.81 |
7 |
Forbes & Bruce | 22.54 |
||
8 |
Sands & Sands | 5.23 |
22.40 |
|
9 |
Volkernick & Baker | 4.60 |
22.26 |
|
10 |
LaFlamme & Meyer | 4.72 |
21.37 |
|
TBF of Maine Qualifies 2010 State Team on Sebasticook Lake
Results Day 1 & Day 2 / Sebasticook Lake Photos
June 27-28 2009 – Newport, Maine – The Bass Federation of Maine held its annual state qualifier on Sebasticook Lake. The conditions were extremely tough although you would not know it by the amount of weight brought to the scales over the 2 day tournament. Most anglers would agree that the bite was very slow but the fish you did get were quality size. The anglers found the fishing on the main lake to be very sporadic so they turned to the shallow coves and waited patiently for their fish. Many limits were weighed in but most did not get many more than their 5 fish limit. The overall weights were record breaking for a TBF State qualifier taking over 34 pounds with 10 fish to win the 2 day event. There were 52 anglers fishing the event and the top 12 finishers will represent the state of Maine in the 2010 Eastern Divisional Tournament on Lake Champlain next September where they will compete against the top finishers from all the eastern states. The 12 person state team is highlighted by Yankee Bassers, a Sebago Lake area TBF club, who placed 5 members in the top 12. This is the first time any club has had more than 3 members representing the state.
TBF of Maine president John Trask stated “The quality of fish in this lake is tremendous. The cloudy and rainy conditions made for a very tough bite but those that did manage to find fish found big, healthy fish. Anyone that has not fished this lake does not know what they are missing. Everyone liked the lake and the town was very accommodating to all the anglers over the weekend. I would like to thank the Town of Newport for allowing us to fish there this week. They were great.”
Brent Bonefant was the overall champion bringing in a 2 day total weight of 34.78 pounds and and a nice largemouth weighing 5.14 pounds. Peter Diaco finished 2nd at 30.20 pounds. Jason Mitsin secured 3rd place with 29.93 pounds just edging out Eric Low who ended up 4th with 29.90 pounds. Rounding out the top five was Scott Guimond with 29.16 pounds.
All the anglers fishing in the championship qualified through their local clubs and earned the right to compete for the state title. If you would like to join a local bass fishing club in your area or just want to find out more about our organization go to www.tbfmaine.com or call John Trask TBF of Maine President at (207) 897-4308.
TBF Clubs Pair Up for Tournament
Saturday, May 30, 2009 - Members from the Western ME Anglers and the Millennium Bassmasters joined together in a Catch, Measure and Release Tournament on Great Pond in Belgrade.
Boaters from Millennium and non-boaters from Western ME and vise versa paired up for the competition. There were a total of 17 members competing for the 1st Place prize.
Jackie Hudson had the Lunker Large Mouth earning an additional $60.00 to his 2nd Place finish with a total of 13lbs. 5oz. Jackie’s total winnings for the day were $135.00.
John Trask and Dan Wilson tied with the Lunker Small Mouth each earning an additional $30.00. John came in 1st Place in the Tournament with a total weight of 14lbs. 13oz. earning $130.00 while Dan finished in 3rd Place with a total weight of 13lbs. 1oz. taking home $80.00 and Jim Landry finishing in 4th Place with a total of 13lbs. winning $30.00.
The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Place winners won a total of $375.00.
Toby Suttie had a good day reeling in a 3lb. 6oz. Large Mouth and a 3lb. 1oz. Small Mouth giving him a total weight for the day of 12lbs. 15oz. While Jeff Rafuse hooked a 2lb. 13oz. Large Mouth and a 2lb. 7oz. Small Mouth giving him a total of 12lbs. 13oz. for the day.
Great Pond May 30, 2009 |
||||||
Fin |
Name |
Club |
Biggest LM |
Biggest SM |
Total Weight |
Earnings |
1 |
John Trask |
Western ME |
X |
3lbs. 5oz. |
14lbs. 13oz. |
$130.00 |
2 |
Jackie Hudson |
Western ME |
3lbs. 9oz. |
2lbs. 6oz. |
13lbs. 05oz. |
$135.00 |
3 |
Dan Wilson |
Millennium |
X |
3lbs. 5oz. |
13lbs. 01oz. |
$80.00 |
4 |
Jim Landry |
Western ME |
2lbs. 12oz. |
2lbs. 11oz. |
13lbs. |
$30.00 |
5 |
Toby Suttie |
Millennium |
3lbs. 6oz. |
3lbs. 1oz. |
12lbs. 15oz. |
$0.00 |
6 |
Jeff Rafuse |
Millennium |
2lbs. 13oz. |
2lbs. 7oz. |
12lbs. 13oz. |
$0.00 |
7 |
Bill Boucher |
Millennium |
X |
2lbs. 11oz. |
12lbs. 05oz. |
$0.00 |
8 |
Dave Austin |
Millennium |
X |
2lbs. 15oz. |
12lbs. 04oz. |
$0.00 |
9 |
Steve Davis |
Millennium |
3lbs. |
2lbs. 4oz. |
11lbs. 07oz. |
$0.00 |
10 |
Bill Buttler |
Millennium |
X |
2lbs. 9oz. |
10lbs. 11oz. |
$0.00 |
11 |
Rick Davidson |
Western ME |
X |
2lbs. 11oz. |
8lbs. 12oz. |
$0.00 |
12 |
Chris Brewer |
Western ME |
X |
2lbs. 2oz. |
8lbs. 11oz. |
$0.00 |
13 |
Chris Dostie |
Millennium |
1lbs. 11oz. |
2lbs. 2oz. |
7lbs. 12oz. |
$0.00 |
14 |
Jay Davis |
Millennium |
X |
1lbs. 15oz. |
6lbs. 14oz. |
$0.00 |
15 |
Jack Rothrock |
Western ME |
X |
2lbs. 2oz. |
6lbs. |
$0.00 |
16 |
Dennis Goodman |
Western ME |
X |
2lbs. 7oz. |
2lbs. 07oz. |
$0.00 |
17 |
Pete Kjunstad |
Western ME |
X |
X |
0 |
$0.00 |
Western Maine Anglers Hold 1st Club Tournament of the Year on Norway Lake
May 2, 2009 - Western Maine Anglers, a 16 member TBF of Maine club held 
their first tournament of the year on Norway Lake. This lake is known for producing large limits of fish early in the spring but with temps in the 60’s and very strong winds the fishing was tough as only 5 limits were weighed in. Randy Veilleux of Jay brought in the winning 5 fish limit weighing 16.79 lbs. His biggest fish was a nice 5.77 lb. largemouth that landed him lunker largemouth honors as well. John Trask also of Jay took second place with a limit of smallmouth weighing 14.92 lbs. anchored by a 4.44lb smallmouth that earned him the lunker smallmouth prize. Jim Landry of Livermore Falls finished in third with a weight of 14.33 lbs. Chris Brewer of Livermore was fourth with 12.15 lbs. and last years defending club champion Jackie Hudson of Turner finished in fifth place weighing in 10.87 lbs.
“Although the lake didn’t produce the large numbers that we are accustomed to, the tournament was a success because John didn’t fall out of the boat like he did the last time we fished this lake 2 years ago” noted Randy Veilleux. With the windy conditions, Randy and most of the anglers took to the smaller portion of the lake to hunt for largemouth. John used every bit of his trolling motor batteries to fight the winds on the main lake for the entire day which paid off by producing a big enough limit of smallmouth to finish second.
Jackie Hudson will have his work cut out for him this year if he wants to remain club champion as everyone will be gunning for him. He said that the bullseye on his back doesn’t bother him because he is more than ready to defend his championship.
Western Maine Anglers is based out of Jay, Maine and has members from many surrounding towns. We are currently looking for more “boater” and “non-boater” members. If you would like to join this club or a club in another part of the state closer to you, please contact John Trask at (207) 897-4308. You do not have to be an “expert” to join. You don’t even need a boat. We are looking for weekend anglers that just want to have fun fishing for bass. Photos
TBF Open Yields Big Weights on Messalonskee Lake
April 26, 2009 - TBF of Maine hosted its first tournament of the year on Messalonskee Lake. It fielded 20 boats and some big weights. The conditions were beautiful with temps in the 70’s. The team of Mark Desjardins and Phil Paradis took home the trophy for first place weighing in an impressive 7 fish limit at 29.26 pounds. Darryl Fitzgerald and Scott Laliberty took runner up honors with another impressive bag weighing in at 27.96 pounds. The team of Linquist and Wilcox finished in 3rd place weighing in a 7 fish limit at 26.85 pounds. The team of Carter and Ames were a very close 4th at 26.73 pounds. Rounding out the top 5 was the team of Curtis and Faneuf at 25.38 pounds.
Fitzgerald and Laliberty took the biggest largemouth bass award with a fish tipping the scales at 6.60 pounds. The lunker smallmouth award went to the team of Mitsin and Turnage with a smallmouth bass weighing 4.16 pounds.
There were a lot of big weights at this tournament and hopefully we can continue to host a tournament here each spring. The fishing was phenomenal. Our next TBF tournament will be held on Maranacook Lake July 19th. This should prove to be another fantastic day of fishing. Hope to see everyone there. TBF of Maine strives to hold some of the best open tournaments in the state and all the money raised at these tournaments goes to fund our state team at the divisional. For more information on TBF of Maine or any of our tournaments call John Trask at (207) 931-5300 or Dave Austin at (207) 522-7315. Photos
Messalonskee Lake 4/26/2009 |
|||||
| Finish | Team | Weight | Lunker SM | Lunker LM | Earnings |
| 1 | Desjardins/Paradis | 29.26 lbs | $900 | ||
| 2 | Fitzgerald/Laliberty | 27.96 lbs | 6.60 lbs | $600 | |
| 3 | Linquist/Wilcox | 26.85 lbs | $300 | ||
| 4 | Carter/Ames | 26.73 lbs | $175 | ||
| 5 | Curtis/Faneuf | 25.38 lbs | |||
| 6 | Guimond/Gaydos | 25.05 lbs | |||
| 7 | Mitsin/Turnage | 24.99 lbs | 4.16 lbs | $100 | |
| 8 | Osgood/Kinney | 23.70 lbs | |||
| 9 | Bowie/Austin | 22.67 lbs | |||
| 10 | Kelley/Ladue | 22.20 lbs | |||