The 10 bass challenge

[dan2957]

OK it late January and I am forced to think back on past adventures. Last year I came up with an idea one day while on the lake. I started the day fishing against a buddy of mine for bragging rights. When the time came to weigh our fish I had caught 10 fish and earned bragging rights for the weekend. When we had parted I decided that I was not ready to go home yet so I hit another lake. In about 4 hours I had caught another 10 fish and was really getting pumped up. By 4PM I had hit two lakes and had caught a total of 20 fish for the day. I decided to try another lake and catch another 10 fish. I spent a few hours on the lake and had not caught one fish so I decide to head home.

I got to wandering how many lakes I could fish in one day if I stopped at 10 bass per lake. If I had left the first lake I had started on that morning I would have been on lake number two by 10AM. If I had left lake number two after I had caught my 10th bass I could have been to lake number three by 3PM.

To take the challenge you would have to have the entire day free and willing to do nothing but fish. I can tell you that after spending 14 hours on the lake that day I was whooped but I had a great time. I think of it as a fishing marathon.

Next season I am going to try and hit five differant lakes in one day. I will only leave the lake after 10 fish have been caught. Only bass over 12 inches will count. The day starts at sunrise and ends at sunset.

Have any of you guys ever done something similar to this? I would bet I am not the only one to do something similar.

[Deitz Dittrich]

That sounds fun Dan... we should pick a day and have it be the 10 bass FM challange or something like that...

What about lakes that are connected, would they count as only 1 lake or 2 seperate lakes?.. Minnetonka would be easy as there are a few lakes within the lake?... Or like North/South Center? 2 lakes or one?..

I'm in!.. sounds like a blast!

[dan2957]

I think a lake like Minnetonka would be a great place to take the challenge. Each bay kind of seems like a different lake and you could cut down on drive, load and unload ramp time. I think North and South Center would count as two lakes because of the channels that seperate them. I would say that if a lake has two differant sections or is seperated by a channel then you can count them as two lakes. Most of the lake in my area or seperated by just a few miles and when I am moving from one lake to another I just think of it as a long boat ride.

I think a FM 10 Bass challenge would be a ton of fun. We could start off with a check list for each lake. Once you check off 10 fish then move to the next lake. It would be like a motorcycle poker run. Minnetonka would be perfect for this because of all the bays.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Ohh now see, I would disagree with you.. I got to thinking..part of the challenge is having to take out and put back in... If I didn't I could hit 4 lakes in my back door pretty easy as N/S center are 2 lakes.. and then Chisago/South Lindstrom are connected and in high water years you can even get to North Lindstrom?

[Central Bassman]

I'm in.... I like the ideal of changing different lakes.. Make you have to change to water clarity, depths, and every species.

[dan2957]

Here is how I may think of it... does the DNR lake finder consider the two lakes seperate or one big lake? But if we go by this thinking then Minnetonka would be one big lake. If a guy did choose to fish Minnetonka then think of all the idling you would have to do to get from bay to bay, that could take as muck time as trailing the boat and going to a differant lake.

I would consider your lakes all seperate because I believe the DNR surveys them as seperate lakes. Where I am I can think of four lakes within three miles of one another. So trailering the boat is not that big of a deal, the hard part may be finding parking at one of the lakes during the weekend.

It is an interesting point to think about though.

[Bullwinkle]

I like the idea too. I think I might go with Dan on the different lake idea ... if it is sampled seperately by the DNR then it would qualify as two different lakes. With this in mind I have no doubt that up in the Forest Lake/Chisago/Lindstrom area you could hit quite a few lakes in the 10 bass challenge. Deitz, I would do it something like this ... fish one lake like South Center, trailer to the next (Chisago), put back on the trailer and run back to North Center, trailer back to South Lindstrom. If you get my drift. This would then add to the time between two lakes. Make the challenge harder by running to a lake a little bit further away like Big Marine or Forest ... any variation. One thing to keep in mind everyone should make sure you're cleaning your boat off really well so that you don't transport exotics. I'd hate to see zebra mussels or something else nasty in our lake systems.

[Central Bassman]

Great point about the boats

[Slyster]

I'd join any FishMN competition in the bass forum... Count me in!

[Central Bassman]

I Kinda love the ideal and have it kinda be like a race to the last lake.. Ones you get ten fish go and find another boat from FM, show them the ten and have them sign a paper and off to the next lake or something like that

[stmichael]

I am assuming that there are going to be teams with this, I personally do not want to get caught with 10 Bass in my livewell, if I am alone.

[Black_Bay]

Quote:

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I am assuming that there are going to be teams with this, I personally do not want to get caught with 10 Bass in my livewell, if I am alone.

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I'm assuming the guys are talking catch and release. Everyone could just have a digital camera for proof. Plus it would be fun to see how the other guys did. Snap 10 quick pictures and off to the next lake. Neat idea.

[dan2957]

If you guys like I can set something up but it is going to be very informal. The problem I see for me is I fish a lot of tournaments during the first half of the season so any days off I spend prefishing. I would think that later in the season would work for a lot of guys here on the forum.

The way I envision it is catch and release only and everyone is on their honor. I could make a list of lakes and all a guy would have to do is check them off as you go. I do not really think keeping a fish in a livewell for 14 hours is a good idea plus it is illegal to transport live game fish.

I would be very tempted to do the challenge on Minnetonka just because of all the lakes there but I could also put together a list of lakes and then have a ending lake where everyone meets. The list would consist of west metro lakes because I am more familiar with those lakes. There are hundreds of lakes in the west metro that are just a few miles apart.

Also I do not want to interfere with the FM bass tourney. I would like to fish with you guys in that event this year so I would hold off on setting a date until the FM event is set in stone.

If I see enough interest in doing this then I will set it up, if no one is that interested then it is not a big deal.

[katoguy]

Just a FYI note: (Only meant as a notice to those not familiar with the law and DNR recommendations.)

It is illegal to transport aquatic plants or invasive species on public roads or launch a watercraft with aquatic plants attached.

Please note that the DNR recommends that you spray, rinse, or dry boats and recreational equipment. Before transporting to another water body, spray/rinse with high pressure and/or hot tap water (above 104 degrees F) or dry at least five days.

[EBass]

Carver Co has a ton of lakes near each other. It's just SW of Tonka. Tonka could be a starting lake, I know it's a bunch of bays, but it's still one lake. Any who, there's Stieger, Minnewashta, Ann, and Zumbro lake to name a few. But I believe these are pay launches unless you have the carver co park pass.

[Central Bassman]

I think its a great ideal... And i'm guess there was never the ideal of taking fish from one lake to the next!!!

[EBass]

Nope - Photo/Honor system tourney. So even peeps like me in a jon boat and no live well could compete. AND Tonka isn't that far away from me.

What's a PM?

[katoguy]

The idea of spraying the boat down with hot water is to knock off / kill any plant or invasive on boat/trailer. It is not meant do address moving of fish.

[Central Bassman]

Yea i know that... I wasnt talk to you i was making a point to someone esle post!!!