Brad Rubin and Chris Jones carved their names in
bass fishing history by sacking an impressive 17.58-pound, 5-fish limit
to win the North American Bass Circuit’s first-ever tournament, held on
Wisconsin’s mighty Lake Winnebago chain.
Their
mixed bag of beefy largemouths and bronzebacks — anchored by a 4.52-pound
smallie that was big bass of the tournament — earned them a $10,000
first-place check, along with bonuses including $1,000 Ranger Cup, $500
Cabela’s Angler Cash, $100 Oxygenator and $750 in Big-Fish Pot winnings.
“We’re
pretty happy,” beamed Jones, of Neenah, Wis. “We expected it
would take more than 17 pounds to win. After practice we felt good that we’d
be in the running, and it turned out perfect.”
“It’s always great
to fish with Chris,” added Rubin, of Antioch, Ill. “He definitely
had the home cooking on this body of water; he lives a mile from the
ramp. A week of prefishing didn’t hurt. We fought through hot weather
and high winds early in the week, then really cold weather and decent
winds the rest of the week, but we made it happen.”
Tournament
partners for five years, Rubin and Jones expected bedding smallmouths,
but prefishing quickly proved it would be a post-spawn bite. Their
winning program included targeting main-lake points and “high spots”
with rocks and weeds in 2 to 8 feet of water, throwing 3/4-ounce
football jigs tipped with soft-plastic trailers, fished in a variety of
manners. “We had to use different techniques,” said Rubin. “Sometimes
they hit the jig popping off the rocks, sometimes dragging, sometimes
just reeling it in slow.”
In all, the top 5 teams shared a $16,000
payout plus Big Fish Pot and sponsor contingencies. Third-place
finishers Gary Adkins, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Carl Scharenbroch,
of Saukville, Wisconsin, won the U2 bonus for being the highest-placing
team with U2 Pro Formula Livewell Treatment in the boat. In 12th place,
fellow Wisconsinites Mark Duerr, of Milwaukee, and Tim Sadowske, of
Waukesha, earned the $250 Optima True Blue Rewards bonus. As a bonus
courtesy of Rapala, Trigger X and Sufix line, the top four teams also
received a great line and bait package comprised of these fine products.
The
Winnebago Chain yielded 141 bass weighing a total of 372.79 pounds. All
but one were released alive in the NABC’s catch-and-release format. The
Circuit’s Bass Conservation Fund donated $15 per boat, for a total of
$480, to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for fisheries
projects on the Winnebago system. To date, the NABC’s sister trail – the
Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit – has donated more than $275,000 to
fisheries projects where our tournaments are held, and the NABC is proud
to build on that great tradition of fisheries conservation.
Throughout
the weigh-in, the NABC and National Professional Anglers Association
presented kids age 12 and under with great gifts, including free
rod-and-reel combos, along with free tackle packages from Northland
Fishing Tackle. To the delight of the large crowd gathered at scenic
Menominee Park in downtown Oshkosh, a parade of youngsters took the
stage to accept their tackle, offer their thoughts on bass fishing, and
share their dreams of one day joining the ranks of the NABC’s tournament
anglers.
This was the first stop of the NABC’s inaugural season.
Next up is the world-class smallmouth fishery of Lake Michigan’s Bays de
Noc at Escanaba on July 30-31 (one-day event includes a built-in
bad-weather day). The third and final qualifier is August 19 on
Minnesota’s legendary Lake Minnetonka. NABC teams are vying for a coveted invite to the World Bass Championship, set for Sept. 24-25 on Leech Lake,
Minnesota. The 50-boat qualifiers reward teams paying the $400 entry
fee with great odds at a $10,000 first-place cash prize, while the
Championship pays $20,000 for first place.
The NABC is open to all
anglers. And its popular team format — which lets you choose your partner
and cut your costs — has stood the test of time for 26 tournament seasons
on the Cabela’s MWC. Openings remain for Escanaba and Minnetonka. Teams
may register by mail, fax, or online. For details visit the
northamericanbasscircuit website, call toll-free (877) 893-7947, or
email [email protected].
