Bassgod5's Weblog

2008 TBF National Championship

bassgod5 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:26:15 +0000

I wanted to post thank-yous to all members of the NH Bass federation for your kind words and encouragement as I competed against the best amateur anglers in the country. Special thanks to Alan and Betty Denise, Dave Andrews, Ron Porier, Dick Smith, Greg Le’Heureux, Bill McNaught, and the Prospect Mountain Bass Anglers. The most productive pattern down south was sight fishing for bedding largemouth deep in the creeks. Most of the top six anglers did that very effectively. (http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/tournamentTBF.cfm?cid=80&t=news&tday=3&atype=6&tid=6120&tyear=2008&aid=148395) I am not making excuses but, I feel I need to mention, we do not sight fish here in New Hampshire (basically a closed season), therefore, my tackle was limited in that area. I had a rough day one after a decent practice. I lost some, broke a few off. My best bass (maybe 4+ lb.s) was stuck the first twenty minutes of day one. It struck a drop shotted lil’ beaver then swiftly threw the hook (a sign of things to come). It was neat to have the camera boat with me when that happened. Ha, Ha! Within another five minutes I boated my first keeper a 15 inch male which weighed approximately 1 lb. 12 oz. I regained some confidence and proceeded down the bank trying to get the other bedded bass to bite. My first day partner and I worked the various lures we had brought with us for these spawning bass and after 4+ hours. He had 3 keepers and I had two (my second bit on a Fishbelly Hawg Shad) (http://fishbelly168.stores.yahoo.net/nexdrugshad.html) and about thirty different plastics on the deck of the boat. As we continued the futile practice of trying to get some finicky bedding bass to bite the offerings we presented, time was quickly eluding us. We finally made a stand in the Mill creek portion of Lake Wylie. I throwing a Fishbelly Hawg Shad and my partner chucking a drop shotted power worm, we immediately stuck and released about six keepers. (line breakage or thrown baits). I had my chances during day one and just didn’t make it happen. It happens to me from time to time. But those mistakes cannot happen if you expect to make a charge in a tournament of this caliber. I was confident I could rebound on day two and was extremely disheartened when the scales closed after day one’s weigh-in. The top Eastern Boater (Jim Gildea Mass., who is very personable and a very good angler) had about 10 lb.s 6 oz.s(?). I easily should’ve had this. Day two, I committed to the shad spawn (my sight fishing baits wheren’t making the fish turn) going on in the area, throwing topwaters and 5″ Fishbelly swimbaits around riprap and skipping docks with Lil’ Hustler jigs.(http://www.lilhustler.com/product_pro_jig.shtml) I had about 10-12 bites this day and did manage to bring a limit to the scales, which was a relief. My biggest was 3 lb. 3oz. I believe I wouldn’t have made the cut (even if I fished flawlessly on day one) as Bob Crinio from Vermont brought in a decent 14lbs. + sack after day two. Congrats go to Bob. This was by far the smoothest run tournament as well as the networking with other anglers I’ve been a part of. The FLW and North Carolina Federation did a superb job getting us on the water with everything we needed. Everyone in our federation has the fantastic opportunity to “Live the Dream”, (http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/article.cfm?id=148266) but not everyone takes advantage of this. Many clubs in our federation are not active in our STQTs. I highly recommend (especially if you are on the fence) to particpate in this year’s STQT. Fishing the STQT is a great way for you to learn and improve your angling skills. Our federation is flooded with classy anglers who are willing to share tips and techniques to make you a better angler. I challenge you to fish it this year and maybe I’ll see you on the water! Mark Anthony www.fishbelly.com

Northeast Bass Fishing

bassgod5 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:50:14 +0000

Ice amounts here in central New Hampshire vary from 8-22 inches depending on which water system you refer to. Today, the last day in March, we saw another cold front throw snow for a coupleof hours and when the air temperature hit 34 degrees, the preciption turned to a freezing rain. Nevertheless, I was still able to get a boat out on the lake. Actually, it was in Charolette, North Carolina. Lake Wylie will host the TBF National Championship (http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/article.cfm?id=146654) April 22-27, 2008. I was there to practice fish for this event as I was fortunate enough to qualify through club tournaments, the state fish-offs(http://www.nhbassfederation.com/Tournaments/2006stqt.shtml), and finally the TBF Eastern Divisional(http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/tournamentTBF.cfm?cid=80&t=news&tday=3&atype=6&tid=5853&tyear=2007&aid=146512).

My first experience on Lake Wylie was on February 23, 2008. I ran the boat from Buster Boyd’s landing north up by paw creek(Buster Boyd Lake Wylie). I began to fish the shoreline as the water temperature was 58-60 degrees. I started by throwing a suspending jerkbait, pausing for 3-5 seconds before making the bait dart and dive again. I then began to pitch stick baits around the numerous docks that line Lake Wylie. Finally, I switched to jig. before long about an hour and a half flew by with no results. I decided to back off the shoreline (not knowing the weather pattern over the past few days and assumed a cold front of some kind recently kept the fish off the banks). I began presenting a Fishbelly Hawgshad 3.5″ green back (http://fishbelly168.stores.yahoo.net/nexdrugshad.html)on a drop shot in 8-10 feet of water(www.fishbelly.com). THUMP! the line got heavy and I boated my first keeper. The fish was boated and weighed about 2 lb.s. I went further down the 8-10 foot edge and THUMP!!! a much heavier sensation. I set the hook on what I estimated to be a 4 1/2 lb.s green fish (largemouth) and skillfully brought it on board after enjoying the game of tug-O-war. My partner believed it to be 6 lb.s, but I usually underestimate all my weights. Who knows how big it really was (we did not have a scale) and I didn’t really care, I WAS FISHING again!!!! After a scant few minutes, THUMP!! another bass weighing around 3 lb.s. I thought this is it, I have a pattern going. Now let’s see if these fish bite something different. (To be Continued)

Interaction via Social Media

bassgod5 — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:10:25 +0000

Discuss the explosive popularity of social media sites such as YouTube and Flickr. What makes them so attractive? How can the power of social media be leveraged? Is there a cost?

I dread being embarassed in front of people I respect. Has this ever happened to you? You are at social gathering with some colleagues, relaxing while interacting. Suddenly, you are put on the spot and asked to form an opinion on a subject you are vaguely familiar with. Wouldn’t it be nice to push “pause”, do some research on the topic, gather your data and sources, formulate your best response, and finally, push “play”? No one wants to look foolish, especially in front of people you respect. When applying technology through social media sites, we are afforded the opportunity to acquire data and respond. Social media allows us to become absorbed in our own private (although you can make these public) “think-spaces”.

Creating content in the privacy of your “think-space” is comfortable and non-threatening. Unlike, meeting people face to face, we can pause and think about our responses or opinions on a social media site. When having an intellectual conversation in person, it can be awkward to pause and retrieve the best response. There always seems to be a lengthy period of silence as the responder sifts through the many neural connections forged over the course of their life, looking for the best answer. Our fragile ego begins to play tricks with the mind: “They must think I’m slow because I am not answering them as quickly as I/they would like.” However, posting/writing/vlogging our responses can disguise these types of social shortcomings. It allows us to slow down and think of our best response. This actually portrays our intelect in a more accurate and rewarding manner. Some people I respect the most for their intelect are actually social misfits. But, get them to respond to queries via e-mail/g-mail and they reflect their true intelligence. Social media sites afford the user to state opinions and thoughts without the fear of being judged immediately. This delay alleivates the consequences of social faux-paus. Some of which are: being laughed at, riduculed, ostrasized, or singled out for personality attacks.

In my opinion, there’s a percentage of Americans (and maybe humans in general) who would rather watch an event. We watch television, sports, mother nature, musical performances, artistic expression, and others in a crowd. When we want entertainment, generally we gravitate to some form of voyeurism. We like to watch others in their successes and failures. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,997294-4,00.html) And another percentage of Americans (and in general, humans) who like to show off. Look at my life, look at my house, look at what I can do, basically “LOOK AT ME!!!” The explosive popularity of social media sites can be explained, in part, by the need to satisfy these two personality types.

www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/tda0105l.jpg

Social media is not bound to one or two sources. Content in social media can take the form of text, graphics, audio, or video. Several formats can be mixed. Social media is typically available via feeds, enabling users to subscribe via feed readers(RSS, Atom), and allowing other publishers to create mashups. Social Media signifies a broad spectrum of topics and has several different connotations. There is no set number of pages or hours. The audience can participate in social media by adding comments or even editing the stories themselves. In the context of Internet marketing, Social Media refers to a collective group of web properties that are driven by users. For example, blogs, discussion boards, vlogs, video sharing sites and dating sites. Nielsen NetRatings reports , sites which allow users to participate in the creation of content are the reason behind the boom in the top 10 fastest growing web brands in the U.S. These include MIXX, Facebook, and Flickr.

We are the dead center of our own lives. And we have many social contacts all around us. These contacts are part of a bigger network of people, information, and news. Visualize a pebble causing a ripple in a puddle of water. We are the pebble. Our friends would be the first few rings. Our colleagues the next few. Our colleague’s contacts and social network the next few. And so on.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb/waterdrop0502.jpg

One of the biggest advantages of social networking via media, is the speed at which information compiles. Quality information floods the internet every minute. Current news articles, whimiscal stories, advice, and life management topics to name a few. All of our immediate social contacts and those contacts on the outer ring, who we may not know personally, can be leveraged as our own researchers/gatherers of information. This insures, quality information percolates to us.

NEASC

bassgod5 — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:12:25 +0000

I am chairperson for our high school’s mission statement committee. We are currently in the process of writing narratives for the NEASC accreditation committee (http://www.neasc.org/). Our high school (http://pmhschool.com) will be visited by this team in the spring of 09. I am willing to help and accept feedback from others who have gone through this process.

Bio

bassgod5 — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:39:30 +0000

Hello,

I am currently a graduate student at PSU,(www.plymouth.edu) in Plymouth NH. I have recently enrolled in a technology class and have been asked to start a blog. I am hoping to gain insight into the variety of ways educators around the world use the internet to communicate not only with each other, but with parents, students, and the community they serve. I am a high school health/PE teacher at PMHS in Alton, NH. (http://pmhschool.com) I would also like to improve our dept.’s web page. Currently, it is very limited. (http://www.pmhschool.com/dept/pe/index.htm) Please feel free to advise.

I am a die-hard bass angler and have competed recently at the TBF Eastern Divsional on Sacandaga Lake in Mayfield, NY. Check out the story and final day weigh in results (http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/tournamentTBF.cfm?cid=80&t=news&tday=3&atype=6&tid=5853&tyear=2007&aid=146512) I qualified to fish this April (2008) at the TBF National tournament on Lake Wylie, SC. I would appreciate any advice that would improve my chances of competing.

My Course Objectives: Understand and demonstrate a variety of new technologies. Manipulate a variety of technologies for the purpose of web-wide communication. Manage information acquired through the use of new technology.

What I am hoping to learn: I am hoping to increase my web savvy knowledge/skills and apply the technology to my professional/personal life. I plan on developing my professional social net-working through the use of the Web 2.0 technologies. I will attempt to further expand into my personal life, once I become a competent Web 2.0 communicator.

Target Audience: Most of the work I’ll complete in this course, will be geared toward improving communication with the students, parents, and the community I serve as a high school health/PE teacher.

My 2 year old son, on the set of ESPN.

Why: There are multiple barriers to parental involvement in health education. Parental involvement is an important piece to my health education philosophy. Research supports the idea that health education programs with a strong parental component, improves parent-child communication and influences positive health behavior change.

Hobbies and interests: I am passionate about bass fishing. I have been a member of the NH TBF for the last two seasons and prior to that the NH BASS federation for five seasons. In that time I have qualified for the NH State team five times and recently qualified to fish the TBF National this April on Lake Wylie; Charolette, NC. I have been very busy this winter trying obtain sponsors who would be willing to help with expenses this season and have signed a contract with Fishbelly International.

My son and I after the 2006 NH TBF weigh in.

Family: My wife and I are expecting our second boy this March/April 2008. We are still undecidedwhat to name him but, are narrowing the list down to (Cameron Joseph, Colton Joseph, Carson Joseph).