Crown City Bassmasters is holding their 13th Annual Hunting and Fishing Sports Extravaganza, Saturday March 10th at the Dryden Fire Station from 9am to 2pm. This is a FREE EVENT, and will have plenty of door prizes and events for the kids! Click on the flyer below. Information courtesy of Nick Giamei.

StreetSideAuto.com is excited to become a new sponsor for KTBA Bass Club, Inc., supporting the automotive enthusiast and outdoor sportsman with direct access to the largest selection of in-stock performance parts and accessories for most cars, trucks, Jeeps and SUVs from over 900 brand name vendors. This combination allows for a unique buying experience for you, the consumer, as we only sell in-stock items, offer free shipping* on most orders, and never charge handling fees. Our expert staff and management team represent years of experience in the specialty automotive aftermarket with relationships going back as far as 30 years with some manufacturers. If you are looking for the best source for Flowmaster American Thunder Exhaust, Husky Liners or hundreds of other great brands- look no further!

There is a congratulations owed to next few members- Jim Ritter, Eric Fetterman, Tim McFadden, and Charlie Brown. These members get free membership for life as of the last meeting due to their 20 year commitment and participation in our organization. Their KTBA memberships are FREE for life from here on out! We discussed 2012 Lake picks, Officer position re-evaluation, sponsorship information, rule changes, the reality of fishing in marinas during tournaments, the list goes on. We held a raffle and some cool prizes were won!  We also have the Club Raffle going on again, so get your tickets from Tim McFadden. Here is the lake picks for 2012, and the dates are NOT set in stone as of yet. (***RECENTLY CHANGED***) Onieda June 16th, DoubleShot or Onondaga June 30th, Sodus Bay July 21st, Cayuga July 28th, Cross Lake MEMBERS ONLY August 18th, -- The 20th KTBA 2- DAY CLASSIC at Chaumont Bay September 15th and 16th. That will be a total of 6 tournaments, unless we decide to do the Stone Cold Open again the first weekend in October, which is possible. The decline in numbers of tournaments have been decided by the Directors to allow members to have the chance to pre-fish the lakes of their choice. Kind of spreading it out somewhat. Be sure to check out the "Club Documents" link for changes. Next meeting place is TENTATIVE- February 25th at the Cicero Gander Mountain.  

I have created a Fantasy Fishing Team at www.bassmasterfantasy.com, Be sure to register and join before February 1st. The team name is KTBA Bass Club. Check your progress and your knowledge. There are prizes offered as well. Do it right, and win some cool stuff!

KTBA Bass Club Inc. will be holding the next meeting at the Cicero Gander Mountain Lodge at 6:00 pm on Saturday, February 25th.

109 lb thrust 36 volt Motorguide, $1000.00. Also a 70 lb thrust 24 volt, $400.00. Contact Tim McFadden for more info.

Our year-end Classic will be held at Cayuga Lake this year. We will be launching out of Taughannock State Park at the south end for both days of the tournament. Any questions, be sure to contact me at efetterman@stny.rr.com

The first thing I have to say is - WOW!

The major sponsors for the Rock The Flood event were - Broome County Council of Churches, CHOW, Mirabito Energy Group, Meade West Vaco, Visions Federal Credit Union, Matthews Auto, Security Mutual, BODEK Inc.

There were also vendors with plenty of food to be had, beer was on tap, a bounce house for the kiddies, and other vendors donating a portion of their sales to go towards the event. 50/50 raffles went on all day. KTBA had a raffle table set up, and all proceeds went directly to the fund. The bands were all amazing and everyone who performed was top notch! Lucas Wells, String Band, Jimmy John, Emily Rose, Jared Campbell, Tim Ruffo, Tyson Alston, Audreys Stone, Tanked, Beard of Bees, and headliner Frost Bit Blue all helped "rock the flood" to a tune of over $25,000.00. A big THANK YOU goes out to all who participated and dug deep to make this event a great success! Also, the Country Pines Inn was instrumental in being the venue of choice for this fundraiser. Sponsors represented at our tent was CULPRIT Lures, Eagle Claw, NYBASS.com members, Dick's Sporting Goods in Binghamton, Love's Truck Stop, and KTBA Bass Club set up 2 fishing combos complete with full tackleboxes of new stuff. We wanted to do our part for our neighbors and friends, and to help out our community. We were glad to be there and to be a part of it. We appreciate our sponsors in giving what they could for supporting this event!

The caravan for the Cayuga KTBA Classic Tournament will meet at the McDonalds in Whitney Point at 4:45 am and depart at 5:00 am, both days. We will be launching out of Tunkhannock State Park.

A big CONGRATS going out to Don McCarver and Kenny Skrivan with taking the overall Big Bass for the day at Avon Anglers Dash for Cash with a 5.62 lb. largemouth! Also Tim McFadden and Eric Burlingame cashed in with the first hourly weigh in at the start of the day. You started strong and finished strong, and represented KTBA very well. Good job guys!

You guys may want to check this place out. Myself, Carol, Tim, and Kenny all stayed at this place for the Oneida Opener, and we all agree that this will be a place we will re-visit, no question about it. The owners went out of their way to make sure everything was on point. Super nice people, quiet secluded parking, no loud neighbors (cop lives next door- your stuff is safe) and the lake is 100 feet away. Extremely clean, power hookup for the boats, the list goes on and on. This place is above a 3-car garage. For those that want to go to Oneida Lake for fishing, or just want to get away for a while and need a place to stay- you need to check this out! You can't beat the price for the value.

Attention Bass Anglers

Consider this opportunity to stop paying hotel prices and improve your Oneida Lake angling experience by staying in our beautiful studio rental on Oneida Lake. Not only will you pay less, but the lodging is spotless and private – you will feel like it’s a “home away from home.”

Knotty pine, AC, cable, kitchenette, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker. Continental breakfast is provided free (bagels, English muffins, or cereal, juice, coffee, popcorn for snacking.)

Unit sleeps 2 - 4 with one double bed, two twins, dining room table, dressers, couch, coffee table etc…

Fresh towels and sheets, also shampoo, soap, and many comforts of home included. Unit is located on the owner’s premises so your security is assured.

Several nearby boat ramps, 1 mile from grocery store, post office, ATM, Gas, walking distance from restaurant bar, 15 minutes to Gander Mountain! POWER for your boat. Safe, zero traffic location for the security of your boat/rig/equipment.

Terms: Cash, paid in advance upon arrival, driver’s license required. No credit cards.
Reservations in advance require deposit – please call the owners to arrange.

We had 15 boats in its Members Only Tournament on Otisco Lake, which was about half of the club membership. The fog wasn't there like we figured it was going to be at first light, and blast-off went on time. The sun turned out to last all day long with sunburns to prove it. Racoon eyes were in fashion today. The wind was non-existent in the morning, cranking up to around 7-10 mph, and even that was on-off-on-off all day. The weeds at the very north end of Otisco were mainly dead verified by the errant group of carp flopping around in the shallows. Very soupy. The south east end of the lake was the clearest, with weedlines visible to 10-12 feet. The lake side of the causeway section of the lake got hammered on all day. 1st place went to Giamei and Ventura with 15.49 lbs, and a new smallie Big Bass Bounty record was set by Raul Vargas with a 4.64 lb. smallmouth! Congrats to all you guys! There were alot more smallies at the weigh-in than was expected. There was no consistency on where, when or how any of the bass were caught. Most members said that there wasn't much of a pattern. At the moment the results for this tournament can be seen at the very bottom of the "Tournaments" page, under "Otisco Lake Members Only Results". SEE YOU AT SODUS BAY!

We want to welcome aboard Culprit Lures and thank them for becoming a Platinum Sponsor this year! They have gone above and beyond their normal sponsorship from last year for our organization by going PLATINUM. If you haven't grabbed them up yet, we have stickers and patches, available at the next event. We will be giving away all of their lures at our weigh-ins throughout the year. Be sure to check out their website for new and innovative lures (as well as other things!) www.culprit.com 

We are happy to announce Hank Timmermann of www.hanktimmermann.com has joined the KTBA family for 2011. He has signed up as a Gold Sponsor. Be sure to check his website out, you will be suprised!

Well, there it was. The top 3 teams weighed in over 20 lbs each, and alot of 4 lb fish were caught. The weather was decent, and the fishing was good with the total field of 19 boats. Word is, the topwater bite was non-existent, and most of the fish were caught in 16-20 ft of water on the dropoffs. The big fish went to Team Cook/Naples with a big ol' chubb-o  largemouth weighing in at 6.29 lbs. (I wonder how many texts that one was) They now hold the 2010 "Big Bass Bounty" largemouth, and McFadden (for now) holds the biggest smallmouth at 3.91 lb. Total weight was 278.52 lbs, with a 14.65 lb bag average. Ok guys, its time to wax your boats and get your gear re-organized, the Cayuga tournament is right around the corner. My boat number guess will be over 35. Any takers?

34 boats fished two tournaments in one day, with a 3 fish limit. (vs.21 boats last year) We had boats from 3 states, different local bass clubs, and everyone chomping at the bit to fish one of the most popular fisheries in New York. The day proved to be a change from a dreary morning to a sunny afternoon. Singer On Site Tire, a KTBA Platinum sponsor, brought morning snacks for pre-takeoff and had coolers full of ice cold waters which was quite a relief when we came off the lake. They cooked burgers and  hot dogs and had chips available to the tournament entrants after the weigh-in. They pulled out all the stops for us again, their second go-round with us and the Double-Shot. We look forward to doing this again next year with them. Thanks again to Singer for turning a good tournament into an awesome one! Click here for the results!

If you are in need of a ride, or in need of a rider for one of our tournaments, send me an email and I can post it in the left sidebar "Riders & Boaters". Theres some listed there now! As things progress, and you get a rider or boater, please let me know so i can remove the info so you don't keep getting contacted.

Gander Mountain Promotion Day went very well! We had awesome weather and a great member turnout.There were a few new faces discussing the 2010 season and some future ideas, and even had a few possible new members check us out and take some membership applications. Pics of this event will be posted soon. A big THANK YOU to Gander mountain for not only allowing us to hold this Promotion Day, but also for the use of their lodge for our monthly meetings, AND also for their generous donation for the Kids Fishing Day we are holding on June 5th!!!

Our club appreciates everything that sponsors do for our bass club! In this economy, it would be near impossible for us to do anything alone. Without these sponsors, we wouldn't be able to do what we do best. The sponsors on board for 2010 are (in no particular order) Hanafin Marine, Singer On-Site Tire, Vertical Lures, Vision Federal Credit Union, Flambeau Outdoors, Eagle Claw, Rejuvenade, Thermo King, South East Expo, Wiggins Tree Service, Southern Tier Insulations, and Rotella Construction. All sponsors involved in our club enable KTBA Bass Club to grow and prosper as one of New York's premier tournament angling communities!