January 2005

The Austin Bass Club was founded in September 1960.

President: Mike Shields Treasurer: Jake Jakubowsky

Vice President: Tim Spencer Tournament Director: Dwayne Langston Secretary: Bobby Landes

Next meeting dates: February 1^st, March 1^st (Meetings start at 7:30 pm)

Jake Jakubowsky Top Fisherman for 2004

In 2004, there was Jake Jakubowsky and then there was everybody else. Congratulations Jake, on an incredible year! Jake finished the year with an amazing 161.37 pounds, and that was after the mandatory drop of two tournaments. He really caught 162.80 pounds! No one was even close down the stretch as he had been coasting to the 2004 title ever since the summertime. Bobby Landes was a distant second place with 109.71 pounds. Rounding out and forming the Top 8 team for 2005 will be Jimmy Routon, Dale Langston, Dwayne Langston, Tim Spencer, Bud Croom and Denis Parish.

Congratulations to all on a great year!

Final 2004 Top Twenty Standings (after 2 drops)		2004 Top Twenty Standings as of December
1.) Jake Jakubowsky	161.37	1.) Jake Jakubowsky	162.80
2.) Bobby Landes	109.71	2.) Bobby Landes	109.71
3.) Jimmy Routon	78.02	3.) Jimmy Routon	78.02
4.) Dale Langston	64.15	4.) Dale Langston	64.15
5.) Dwayne Langston	62.90	5.) Dwayne Langston	62.90
6.) Tim Spencer	60.97	6.) Tim Spencer	60.97
7.) Bud Croom	60.87	7.) Bud Croom	60.87
8.) Denis Parish	52.34	8.) Denis Parish	52.34
9.) Darrel Routon	51.85	9.) Darrel Routon	51.85
10.) Jeff Woodard	48.67	10.) Jeff Woodard	48.67
11.) Jim Sparks	47.06	11.) Jim Sparks	47.06
12.) Ronnie Scott	41.78	12.) Ronnie Scott	41.78
13.) Chris Bodkins	41.71	13.) Chris Bodkins	41.71
14.) Scott Stagner	36.31	14.) Scott Stagner	36.31
15.) Dan Ross	35.03	15.) Dan Ross	35.03
16.) Ray Ceder	33.14	16.) Ray Ceder	33.14
17.) Mike Shields	27.31	17.) Mike Shields	27.31
18.) Darryl Hanson	15.04	18.) Darryl Hanson	15.04
19.) Jeremy Poole	13.59	19.) *Mike McClung	14.00
20.) Bill Joiner	13.03	20.) Jeremy Poole	13.59

Jake Jakubowsky Earns Lauren Johnston Award

Not only did Jake catch lots of fish in 2004 but he caught big fish as well. He must have been concerned about somebody catching a bigger fish than his 7.14 Choke Canyon hawg, which was the big fish of the year at that time, that he went out in December and topped that with a 7.50 sow belly off of Lake Austin just for good measure. You can rest easy now Jake, because you finished with the top two big bass of the year.

We may have to start calling him “Big Bass Jake”. Congratulations!

Behind Jake, again, was Bobby Landes with a 6.38 and a 6.14 bass caught on Choke Canyon and Lake Buchanan, respectively.

Congratulations to Dwayne Langston for a nice 5.70 fish off of Lake Limestone to take the fifth spot for big bass of the year.

Official 2004 Big Bass of the Year

1.) Jake Jakubowsky 7.50 Lake Austin (December)
2.) Jake Jakubowsky 7.14 Choke Canyon (April)
3.) Bobby Landes 6.38 Choke Canyon (April)
4.) Bobby Landes 6.14 Lake Buchanan (September)
5.) Dwayne Langston 5.70 Lake Limestone (October)

January Tournament Results – Lake Falcon

Our January tournament was a long anticipated return trip to Lake Falcon. We had 9 1/2 teams return to the lake to find out if the ol’ Falcon magic was still there. For most teams there were indeed remnants of magic experienced that stirred memories of the good old days that the grand lake once produced. The numbers were there and the average size fish was there but the number of big fish brought in wasn’t quite the same as in the glory years. Nonetheless, a lot of good fish were caught and the outlook for the future of Falcon is as good as it’s been in many, many years.

Through the years one of the things that made Falcon so great was the anticipation of catching a really big fish. As my Dad use to say, your next cast just might be the cast that not only might land you the biggest bass you’ve ever caught, but it just might be the biggest one ever caught. I found that while tossing lizards, brush hogs and craw worms into huisache bush after huisache bush that I too could conjure that same feeling that no other lake seems to create. I would say that the magic is back although I’m not sure that it ever truly left. Sometimes magic is in the eyes of the beholder and at times it’s easier to see than at others. In my eyes not only did I see it, and my anticipation experience it, but my imagination sensed it. Falcon’s current state is right on the edge between the glory days of the past and the magical expectations of the future.

Falcon has been quiet for quite a while. Kind of like a genie that’s been trapped in a bottle and floating in the ocean. You know it’s just a matter of time before the magic is released. And your fishiest wish just might come true.

As far as the tournament went it was a real dog race between the top 6 teams in this one that included 19 fishermen. A bit of a cold front blew in Saturday night but didn’t seem to affect the fishing much. Jake Jakubowsky and Jim Robinson rallied from fifth place after the first day to barely edge several other teams for first place. They weighed in 19 fish weighing 46.73 lbs. which was less than a pound more than Dale and Dwayne Langston’s 2-day double limit of 45.98 lbs. About a pound behind the Langston’s was Ronnie Scott and Jim Sparks 2-day double limit of 44.84 lbs. And less than a quarter of a pound behind them were Ray and Robert Ceder with 44.86 lbs. with 16 fish. Less than 2 pounds separated the first four places and a total of six teams finished with over 40 pounds.

Jim Robinson caught Big Bass with a very nice 7.80 pounder and Jake Jakubowsky barely edged out Bobby Landes by one-hundredth of a pound for Top Individual honors with 24.85 pounds. #%$/&! that Jakubowsky!

In summary, we had 19 fishermen catch 127 fish for a total of 322.34 pounds for an average weight of 2.54 pounds. There were a total of 20 fivef fish limits with 14 of them coming on Saturday.

Congratulations to all the winners on a great tournament. It looks like a return trip to Falcon could be in the future for the Austin Bass club.

Place Team Names Wt.

1^st Jake Jakubowsky/Jim Robinson 46.73

2^nd Dale Langston/Dwayne Langston 45.98

3^rd Ronnie Scott/Jim Sparks 44.84

4^th Ray Ceder/Robert Ceder

Top Individual Jake Jakubowsky 24.85

Big Bass Jim Robinson 7.80

2005 Top Twenty Standings as of January		Where They Finished in 2004
1.) Jake Jakubowsky	24.85	1.) Jake Jakubowsky
2.) Bobby Landes	24.84	2.) Bobby Landes
3.) Wesley Sanders	24.47	3.) Jimmy Routon
4.) Dale Langston	23.36	4.) Dale Langston
5.) Ronnie Scott	22.72	5.) Dwayne Langston
6.) *Robert Ceder	22.72	6.) Tim Spencer
7.) Dwayne Langston	22.62	7.) Bud Croom
8.) Jim Sparks	22.12	8.) Denis Parish
9.) Ray Ceder	21.94	9.) Darrel Routon
10.) Jim Robinson	21.88	10.) Jeff Woodard
11.) Keith Nichols	21.65	11.) Jim Sparks
12.) Darryl Hanson	17.22	12.) Ronnie Scott
13.) *Brett Krause	16.34	13.) Chris Bodkins
14.) Bill Joiner	15.62	14.) Scott Stagner
15.) Jeff Woodard	10.50	15.) Dan Ross
16.) Mike Shields	6.96	16.) Ray Ceder
17.) Sean Ramsey	2.53	17.) Mike Shields
18.)		18.) Darryl Hanson
19.)		19.) Jeremy Poole
20.)		20.) Bill Joiner
*Guest

Official 2005 Big Bass of the Year

1.) Jake Jakubowsky 8.28 Lake LBJ (January)

2.) Jim Robinson 7.80 Lake Falcon (January)

3.) Bobby Landes 6.72 Lake Falcon (January)

4.) Wesley Sanders 5.85 Lake Falcon (January)

5.) Darryl Hanson 5.29 Lake Falcon (January)

Jake’s at it again. Nice fish!

Jakubowsky wins Sports Illustrated Male Athlete of the Year Award

Just kidding! Seems like he’s won everything else though so why not?

Upcoming Banquet

Bud Croom has graciously volunteered to head up this year’s awards banquet. Bud organized last year’s annual event and did a super job.

Bud will be checking on possible places and dates and hopes to have something to report at February’s meeting. The club voted to spend $365 on trophies and $150 on door prizes for the ladies, which is the same amount as last year. Update: The Austin Bass Club will celebrate there awards banquet for the 2004 season on 18 February 2005, at Springhill's Restaurant at Highway 71 and 360. Fishing reports at 6:00pm and order meal at 7:00pm.

Club Donates $50 For February Meeting Raffle

There will be plenty of door prizes for the raffle at the February 1^st meeting. The club voted to reinstate the monthly meeting raffles and decided to get the ball rolling by donating $50 towards the cause. There could be everything from worms and lizards to boat oil and binoculars. It could be well worth the price of admission so come on out, pay your dues, hear some Falcon stories and win some prizes.

Club Identification

Discussions concerning club identification will take place at the next meeting. It seems through recent years the club has become more lax in regards to Austin Bass club identification during fishing hours and at weigh-ins. In year’s past club members wore not only caps but also shirts, which were purchased by all club members. At one time the club shirts had a nicely embroidered bass on the back with the fisherman’s name embroidered on the front. Through time, and the lack of an embroiderer, the club has become much more lenient with it’s identification rules. Presently, members wear only the club caps as identification, and that is something that at times seems to be often forgotten and overlooked.

As a member of the Austin Bass club for about 25 years, I have always worn at a minimum my club cap and I’ve done so not because of a rule but because I’ve wanted to. With the longstanding history of the club and the reputation it’s achieved by so many fine fisherman and individuals through the years, I am proud to be an Austin Bass club member and I will continue to wear my cap in humble fashion and try to withhold it’s tradition of excellence. If you have an opinion on the matter then come to the February meeting and voice it.

2005 Dues Due

Austin Bass club dues are due for the year 2005 by February 1st. After the first they are subject to a late fee. Dues are the same as they were last year, which is $20. If you are interested in joining the Texas Association of Bass Clubs (of which we will be the defending State champions for 2005) those dues are also $20. I urge anyone who can put out the extra $20 to join TABC. It’s one of the few voices that bass fisherman have in the political field. There has also been some discussion that in the future you will have to join TABC before you qualify for the TABC State tournament. As the rule stands now you can wait to find out if you make the Top 8 team before deciding to join TABC for that year. You can make out a single check for $40 to the Austin Bass club if you are interested in joining both.

Denis Parish Wins Big Battle

With all the talk about Falcon and the fighting of big fish, Denis just won an even bigger battle and it didn’t have to do with braided line and huisache bushes. Several weeks ago Denis went in for a test concerning a possible bleeding ulcer and came out with the understanding he had a tumor in his upper stomach close to where it connects to the esophagus. Immediate surgery took place and with crossed fingers and a little prayer the surgery went well and the tests showed it to be benign.

We’re thankful that he is recovering well and though disappointed he had to miss the Falcon trip, Denis should be up and fishing again in time for the February roadrunner tournament. Ummm….the fish are biting at Falcon…. feel like a road trip Denis?

February Tournament

When: February 26^th (Saturday)
Where: Roadrunner Tournament
Weigh-in: Drainage ditch between Austin High School and Town Lake
Hours: 6:00 am-5:30 pm

March Tournament

When: March 19^th(Saturday)
Where: TBA
Weigh-in: TBA
Hours: TBA

Mark Your Calendars: Meeting February 1^st @ 7:30 pm, Roadrunner Tournament on February 26^th.

Please send questions to info@austinbassclub.com

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