Buffalo Lake Results: Jul 12, 2008
Event Pictures
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“It Aint Easy Being Green”
Remember the Muppet Show? It’s OK, you can admit it. C’mon, you remember Kermit the Frog, the star of the show, Fozzy Bear, Rowlf the dog, Beaker, Gonzo, and who can forget the unpredictable antics of the one and only Miss Piggy? Kermy had a love for the pond and being green and, at the same time, a constant awareness of the presence of the stalker-like Pig, who at times was a loveable admirer, but in an instant could turn violent, real violent. Such is the case of the bass of Buffalo Lake. Like Miss Piggy has an affinity for the lil’ green fella, the Big Piggies of Buffalo have an affinity for the frog and can turn equally violent on their amphibious friends as they skitter across and around the mats that adorn the pond. Just like the crazy obsession Miss Piggy had for the Kermit, Buffalo Lake bass are top water oriented fish which are obsessed with and love to get violent on frogs.
“Although a fall and spring die off of bass has impacted the overall numbers of bass being caught on this lake, it’s still an awesome fishery,” commented Division Director Chris Jones, “and going into the event on July 12th there was no doubt that Froggin’ would play a major role in the tournament outcome.”
Much like the stardom obsessed Miss Piggy, weigh in at the Buffalo Lake Lodge proved the Big Pigs of Buffalo also love a moment on the stage. The FOM stage that is….
Finishing in first place and bringing a hefty limit to the FOM stage were Chad Theis and Paul Rowe with 17.53 pounds. The anglers from Poynette and Portage, fishing in their first WI East event, found two key mats during the official practice day and stayed on those spots during the majority of the tournament. In a post tournament interview Theis commented that the wind really played a factor in their success, indicating that as the wind picked up during the day their bite actually improved. During the awards ceremony the two stated they caught their fish primarily using frogs and a few fish came on buzzbaits. A bass weighing 4.41 anchored their solid limit, securing the top spot in the tournament and bringing checks worth $1,514 for their efforts.
In second place were Cliff Pickart and Jeff Miller both of Fond du Lac who pulled five piggies weighing 16.90 pounds. They caught all their fish early in the day using soft plastics and then made the switch to frogs as the day progressed. “We had a really good start to the morning in open water and then threw frogs like everybody else as the day wore on,” Miller replied. The two tallied checks worth $779.00.
The third place position with a respectable 16.27 pounds was filled by Waupun natives Jesse Kind and Eric Hidde who, like the others, “Kermited” their way to cashing a check at Buffalo Lake for the second straight year. One wrinkle to their pattern which helped the two net checks worth $587.00 was with the cadence of the frog. “We basically were working our frogs really slow and then continued to work them off of the mat edges and out into the open water where we had some of our best blow ups,” said Kind.
In fourth place and good for $400.00 were brothers Rick and Wayne Hartwig who weighed in with 14.73 pounds. Open water edges along the mats were where the Hartwig’s caught their fish early using spinner baits and then the two switched to frogs as the sunny skies began to appear.
Rounding out the top five, and taking the lead in the season ending points with just one event remaining, were Rod Brady and Troy Kilgas who tickled the scale with a limit weighing 14.51 pounds. “I made a promise to Troy that I would throw a frog all day, and it paid off,” replied the always entertaining Brady during the official awards ceremony. The two now sit in the lead with defending point champs Barczak & Mayan close behind, followed by several teams still within reach of the season title and the estimated $1,000 bonus pot that goes with it.
Congratulations to Dee Warmath and Andy Smith who took home the MG Lures Big Bass Award for the tournament when they landed a dandy 4.54 pounder. The big pig fell victim to a wacky rigged Senko worked slowly along a weed edge and was good for $222.00.
The Friday night meeting was a great success with the anglers being treated to a chicken dinner at the Buffalo Lake Lodge. New division sponsor Tacklesmith was there with door prizes to meet the FOM crew and showcase their products. Owner Mark Kuula took a few minutes at the meeting to share some of the different products carried in their product line. You can check them out on line at www.tacklesmith.com. Guest speaker for the evening was 2004 FOM Illinois Division Point Champ Tim Northway who related the use of a GPS for navigation to how God can do the same in your life. Special thanks to Jon Podvin WI East Legacy Director and the rest of the FOM staff for running the meeting in place of Chris Jones. Next and final stop for the WI East Division is August 23rd in Fremont.
The WI East division would like to thank Custom Interiors and Canvas, The Northway Family, Wolf River Outfitters in Fremont, The Binding Edge, Artworks Unlimited, WT Financial, Tacklesmith and MG Lures for their generous support.
Nationally we would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fine companies that make Fishers of Men possible; Triton Boats, Mercury, Shakespeare, All Star Rods, Pflueger, Strike King Lure Company, Reese Marine Towpower, XTools, Solar Bat, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Berkley, Keelshield, Grace Full Gospel Church, MotorGuide, SOSPENDERS, Marshall’s Marine Lake City SC, Kistler, Mizmo Bait Company, Dual Pro Charger, , Buckeye Lures, Stanley Jigs, Deka Marine Master Batteries, Spike-It, Jacobs Glass, Poor Boys Baits, T&H Marine, Rejuvenade, and Keep Alive Oxygen Infusers
