Club News

(Updated 4/14/2025)
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(click on lake name to go to detailed tournament results & photos)
All Day in Miserable Weather at Audrey - 4/12/25
Seven teams showed up to brave cold, windy, rainy weather at our Lake Audrey tournament.  It pretty much never let up the whole six hours.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares won their second tournament of the season with a five-bass limit weighing 9.19 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio had a limit that weighed 7.39 lbs that gave them second place.  In third place were Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth who had five for 6.51 lbs.  Bill Duckardt took the lunker pot with a 2.22 lb fish.  Joe Nemeth won the pickerel side pot with a not-so-hefty 1.22 lb pick.  The bass total for the tournament was twenty for 30.50 lbs (1.53 lb average).
 Nelson H & Bill D
 Bill D

Only One Limit But a Couple of Big Ones at Sunset - 4/5/25
It was a tough day for most teams at Sunset Lake.  The one five-bass limit was brought in by the team of Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio.  Their 10.92 lb winning bag included Steve's 5.38 lb lunker winner (which beat out another five pound class entry).  Coming in second were Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen with four bass for 6.40 lbs.  Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz had three bass for 5.70 lbs, taking third place.  Nineteen keepers were brought in by the nine teams for a total of 37.40 lbs (1.97 lb average).  The pickerel pot was won by Chris Oeser with a 2.38 pounder.
 Nick M & Steve C
 Steve C
You Got Em or You Didn't at DOD - 3/29/25
Two teams had five-bass limits and no other team had more than two keepers at our DOD Lake tournament.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares brought in the winning limit with 9.25 lbs.  Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz had the other limit, weighing 8.81 lbs and taking second.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio finished in third with two bass for 4.13 lbs.  Duck took the lunker pot with a 3.25 lb bass.  The totals for the tournament were seventeen keepers for 28.38 lbs (1.67 lb average).  Nelson Hares took the pickerel side pot with 1.75 lb pickerel.  Other fish caught during the tournament were a big carp, big catfish, a striper and a snakehead.
 Bill D & Nelson H
 Bill D

Some Good Bags (& Not-So-Good) at Union - 3/22/25
A few teams found the bass at our spring Union Lake tournament while others struggled for bites.  Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz set an all-time club and lake record with a 16.51 lb limit.  Their bag included Joe's 5.47 lb lunker winner and another five pound class bass.  Scott Bowen &  Pat Bowen took second place with four bass that weighed 9.17 lbs, including Scott's 3.78 lb smallmouth.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio came in close behind with a third place limit that weighed 9.15 lbs.  After that, the remaining six teams had one or no keepers.  The club totaled seventeen bass for 41.98 lbs (2.47 lb average!).  Joe Nemeth also won the pickerel side pot with a 2.85 lb pick.
 Joe N & Fred L
 Joe N

Bass Were Chewin' at Rainbow - 3/15/25

Some chilly-but-not-freezing weather with overcast skies and a light breeze had the bass turned on all over Rainbow Lake.  Five of the eight teams brought in five-bass limits, with the top six teams finishing within about two pounds.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio returned to the club after a long break and went right back to their winning ways taking the tournament with a limit that weighed 9.56 lbs.  They were followed close behind by Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth with a 9.42 lb limit.  Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock rounded out the top three with a five-bass limit that weighed 8.55 lbs.  Chris Burrell took the lunker prize with a real nice 5.73 lb beauty.  In all, the eight teams brought in thirty-four bass totaling 60.04 lbs (1.77 lb average).  Bill Duckardt won the pickerel side pot with a 2.83 lb pick.

Following the weigh-in, some of the club members stuck around to do a litter pick-up throughout the parking area, ramp area and shoreline near the ramp.  Thanks to those who participated.
 Steve C & Nick M
 Chris B
Pre-Season Meeting Held - 2/1/25

We held our annual pre-season meeting on February 1.  The draft tournament schedule was approved without changes.  It was emphasized that lake conditions (water level, algae proliferation, etc) will normally be checked out prior to our tournaments.  In a close vote, it was decided that our club's vote for the location of the 2025 SJBCA Bass Bowl will be the Nanticoke River (MD/DE).  It was agreed that we'll conduct a new season-long lunker pot with an entry fee of $10 per person.  The entry fee must be paid (to Duck) prior to the entrant fishing his/her first tournament.  We will conduct another survey to determine interest in purchasing club apparel this year.

Pre-Season Meeting Scheduled for Feb 1 - 1/5/25

Our annual pre-season meeting will be held on Saturday, February 1, starting at 12:00 noon (food followed by business).  The location will be the same as last year -- the Green Olive restaurant in the Bridgeton/Hopewell area.  It’s located at the corner of Rt. 49 (Shiloh Pike) and West Park Drive (same street the Sunset Lake beach & spillways are on).  The address is 610 Shiloh Pike, Bridgeton, NJ 08302.  We’ll be in a separate room at the front of the restaurant.  They have a full food menu and bar.  https://greenolivenj.com . 


Tentative 2025 Schedule Drafted - 11/21/24

We’ve put together a tentative tournament schedule for 2025.  As always, it’ll be reviewed and finalized at a club meeting sometime early next year.  Here’s what it looks like.  You can bring your feedback to the meeting.

 

3/15 – Rainbow

3/22 – Union

3/29 – DOD

4/5 – Sunset

4/12 – Audrey

6/21 – Assunpink

6/28 – Sunset

7/12 – Rainbow

7/19 – Audrey

7/26 – Canal

8/2 – East Creek

8/9 – Cooper

8/16 – Cedarville/Shaws Mill Scramble

8/23 – Stone Tavern

9/6 – Newton

9/13 – Bargaintown

9/20 – DOD

9/27 – Union

9/28 -- Cooper


Another Disappointing Bass Bowl Finish - 10/13/24
As is too often the case, our Bass Bowl team couldn't seem to locate the keeper bass at the North East River in Maryland.  We finished in seventh place out of seven clubs with three bass for 6.61 lbs.  (The winners, Cumberland County Bassmasters, had a fifteen bass limit for 40.30 lbs.)  We do thank our team members -- Al Franchetta, Jenn McDonald, Chris Oeser, Ken Merlock, Dave Lloyd and Howard Nuttall -- for representing our club.
Bass Bowl Team Assembled - 10/2/24
This year's Bass Bowl team will consist of Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock, Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald, and Dave Lloyd & Howard Nuttall.  They'll be fishing against other member clubs of the South Jersey Bass Club Association at the North East River in Maryland on Sunday, October 13.  Let's wish them the best of luck!

Oeser & Merlock Take Hawg Hunters Classic - 9/29/24
We've had many years in which our annual end-of-the season Hawg Hunters Classic produced disappointing results.  In this year's edition, however, all six teams that participated brought in keeper bass on both days -- two teams had limits on both days.  In fact, the weights of the top three finishing teams made our all-time Top Ten List.  Ken Merlock & Chris Oeser brought in a 7.04 lb limit on Day 1 at Salem Canal, including Ken's 3.00 lb lunker winner.  They then followed that up with a four-bass bag on Day 2 at Union Lake that weighed 11.06 lbs, including Ken's massive 6.33 lb lunker winner.  Their combined weight of 18.10 lbs gave them a winning margin of almost three pounds.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares brought in consecutive limits of 7.51 lbs and 7.78 lbs for a total of 15.29 lbs and a second place finish.  Very close behind them were Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth who had two limits for a total of 14.82 lbs (6.73 lbs + 8.09 lbs).  John Franchetta fishing solo won the snakehead pot on Day 1 with a 3.22 lb snake and Joe Nemeth took the pickerel pot in Day 2 with a 3.31 lb pick.  In total the group weighed in twenty-six keepers at Salem Canal for 41.58 lbs (1.60 lb average) and nineteen keepers at Union Lake for 34.16 lbs (1.80 lb average).
As a surprise for the club, Greg Lentz & Owen Fitzgerald served up a hot dog lunch following the Day 1 weigh-in at Salem Canal (something they already do at the summertime Canal tournaments).  Thanks guys!
To nobody's surprise, Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares took the club championship (for the second year in a row), which was a foregone conclusion a while ago.  Congratulations Duck & Nellie!
 Chris O & Ken M
 Ken M
 Ken M

Battling a Slow Bite at DOD - 9/21/24
It was back to the slow bite grind for most at our DOD Lake tournament.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald brought in the only five-bass limit.  Their 6.25 lb winning bag included Al's 1.94 lb lunker winner.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares continued their successful season with a second place finish, weighing in four keepers for 5.71 lbs.  Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock took third place with four bass for 4.51 lbs.  Chris Oeser took another pickerel side pot with a 2.63 lb pick.  The seven teams weighed in twenty bass for 23.80 lbs (1.19 lb average).
 Al F & Jenn M
 Al F

Some Decent Bags at Bargaintown - 9/14/24
Three teams weighed in over ten pounds each at our Bargaintown Lake tournament.  Dave Lloyd & Howard Nuttall took their first win of the season with limit that weighed 12.21 lbs.  In second place was John Franchetta, fishing solo.  John had five for  10.38 lbs.  His 4.00 bass was the lunker winner.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald finished in third with four keepers that totaled 10.27 lbs.  Chris Oeser's 2.33 lb pickerel took the side pot.  A total of twenty-six bass were weighed in by the seven teams, for a total of 49.78 lbs (1.91 lb average).
 Howard N & Dave L
 John F

Only One Limit Again... at Union - 9/7/24
For the second tournament in a row, only one five- bass limit was brought to the scales.  This time it was Ken Merlock & Chris Oeser who found a quantity of keepers and took first place with 10.34 lbs at Union Lake.  Ken's lunker winner went 5.56 lbs, our heaviest lunker of the year so far.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald came in second place with four bass for 8.61 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth rounded out the top three places with three keepers for 4.99 lbs.  John Franchetta won the pickerel side pot with a hefty 3.65 lb pick.  In total, the six teams entered weighed in seventeen bass for 31.44 lbs (1.85 lb average).
 Ken M & Chris O
 Ken M

Only One Limit at Sunset - 8/24/24
For most teams the keeper bass weren't biting much during our tournament at Sunset Lake.  John Franchetta and sub partner/daughter Leah found the right spot at the right time and took the win with a five-bass limit weighing 8.85 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares kept their successful season going with a second place finish bringing in four keepers for 6.37 lbs.  Duck had the 2.19 lb lunker winner.  Greg Lentz & Owen Fitzgerald came in third with two bass weighing 2.72 lbs.  Only four other keepers were weighed in.  Al Franchetta took the pickerel side pot (for the second tournament in a row) with a 2.70 lb pick.  Seven teams weighed in a total of fifteen bass for 22.99 lbs (1.53 lb average).
 John F & Leah F
 Bill D

An Evening at Malaga Lake - 8/10/24
For a change of pace, we fished our first evening tournament in a few years.  Malaga Lake didn't give up a ton of keepers on this day, but a couple of teams managed to bring in a five-bass limit.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares won yet another tournament with a limit that weighed 8.57 lbs.  That included Nellie's 3.93 lb lunker winner.  John Franchetta, fishing solo, brought in a 6.00 lb limit to take second.  Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock finished in third with four bass for 4.98 lbs.  Al Franchetta won the pickerel side pot with a 1.17 lb pick.  The seven teams that participated weighed in twenty-two keepers for 31.51 lbs (1.43 lb average).  Every team had at least two keepers.
 Bill D & Nelson H
 Nelson H

Duckardt & Hares Take Another One at Cooper - 8/3/24
Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares won their fifth tournament of the season, this time at Cooper River.  Their five-bass limit weighed 11.07 lbs.  Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock had a limit for 8.68 lbs, including Ken's 2.62 lb lunker winner, finishing in second.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took third place with a 6.29 lb limit.    The six teams that showed up weighed in a total of twenty-four keepers for 36.89 lbs (1.54 lb average).  Every team had at least two keepers.
 Nelson H & Bill D
 Ken M

Slow Day on the Canal, But Hot Dogs! - 7/21/24
The bass bite was off a bit for our tournament at Salem Canal, with every team bringing in at least one keeper but only one team with a five-bass limit.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had five for 7.73 lbs to take their second win of the season.  Four bass for 5.53 lbs put Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares in second place.  Chris Burrell & Carl Huff rounded out the top three with two keepers weighing 3.78 lbs.  That included Carl's 2.54 lb lunker winner.  Dave Lloyd took the snakehead side pot with a 7.34 lb critter.  In total, the seven teams weighed in seventeen keepers for 23.74 lbs (1.40 lb average).  Following the weigh-in, Greg Lentz and partner Owen Fitzgerald treated everyone to a hot dog lunch.  Dave Lloyd provided drinks and condiments.
 Joe N & Fred L
 Carl H
Volunteers Needed for July 20 Kids Fishing Event - 7/15/24
Adult volunteers are needed to help out with the pond fishing activities at the South Jersey Youth Outdoor Day event on Saturday, July 20.  This would involve helping the kids and their parents with putting bait on a hook, casting and untangling birds nests.  There will also be a rod/reel loaner station and target casting that need to be run.  If anyone can help out, please contact Fred Lentz. 

Dodging the Downpours at East Creek - 7/13/24
Seven teams showed up at East Creek Pond despite a rainy weather forecast.  Well the weatherman was correct and we dealt with frequent bursts of heavy rain throughout the morning.  Despite that, most teams found keeper bass and four five-bass limits were weighed in.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares took their fourth win of the season with a limit that weighed 10.45 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had a 7.53 lb limit and came in second.  Al Franchetta, fishing solo, took third place with 7.09 lbs.   Al's 2.65 pounder took the lunker pot.  Chris Oeser won the pickerel side pot with a 2.10 lb pickerel.  Twenty-eight keepers were weighed in for a total of 39.26 lbs (1.40 lb average).
 Bill D & Nelson H
 Al F

Fishing the Algae Bloom at Rainbow - 7/6/24
The annual algae bloom that affects the lakes along Muddy Run creek made its presence known during our summer tournament at Rainbow Lake.  Although not yet in "full bloom" some large portions of the lake were covered in slimy algae mats and fishing action was pretty slow.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares picked up their third win of the season, bringing in a five-bass limit weighing 8.92 lbs.  Duck had the lunker winner -- a 3.29 lb bass.  Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock took a close second with a 8.77 lb limit.  Finishing in third were Chris Burrell & Carl Huff with four bass for 6.50 lbs.  Owen Fitzgerald took the pickerel pot with a rather slim .72 lb pick, the only entry in the contest.  The six teams that showed up weighed in a total of nineteen bass for 30.10 lbs (1.58 lb average).  Following the weigh-in a few members hung around and picked up litter in the ramp & parking areas.
 Bill D
 Litter Patrol

Everyone Gets a Limit at Audrey - 6/29/24
Lake Audrey, well known for its quantity of bass but not quality, lived up to that reputation.  All eight teams entered in our tournament brought in five-bass limits.  Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock took their second win in a row with a limit that weighed 6.93 lbs.  That included Ken's 1.81 lb lunker winner.  In an extremely close finish for all of the places behind them, Greg Lentz & Owen Fitzgerald came in second with 6.21 lbs.  John Franchetta & sub partner Eric "Woody" Woodward finished in third with 6.15 lbs.  There was a tie for the pickerel pot with Al Franchetta and Bill Duckardt each weighing in a slender 1.05 lb entry.  The eight teams weighed in a grand total of forty bass for 49.00 lbs (1.23 lb average).
 Chris O & Ken M
 Ken M
July 20 Canal Tournament Date Switched to July 21 - 6/27/24
In order to accommodate the South Jersey Youth Outdoor Day, the date of which was changed from mid-August to mid-July, we're moving our July 20 Salem Canal tournament to the following day -- Sunday July 21.

Pretty Good Day at Assunpink - 6/22/24
Seven teams showed up for our summer-opening tournament at Lake Assunpink and all of them managed to weigh in at least one keeper.  In fact, five of the teams had 3-bass limits (15 inch minimum).  Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock took the win with three bass weighing 9.39 lbs.  There bag was buoyed by Ken's nice 4.27 lb lunker winner.  Finishing in second were Dave Lloyd & Howard Nuttall with a limit that weighed 8.32 lbs.  Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz rounded out the top three with a 7.37 lb limit.  Howard Nuttall took the pickerel side pot with a 3.25 lb pick.  In total, we weighed in eighteen keepers for 46.56 lbs (2.59 lb average).
 Chris O & Ken M
 Ken M

Plenty of Keepers at Audrey - 4/13/24
As usual, there were plenty of keepers to be caught at Lake Audrey.  Part of the usual quest there is to average over a pound per bass.  This time, every team was able to do that despite very windy conditions.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth pulled out the win  with a limit that weighed 7.88 lbs.  They were followed close behind by Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald whose limit weighed 7.74 lbs.  Rounding out the top three were Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares with a 7.17 lb limit.  Chris Oeser took the lunker win with a 1.72 lb bass.  John Franchetta Sr won the pickerel pot with a 1.79 lb critter.  Overall, the nine teams (one pulled out pretty early and didn't weigh in) brought in thirty-three keepers for 47.68 lbs (1.44 lb average).
 Joe N & Fred L
 Chris O

Deja Vu All Over Again at DOD - 4/6/24
Once again only one team managed to find a bunch of keeper bass.  And it was the same team as last week.  At DOD Lake this time, Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares dominated the field again with a five-bass limit that weighed 7.66 lbs.  Nellie had the lunker winner with his 2.55 lb entry.  Chris Oeser & Ken Merlock came in second with two bass for 2.42 lbs.  Dave Sprigg Jr & Clay Sprigg also had two that weighed 2.33 lbs.  Only one other keeper bass was weighed in.  Five teams skunked.  Bill Duckardt won the pickerel side pot with a 2.34 lb pickerel.  Nine teams showed up and only ten bass were weighed in, totaling 13.56 lbs (1.36 lb average).
 Nelson H & Bill D
 Nelson H

One Limit & Not Much Else at Sunset - 3/30/24
Only one team managed to locate any quantity of bass at our Sunset Lake tournament.  Everyone else pretty much struggled to find active fish, including four teams that skunked.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares brought in a nice 11.67 lb five-bass limit to take the win.  Their bag included Duck's 3.19 lb lunker winner.  Coming in a distant second were Dave Sprigg Jr and son Clay Sprigg with two keepers weighing 3.77 lbs.  Chris Burrell & sub partner Marcus Christopher took third place with one bass for 2.71 lbs.  Dave Sprigg Jr took the pickerel side pot with a 2.45 lb pick.  The nine teams that showed up weighed in a total of twelve bass for 23.08 lbs (1.92 lb average).
Bill D & Nelson H
 Bill D
Union Tournament Cancelled - 3/22/24
Due to forecasted high winds and heavy rain, our March 23 Union Lake tournament has been cancelled.
Good Turnout at Rainbow - 3/16/24
Ten of our twelve teams showed up to fish at our first tournament of the season at Rainbow Lake.  (The two teams that didn't make it were prevented from coming by medical problems.)  The participants were greeted by some pretty good weather and fish that were biting.  Every team weighed in at least one keeper bass.  The new team of John Franchetta Sr & John Franchetta Jr took the win with a five-bass limit that weighed 9.49 lbs.  They were followed very closely by another new team (and another father & son team) -- Mario Circone Jr and Mario Circone III, who had a limit for 9.39 lbs.  Finishing in third place were Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth who had four bass for 5.77 lbs.  Carl Huff won the lunker pot with a 2.98 lb bass.  John Franchetta Jr took the pickerel side pot (with the only pickerel brought in, so it wasn't weighed).  The ten teams that participated combined for twenty-five keepers for a total of 46.02 lbs (1.84 lb average).  Following the weigh-in some members participated in a clean-up of the parking lot, ramp and shoreline.		 John F Jr & John F Sr
 Carl H
Pre-Season Meeting Held - 2/7/24
We held our pre-season meeting on February 3 at the Green Olive restaurant in Hopewell/Bridgeton.  The members in attendance declared official team members (with a lot of changes from last year's teams), paid their annual dues, decided to have North East River (MD) be our vote for the 2024 Bass Bowl location and approved the draft of our 2024 club tournament schedule.  Award plaques (or equivalent cash) were presented to the 2023 top three teams, Classic tournament winners and lunker-of-the-year winner.  Click here to see photos of the recipients.
Pre-Season Meeting Scheduled - 1/5/24
Our annual pre-season meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, February 3, starting at 12:00 noon.  This year the location will be the Green Olive restaurant in the Bridgeton/Hopewell area.  It’s located at the corner of Rt. 49 (Shiloh Pike) and West Park Drive (same street the Sunset Lake beach & spillways are on).  The address is 610 Shiloh Pike, Bridgeton, NJ 08302.  We’ll be in a separate room at the front of the restaurant.  They have a full food menu and bar.  https://greenolivenj.com . 

Tentative 2024 Club Schedule Drafted - 10/21/23 (updated 12/1/23)
An initial 2024 club tournament schedule has been drafted.  It is subject to change based on schedules submitted by other SJBCA member clubs and review & approval by our club members.  Here's what it looks like so far:

3/16 -- Rainbow Lake
3/23 -- Union Lake
3/30 -- Sunset Lake
4/6 -- DOD Lake
4/13 -- Lake Audrey
??/?? -- Club Trip
6/22 -- Lake Assunpink
6/29 -- Lake Audrey
7/6 -- Rainbow Lake
7/13 -- East Creek Pond
7/20 -- Salem Canal
7/27 -- [off]
8/3 -- Cooper River
8/10 -- Malaga Lake evening (4pm-10pm)
8/17 -- [off - SJ Youth Outdoor Day]
8/24 -- Sunset Lake
8/31 -- [off - Labor Day weekend]
9/7 -- Union Lake
Union Lake 9/14 -- Bargaintown Lake
9/21 -- DOD Lake
9/28 & 29 -- Salem Canal & Union Lake
10/13 -- SJBCA Bass Bowl -- TBD

Winter League Schedule Announced - 10/27/23
Every fall/winter, an open tournament trail is available for those interested .  These tournaments are held on Saturdays, all with times of 7 AM to 1 PM and an entry fee of $40 per boat (100% payout).  There are payouts for top finishing teams, lunker bass, heaviest pickerel and heaviest "miscellaneous" fish (other than bass, pickerel, carp or shad).  Here's the schedule (subject to change, depending on weather and lake conditions):

November
4 Newton
11 Rainbow
18 Union
25 Davis Mill

December
2 Sunset
9 Malaga
16 Rainbow
23 Newton
30 Davis Mill

January
6 Union
13 Malaga
20 Rainbow
27 Davis Mill

Another Middle-of-the-Pack Finish at a Bass Bowl - 10/15/23
For some unknown reason our club doesn't often shine at the SJBCA's annual club-against-club Bass Bowl tournaments.  We're usually respectable, but rarely outstanding.  This year was no different.  All three of our boats weighed in keepers at Union Lake, but didn't have enough weight to catch the leaders.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares had three bass for 5.37 lbs; Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio had two bass for 1.92 lbs; and Fred Lentz & Ken Merlock had two bass for 3.66 lbs.  So, we weighed in a total of seven bass for 10.95 lbs and finished in fifth place out of nine clubs.  Click here for detailed results  posted on the SJBCA website.
Duckardt & Hares Take Classic - 10/2/23
Buoyed by a good four-bass bag at Salem Canal on Day 1, Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares won this year's Hawg Hunters Classic tournament.  This continued their dominant season which included weighing in limits in ten of our fifteen tournaments and winning nine of them.  For the Classic they weighed in a total of eight bass for 14.17 lbs.  Duck had the Day 1 lunker with a nice 4.82 lb hawg.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill took second place with solid bags (relatively speaking) at both the Canal and Lake Audrey.  Their total was seven bass for 8.87 lbs.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald rode solid finishes on both days to third place overall.  They had a total of six bass for 8.57 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth finished just out of the money with a total of six bass for 8.36 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio rounded out the top five with a total of eight bass for 7.63 lbs.  One of them had the Day 2 lunker with a 1.27 lb bass (they flipped a coin and decided that Nick would get credit).  Nine teams qualified to participate in the tournament and all nine of them did show up. At the Canal the group weighed in a total of twenty-seven bass for 41.75 lbs (1.55 lb average) and at Audrey it was eighteen bass for measly 16.65 lbs (.93 lb average).  As far as the side pots, Zeke Zellman took the snakehead pot at Salem Canal with a hefty 6.88 lb beast and Ken Merlock took the pickerel pot at Lake Audrey with a 2.07 lb gator. 
Thanks everyone for another great season.  A special thanks to those members who helped out with weighing fish, collecting entry fees, recording results, taking photos, setting up & taking down the weigh-in station, cleaning up litter and helping fellow members with boat launching & loading.
 Bill D & Nelson H
 Bill D
 Steve C

Bass Bowl Team Set - 10/2/23
Our six-person team for this year's SJBCA Bass Bowl tournament will consist of Bill Duckardt, Nelson Hares, Steve Cram, Nick Masciantonio, Fred Lentz and Ken Merlock.  We assemble our team from the top finishers in the point standings at the end of each season.  The tournament will be on Sunday, October 15, from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Union Lake.  If you're not on the team, please consider coming out to represent the club at the weigh-in.  Be sure to wear your club apparel.

Stewart Lake Tourney Cancelled - 9/22/23
Due to forecasted high winds and heavy rains from an approaching tropical storm, our September 23 tournament at Stewart Lake has been cancelled.
And Then the Other Guys Won Again, at Bargaintown - 9/16/23
After having the Duckardt/Hares team win five of the last six tournaments, the team of Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio got back on the top of the podium with their fifth win of the season, at Bargaintown Lake.  Only three different teams have won any tournaments this year.  Steve & Nick brought in the tourney's only limit at 10.56 lbs.  Chris Oeser & sub partner (and former member) Dave Reeves came in second with four keepers for 8.71 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had three bass for 6.27 lbs to take third place.  Al Franchetta's nice 5.04 lb bass was the clear lunker winner.  A season-high eleven teams participated.  They weighed in a total of twenty bass for 43.48 lbs (2.17 lb average).  Bill Duckardt took the pickerel side pot with a 3.39 lb pick.
Following the weigh-in, many members traveled to Chris Oeser's home for a nice barbecue, hosted by Chris and his wife Jessica.
 Nick M & Steve C
 Al F

Duckardt & Hares Continue Winning Ways at DOD - 9/9/23
Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares solidified their hold on first place in the point standings with their eighth win of the season at DOD Lake.  Their five-bass limit weighed 8.99 lbs.  That included Duck's 3.93 lb lunker winner.  Chris Oeser, fishing solo, took second place with a limit that weighed 7.95 lbs.  The team of Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill rounded the top three with a 7.19 lb limit.  In total, the nine teams weighed in thirty bass for 42.45 lbs (1.42 lb average).  The pickerel side pot was won by Nick Masciantonio with a nice 4.20 lb pickerel.
 Nelson H & Bill D
 Bill D

Decent Day at Union - 8/26/23
Union Lake was its usual hit or miss self for our summer tournament there.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares won their seventh tournament of the season with a five-bass limit weighing 8.28 lbs.  They edged out Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth, whose limit weighed 8.03 lbs.  Carl Huff & sub partner Brian Boody came in third with three keepers that weighed 7.08 lbs.  That included Brian's nice 3.54 lb lunker winner.  The ten teams that fished totaled twenty-four keepers (two smallies) weighing 38.83 lbs (1.62 lb average).  Bill Duckardt took the pickerel side pot with a3.65 lb pick.
 Nelson H & Bill D
 Brian B

Only One Limit at Newton - 8/12/23
We returned to Newton Lake for the first time since 2018.  (There was a dredging project undertaken there for the most recent couple of years.)  The lake proved to be stingy for us this time around.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio, in a fierce battle at the top of the point standings, took the win with the only five-bass limit which weighed 10.53 lbs.  That included Steve's 3.05 lunker winner.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares kept up their productive season with four keepers for 7.49 lbs.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz rounded out the top three with a four-bass bag weighing 6.40 lbs.  Nick Masciantonio brought in the only entry for the snakehead pot -- a 4.35 lb creature.  The bass totals for the eight teams that showed up were twenty bass for 32.96 lbs (1.65 lb average).
 Steve C & Nick M
 Steve C

East Creek Has Same Results as Cooper - 8/5/23
Incredibly, the top five finishing teams from our Cooper River tournament last week finished in the same order this week at East Creek Pond.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares continued their dominant season with another win.  At a lake that features a lot of small pickerel and mostly small bass, they had the only five-bass limit, weighing 7.64 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio took second with four bass for 6.59 lbs.  Finishing 4 hundredths of a pound behind them were Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth, who had four for 6.55 lbs.  Chis Oeser won lunker bass with a nice 3.03 lb fish.  Steve Cram took the pickerel side pot with 1.91 pounder.  The totals for tournament were twenty-six bass for 38.94 lbs (1.50 lb average).
 Bill D & Nelson H
 Chris O

A Little Slow at Cooper - 7/29/23
Only two limits were weighed in at our Cooper River tournament.  With a very low water level, it was a search for bass-holding cover.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares continued their great season taking the win with a limit that weighed 8.22 lbs.  In second were Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio with at 8.00 lb limit.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth came in third with four bass for 6.30 lbs.  Dave Lloyd took the lunker pot with a 2.43 lb bass.  We didn't hold a toothy critter side pot, but Steve Cram brought int a snakehead that weighed 8.57 lbs after drying out all day.  In total, the seven teams weighed in twenty-two bass for 33.81 lbs (1.54 lb average).
 Nelson H & Bill D
 Dave L
Bass Were Biting at Rainbow - 7/22/23
Five of the nine teams managed to bring in five-bass limits at Rainbow Lake on a summer day when the air & water temps finallyl weren't brutal.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares took the win with a 10.87 lb limit that included Nellie's 3.58 lb lunker winner.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio finished in second place with a limit that weighed 10.04 lbs.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill rounded out the top three with an 8.66 lb limit.  The totals for the club were thirty-eight keepers for 67.97 lbs (1.79 lb average).  As pickerels weren't biting much, Dennis Snyder's lone 1.27 lb entry took the pickerel side pot.   Following the weigh-in, a few members hung around to do a litter pick-up in the parking lot, shoreline and ramp areas.

 Schedule Changes Made - 7/21/23
In order to accommodate the South Jersey Youth Outdoor Day, which is being resumed this year after three years off, on Saturday, August 19, we're making some changes to the August portion of our schedule.  That month's schedule will now be:  August 5 - East Creek Pond, August 12 - Newton Lake; August 19 - off for SJ Youth Outdoor Day] and August 26 - Union Lake.  We hope that many of our members can make it out to the Youth Outdoor Day to help with the pond fishing.  If so, please let Fred know.
Lots of Zeros at the Canal - 7/15/23
Of the eight teams that participated in our Salem Canal tournament, only three managed to bring in any keepers.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares had the only limit and won with 8.69 lbs.  Duck had the lunker winner with a 2.47 lb bass.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody took second place with four bass for 6.38 lbs.  Rounding out the field were Fred Lentz & sub partner Doug Brown with four for 5.87 lbs.  .  Thirteen keepers were weighed in for a total of 20.94 pounds (1.61 lb average).  Lester Gaskill won the snakehead side pot with a very dry 4.11 pounder.  Lester Gaskill won the snakehead side pot with a very dry 4.11 pounder		 Bill D & Nelson H
 Bill D

Not Too Bad at Sunset - 7/8/23
Four of the nine teams that showed up for our Sunset Lake tourney brought in five-bass limits.  Fred Lentz and sub partner Doug Brown took the win with a limit that weighed 9.31 lbs.  Finishing second were Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill whose limit weighed 7.88 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio continued their success this season with a third place finish, weighing in five for 7.42 lbs.  They just edged out Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares who had 7.38 lbs.  Carl Huff took the lunker pot with a hefty 5.15 lb bass.  In all, the nine teams weighed in thirty-two bass for 53.04 lbs (1.66 lb average).  Nelson Hares' 2.92 lb entry took the pickerel side pot.
 Fred L & Doug B
 Carl H

Everyone Gets a Limit at Audrey - 6/24/23
All nine teams at our Lake Audrey tournament brought in five-bass limits.  A lot of time was spent culling out tenths (or hundredths) of pounds in order to edge out other teams in a battle of close weights.  In the end, Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares topped the field with 7.31 lbs.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz took second with 6.87 lbs, including Greg's 2.04 lb lunker winner.  The top three was rounded out by Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio with 6.50 lbs.  The group weighed in a total of 45 keepers for 54.11 lbs (1.20 lb average).  Dave Lloyd won the pickerel side pot with a 1.76 lb pick.
 Nelson H & Bill D

Cram & Masciantonio Keep on Rolling at Assunpink - 6/17/23
Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio took their third tournament in a row on a day when most teams were struggling to locate any 15 inch keeper bass.  At Lake Assunpink, Steve & Nick brought in a three-bass limit that weighed 8.82 lbs.  That included Steve's 3.37 lb lunker winner.  Close behind were Scott Bowen & sub partner Pat Bowen with a 8.15 lb limit to take second place.  Finishing in third place were Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares with three bass for 7.39 lbs.  Six of the ten teams that showed up brought in at least one keeper.  In total, thirteen bass were weighed in for 33.74 lbs (2.60 lb average).  Bill Duckardt won the pickerel side pot with a 3.06 pounder.
 Nick M & Steve C
 Steve C
  
Lots of Limits at Audrey - 4/8/23
Bass were plentiful at Lake Audrey during our final tournament of the spring phase of our schedule.  Eight of the nine teams brought in five-bass limits and the ninth team said they lost their fifth keeper at the side of the boat.  Steve Cram, with sub partner Joe Logan, took their second win in a row with five bass that weighed 8.92 lbs.  Their bag included Steve's 2.78 lb lunker winner.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth finished in second with a limit that weighed 7.76 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares rounded out the top three with their 7.35 lb limit.  In all, we weighed in forty-four bass for 62.35 lbs (1.42 lb average).
 Steve C & Joe L
 Steve C
Sunset Tourney Cancelled - 3/31/23
Due to forecasted high winds (and rain) our April 1 Sunset Lake tournament has been cancelled.  Hopefully we can get our last Spring tournament in before the closed season.

A Battle Against the Elements at Bargaintown - 3/25/23
Our tournament at Bargaintown Lake found us battling steady drizzle/rain and windy conditions pretty much all day.  The baby pickerel were biting pretty well, but keeper bass were harder to come by.  In the end, four teams had two keepers each and four teams got skunked.  Last year's champions, Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio, picked up their first win of the year with two big bass for 8.50 lbs.  The bigger of their bass, a 4.50 pounder caught by Steve, took the lunker prize.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody came in second with two for 6.09 lbs.  Finishing in third were Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald with two for 2.83 lbs.  Chris Burrell & Carl Huff came in a close fourth with two for 2.62 lbs.  The eight teams weighed in a total of eight keepers for 20.04 lbs (2.51 lb average).  The pickerel pot was won by Dave Lloyd with a 2.42 lb pick.
 Steve C & Nick M
 Steve C

Duckardt & Hares Take Union Tourney - 3/18/23
The weather turned out to be not quite as bad as predicted for our Union Lake tournament that kicked off our 2023 season.  Sunny, breezy conditions lasted throughout most of the day.  Fishing conditions were very tough for most of the eight teams that showed up.  In the end, Bill Duckardt & Nelson Hares took the win with four keepers for 9.40 lbs.  Their bag included Nellie's 3.06 lb lunker winner.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth finished in second with two bass for 3.46 lbs.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody rounded out the top three places (and the last of the keepers in the tournament) with one bass for 2.52 lbs.  So the grand totals were seven bass for 15.52 lbs (2.21 lb average).  Nick Masciantonio took the pickerel side pot (beating out a bunch of close entries) with his 3.07 lb gator.
 Bill D & Nelson H
 Nelson H
2022 Award Plaques Presented - 3/18/23
Following the weigh-in at our March 18 Union Lake tournament, award plaques were presented to the top finishers, Classic winners & heavy lunker winner from our 2022 season.  Photos of the recipients are linked in the Champions section of our website.
 Steve C & Nick M
Rainbow Tourney Cancelled - 3/10/23
Due to forecasted high winds (and rain/snow and cold) our March 11 Rainbow Lake tournament has been cancelled.  We'll decide later if we want to put Rainbow back in the schedule somewhere.

Pre-Season Meeting Held - 2/11/23
We held our pre-season meeting on February 11.  The members in attendance declared official team members, paid their annual dues, decided to have Union Lake be our vote for the 2023 Bass Bowl location and approved the draft of our 2023 club tournament schedule.  It was agreed that we'd get an assessment of the fishing conditions at Stewart Lake prior to finalizing that tournament location.  If anyone needs club window stickers, Scot Bowen is getting some more made up ($15 for large, $6 for small).

Club Pre-Season Meeting Scheduled for February 11 - 1/21/23
Our pre-season meeting will take place on Saturday, February 11 starting at 4 PM.  The location will be the same as last year --> Town & Country Golf Links in Woodstown.  We'll be declaring teams, paying dues, reviewing our 2023 draft schedule and handling any other business that needs discussing.  We'll also be collecting donated lures (freshwater & saltwater, new in-the-package) to pass along to the SJBCA for the tackle box raffles they hold at their annual Fishermen's Flea Market.
 
Tentative 2023 Schedule Drafted - 11/28/22
A club tournament schedule has been drafted.  It is subject to finalization by the club members.
3/11 - Rainbow Lake
3/18 - Union Lake
3/25 - Bargaintown Lake
4/1 - Sunset Lake
4/8 - Lake Audrey
6/17 - Lake Assunpink
6/24 - Lake Audrey
7/8 - Sunset Lake
7/15 - Salem Canal
7/22 - Rainbow Lake
7/29 - Cooper River
8/12 - East Creek Pond
8/19 - Union Lake
8/26 - Malaga Lake
9/9 - DOD Lake
9/16 - Bargaintown Lake
9/23 - Stewart Lake
9/30 & 10/1 - Classic - Salem Canal & Lake Audrey

Kerr Trip Dates Set - 11/3/22
The dates for the 2023 club trip to Kerr Reservoir, Va, have been set as Wednesday, April 26 through Sunday, April 30.  For more details on the trip and campsite reservations, contact Bill Duckardt.
Hawg Hunters Finish in Sixth at Bass Bowl - 10/16/22
The six-person team that represented our club at the South Jersey Bass Club Association's club-against-club "Bass Bowl" tournament finished in sixth place.  Steve Cram & Mario Circone had a five bass limit for 7.41 lbs, Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald had one keeper for 3.11 lbs (the second heaviest fish weighed in) and Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen had one keeper for a decent 2.16 lbs.  That gave us a total of seven keepers for 12.68 lbs. Detailed results and photos are posted on the SJBCA website.
 2022 Bass Bowl
 Al F & Jenn M
 Steve C & Mario C

Cram & Masciantonio Take Classic - 10/9/22
Bringing in a good bag on Day 1 at a tough Rainbow Lake carried Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio to the Hawg Hunters Classic win after an even tougher Day 2 at Union Lake.  On Day 1 they had a five-bass limit for 10.44 lbs. That included Steve's 2.99 lb lunker winner.  Bill Duckardt & sub partner Nelson Hares had five for 7.67 lbs on Day 1 followed by two for 2.95 lbs on Day 2.  That gave them a second place total weight of 10.62 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had three for 4.97 lbs on Day 1 and Fred fishing solo on Day 2 had two for 3.32 lbs (including Fred's 2.30 lb Union lunker winner).  They took third place with an 8.29 lb total.  Overall, the fishing was pretty bad at both lakes for most of the teams.  Two teams only brought in one keeper and four teams couldn't locate a keeper.  At Rainbow, we had a total of eighteen bass for 31.19 lbs (1.73 lb average), while at Union we only had seven keepers for 10.70 lbs (1.53 lb average).  Regarding the pickerel side pots, no picks where brought in on Day 1, so we doubled the pot for Day 2 and only a single one-pounder was brought (by Bill Duckardt) in for the win.
 Nick M & Steve C
 Steve C
 Fred L

Classic Postponed by One Week - 9/30/22
Due to forecasted high winds (and rain) on the scheduled dates of our Hawg Hunters Classic tournament, the tourney will be postponed until the following weekend.  Also, we need to switch the sequence of the two lakes.  So we will be at Rainbow Lake on Saturday, October 8, and at Union Lake on Sunday, October 9.  We regret any inconvenience this may cause the teams that qualified.
Lots of Pickerels, Not Many Bass at Bargaintown - 9/24/2022
While pickerels were plentiful in the very clear water at Bargaintown Lake, keeper bass were almost nowhere to be found.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl took the win with only two bass, weighing 4.74 lbs.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz came in second with three bass for 4.23 lbs.  Fred Lentz's 3.04 lb lunker winner (with partner Joe Nemeth) was enough for third place. Only one other keeper was weighed in.  Four of the eight teams skunked.  The seven keepers weighed a total of 13.52 lbs (1.93 lb average).  Chris Oeser took the pickerel side pot with a 2.39 lb entry.
 Chris O & Rod B
 Fred L
Informal Club Get-Together Planned for After Bargaintown Tourney
After this Saturday's tournament at Bargaintown Lake, members are invited to head to Chris Oeser's home nearby for an informal get-together.  We'll likely order pizza and members can provide their own adult beverages.  Chris will have some soda and juice available (and maybe grill some chicken).
Plenty of One-Pounders to Go Around at Audrey - 9/17/2022
Anglers who were in the right parts of the lake in the early morning enjoyed a lot of bass action at our Lake Audrey tournament.  Most of the bass were of the 12 to 14 inch one pound variety.  The bite died off quite a bit after the sun got higher in the sky around 8:00 AM.  That early bite allowed five teams to bring in five-bass limits and another couple of teams to bring in four keepers.  Every one of the ten participating teams had at least one keeper.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio padded their points lead on the rest of the club with a winning 6.64 lb bag that took the win.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill came in second with a 6.41 lb bag.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth rounded out the top three with their 5.89 lb limit.  Ken Merlock had the lunker with a 1.46 lb bass.  In all, thirty-seven keepers were weighed in for a total of 42.57 lbs (1.15 lb average).  Nelson Hares won the pickerel pot in a battle of skinny picks with his 1.29 lb entry.
 Steve C & Nick M
 Ken M

Only a Couple of Teams Found Them at Carnegie - 9/10/2022
For most of the seven teams that made the trip up to Princeton's Carnegie Lake  keepers were in very short supply.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill brought in a five-bass limit, however, and took their first win of the season.  Their 8.16 lb bag easily topped the field.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio continued their strong season by weighing in a four-bass bag for 4.75 lbs and finishing in second.  Ken Merlock's 2.85 lb lunker winner (with partner Mark Woody) was good enough to take third place.  The seven teams weighed in only fourteen bass for 19.61 lbs (1.40 lb average).  No side pots were held.
An otherwise pleasant day on the lake was marred by ignorant scullers who insisted on rowing close to the shorelines and yelling at fishermen who were just trying to stay out of the way.
Thanks to Scott Bowen, Mario Circone and Ken Merlock, who ran the weigh-in process.
 Lester G & Zeke Z
 Ken M

Slow but Not Bad at Salem Canal - 8/27/2022
Rumors of a slow bite this summer at Salem Canal didn't deter our group at all.   Eight of the nine teams that showed up brought in multiple keepers.  Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen picked up their first win of the season with the tournament's on limit weighing 7.37 lbs.  Their bag included one of the two bass tied for the lunker win -- Pat's 3.04 lb kicker.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl took second place with four bass for 6.60 lbs, including Rod's 3.04 lunker winner (tie).  Greg Lentz & Dennis Snyder (back from a medical issue) rounded out the top three teams with four keepers weighing 5.45 lbs.  The totals for the club were twenty-seven keepers for 38.99 lbs (1.44 lb average).  Ken Merlock Sr's sub partner, Kenny Merlock Jr, took the snakehead side pot with a nice 5.75 lb critter.  A couple of other nice entries were also brought in.
 Pat B & Scott B
 Pat B
 Rod B

No Giants at Stone Tavern - 8/20/2022
In the past couple of years, it took some heavy weights to take the win and lunker at Stone Tavern Lake. This year, fish were biting but not the big ones.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody got their first win of the season by bringing in four bass for 7.23 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & sub partner Nelson Hares (member of a different team) came in  second with four keepers for 6.15 lbs.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone were a few hundredths behind them with four for 6.11 lbs.  Greg Lentz won the lunker prize with a 2.67 lb bass.  The ten teams that participated weighed in a total of twenty bass for 30.60 lbs (1.53 lb average).  No pickerels were brought in for the pickerel side pot.
 Ken M & Mark W
 Greg L

Finally a Break from the Heat Wave at Cooper River - 8/13/2022
After fishing a lot of tournaments in brutal heat, we finally got a day with moderate temperatures and a nice breeze at our Cooper River tourney. Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio kept up their strong season by bringing in a winning five-bass limit that weighed 8.27 lbs.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill took second with a limit weighing 6.23 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & sub partner Nelson Hares (member of a different team) rounded out the top three finishers with a four-bass bag for 5.41 lbs.  Dave Lloyd's sub partner Howard Nuttall took the lunker pot with a 2.19 lb bass.  The ten teams that showed up weighed in a total of twenty-five keepers for 36.54 pounds (1.46 lb average).
 Steve C & Nick M
 Howard N

Sheppard's Mill Produces Two Big Ones Among a Sea of Shorts - 7/30/2022
A lot of bass were reportedly caught at our Sheppard's Mill Pond tournament (first time there for our club), but not very many were keeper size.  Two of the keepers that did get brought in were big ones.  Bill Duckardt, fishing solo, won the tournament with two bass weighing 9.28 lbs.  That included his huge 7.09 lb lunker winner.  Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen brought in Scott's 5.14 lb bass.  Although it was deceased by the time the tournament ended, the net weight of 2.57 lbs was enough to take second place.  Fred Lentz & sub partner Doug Brown brought in Fred's 2.09 lb bass which got them third place.  The eleven teams that fished weighed in a total of nine keepers for 19.30 lbs (for a deceptively high 2.14 lb average).  Lester Gaskill won the pickerel side pot with a 2.35 lb pick.
 Bill D
 Bill D

Almost Everyone Gets a Limit at Audrey - 7/23/2022
Nine of the ten teams that fished our mid-summer Lake Audrey tournament came in with five-bass limits.  The one team that didn't had arrived late for the start and missed some of the morning bite.  All of the weights from first to ninth were relatively close.  Dave Lloyd and Mario Circone came in first with a 9.35 lb limit.  That included Mario's 2.82 lb lunker winner.  Nelson Hares, fishing solo, had a limit that weighed 8.30 lbs to take second.  And Bill Duckardt, also fishing solo, came in third with 7.76 lbs.  The totals for the ten teams were 49 keepers for 69.51 lbs (1.42 lb average).  No pickerels were weighed in for the side pot.
 Dave L & Mario C
 Mario C

Pretty Good Results at DOD, After Date Mix-up - 7/16/2022
After experiencing some confusion about where we were supposed to be fishing, we ended up at DOD Lake.  Ten teams came out to play and nine of them brought in keepers.  In the end, Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald took the win with a five-bass limit weighing 8.12 lbs.  Bill Duckardt, fishing solo, had four keepers that totaled 7.56 lbs, good enough for second.  His 3.54 lb kicker fish was the lunker winner.  Greg Lentz & sub partner/grandson Owen Fitzgerald came in third with a five-bass limit that weighed 6.26 lbs.  The ten teams weighed in a total of thirty-one keepers for 43.22 lbs (1.39 lb average). Joe Nemeth won the pickerel/muskie side pot with a 1.07 lb pick.
 Al F & Jenn M
 Bill D

Small Crowd & Bass at a Scummy Rainbow Lake - 7/9/2022
Only six teams were able to make it to our Rainbow Lake.  Those teams were greeted with a bad algae bloom that covered large sections of the lake.  Dave Lloyd & sub partner Jeff Hogan brought in three keepers that weighed 4.87 lbs.  That was good enough to take the win.  Their bag included Dave's 2.84 lb lunker winner.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio came in second with two bass weighing 3.18 lbs.  Greg Lentz & sub partner Owen Fitzgerald rounded out the top three with two bass for 1.56 lbs.  A total of ten bass were weighed in for 12.36 lbs (making for an underwhelming 1.24 lb average).  There were no pickerel weighed in for the pickerel pot.  A quick clean-up of the property near the ramp was conducted following the weigh-in.
 Dave L

Lotta Limits at Sunset - 6/25/2022
Five of the ten teams that participated in our Sunset Lake tournament brought in five-bass limits and nine teams weighed in at least two keepers.  Nelson Hares, fishing solo, took the win with a limit that weighed an even 9 lbs.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone came in second with an 8.70 lb limit.  That included Dave's 2.60 lb lunker winner.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio finished in third with a limit that weighed 7.80 lbs.  In total, the group weighed in thirty-six bass for 55.79 lbs (1.55 lb average).  That was by far the most keepers the club has weighed in this year; a bit better than our April tourney here, when only twelve keepers were weighed in.  Lester Gaskill took the pickerel side pot with a 2.46 lb pickerel.
 Nelson H
 Dave L

Surviving the Wind at Lake Assunpink - 6/18/2022
Eight teams showed up to battle extremely windy conditions at Lake Assunpink as we resumed our club tournament schedule following the bass closed season.  Despite the wind, bass were biting pretty well, just not big ones.  Bill Duckardt, fishing solo, won with a three-bass limit weighing 8.19 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio took second place with a 7.66 lb limit.  Their weight was helped out by Nick's 3.26 lb lunker winner.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill came in third with two keepers for 5.15 lbs.  The eight teams weighed in a total of fifteen keepers (15 inch minimum) for 37.75 lbs (2.52 lb average).  Fred Lentz won the pickerel side pot with a 1.67 lb pick.
 Bill D
 Nick M

Some Good Ones at Bargaintown - 4/9/2022
Two bass over five pounds were weighed in at our Bargaintown Lake tournament.  Steve Cram & Nick Masciantonio took their second win of the season with a five-bass limit that weighed 13.90 lbs (.01 lb off our club record at that lake).  Their bag was anchored by a nice 5.08 lb kicker.  Chris Oeser & sub partner Dan Martin only needed four bass to take second place with 11.15 lbs.  Joe Nemeth's 5.44 lb lunker winner propelled him & Fred Lentz into a third place finish.  The ten teams that participated weighed in sixteen bass for a total of 41.38 lbs (making for an impressive 2.59 lb average).  Steve Cram took the pickerel pot, in a close contest, with a 2.94 lb pick.
 Nick M & Steve C
 Joe N
 
Tough Fishing at Sunset - 4/2/2022
Twelve teams went into our Sunset Lake tournament with high hopes, but the lake had other ideas.  On yet another cold & windy spring tournament day, first place was taken with two bass for 4.00 lbs by Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono.  Duck's 2.63 lb bass was the lunker winner.  In second place were Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald with two bass for 3.70 lbs.  Finishing in a very close third were Nelson Hares & Tim Harrison with two keepers weighing 3.69 lbs.  Nick Masciantonio won the pickerel side pot with a 3.12 lb gator.  The twelve teams weighed in a total of twelve bass for 21.27 lbs (1.77 lb average).
 Bill D
  
Some Decent Bags Caught at Windy Parvin - 3/26/2022
Last time our club fished Parvin Lake, no keepers were caught by the nine teams that showed up.  This time the story was a little different, with five of the eight teams bringing in keepers.  Dave Lloyd and Mario Circone took the win with a three-bass limit that weighed 10.34 lbs.  Their solid bag was anchored by Mario's 3.87 lb lunker winner.  Dave Sprigg Jr and sub partner Greg Zinni came in second with three bass weighing 8.01 lbs.  Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz finished in third place with three bass for 7.26 lbs.  Steve Cram took the pickerel pot with a huge 4.03 lb beast.  The keeper bass count for the day was eleven for 32.18 lbs (a solid 2.93 lb average).
 Mario C & Dave L
 Mario C
  
Full House at Union Tourney - 3/19/2022
All thirteen teams showed up for our first tournament of the year, at Union Lake.  The forecasted rain & overcast skies never appeared.  Instead, the fishermen were met with bright sunshine and windy conditions.  Steve Cram, fishing solo, took the win with a five-bass limit that weighed 8.40 lbs.  Bill Duckardt, also fishing solo, brought in an 8.01 lb limit to take second place.  Dave Sprigg Jr & Rich Hahn finished in third with three bass that weighed 7.61 lbs.  Zeke Zellman won the lunker pot with a nice 4.30 lb bass.  Joe Nemeth's 3.70 lb pickerel took the pickerel side pot.  The thirteen teams weighed in a total of twenty-two bass for 43.20 lbs (1.96 lb average).

 Steve C
 Zeke Z
Rainbow Lake Tourney Cancelled - 3/11/2022
Our tournament scheduled for Rainbow Lake on Saturday, March 12, has been cancelled due to forecasted high winds, rain and possible snow.

Pre-Season Meeting Notes - 2/26/2022
At our pre-season meeting we tweaked our tournament schedule somewhat, switching the March 19 tournament from Malaga Lake to Union Lake and the October 1 Hawg Hunters Classic Day 1 from Lake Lenape to Union Lake.  We'll also keep an eye on other clubs' results at the recently restored Stewart Lake to decide if we need to relocate our September 10 tournament scheduled for there.  We're also going to advise against any members having alcoholic beverages on their boats, to avoid any club liability in the case of issues.  In addition, due to problems with sending group emails to the club members, we're going to create a club text messaging distribution list.  More info to come.

Pre-Season Meeting Scheduled for February 26 - 2/19/2022
A club pre-season meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, February 26, starting at 4:00 PM.  The location this year will be the Creekside Inn restaurant at the Town & Country Golf Links golf course in Woodstown.  The address is 197 East Avenue, Woodstown, NJ 08098.  Click here for more details & directions on the golf course's website.  At the meeting we'll be declaring team members, collecting dues, reviewing the 2022 tentative tournament schedule and discussing any other club business necessary.

Club Updates - 2/18/2022
It appears that Fred's emails to the entire club are being blocked somewhere along the line and not being received by the members.  He's looking into that issue.  Here's what the most recent email to the club from Fred said:

I’ve been asked about us having a pre-season meeting.  I’ve been trying to put one together but haven’t been able to find a suitable free indoor location.  I had planned on going back to Gleason’s Sports Bar but apparently it has permanently closed down.  I’m still looking for a replacement.  I had the late afternoon of Saturday, February 26 in mind, but that’s fast approaching.  If we can’t get an indoor meeting together, we may look to have it following one of our early weigh-ins, as we’ve done in the past.  Suggestions welcome.  More info to come.

 

Speaking of the meeting, we normally give out plaques to the top three finishing  teams, Hawg Hunters Classic winners and heaviest lunker of the year winner.  A couple of years ago we began offering “equivalent cash” in lieu of a plaque.  After polling the recipients of the  nine plaques for this past season, it sounds like we’ll only be giving out one plaque.  We’ll have to reconsider our annual tradition of handing out plaques.

 

Bill Duckardt has picked up a new club scale.  It’s the one I mentioned in an email a while back.  He tried it out at a winter league tournament last weekend and all went great.

 

I also want to mention that the South Jersey Bass Club Association’s annual Fishermen’s Flea Market is being held this year, after being cancelled last year.  The date is Saturday, March 5.  The location is the usual Millville Elks Lodge on Broad Street/Mays Landing Road. Times are 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  Admission donation is $5.00 for the first hour (new for this year) and $2.00 thereafter (kids under 14 get in free).  Over 40 vendor tables and a couple of outside spaces have already been rented.  There are still a few vendor tables available at only $20.00 each if anyone is interested.  The SJBCA could use your support.  Event details are at www.sjbca.org/fleamkt.htm .


Also:

The NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife is hosting its annual Freshwater Fisheries public forum on Saturday morning, February 26.  The forum will be virtual.  Click here for details on the event.


Member clubs of the South Jersey Bass Club Association voted on the Delaware River (launching from the Gloucester City ramp) as the location of this year's Bass Bowl tournament.



Tentative 2022 Schedule UPDATED - 11/26/2021
Due to conflicts with other local clubs, we've tweaked our tentative club tournament schedule for 2022.  It will be reviewed & finalized at a pre-season meeting.

3/12 -- Rainbow Lake
3/19 -- Malaga Lake
3/26 - Parvin Lake
4/2 -- Sunset Lake
4/9 -- Bargaintown Lake
4/20-4/24 -- Kerr Trip
6/18 -- Lake Assunpink
6/25 -- Sunset Lake
7/9 -- Rainbow Lake
7/16 -- Malaga Lake
7/23 -- Lake Audrey
7/30 -- Sheppard's Mill Pond
8/13 -- Cooper River
8/20 -- Stone Tavern Lake
8/27 -- Salem Canal
9/10 -- Carnegie Lake
9/17 -- Lake Audrey
9/24 -- Bargaintown Lake
Hawg Hunters Classic -- 10/1 -- Lake Lenape & 10/2 -- Rainbow Lake

Yet Another Crappy Bass Bowl for Hawg Hunters - 10/17/2021
Our club's inability to do well in this annual tournament continued for another year.   At Salem Canal, Fred Lentz & Al Franchetta weighed in two bass for 1.90 lbs, Nelson Hares & Bill Duckardt brought in one bass for 1.27 lbs and Zeke Zellman (solo) couldn't locate any keepers.  In the end, we finished in tenth place out of eleven clubs.  Six of the eleven clubs had a total weight of under ten pounds on a day that was pretty tough for most anglers.  Click here for detailed results and photos.
 Bass Bowl Team
Hawg Hunters Bass Bowl Team Roster Set - 10/13/2021
Representing our club at this year's South Jersey Bass Club Association "Bass Bowl" tournament will be:  Nelson Hares & Bill Duckardt, Zeke Zellman (solo) and Fred Lentz & Al Franchetta.  The event will be held at Salem Canal on Sunday, October 17 (7 AM to 3 PM).  Thanks for stepping up to represent our club guys and  good luck!
Snyder/G.Lentz Win Classic; Cram/Hares Cap Champion Season at Classic - 10/3/2021
Both lakes were kind of stingy at this year's Hawg Hunters Classic tournament, with relatively few keepers and no big fish.  On Day 1 at Sunset Lake, Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz led the way with a four-bass 4.62 lb bag.  They were followed by Bill Duckardt (solo) with two bass for 2.27 lbs and Ken Merlock & Mark Woody with two bass for 2.18 lbs.  The lunker winner was Dennis' 1.33 lb bass.  In total, a pathetic eleven keepers were weighed in at Sunset for 11.99 lbs (1.09 lb average).

On Day 2 at Union Lake things picked up a bit.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone had the tournament's only five-bass limit at a weight of 5.51 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares, who had zeroed on Day 1, came in with four bass for 5.36 lbs.  Ken & Woody brought in three keepers for 4.29 lbs.  The Day 2 lunker winner was Ken Merlock with a 1.96 lb bass.  The final top three finishing teams were: Greg & Dennis = 8.12 lbs, Dave & Mario = 6.63 lbs, and Ken & Woody = 6.47 lbs.  Twenty-two keepers were weighed in at Union for a total of 26.62 lbs (1.21 lb average).

In no surprise to anyone Steve Cram & Nelson Hares (with sub partner Nick Masciantonio) took the club championship by a wide margin.  Congratulations on a great season guys!  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono fished in second place and Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill rode a strong end of the season to finish in third place.  Those three teams earn the right to represent our club at the South Jersey Bass Club Association's "Bass Bowl" tournament on October 17.
 Dennis S & Greg L
 Dennis S
 Ken M

Zellman/Gaskill Pick Up Fourth Win, at Davis Mill - 09/25/2021
Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill had the only five-bass limit on a pretty stingy day at Davis Mill Pond.  Their bag weighed 7.67 lbs.  Steve Cram, fishing with frequent sub partner Nick Masciantonio, rode Nick's nice 5.43 lb lunker winner to a second place finish with a two-bass total weight of 7.24 lbs.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody finished in third place with four keepers for 6.94 lbs.  The eight teams that participated weighed in eighteen bass for a total of 29.23 lbs (1.62 lb average).
Lester G & Zeke Z
 Nick M

Cram/Hares Team Wins Again at Bargaintown - 09/18/2021
Steve Cram & Nelson Hares further padded their huge points lead with a win at Bargaintown Lake.  This was their sixth win of the season.  They had the only five-bass limit, weighing 12.15 lbs.  Mario Circone, fishing solo, brought in three keepers weighing 8.38 lbs to take second place.  Mario won the lunker pot with a nice 3.67 lb bass.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill finished in third with four bass for 7.90 lbs.  Nelson Hares won the pickerel side pot with a 2.51 lb gator.  The nine teams weighed in a total of eighteen keepers for 38.47 lbs (2.14 lb average).
 Steve C
 Mario C

Cram/Hares Team Takes Fifth Win, at Audrey - 09/11/2021
We fished Lake Audrey for the first time ever.  This lake has been in existence for a number of years, but the bass population needed time to increase in quantity and size (with help from various sources).  Although the lake holds a fair number of keepers, on this day they were a bit hard to come by.  Steve Cram, with frequent sub partner Nick Masciantonio, took his team's fifth win of the season (and a commanding lead in the season point standings).  They had a five-bass limit for 9.09 lbs, including Steve's 3.93 lb lunker winner.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill took second with a limit that weighed 6.07 lbs.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody also moved up the point standings a bit with a third place finish, having three bass for 5.86 lbs.  Dennis Snyder took the pickerel side pot with a 1.53 lb pick.  The eight teams that participated weighed in a total of twenty-nine bass for 38.69 lbs (1.33 lb average).
 Nick M & Steve C
 Steve C

Nobody Completes the Quest for Five Pounds - 08/28/2021
The club is used to having a majority of the bass caught at Hammonton Lake be shorts, but this year was exceptionally tough.  Bass were plentiful; keepers were rare.  Ken Merlock fishing solo, brought in a five-bass limit that totaled 4.30 lbs.  That was good enough for the win.  Fred Lentz, also fishing solo, had three keepers for 3.25 lbs and took second.  His bag included the 1.67 lb lunker winner.  Dave Lloyd and Mario Circone finished in third with three bass for 2.90 lbs.  Bill Duckardt weighed in the only entry for the pickerel pot and won it with a 1.12 lb gator.  The nine teams that fished brought in a total of twenty-two bass for 20.00 lbs (for a .91 lb average).
 Ken M
 Fred L

Slow Fishing, Car in the Water at Cooper River - 08/21/2021
Keeper bites weren't very plentiful  at our Cooper River tournament, so the most excitement of the day was a car driving into the water near the Rt 130 bridge just as our tourney was starting.  No team was able to find a limit, but Zeke Zellman managed to find four decent ones to take the win with 6.39 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares continued their very successful season with a second place finish, bringing in four keepers for 5.55 lbs.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody had two bass for 3.23 lbs, including Ken's 2.36 lunker winner, and came in third.  The eight teams that participated weighed in a total of eighteen keepers for 25.17 lbs (1.40 lb average).

Regarding the car that drove into the river, although the driver was trapped in the vehicle underwater for a period of time, emergency responders arrived quickly and he was rescued.  The car was subsequently removed from the water.  Here's an article about the incident...  Collingswood officers jumped into Cooper River as vehicle sank from view (courierpostonline.com)		 Zeke Z
 Ken M

Evening Tournament at Malaga - 08/14/2021
For a change of pace, we held an afternoon/evening tournament at Malaga Lake.  The tournament times were 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM Air temperatures were hot and there was a thunderstorm threat, but things stayed dry.  The fishing action was a bit sparse, but a few teams found them.  Steve Cram and Nelson Hares put together a five-bass limit for 7.56 lbs and picked up their fourth win of the season.  Chris Oeser, fishing solo, weighed in three bass for 7.24 lbs to take second. Chris's 4.43 lb kicker took the lunker prize.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone finished in third with three bass for 5.76 lbs.  Ten teams showed up and weighed in a total of twenty keepers for 33.99 lbs (1.70 lb average).  No pickerels were brought in for the pickerel pot.
 Chris O

Struggle for Keepers at the Canal - 07/31/2021
The ten teams that showed up for our Salem Canal tournament only managed to weigh in seventeen total keepers.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono had a large share of those with a winning bag of five bass for 6.36 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares came in second with three bass for 5.18 lbs, including Nellie's 2.68 lb lunker winner.  Greg Lentz & sub partner/grandson Owen Fitzgerald took third place with three bass for 3.96 lbs.  The seventeen bass weighed in totaled 22.72 lbs and averaged 1.34 lbs.  The snakehead side pot was won by Rod Blomdahl with a 3.95 lb beast.  Following the weigh-in, Greg Lentz hosted another of his annual hot dog lunches.  Thanks Greg!
 Jimmy O & Bill D
 Nelson H

Fewer Boats and Bites at East Creek - 07/24/2021
Only seven teams showed up for our tournament at East Creek Pond.  Maybe the ones who stayed away knew something because the bite was very slow despite the beautiful weather.  Zeke Zellman, fishing solo, brought in four bass totaling 7.09 lbs to take the win.  His 2.99 lb bass won the lunker pot.  Al Franchetta and sub partner Shannon Bernek finished in second with three bass weighing 5.20 lbs.  Steve Cram and frequent sub partner Nick Masciantonio came in third with three bass for 2.90 lbs.  Shannon Bernek took the pickerel pot (which was carried over for the third week) with a 1.14 lb beast, the only one weighed in.  The group weighed in a total of seventeen bass for 25.17 lbs (1.48 lb average).
 Zeke Z
 Zeke Z

Three-Bass Win for F.Lentz at Stone Tavern - 07/17/2021
Every team weighed in at least one keeper at our Stone Tavern Lake tourney and two teams had five-bass limits.  But Fred Lentz's three-bass bag included two good ones, propelling him to the win with 9.12 lbs.  His 4.27 lb bass was the lunker winner.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono kept their successful season rolling along by taking second place with a limit that weighed 8.59 lbs.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone held down third place with a 7.04 lb limit.  The nine teams that made the trip up to Central Jersey weighed in a total of twenty-four bass for 47.60 lbs (1.98 lb average).
 Fred L
 Fred L

Some Good Sized Bass at Rainbow - 07/10/2021
For the second tournament in a row, every team weighed in at least one keeper bass at Rainbow Lake.  This time the average weight was more impressive.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono won with a five-bass limit weighing 13.83 lbs.  Their bag included a five pounder.  Fred Lentz, fishing solo, brought in a limit that weighed 10.34 lbs and took second place.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz rode Dennis's nice 6.14 lb lunker winner to a third place finish with a three-bass total of 8.60 lbs.  The ten teams that showed up weighed in a total of 25 bass for 54.54 lbs (2.18 lb average).  No pickerels were brought in for the pickerel side pot.  Following the weigh-in, a few members helped with a clean-up of the parking lot and shoreline.
 Jimmy O & Bill D
 Dennis S

Everyone Gets Keepers at Sunset - 06/26/2021
All nine of the teams that fished our summer Sunset Lake tournament brought in multiple keepers.  Zeke Zellman & Lester Gaskill took the win with a five-bass limit that weighed 10.76 lbs.  Their bag included Zeke's 4.68 lb lunker winner.  Finishing about a half pound behind in second place were Steve Cram & Nelson Hares who had five for 10.20 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono came in third with a 7.41 lb limit.  Limits were also brought in by Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl (6.60 lbs) and Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone (5.60 lbs).  The nine teams weighed in a total of thirty-seven bass weighing 56.53 pounds (1.53 lb average).  Steve Cram took the pickerel side pot with a 3.90 lb gator.
 Zeke Z

Cram & Hares Take Another Win at Assunpink - 06/19/2021
Steve Cram & Nelson Hares picked up their third tournament win of the season, this time at Lake Assunpink.   With most teams struggling to catch a three-bass limit of 15 inch bass, they did get three for a nice 9.42 lb total.  That included Nellie's 5.19 lb lunker winner.  Taking second place were Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald who had a limit weighing 6.92 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono had three for 5.99 lbs to finish in third.  Seven of the ten participating teams weighed in keepers.  In total, fifteen bass were brought in for a total of 35.20 lbs (2.35 lb average).
 Steve C & Nelson H
 Nelson H
  
...And Back to Decent Results at Bargaintown - 04/10/2021
With water temperatures rising back up to the 60 degree range, the fishing action was a lot better at Bargaintown Lake for our final tournament of the spring segment of our club schedule.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono brought in a nice 12.47 lb limit to take the win this week.  Their bag included Duck's 5.12 lb lunker winner.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald had four bass for 10.69 lbs to take second.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares came in third with a limit that weighed 8.97 lbs.  Bill Duckardt took the pickerel side pot with a 3.89 lb pick; one of several big ones weighed in.  In all, twenty-three bass were brought in for a whopping total of 50.01 lbs (2.17 lb average).
 Bill D & Jimmy O
 Bill D
   
Back to the Grind at DOD - 04/3/2021
Some thought the fishing action would be on the upswing after a decent tournament for most teams at Rainbow, but a cold snap dropped the water temps and the bite was very slow at DOD Lake.  Steve Cram's boat, this week with frequent sub partner Nick Masciantonio, won for the second week in a row.  Their two-bass 6.03 lb bag was anchored by Steve's 3.15 lb lunker winner.  Dave Lloyd & sub partner Matt Clark took second place with two bass weighing 2.56 lbs.  Finishing in third were Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz with one bass for 1.36 lbs.  Fred Lentz won the  pickerel pot with a 1.67 lb pick.  The nine teams that showed up weighed in a total of nine keeper bass for 14.05 lbs (1.56 average).
Steve C

Much Better Results at Rainbow - 03/27/2021
After a couple of tournaments which were real tough for most teams, we finally had one (at Rainbow Lake) where a bunch of keepers were weighed in.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares won with a four-bass bag that weighed 9.30 lbs.  Bill Duckardt, fishing solo, came in second with three bass for 7.37 lbs.  He also took the lunker prize with a 3.32 lb bass.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl finished in third with three bass for 5.64 lbs.  Fred Lentz won the pickerel pot with a 2.57 lb toothy critter.  The twelve teams that participated weighed in 20 keepers for 34.98 lbs (1.75 lb average).

Following the weigh-in, many club members stuck around for a parking lot & shoreline clean-up of our adopted Wildlife Management Area.  The situation was pretty bad so we ended up taking away a lot of trash.
 Steve C & Nelson H
 Bill D

Even Slower at Union - 03/20/2021
We followed up a slow Sunset tournament with an even slower one at Union Lake.  Twelve teams came out to try their luck.  Only four of them weighed in any keepers.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody took the win with a two-bass bag weighing 5.30 lbs.  That included Woody's 3.44 lb lunker winner.  Carl Huff & Zac Oliver came in second with one bass for 1.79 lbs.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone's 1.67 lb bass was good enough for third.  In total we had five bass for 9.57 lbs (1.91 lb average).  Dave Sprigg Jr took the pickerel pot with a fat 3.48 lb gator.
 Ken M & Mark W
 Mark W

Fishing Action a Little Slow at Sunset Opener - 03/13/2021
Nine teams showed up to fish our season opener at Sunset Lake.  They faced some cold, windy weather and reluctant bass.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz took the win with two bass weighing 3.65 lbs, including Greg's 2.00 lb lunker winner.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl came in a close second with a three-bass bag weighing 3.59 lbs.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares' two-bass, 2.97 lb bag was good enough for third place.  The nine teams weighed in a total of eleven bass for 15.15 lbs (1.38 lb average).
 Dennis S & Greg L
 Greg L
Pre-Season Meeting Held Following Sunset Tourney - 03/13/2021
We held our pre-season meeting after the Sunset Lake tournament weigh-in.  During the review of the tentative 2021 schedule a decision was made to switch the September 25 DOD Lake tournament to a different location. Several lakes were suggested.  We tentatively decided on Davis Mill Pond.  (Other suggestions -- Alloway Lake & Sheppard's Mill Pond -- will be used as potential alternate locations.)  We also decided to experiment with a later start time for one of our Spring tourneys -- next week's Union Lake tournament times will be 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM.  In addition, plaques were awarded to last seasons top three teams, Classic winners and heaviest lunker winner.  Also, Mark Woody received his plaque for having the heaviest smallmouth bass in the SJBCA's angling excellence awards.

Pre-Season Meeting to be Held Following Sunset Tourney - 03/9/2021
Our pre-season meeting will take place in the pavilion at Piney Point picnic area following our Sunset Lake tournament on Saturday, March 13.  Please socially distance and have a face covering available.  Members may want to bring a camp chair or beach chair to sit on.
Tentative 2021 Schedule Announced - 12/21/2020
We've put together a tentative club tournament schedule for 2021.  As usual, it's based on places & dates we've fished in the past with some tweaks here & there.

3/13 -- Sunset Lake (7:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
3/20 -- Union Lake
3/27 -- Rainbow Lake
4/3 -- DOD Lake
4/10 -- Bargaintown Lake
6/19 -- Lake Assunpink
6/26 -- Sunset Lake
7/10 -- Rainbow Lake
7/17 -- Stone Tavern Lake
7/24 -- East Creek Pond
7/31 -- Salem Canal
8/14 -- Malaga Lake (evening)
8/21 -- Cooper River
8/28 -- Hammonton Lake (switched from Sunset Lake)
9/11 -- Lake Audrey
9/18 -- Bargaintown Lake
9/25 -- DOD  Lake
10/2 & 3 - "Hawg Hunters Classic" - Sunset Lake & Union  Lake

Another Crappy Bass Bowl - 10/18/2020
We continued our string of less-than-spectacular performances at the South Jersey Bass Club Association's annual Bass Bowl tournament on October 18.  The location was the North East River in Maryland.  This year we finished in 8th place out of nine clubs that attended.  In general, the fishing was tougher than usual for just about everyone at that location.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl came in with a decent four-bass bag for 6.82 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Steve Cram had two bass for 2.31 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono couldn't locate any keeper sized bass.   Click here for full results of the tournament on the SJBCA site.  Thanks to Rod Blomdahl for bringing custom face coverings for all of our team members.
 Mask
 Mask

Classic Day 2 - Well That Kinda Sucked - 10/4/2020
Most thought that Day 2 (at Salem Canal) of our annual Hawg Hunters Classic would have to be better that the brutal first day at Union Lake.  Nope.  Eight teams showed up for Day 2 (two dropped out after Day 1) and only five keeper bass were brought to the scales.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody had no keepers at the Canal but maintained their first place standing with 8.81 lbs from Day 1.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone moved up from a Day 1 third place standing to second place with one Canal bass for 1.13 lbs, totaling 3.56 lbs for the weekend.  Steve Cram & sub partner Nick Masciantonio also had no keepers on Day 2, but still finished in third with a total of 3.06 lbs.  Dennis Snyder took the Day 2 lunker prize with a nice 2.44 lb bass.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono won the club championship for the third consecutive year.  Congratulations to everyone on another great season!
 Dennis S

Classic Day 1 Not So Hot - 10/3/2020
Day 1 of our Hawg Hunters Classic at Union Lake saw some really tough fishing.  Only five of the ten teams managed to bring in a keeper fish and no team got a five-bass limit.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody crushed the competition with four bass for 8.81 lbs, including Ken's 4.24 lb Day 1 lunker winner.  Steve Cram & sub partner Nick Masciantonio had three bass for 3.06 lbs to sit in second.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone's two bass for 2.43 lbs placed them just above Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth's two for 2.42 lbs.  Only one other bass was weighed in.  Zeke Zellman won the pickerel side pot with a 3.35 lb toothy critter.
 Ken M & Mark W
 Ken M

Less Than Spectacular First Time at Alloway - 9/26/2020
Our first time fishing a club tournament at Alloway Lake didn't quite go as planned, as most teams caught bass but couldn't get fish which were the minimum 15 inches.  In this three-bass tournament, none of the teams got a limit.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl brought in two bass for 6.39 lbs for the first place finish.  One of their fish was Rod's 3.69 lb lunker winner.  Jim Miller & Greg Staino's two-bass 3.75 lb bag gave them second place.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares took third place with one bass for 3.61 lbs, just a hair off of the lunker winning weight.  The eleven teams that participated weighed in a total of seven keepers for 18.40 lbs (2.63 lb average).
 Chris O & Rod B

One Big Bag at Bargaintown - 9/19/2020
The weather was cold & windy at Bargaintown Lake and the bass weren't very active except around Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono's boat.  Duck & Jimmy brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 13.91 lbs to take the win.  That weight broke our club five-bass record for this lake.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares had three bass for 6.23 lbs to finish in second.  Close behind them were Ken Merlock & Mark Woody who had three bass for 6.12 lbs.  Mario Circone won the lunker pot with a 3.00 lb bass.  His partner Dave Lloyd took the pickerel side pot (for the second tournament in a row) with a 3.67 lb gator.  The eight teams that came out for the tournament weighed in a total of fourteen bass for 32.30 lbs (2.31 lb average).
 Bill D & Jimmy O
 Mario C

Cram & Hares Take Another One - 9/12/2020
Steve Cram & Nelson Hares got their fourth win of the season at our Hammonton Lake tournament.  They brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 6.95 lbs.  That included Nelson's 1.81 lb lunker winner.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took second with a limit that weighed 5.79 lbs.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell finished in third with a 5.33 lb limit.  Dave Lloyd took the lunker side pot with a 1.94 lb pick. Ten teams participated in the tournament and weighed in twenty-four bass for total of 26.65 lbs (1.11 lb average).  This tournament featured something that we've never had before -- a fourth generation participant in a Hawg Hunters tourney -- Rich Hahn's sub partner Clayton Sprigg is the son of member Dave Sprigg Jr, grandson of former member Dave Sprigg Sr and great-grandson of former member Harry Sprigg.
 Steve C

Few Boats, Few Bass, No Thunderstorms at Carnegie - 8/29/2020
Most of the club teams stayed away due to forecasted thunderstorms for the day, but there wasn't much rain at all at our Carnegie Lake tournament.  There were just a few very light, very brief drizzles.  If you bothered to put your rain gear on, the drizzle was over before you got your jacket zipped up.  Bass were pretty scarce unless you were in the Cram/Hares boat.  Steve & Nellie brought in a limit that weighed 10.76 lbs, breaking our year-old club record for this lake and giving them the win.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono finished in second with two bass for 4.64 lbs, including Duck's 3.41 lb lunker winner - also a club record for this lake.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had two bass for 3.82 lbs to take third place.  The five teams that showed up to fish weighed in a total of twelve bass for 22.87 lbs (1.91 lb average).
 Steve C
 Bill D

Better Quality Than Last Time at Stone Tavern - 8/22/2020
Our club fished Stone Tavern Lake one other time -- in 2013.  Although there was one decent limit brought in, the average size of the bass weighed in was very small.  Our return this year, after a seven year hiatus, saw an improvement in the quality (and quantity) of the bass.  Bill Duckardt, fishing solo, took the win with a five-bass limit that weighed 10.33 lbs.  That's a club record for this lake.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had four bass for 8.67 lbs to finish in second.  In a very tight battle for third, Jim Miller & Greg Staino's four bass for 6.57 lbs eked out Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell's four for 6.55 lbs.  Greg Lentz took the lunker prize with a real nice 5.69 lb bass, breaking our club lunker record for this lake.  Ten teams participated and brought in a total of 27 bass for 51.56 lbs (1.91 lb average).
 Greg L

Low Water but Bass Biting at Cooper - 8/8/2020
The water level at Cooper River was the lowest we'd ever seen it and many spots that would normally hold fish were high & dry, but that didn't keep the bass from biting.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth brought in a limit that weighed 11.04 lbs to take the win.  Fred had the lunker winner at 2.90 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono finished in second with a limit that weighed 7.40 lbs.  Holding down third place were Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl who had four keepers for 6.69 lbs.  The ten teams that showed up weighed in a total of twenty-nine bass for 46.15 lbs (1.59 lb average).
 Fred L & Joe N
 Fred L

Our First Snakehead Side Pot at the Canal - 8/1/2020
As nobody had weighed in a legal pickerel in the last several tournaments, we decided to change it to a snakehead pot at Salem Canal.  Three were brought to the scales (and another got away from a team's tether while they were running their outboard).  Zeke Zellman's 5.93 lb beast took the pot.  Over on the bass side, Steve Cram & Nelson won with a five-bass limit weighing 7.48 lbs (after a penalty).  Dave Sprigg Jr & Rich Hahn came in second with their three bass bag weighing 5.10 lbs.  Close behind them were Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz, who had a limit that weighed 5.05 lbs, giving them third place.  Ken Merlock won the lunker prize with a 2.63 lb fish, eking out Steve Cram's 2.47 lb lunker entry.  In total, the twelve teams that participated weighed in twenty-four bass for 31.23 lbs (1.30 lb average).
 Nelson H & Steve C
 Ken M

Finally Some Bass Biting - at East Creek - 7/25/2020
After a couple of brutal tournaments in which hardly any keepers were weighed in, a bunch of bass were brought to the scales at East Creek Pond.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald brought in a winning limit that weighed 7.61 lbs.  Their bag included Al's 2.18 lb lunker winner.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took second place with a limit that weighed 6.77 lbs.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl's 5.64 lb bag gave them third place.  All told, the ten teams that participated in the tourney weighed in twenty-eight bass for 37.10 lbs (1.33 lb average).  Unfortunately, for the third tournament in a row no keeper pickerels were weighed in for the pickerel pot.
 Al F & Jenn M
 Al F

No Cooperation from the Fish at Malaga - 7/18/2020
On a hot, bluebird sky day at Malaga Lake the fish bites were few and far between.  Steve Cram & Nelson Hares took the win with two bass for 3.44 lbs, including Steve's 1.85 lb lunker winner.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono had two bass for 2.87 lbs and finished in second.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had two for 2.30 lbs, good enough for third place.  Only two other keepers were weighed in, with only five of the twelve teams weighing in fish.  The total count was eight bass for a total of 10.66 lbs (1.33 lb average).  No pickerels were weighed in for the pickerel pot.
 Steve C

Just a Few at the Mud Bowl - 7/11/2020
Unfortunately, our summer Sunset Lake tournament was held the day after a large tropical storm blew through the area, making the whole lake look like coffee with extra cream.  Of the twelve teams that participated only six weighed in fish and nobody weighed in more than one.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl brought in Chris' nice 3.19 lb bass to take the win and lunker pot.  Carl Huff and Zac Oliver came in second with their 1.62 lb fish.  In a close battle for third place, Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell's 1.29 bass beat out Steve Cram & Nelson Hare's 1.20 lb fish.  Six bass were weighed in, totaling 9.39 lbs (1.57 lb average).  No pickerels were brought in for the pickerel pot.
 Rod B & Chris O
Tournament Switch Made - 7/9/2020
Due to boat ramps being closed at many WMA lakes until after July 27, we had to switch the dates of two tournaments with one another.  July 18 will now be Malaga Lake and August 22 will now be Stone Tavern Lake.
Lots of Limits at Assunpink - 6/27/2020
This is our second year of fishing for a three-bass limit at NJ "Lunker Bass Program" lakes, where the legal per-person limit is three bass with a 15" minimum length.  Last year at Lake Assunpink we had one three-bass limit weighed in. This year we had eight three-bass limits brought to the scales!  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took the win with a limit that weighed 11.22 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono came win second with three for 9.35 lbs.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz's limit weighed 7.50 lbs and was good enough for third place.  Ken Merlock took the lunker prize with a nice 5.74 lb bass.  The eleven teams that participated weighed in twenty-five keepers for 64.53 lbs (2.58 lb average).
 Joe N & Fred L
 Ken M

First Tourney Back from Quarantine - 6/20/2020
After canceling the last three tournaments of the spring and our club fishing/camping trip due to the coronavirus outbreak, we were able to resume our season (with some social distancing restrictions) at Rainbow Lake.  Jimmy Ohono, fishing with sub partner Mike Ford, brought in a limit that weighed 7.94 lbs to take the win.  Right on their heels were Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone, whose limit weighed 7.74 lbs.  Their bag included Dave's 2.54 lb lunker winner.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz had some livewell problems with their limit but still totaled 6.36 lbs to finish in third place.  Eleven teams participated in the tournament.  They weighed in a total of thirty bass for 45.92 lbs (1.53 lb average)
 Mike F & Jimmy O
 Dave L
Club Tournaments to Resume on June 20 - 6/10/2020
Due to changes in coronavirus precautions from the NJ State government, we'll be resuming our club tournament schedule at Rainbow Lake on Saturday, June 20.  Social distancing procedures will be observed -- while on land, you must remain at least six feet from other members & wear a face covering when near anybody else.  There will be no line at the weigh-in.  We'll announce when you can bring up your fish.

All Upcoming Tournaments Cancelled Until Further Notice - 3/22/2020
Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak and resulting stay-at-home order, we'll be cancelling all tournaments for the foreseeable future.  We'll resume when the order is lifted and group activities are again permitted.

One Limit at Windy Sunset - 3/21/2020
Our tournament at Sunset Lake began with cold, windy conditions and got even colder & windier as the day went on.  The bass bite was very slow, with only seven of the ten teams managing to bring in a keeper.  Bill Duckardt, fishing solo, was able to catch a limit and won the tourney with 6.71 lbs.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald came in second with two bass for 6.35 lbs, including Al's 4.43 lb lunker winner.  They were followed by five teams that each had one bass.  Mark Woody & Ken Merlock's 2.16 lb bass took third place.  The ten teams weighed in a total of twelve bass for 20.88 lbs (1.74 lb average).
 Bill D
 Al F

One Big Bag & Some Other Decent Ones at Union - 3/14/2020
At our first club tournament of the season, Union Lake produced a number of pretty good bass.  Many of them were in the winning bag of Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen who had four bass (mixed largemouth & smallmouth) for a total of 12.64 lbs.  Their bag included Scott's 4.26 lb lunker winner.  Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz finished in second place with Joe's nice 3.68 lb bass.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody finished in third with one good 3.39 lb bass.  Twelve teams participated in the tournament.  A total of thirteen bass were brought to the scales for a total of 31.83 lbs (2.45 lb average).
 Pat B & Scott B
 Scott B
Club GTG/Pre-Season Meeting Held - 2/8/2020
We held our annual meeting at Gleason's Place.  Eighteen club members attended.  Among the items discussed & decided were: 
* team members were declared & dues paid,
* our club's vote for the location of this year's Bass Bowl will be North East River,
* we replaced the final Sunset tournament with Alloway Lake (with club member Jimmy Ohono paying for the permit and the club paying each boat's ramp fee),
* we'll hold optional pickerel side pots at lakes that have a decent population of pickerels, the pot will be $2 per boat, 15 inch minimum,
* plaques were awarded to the top three teams, lunker of the year winner and Classic winners.
The updated 2020 club schedule has been posted on the club website and there's a link to a printable version.  (All tournament locations and times are subject to change.)

Former Club Members Pass Away - 1/17/2020
We regret to report that over the past couple of weeks two former club members passed away.  Both had been battling illnesses for several years.  Orie Summers fished with us (partnered with Bill Duckardt) from 2001-2007 and 2013-2016.  He was part of club champion teams in 2003, 2005 & 2013 and part of the Hawg Hunters Classic winning team in 2001, 2005, & 2013.  He stayed in close contact with the club after he discontinued fishing.  Mike Wright fished with us (partnered with Dave Sprigg Jr, his brother Ken, then Steve Steinmetz) from 2001-2006.  Following his years with our club Mike switched to kayaking and fished with South Jersey Kayak Bass Fishing Club.

Club GTG/Pre-Season Meeting Scheduled - 1/4/2020
Our annual get-together/pre-season meeting will be held on Saturday, February 8 at Gleason's Place.  Start time is noon-ish.  We'll be declaring team members, collecting annual dues, presenting plaques and reviewing our 2020 schedule.

Tentative 2020 Club Schedule Drafted - 12/11/2019
The following schedule still needs to be finalized.

3/14 -- Union Lake
3/21 -- Sunset Lake
3/28 -- Rainbow Lake
4/4 -- Malaga Lake
4/11 -- Davis Mill Pond
6/20 -- Rainbow Lake
6/27 -- Lake Assunpink
7/11 -- Sunset Lake
7/18 -- Stone Tavern
7/25 -- East Creek Pond
8/1 -- Salem Canal
8/8 -- Cooper River
8/22 -- Malaga Lake (evening?)
8/29 -- Carnegie Lake
9/12 -- Hammonton Lake
9/19 -- Bargaintown Lake
9/26 -- Sunset Lake
10/3 -- Union Lake
10/4 -- Salem Canal

Tough Finish in Tough Bass Bowl - 10/13/2019
Ken Merlock & Mark Woody participated in one of the most brutal Bass Bowls in memory (even among a bunch of tough ones).  They didn't weigh in any keeper bass, but they had a lot of company.  Of the seven clubs that competed, only four managed to bring in any keepers.  Click here to see the results on the SJBCA website.

Bass Bowl Team Will Be Skeleton Crew - 10/9/2019
After some changes in our participants' plans, it looks like this year's Bass Bowl team will consist of just Ken Merlock & Mark Woody.  They'll be competing against other six-man teams but we wish them the best of luck at Conowingo Reservoir in Maryland.
Duckardt & Ohono Repeat as Classic Winners & Champions - 9/29/2019
After sitting in third place after Day 1, Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono leapfrogged two teams on Day 2 to take their second consecutive Hawg Hunters Classic win and club championship. With their Day 2 limit weighing 7.17 lbs at Salem Canal added to their three-bass 3.90 lb East Creek Pond bag, they had a total of eight bass for 11.07 lbs.  The teams of Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth and Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell incredibly tied for second with 8.58 lbs each.  Dennis Snyder took the East Creek Pond lunker prize with a 1.77 lb bass.  Zeke Zellman took the Salem Canal lunker with a nice 3.92 lb bass.  Nine teams participated in the tournament.  At East Creek, we weighed in seventeen bass for 22.17 lbs (1.30 lb average).  At Salem Canal we weighed in nineteen bass for 25.43 lbs (1.34 lb average).  Thanks to everyone for another great season.
 Jimmy O & Bill D
 Dennis S
 Zeke Z


No Limits at Bargaintown - 9/21/2019
The usually reliable Bargaintown Lake was not very cooperative for our late-season tournament here, with no limits being weighed in.  Jim Miller & Greg Staino won for the second week in a row with a four-bass bag that weighed 6.89 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono pretty much sealed their club championship with a second place finish, weighing in four bass for 6.64 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took third place with two bass for 4.74 lbs.  Their bag included Fred's fourth lunker win in the last six tourneys (five out of six for their team).  The eight teams that showed up weighed in a total of twelve bass for 21.02 lbs (1.75 lb average).
 Jim M & Greg S
 Fred L

Day 1 of Classic Moved - 9/19/2019
Due to low water level at Lake Lenape and the expectation that it won't rise sufficiently in the next week, we've decided to move Day 1 of our Hawg Hunters Classic to East Creek Pond (7:00 AM to 1:00 PM).  This was after consideration of a number of factors, including which local lakes were available for holding a tournament. 
It should also be noted that there have been recent reports of HAB (harmful algal bloom) being present on a certain section of the Salem River.  Currently it affects all ponds between Memorial Lake in Woodstown and Daretown Lake in Daretown.  It does not currently affect the portion of the Salem River near Carney's Point where tournaments are held, so we shouldn't have any issues holding Day 2 at Salem Canal. 

Decent Day at Malaga - 9/14/2019
Two pretty good bags got weighed in at our Malaga Lake tourney and seven of the eight teams brought in at least one keeper.  Jim Miller & Greg Staino took their first win of the season with a five-bass limit that weighed 9.73 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth were close behind with a 9.57 lb limit.  Their bag included Fred's 3.41 lb lunker winner.  Jimmy Ohono & sub partner Mario Circone finished in third with three bass that weighed 3.94 lbs.  The eight participating teams weighed in a total of twenty bass for 33.38 lbs (1.67 lb average).
 Greg S & Jim M
 Fred L

Lentz/Nemeth Take 4th Win at Stingy Sunset - 9/7/2019
On a very slow day of fishing, no limits were brought at our Sunset Lake tournament.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth brought four keepers to the scales and took their fourth win of the season with 5.87 lbs.  Joe took the lunker prize with a 2.11 lb bass.  Coming in second were Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono who had two bass for 2.55 lbs.  That helped them maintain their huge lead in the point standings.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone finished in a close third place with two bass for 2.49 lbs.  The ten teams that participate in the tournament weighed in a total of sixteen bass for 18.69 lbs (1.17 lb average).
 Joe N & Fred L
 Joe N

First Time at Carnegie - 8/24/2019
We fished Carnegie Lake in Princeton for the first time ever.  After we survived launching our boats at the same time that a group of scullers launched theirs (and blocked much of the ramp area & dock), we got underway a bit late.  Some teams had no problem finding the fish and others struggled a bit on this very long body of water.  In the end, Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell took the win with a limit that weighed 8.50 lbs.  They edged out Bill Duckardt & sub partner Nelson Hares who had an 8.22 lb limit.  Finishing in third were Jim Miller & Greg Staino who had a limit weighing 7.63 lbs.  Those were the only limits.  Fred Lentz took the lunker prize with a 3.37 lb bass.  Ten teams participated in the tourney and weighed in a total of twenty-nine bass for 45.70 lbs (1.58 lb average).
 Scott S & Zeke Z
 Fred L

Every Team Weighs in at Cooper - 8/10/2019
Ten teams showed up for our Cooper River tournament and all of them weighed in at least one keeper.  We finally had a day that wasn't scorching hot and the fishing action was pretty decent too.  Bill Duckardt & sub partner Nelson Hares weighed in a five bass limit for 10.39 lbs to take the win.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald came in second with a limit that weighed 9.33 lbs, including Al's lunker winner (tie) that weighed 2.68 lbs.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl finished in third place with their 7.99 lb limit.  Their bag included Chris' 2.68 lb lunker tying bass.  The ten teams weighed in a total of 31 bass for 50.61 lbs (1.63 lb average).
 Nelson H & Bill D
 Al F
 Chris O

The Usual Battle for Five Pounds at Hammonton - 8/3/2019
We knew there would pretty much be non-stop bass catching action at Hommonton Lake for all of the teams but, as usual, the question was how many of the fish would meet the 12" minimum and would a five pound bag be weighed in.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth eked over the five pound mark with their 5.65 lb limit, including Fred's 1.56 lb lunker winner.  After that, it was a real close battle for the next five spots.  In the end, Zeke Zellman (fishing solo) weighed in 4.88 lbs to take second.  Following him were:  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl with 4.80, Jimmy Ohono (fishing solo) and Dave Sprigg Jr & Sr tied with 4.65, and Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald with 4.40.  The nine teams that participated weighed in a total of 35 bass for 34.23 lbs (.98 lb average).
 Fred L & Joe N
 Fred L

Scrambling to Find Any Bass at the Scramble - 7/27/2019
This year's edition of our two-pond "Scramble" tournament found all nine teams scrambling to get any bass bites.  This year we fished Cedarville Pond followed by Shaw's Mill Pond.  Both ponds were extremely stingy.  In the end, Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono took the win with three bass for 6.40 lbs, including Jimmy's 2.18 lb Shaw's Mill lunker winner.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth finished in second with the two-bass 4.79 lb bag they got at Cedarville (including Fred's 3.06 lb lunker entry).  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl were in 3rd place with two bass for 4.02 lbs, including Chris' 3.14 lb Cedarville lunker winner.  In total, the club weighed in a measly seven bass for 16.08 lbs at Cedarville (2.29 lb average) and an even more measly four bass for 6.56 lbs at Shaw's (1.64 lb average).		 Jimmy O
 Chris O

Brutal Heat at Union Lake - 7/13/2019
Even though we ended our Union Lake tournament before noon, the heat was still oppressive for the entire fishing day, with air temps in the 90's and the heat index well over 100.  The very light breeze that was blowing in certain parts of the lake didn't help the situation much at all.  Only four of the ten teams that showed up brought in keeper fish and no limits were caught.  Mario Circone, fishing solo, brought in four fish for 6.65 lbs to easily take the win.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody came in second with two bass for 3.72 lbs, including Ken's 2.85 lb lunker winner.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald took third place with their 2.28 lb bass.  The only other keeper weighed in was Scott Schappell's 1.37 lb entry.  So the total take for the day was eight bass for 14.02 lbs (1.75 lb average).
 Mario C
 Ken M

Union Lake Tournament Time Shortened - 7/13/2019
Due to expected high air temperatures & heat index forecasted for Saturday, July 20, our Union Lake tournament will be shortened to six hours.  The times will now be 5:30 AM to 11:30 AM.  It'll still be very hot and we'll still need to take the usual measures to keep ourselves hydrated and our fish cool & healthy.

Close Finish for Four Teams at East Creek - 7/13/2019
Four teams had 6+ pound bags at our East Creek Pond tourney.  In the end, Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth eked out the win with a five-bass limit weighing 6.75 lbs.  Mario Circone, fishing solo, was close behind with a 6.61 lb limit.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald came in third with their 6.33 lb limit.  Dave Sprigg Jr & Rich Hahn had a limit weighing 6.10 lbs, after a .56 lb penalty that cost them second place.  Dave Sprigg Jr took the lunker prize with a 1.69 lb bass.  Ten teams came out to fish and nine of them weighed in at least one keeper.  In total, we weighed in twenty-eight bass for 35.09 lbs (1.25 lb average).
 Joe N & Fred L
 Dave S Jr

One Big One and a Lot of Small Ones at Rainbow - 6/29/2019
It was pretty much a battle of one-pounders at our Rainbow Lake tournament, except for one 5.82 lb giant that Bill Duckardt found near the end.  Bill & partner Jimmy Ohono ended up with a winning three-bass bag that weighed 7.82 lbs.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl came in second with a five-bass limit that weighed 5.65 lbs.  Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen were close behind with a 5.37 lb limit.  Eleven teams showed up for the tourney and weighed in 25 bass for 33.90 lbs (1.36 lb average -- would have been 1.17 lb average without Duck's lunker winner).
Following the weigh-in, some club members stuck around to perform a shoreline & parking lot clean-up (as Rainbow Lake WMA is our "adopted" lake).  NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife sent their thanks for our clean-up effort.
 Bill D
 
One Big One and Some Other Big Ones at Assunpink - 6/22/2019
Although the bite wasn't all that great, especially after the early morning, some real solid bass were weighed in at our Lake Assunpink tourney.  Scott & Pat Bowen took the win with a real nice 9.58 lb three-bass limit.  Their bag included Pat's freakish looking 5.32 lb lunker winner that looked like it had just gorged itself in a feeding frenzy.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl came in second with two bass for 6.59 lbs (including a 4.53 lb kicker).  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono had two bass for 4.46 lbs to finish in third.  There were at least three other bass weighed in that were also well over 3 lbs.  Twelve teams participated in the tourney and weighed in a total of twelve bass for 34.00 lbs (2.83 lb average).
 Pat B & Scott B
 Pat B

A Few Bass Among the Pickerels at Bargaintown - 4/13/2019
We held a bass tournament in the middle of a pickerel fest at Bargaintown Lake.  Teams reported catching numerous toothy critters, but not many bass.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth managed to catch four of the right species for a total of 7.14 lbs to take the easy win.  Bill Duckardt & sub partner Nelson Hares finished in second with two bass for 3.23 lbs.  Close behind them were Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell who had three bass for 3.20 lbs.  Dave Sprigg Jr took the lunker prize for the second week in a row with a nice 3.11 lb bass.  The ten teams that participated weighed in fourteen keepers for a total of 27.01 lbs (1.93 lb average).
 Joe N & Fred L
 Dave S Jr
 
Not Many Keepers at DOD - 4/6/2019
We were looking forward to catching a good quantity of bass at the resurgent Sunset Lake but an unexpected severe lowering of the lake caused us to move to DOD Lake.  Unfortunately, keepers weren't plentiful and six of the twelve teams skunked.  Dave Sprigg Jr, fishing with sub partner/dad/former member Dave Sprigg Sr, brought in a nice 7.77 lb four-fish bag that took the first place prize.  Their bag included Dave Jr's 4.79 lb lunker winner (which missed our DOD lunker record by .03 lbs).  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono had three bass for 5.68 lbs to finish in second place.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl came in third with their two bass that weighed 4.41 lbs.  The twelve participating teams only weighed in fourteen keepers for a total of 22.74 lbs. (1.62 lb average).
 Dave S Sr & Dave S Jr
 Dave S Jr
  
April 6 Tourney Moved to DOD Lake - 4/4/2019
Due to an extremely low water level at Sunset Lake, our April 6 tournament has been moved to DOD Lake.  Tournament times will be 7:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Another Full Field at Union - 3/30/2019
Once again, all 13 club teams showed up for our tournament at Union Lake.  Unfortunately, keeper bass were a bit hard to come by on this day.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody won their second consecutive tournament with two smallies that weighed a total of 6.32 lbs.  That included Ken's 3.27 lb lunker winner.  Bill Duckard & sub partner Nelson Hares took second place with four bass weighing 6.23 lbs.  Dave Sprigg Jr & Rich Hahn rounded out the top three with two bass for 4.27 lbs.  The thirteen teams weighed in a total of 11 bass (seven smallies) for 21.88 lbs (1.99 lb average).
 Ken M & Mark W
 Ken M

Newton Tourney Cancelled Due to Wind - 3/23/2019
Our Newton Lake tournament was cancelled due to forecasts of extremely high winds.  We'll resume the spring portion of our schedule at Union Lake on Saturday, March 30.
Full Field Battles High Winds at Rainbow - 3/16/2019
All 26 members of our club showed up for our first club tournament of the season at Rainbow Lake!  The good news was that, for most, the bass were biting. The bad news was that there were wicked winds blowing for most of the tournament.  In the end, Ken Merlock & Mark Woody took the win with a five-bass limit weighing 11.92 lbs.  Their bag was anchored by Woody's huge 6.48 lb lunker winner.  In second place were Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono who had a 9.32 lb limit.  Dave Sprigg Jr (returning to the club after several years) & Rich Hahn came in third with four bass weighing 7.68 lbs.  They just edged out two other teams who were very close behind them.  Thirteen teams participated in the tournament and weighed in a total of 39 bass for 63.22 lbs. (1.62 lb average)
 Ken M & Mark W
 Mark W

Club Get-Together & Pre-Season Meeting Held
At our pre-season meeting was held on February 16.  Thanks to Larry Summers for hosting and to everyone who contributed food & beverages.  A number of things were discussed & approved.  Among them were:
* we will switch the August 24 tourney from Stewart Lake to Carngie Lake.
* we will change 6 bass limits at NJ Lunker Lakes to 3 bass limits (per team).
* our club's vote for the location of the 2019 SJBCA Bass Bowl will be Conowingo Lake.
* we will increase tournament entry fees from $15 to $20 per boat (with $2 of each fee going into the club treasury).
* we see if there is interest in holding a club barbecue in September.  If so, the Franchetta's volunteer to host it.
* we will be pursuing the purchase of club jackets.  Scott Schappell will be coordinating the order.
* a new team -- Dave Sprigg Jr & Rich Hahn -- was welcomed into the club.

Club Get-Together & Pre-Season Meeting Scheduled
Our annual combined end-of-the-season get-together and pre-season meeting will be held on Saturday evening, February 16, at 5:00 PM. The location will again be the Summers home in Pitman.  Details were sent out to club members via email.

2019 Tentative Schedule Drafted
Our tournament schedule for 2019 has been drafted. As usual, we based the schedule on the previous year's schedule, but dropped some locations and added others.  As always, drafting the schedule requires working around the schedules of the other 26 clubs in the South Jersey Bass Club Association (especially for the most popular tournament locations).   Here's the schedule...

3/16 -- Rainbow Lake (followed by clean-up)
3/23 -- Newton Lake (with Malaga as back-up in case dredging project begins)
3/30 -- Union Lake
4/6 -- Sunset Lake
4/13 -- Bargaintown Lake
6/22 -- Lake Assunpink
6/29 -- Rainbow Lake (followed by clean-up)
7/13 -- East Creek Pond
7/20 -- Union Lake
7/27 -- Cedarville Pond & Shaws Mill Pond
8/3 -- Hammonton Lake
8/10 -- Cooper River
8/24 -- Stewart Lake
9/7 -- Sunset Lake
9/14 -- Malaga Lake
9/21 -- Bargaintown Lake
9/28 -- Lake Lenape
9/29 -- Salem Canal


Less Than Spectacular Bass Bowl Again This Year - 10/14/2018
Our "hit or miss" luck in the SJBCA's annual Bass Bowl tournaments continued this year at the Delaware River, a location where none of our team members had much experience.  One of our three boats could not make it due to a last-minute call into work for the boater.  Another boat had motor problems.  The third boat had pretty decent results (four bass for 6.48 lbs), but that was it for our team.  We finished in 7th place out of the eight teams that participated.  Full results and photos will be posted here.
Duckardt & Ohono Take Classic and Championship - 9/30/2018
Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono capped off their great season with a win at our Hawg Hunters Classic tournament.  On Day 1 at Union Lake, Duck fished with sub partner Nelson Hares and brought in the only five-bass limit which weighed 7.51 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had three bass for 3.59 lbs and Ken Merlock & Mark Woody had two bass for 3.06 lbs.  Zeke Zellman had the Union lunker winner with a 2.35 lb bass.  On Day 2 at Lake Lenape, Duck & Jimmy Ohono brought in another limit that weighed 12.34 lbs.  That gave them the win with a Classic and ten-bass record breaking total of 19.85 lbs.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz added a Lenape five-bass limit of 6.86 lbs to their 2.21 lbs at Union for a second place total of 9.07 lbs.  Fred Lentz, fishing solo on Day 2, weighed in two bass for 4.12 lbs giving a grand total of 7.71 lbs and third place.  Bill Duckardt had the Day 2 lunker winner with a 3.79 lb bass.  Duck & Jimmy finished as the champion team for the year (which was pretty much sealed up a few tournaments ago).  They won eight of our eighteen tournaments.  Fred Lentz took the lunker of the year award with his 6.26 lb bass at Assunpink.
 Bill D & Jimmy O
 Zeke Z
 Bill D

No Limits at DOD Lake - 9/22/2018
In a tough day of fishing at DOD Lake, no five-bass limits were brought in, but two solid lunker contenders were.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono sealed their club championship for the year with a three-bass bag that weighed 6.92 lbs.  That included Duck's 3.55 lb lunker winner.  This was their seventh tournament win of the season.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald came in second with their four-bass bag weighing 6.42 lbs.  Al had a nice 3.16 lb bass.  In third was Zeke Zellman (fishing solo) with four bass for 4.28 lbs.  The nine teams that participated weighed in 17 bass for 24.31 lbs (1.43 lb average).  This was our last regular season tournament of the year.  Ten of our teams now move on to our no-entry-fee "Hawg Hunter Classic" tournament next weekend.
 Jimmy O & Bill D
 Bill D

Duckardt and Ohono Do Well on BFL Trail - 9/16/2018
Boater Bill Duckardt and co-angler Jimmy Ohono (not fishing together) participated in the FLW T-H Marine Bass Fishing League two-day super tournament at 1000 Islands on September 15-16 and both did well.  On Day 1 Bill Duckardt weighed in a five-bass limit for 19 lbs 6 oz, placing him in 23rd place out of 126 boaters and advancing him to Day 2.  On Day 2 he weighed in a five-bass limit weighing 14 lbs 11 oz to finish in 21st place, cashing a $432 check.  He finished in 29th place in the final divisional points standings and qualified for the regional tournament.  On Day 1 Jimmy Ohono weighed in a five-bass limit for 13 lbs 2 oz and finished in 37th place out of 126 co-anglers.  He didn't advance to Day 2, but due to some high place finishes during the season, he ended up in 20th place in the final divisional points standings and also qualified for the regional tournament.  The regional tournament will be held at the Upper Chesapeake Bay (Susquehanna Flats), Md starting October 11.
Lots of Pads, But Not a Lot of Bass at Wilson - 9/15/2018
We arrived at Wilson Lake to find the lake almost entirely covered with lily pads (instead of just at the upper end).  Many of us thought the fishing would be pretty decent under those conditions, but we were wrong.  Only two limits were weighed in and only one bass was much over a pound.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 7.71 lbs.  Their winning bag included Al's nice 3.34 lb lunker winner.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took second place with a limit that weighed 4.88 lbs.  Jim Miller & Greg Staino finished in third with two for 2.00 lbs.  The eight teams that showed up weighed in a total of fifteen bass for 17.34 lbs (1.16 lb average).
 Al F & Jenn M
 Al F
 
Rainy One at Bargaintown - 9/8/2018
Much of our Bargaintown Lake tournament featured a steady drizzle, but teams found enough keepers to make the final standings very close.  Chris Oeser & Rod Blomdahl fished exclusively in the shallow pads at the top of the lake and brought in a limit weighing 9.68 lbs to take the win.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz made their three solid keepers count to take second place with 8.13 lbs.  In third place were Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono who are putting the final stamp on the team championship for this season.  They had a five-bass limit for 8.01 lbs.  Close behind them were Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell who had four for 7.96 lbs, including Zeke's 4.19 lb lunker winner.  Two other teams also had bags weighing over 7 lbs.  The nine teams that participated weighed in thirty-one keepers for 53.43 lbs (1.72 lb average).  Thanks to Zeke & Scott S for handling the fish release.
 Chris O & Rod B
 Zeke Z


Decent Day at Stewart - 8/25/2018
Most teams were able to locate multiple keepers at our Stewart Lake tourney.  Three five-bass limits and three four-bass bags were brought in.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell took their second win of the season with a limit weighing 8.46 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono came in second with their 7.53 lb limit.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had four keepers for 6.47 lbs to take third.  Their bag included Fred's 3.35 lb lunker winner.  The nine teams that participated weighed in a total of thirty bass for 43.92 lbs (1.46 lb average).
 Scott S & Zeke Z
 Fred L

6.5 Hour Dinkfest Followed by Horrendous Downpour at Hammonton - 8/11/2018
Hundreds of bass got caught by the nine teams that showed up at Hammonton Lake, but only a handful made the 12 minimum length.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono took their sixth tournament win of the season with a five-bass limit for 5.13 lbs.  Jimmy had the 1.25 lunker winner, which edged out a bunch of other entries.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone came in a close second with limit weighing 4.93 lbs.  Jim Miller & sub partner Mark Edmeads took third with a limit weighing 4.32 lbs.  Incredibly there were two other limits that weighed under four pounds!  All together thirty-two keepers were weighed in for a total of 28.23 lbs (giving a 0.88 lb average).  As we were pulling the boats out of the water at the end of the tourney, the skies opened up and a deluge ensued.   It lasted until long after the weigh-in.  This resulted in not many photos being taken.

Much Better Day at Cooper (& a Fire Truck Parade!) - 8/4/2018
This year's tournament at Cooper River saw a record-setting performance and a bunch of fish weighed in.  In fact, every team weighed in at least one keeper and there were three limits brought in.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono broke the club's previous Cooper record with their 12.88 lb limit.  It included Jimmy's lake record 3.88 lb lunker winner.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell brought in an 8.29 lb limit to take second place.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth's limit weighed 6.71 lbs and placed them in third.  A total of twenty-eight bass for 49.61 lbs (1.77 lb average) were brought in by the eight teams that participated.  During the tournament, there was a long parade of vintage fire trucks that circled the entire lake and then parked on the north side of the lake.  Pretty cool.
 Jimmy O & Bill D
 Jimmy O

Just When We Thought the Fishing Action Couldn't Get Any Slower... - 7/28/2018
Last week's tournament was pretty bad, but it was a bonanza compared to our "Scramble" tournament.  Fishing 3.5 hours at each of Cedarville Pond and Clarks Pond provided the potential for ten bass to be weighed in by each team.  As it turned out, no team weighed in more than three total keepers during the day.  Jim Miller & Greg Staino followed up their one 3.08 lb bass at Cedarville with a two-bass 2.45 lb bag at Clarks to take the win with 5.53 lbs.  In second was Zeke Zellman, fishing solo, who had three bass for 4.89 lbs, including the 1.77 lb Clarks lunker winner.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald rode Jenn's one 3.77 lb Cedarville lunker winner to a third place finish.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth were close behind with three bass for 3.48 lbs.  The ten teams that showed up to fish weighed in a total of seventeen bass for 26.05 lbs (1.53 lb average).
 Greg S & Jim M
 Jenn M
 Zeke Z
 
Sloowww Fishing Action at East Creek - 7/21/2018
Bass were hard to come by at this year's East Creek Pond tournament.  No five-bass limits were weighed in.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald brought in four bass for 4.53 lbs and took the win.  Chris Oeser with sub-partner (& long-time club member) Rod Blomdahl weighed in three bass for 4.25 lbs to finish in second.  Their bag included Chris's 2.00 lb lunker winner (which beat Fred Lentz's lunker entry by .01 of a pound).  Fred L & Joe Nemeth had two bass for 2.99 lbs to come in third.  The last hour plus of the tournament and the weigh-in featured steady rain, hence raindrops on the camera lens in some of the photos. The eight participating teams weighed in a total of thirteen bass for 16.42 lbs (1.26 lb average).
 Al F & Jenn M
 Chris O
 
Decent Results at Malaga - 7/7/2018
Unlike many years when we fish Malaga Lake in the evening, this year we fished it in the morning.  In general, we got lucky with the weather because this tournament followed about a full week of brutally hot air temperatures.  Tournament day saw air temps in the upper 70's with a pretty stiff breeze all day.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono took the win with a nice 11.27 lb limit, which included Duck's 5.35 lb lunker winner (just short of our club's record at that lake).  Jim Miller & Greg Staino finished in a close second with a  limit that weighed 10.93 lbs.  In third place were Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone who had a limit weighing 8.15 lbs.  The nine teams that participated weighed in a total of twenty-four bass for 42.98 lbs (1.79 lb average).
Early in the tournament, the entire lake was shaken with the sound of a very loud explosion.  We later found out that a nearby home had a gas leak explosion which leveled the entire house and caused two fatalies.
 Bill D

Five for 5, Four for 4, Three for 3, etc at Canal - 6/30/2018
Nine teams endured scorching heat, with no breeze, for six and a half hours at Salem Canal and the results were a lot of one pounders.  Jimmy Ohono with sub partner Rob McDonald managed to find five of them and took first place with their 5.92 lb bag.  Mario Circone with sub partner Jerrod Lloyd weighed in four keepers for 4.45 lbs to finish in second.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald had three bass for 3.51 lbs.  The lunker prize was taken by Mark Woody with a 2.04 lb bass.  The nine teams that participated weighed in a total of twenty keepers for 23.92 lbs (1.19 lb average).
The weigh-in was followed by Greg Lentz's annual hot dog lunch.  Thanks for putting that together under those conditions Greg!
 Rob M & Jimmy O
 Mark W

Nothing Close to a Limit, But One Big One at Assunpink - 6/23/2018
The most bass anyone weighed in at this six-bass limit tournament at Lake Assunpink was three, but but seven teams found keepers over the 15" minimum and one big one won the lunker prize.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took the win with three bass for 11.64 lbs.  Their bag included Fred's 6.26 lb lunker winner and another four pound class bass.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald brought in three keepers for 6.40 lbs to take second place.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell had three bass for 5.45 lbs to finish in third.  The nine teams that participated weighed in a total of sixteen bass for 37.80 lbs (2.36 lb average).
 Joe N & Fred L
 Fred L
 
Small Crowd, A Few Big Fish at Rainbow - 6/16/2018
Due primarily to many club members having to work on this day, the field at our Rainbow Lake tournament was only seven teams.  Almost every team had at least one solid bass and filled in with a bunch of small ones.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell rode their one big fish to the win with a five-bass limit weighing 8.61 lbs.  Zeke's lunker winner weighed a nice 4.45 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took second place with a five-bass limit that weighed 6.37 lbs.  Finishing third were Jim Miller & Greg Staino with four bass for 5.96 lbs.  The seven teams weighed in a total of 23 bass for 35.17 lbs (1.53 average).  Following the weigh-in, most club members and sub partners stayed around for our traditional shoreline and parking lot clean-up.  Thanks to everyone who helped out with the clean-up, the weigh-in and the livewell checking.
 Zeke Z
 Clean-up
  
Great Fishing & Weather on Annual Club Trip - 5/13/2018
This year's club fishing/camping trip to Kerr Reservoir in Virginia saw some great fishing action and a few big ones brought to the scales.  And, except for one brief thunderstorm, the weather was generally warm & sunny every day.  Members Fred Lentz, Bill Duckardt, Jimmy Ohono & Jim Miller were joined on the trip by former members Rick Lentz, Mike Miller Sr & Mike Miller Jr.  Click here to see some photos from the trip.

 Jimmy O

Warmer Weather, A Few More Fish at Rainbow Lake - 4/14/2018
Finally a tournament where the air temperatures weren't bitter cold.  Warm, sunny conditions made an appearance at our Rainbow Lake tourney.  Although we still experienced windy conditions, the weather was nice and a few more bass were biting than in earlier tournaments.  Jim Miller & Greg Staino took the win with four keepers weighin 5.11 lbs.  Their bag included Jim's 1.70 lb lunker winner.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell had three bass for 3.49 lbs to finish in second place.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth weighed in two bass for 2.63 lbs and came in third.  Nine teams participated in the tourney and weighed in a total of thirteen bass for 15.22 lbs (1.17 lb average).  Following the weigh-in some club members and a few friends performed a parking lot & shoreline litter clean-up.  Thanks to those of you who hung around to help out.
 Greg S & Jim M
 Jim M

Club Apparel Orders Being Accepted - 4/9/2018
Scott Schappell is taking orders for club apparel.  Available are t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, hoodies and now "wicking" long sleeve fishing shirts.  These will be the same brands/models and screen printing as in the past.  Anyone interested in ordering should complete an order form and submit it to Scott with their cash payment.  The order form is here and some will be available at future club tournament weigh-ins.
Fun Times at Parvin Lake - 4/8/2018
We had postponed our Parvin Lake tournament by a day due to a snowstorm that never arrived.  Things didn't get any more enjoyable on tournament day.  Most teams pulled out early and even the ones that braved the cold, windy weather for the whole six hours didn't bring in any keeper bass.  Good times!  The entries fees paid will be carried over to the next tournament.
 Skunk
Parvin Tourney Postponed Till Sunday - 4/5/2018
Due to snow being forecasted for our scheduled tournament date of April 7, our Parvin Lake tournament has been rescheduled for the following day, Sunday, April 8.  Same tournament times.
A Full Field, Somewhat Better Weather, and a Lot More Bass at Union - 3/31/2018
All twelve of our club teams showed up to battle it out at Union Lake.  The air temps were slightly warmer and wind speed slightly less than the previous two weeks.  And the water temps were much warmer, which led to many more bass being caught.  Bill Duckardt & Jimmy Ohono took the win for the second week in a row with four bass for 6.01 lbs.  Carl Huff & Doug Carr came in second with two bass weighing 5.57 lbs.  In third place was  Zeke Zellman, fishing solo, who weighed in two bass for 5.19 lbs, including the 3.57 lb lunker winner (which won by .04 lbs).  The twelve teams weighed in a total of 16 bass (including 9 smallies!) for 34.96 lbs (2.18 lb average).
 Jimmy O & Bill ?D
 Zeke Z
 
Another Cold, Windy Day with a Slow Bass Bite - 3/24/2018
It was deja vu all over again at tourney #2 at Bargaintown Lake.  In very cold, windy conditions the bass bite was extremely slow (the pickerels were plentiful though) just as it was at Newton.  Once again, Bill Duckardt managed to find one decent fish.  This time his 2.16 lber allowed he and partner Jimmy Ohono to take first place & lunker.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff finished in second with one bass for 1.97 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had one bass for 1.02 lbs and took third place.  Jenn McDonald & Al Franchetta had the only other keeper weighed in (.93 lbs).  Ten teams participated in the tournament and weighed in those four bass for a total of 6.08 lbs (1.52 lb average).
 Bill D & Jimmy O
  
Should Have Gone to the Irish Pub Instead of Newton - 3/17/2018
We celebrated St. Patrick's Day 2018 by holding our first club tournament of the year at Newton Lake.  We might have been better off doing something else.  Although it was a sunny day, it was very cold and windy.  Keeper fish generally weren't in the mood to bite.  Sean Summers and frequent sub partner Chadston Gibbs took the win with three bass for 3.19 lbs.  Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen had two bass for 2.84 lbs to take second.  Bill Duckart's 1.84 lb lunker winner allowed he & Jimmy Ohono to finished in third.  That was it.  Nine teams weighed in a total of six bass for 7.87 lbs (1.31 lb avg).
Chadston G & Sean S
 Bill D

Club Get-Together Held - 1/20/2018
Our club get-together was held on January 20.  Food & beverages were enjoyed, team members were declared, our club's vote on the Bass Bowl location was decided (Nanticoke River, MD), the tentative club tournament scheduled was discussed & approved, club officers were re-elected and plaques were presented.  We also discussed possible different arrangements/locations for our club barbecue.  Thanks to the Summers family for hosting us again.  Photos of the plaque recipients are in our Champion Photos section and photos of the festivities are in our Photo Gallery.

Annual Club Get-Together Will Be on January 20 - 1/3/2018
Our annual club get-together will be held on Saturday, January 20, at 5 pm.  The location will again be the Summers home in Pitman.  We'll be finalizing our 2018 tournament schedule, conducting some other club business and be presenting plaques to our champion team, 2nd & 3rd place teams, Hawg Hunters Classic winners & lunker of the year winner.


Hawg Hunters Finish in 4th at Bass Bowl - 10/15/2017
Our club's team finished in a respectable 4th place at a very tough SJBCA Bass Bowl tournament at Union Lake.  For results & photos, click here .  Zeke Zellman's three bass for 3.75 lbs and Bill Duckardt's two bass for 3.37 lbs gave us a three-boat total of 7.12 lbs.  There was a very close race for second through sixth places, so we were probably one fish away from second place.  That's fishing.  Fourteen clubs participated in the event (42 boats).  Only one boat in the tournament weighed in a five-bass limit.  That was brought in by Jons 'N Ponds club members who fish as subs with our club -- Rich Leadbeater & Drew Wizbicki.  JnP took the win for the second year in a row.  Thanks to Zeke, Bill, Fred, Dave, Mario & Scott S for representing South Jersey Hawg Hunters.
 Bass Bowl Team

Hawg Hunters Bass Bowl Team Set - 10/8/2017
We've assembled our Bass Bowl team for this year.  It'll be Dave Lloyd, Mario Circone, Bill Duckardt, Fred Lentz, Zeke Zellman and Scott Schappell.  This year the South Jersey Bass Club Association's Bass Bowl tournament will be held at Union Lake on Sunday, October 15.  Good luck guys.
Franchetta & McDonald Take Dramatic Classic; Summers & Satanoff Win Championship - 10/1/2017
Some decent bags were weighed in at Salem Canal on Day 1 of our Hawg Hunters Classic.  Adam Satanoff, fishing solo, led the way with an 8.51 lb limit.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth stood in second with 7.11 lbs.  Bill Duckardt fishing solo had 6.97 lbs, including his 5.07 lb Day 1 lunker winner (also a club record for the Canal).  But things got real interesting on Day 2 at Bargaintown Lake, as other teams brought in big bags and shook up the standings to make for a real close finish for the top four teams.  In the end, Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald took top honors after bringing in a four-bass 9.62 lb bag on Day 2.  That gave them a 12.42 lb total.  Right behind them was Adam Satanoff with a 12.29 lb total, after bringing in 3.78 lbs on Day 2.  In third place were Jim Miller & Mark Edmeads, who on Day 2 weighed in the big bag of the tournament -- five bass for 10.71 lbs -- giving them a total of 11.67 lbs.  They edged out Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth, who finished in fourth with 11.28 lbs.  Ten teams participated in the tournament.  The Salem Canal total was 25 bass for 36.80 lbs while the Bargaintown Lake total was 16 bass for 32.28 lbs.
The team of Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff took the 2017 club championship, which was pretty much a foregone conclusion several weeks ago.  Congratulations guys on a dominating season!
Al F & Jenn M
Bill D
Jim M

Another Brutal One - This Time at DOD - 9/23/2017
After enduring a tournament with very few keepers at Parvin Lake a couple of weeks ago, we almost repeated that scene at DOD Lake.  This time, ten teams were only able to locate seven keeper bass.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald brought in almost half of those fish with a three-bass bag that weighed 4.10 lbs and took the win.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell had two bass for 1.99 lbs to finish in second.  Bill Duckardt's 1.67 lb lunker winner gave him third place.  The only other bass weighed in was a .79 lb fish brought in by Chris Oeser & sub partner Rod Blomdahl.  The seven keeper bass weighed a total of 8.55 lbs (1.22 lb average).  We now move on to finish our club tournament season with our "Hawg Hunters Classic".   All eleven of our teams have qualified to participate in the Classic.  Congratulations guys (and gal)!
 Jenn M & Al F
 Bill D

Fishing in a Fog at Lenape - 9/16/2017
Our Lake Lenape tournament day started with a very thick fog (which somehow didn't keep one group on the lake from doing some water skiing!).  Eventually things cleared up and it turned into a warm sunny day.  Mario Circone, with sub partner Jerrod Lloyd, took the win with a five-bass limit weighing 9.38 lbs.  Jerrod took the lunker prize with a 2.86 lb bass which beat out an entry from Fred Lentz by one one-hundreth of a pound.   Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth came in second with a limit that weighed 8.43 lbs.  In third were Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz with three bass for 4.90 lbs.  Ten teams participated in the tournament and weighed in a total of twenty bass for 30.44 lbs (1.52 lb average).
Following the tournament, Ken Merlock hosted a barbecue for the club.  A lot of good food & beverages were available, as well as some competitive horseshoes.  As attendance was kind of sparse this year, we'll be discussing whether 2017 will be the last year for this annual event.
 Mario C & Jerrod L
 Jerrod L

Who Picked Parvin? - 9/9/2017
An investigation is underway to figure out who picked Parvin Lake for a club tournament.  Actually, it was one of our annual attempts to mix things up a bit.  We picked Parvin because it would be after the ramp fee period, after the annual algae bloom would start thinning out and when the water temps would be cooling off & turning the bass on.  As it turned out, although fish were biting, keeper bass were not.  Adam Satanoff with sub partner (and former club member) Jason Yu brought in two bass for 4.05 lbs to take the win.  Mario Circone & sub partner Jeff Matzui took second with Mario's 2.74 lb lunker winning bass.  And that was it.  Nine teams participated in the tournament and only three bass over the 15 inch minimum were brought it.   Oh well.
 Adam S & Jason Y
 Mario C

A Little Better at East Creek - 8/26/2017
After going through several weeks where not a lot of keepers got weighed in, our East Creek Pond tournament saw every team weigh in fish and the most total fish weighed in since July 22.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone took the win with the only five-bass limit, which weighed 6.38 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth came in a close second with a four-bass 6.24 lb bag.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell finished in third with three-bass for 5.72 lbs, including Scott's 2.82 lb lunker winner.  This tourney featured a guest appearance by former club member Rod Blomdahl (the candy man).  Good to see him again.  The nine teams that participated weighed in thirty bass for a total of 39.92 lbs (1.33 lb average).
 Mario C & Dave L
 Scott S
 
Tough Evening at Malaga - 8/19/2017
The idea was to take advantage of the evening feed at our Malaga Lake tourney.  This theory has worked in many of our past evening tournaments here.  Not this year however.  All eleven of our teams showed up, but no five-bass limits were weighed in.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell took the win with a four-bass bag that weighed 4.54 lbs.  Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald finished in second with three bass for 3.54 lbs.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff (who don't really need to score any more points this season) took third & lunker with their 3.22 lb two-bass bag and Adam's 2.17 lb lunker.  The eleven teams weighed in a total of thirteen bass for 16.56 lbs (1.27 lb average)
 Zeke Z & Scott S
 Adam S
 
Snyder & G.Lentz Take Cooper Again - 8/12/2017
For the second year in a row, Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz found the keepers at Cooper River.  Their 8.20 lb five-bass limit, including Greg's 2.33 lb lunker winner, easily beat out the competition.  Sean Summers, with sub partner Drew Wizbicki, finished in second with a limit weighing 6.53 lbs.  Zeke Zellman & Scott Schappell took third with their limit that weighed 6.43 lbs.  Ten teams participated in the tournament and weighed in a total of twenty-five bass for 33.35 lbs (1.33 lb average).
 Dennis S & Greg L
 
Summers & Satanoff Keep on Rolling at Scramble - 7/29/2017
The team of Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff stretched their winning streak to four tournaments (and five for the year) with a win at our Cedarville Pond/Clarks Pond Scramble.  Sean's 3.22 lb lunker winner at Cedarville got them started and they finished with a 4.15 lb three-bass bag at Clarks that gave them the overall win with 7.37 lbs.  Ken Merlock and Mark Woody took second with a nice three pounder at Cedarville and a two-bass 3.57 lb bag at Clarks (including Ken's 2.19 lb lunker winner) for a 6.57 lb total.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth skunked at Cedarville but brought in three bass for 3.68 lbs at Clarks to finish in third place.  Seven teams participated in the tournament weighing in a total of 14 bass for 23.45 lbs.
 Adam S & Sean S
 Sean S
 Ken M

Three-peat for Summers/Satanoff Team - 7/22/2017
For the third tournament in a row the Summers/Satanoff team took the win.  This time, at DOD Lake, Adam Satanoff fished with frequent sub partner Rich Leadbeater and brought in a five-bass limit weighing 7.27 lbs to easily out distance the other teams.  Bill Duckardt & Larry Summers finished in second place with their 5.30 lb limit, which included Duck's 1.71 lb lunker winner.  In third place were Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone who had a limit that weighed 5.08 lbs.  Five teams had limits.  Ten teams came out to fish and weighed in a total of thirty-one bass for 34.93 lbs (1.13 lb average).  That total included a smallmouth bass!
 Rich L & Adam S
 Bill D
 
Deja Vu at Rainbow Lake for Summers & Satanoff - 7/15/2017
Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff repeated their performance from a week earlier by taking first place and lunker at our Rainbow Lake tournament.  This week they brought in a limit that weighed 11.88 lbs and Adam's lunker this week weighed 4.94 lbs.   Al Franchetta & Jenn McDonald finished in second with three bass for 6.36 lbs.  Zeke Zellman, fishing solo, had three keepers for 5.90 lbs to take third place.  Ten teams participated in the tournament, weighing in twenty-one bass for 38.16 lbs (1.82 lb average).
 Sean S & Adam S
 Adam S
 
Summers & Satanoff Take Canal Tourney - 7/8/2017
For the most part, our Salem Canal tourney featured the usual squeaker bass.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff bucked that trend by bringing in a nice 9.05 lb limit, including Adam's nice 4.18 lb lunker winner.  That lunker weight was a club record for this location (beating Carl Huff's 4.11 lb bass from 2009).  Bill Duckardt & Larry Summers took second with a limit weighing 5.40 lbs.  Finishing in third were Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone with three bass for 4.24 lbs.  Ten teams participated in the tournament and weighed in twenty-four bass for 32.20 lbs (1.34 lb average).
 Sean S & Adam S
 Adam S
 
Lake Adoption Sign Finally Arrives - 6/26/2017
Many years after our club "adopted" Rainbow Lake WMA and has been performing parking lot & shoreline clean-ups there several times per season, the State finally posted a sign acknowledging our ongoing efforts.  Click here to see a full-size photo of the sign.  Congratulations to us!
 Sign

Survived the Storm at Union - 6/24/2017
Our Union Lake tournament featured windy conditions and a hard downpour for a short while, before ending up with some sunshine.  All eleven of our teams showed up to fish.  Bill Duckardt, fishing with sub partner Nelson Hares, brought in a five bass limit weighing 11.80 lbs to take the win.  In second place were Mario Circone & sub partner/son Mario Circone III, who had four bass for 7.49 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took third place with three bass for 5.65 lbs.  Scott Schappell won the lunker prize with a very nice 5.22 lb bass.  Twenty-two bass were weighed in for a total of 42.25 lbs (1.92 lb average).
 Nelson H & Bill D
 Scott S
 
Close Finish at Assunpink - 6/17/2017
The top four finishing teams were within a pound of each other at our Lake Assunpink tournament.  Bill Duckardt, fishing solo, took the win with three bass for 9.86 lbs.  His kicker fish missed winning the lunker prize by .01 of a pound.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz finished in second with four bass for 9.37 lbs.  Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz took third place with four bass for 9.07 lbs.  Scott Bowen won the lunker prize with a 4.44 lb bass.  This was the third year in a row that Scott has won lunker at our Assunpink tourney.  Eight teams participated in the tournament, weighing in twenty-two bass for 59.58 lbs (a 2.71 lb average!).
 Bill D
 Scott B
 
High Winds, No Limits at Bargaintown - 4/8/2017
Strong winds during our Bargaintown Lake tournament took their toll on the bass fishing and the boaters, as no limits were weighed in.  (The weather apparently had no effect on the pickerel bite though.)  Mario Circone, fishing with sub partner Jerrod Lloyd, weighed in four bass for 10.74 lbs, including Mario's 3.36 lb lunker winner.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff had three bass for 4.88 lbs to take second.  Returning members Chris Oeser & Rob Martin came in third with three bass for 4.24 lbs.  A total of fifteen bass (26.61 lbs) were weighed in by the nine teams that participated.
 Mario C & Jerrod L
 Mario C
 
Big Bag on a Cold Day at Malaga - 4/1/2017
The weather for our tournament at Malaga Lake could only be described as brutal.  Cold air temperatures, overcast skies and a stiff wind made for a challenging day of boating & casting.  That didn't seem to stop the bass from biting, however, as a club record weight for this lake was weighed in and a good number of other bass made it to the scales.  Pat Bowen, fishing solo, brought in a five bass limit that weighed 13.38 lbs.  His bag was anchored by his 4.87 lb lunker winner.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff had a limit weighing 10.10 lbs to take second place.  Bill Duckardt & Larry Summers also had a limit and took third place with 9.66 lbs.  The ten teams that participated in the tournament weighed in a total of twenty-five bass for 51.34 lbs.
 Pat B
 Pat B
 
One Fish is Enough at Newton - 3/25/2017
Keeper bass were not biting at our Newton Lake tournament, so one big one was enough to take the win by a healthy margin.  Drew Wizbicki, fishing as a sub partner with Sean Summers, weighed in a 5.88 lb fish that easily won first place and lunker.  Finishing in second place was a 3.51 lb bass caught by Jimmy Ohono, fishing with partner Jim Miller.  Taking third place were Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone, who had the only multi-fish bag with two bass for 2.33 lbs.  Ten teams participated in the tournament, weighing in six bass for a total of 15.52 lbs.
 Drew W & Sean S
 Drew W
 
Snyder & G.Lentz Take Rainbow Tourney - 3/18/2017
On a cold day when not very many keepers were biting, Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz managed to haul in a nice five bass limit that weighed 9.88 lbs to take the win at Rainbow Lake.  Their bag included Greg's 3.75 lb lunker winner.  Second place was taken by Dave Lloyd & sub partner Jerrod Lloyd with their three bass bag weighing 5.86 lbs (including Dave's nice 3+ lb lunker entry).  Sean Summers & sub partner Chadston Gibbs finished in third with two bass for 5.34 lbs (including Sean's nice 3+ lb lunker entry).  Ten teams participated in the tournament.  We weighed in a total of thirteen bass for 26.23 lbs.
 Greg L & Dennis S
 Greg L
Union Lake Tourney Cancelled - 3/10/2017
Due to expected high winds and frigid air temperatures, our first tournament of the season at Union Lake on March 11 has been cancelled.  We'll kick off the season next Saturday, March 18, at Rainbow Lake.
Annual Get-together/Meeting Held - 1/28/2017
Our combined annual club get-together and pre-season meeting were held on January 28 at Larry & Sean Summers' home.  Some highlights were:  2017 schedule was discussed & finalized; Nanticoke River Md was selected as our vote for location of the 2017 Bass Bowl; team members were declared & dues paid; president, tournament director & weighmaster backups will continue for another year (Sean will help with club administration; Jenn may help with website); plaques were presented to top three teams, lunker of the year & Classic winners.  Thanks to the Summers family and everyone else who contributed food & beverages.  Congratulations to the award winners.
 Awards

Annual Get-together/Meeting Scheduled for Saturday, January 28
Our annual club get-together & pre-season meeting will be held on Saturday, January 28 at 5 PM at Larry & Sean Summers' home in Pitman.  Details will be emailed to club members.  Agenda items will include: presenting annual award plaques, finalizing our 2017 tournament schedule, deciding on our club's vote for the 2017 SJBCA Bass Bowl location and consuming food & beverages

Hawg Hunters Finish 10th in SJBCA Bass Bowl - 10/16/2016
In what was probably the toughest Bass Bowl ever, our six-man team weighed in only two bass for 1.78 lbs -- both caught in the boat of Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen.  That resulted in a 10th place finish out of 13 clubs that participated.  Only 34 keepers were weighed in by those teams (35 boats & two kayaks)!  It should be noted that club members Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff chose to fish with their other club, Jons 'n Ponds, who won the tournament with nine bass for 14.19 lbs.  A big thanks to our six guys for enduring such a tough day and congrats to Sean & Adam on the win.  Full results and photos can be found on the SJBCA website.

Hawg Hunters Bass Bowl Team Ready to Go - 10/14/2016
The six-man team representing our club in the SJBCA's annual club-against-club "Bass Bowl" will consist of:  Mario Circone, Zeke Zellman, Scott Bowen, Pat Bowen, Jim Miller and Ken Merlock.  They'll be fishing Salem Canal on Sunday, October 16.  The weigh-in is scheduled for 3:00 PM.  Good luck guys!
Lloyd & Circone Take Classic & Championship - 10/02/2016
Our two-day end-of-the-season Hawg Hunters Classic tournament started off on a chilly breezy day at Union Lake.  The fish were biting for many teams and some nice fish were weighed in, especially smallmouths.  But the featured bass was a nice 6.45 lb largemouth weighed in by Pat Bowen.  That broke the previous 5 lb 7 oz lake lunker record by a wide margin.  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone took the Day 1 lead in the tournament with a four bass bag weighing 9.63 lbs.  Jim Miller & sub partner Bill Duckardt had the only one-day limit of the tournament which weighed 9.25 lbs to start off in second place.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody had four Union bass that weighed 8.30 lbs.  The eight teams that participated weighed in a total of twenty-four bass for 51.20 lbs (2.13 lb avg).

Day 2 at DOD Ponds saw the same weather but  very different fishing as keeper bites were extremely hard to come by.  Only seven keepers were weighed in by the eight teams (9.12 lbs -- 1.30 lb avg).  Lloyd & Circone weighed in one bass for 2.54 lbs which was enough to retain their lead and win the tournament at 12.17 lbs..  That bass caught by Mario also took the Day 2 lunker prize.  Merlock & Woody brought in two keepers totaling 2.62 lbs to move up and finish in second place with 10.92 lbs.  Miller & Duckardt didn't bring in any Day 2 fish but still finished in third place with their 9.25 lbs.

Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone were pretty much assured of being the champion team for the year going into this tournament, but they sealed the win with an exclamation point by also winning the Classic.  Congratulations Dave & Mario!



Dave L & Mario C
 Pat C
 
Mario C
 
Chilly Day at Cooper River - 9/24/2016
It seemed like summer was really over at our Cooper River tournament.  The chilly, breezy conditions didn't keep some fish from biting though.  Greg Lentz & Dennis Snyder won with a four bass bag that weighed 9.18 lbs.  That included Greg's 3.47 lb lunker winner (a club lunker record for this location).  Zeke Zellman & sub partner Steve Barrett came in second with a five bass limit weighing 8.87 lbs.  In third place were Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone with two bass for 4.19 lbs.  Seven of the eight teams that participated weighed in keepers.  All told, we weighed in twenty-one bass for 34.75 lbs (1.65 lb average).
One notable moment during the day happened after most teams ignored the bundle of cloth/plastic sitting in the water near the ramp.  One club member finally pulled it out of the water and found a rifle (with scope & ammo clip) inside.  The local police were called and took it in as possible evidence.
Dennis S & Greg L
Greg L

Stunk It Up at the Canal - 9/17/2016
The water level was very low and keeper bites were few & far between at our late summer tournament at Salem Canal.  The eight teams participating in the tourney only weighed in a total of eight bass.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff managed to find three keepers for 4.35 lbs to take an easy win.  Their bag included Adam's 2.52 lb lunker winner.  Mario Circone, fishing solo, finished in second place with two bass for 2.77 lbs.  Ken Merlock & Mark Woody had two keepers for 2.50 lbs, good enough for third place.  The only other keeper weighed in was Joe Nemeth's 1.57 lb fish.  Half of the field did not weigh in a keeper.  Overall a brutal day on the water.
 Sean S & Adam S
 Adam S
 
Franchetta & Stubbins Fish USA Bassin Co-Ed Classic - 9/11/2016
Hawg Hunters team Al Franchetta & Jenn Stubbins also fish the local USA Bassin trail.  On the weekend of September 10 & 11 they fished the USA Bassin Co-Ed Classic at Kentucky Lake.  Having no experience on the lake slowed them down on the first day, but they found smallies on the second day and came in with three keepers for 9.23 lbs.   That included a nice 4.16 lb fish.  They finished in 18th place out of 41 teams.  Not bad for their first time there.  Full results can be found here.
 Al F & Jenn S
 Al F
 
Small Crowd & No Big Bass at Bargaintown - 9/10/2016
For a variety of reasons, we had a small group of teams show up for our summer Bargaintown Lake tournament.  Only six teams were able to make it out on this day.  And none of the usual solid keepers showed up.  Mario Circone with sub partner Jerrod Lloyd took the win with a five-bass limit weighing 8.18 lbs.  Mario had the lunker winner at 2.18 lbs.  Zeke Zellman and sub partner Greg Lentz had a limit which weighed 6.92 lbs to finish in second.  Close behind in third place were Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth with a 6.62 lb limit.  In all, 24 bass were weighed in for a total of 33.29 lbs (1.39 lb average).
 Mario C
 
Quantity but Not Quality at East Creek - 8/27/2016
Five teams brought limits to the scales at our East Creek Pond tourney, but the lunker winner was under two pounds.   Dave Lloyd, fishing with sub partner Jerrod Lloyd, had a five-bass limit that weighed 7.64 lbs.  Their bag included Dave's 1.89 lb lunker winner.  Pat Bowen, fishing solo, took second place with a limit that weighed 6.89 lbs.  In a close 3rd-4th-5th place finish of five-bass limits, Sean Summers & sub partner Rich Leadbeater had 6.41 lbs, Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth had 6.32 lbs and Al Franchetta & Jenn Stubbins had 5.93 lbs.  Nine teams participated in the tournament.  A total of 32 bass were weighed in for 41.88 lbs (1.31 lb average).
 Jerrod L
 
Malaga Evening Tournament - 8/13/2016
Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen won our Malaga Lake evening tournament with four bass for 8.61 lbs.  This was their fourth win of the season and moved them into first place in the point standings.  Zeke Zellman, fishing with former club member Wade Schoonover, finished in second with a five-bass limit that weighed 6.52 lbs.  Joe Nemeth & sub partner Mario Quieti took third with three bass for 5.36 lbs.  Al Franchetta caught the 2.51 lbs lunker winner.  Eight teams participated in the tourney, weighing in a total of 19 keepers for 32.85 lbs (1.73 lb average).
 Pat B & Scott B
 
Tough Go at Rainbow - 8/6/2016
Our summer tournament at Rainbow Lake was another tough one for our club.  Only ten keepers were weighed in by the nine teams that participated and, for the third tournament in a row, no limits were weighed in.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff were able to come up with four keepers that weighed 10.94 lbs to take the win.  Their bag was anchored by Sean's nice 4.56 lb lunker winner.  In second place were Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz with two nice keepers for 6.26 lbs.  Orie Summers & Bill Duckardt took third with one bass for 3.51 lbs.  Following the weigh-in, some of our club members stuck around for a parking lot & shoreline clean-up.
 Sean S & Adam S
 Sean S
 
Slightly Better at Stewart - 7/30/2016
Although not a great day for most teams, the results of our tournament at Stewart Lake were slightly better than the previous two tourneys.  After weighing in 14 and 11 keepers the last two weeks, we weighed in a total 16 keepers this week.  Zeke Zellman, fishing solo, took the win with four bass weighing 5.44 lbs.  Bill Duckardt & Orie Summers finished in second with three bass weighing 4.42 lbs.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz took third with three bass for 4.35 lbs, including Dennis' 1.80 lb lunker winner.  Nine teams participated in the tournament.  The 16 keepers weighed a total of 21.72 lbs (1.36 lb average).
 Zeke Z
 Dennis S
  
Slim Pickins at Canal - 7/23/2016
A heat wave during the preceding week, continuing on tournament day, may have led to the tough fishing conditions at Salem Canal.  Only eleven keepers were weighed in by the nine teams that participated.  Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen won their second tournament in a row with a three-bass bag that weighed 6.43 lbs.  Pat had the lunker winner with a 3.93 lb bass.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff took second with two bass that weighed 5.51 lbs.  Zeke Zellman, fishing solo, finished in third with two bass for 3.10 lbs.  The eleven keepers weighed a total of 20.15 lbs (1.83 lb average).
 Scott B & Pat B
 Pat B
 
Bass Hard to Come By at Wilson - 7/16/2016
Unless you were in the Bowen boat, you struggled to catch keeper bass at Wilson Lake.  Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen brought in a five-bass limit for 10.33 lbs to take the win.  There was a big drop-off after that with Mario Circone and sub partner Jeff Mitsui bringing in two bass for 4.26 lbs.  That included Mario's 2.99 lb lunker winner.  In third place were Jim Miller & Jimmy Ohono with two bass for 3.02 lbs.  Ten teams participated in the tourney.  Only 14 keepers were weighed in, for a total of 25.58 lbs (1.83 lb average).
 Scott B & Pat B
 Mario C
 
Club Member Adam Satanoff & "Team Enigma" Win ICAST Cup - 7/12/2016
This year's charity bass tournament held in conjunction with the annual ICAST fishing tackle show was won by our own Adam Satanoff, along with tourney partner Jessie Tacoronte.  "Team Enigma's" five bass limit weighed 17 lbs 2 oz.  Their bag was anchored by the 5 lb 13 oz lunker winner.  The tournament was held at Lake Toho in the Orlando, Florida area.  Sixty-two teams participated in the tournament.  Click here for full article and results.
[Photos copyright FLW LLC.]
 Adam S
 Adam S

The Jimmys Take DOD - 7/9/2016
Our summer tournament at DOD Lake saw five 5-bass limits brought in and every team weighing in at least two keepers.  Jim Miller & Jimmy Ohono brought in five bass for 9.11 lbs to take the win.  Their bag was anchored by Jimmy O's 2.63 lb lunker winner.  Mario Circone with sub partner Jerrod Lloyd came in 2nd with their 8.61 lb limit.  Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz finished in 3rd place with five for 7.65 lbs.  Ten teams participated in the event.  Forty bass were weighed in for a total of 55.45 lbs (1.39 lb average).  Thanks to Pat Bowen for running the weigh-in.
 Jim M & Jimmy O
 Jimmy O
 
Good Quantity & One Good One at Davis Mill - 6/25/2016
The club visited Davis Mill Pond for the first time in a few years and the move paid off with a good quantity of bass and a good lunker winner.  Zeke Zellman & Jason Yu took the win with a five-bass limit for 12.37 lbs.  That weight broke our club five-bass record at that lake.  Their bag was anchored by Jason's nice 5.03 lb lunker winner.  Mario Circone with sub partner Jerrod Lloyd took 2nd place with a limit weighing 8.70 lbs.  Jim Miller & Jimmy Ohono came in 3rd with a 7.32 lb limit.  Nine teams participated in the tournament.  Thirty-five keepers were weighed in for a total of 55.80 lbs.
 Zeke Z & Jason Y
 Jason Y
 
Slow Hot Day at Assunpink - 6/18/2016
A very cool morning turned into a pretty hot day (weather-wise) at Lake Assunpink.   Not many keeper bass were coming into our boats, but Mario Circone & sub partner Jerrod Lloyd managed to bring in four keepers over the 15 inch minimum to take the win with 12.57 lbs.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth took 2nd with three bass for 7.73 lbs.  Jim Miller & Jimmy Ohono came in 3rd with three bass for 6.93 lbs.  Scott Bowen took a close lunker win with his 3.76 lb entry (three other bass over 3.50 lbs were also weighed in).  Ten teams participated in the tournament.  Twenty-three keepers were weighed in for a total of 56.17 lbs.		 Scott B
Good Times on Kerr Trip (except for the rain) - 5/8/2016
Six boats participated in our annual fishing/camping trip which this year was at Kerr Reservoir, Va.  The trip featured some pretty good fishing, but more than enough rain.  The water level in the lake rose about six feet during the five days.

Manly Men Went Fishing at Newton - 4/9/2016
What started out as a cold but otherwise pretty nice day eventually changed over to a brutal mix of steady rain and snow at Newton Lake.  Ken Merlock Sr & Mark Woody brought in the only five-bass limit, which weighed 7.64 lbs, and took the win.  It was that team's third win in our first five tournaments.  Jim Miller and new partner Jimmy Ohono brought in three bass for 7.32 lbs and finished in 2nd place.  Their bag included Jimmy O's 3.32 lb lunker winner.  Sean Summers & Adam Satanoff took third place with their three-bass 5.73 lb bag.  A total of ten hardy teams participated (although a few pulled out early).  Twenty-one bass were weighed in for a total of 36.02 lbs.
 Ken M & Mark W
 Jimmy O

Big Crowd Battles the Weather at Bargaintown - 4/2/2016
Six full hours of chilly temperatures, steady rain and windy conditions made the fishing a bit uncomfortable at Bargaintown Lake, but a season-high thirteen teams took on the challenge.  Five teams were bunched at the top with bags weighing over eight pounds.  Ken Merlock Sr with sub-partner/son Kenny Jr brought in five keepers weighing 9.56 lbs to take the win.  Fred Lentz & Joe Nemeth came in second with a limit that weighed 8.96 lbs.  Jim Miller, fishing solo, took 3rd place with five for 8.68 lbs (including his 3.28 lb lunker winner), barely topping Scott Bowen & Pat Bowen's 8.61 lb limit.  Thirty-nine bass were weighed in for a total of 66.53 lbs.
 Ken M Sr
 Jim M
 
Club Apparel Available - 4/2/2016
Fred is taking orders for club t-shirts, long sleeve shirts and hoodies.  We need to order a minimum of 24 items in order to get decent pricing.  Please let Fred know if you're interested in getting anything.  Prices are in the weekly club emails.
Stingy East Creek Gives Up One Good One - 3/26/2016
Keeper bass were hard to come by at our East Creek Pond tournament.  (Pickerels, on the other hand, were very plentiful.)  Dave Lloyd & Mario Circone took the win with a four-bass bag weighing 4.72 lbs.  They edged out Carl Huff, fishing solo, whose only keeper was a nice lunker-winning 4.65 lb bass.  Ken Merlock Sr & sub-partner Kenny Merlock Jr rounded out the top three teams with their three-bass 3.74 lb bag.  Twelve teams participated in the tournament.  Only sixteen bass were weighed for a total of 22.24 lbs.
 Dave L & Mario C
 Carl H
 
Merlock & Woody Win Union with Lake Record-Breaking Bag - 3/19/2016
Ken Merlock & Mark Woody broke our club record for a five-bass limit out of Union Lake by weighing in five bass for 13.79 lbs.  (Our previous lake record was 12.61 lbs in 2007).  Their bag included four nice smallies.  Bill Duckardt & Orie Summers took second place with four bass for 8.86 lbs, including Orie's 4.87 lb lunker winner.  Finishing in third place were Dennis Snyder & Greg Lentz with three bass for 6.30 lbs.  Twelve teams participated in the tournament.  Twenty-six keeper bass were weighed in for a total of 53.34 lbs.
 Mark W & Ken M
 Orie S

Bowens Take 1st Tourney of Season at Rainbow - 3/12/2016
Scott & Pat Bowen started off the 2016 season with a bang, culling up to a 10.09 lb limit and taking the Rainbow Lake win by a wide margin.  Al Franchetta & Jenn Stubbins had a three-bass, 5.74 lb bag that was good enough for second place.  Joe Nemeth & Fred Lentz finished in third place with two bass for 5.55 lbs, including Joe's 3.19 lb lunker winner.  Twelve teams participated in the tournament.  Sixteen keeper bass were weighed in for a total of 32.36 lbs.  The weigh-in was followed by a clean-up of the parking lot & shoreline (Rainbow Lake is our "adopted" lake).  Thanks to everyone who stayed to participate in the clean-up.
 Pat B & Scott B
 Joe N

Club Get-Together/Pre-Season Meeting Held - 1/30/2016
We held our annual get-together/pre-season meting on Jan 30.  Some of the highlights (besides the food, drink and storytelling) were:  Team members were declared & dues paid by 19 members; our vote for the 2016 Bass Bowl location will be for Beltzville Lake in Pa; Fred re-elected President; Duck re-elected Tournament Director; two tournaments listed on the draft 2016 schedule were changed; if we have sufficient money in our treasury we'll award plaques to the 2nd & 3rd place finishing teams at the end of the season.  The approved schedule has been posted in the Schedule/Results section of the website.  Photos from this event are posted in the Photo Gallery section.		 GTG 2016
 
Annual Get-Together/Pre-Season Meeting Scheduled - 1/1/2016
Our yearly combined club get-together and pre-season meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, January 30, at Larry & Sean Summers' home in Pitman.  More details will be sent out soon via email.  This event will feature food & beverages donated by members.  We'll be awarding plaques to the Champion team, Hawg Hunters Classic winners and Lunker of the Year winner.  We'll also be reviewing & finalizing our club schedule for the 2016 season, electing club officers and deciding on our club's nomination for the location of this year's SJBCA Bass Bowl.

Note that our 2016 schedule includes our annual club fishing/camping trip.  For this year, we'll be returning to Kerr Reservoir in Virginia (Rudds Creek Campground).  The dates are May 4-8.  Some members have already reserved their campsites for the trip (as they fill up fast).  For more details on this trip, contact Fred Lentz or Bill Duckardt.


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