News

[flbassman]

NIce little article about whats goin on in the world of fishing.

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WELCOME TO YOUR WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE

September 19, 2006 - Vol. 7 No. 23

WEEKLY NEWS is the best way for our friends, anglers, tackle
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THE REAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF FISHING

The biggest and most important sport fishing event on the
planet took place last week in Portugal. More than twenty
different world championship titles were disputed during the
weeklong fishing competitions in Portugal, the host country
for the world championships last week.

The best fishermen in the world, about 2,000 champion
anglers from over sixty countries competed, representing the
nations of Andorra, Angola, Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Belorussia, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Channel
Islands, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Gibraltar, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,
Macedonia, Japan, Latvia, Lettonie, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino,
Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, Tunisia, Ukraine, United
States, Venezuela and Wales finest fishers.

The 2,000 anglers from every continent were vying for the
undisputed world championship titles in freshwater, trout
fishing with artificial bait, trout fishing with natural
bait, bass fishing, carp fishing, flyfishing, shore angling,
boat angling, ocean big game trolling, even scuba hunting
(spearfishing) and surfcasting distance competitions were
disputed in Portugal last week. Most events tended to be
open to all anglers regardless of age or sex, but there were
also events specific to senior anglers, women anglers and
youth world championships too.

The offshore ocean, inshore coastal estuaries, beautiful
sand beaches, rushing rivers, streams, natural lakes and
"barragems" (dams or barraged reservoirs) of Portugal were
the fish-filled playing fields, transforming the maritime
and pastoral expanses of Portugal into the world's largest
fishing arena.

The seven days of ichthyological competition were endcapped
by opening and closing ceremonies rivaling the Olympic
Games. Anglers from every country marched into a fan-filled
stadium in Lisbon, carrying their country's flags, proudly
wearing their national fishing uniforms.

To say this event is the acme of halieutics is an inadequate
understatement. Any competition in the art of angling we
have in North America (or anywhere else) is feeble in
comparison.

So it stands to reason Gary Yamamoto's Team USA was there to
represent us all at the world championships of bass fishing
in Portugal last week. Gary and Beverly Yamamoto, Roland and
Judy Martin, Ron Colby and Joe Jones took on the globe - and
adeptly came in third.

Ron and Joe, Gary and Beverly, Roland and Judy fished as
three two-person teams vying against three other two-person
teams from each other country (a total of 8 countries or 24
teams) who competed for the world bass title. The nations
finished the world bass fishing competition in the following
order: 1) Italy, 2) Portugal, 3) USA, 4) Spain, 5) Mexico,
6) Poland, 7) Russia and 8) Latvia finished the event in
that order.

Ron Colby and Inside Line Assistant Editor Heidi Roth have
constructed a website commemorating the week's events in
Portugal. Click here to visit the web page featuring:

GARY YAMAMOTO'S TEAM USA TAKES ON THE GLOBE
http://www.baits.com/team-usa/index.htm

Perhaps the best part are the many photos you can quickly
click through contained in the:

PORTUGAL 2006 PHOTO GALLERY
http://slideshows.baits.com/portugal2006

You will hear of other self-proclaimed world championships
of fishing here in the states or internationally, but don't
you believe them. The events in Portugal last week, these
are the undisputed real world championships, not just for
bass, but most every fishing discipline and species. Let's
recognize and honor them, all the competitors last week in
Portugal. They are the victorious piscators of our beautiful
blue planet's bountiful waters.

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ALL GONE FISHIN' ~ NEW ALL-STAR COUNTRY MUSIC CD

Country music performer Gary Shiebler of the World's
Greatest Fishing Band writes:

"In mid-July at ICAST (the tackle industry trade show), it
was quite a thrill for me to see some of the greatest
legends in fishing come together to shoot a video for an
upcoming special holiday DVD. It doesn't get any better than
watching Ray Scott, Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Gary
Yamamoto, Hank Parker and Gary Loomis all together in front
of the camera sharing their best advice and wisdom on how to
become a better angler. And when I saw all those great men
standing together, laughing, ribbing each other, talking
about their beloved sport with a passion that seemed to
transcend time or age, I knew I was witnessing a rare
moment, a rare gathering of legends that I'd carry in my
heart and memory forever."

"In that same spirit, only one month earlier, I had watched
another gathering of greats at the Country Music Hall of
Fame in Nashville," writes Shiebler. At a folding table,
promoting a brand-new All-Star CD devoted to fishing songs
sat Mel Tillis, Bobby Bare, George Jones, Little Jimmy
Dickens and Porter Wagoner.

Bobby Bare quipped, "All we need are Haggard and Willie to
round this thing out." We all laughed, knowing we were privy
to a moment as rare as landing the fish of a lifetime. And
to see these great performers and song writers, signing CDs
and talking fishing, it reminded me, once again, that the
bond shared by all fishermen and women is as sturdy a union
as you will ever find - whether you’re eighteen or eighty,
rich or poor, famous or just an ordinary fellow, fishing
unites us all.

Which brings me to the brand new CD release that's totally
devoted to one of our most treasured pastimes..

ALL GONE FISHIN’ is the CD. It features some of the biggest
names in country music today, including George Jones, Merle
Haggard, Jerry Reed, Mel Tillis, Tanya Tucker, Arlo Guthrie,
Little Jimmy Dickens, Brad Paisley, Porter Wagoner, Lorrie
Morgan and others. "I was privileged to co-produce the CD
with legendary bass player, Jimmy Johnson (of Roy Orbison
and Vince Gill fame) and some of the songs I've written are
performed by Patty Loveless, Porter Wagoner, Bryan White and
Tanya Tucker. It was a true honor to work with these
artists, made only better by the fact that all are
passionate anglers," says Gary Shiebler.

With songs like Jerry Reed’s hilarious "Front of the Boat",
George Jones’ raucous "Beer Bait and Ammo" plus Merle
Haggard’s touching ballad "Take Him Fishing", there’s a
little something for everyone here, as diverse a collection
of fishing songs as there are ways to fish.

For more info on the ALL GONE FISHIN’ CD, please visit:

ALL GONE FISHIN'
http://www.allgonefishin.com

The CD sells for $15. While supplies last, each CD you buy
will include:

1 package of Kinami Baits by Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits
1 package of Gary Yamamoto Premium Wagyu Beef Jerky
1 "Fear No Fish" decal from G. Loomis

All free with the purchase of a CD, while supplies last!

Songs on the CD include:

1. OUT ON THE WATER
2. BEER, BAIT AND AMMO
3. SLEEPWALKING
4. FRONT OF THE BOAT
5. TAKE HIM FISHING
6. BREATHIN' ROOM
7. THREE LITTLE FISHES
8. WHITE CAP HELL
9. TALKING FISHING BLUES
10. AS COUNTRY SHOULD BE
11. SOMETHING FISHY'S GOING ON
12. THE PICTURE
13. FISHIN' MAN BLUES
14. TAKE ME FISHING

Best fishes!

- from Gary Shiebler of the World’s Greatest Fishing Band

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IT'S A HUMBLING SPORT ~ By Joel St. Germain & Jim Gildea

With all the expertise, experience and years of savvy that a
good angler gains, the odds always tilt in favor of the
fish. Fate, fellow anglers (and even our own poor decisions
on the water) can triumph over the best of us on any fishing
trip. Even the best anglers in the world have as many (or
more) bad days than good.

If you need the comfort of routinely high scores or
consistently steady results, then fishing's not for you.
Take up bowling, billiards, backgammon or some other
predictable pastime. You may not always win every one of
those games you play, but at least you'll score fairly
consistently at or about your achieved skill level most
every time.

Fishing's not like that. You're never guaranteed to do well
(no matter how skilled you are). The best in the world can
blank (and often do) on any trip. That's why Team
Yamamoto member Joel St. Germain and Jim Gildea say:

IT'S A HUMBLING SPORT
http://www.insideline.net/2006/humbling_sport.htm

.. but we wouldn't have any other way!

Click the link above to enjoy reading Joel and Jim's article
sample from a recent issue of Gary Yamamoto's INSIDE LINE
magazine.

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JOEL ST. GERMAIN WINS RHODE ISLAND BASS FEDERATION FISH-OFF

As humbling and daunting a challenge as Joel St. Germain
claims fishing to be, that didn't stop Joel from winning the
Rhode Island BASS Federation State Qualifying Tournament a
few weeks ago.

Mother Nature does toss us a bone every so often. There are
days when all the dedication and time (counted in years)
spent on the water pay off. Those are the days we tend to
remember and proudly share in stories, such as this one that
just came in from Joel St. Germain:

"The Great Sacandaga Lake is a clear, glacier lake in New
York state. It's a long way from Rhode Island, and that was
the reason it was picked as the location for the Rhode
Island BASS Federation State Qualifying Tournament. Since it
was a somewhat unfamiliar body of water, it was a level
playing field. Myself and many the Rhode Island Federation
contenders had never seen the lake before," explains St.
Germain.

"I didn't have much time to practice," admits Joel, "but I
developed two patterns that were good enough for me to win
the event with 25.06 pounds over two days."

"The first pattern was throwing a Gary Yamamoto tube
(watermelon/red flake) on a 3/16 ounce head on light line on
grass flats in 4-6 feet. The smallies would come up and raid
the flats in gangs, and you could get them on almost every
cast at the times they were up. The fish were often small,
but mixed in with the shorts and barely-keepers were an
occasional two pound chunker bronzeback."

"The second pattern I developed during practice was to
dropshot the deeper breaklines whenever the shallow bite
shut off. This wasn't as productive come tournament time,
but I did get one key fish this way that really helped me
out. I dropshot the same Yamamoto tube as well, nose-hooked,
and just dragged it along," Joel reveals.

"I noticed that the fish were feeding on both crayfish and
perch, so the tube was a natural. The tube imitates both a
perch and a crayfish, so I was covering all my bases. I knew
I had to catch a lot of fish each day to cull up to the 12
plus pounds I would need each day to win. There was no way I
found to selectively target bigger fish. So it was a matter
of working through quantities of small ones in order to
glean a few of better than average ones mixed in with the
shorts."

"Catching 50 fish a day in order to get five decent ones, I
cruised to a first place finish and my 12th ride on the
Rhode Island State Team," exclaims Joel proudly.

St. Germain's Winning Gear:
GYCB 3-1/2" Tube ~ Watermelon/red flake (33-06-21)
G Loomis Model #SMR 753-SP Spinning Rod
10 lb test CXXX P-Line
Okuma Vsystem 40 spinning reel

As you read this, Joel is currently practicing on the Great
Lakes for the BASS Federation Eastern Divisional Tournament
to be held this weekend. We wish Joel good luck!

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FISHING IN MEXICO REPORTS

Team Yamamoto member Chief George Braswell thought you may
like to read these reports on fishing in Mexico at Lake
Bacarrac and Lake Huites this month:

FISHING IN MEXICO REPORTS
http://www.insideline.net/articles/mexico_report.html

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MIND GAMES ~ by Ken Smith

This just in from Team Yamamoto member and Texan, Ken Smith:

"I just read Gary Dobyn's column in the July/August issue of
the INSIDE LINE magazine where Dobyn's talking about mind
games he's played on other anglers. Okay, I just have to
share my own greatest triumph here, and probably the second
funniest thing I've ever done to anybody on the water,"
writes Ken Smith.

There's a guy in East Texas who spends lots of time on
Rayburn. He's well-known to be one of the worst "bent pole"
followers in this part of the world. Let's call him Bill.
What I mean is anytime he spots someone with a rod bent on a
fish, you've got a new next-door neighbor named Bill. A
while back I got on a passel of big fish on the north end of
Rayburn in an area known as the Black Forest. Several people
had seen me catching these fish on occasion, and some
buddies even knew where, but not exactly how I was catching
them. Old Bill had gotten wind of it too, and he all but
asked me where I was but I played it cool just fending him
off with a vague "out on the main lake" answer.

One thing led to another, and the next thing I was
pre-fishing for a tournament running down the lake when my
phone rang. I shut the engine down and took the call which
lasted for several minutes. I stopped out in front of a
large creek called Five Fingers. So here I'm about a mile
offshore on the south end of Rayburn standing on my front
deck doing that body gyration thing we all do trying to get
better reception. About this time, here comes Bill wide open
at 70 mph when he sees me and realizes who I am, and he
immediately kills the rpm's and starts head-swiveling to see
what I'm doing. I instinctively start trying to look as
suspicious as possible. He swings out around me so he can
get a pretty good bead on where I am with his GPS as he runs
past me on back up into Five Fingers. Once Billy's out of
sight, I crank up and run to a spot I wanted to check. I
immediately catch a six pounder.

Now my devious mind goes into overdrive and I crank up, run
back out to where I got the phone call and shut down. I put
my trolling motor down and proceed to eat lunch while I wait
for Bill to reappear. I'm floating around in the middle of
nowhere on a 500 acre flat that's about 30 feet deep and
completely featureless. After about 5 minutes, I see a boat
coming out from the back of Five Fingers, dig the 6 out of
the livewell, pin him to my Carolina rig and over the side.
When Bill's about 200 years away I bow up on this fish and
proceed to fight him right there in living color. He runs by
me at barely 3000 rpm's, boat porpoising, trying desperately
not to let me see him lasering GPS points in a semi-circle
around me. Of course I make sure to hold the fish up to give
Bill an eyeful of this chunky toad.

So that night I'm at my buddy's house and we're yucking it
up about what I've done and the next morning my buddy runs
by the spot and there's old Billy circling around out there
with his sonar trying to figure out what or where I'm
fishing. Well this buddy runs into the back of Five Fingers
about a mile in, and catches a fish over 7 right away. Into
the livewell it goes and back out to the flat, stopping
about 400 yards from Bill. Trolling motor down, 7 pounder
on the line slipped over the side, and BOOM! This big fish
leaps 2 or 3 times, he lips it, holds it up, lets Bill get
an eyeful, releases the fish, pulls up the trolling motor
and he's gone.

Within a week this story has grown into something of a local
legend and now we've got guys stopping out there anytime
they see Bill in the area. I don't know exactly how many,
but I've been told several others have "caught" big fish out
there in front of him, and to this day that flat is known,
at least to us, as "Billy's Flat".

And that's about the second funniest thing I've ever done to
anyone while on the water.

- Ken Smith
Team Yamamoto member for Texas

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CONTACT:

Gary Yamamoto, his Team Yamamoto pros and company staff
can provide the media with expert commentary on a variety of
topics relating to sportfishing. To arrange an interview or
for up-to-the-minute news on Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits,
outdoor writers and the media may contact:

Russ "Bassdozer" Comeau
Editor, Gary Yamamoto's WEEKLY NEWS Magazine,
Advertising Director, Promotional Marketing, Press & Media
Contact, Organization & Event Sponsorship Contact for
Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits