Austin Christian Bass Club

Happy New Year!!!  Winter weather has brought a “big chill” to Texas.  Don’t let the cold keep you off the water or from missing the annual banquet……

Tournament Results:

Our December tournament was held on Lake Bastrop and started at 9:00am to avoid a below freezing temperature at daylight.  A sunny sky warmed us during the day, but the bite was slow for many participants.  Mike Wiles and Jim Rumbo finished in first place with 9 fish weighing 31.83 pounds.  Vince Martin and Tim Jolly came in second place with 10 fish weighing 26.46 pounds.  Third place went to Gib Hoffman and Gary Burnham who had 10 fish weighing 23.03 pounds.  Mike Wiles caught the biggest bass (22″) and had the biggest 5 fish stringer (19.26 pounds).

Final Top 10 Standings For 2009:

Mike Wiles- 164.97 pounds                      Al Lykins- 116.75 pounds
Vince Martin- 146.16 pounds                  Gib Hoffman- 113.35 pounds
Jim Pollard- 132.41 pounds                     Harold Barnett- 111.52 pounds
Carlton Yarbrough- 126.66 pounds      Darryl Smith- 90.68 pounds
Tom Clark- 120.51 pounds                       Gary Burnham- 90.48 pounds
Ken Haulotte caught the Biggest Bass of the 4th Qtr. and of the Year when he landed a 12.56 pound monster at Choke Canyon Reservoir on 10/2/2009.

Ken is one happy fisherman!

January 2010 Meeting and Tournament:

Our January 2010 meeting will be next Thursday, 1/14/2010, at 7:00pm.  Our first tournament of the year will be on Saturday, January 16th.  Mitch Shelton and Bill Bratton have volunteered to bring refreshments to the January meeting.

Club News:

January always seems to be a busy month.  The Austin Boat Show is scheduled for January 14-17, 2010.  Brian Kitchen will have his catfish tank at the show so youngsters can experience the excitement of catching a fish.  Any club member who would like to help Brian for a few hours and have the opportunity to see the boat show should contact Brian via telephone.  Helping Brian only entails baiting  hooks, netting and releasing catfish, and helping the real young kids catch a fish.  It’s a lot of fun to see youngsters get excited about a fish.

The annual club banquet is scheduled for January 23rd at 6:30pm at the Catfish Parlour South located at 4606 Burleson Road.  The cost is $10 per member and this also includes your spouse or invited guest.  A ventriloquist will provide some entertainment.  Jim Pollard needs an accurate head count by our next meeting.  If you cannot be at the next meeting, please let Jim know of your plans to attend the annual banquet by phone or email.

Annual dues and TABC dues are due for all returning members.  I will attach the membership form to the email that I send out notifying members that I have posted this newsletter to the club website.

Members voted at the December meeting to have a springtime travel tournament in April.  The club will be discussing what lake should be selected for the April travel tournament at the upcoming meeting.  Think about where you would like to go.

Fishing Reports:

Before this last round of extremely cold weather, fishing was pretty good on Lake Bastrop and Fayette County Reservoir.  Hopefully, next weekend will be sunny and warm.  I will see you at the meeting.