Day 1
Place: Union Lake, Millville, NJ
Time: 6:30am-2:30pm
Date: Saturday, September 16, 2017
Weather: Extremely Foggy and Humid start to our morning. 65 Degree morning start warming up to 83 Degrees
Water Temps: 68 up the Creek and up to 78.5 down in Southern end.
Water Clarity: More Stain and dirty... Less than 2.0' visibility
Water current and Level: Normal pool level
Best Lure: Pickem'
Depths fished: 2.0'~ 8.5'
Bass Limit: 3
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Chaulk this one up as another one for the record books. A 2017 season where Rookies acted like nothing like Rookies. OG's acted as if they were on the Bass Master Elite series. and of course the Fu Man being himself.
Anglers showed up. We Fished. We battled till the end. and Here we are!
The real question today was who was going home with the 2017 Belt? On Sat. Sept. 16 15 of SJHT finest anglers embarked on our 2 Day Club Classic where winner takes all and gets to take home.... yours truly.
The 2017 SJHT season has officially ended. Although individual records were not necessarily broken, I believe the Win Streaks were broken for consecutive victories over nearly a 2 month span.
Week in and week out, Anglers came out to give their best and the numbers reflect the results of there overall seasonal point standings and improvements from the 2016 season. We caught approximately 21 more Bass, 31.5lbs more in weight, and the avg. size of each Bass went about 1.92lbs. Slightly down from 1.95lbs from our 2016 season.
This weekend was no different and anyone game to be won. Over this past weekend, we had 20 anglers qualify for our end of the season Bass Classic however only 16 anglers actually came out to compete for the purse and of course the Belt.
It’s a winner take all format and the opportunity for the winner to claim the original SJHT Union Lake\Newton Lake Championship Bass Classic Belt and the entire purse that goes along with it. Not too mention bragging rights till the following year. LOL
Back to Day 1 of the SJHT Classic:
There were a total of 14 Bass caught giving way to a total of 27.62lbs. 8 out of 15 anglers caught at least 1 Bass. We had 1 limit caught. Day 1 Lunker went 4.09lbs and was won by Carlos *Always on Time* J. . The overall avg. weight went 1.97lbs.. There were 3 Smallies and 14 Largemouth Bass weighed in.
2017 Angler of the Year Jackson *I'm a Bad Man* F. led day 1 with 3 Bass weighing a total of 7.20lbs. He was followed by the 2017 Rookie newcomer Carlos J. with 2 Bass going 5.10lbs. In 3rd place was the Bill *FishingTroop* C. with 1 Bass going 3.55lbs.
Jackson 3 Bass going 7.20lbs-Day 1 Leader:
Carlos 2 Bass 5.10lbs and Day 1 Lunker going 4.09lbs Respectfully:
Sam *Big Bass Man* F. 2 Keepers:
Dan *Crappie Jon* F. Keeper
The Fu Man- Day 1 Leader:
Biil *FishingTroop* C. nice Smallie:
Other anglers Day 1 pics and weigh in:
Rob's Keepers:
Analyzing new weigh in scales:
Day 1 Union Lake Tale of the Tape:
Most anglers were finding the bite very tough to come by including myself. With the extreme foggy conditions, the bass seemed scattered throughout the water column. They were in much deeper sections of the water vs. near the shoreline. I didn't get my 1st bites till 4hrs. into our tournament.
This was after I started to Drop-Shot....
As the morning Fog started to burn away, some anglers found there bearings....
With less than a 2.0lb difference between 1st and 2nd place, most anglers that didn't do well at Union Lake felt pretty good heading into Day 2 of the Newton Lake event. How fitting for everything to come down to place where we had been postponed earlier in the season due to High water and flooding.
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Day 2: Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017
Finale Day 2
Place: Newton Lake, Collingswood, NJ
Time: 6:30am-2:30pm
Weather: A bit warmer at 68 Degrees and slight, comfortable breeze. Temps warming up to 86 degrees. Blue bird skies late in the AM with some clouds mixed in later in the day gave way to a decent day.
Winds: 5-10mph most of the day.
Water temps: 75~78 Degrees throughout greater portion of the Res.
Water Clarity: Down to maybe 1.5''
Best Lure: Shakey Heads, senko's, crankbaits, & Beavers
Depths fished: 2.5'~ 5.0'
Bass Limit: 3
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With everything still up for grabs, 15 out of 16 anglers came back for Day 2 of this event with eyes set on dethroning 2016 SJHT Classic Champion White Mike Jackson held a slim lead with Carlos, Troop, and Sam F. not far behind. Everyone else also knew they were in catching distance as unsung anglers like Rob, and Dave S. saved there best for last.
Similiar to last year, when Mike White finally closed the deal at the Squan, The Fu Man along with others had there game face on.
Back to the Day 2 Finale:
Our 2017 AOY Jackson *I'm Back at my Throne* F. held a little over 2.10lbs lead. He knew what Newton could produce. So did everyone else. Ladies and gentlemen, here is how the conclusion went down at the weigh in.
Can you say AN UPSET WAS ALMOST GOING TO HAPPEN! There were some Monster Size Bass Loss today. Anglers brought in another b]29 Bass compared to 14 only on Day 1. [/b] The Quality and weight difference was slightly down compared to Union Lake but that made for an exciting weigh-in. There were 5Limits weighed in. On the final day, 12 out of 15 anglers caught at leasts 1 Bass. This gave way to a total of 42.93lbs and a 1.48lb per avg. bass. This was a.49lb avg. decrease from the weights at Union Lake. The Lunker weights decrease slightly. Holding onto a total bag of 9.22lb over 2 days....even with a 2.02lb (2) Bass Total weigh-in on Day 2, the Fu Man sealed the deal.
Ladies and gentlemen, please congratulate SJHT’s 5 Time 2017 Bass Classic Champion Jackson "I'm going to Disney world with my Crown* Fu.Fu Man edged out Carlos who had a total 2 Day weight of 8.07lbs Rob ended the weekend with a total of 5 Bass going 7.81lbs with a 1.00lb Dead fish penalty on 2 Bass. Dave S. was Day 2 Lunker winner going 3.50lbs, and Dave was also the Miscelleneous winner with a .30lb Perch. Dave finished overall in 4th Place with a weight of 7.74lbs.Troop finished strong with 4 Bass going 7.65lbs. Sam F. finishied in 6th Place with a total bag going 5 Bass weighing 7.48lbs
2017 Angler of Year:
Jackson *Don't ever count me out* Fu
You've seen enough of 2lbers....I'm all about the Crown!!!
2017 SJHT Bass Classic Runner-up:
Carlos Bag:
3rd Place 2016 AOY and 2017 (6) Time Iron-Man Rob's Bag:
4th Place Dave S. and 2 Day Miscellaneous Champ:
5th Place Bill *FishingTroop* C.:
6th Place and 2017 Rookie AOY, Lunker Champ, & Heaviest 3 Bass Limit Sam *Big Bass Man* F.:
Other Anglers and there Bags:
Brian *SubFish* McCulley Bag:
BN06 Bag:
Trappers Bag of Bass:
Moe's Bag of Bass:
Jiggen's Dens Bag of Bass:
Brian *SubFish* M. Bag of Bass:
Note: Construction work down by the Dam....
Official 2017 SJHT UNION Lake & NEWTON Lake Tale of Tape:
2017 SJHT Bass Classic Participants:
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Summary: Never discount a heart of a Champion! Some wins are by luck. Most are earned by the Time on the Water, Knowledge and skill level of the person competing against, and ones Will to win and be the best that one can be.
Personally want to congratulate the 5 Time SJHT Bass Classic Champion Jackson *Just Call me your Highness* F. in taking the season by storm. Congrats goes to Rob for fending the beast off and to all others who come out to battle the best. These are our SJHT Members.
Competing in nearly 17 Tournaments this season, anglers consistently made it to our events. I'm truly honored and fortunate to have a great group of men who get along, communicate amongst one another, share tips and techniques in the meaning of bettering the club, and last but not least enjoy the sport of Bass Fishing for what it is. I salute all anglers that came to do battle and challenge for the ultimate conversation piece that one could hold.
2017 SJHT Top 3 Finishes:
Overall 2017 SJHT Point Standings:
2017 SJHT Award snapshots:
Congrats to Brian *SubFish* McCulley on your 2017 Humanitarian ward.
Congrats to Rob “Ram1212” for taking the 2017 SJHT Ironman Crown for the 6th time .
Jackson's 3 Heaviest Bass Caught at Merrill Creek 11.47lbs
Sam's 3 Heaviest Bass Caught at Rainbow Lake 11.47lbs
Thanks again to Joe Reed our VP and Rob our TD, and those fellow members that helped and assisted in anyway in making this season another success.
BN06
Edited by BigNasty06 on 09/17/2017
BN06, President
Another great Classic weekend to cap off the 2017 season! Thanks for letting me fish with you Rob! Congrats to Jackson for the come from behind AOY win and the Classic crown as well. Thanks to BN for running a great club that I am proud to be a part of. And to all the other great anglers who make up this fantastic club, thank you for making it fun!
Congrats to Jackson for a wild comeback in the end! and for another AOY under your belt and Classic win! Thank you Rob for all your help at ramp on many occasions and to all who lend a helping hand! Thank you Joe Reed for your part in keeping things going smooth. And last but not least thanks BN for running the best Bass Club in South Jersey. All your time put in and dedication to club is what keeps members in the club! Wish all those fishing the Tag Team the best.
Thanks to all and especially Rob and Joe for holding down the fort in my absence.
What another learning year? Fishing new bodies of waters such as Merrill Creek, the Conowingo Dam, and even venturing back up to some of our favorites like the Sassafras, Lums Pond, and Assunpink Lake, I think we covered a wide spectrum in terms of different bodys of water topography.
I believe and Hope that Hopatcong lives up to the previous fishing action as it's been about 5yrs since I last had been there.