Buckeye Tuesday results

I have a couple weeks of Tuesday night Buckeye Lake results to catch up on.

May 17

On May 17, Chris Cooper and Will Englefield won with five bass that weighed 10.3 pounds, while Jeremy Parrish and Bob Fulks took big bass honors with a 3.48-pound fish. Charlie Gray and Chuck Davis finished second with five bass that weighed 6.83 pounds, while Shaun Magers and Buck Miller took third with five fish that weighed 6.78 pounds. Scott Wood placed fourth with five fish that weighed 6.17 pounds and Robin Cross was fifth with five fish that weighed 6.15 pounds. May 24 The fishing was even better on May 24 when 52 anglers showed up. The contest was won by Rodney and Neil Butt with five bass that weighed 10.74 pounds, while Bill Englefield finished second with five bass that weighed 9.93 pounds. Skip Yates placed third with four bass that weighed 7.77 pounds and also took big bass honors with a 3.7-pound fish. Shotie McLain and Tom Zigart were fourth with five fish that weighed 7.09 pounds and MIke Goodin took fifth with five fish that weighed 7 pounds.

Y-City at Leesville

Sorry this has taken so long to post. Had some technical problems,

Wesley Hammer won the Y-City Bass Club tournament at Leesville Sunday 
by a margin of almost 10 pounds. he not only had the only five-fish 
limit weighed in, he took big bass honors as well, with a 4.35-pound 
fish.
The rest of the top five, however, were in a tight race. Bob Hammer 
took second with three bas weighing 3.97 pounds, Dave Blackstone 
finished third with three fish weighing 3.93 pounds, Mark Lasure placed 
fourth with three fish weighing 3.38 pounds and Mike King was fifth 
with three fish weighing 3.14 pounds.
Out of 32 club members entered in the contest, 20 caught a total of 35 
bass.

Delaware S.O.B. results

The carp were rolling early at Delaware, but that didn't bother me. They were raising a ruckus along the shore and I thought the bass would be further out on the trees along the bank I like to fish this time of year. They weren't, or at least weren't responding to the lures I was using. I found bass later, but it wouldn't be enough to get in the money.
Tim Magers won the tournament with four bass weighing 7 pounds, while Kevin Samson finished second with four fish weighing 6 pounds, 10.2 ounces.
Nick Belt placed third with five bass weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces; Randy Brownrigg took fourth with five bass weighing 6 pounds, 1.8 ounces and Mike Baughman was fifth with four bass weighing 6 pounds, 0.6 ounces.
Big bass was a 4-pound, 0.2-ounce fish caught be Shane Finney.
Out of 28 contestants in the event, 23 weighed in 62 bass.
It wasn't a bad day, although the cloud cover breaking up and the wind blowing straight up the lake was annoying. In fact, the wind was blowing as soon as we started and only got worse during the day. To be accurate, the wind was mostly at the annoying level, rather than aggravating. That was because early in the day I changed the boat direction to avoid running into a log and hit something underwater. At least one screw popped loose and I spent the rest of the day babying the trolling motor -- keep it at minimal power, no sudden changes of direction and don't hit anything else -- but that wasn't why I ended up with only three bass.
I just didn't get enough hits. I only missed two, for whatever reason, and I only lost one, which I jerked out of a brush pile and which MIGHT have been a keeper.
The lake was actually in good shape: A bit murky in the upper end and within an inch or two of normal summer pool. The lake had been a few inches high, but if it still was, I couldn't tell.
Our next tournament is not until June 18 at Charles Mill. I'm looking forward to that one.

Y-City at Charles Mill

The Y-City Bass Club had an outstanding day at Charles Mill Reservoir Sunday as 36 of 49 members entered weighed in at least 119 fish. It looks like eight limits were weighed in and three anglers had weights over 10 pounds.
Kenny Simpson won the contest with five bass weighing 12.66 pounds, while Dick Brandfass was second with five bass weighing 10.7 pounds.
Bob Hammer finished third with five fish weighing 10.51 pounds, Mike King placed fourth with five fish weighing 9.71 pounds and Dan Allen was fifth with four bass weighing 8.47 pounds.
Sunday was not a pleasant day to be fishing, with temperatures dropping and a cld breeze blowing, but the fish obviously didn't mind.

S.O.B. results at Buckeye

I was dead tired after our tournament on Buckeye Lake Saturday, which is why I didn't get his written up until Sunday night. More on that later; first the results.
We had 30 anglers (29 members and one guest compete on a day that saw 26 of them weigh in 97 fish and with nine five-fish limits recorded. All of the top five had limits.
Bob Fulks won the event with 7 pounds, 15.2 ounces, but then second through fifth were divided by only about 4 ounces.
Guest Jerry Mossman finished second with 7 pounds, 3.2 ounces; Shaun Magers took third with 7 pounds, 1.8 ounces; Kenny Fulks placed fourth with 7 pounds, 1 ounce, and Kevin Samson was fifth with 6 pounds, 15.6 ounces.
Big Bass was a 2-pound, 11.2-ounce fish caught by Jeremy Parrish.
I had one of those days, or rather one of those weeks. When I fished the Pete Taylor Memorial Tournament the week before, I had very little trolling motor power I was sure I had charged the batteries, but something was wrong. When I checked things out, I discovered I either had a dead battery or one bank of the charger wasn't working. When I disconnected the batteries found that one was stone dead, so I had to replace it. I was also right about the charger: one bank isn't working.
Then, the first place I went to, I lost the first keeper I had on. Not good way to start, but at least I was right about fish being there. It didn't help that I saw another angler catch three keeper bass in water I had just fished over.
Then, after I had put one keeper in the boat, I hooked into a good fish. It took me under a dock, but I was able to get it out past the dock post and I could tell it was a good fish -- at least 3 pounds. I got it to the boat and was just reaching for the net when it came up again and came off. A little while later, about 20 yards from where I lost the big fish, I finally hooked another and this time put a 17-incher in the boat.
At the weigh-in it was 2 pounds, 15 ounces, but I lost out on the big bass award because it was dead (we give an 8-ounce deduction for dead fish). More on that in a minute.
I finally left there and tried a couple other spots, but only caught a small fish or two until I went into a channel I hadn't fished yet this year.
I started fishing a small craw and almost immediately lost another keeper. That didn't help my mood any, but I kept fishing the area and put my third keeper in the boat. Unfortunately, I also lost a good keeper. That made four I had lost.
My next stop was unproductive and I had time to hit one more area if I did it quickly.
I worked to the back of another channel and got my fourth keeper, but I was out of time. And when I opened the livewell to put it in, I discovered the wort news of the day: One bass was dead and another - the big one -- looked like it wouldn't make it.
I don't know what happened. I have never lost a fish in this boat's livewell. I don't know if I had failed to turn on the recirculation pump after I had pumped in some fresh water earlier in the afternoon, or if the fish were stressed from spawning or something else.

On top of it all, my weigh-in bag (a heavy black one) blew out of the boat on my way down the lake and I didn't notice until I got to the ramp.
As it was I finished 12th. If I hadn't had to two dead fish I would only have been 9th, but i would have had big bass. And if I hadn't lost that bigger fish, I would have won the tournament. Of course, I wasn't the only one to have lost a good fish, but it's still hard not to think that way. I just have to put it behind me and think about fishing Delaware Sunday.
Of the fish I weighed in, the big one hit a Big-O crankbait, two were caught on a small hand-poured craw (black and blue) and the other hit a green pumpkin hand-poured soft stickbait.

Tuesday night results

May 3 results
Big news from the May 3 Buckeye Lake tournament: Scott Clark didn't win!
Thirty anglers showed up for the contest, which was won by Brian Caudill and Mike Mathers with five bass weighing 9.4 pounds. Jason Abelas and Ron Patton took second with four fish weighing 7.33 pounds and took big bass honors with a 4.06-pound fish.
Dwayne Nauer and Gray Perkins finished third with five bass weighing 7.04 pounds, Jerry Mossman and Tim Magers placed fourth with five fish weighing 6.99 pounds and Mike Gitting was fifth with five fish weighing 6.01 pounds.
May 10 results
The results this week were outstanding. Fifty anglers showed up and 10 limits were weighed in.
Dave Marace won with five bass weighing 11.67 pounds, including a 4.09-pound fish that took big bass honors, while Brett Crane finished second with five bass weighing 9.63 pounds.
Buzz Biretter placed third with five bass weighing 7.49 pounds, Boyd Yater and Jim Watson took fourth with four bass weighing 7.14 pounds and Rob and Debbie Myers were fifth with five bass weighing 7.14 pounds.
A total of 78 fish were weighed in with a total weight of 115.81 pounds.
If any names are misspelled, please let me know so I can correct them.

Ironton falcons to be banded

Peregrine falcons are doing better than I thought. I wish I could go to this banding; it would be interesting to compare to the eagle banding I observed at Conesville.

IRONTON, OH - The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife will be conducting a peregrine falcon banding on Monday, May 16 at the small park located on the Kentuckyside of the Ironton-Russell Bridge.  This event will be open to the public, and offers those who attend the opportunity for an up-close look at peregrine falcon nestlings.

 The event will begin at 10 a.m., and last about an hour.  A biologist will climb under the bridge where the nest is located to retrieve the nestlings.  Once on the ground, Division of Wildlife biologists will outfit the three week old peregrine falcon chicks with state and federal identification bands.  Additionally, blood samples are taken to monitor the genetics and possible contaminants in the birds.  

 This event is weather-dependant; heavy rain, high winds or lightning would be cause for cancellation.  For information contact the Wildlife District Four office at 740-589-9930. 

 The Division of Wildlife has confirmed a total 37 nesting sites throughout Ohio.  Nesting locations include tall city buildings, bridges, steel manufacturing companies, grain processors, and power plants. 

'Partners in Watershed'

Here's a release I received recently from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District:

NEW PHILADELPHIA -- Several projects around the communities of the Muskingum River Watershed will feature improvements in flood reduction, water quality and watershed education through grants from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD).

The MWCD’s “Partners in Watershed Management” grant program will provide an estimated $200,000 this year to assist with projects that were considered through a competitive application process. The Partners in Watershed Management program was developed in 2009 by the MWCD to assist local groups, organizations and communities in implementing water quality projects, flood reduction and mitigation programs, and watershed education efforts throughout the 18-county MWCD region.

 “This is the second full year that the MWCD has offered the Partners in Watershed Management program grants and our staff is very pleased with the quality of the applications that we have received,” said Boris E. Slogar, MWCD’s chief engineer. “There is a growing awareness of how important a healthy watershed is for a community’s quality of life. The MWCD is committed to assisting worthy projects in the Muskingum River Watershed.”

 Project awards approved recently by the MWCD include:

* Muskingum County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), $50,000 as part of an $89,981 project for the development of an interactive mobile watershed and conservation education trailer that can be transported to various locations. Other partners involved in the project include Zane State University, Cincinnati Museum Center and Union Terminal, Guernsey County SWCD, Coshocton County SWCD, Perry County SWCD and the City of Zanesville.

 * Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership in Carroll and Tuscarawas counties, $10,475 as part of a $23,355 environmental education project that includes a field trip series, watershed awareness community festival, watershed tours, environmental children’s club and newsletters. Other partners involved in the project include the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) Division of Mineral Resource Management, Carroll and Tuscarawas County SWCD offices, Norma Johnson Center, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Tuscarawas County Health Department and Sunday Creek Watershed Group.

 * Friends of Lower Muskingum River (FLMR), $28,000 as part of a $140,000 watershed management plan development for the region including Morgan, Muskingum, Noble and Washington counties. The MWCD grant will provide the required matching funds for FLMR to obtain a grant of $112,000 from ODNR.

 * FLMR, $20.000 as part of a $45,000 project to cap two leaking orphan oil wells along Cabin Run in Morgan County, a tributary of the Muskingum River. The U.S. Coast Guard has agreed to award the remaining $25,000 for this work, which will stop the flow of oil directly into the stream, improving water quality in the region and eliminating a foul odor and unsightly seepage from the well.

 * Muskingum Valley Park District in Muskingum County, $47,000 as a portion of a $103,531 project to implement stormwater runoff best management practices in a highly visible urban residential development at Zanesville. The 50-acre area will include the installation of rain gardens, broad-based dips and a retention pond and will serve as a demonstration site for educational tours and research. Other partners involved in the project are the City of Zanesville and the Muskingum County SWCD office.

 * YMCA Stark County, which operates Camp Tippecanoe on a portion of property owned by the camp and a portion owned by the MWCD at Clendening Reservoir in Harrison County, $25,000 as part of the $249,000 cost to replace an aging and poorly functioning wastewater treatment plant that discharges directly into the lake. The camp, which opened in 1958, offers a wide variety of camp and outdoor educational programs. Other partners involved in funding the project are the Hoover Price Foundation, the Northern Ohio Golf Charities and Foundation, and the Game Reserve Association.

 * Ohio Lake Management Association, $24,600 as part of a $56,036 water quality monitoring program that includes testing at several MWCD reservoirs. The MWCD also participated in the program in 2010 by providing funding and personnel to conduct testing.

 “Besides the obvious benefits that can be seen by all of the partners involved with these projects, there also are benefits to the entire system of dams and reservoirs in the Muskingum River Watershed,” Slogar said. “Clean water and education are a benefit to the environment in our watershed, and help to improve healthy lifestyles for our residents.”

For more information about the MWCD, visit www.mwcd.org.

Pete Taylor Memorial results

I hadn't fished the Pete Taylor Memorial Tournament, the annual charity event Cranberry Marsh Bass CLub holds, and I wasn't sure I was going to fish this year. Lindsey had to work and I wasn't sure I wanted to fish it alone. However, since I have a club tournament there Saturday and this was the best chance I had to pre-fish the lake, I figure I would g ahead and fish it.
I certainly didn't set the lake on fire, but I found out enough that I think it will help me come Saturday.
I don't know how many people actually fished, but 68 names were on the entry list, which included a few kids, who fished free, and a few people who paid entries but didn't fish.
At the weigh-in, 27 anglers brought fish to the scales and seven limits were recorded.
Chris Van Skye won the contest with five bass weighing .26 pounds and took big bass honors with a 2.48-pound fish. Bill Henry was second with five bass weighing 8.08 pounds.
Todd Hahn placed third with four bass weighing 5.9 pounds, Mike Goodin took fourth with five fish weighing 5.67 pounds and Zyon Mirise finished fifth with five bass weighing 5.41 pounds.

Cranberry results

Cranberry Marsh Bass Club has had a tough start to its season. Its first tournament, which was to be at Buckeye Lake, was canceled due to high winds. The last I heard, no decision had been made about whether to reschedule the event or just go with a seven-tournament schedule.
However, instead of fishing its second tournament May 1 at Pleasant Hill, the club decided to switch to Buckeye Lake.
I know Shaun Magers likes to fish Pleasant Hill, but he can't be too upset with Buckeye, as he won the tournament with five fish weighing 8.38 pounds. That's only a little less than the weight he had the day before at Piedmont.
Neil Butt took second with five fish weighing 8.15 pounds and big bass honors with a 2.77-pound fish, while Bill Gordon placed third with four bass weighing 7.57 pounds. Rick McDonald II finished fourth with five fish weighing 7.06 pounds and Jerry Mossman was fifth with five bass weighing 7.03 pounds.
A total of 92 bass were weighed in by 28 of the 34 members and two junior members fishing. Nine five-fish limits were recorded.
The club's next tournament is scheduled for Alum Creek May 15. However, like many area lakes, Alum  Creek's has been high, and club officials will be watching the lake level to see if it is going to be fishable. As of Sunday evening, it was only about 2.75 feet above summer pool, so it will probably be okay, but muddy.
One other development: Wayne Hanley has resigned as club president. I talked to him briefly Saturday at the Pete Taylor Memorial, but I was so tired I never asked him about it.