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Mebassn

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Are there any plans to have a rally anywhere in the south any time soon? Just curious



Tight Lines

Eric H.
 
Sure Eric, as soon as you start planning it....LOL



Seriously, the only reason this one is in NY is because Rob LaMoy and Pierre stepped up to the plate and took charge. If the board wants a southern Rally next year, then some one down there has to organize it. This Rally has been over a year in the making. It's not easy, but after this weekend.....It will all be worth it.



A big thanks to Rob and Pierre! See you in about 16 hours...LOL



Marke
 
There was a brief discussion about centrally locating a rally...maybe like Missouri again...near St. Louis...someone suggested Mark Twain Lake...Not as great a fishery as this Rally...but acceptabvle...lots of hotel/motel/campgrounds...and it has two or three of us "workable" close... Scott...MoFish...me and anybody else who wants to "step up".... It could be reached by a lot of people here because it has good transportation routes from all over... Just a thought...
 
MO, it sounds to me like Greg is nominating us.....

If nobody from down South steps up..... Whadaya think?

This way, you and I could set a date that's convenient for us!



me?
 
Balls in your court guys! I'm game next year if I'm not guiding.
 
Be sure and check about 30 days back. I had posted a message about a southern rally. Had some feedback. Would like to participate, depending upon location - of course. Search on southern rally.
 
Personally, I would like to see Lake Norman in NC. But if you're heading out west, why not Table Rock? Or lake of Ozarks? Denny's water.
 
I've never been to Mark Twain, so I don't know how much help I could be in planning a rally at that lake. Table Rock or Lake of the Ozarks? That's a different story.
 
Ya know, if next year's Rally was at Table Rock, then most folks would be within 30 minutes of the BPS and Tracker "Mecca".
 
Boys and Girls....



Right now I can say I'd help as much as possible with a Rally in Missouri...I think a lot can be done by phone and internet...so given I'm just one state, 350 miles away,...Table Rock or Lake of the Ozarks are "huge" lakes for a small tournament....But either one with the right launch location could work well...I had suggested Mark Twain only because it is smaller and maybe more accessible for "all" boats.... A bad water day on Lake of the Ozarks is a real bad day....Big boats, big wakes and a little wind and I don't like being out there in my boat... Just some thoughts
 
Greg, Greg, Greg, they ain't no bigger than Champlain, that I can promise you! And by this time next year, the 3rd annual rally and tourney will be anything but small! But again, whoever is hosting/organizing calls the shots. Just be sure there's plenty of fish to be caught. I can't come out and win 2 years in a row! LOL Besides Greg, you're like 1 state away from just about EVERYTHING! Those highway signs crack me up. Drive 20 minutes and you never know what stinkin state your in out there.
 
Greg:



I'm not suggesting one lake over the other. I'd be just as happy going to Mark Twain because I've not fished there yet, so I've got no frame of reference about lodging, ramps, size, etc.



You are right about LOZ or TR. Big cruisers, inconsiderate jet-skiers, wind and waves can ruin a fun event. If we were to plan an event for June, I would choose Mark Twain over the other two. But, LOZ and TR would be great lakes to fish in May, prior to Memorial Day. Downside to them is LOTS and LOTS of other tournaments.



Mark Twain would be fine with me.
 
Just trying to get a little "leg up" on everybody...My first Bass Tournament "WIN" was on Mark Twain...now...a long time ago....Won it out of my 16' Tiller 40hp Walleye boat! About '86 or so! Now as for Champlain/Lake of the Ozarks comparisons...Size...they may be the same...But on Lake of the Ozarks jetskis are thicker than mosquitos...the average pleasure boat has a crew of six and the small ones have to keep the helos on deck... But, then I worked summers at a resort as a kind of guide back in the ealy sixties so maybe some of my honey holes will still produce...16' Larson with a 10hp...LOL Back then pre-rigged black plastic Creme Worms with two hooks were the best.... See Rob...I've got fishing stories older than you... :) You know, "they" say; "age and stealth will beat youth and enthusiasm, every time"! check your e-mail
 
Just trying to get a little "leg up" on everybody...My first Bass Tournament "WIN" was on Mark Twain...now...a long time ago....Won it out of my 16' Tiller 40hp Walleye boat! About '86 or so! Now as for Champlain/Lake of the Ozarks comparisons...Size...they may be the same...But on Lake of the Ozarks jetskis are thicker than mosquitos...the average pleasure boat has a crew of six and the small ones have to keep the helos on deck... But, then I worked summers at a resort as a kind of guide back in the ealy sixties so maybe some of my honey holes will still produce...16' Larson with a 10hp...LOL Back then pre-rigged black plastic Creme Worms with two hooks were the best.... See Rob...I've got fishing stories older than you... :) You know, "they" say; "age and stealth will beat youth and enthusiasm, every time"! check your e-mail
 
Mo....



Besides, at Mark Twain in Downtown Mexico, Missouri they have a restaurant called "Moms".... They serve a "Texas" Tenderloin that covers your plate...what more would you want?
 
To be able to beat someone whose actually won a bass tournament!



Seriously, though, that sounds great.
 
Okay, for discussion purposes so that "interested parties" can "educate themselves" and rationally think about this... Mark Twain Lake is an impoundment about 30 miles WSW of Hannibal, Missori (Mark Twain's boyhood home)...or about 120 miles NNW of (somewhere in) St. Louis, Missouri...it would actually be good driving from any direction...



Here are some web links

http://www.marktwainlake.com/ http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/MarkTwain/ http://www.cannondam.com/crappie.htm



And, just to show that there area few bass...up to 6lbs or so...here's a link to some pics



http://www.cannondam.com/farchive3.htm



Other suggestions welcome!!!
 
It may have been stopped by my filter. I had to turn it up because I was on every spam list available.
 
Twain???? YOUR CRAZY... you've got 4 much better fisheries within a couple hours of St. Louis, Table Rock, Stockton, Pomme De Terre and Truman.... i'd much rather have one of those... i wouldn't be against helping to put another one together... just hope we have a better turn out....
 
Chris,



Of those four, how easy is access from major interstates? Are there a lot of "lodging" opportunities? Which would be best choice for fishery, access, lodging and stuff for wives and kids to do while we are all off fishing?
 
Of the four, Table Rock would win hands down. The availability of lodging goes from family owned "fish camp" style resorts all they way up to major condo complexes and resorts like Big Cedar. Hotels in Branson can be downright cheap if you get them before Memorial Day. Outlet malls, shows, etc for the wives who don't want to fish. None of the boat ramps (even the private ones) can charge a lauch fee per Corp of Engineers rules. There's Silver Dollar City, water parks, putt-putt golf, and go-kart tracks for the kids. And TR has a good variety of fish (a guy like me can even duck down to Taneycomo to fish for trophy trout) or you can head to Bull Shoals, too.



It's a half-hour from I-44 at Springfield, divided four lanes on US 65 all the way to Branson now.



LOZ can be good for fishing if you stick to areas like the Niangua Branch (too shallow for most of those big yachts). Lodging for large groups is more difficult, but most family owned places have their own ramps and you can park your boat overnight in a slip with electrical hookups. Most places will have a beach or a pool, cable TV, etc. There is at least one big outlet mall, and Jefferson City is thirty minutes away.



I haven't fished Truman, Stockton or Pomme De Terre, so I've got NO information to share on those. And I'm still not against Mark Twain. Looking at the web sites, it WOULD be a good Rally location.



And my vote for time of the year no matter where would be May or October. Much more comfortable temps and humidity, and the fishing really picks up in these months.
 
May...or last weekend of April...I am thinking of our "Northern Brethern" who fish "openers" some of which are on the first and second weekends of May Also many hotels/motels give breaks before May...



Frankly, give the broad scope of the geography of members home addresses anywhere in Missouri works out...I had suggested Mark Twain for its proximity to travel corridors...I55 and I72 ... Also thought that we would be a "big fish in a small pond" to some businesses in that area. That might get us breaks on lodging, etc...



However, same could apply at the right time and right place elsewhere.



 
Greg, your "big fish" logic is impeccable. I just looked at a map, and Mark Twain is only 1/2 hour off of the I-70 corridor. I had thought it was closer to Kirksville and Iowa than it actually is. And it would be within an hour or so of St. Charles (BPS Warehouse). I'm liking Mark Twain more and more!
 
Sounds fine to me. Maybe we can hit the BPS. Plus the closer we are to Tracker corporate, the easier it is for them to participate. Please shoot for April. It will get me out of the frozen tundra a little early, and May is WAY too busy for me to leave for 5 days. I will be towing, so it would take me a day to get there, and a day back, with 2-3 there to fish.
 
Wasn't one of the previous Rally's held at Mark Twain? Scott will know.
 
I'd like to see Lake Fork in Texas, late March to mid April, now were talking hogs
 
Rob...Mo...And all others...



What would be helpful would be a "stream of consciousness" posting/e-mail from everybody who attended this or a past rally...what was good...what wasn't...what should have been done or what shouldn't have been done... I am thinking about opening up a Yahoo e-mail account and would post it for inbound...should give everyone a place to post comments and ideas for a group to review and digest



And, ideas of all kinds from everybody/anybody...



Then some kind of informal structure...looks a little like Mo (and because he isn't around to deny or defend himself) Scott and Me (as much as possible from the distance) and anyone else from Ill, Mo, and "environs" should explore the possibilities....



Absolutely nothing is "for sure", especially people or place...just an exploratory period... It could/would be a lot of work but I think it would be worth it...



Still, Missouri has possibilities, it's not real close to Texas or Florida...or New York...but then as big as the US gets...no one place is ever close to all the rest... Where is that "geographical center" of the us?
 
I don't know about the U.S. but the center of the world is Plattsburgh NY! LOL
 
Rob,



Spoken like a true North Country New Yorker!!



Bob G.
 
And, the axis of the earth runs right through your back pocket...



Mommy, Mommy, little Robby is a sick puppy can we drown him or sumpthin?
 
Ok..... My 2 cents.....



The last rally we had was put together by Chris at Truman Lake ab out an hour north of BPS Headquarters. Beautiful lake - but kinda lacking when it came to anything other than the lake. Friday night at 10 pm the only place left open to eat was the Sonic!



Lake of the Ozarks is DEFINATELY OUT as far as I'm concerned..... Wa-a-ay too much big boat traffic.



If all we were talking about was the lake without consideration for anyone travelling - I'd pick Table Rock.



But, when you add in all the factors..... I'd pick Mark Twain. It may not be as big as Champlain or L of the Ozarks - but it's got acres and acres of submerged timber, points, deep water at the base of bluffs, rif-raf..... It's got a bit of everything..... And, when it comes to driving - people from Chicago, Michigan, ATLANTA, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee can make it easily in one day.



Date-wise..... Late April / early May would be my preferred time..... But weather then can be pretty rainy..... 2nd week of June, the weather is a bit more predictable and it might be easier for people to get away.....



If you guys and gals want Mark Twain - I'll step in to chair the event.



me!
 
Scott:



I'll offer to help, but just so y'all know, the first week in May is OUT for me already. That's my annual crappie trip to LOZ, and the bunch of us just went through a nightmare of vacation requests to get that one week nailed down. I may be dead on this board, but I'll get shot in real life if I back out of that trip now.



The first week in June would be okay.
 
When is Easter next year?



We could look at the 3rd or 4th weekend in April.

Or 2nd weekend in June.
 
Scott,



I have called a friend back home in Quincy, Il. He fishes Mark Twain regularly...his best advice is Late April or early May...Also, as I said, if we try for then we won't be running into schools out and vacations have started time and the hotels/motels will probably "deal". We could "takeover" an entire place like the Cannon Dam Cabins or one of the motels...have a Rally headquarters and hospitality room..or whatever...



I hear the calls from Florida, etc...lets get some mileage numbers from Orlando to St Louis is that a possible drive...Rob would be the farthest in my mind right now... Texas would be a stretch if its west Texas...but heck east Texas is a stretch from west Texas...They were their own country for a reason!...Just to deflate them my cousin warns every Texan that if they don't back off he'll get the Alaskan Legislature to split Alaska in half and then Texas would be the "third" largest state!



Okay Scott, your Chairman...Mo is Vice-=Chairman...and I'm Chairman of Vice....whatever.. for now we should just keep it at discussion stage and invite suggestions and ideas... I loved Rayburn when I fished it....huge water..huge fish...funny food!



Let's post something after the Rally about sites and travel...maybe R ich could set up a survey here at the site
 
Greg -



I've towed as far as the Georgia/Florida border in one day on several ocassions; it was like 14 hours but doable. Houston is about 10 hours away. Rob, Marke, Buzz and Cass would have a full 2-day drive.



The countryside in Missouri sure is beautiful the end of April..... But more people might be able to make it if we had it once school is out.



me!
 
Well, too big an issue to decide without a lot of input from the rest of the folks here...



But, I think a reconnaisance in force is in order...Do we agree that Mark Twain is on "our" short list...and we arrange to meet there in some near term date...with Mo and any others..and "evaluate"...sort of a recon by fire...fishing trip...
 
Orlando, FL to Mark Twain is 1155 miles - shortest route.

Plattsburgh, NY to Mark Twain is 1159 miles - shortest route.

Moab, Utah to Mark Twain is 1184 miles - shortest route.

Houston, TX to Mark Twain is 885 miles

Auburn Hills, MI to Mark Twain is 612 miles.
 
So-o-o-o..... Mack, Mini, Ken and Craig have no excuse for not showing!
 
The only thing about Twain that i dont like is there are no resorts on the lake with private boat ramps as there would be at Table Rock,(not to mention the timber/rock factor). I was in the planning staff for IBBT and know the resort owners very well i think i could get a deal on the lodging if we went to table rock at Lazy Lee's resort... IBBT was the 2nd or 3rd weekend in april, and the fish were still on the beds then at Table Rock... made for excellent fishing, I'm posting a link below to the IBBT Website... let me know what you guys think... if anyone has any objection to Table Rock let me know also, another thing about table rock is 30-45min from Bass Pro Outdoor world in springfield, and 15-20min from Branson ( something for wives to do)
http://home.kscable.com/ppp/ibbt2002/
 
If you look at the state by state membership there's more than enough members to have regional rallies that would cover a few states in each region. Just need the interest and people to put them together.
 
Table Rock is a great fishery.....



BUT, it will add 5 or 6 hours drive time for anyone coming from anywhere East of the Mississippi.....
 
I like Sam's idea of regionals, though I'd LOVE to meet everyone, with vacation schedules the way they are and i'm heading to Canada for a week next September, something with less than a full day's drive where I could leave after work would be best for me. From North Atlanta that's probably down to Central Florida, NC, SC, Alabama and TN.



 
Scott...



Chris still has a basket full of bass from his IBBT tournament tied up under the dock at that resort...THAT'S why he wants to go there...LOL.



Table Rock is a great fishery and does look interesting...And, I do like the idea of having a "Headquarters Resort" right on the lake. If we can get a sense for who/how many would participate at several suggested locations (Mark Twain, Table Rock, and there are possibles in Southern Ill...Rend, Carlyle...and elsewhere) with some kind of perference (1st, 2nd, 3rd choice) survey we could try to satisfy everyone...



I don't know about three regional rallies...Two, an East and a West...if we keep the East "drivable" for most people...could be a good idea. It is just that I really like the idea of meeting as many of the people here and if we split it up we split up sponsorship...and we split up the people...course simultaneous web cam weigh-ins....



Like I said...lets communicate with Rich about a survey on the site... And, I think Chris is from Iowa so he's on the committee if I have any say in it....and he help set up the IBBT tournament
 
Basket Full???? dont i wish.... had a 20lb limit on friday, saturday only caught 3 fish all day, and one flipped off while measuring.. dont know about this thing about regionals, the thing i dont like about it is you'll have a reigonal champion from each area...So are the champions all going to get together for a best of the best tournament? As far as the long drives, i believe about 75% of the participants in IBBT were not from Missouri, some came as far as from Deleware, i know there are alot more Nitros down in that area then anywhere else in the US because of the closeness of outdoor world, If we could get an idea of how many of us there will be, we could solicitate sponsors and get an idea on lodging, if i remember right Lazy Lee's were about 50 bucks a night for a cabin and 75/night for a 2bdrm mobile home that will sleep 6-8. Anyways let me know what you all think.I guess one deciding factor for people will be the fishing conditions and properties of each lake, Table Rock is a Clear (15-20ft at times) deep water lake200-250ft max), Usually early-mid april is the best time to fish it, all 3 species (Largemouth, Kentuckies, and smallies) are in good supply at table rock, one way we could toss a little fun into the rally if we go to Table rock would be like we did for IBBT, have prizes for big bass in each species. Just an idea
 
just currious scott... where do you come up with 6 hrs? i can get down there from Des Moines in 5 1/2 LOL
 
Where ever you decide, just go ahead and put my name on the trophy for 1st place now. That's LaMoy....LOL I have a title to defend now. So does Eric. That's Barker! Please get them right! LOL
 
Rob...



launched and retrieved Davey Hite at the 2000 Classic on the last day...so I spent a long time with him in my truck and in line for the weigh-in... He was the 1999 Angler of the year... For the tournament...NO FISH...NONE...so like Davey...Rob will only be a memory and an also ran... But, we'll be gracious and give you a magic slate with your name written on as the first reecipient of the "last year's also ran traveling magic slate trophy..." you get to keep it for a year and then write the next "also ran's" name on it and present it...after hourts out of the public eye...LOL...



Hey Buddy, I'm looking forward to introducing you to some of our reluctant western bucketmouths....
 
Gotta stretch my wings if I expect to one day compete with the big boys! I'll have fun pulling toads in front of them at the FLW this up coming week with THEIR corporate sponsors in my boat. I actually had a co-worker so convinced of my ability to win, that he offered to pay half the entry fee for the FLW and we split the winnings. I would do it, but I don't have my $2k half! Those tourneys are expensive! Plus, I'd need a little bigger and faster rig to really have a shot. Hands down, no doubt, Buzz's boat helped Marke and I win on Saturday. Couldn't have gotten there in my boat. I would still have been tough beat, but would have had to work a lot harder.
 
'Twains too far!!....champlain was 590miles,...and i am NOT driving a mile further!!!! LOL Obviously, we are NOT going to be able to satisfy everyone,....but we need to make a map that shows where the majority of the members/poster's live,....then pick a central location based on THAT scenario,....not necesarrily in the CENTRAL part of the US!!...ahah......I'd be willing to bet it's more towards KY/TN than MO.!! I don't care where it is,...but my limit is 9-10hrs......no more!!!

Mac
 
Scheduling is also a major issue. Boat Shows and Fishing shows leave a few weeks prior to our season opener here in Michigan. It would have to fall into that slot, and be driveable for Mac....lol. I can drive just about anywhere....it doesnt bother me. I drove almost to florida from Michigan non stop this past January....



I would LOVE to do Table Rock....but Kentucky Lake is high on my list too (I have heard the grass is back)....the houseboat idea would be cool, but charging batteries would be a problem. There are plenty of resorts that we could get into also.



Mini
 
I've done the "houseboat" on both Kentucky and Barkley Lakes...two bassboats were able to get enough charge off the generator in the houseboat...we'd hook up at lunchtime and again until "lights out"...always had enough juice...

Not sure if two of your "scooters" with 3 batteries each would get enough or not...but as far as being able to get close to (anchor) the best fishing, its hard to beat the houseboat...



az
 
I'm with Mac on the over 10 hours. That's a lot. I would only do it if it were on Norman, only because, I've driven that one about 10 times and can do it with my eyes closed now! Plus that one is high on my to do list. KY lake sounds good too. How many hours from NY?
 
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