Meeting Minutes
March 1, 2006
DBM meeting minutes March 1, 2006
Guests/new members were introduced: Rick White, Tracey Maryhew, Cliff Bell and Ben Mares. Welcome!
The Denver Junior Bassmasters will have a day of orientation on Sat., March 18 from 9am – 1pm in the Frying Pan Lodge meeting room at Bass Pro Shops. Jr. Bass Program Director Chad Phillips expects about 40 kids. Coinciding with the Jr. Bass orientation will be a club-staffed hot dog fund raiser sale outside of BPS from 9am to about 3:30pm. There was a sign up of at least six DBM members and a few additional “possibles.”
Chad Phillips reported on the Jr. Bassmaster Championship in Florida the week prior to the Classic. Many kids fished with and met the pros. Chad told of catching bass from 5# to 9# on a Zebco 202 reel and Senkos after the event. Photos taken by the staff will likely appear in upcoming publications.
Bass Pro Shops has requested the participation of DBM at the BPS Spring Classic on March 31, April 1 & 2. We have been asked to provide 2 per day classroom seminar speakers and tank demonstrators as well as a Kids Casting area. Tom Grace will be arranging speakers and tank demos with our members.
DBM 2005 Angler of the Year, Troy Coburn talked about locating bass in the early spring up to pre-spawn. He suggested learning to read topo maps and breaking your approach into water temperature groupings of 38-35 degrees (deeper forty five degree northern exposed banks with channel swings close by), 46-55 degrees (transition areas just outside spawning flats) and 56-61 degrees (ditches and creeks leading up to the spawning flats). Troy observes that in our Colorado waters when the water temps reach 62 degrees there’s a mass migration of fish to the banks for the actual spawn.
Brad Bennett of Bass Pro was scheduled to talk to us on how to read your electronics, distinguishing grass bottom from hard bottom, how to set and read sonar units and common mistakes in using electronics. Brad begged off with a bad cold at the last minute and is rescheduled for the May meeting. He promises it will not be an infomercial.
Tom Grace reported that our February 27 annual awards banquet had a smaller than usual turnout and was actually our second consecutive non-awards banquet as there were no awards to present. Our newsletter editor, Don Speas has suggested he will insure that Top 10 shirts, the Mega Bucks trophy, and the Angler of the Year award will be ordered at the end of the fishing season (early October) and plans for a January club banquet and the ladies gift certificates will be initiated no later than October/November.
Tom Grace announced that because of our tournament schedule we will draw for two tournaments each in both April and May. At our April 5 meeting we will be drawing for the April 8 tournament at Pueblo and May 6 at Chatfield. We will have the Horsetooth (May 20) and Cedar Bluff (June 3 & 4) draw at the May 3 club meeting.
Tournament Director Curtis Welch gave a broad overview of club tournament pairings, boat etiquette, gear needed. All new members have been handed packets with club tournament rules, by-laws and guidelines. Note to boaters: proof of current boat insurance is required to fish our club tournaments.
Curtis Welch also proposed that members fishing the State Qualifier be able to choose their own travels partners. The proposal is not in conflict with any existing club by-laws. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.
For the sake of time Tom Grace suggested tabling the MegaBucks lake discussion and paring down to a choice of three lakes till the April meeting.
Tom Grace
Secretary