Michigan Bass Chapter Federation angler Don
Fowler led on the opening day of the B.A.S.S. Federation Northern Divisional
at Lake Erie and never looked back.
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By Bassmaster.com staff report - May 4, 2007
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the complete story...
To All
State BASS Federation Nation Leaders,
In a message dated 5/23/2007 6:30:25
P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, DON.K.CORKRAN.-ND@bassmaster.com
writes:
It sure is great to be
back home! I am very excited about my return as
your BASS Federation Nation Director and will be
contacting you soon with some ideas that we need to
discuss. BASS and ESPN remain committed to the BASS
Federation Nation Program and together we have the
ability to strengthen and grow the BFN to a position
more powerful than at any other time in our
history. We have a clean slate; if there is
something we don't like about our programs, we have
the opportunity to make the changes necessary to
support our desires. I have always believed in the
concept of "big ears" - listen to what the members
want and then give it to them. Right now we can do
just that - so let's look at our programs from the
roots up and discuss what can be done to make them
better. Obviously budgets are a consideration, but
even budget constraints can be overcome.
I appreciate the thoughtful emails that I received
from many of you after the announcement of my
return! My decision to leave when BASS relocated to
Celebration was a tough decision, but it was a
decision that I had to make. Fortunately, I had an
opportunity to return to a position I love so
dearly. You have come a long way since January 2006
and I am looking forward to working with all of you
again to further those efforts. Together we can
continue to improve and to mold the BASS Federation
Nation into the best grass-roots fishing
organization in the world.
Don
2007 Northern Divisional (Ohio)
Expect that the total payout will be around $30-35k or roughly half of the
$65k that was awarded in Minnesota. Remember, that this years $65k payout
was based on 2005 membership numbers. If B.A.S.S. based next years event on
this years membership numbers it would be even lower. They are looking to
pay part of the payout in product, boat/motor were mentioned.
Bass Club World Championship (BCWC)
States will be allowed to
field their six 6-person (36 total people) teams how they want. Some states
have incorporated this qualification with other events. Michigan is located
in Region 4, which includes, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and
Ontario. Our Divisional event will be in August 7-10 on Sandusky Bat in
Sandusky Ohio. State that can
field more than 6 teams will be allowed to do so based on states who can’t
field 6 teams. The intention of B.A.S.S. is to have a full field of teams at
the divisional event in order to make the payout work.
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update...
Clubs
B.A.S.S. is going to start a web based roster management system November 1.
With that, they are asking (at a minimum) that all club presidents and
secretary’s get access to BASS Insider by mid October. This is free with
your Federation membership, and that will be the portal to reach the roster
section. The club president and secretary will have administration access to
their club database. They will be able to see when individual members
membership expires, update addresses, etc. At the Federation level, the
president and secretary will have access to each clubs roster. This is the
first phase of the program. Later they are expecting to bring in a secure
site to pay membership dues and to manage the youth clubs.
Junior Bassmaster Dues
For 2007, the dues for the Junior Bassmasters will increase from $5 to $10.
This $5 increase will be the first increase in 23 years and will be
effective January 1, 2007. With the increase they will get 2 copies of
Junior Bassmasters magazine. You will see the dues advertised at $15 for the
Junior Bassmasters, but this is only for the general people joining. When
associated with the Federation, the price will be $10.
2007 Northern Divisional, August 12-17, 2007
Next year Ohio is the host for the divisional tournament. The dates for the
event will be August 12-17, 2007 out of Vermillion, Ohio. It is unclear as
to what waters will be open for the competition during the event Wisconsin
is host in 2008 and Michigan in 2009.
 Winterize or Meltdown
The most destructive force on your outboard motor is not high-speed operation.
It is inactivity during seasonal storage. Stow your motor for weeks or months
and humidity and temperature changes cause moisture to build up on its external
and internal surfaces like frost on a window. When it dries, it leaves behind a
coating of rust and a pattern of pits in the metal surfaces that costs power and
eventually ends the life of
your outboard.
At the same time, fuel in the engine is exposed to air, water and temperature
changes
and the resulting effects can leave a residue of varnish coating and clog fuel
injectors, carburetors, rails and fuel lines.
Sure, many of today's outboards are aluminum and not as susceptible to corrosion
as steel, but aluminum is not completely immune. When corrosion forms, it can
flake off. Start up the engine after a period of inactivity can cause damage and
where do all these oxidized particles go? Through the engine, grinding away at
rings, bearings and crankshafts. Bits of it adhere to cylinder walls and the
piston action grinds it in, eroding the rings, enlarging the cylinders and
causing -at best, loss of compression and power.
At worst? Possible engine damage.
The steps to avoid this damage are simple, and you can do it in less than an
hour-either at the launch ramp on your last trip or in the driveway before you
back the rig into the garage.
Protecting Your Fuel System
Always keep a fuel stabilizer in your fuel system to prevent fuel from breaking
down into varnish. If you haven't added this yet, get Pennzoil Marine® Fuel
System Cleaner and Stabilizer from any dealer or retailer. Pour it into your
fuel tank, trailer the boat around the block a time or two to mix it and then
run the engine so the treated fuel circulates throughout the system.
Not only will Pennzoil Marine Fuel System Cleaner and Stabilizer stabilize the
fuel, but it also contains components that will help clean fuel injectors,
reduce deposits and dewater fuel, should condensation in your tank occur. It’s
cheap insurance to help provide for a long engine life.
Protecting Your Power head
Fogging the engine is the next step, and it is as easy as the first one.
Pennzoil makes an excellent protective engine fog called Pennzoil Marine®
Fogging Oil .Using it takes only moments.
Remove the engine cowl and then remove the air intake cover. Put "earmuffs" with
a water supply on the lower unit water intake and start the engine. With it
running at a fast idle, spray the contents of the can into the engine until it
dies from the excess fluids or until the fogging compound is gone. The fog will
coat the inside of your engine and remain there as a protective barrier until
the next time you run your motor.
Protecting Your Gear case
Now is a great time to change the lower gear case lube. Doing so helps remove
any water in the lube and helps eliminate the chance of it freezing, expanding
and damaging the gear case or its seals. Remove the top and bottom fill screws
on the lower unit and drain the grease into a container for recycling. If the
oil is milky or if water is present, now is the time to have your service
technician change your gear case seals.
Replace your lube with Pennzoil Marine® Lower Unit Gear Lube. Inject it into the
bottom hole and continue squeezing it in until it oozes out of the top hole.
Place
a thumb over the top hole to create a vacuum so the oil won't drain, screw the
plug in the bottom hole and then replace the top one. Many boaters have stowed
their boat for the winter and skipped this simple procedure. Often, the engines
start all right in the spring, but just because you can't see the damage doesn't
mean it didn't occur. And most of the times, rough running engines and fuel flow
problems can be the result.
Why risk it when these simple steps can help ward off problems?
For more information about Pennzoil Marine products visit
www.pennzoil.com.
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2007
Michigan Bass Junior State Championship Report