Submitted by: Nick Angiulo

The New Jersey Bass Federation’s annual Team Tournament, which pits the top six anglers from each participating New Jersey Bass Federation club against one another in a two-day, cumulative weight event, brings New Jersey’s best bass anglers out to compete. Aside from the bragging rights, cup and prize money awarded to the winning club, this event also affords the top six individual finishers spots on the 2014 New Jersey State Team. The 2013 event was waged, for the first time, on the fertile waters of the Northern Chesapeake Bay (colloquially known as the Susquehanna Flats). The Flats has hundreds of miles of fertile rivers, creeks, main bay areas, submergent and emergent vegetation, and man-made structure, giving anglers a huge variety of choices. Reports from the area prior to the tournament indicated that weights breaking the 25 pound barrier a day were possible and the Federation’s best took to the water with extremely high expectations. With mostly stable to warming weather during the week, most anglers expected the fishing to be at its peak during the two competition days of May 16 and 17. However, as is always the case in tournament fishing, while good numbers and weights were caught during the event, fishing proved somewhat tougher than expected. Regardless, the Flats showed its capacity for producing big fish and close finishes. In this regard, the top three finishing teams were separated by less than two pounds over the two days of competition. Continue reading

Announcements:
I have attached the Vermont Statement on use of the Alabama Rig, and spoke with NJ DEC (Fishing Dept). NY mirror’s Vermont on their position of use of the Alabama Rig.

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Mike Hart

Vermont (VTFW) on Lake Champlain:  “The Department’s interpretation of the Alabama Rig is that by definition, it does not constitute a “lure” in and of itself, since it is hookless. As such, it can be construed as nothing more than terminal tackle, such as a wire leader, except with 5 strands of wire instead of one. The Alabama Rig does not become a lure intended to catch fish until hooks are added. It is the Department’s interpretation that the Alabama Rig is legal to use in Vermont, provided no more than two lures with hooks intended to catch fish are attached to it.” New York regs on Champlain mirrors Vermont’s on Champlain which only allows two baits on one line. As of now, it’s still legal in the rest of NY. There are a bunch of new regs in NY up for public comment I saw someplace but I don’t think the A-rig was one of the proposed changes up for review. But in my opinion, it will come up before too long.