Despite catching limits on two days, Kyle Weisenburger’s up and down season on the Major League Fishing’s Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit finished on a downer last week.
The Columbus Grove bass angler had entered the event on Lake Champlain out of Plattsburgh, New York, needing a strong finish to qualify among the top 48 anglers for the season-ending championship.
However, his limits were missing big bass and he wound up 121st in the tourney that pushed him back to 73rd in the points standings.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way I’d hoped, but we gave it a heck of a run the second half of the season trying the make that championship,” he said. “I just have to keep getting better and being more consistent and we will get there.”
He began the season in late January by finishing 111th at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Brookeland, Texas. He bounced back at the second event in March when he finished 52nd in a tourney at the Harris lake Chain in Leesburg, Florida. He climbed to 89th in the points standings following that tourney. After a good first day at Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, in April that had him in 51st place, Weisenburger caught only two bass the second day and wound up 122nd and fell to 110th in the points standings.
Then he had two consecutive consistent tourneys at Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, in mid-May when he finished 26th and was 16th (his best finish ever on the circuit) on the James River in Virginia in June. Those two outings vaulted him 57 places into 53rd place entering the final tourney of the season.
“The season still had a lot of positives. I had three really solid tournaments and some exciting days on the water I’ll never forget.” Weisenburger said. “Against this group of anglers, you just can’t have bad days. My three weak finishes just put a huge dent in my points. I still have a handful of BFLs (Bass Fishing League) and local events to finish the season out strong.”
He currently is 20th in the boater category of the Buckeye Division in the BFL with two tourneys remaining. The top 45 place finishers in the boater and co-angler categories in the Buckeye Division qualify for the James River regional where he has competed well.
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Youth ages 8-18 interested in shooting a bow have an opportunity to learn the basics during a free class Aug. 17 at the Spring Valley Education Center at 3570 Houston Road in Waynesville. The class is provided by the Ohio Division of Wildlife (DOW) and takes place from 6-8 p.m.
All equipment is provided, including right-handed and left-handed bows, and participants should not bring outside equipment. Bow hunting will not be covered in this class. The basics of shooting with a Genesis bow will be covered. Instructors will cover topics including proper stance, archery techniques and target practice.
The center offers an indoor and outdoor archery range. Participants should dress according to the weather.
Interested persons should register for the class at https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/education-training/wild-ohio-harvest-community/wild-ohio-harvest-community-events/basic-archery-class-081722
Anyone with questions should contact contact Christopher Mangen at [email protected] or phone 937-269-3547.
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A hunter education course will be held Aug. 27-28 at the Newport Sportsman’s Club, located at 5801 Rangeline Road in Houston. The class will be held from 11 a.m.-5 p.m Aug 27 and from 1-5 p.m. Aug. 28.
One can register by going online at wildohio.gov and look under hunter education.
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Plans have been announced for more than two dozen new H2Ohio wetland projects, including some in Allen, Mercer and Putnam counties, to naturally improve water quality across Ohio.
The projects will be funded through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) $25 million H2Ohio allocation in the current state operating budget.
According to the ODNR, wetlands help improve water quality by trapping, filtering and removing excess pollutants and nutrients, like phosphorus, from the water before the materials flow into waterways and contribute to harmful algal blooms.
Since the H2Ohio program began, 23 wetlands have been restored in Ohio. The 25 new wetlands bring the total number of projects underway or complete to 113.
Read previous Al Smith outdoors columns
Al Smith is a freelance outdoor writer. You may contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @alsmithFL.
