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Below are the winners of the Bass Pro Shop Contest during the fall of 2009 and spring 2010.
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Week 1 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner I was recently fishing the Snake River in Washington. Steelheading in a river flowing at 17,000cfs can be fairly intimidating. I picked out a nice looking run an began swinging through with my switch rod and floating poly leader. Within minutes I landed my first Snake River steelhead, 32" x 12lbs. He took my oversized beadhead prince at the end of the swing. We landed four more fish in just over an hour. I am no longer intimidated. Justin Koller |
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Week 2 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner This 22# gobbler was harvested on May 3rd.2009. I called it in with my homemade wingbone call and my diaphram call. It came in alone gobbling only twice! I shot it at 30 yds. The bird had a 10 inch. beard and 11/4" spurs! Vincent Ficcaglia Jr. |
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Week 3 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner After seeing a piece on television about the Chatthootchee River. I decided to get up there and see for myself if the fishing was as good they portrayed it to be. I used a sucker spawn, an egg pattern fly my nephew had learned to tie. By 10:30 I had caught at least 15 fish, having to replace my "go to fly my nephew ties" every 3 or 4 fish. They literally tore them up. The rest of the day was equally as productive and I ended up witha total of approximately 40 fish some pushing the 10 to 12 lb. mark. If you have the chance to get up there, I guarantee that you will have a great time and mant fish will be caught. Outfitters are a good place to start and gather info on this section of the Chattahoochee. They have guided and unguided trips. Randy Kleppinger |
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Week 4 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner Was fishing the upper Skagit this summer and caught the Biggest Dolly Varden of my life so far. I have fished the Skagit a lot for Dollies, but this fish was the biggest I have personally ever seen out of the river. Taped out at 30". Caught it using a large Scuplin pattern. Fish was released unharmed after this shot. Chris Ringlee |
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Week 5 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner They say that the muskie is the "Fish of 10,000 Casts". Well, it took me seven years to catch my first tiger muskie! Pineview Reservior is the top muskie fishery in Utah, so I spent seven summers up there...trolling, casting and swearing. After years of failure, I finally hit the jackpot. The lake levels were quite high, meaning lots of submerged trees and vegetation. I decided to bring my canoe so that I could navigate the hard to get to areas. I invited my friend Andy to come, because he's very patient, which is a necessary virture, given my muskie track record. Andy had never been fishing before, so I rigged him up a small, rusted spinner because I was sure he'd be snagging a lot and I didn't want him to lose any of my good tackle. Five minutes into the trip, he started shouting and his pole doubled over! He landed a beautiful 36" muskie and said, "Wow, that's fun! You should try to catch one, too!" The dude caught one on his first fishing trip EVER! I couldn't believe it! Thankfully, it was only a few minutes later that this 38" brute slammed my crankbait. After a great battle, I released him to fight another day. It was an amazing day that I'll never forget. Grant Olsen |
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Week 6 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner This was my second year hunting in Hancock New York with my Dad, Uncle and my cousin. My gun is a Browning 308 lever action with open sights. This year I decided to buy a Nikon 3x9 scope for my gun. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to zero my gun in until opening day morning at the rifle range. While walking into our spots about 10:00 we kicked this beautiful buck up and he ran dead away from us. My cousin Ray suggested a drive; we thought maybe the deer would circle right back to his bedding area. I stood in the same general area and my cousin Ray put on a silent drive and pushed the deer within 60 yards of me. One shot to the chest dropped him in his tracks. This was the luckiest day of my life and a buck of a lifetime. Ray DiTunnariello |
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Week 7 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner Wow! Great Website! Love the show! Brian Hayes |
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Week 8 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner "Grace and Maggie Ruble, and their dad, Trevor Ruble, enjoyed a day of flathead fishing on the James River in Virginia this past summer. Grace landed this 23lb catfish. It was the biggest fish of the day. The Ruble family enjoys fishing together, and they use the sport of fishing as an outreach ministry called HOOKED FOR LIFE." Trevor Ruble |
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Week 9 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner We' were running in 68 feet of water at 1.7 mph pulling a variety of spoons off dipseys and planer boards. Fish took a monkey puke very softly and weighed in at 12lbs. 5oz. Largest walleye caught in the central basin of Lake Erie up to that point. Did not accept the fish Ohio citation because I'm not a narcissistic bastard like bass fishermen. John Pugh |
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Week 10 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner Hi Jim, This was my very first Steelhead ever. I caught it on Sandy Creek just before Christmas in 2004. Santa came early and hooked me up with this beautiful hen Lake Ontario run Steelhead. I am now obsessed with fishing for this amazing species and have enjoyed the journey searching for the next bite. The friendships I have made and the experiences along the way are the best part of this sport. My kids are already asking when they can go. Soon kids, very soon... Scott Hall |
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Week 11 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner Hi Jim, The summer of 2009 on the Jersey shore was the best summer founder (fluke) fishing we have seen in over a decade. This 8 lb -26" doormat was caught in August in the area known as the TC buoy. The Terminal Channel is a well known hot spot for doormat size fluke with its array of deep channels,shallow flats and rippy currents. While fishing that day we noticed a school of bluefish feeding on a pod of bunker. We decided to snag a few bunker and drift over the natural chum slick that the bluefish created. Our strategy worked that day... in a big way! Kevin McDonough |
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Week 12 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner Dear Jim, Sometimes, kids just don't get it. My son invited me to Lake George, NY for a family vacation. As a saltwater fisherman, I was getting continuously ribbed that I didn't know a thing about freshwater fishing. My rigging was wrong and so were my methods. On this particular day we were fishing deep for lake trout. Not only did I catch the biggest fish of the day, it was the only fish of the day. George Cirabisi |
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Week 13 - Bass Pro Shops and Gift Card Mall Outdoor Winner Dear Jim, Recently I went fishing off the coast of NJ for Bluefish. Being an experienced stream and lake fisherman, I had no idea what to expect from my first excursion offshore into the wild Atlantic Ocean. We left early in the morning, picked up some live bait and snacks and headed for the coast. During the drive, I was questioning our Captain/Guide/Friend about what species I may encounter due to the area we're fishing and the bait we'll be using. He said most likely we'd catch some Bluefish and Fluke! After thinking back to the many Ocean-fishing TV shows I've seen, I don't remember any of them fishing for Fluke or Blues. Now believe me, I'm still very excited and feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, but I want more. "What about sharks?," was my next question. After a bit of chuckling at my expense, he replied "actually that's possible, but no probable," accompanied by more laughs. This marks the birth of the Great Shark Hunter!!!!! We were on the water, catching some rays and drowning some bait by 10am on a beautiful summer day. I was off to a slow start but the fish started biting around 12:30pm. By 2:30pm, I'd had three bites and successfully pulled in one Fluke and one Sea Robin, but still had laser-like focus on my newly declared nemesis! Reaching nearly 4pm the reels have silenced and my chances to battle with a Great White are fading, but I still have hope! Merely minutes after this thought my rod is bending and reel is screaming! I grab the rod, give a firm initial pull and seem to be met with equal force! Could this be the battle I was waiting for? After 15 minutes of back-and-forth, the opponent surfaces and and my great Guide nets him. SHARRKKKKK!!!!! As you can see, it may not have been a Great White but it was a 36" Sand Shark that I was extremely proud of and quickly released back into the Ocean to eat and grow for our next battle. Ever since, I've been humorously referred to as the Great Shark Hunter! Fran Madden |
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