2009 Northern Open #1

"I was fishing in and around some grass," Scalish said. "I had to downplay what I was catching because there were a few other guys nearby who'd swoop in given a chance."

Mississippi Man Wins Sweepstakes

"I can't tell you how very — no, how extremely — surprised I was to win," said Bourgeois, an avid tournament angler and district sales manager for a manufacturer of metal shelving and cabinets.

B.A.S.S. Nation

Skeeter Launches New Federation Nation Retail Program

KILGORE, Texas, April 14, 2009 As the Official Boat Sponsor of BASS, Skeeter's management team knew this was an excellent opportunity to put its product in front of the most avid fishermen in the world ; the BASS Federation Nation. Knowing that this group has high expectations from anything and everything "bass fishing," Skeeter is proud to introduce an exciting new retail program for 2009 the Skeeter/Yamaha BASS Federation Nation Program exclusively for Federation Nation members.

First Ramada Contest Winner Announced

A California man has been declared the first winner in the 2009 Ramada Worldwide Winning Weight Game, a contest on Bassmaster.com that invites fans to pinpoint that weight will be needed to win an upcoming Bassmaster Elite Series tournament.

The Race is On!

Three tournaments into the Bassmaster Elite Series, the race for the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award is now well underway. Leading the pack is 2008 Bassmaster Classic champ Alton Jones, but not far behind are some of the usual suspects: Gary Klein, Skeet Reese, Todd Faircloth and, of course, Kevin VanDam.

Northern Open#1: Chesapeake Bay

For the first time in nearly 20 years, BASS returns to Chesapeake Bay, the United States' largest estuary, to usher in the first event of the Northern Open schedule, set for April 16-18 out of Cecil County, Md.

Expect shallow bite and finesse fishing on Smith Mountain

When the Bassmaster Elite Series pros arrive at Smith Mountain Lake for the April 23-26 Advance Auto Parts Blue Ridge Brawl out of Moneta, Va., they will find markedly different conditions than those presented to them in 2007, when the Elite Series first visited. The anglers can expect pre-spawn and possibly spawning conditions on the crystal clear waters of the scenic 20,600-acre lake nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Lunker Lessons: Wheeler Lake

Shaw Grigsby had a good Thursday in the Evan Williams Bourbon Dixie Duel on Wheeler Lake. Then severe weather arrived and Friday's competition was cancelled. What at first looked to be a bad break for the 11-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier turned out to be most fortunate.

How They Did It: Wheeler Lake

The Evan Williams Bourbon Dixie Duel was a tough test for most of the anglers. On Thursday the water was stable and the fishing relatively tranquil. Then the storms hit. Friday was cancelled and Saturday saw high, muddy water sweep through the fishery. To add to the mix, nobody knew until Sunday morning if that would be the last day or if they would be fishing on Monday.

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