2008...Bigger and Better
What a great season 2007 was. The weather was warm, the fish were active, and there were tournament aplenty. I truly enjoyed getting to know the Shimano line of Rods and Reels, and I really believe it helped me have a great season on the water. Locally we saw some great tournaments being held with awesome competition, coupled with a little controversy.
I spent a large portion of the spring of 2007 working shows, and giving seminars. It was a great way to meet a lot of people, and share some knowledge with some newcomers to the sport. No doubt 2008 will see more shows, and a couple more BassTalk seminars events. There is currently a Basstalk event scheduled for 2008 at Paddletales, check www.basstalk.ca for more info.
On the tournament scene, I had a great year with several top 5 finishes, including four 2nd's and a win on Lake Du Cerf, as well as a spot on the 2008 OBF Team Ontario. One of the highlights of the season was fishing against some of the legends of the sport in an FLW Series event on Lake Champlain. I was able to boat enough weight to walk away with a $10,000 check! In 2008 we'll see the return of a high payout Pro/Am Series in Canada with the WFN Tour Bass Championship. With a million dollar purse this is going to be a great series. I'll also be fishing several FLW events including 2 Tour level events, and one Series level event. I hope I can muster up some finishes this year similar to last year's!
The changes to the regulations never did materialize in 2007. We do however now have the new reg's in hand for 2008. The opening of Bass season has changed from the last Saturday of the June to the 4th Saturday. Also, Bass will stay open until Nov. 30th. These changes ultimately provide more angling opportunities for everyone. We still have a year long C&R season in parts of New York, as well as one more year of early season fishing up on Lac Du Cerf.
In 2007 Ottawafishing ran a Fantasy Fishing League based on the results of the Renegade Bass events. Over 50 people participated, and ultimately Simon Lavictorie won the top prize worth over $400. The prize consisted of a Rod and Reel package from Shimano, as well as boats from Spro and Mizmo. We should be running this competition again in 2008. Don't forget to check out Fantasyfishing.com to participate in a fantasy fishing leaguer worth over $1.7 million dollars!
As always, continued support of the following sponsors is greatly appreciated:
Thanks,
Charles Sim
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