2011 MadWags Memorial West Sun October 2 Lake Skegemog Information & Signup Here

[djkimmel]

2011 Fall MadWags Memorial
Members Bass Tournament West
Sunday October 2
8 AM until 2 PM - please arrive no later than 7:20 AM
Lake Skegemog, Elk Rapids Michigan
Lake Skegemog MDNR Public Access - Baggs Rd
Entry Fee $5 per angler 13 and older
Big Bass $2 per angler 13 and older
anglers under 13 fish for free

Open to all registered GreatLakesBass.com members only - register on this forum to become a member - no deadline to join.

Format is boater / non-boater draw tournament with boater and nonboater fishing as a team.
5 biggest bass 14 inches or longer (mouth closed) between team members will be weighed to determine finish. Please take good care of your bass with working livewells.

Biggest non-bass fish legally caught (must be in season) and brought in to weigh wins the OTHER FISH category prize!

Please note:
Family members can fish together. Please contact me directly by PM or email to arrange this before the event. Family members must still be a registered member if older than 13. 16 years old or younger must be participating with a parent or legal guardian. Exceptions to this must be discussed with me in advance - PM me or contact me.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Nonboaters, please bring a life jacket if at all possible to make sure we have enough.

Life jackets must be worn zipped and/or buckled whenever the gas motor is running. Boater must use working kill switch when gas motor is running.

No live bait, artificials only. A Golden Rule courtesy board will be available at the weigh in. You can use your own weigh in bag.

A mini-seminar will be held before we launch on where to fish for anyone interested.

If you have anything new or like new you'd like to donate for prize giveaways, please contact me.

This event is all about everyone catching some fish, having fun and getting to know each other!!! Thank you for being members of GreatLakesBass.com.

Post that you are attending and if attending as a boater or nonboater in this thread please.

[mikesmiph]

Veronica and I wouldnt miss it.

[djkimmel]

I'll be there too Mike. Boater. Let's hope for an Indian summer and the weights could be pretty impressive!

[Cy]

Dang Kimmel!  What got into you...I was shocked when I saw a DK Open fall tournament posted almost a year early!  Dude your freakin me out!

BTW, I plan to be there as a boater.

[fasttrack]

Sorry, but I wouldn't have a home to come back to if I left my wife with 3 children for a couple days "just to go fishing" (as she says). Keep doing this for another 5-10 yrs and I'll join ya then - I'm already counting the days! Catch a few for me!!

[LipRip]

I wish the tourny was a full 8 hrs tho.....its a long run to the north side of torch!!!!!

[Dan]

Here is a piece I lifted from my blog that pertains to Skegemog. It's on my teardropbass.com main page. The Tear Drop Tournament Trail is a group I use to be quite active in. Now I just do their website info. If you want to read the whole article it's under the 2006 year, and again under the I.A.T.A. Articles. It's double buttoned.

"The Torch Chain, north and east of Traverse City is some beautiful water. Turquoise blue shallows running off the vast sand flats to dark blue bottomless depths. The chain of lakes there is comprised of Skegemog, Elk, Torch, Clam, and Intermediate. The Tear Drop put in at the DNR ramp on Baggs Rd. The ramp is on Skegemog and from Skegemog you have direct access to Elk. To get to Torch from Elk and Skegemog you must make a 45 minute no wake cruise up the Torch River. You access the Torch River on the north shore of Skegemog about mid lake in the stump field. Coming back down the river is a few minutes faster, because you are going with the current. About 5-7 miles up Torch's east side is the Clam River. You can go up the Clam, a swollen rivermouth, in to Intermediate Lake. During our prefishing expeditions we didn't make that run so I can't tell you how long that takes.

If you are thinking of fishing the chain here are some directions you may find helpful. If you are coming from the south many of you would come up 131. You take that until the expressway ends and then keep heading north to the yellow blinker at the corner of 131 and Fife Lake Rd. At the corner of Fife Lake Rd. and 131 there is a credit union on the northeast corner and next to that is a Tom's Grocery. (Some people confuse Fife Lake Rd. with the road just before it that goes into Fife Lake. If you do turn on that road and go in to Fife Lake make sure you stop at the Fife Lake Party Store just past the Dairy Queen. They make a great toasted sub that is well worth the short detour. It's only about a mile from 131. Back to the directions. Take a left on to Fife Lake Rd., and go to the stop sign. Turn left at the stop sign and continue until you come to a Y in the road. You want to stay right heading toward Williamsburg on Williamsburg Rd. , it's marked. This will take you to the stop sign at M72. Turn right on M72 and go 3.4 miles to Baggs Rd. and turn left, north. Take Baggs to the launch which is just before Baggs turns to gravel. The ramp is fair. Holds about 30 boats - maybe. You can't launch and then beach your boat - all rock.

If you come up north on M37 you end up hitting US 31 and then have to follow the Bay through Traverse City around to Acme. Turn right in Acme onto M72. You will go east past Turtle Creek Casino. When you see the big white Williamsburg water tower you are about 4 miles from Baggs Rd.

We went up to prefish on Wednesday before the tournament and stayed that night at Whitewater Township Park. I would highly recommend the park. Very clean, 25 cent showers so bring your quarters. They have a really nice ramp with space to park 40 or more boats. Great place to run a tournament out of. We wished we knew about it earlier. If you don't stay at the park there is a ramp fee of $5.00. The park is only 6.5 miles from the DNR access on Skegemog by road. To get to the park, if you are coming up 131 the way I described, when you hit M72 on Williamsburg Rd. you just go straight across 72. Williamsburg Rd. changes names at M72 so once you cross it, it becomes Elk Lake Rd. If you are coming from Acme, there is a sign for Elk Lake Rd. and on that same sign there will be notice of Whitewater Township Park.

The campground does take phone reservations early starting April 1, 2007. After May 11 you can't make reservations over the phone. We got there Wednesday and made reservation at the camp for Saturday and good thing we did because they booked up solid for the weekend. Their number on April 1 is 231-267-5141. After May 11 call 231-267-5091. They have ice to buy and a pop machine. They even have a pavilion if you want to rent it. They charge $22 a night rustic and $25 a night for electric. They also charge a $5 reservation fee. While you are there and you are looking for food, there is the Arizona Steak House back down East on 72 a few miles. Pricey, their hamburgers are good but $8. The rest of the entrees were all around $20 expensive for road anglers, unless you are a Skinner and have the big bucks to buy those new Rangers. If you head out of Whitewater and go north on Elk Lake Rd. you are only about seven miles from Elk Rapids. There are several places to eat there. You can also put your boat in at Elk Rapids and fish the bay. Ron Fassel was at our weigh in and showed us a picture, which he is suppose to email me, of 5 smallies that he and Tony DeFlippo caught a week earlier in a NBAA Tournament that went 29.6 lb. Whoa five six pound smallies!!! "

[stackenem]

I am in Boater. That is only 20 minutes from our property up there.

[djkimmel]

stack!! Where you been?!?

[djkimmel]

Cy... I did it just for you!!!

[djkimmel]

I wish the tourny was a full 8 hrs tho.....its a long run to the north side of torch!!!!!

Are you going to fish it is the first question?

I would consider adding an hour maybe if I do a private poll of everyone attending, but I'm also concerned about people having to drive a long way home.

[LipRip]

I'd love to but i honestly cant say for sure untill it get a little closer!

I'll let you know as soon as i know. if i do fish it, it will be as a boater.

[TCook]

Awesome choice, Ill be there as a non-boater. The weights should rival the spring DK on st clair.

[LGMOUTH]

I guess I can wait one more day to go deer hunting, Im in as a boater.

[djkimmel]

Uh oh... I might be fishing in the same spot..!!

[LGMOUTH]

Stay off my stuff

[djkimmel]

Race you there!!! (Actually, I'll be slightly behind you so I know where I'm going )

[Jmcfarland]

HOLY CATS!!! A DK open north of Traverse City, MI. Better believe I'll be there with the old pro-craft, burnin' spinnerbaits and chunkin' cranks.

[Mike S.]

Never been there.  But, I have learned that spinnerbaits and cranks work, so I read, and that LGMOUTH must have spots there.  Hmmmm.  I'm in.  Non boater.  Putting vacation days in for this and LSC when I go back to work after Christmas.  Good luck catching Don.  I've seen that boat go here a few times when I was on the water before a tournament started. It goes fast out of the water too!

[macbass]

rumor has it that don could be looking for a boat...seems his is lost somewhere between here and texas.....don has it been located yet....