Mike Hart's method for making bass heavier (Photo from www.bassnman.com)
Professional bass angler Mike Hart of Winnetka, California, was caught weighing in bass stuffed with lead sinkers Wednesday during the WON BASS U.S. Open at Lake Mead, Nevada.
Lead weights commonly known as ring or torpedo sinkers rigged with a single hook to keep them in place were found in the bellies of three dead bass that Hart weighed in as the fish were being cleaned in order to be donated to charity, prompting a lifetime ban from the WON Bass circuit. U.S. Anglers Choice has also banned him from participating in future events and you can rest assured that all major bass tours will do the same.
Wishing you were winning more bass tournaments? Well there’s a lot of stuff that the top pros do the day of the tournament to better their chances. Our resident touring pro, Big Fred Contaoi, sheds some light on the all-important pre-tourney routine…
Our bass man, Big Fred Contaoi is headed for the world championship of bass fishing this weekend at Lake Conroe, the Professional Anglers Association’s Toyota Texas Bass Classic. The Classic brings 60 of the best bass anglers on the planet from the PAA, FLW Tour and the Bassmaster’s Tour together for…what they’d call in boxing…a “unified title.”
Big Fred finished in the top 40 on the PAA Tournament Series this year, which earned him a chance at the championship, which begins today with a Pro-Am event. Then on Friday, “it’s on!” and Fred will be pitting his skills up against the sport’s elite, folks like Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Mike Iaconelli, Takahiro Omori, Alton Jones, Luke Clausen, Boyd Duckett and Gerald Swindle.
Stay tuned here…we’ll keep you posted on Fred’s status. Or, log onto the PAA website for more info.
Twenty-four year-old professional bass angler, Michael Bennett of Lincoln, CA mopped up the field at the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s Forrest Wood Cup over the weekend and won a cool $1 million for his efforts.
