The Major Leagues are Here!

Major League Fishing Summit Cup 2015 is here!

Folks at home, folks at home.  That stressful competition is back, the tempers fly and the stress begins to wear down the anglers as each second counts to catch as many bass as you can and not get any violations in the meantime.  Yes, let's get it on, that's the attitude that needs to be taken at this level of competition.  It's quite a difference coming off the Bassmasters Classic, which is also stressful; anglers were exhausted.  Jack Link's Major League Fishing also has it's high expectancy as well, and we're ready !

A Glimpse at the Future Bassmasters

    
     Not an attempt in any way to make fun of the angler at all, it's just that he is the most popular angler on the market.  The future of angling in another planet.  Where angling will still remain one of the most marketable businesses in the world no matter what happens.  Unless we run out of fish, the sport will keep growing. 

NEXT DAY DELIVERY

DAY 2 of COMPETITION



 

     Well, seemingly a better day it was warmer by a tad than the previous day.  The angler's that seemed to be focused caught fish and changed the way the fish were being caught.  Some went real deep and some stayed shallow but the truth is there was no real pattern that we can sit back and say it was the definite one.  The fact that does stand for this bassmasters is, it was one of the coldest and most difficult to catch fish in.  The true experts remained on top in day 2.

 

 

Day 2

 

 

 

1. Takahiro Omori        16.1
2. Dean Rojas               10.7
3. Michael Iaconelli     16.9
4. Randy Howell          15.6
5. Casey Ashley           14.11
6. Brett Hite                 14.0
7. Cobby Carden         19.3
8. Paul Mueller           14.3
9. Bobby Lane            17.4
10. Skeet Reese              6.15



BAD BASS ANGLER

 

"IKE"

Why he just stands out?

     Because he dared to be original.  If you noticed by now, I tend to favor IKE for my tooning.  When you write about something, you need to describe it.  So, say you have two red apples in front of you and you have to describe them in a short story.  One apple has a bunch of bites in it and is not quite as perfectly shaped as the other apple; nicely polished and round.  Well, when your done describing both, I can guarantee you the story about the polished round apple will  be shorter than the one about the bitten apple.  The bitten one has a story to tell by itself, it has lived and has been through other experiences that the polished apple has not.  The bitten apple is so much more interesting than the polished one that who ever bit it, thought so too.  The apple has become more describable, by taking away from it; it gave added detail.  How do you like them apples?

     Ike was a dj a while back when he was younger; he used to breakdance and has been know to be some what of a crazy one  He has tattoos on his back and arms and shows them off when he feels like it.  But when it comes to angling, he is professional as a heart surgeon performing his skills on the president of the United States.  He has put in practice a way of fishing that requires a lot of research , a lot of strategy.  This has made him one of the top bass anglers in the world.  For me though, like I've mentioned in the past; it's  his yelling that sets him apart.  He doesn't care who's around when he screams or does his little dog snuffs and short punch when trying to hold in the excitement.  He simply ignores everything and yells how he feels, that's the ingredient that makes the soup good.  He added it to bass fishing and now there are those that do too; Ike paved the way. 

     So, Mike is not  the bad ass of angling, he's the bad bass angler, that still can break dance in his 40's.  That's a good bite to have, makes him interesting, setting him apart from the others and making for a fun sketch for me to create.

The Battle is On!

Bassmasters Classic is On

     It began with an unexpected further delay than was said the previous day, but all in the interest of angler safety.  At around 10 to 13 degrees, the day was chilly and was windy at first.  But as the day progressed the wind let up -making for some good fishing.  I for one, believed it would have been slow and not so productive, but that's why I'm not out there and they are. 

     The first catch of the day came from the home town favorite, Casey Ashley, and then Randy Howell replied shortly after.  They seemed to have the pattern going when, bam...Ike Iaconelli came back with two back to back lunkers, skinny yet big bass on a jig.  This was impressive to say the least very impressive hook ups, as they always are with IKE.  The unofficial leader board had Takahiro Omori in the lead for a while then it became Casey Ashley then went to Dean Rojas.  So, there doesn't seem to be a definitive leader at the moment.

     The live coverage is only until 2pm central so we can't see the whole result.  Just have to wait for weigh-in. 

     Day 1

 

 

1. Dean Rojas            21.2   Weigh-in
2. Skeet Reese           20.2
3. Keith Combs         18.8
4. Brett Hite               15.7
5. Randy Howell        15.5
6. Casey Ashley         15.3
7. Takahiro Omori     15.0
8. Greg Hackney        14.15
9. Michael Iaconelli   14.7
10. Todd Faircloth       14.6   

 

 



TWEEKING THE DAY BEFORE...

LAST MINUTE ADVICE...

Taking down some notes from the best source, the bass!

Ike is seen here going over his notes and tweeking some thoughts just before he hits the lake on February 20th.  I drew this one on February 19, so this is the previous day to the meltdown, I mean the showdown. 

I've always wondered what goes through their minds before these big events.  But this tournament is special for some reason...I don't know why...but it just is.

Let's see what happens...

YOU READY FOR A COLD ONE?

 

This Bassmasters Tournament will be Cold!!

There will be lots to talk about at this classic

The toon is not made out for them to freeze or injure themselves, obviously, but just to show the cold weather that will have a factor in the outcome of this tournament.  And just to show the factors that these anglers have to face to win their prize.  Just like any other sport that deals with bad weather, it's part of the game.  Except lightning, which I am in complete agreement with, that's just too dangerous.

Good luck to all of these guys, they have their work cut out for them. 

Just a TOON 2

This is What it's all About!

It's a child in front of a TV, sitting in amazement as his or her hero catches a lunker and gets a step closer to holding that trophy up above his head!!

Then pretending they did it the same way, on a bass boat in the middle of that same lake. Each one of these bass anglers touches the lives of a child all over the county and in vast parts of the world, letting them dream of victory!

And, to me...that's what it's all about!

2 Minute Violation Just another TOON!

 

In this TOON, it's the example of how happy IKE got after catching a lunker but yet had to pay the 2 minute violation for letting the bass touch the boat. Still yells in happiness though!

KEEPING IT TOGETHER

 

RANDALL THARP

     Tharp has been on fire the last few years, and he's hungry for a victory at the classic.  Randall just won the FLW Cup in 2013, which is a well known competition of recognition.  He knows the importance of winning this event this year will put him the driver's seat for his bass angler career. 

     Randall Tharp owned a construction company in Alabama, where he is originally from but made the move to becoming an angling competitor doing what he loves the most.  He and his associate, Sara Tharp his wife, packed everything up in an RV and headed out on the road to victory.  This is another example of chasing your dreams and having real love, companionship and support.  The Tharps are out to conquer, this is fantastic and I would love to see Randall take it all, not a bad thing to see a good man win!! GO FOR IT RANDALL! 



Aaron Martens

"All Due Respect"

Aaron Martens

     No other way to describe him but just one of the best out there in the sport today.  He is almost, always found at the top of the competition, and someone found at that level all the time, believe me that can't be just luck nor coincidence; it's skill and experience. 

     I've said it before, this sport has a requirement of high knowledge to be brought to the table on every competition it offers.  The know how is a must.  There are so many things to know about the habitat and the prey and the weather, lures and equipment and so on, that just showing up is not even a centimeter close to what is needed to win.  That's why I can't stress enough what anglers go through at this level of competition, plus having to fight and strive for sponsors and endorsements.  Anglers put a lot of money into a competition and also a lot of strain on family, in the way of being on the road all the time.  So, it's sort of the rock star's life without the luxury, just the down side of that star's work, sounds kind of funny but it's true.  It's not all glamour as most would tell you.

     This is why I say with all due respect to the elite in the business like Aaron Martens, he is amongst the best no doubt about it.  He maintains himself at a high level in the sport and at the same time deals with all the burdens and pressures and life style that goes along with it.  Again, it is something that has been determined by choice of their own, but it's still not easy, if it was I guess, there wouldn't be a Bassmasters Classic, nor and FLW nor MLF... nope....we'd all be sitting at the dock with live bait and a bamboo rod.

Just a Toon ...

TOONS

by Steve Donis

IKE on the move!

 

     This toon has Ike showing how he is seen naturally, the guy is intense when he fishes.  The best part about his style is that you can capture his intenseness through the camera while on the lake.  That makes the audience part of the experience the adventure and his success if he catches one.  If he doesc catch a lunker, you will know it... and you'll want to celebrate with him.  Plus the fact that the guy is 42 yrs old and he still can move like he's in his twenty's stretching out all over his boat; the inventor of yoga fishing, he even BREAKDANCES after events folks! It's Crazy! But, yet he keeps it fun and entertaining as it should be.  My hats off to the angler, entertainer, and business man.



 



Break: JUST A TOON!

 

Just a toon!

 

 

Earlier a tweet said to me, I don't get it?

It's just a toon of what angler's competing go through, they are professionals and they have to put up with lots of distractions.  At the same time they can't complaint since they're not going to bite the hand that feeds them, after all the fans make this business go round and round.  So, imagine the fact they have to focus on the lake and keep up their strategy and if it's a bad day they have to maintain control, regardless of what goes on around them, PRESSURE! 

This is why they are professionals, the champion will always remain the champion, no matter what happens.  It's not just about fishing, it's about competition against the other anglers and themselves.  This is a very difficult sport, so they deserve all the fans cheers and attention, they rock!

Gerald Swindle " The G-Man"

"G" as he refers to himself

 

     Gerald  is one of the most likeable personalities of Bass Fishing today.  He tends to find a laugh in everything he does, keeping that energy and people around him with that same flow of positive feelings.  Deep rooted in southern upbringing, he is connected with his maker according to some of the videos and stories I've read up on him.  Gerald has also had some back injuries during his career and still he has made it possible to be amongst the top anglers in the nation. 

     Having had covered locally the 2014 World Cup, I found that the G-Man is like Brazil, if Brazil doesn't qualify for some reason to the cup, it just isn't the same fans say.  In the same way if Bassmasters is missing the G-man, it's not the same.  It's missing the game, the "G".

     "G" You have lots of fans behind you.  I hope you catch a bass like you did that 10 pounder, and yelled," Oh my God what a bass, Oh my God what a bass."  that was in 2007 Bassmaster Elite Series.





Ish Monroe " Get You Some of This"

Ish4fish is a hungry dude for the title, he has won several big tournaments but has that empty place on his trophy shelf for that Bassmasters Classic Trophy.

 

     First time I saw Ish was Lake Amistad, he was banging heads with Greg Hackney and other big name contenders.  He seemed kind of stressed at one point in under the hot sun when he couldn't hook those 7 and 8 pounders he was intriguing with the giant tubes in the clear lake, he was sight fishing.  He missed about 2 big mamas and went nuts and then sat in the boat in frustration for a couple of minutes.  Ish managed to pull himself together and ended catching a massive 8 to 10 pounder in the boat, that's when I heard his famous, " Yeah! Come get you some of this!"  I loved it. 

     Well, here we go again Ish, you are at the top of the list.  Ish is knows for not counting little fish as part of his celebration, only the mamas is what Ish is interested in, not the babies.  Catch those mamas Ish! 



He Knew It! Takahiro Omori

     TO was the first Japanese angler to win the Bassmasters Classic in 2004, opening up the sport to many other Japanese anglers.  He made his dream a reality a Lake Wylie conquering the highest mark a bass angler can achieve, to hold up  that Bassmaster trophy above your head at the end of the classic.  Of course, getting that hefty check and getting called to many endorsements after that win also helps out with the bills.  He was famous for saying ," I knew it, I knew it" after cranking in his last 3 lunkers in the same spot at the end of the day right before heading back to weigh in.  Takahiro is set to go for this years classic, let's see if he holds that heavy metal fish again after 11 years.  It's going to be good.

ANGLER TOONS

Never Giving Up !

The Man Who Placed it On the Map Toon

 

No matter what any one claims to have done for the sport of bass fishing, I remember watching ESPN2 and there was Mike Iaconelli screaming at the top of his lungs, " Oh my God, Oh my God, it's a big one, it's the winning fish." then in a high pitched voice with a slight screeching sound came, " AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"  I was astonished and impressed, this guy just let the excitement out and didn't care about anything else, I was sold.  He took the sport to a new level, and even added a little known slogan to bass fishing, " Never Give Up!" and well, I haven't. That's where my toons begin with Mike.

 

REEL TOONS!

REEL TOONS FROM STEVE DONIS

ALL THE GIANTS OF THE ANGLING WORLD

THE RISING STARS

BASSMASTERS AND MAJOR LEAGUE COMPETITORS

THIS IS THE RAW DEAL OF BASS FISHING

EQUIPMENT, TECHNIQUES AND SMACK!

ALL IN ONE PLACE...

FROM PICS AND CLIPS TO

VIEWS AND TOONS

IT'S ON!!

JUST KEEPING IT REEL