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ATTENTION PBM ANGLERS: Here is an update summary for May 15 – September 30, 2020:

1. Regular Club Meetings: PBM does not meet in June-July-August. Our next regular club meeting is September 21, at 1800. The Board is considering new places to meet, in case Sportsman’s Warehouse is still unable to host meetings. Please come at 1730 to pay dues and/or entries. NOTE: this meeting will only occur if AZ/Maricopa Co/CDC Safe Sheltering and Social Distancing guidelines policies and restrictions allow us to meet.

2. Board of Directors Meetings: None held or scheduled in July or August. 3. Regular Tournaments: Our next regular club tournament is September 26, on Alamo Lake. Instructions for the Draw

will be included in future club emails, as well in postings on our website and on Facebook. 4. Spontaneous Non-Club Team Tournaments: Last month, President Figueroa asked the Tournament Committee to

decide whether more of these events might be held. No word on this yet from the Tournament Committee. 5. The 2020 Open: PBM’s 2020 Open, hosted by MBC, is August 1, Bartlett Lake, Jojoba (Main) Ramp. Please see our

website for further details. Remember, ALL MEMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO WORK THE OPEN, whether or not they fish it. If you are considering not working the Open, please contact President Figueroa. If you have "special needs" that affect doing your fair share, please contact Open Director Curtis DeLaGrange.

6. Tournament Rules: In June, the Board asked the Tournament Committee, chaired by Dan Wolters, to explore whether the rules for our fall tournaments should be revised because of COVID-19- and Coronavirus-related (temporary) issues. Dan will inform the Board about his ideas before announcing them.

7. Tournament Fact Sheets: I am updating PBM Fact Sheets and Lake Maps for the Fall tournaments. These sheets are posted on our website. If you have suggestions for improving the Fact Sheets, please let me know!

8. Committee Reports: The Conservation and Marketing committees were the only ones to submit reports for this period. Both reports were forwarded to all members via email and will be uploaded to the PBM website.

Please let me know if you have questions or concerns about this information. BIG NEWS

This month, new Member Chris Smith brought Lucas Oil Marine Products aboard as a Major Sponsor. Old Timer Clayton “Glitter” Sikes also brought Agave Psychiatry aboard, as a Minor (for now) Sponsor! Keep it up, guys! DEALS and DISCOUNTS from PBM SPONSORS!!

Dues-paid PBM members (only!) get deals or discounts from the following PBM Sponsors: • 5150 Plastics: website https://5150plastics.com/. The discount code is phxbass. • AZ Barbeque Catering: website, https://azbarbequecatering.com/. No discount code but order online

or call (602) 363-5196 to place an order and identify yourself as a PBM member. • Big Fish Bullies: website https://www.bigfishbullies.com/. Discount code is phoenixbassmasters.

Be sure to say thanks and pick up their business cards, brochures or stickers for your friends.

Phoenix Bass Masters, Inc. (phoenixbassmasters.com)

([email protected]) (602.377.1694)

Near-Monthly Newsletter

July 2020

Editor: Terry B. Johnson

Phoenix Bass Masters, Inc. July 2020 PBM Newsletter Page 2 of 6

FileName PBM Newsletter.202007.Final.docx

TESTING THE WATERS Summer Doldrums? Not for me! By Scott Brown With high temps in Phoenix in the months of June-July-August, most anglers night fish or go out for a few hours first thing in the morning. If you've been to Lake Pleasant, the striper fishing this past month has been pretty good. If you have gone to Bartlett, the 10 in fish are on fire. Recently, I was getting one 2 lb largemouth bass to every 6-8 10 incher. If you haven't been able to get out, you should be using the time to pull your big motor prop and check for fishing line. Do the same with your trolling motor. Fishing line will ruin your seals real fast. I try to do this each time I get off the water. It's a habit. The reason is, I didn't do this before and I ended up with a seal leak. Water got in the lower unit and I had to have it all rebuilt. It’s much cheaper and easier to pull the prop and check for line; it just takes 5 min and then clean up the line if needed and reinstall the prop. I always carry extra pins for prop inspections; the pin gets weak, so change it, too. If you are not getting out on the water, take this time to look at other things you might neglect. Be sure to look at your trailer, too, to make sure there are no hidden problems that can leave you stranded. For me, I just got a newer boat so now I have to go through everything. I've been doing this with my other boat and all these things I do have kept me on the road and water, as it was old equipment. If you keep up with the maintenance and treat your boat, motor, trailer and other equipment right, it doesn't matter much whether it’s new or old. A new boat and trailer neglected will break down, just like anything.

Scott Brown’s new boat is a smoking Bullet, with a 300 hp Merc. He can now get from the Starting Line to his honey hole across the lake before Randy and Pedro 2020 even get on plane. Scott’s nonboater application line for Alamo in September is forming right now. The best news for Scott: he has already sold his trusty old Ranger. Congratulations, Scott!

I have got some great new upgrades from PBM Sponsor DD26 Fishing, with their steering locks, the new trim knob that just came out and trolling motor cable wraps that clean up and hide wires to protect from sun. If you haven't checked out our sponsors’ items, you should look and get familiar with some as you never know when someone may ask “Hey, what you know about these products?”



Regarding PBM Sponsors, 5150 Plastics has the new Ditch Diggers out; they are like a 4.5 in Zoom Baby Brush Hog, except with better tails and way better plastic, plus scent and float additive. I've been using these for the past few months on my Carolina rig and love them. They are available on the 5150 Plastics website now. Remember, as club members we get a 10% discount ordering online. Use our sponsors, guys! This helps us continue doing what we do. Thanks Are there any PBM Master Anglers? By Tim Rafferty [Note: that must be a rhetorical question, Tim. TBJ]

While reading one of my favorite fishing magazines, a light bulb came on in my head (dim as is is) and I asked myself, are there any Phoenix Bass Masters members who are designated “Master Angler?” And then I asked, why am I not a Master Angler? For the past 43 YEARS, In-Fisherman Magazine, “The World’s Foremost Authority on Freshwater Fishing,” has been receiving entries from anglers across North America, for their Master Angler Awards Program. In this program, North America is divided into 6 geographic regions; PBM members reside in Region #3. In 2018, 5 fish met the minimum length to enter the Largemouth Bass category, with a 25” catch from California

taking top honors. In 2019, ONLY 2 fish met the requirements, with a Wyoming angler releasing a 22” Largemouth. And shockingly, at least to a guy who is madly in love with Bronzebacks, no entries were sent in for Smallmouth Bass from our Region #3 in 2018 or 2019. The program is conducted from January thru December. You can enter catch-and-release information for more than 20 species and possibly get your MASTER ANGLER designation. Get all the information on-line and I hope next year, when I open the pages to the 2020 results, we have a PBM member to applaud and have a drink with! Details at https://www.in-fisherman.com/content/master-angler/375360. Cheers! Disclaimer: I am new to PBM and I’m guessing (dangerous thing to do) that some PBM members might have entered this program before and received their designation. To you, I salute and cannot wait to hear your story about your achievement. Photo: PBM members Craig (son) and Tim (dad) Rafferty on Apache Lake, Arizona TOURNAMENT RESULTS: WINNING and WHINING WAYS Note: We did not have a tournament in July, so there are no results to report. In August, this section will include the 2020 Open results, as reported by Vince Borrego. Here is hoping that we see YOUR name listed among the Total Weight, Big Fish, 50/50 and Prize Raffle winners. I just picked up the five (5) rods donated by DD26 Fishing and 5 raffle tickets are going to be well worth their cost! [Pedro 2020: if you win one of the heavier rods, if you want to you can return my G Loomis rig and I will refund your money! TBJ]



A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS Unfortunately, no July tournament means no July tournament pictures, so I will just go with this one:

Yessirree, Bubba, eat your heart out! This largemouth weighed 15.4 lb. The boy who caught it is Emory Carver. Emory’s previous best was a 5 lb “dink.” The monster is the 8th largest largemouth ever caught in Alabama. Using a (yuk!) Yamamoto Senko, Emory caught it on June 26, in a private lake in Henry County AL. Emory posted a 21 minute video (Google it!) of the epic battle and some of his other fishing adventures. According to published accounts, the bass was revived and released alive because Emory is a “catch and release” enthusiast. CLASSIFIEDS (MEMBERS: SEND IN YOUR ADS!) Fishing Trips to Mexico! Fish for giants as well as numbers. Post-Coronavirus trips to lodges on Lake El Salto (January 24-31, 2021) and Lake Baccarac (November 1-8, 2020) are filling right now. Two spots are left for Baccarac, 7 for El Salto. They are available first-come, first-served, for ca. $3500 total cost per angler with a $1000 down payment. This all-inclusive cost covers EVERYTHING: food, beverages, boats, guides, lodging, tips and air travel from Sky Harbor back to Sky Harbor. Pro Bass Adventures lodges have wireless, A/C, open-air dining and excellent food, drink and other services. Most of the guides and lodge staff speak Spanglish well; some are fluent in English. Contact tour coordinator Terry Johnson for more details. Fishing Tackle for Sale! It's a good time to stock up. In addition to our great PBM Sponsors, you can get some high-quality used and sometimes unused tackle from me, PBM Secretary Terry B. Johnson. Highlights include: G Loomis GLX rods, Shimano Calais reels and all kinds of soft plastics, hard plastics (swimbaits, jerkbaits and



crankbaits) and other stuff. Between now and August 31, I am giving a 15 percent discount to PBM Members in Good Standing who are committed to working the 2020 PBM Open. The tackle is all available for inspection on request (well, pretty much so) but Social Distancing Guidelines are followed. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS BECAUSE THEY SURE SUPPORT US! We all have lots of options for where we buy fishing tackle but right at the top of our lists should be our wonderful PBM Sponsors, which include, in alphabetical order: 5150 Plastics; Agave Psychiatry; A&M Graphics; AZ Barbeque Catering; Big Fish Bullies; Canyon Coolers; DD26 Fishing; ES Advisement, LLC; Lucas Oil Marine Products; M&D Baits & Weights; Monterey Bass Company; RE/MAX-Rafferty; RoboJunkie Boat Detail, LLC; Sportsman’s Warehouse; Tactical Bassin’; The Home Depot; Voodoo ActiveWear.

Nonboater Dan Wolters and his new PB largemouth (by 2 lb!), a 9.85 lb monster he lucked into caught in a PBM tournament on Canyon Lake, September 2019.

PBM members fish hard and often they fish very well. They rely on fishing tackle and boat equipment from PBM Sponsors to get the job done. Other PBM Sponsors sell sun-protection apparel to keep us safer from skin cancer, the bane of anglers everywhere. Still others sell nice homes to visit while we are not on the water, tools for tinkering at home and away, camping equipment, food for our bellies or even offer a little professional therapy if the fish drive us too crazy. Many thanks to our Sponsors, one and all

PHOENIX BASS MASTERS MEMBERS ARE PROUD TO CONTRIBUTE TO WORTHY CAUSES

C.A.S.T. for Kids is a national charity that lets disadvantaged kids experience a day on the lake. In 2020, 18 PBM members and five PBM Sponsors from Big Fish Bullies, ES Advisement, LLC and M&D Weights & Baits proudly participated in a C.A.S.T. for Kids’ day on Lake Pleasant. We presented this great organization with a well-deserved donation check from PBM. Some of us were boat captains for our own or a borrowed bass boat, others helped set up or take down the event equipment and all of us had a fantastic time. The kids did, too! Fisher House Foundation is widely recognized as the most effective national charity helping America’s military veterans and their families. Much of its emphasis is on caring for and providing proximal temporary housing for veterans (and their families) who are undergoing prolonged treatment for injuries incurred while protecting America. They served us all; now we all should serve them! This is PBM’s first year supporting Fisher House.



IN CLOSING Help us make 2020 a great year for Phoenix Bass Masters! Join the best club in Arizona and bring a friend or 2 with you. Boaters, nonboaters and guests are welcome BUT every boat in our tournaments MUST have at least 1 club member aboard. Adults (16 and older) may only guest fish in 1 tournament per calendar year.

For more information on Phoenix Bass Masters, go to www.phoenixbassmasters.com Our public Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/phoenixbassmasters/

For information on Phoenix Junior Bassmasters, go to https://www.phxjuniorbassmasters.com/

Bass Fishing Clubs are all about Youth, Conservation, Tournaments and Fun!

AMERICA IS THE LAND OF THE FREE ------ BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE SUPPORT the TROOPS and FIRST RESPONDERS who protect us

Hey, PBM members, let's be safe out there! P.S. If you have read this far, even if you skipped sections, congratulations! Sadly, by semi-popular demand the PBM Newsletter is now shorter, less inclusive and perhaps more boring or at least less comprehensive. Business-related news that was sent to members via email is no longer included. Most other news is in bulleted snippets, rather than actual sentences and – heaven forbid – whole paragraphs. Incredible insights from published pro anglers have also fallen by the wayside, I guess because they aren’t writing about AZ waters? Lamentably, snarky humor is reduced. The result for this month is a 7-page Newsletter, rather than our usual 13 or so pages. Sorry, folks, but I simply could not make it fit the 280-word Twitterverse constraint. Will the August edition be even shorter? No promises because our 2020 Open is on August 1 and that report will be written by Mr. Vince “I Ghost Wrote War and Peace” Borrego and a veritable plethora of wonderful accompanying photos will be provided (mainly?) by Daniel J. Wolters, Jr. Just wait till you see the Centerfold! If you’d like to suggest more ways to shorten the Newsletter, please write to [email protected]. If you’d like to write the Newsletter, please call Jeff Foxworthy and ask him for your sign!

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Phoenix Bass Masters, Inc.phoenixbassmasters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PBM... · 2020. 9. 4. · Phoenix Bass Masters, Inc. July 2020 PBM Newsletter Page 3 of 6 FileName PBM