WELCOME TO THE HOME OF THE HAZZARD COUNTY BASSMASTERS!!
established 2006
| 2006 hazzard county bassmasters 2019 |
We Began our club in the fall of 2006 to hang out and enjoy the sport of bass fishing. We fish the Upper Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac, Deep Creek Lake, and Conowingo Lake. We practice catch and release and have a great deal of respect for our sport, our fellow anglers, and our waters. We began as a small club with the intention of learning, teaching, and sharing our sport of bass fishing. In 2015, We decided as a club that we would go to a 3 fish limit per angler to help for fish conservation. We hope other clubs and events in our area consider this as well. Our members are from the Northern region of the state of Maryland : Harford County a.k.a. Hazzard County , Baltimore County , Cecil County, Carroll County, Howard County, and Southern PA.
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2 0 1 9 F I S H I N G S E A S O N
April 2019
The 2019 fishing season began on April 7th out of Tydings. As is the norm these days, the fish were highly pressured over the weekend by multiple large tournaments. The effect was semi-hard fishing. The Club welcomes new members Keith and Paul. We are excited also by the return of Dave Crocken. Dave has re-joined the club after taking a couple years off. Next up is the Potomac River fishing trip and tournament. Good Luck!
Winner of the 1st Tournament was John.
May - June 2019
After 3 tournaments, John, Paulie, Tom, Eric, and Matt are in the top 5. From there its a tight race to break into the top 5. The big fish only sits at 4.11 caught by John in the first tournament of the year. Paulie and John are both off to a great start and have an early edge on the field. But with 7 to go including two mid-summer showdowns, the return of the wildcard, and the final northeast run to the Classic, the rest of this season should prove to be another great year where big moves are bound to happen.
The 2019 Potomac was the club's best weigh-in since going to a 3 fish limit. Over 75 lbs of bass released during weigh-in at Aquia Creek. Eric took 1st Place with 3 bass going 10 lbs 15 oz! The Elk River Tournament found the club searching for good grass....Paulie wins on the Elk. Some changes up and down the board from 3rd through 12th. Next up will be the Conowingo!
(( Conowingo Lake, Tydings (the Flats), and Bush River ))
-- The MiD-SumMeR SHOwdOwN !!!!
June 23rd CONOWINGO LAKE
...the first leg of the mid-summer showdown took place on the Conowingo. Every once in a while you get one of these tournaments. It was the "Battle of the Dinks"! Muddy conditions after a week and a half of northern rains and wind made Conowingo a tricky fishery today. 6 limits came to the scales today along with some 1's and 2's. Joe Montoya out-dinked everyone with 3 fish for 5 lbs even! Ben and Matt followed with 2nd and 3rd place finishes. Tom and Dave Enderlein were in the top 5 as well. Our current points leaders finished 7th and 8th today. John picked up an extra point on Paulie as a result. There were some big moves from the bottom of the leaderboard as Joe Montoya breaks into the top 5 with Eric sliding to 6th place. The top 5 are separated by 11 points and 6th thru 10th are within 5 points of each other.
So after 4 tournaments, we have 4 different winners with 1st place finishes by John, Eric, Paulie, and Joe. Next up is the flats tournament followed by the Bush River.....
The Flats proved to be another well-fought battleground. And the flats brought about the 5th different winner of the season. Tom Casteel makes a big move up the leaderboard, all the way to #1. After making a run to the Eastern shore with Joe, Tom shows up big at the scales in this one. The leaderboard shows Tom in 1st Place with 500 points. John is one point behind with 499 and Paulie is one point behind John with 498 points. The rest of the field pounded the flats and surrounding coves and shorelines. So the top 3 is separated by only 2 points. Beyond that, Matt holds onto 4th with a 5 point lead on Joe Montoya rounding out the top 5. Troy, Dave, Eric,Keith, and Chad hang just outside the top 5 in a heated battle to crack into the top 5 positions. Bush River and the Wildcard are looming in the distance and are shaping up to be great challenges for the club before hitting the Northeast fall stretch.
BUSH RIVER 2019
The final summer showdown came on a full moon a few days after some heavy rains muddied up the water. But the water starting to clear up again as the water dropped and a window of opportunity opened for a few of the guys. Top 5 today were Dave (4th) and Chad (5th) fishing in the Skeeter. 3rd Place went to Troy who fished out a limit late in the day. Eric came in 2nd today with a nice limit caught from the back of the Allison. 1st Place went to John today. John and Troy fished out of the Roughneck today and John walked away with the win and Lunker for the day after having a good day on the water. John is currently sitting on a 9 point lead heading into the fall after a major shake-up at the top. But with 4 left to go, there's plenty of time to make up ground. Looming in the distance is the Mid-week CLASSIC carrying double points and a history of incredible fishing and battles waged at the scales.
The 2019 fall stretch begins......Up Next -- the WILDCARD!
then, the Northeast Stretch.
THE WILDCARD TOURNAMENT
This was the toughest tournament of the year for the club. Flood tides and dropping water temps have the fish in transition. Paul comes out on top after a tough day. Troy came in second today and Eric rounded out the top 3 with a third place finish today.
NORTHEAST TOURNAMENT #1 (OCT 13TH)
Today found most anglers coming in with a limit as good fishing is beginning. You had to be in the right place at the right time today, but more areas are starting to produce. If it moved and rattled, it got hit. It was Matt coming in today with the best bag totaling 8 lbs 07 oz on 3 fish. Second went to Tom edging out Paulie with both anglers weighing in 8 lbs 01 oz. Tom had the kicker. Other limits were hauled in by Dave E and John. With 2 tournaments remaining, the top 3 are in a very tight race for MR BASS. John still holds on to a slim lead only 3 points ahead of Paulie. Tom is right there in the mix only 3 points behind Paulie!! Matt is knocking on the door of the Top 3 10 points from 3rd place. With the DOUBLE POINTS CLASSIC coming up, anyone can win and no lead is safe!
THE 2019 HAZZARD COUNTY CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP:
The club went into the 2019 Classic knowing that the bite had slowed-down as a result of the massive amount of water that was coursing through the Conowingo Dam from heavy rainfall in the upper parts of the Susquehanna River. But it was November, and the Bass were there and the anglers went to work trying to get bit along the shorelines of the Northeast and Susquehanna. In the end, it turned out to be a very competitive weigh-in that went down to the wire.
June 23rd CONOWINGO LAKE
...the first leg of the mid-summer showdown took place on the Conowingo. Every once in a while you get one of these tournaments. It was the "Battle of the Dinks"! Muddy conditions after a week and a half of northern rains and wind made Conowingo a tricky fishery today. 6 limits came to the scales today along with some 1's and 2's. Joe Montoya out-dinked everyone with 3 fish for 5 lbs even! Ben and Matt followed with 2nd and 3rd place finishes. Tom and Dave Enderlein were in the top 5 as well. Our current points leaders finished 7th and 8th today. John picked up an extra point on Paulie as a result. There were some big moves from the bottom of the leaderboard as Joe Montoya breaks into the top 5 with Eric sliding to 6th place. The top 5 are separated by 11 points and 6th thru 10th are within 5 points of each other.
So after 4 tournaments, we have 4 different winners with 1st place finishes by John, Eric, Paulie, and Joe. Next up is the flats tournament followed by the Bush River.....
The Flats proved to be another well-fought battleground. And the flats brought about the 5th different winner of the season. Tom Casteel makes a big move up the leaderboard, all the way to #1. After making a run to the Eastern shore with Joe, Tom shows up big at the scales in this one. The leaderboard shows Tom in 1st Place with 500 points. John is one point behind with 499 and Paulie is one point behind John with 498 points. The rest of the field pounded the flats and surrounding coves and shorelines. So the top 3 is separated by only 2 points. Beyond that, Matt holds onto 4th with a 5 point lead on Joe Montoya rounding out the top 5. Troy, Dave, Eric,Keith, and Chad hang just outside the top 5 in a heated battle to crack into the top 5 positions. Bush River and the Wildcard are looming in the distance and are shaping up to be great challenges for the club before hitting the Northeast fall stretch.
BUSH RIVER 2019
The final summer showdown came on a full moon a few days after some heavy rains muddied up the water. But the water starting to clear up again as the water dropped and a window of opportunity opened for a few of the guys. Top 5 today were Dave (4th) and Chad (5th) fishing in the Skeeter. 3rd Place went to Troy who fished out a limit late in the day. Eric came in 2nd today with a nice limit caught from the back of the Allison. 1st Place went to John today. John and Troy fished out of the Roughneck today and John walked away with the win and Lunker for the day after having a good day on the water. John is currently sitting on a 9 point lead heading into the fall after a major shake-up at the top. But with 4 left to go, there's plenty of time to make up ground. Looming in the distance is the Mid-week CLASSIC carrying double points and a history of incredible fishing and battles waged at the scales.
The 2019 fall stretch begins......Up Next -- the WILDCARD!
then, the Northeast Stretch.
THE WILDCARD TOURNAMENT
This was the toughest tournament of the year for the club. Flood tides and dropping water temps have the fish in transition. Paul comes out on top after a tough day. Troy came in second today and Eric rounded out the top 3 with a third place finish today.
NORTHEAST TOURNAMENT #1 (OCT 13TH)
Today found most anglers coming in with a limit as good fishing is beginning. You had to be in the right place at the right time today, but more areas are starting to produce. If it moved and rattled, it got hit. It was Matt coming in today with the best bag totaling 8 lbs 07 oz on 3 fish. Second went to Tom edging out Paulie with both anglers weighing in 8 lbs 01 oz. Tom had the kicker. Other limits were hauled in by Dave E and John. With 2 tournaments remaining, the top 3 are in a very tight race for MR BASS. John still holds on to a slim lead only 3 points ahead of Paulie. Tom is right there in the mix only 3 points behind Paulie!! Matt is knocking on the door of the Top 3 10 points from 3rd place. With the DOUBLE POINTS CLASSIC coming up, anyone can win and no lead is safe!
THE 2019 HAZZARD COUNTY CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP:
The club went into the 2019 Classic knowing that the bite had slowed-down as a result of the massive amount of water that was coursing through the Conowingo Dam from heavy rainfall in the upper parts of the Susquehanna River. But it was November, and the Bass were there and the anglers went to work trying to get bit along the shorelines of the Northeast and Susquehanna. In the end, it turned out to be a very competitive weigh-in that went down to the wire.
7 anglers came to the scales and it was Matt Houtz coming out on top to win the 2019 Classic Championship with a 3 fish limit of 9 lbs 4 oz. Matt had lost a big fish earlier in the day but he never gave up. Matt caught the fish he needed at 2:43 p.m. off a point near the weigh-in sight just before weigh-in to edge out John for the Classic win. John's 2nd place finish today was all he needed to secure the 2019 MR BASS title to take angler of the year honors. John's bag of 8 lbs 11oz was anchored with the Lunker of the Day, a 4 lbs 8oz largemouth. John's Co-angler was Matt today and the two anglers enjoyed a fun day. Somehow, someway John's 4 lb 15 oz bigmouth caught on the Susquehanna in the years 1st tournament held up for Lunker of the year for 2019.
Tom came in 3rd today with a strong finish to his season. Tom's limit of bass tallied 8 lbs 6 oz and this finish propelled Tom into 2nd place overall for Mr Bass. Keep in mind also, Tom is a co-angler and this ties Matt with the strongest finish by a co-angler in club history. Coming in 4th place today, just ounces from the top of the leaderboard was Dave Enderlein. Once again, Dave proved to be a strong stick in the Classic Championship. Dave's bag went 8 lbs 4 oz with a 3.00 lb kicker. Dave fished with Tom today in the Big Red Skeeter.
Next up was the defending Mr Bass Troy Duff fishing solo in the blue 209. Troy got his fish late today and it was enough to pull out a 5th place finish with 4 lbs 4 oz. Troy and Dave Enderlein tied for 5th place overall this year in the Mr Bass points race.
Paul Harrison came into the day just 3 points back for the Mr Bass title. Paul had a consistent year and was right there all year for the lead. Today Paul had a rough day and in a double points Classic, that usually doesn't end well. Paulie came in 6th place today with 3.00 lbs. This finish did land Paulie in a top 3 spot for the year in the Mr Bass chase. Eric fished today with Paulie and weighed-in a 15 oz bass. Eric began the year with a beautiful 10 lb 15 oz stringer on the Potomac River and this held up all year to be the Stringer of the Year.
2019 MR BASS : John Richick
2nd Place: Tom Casteel
3rd Place: Paul Harrison
4th Place: Matt Houtz
5th Place: (tie) Troy Duff
5th Place: (tie) Dave Enderlein
7th Place: Erik Helmick
8th Place: Joe Montoya
9th Place: Chad Wells
10th Place: Keith
11th Place: Brian Howard
12th Place: Ben Ensor
13th Place: Dave Crocken
Classic Champion: Matt Houtz 3 fish limit 9 lbs 04 oz
Lunker of the Year: John Richick 4 lb 15 oz
Stringer of the Year: Eric Helmick 10 lbs 15 oz
Tournament wins in 2019:
John Richick - 2 wins (Susquehanna & Bush River)
Paul Harrison - 2 wins (Elk River & The Wildcard)
Matt Houtz - 2 wins (Northeast & Northeast Classic)
Eric Helmick - 1 win (Potomac River)
Joe Montoya - 1 win (Conowingo River)
Tom Casteel - 1 win (Susquehanna River)
2019 MR BASS : John Richick
2nd Place: Tom Casteel
3rd Place: Paul Harrison
4th Place: Matt Houtz
5th Place: (tie) Troy Duff
5th Place: (tie) Dave Enderlein
7th Place: Erik Helmick
8th Place: Joe Montoya
9th Place: Chad Wells
10th Place: Keith
11th Place: Brian Howard
12th Place: Ben Ensor
13th Place: Dave Crocken
Classic Champion: Matt Houtz 3 fish limit 9 lbs 04 oz
Lunker of the Year: John Richick 4 lb 15 oz
Stringer of the Year: Eric Helmick 10 lbs 15 oz
Tournament wins in 2019:
John Richick - 2 wins (Susquehanna & Bush River)
Paul Harrison - 2 wins (Elk River & The Wildcard)
Matt Houtz - 2 wins (Northeast & Northeast Classic)
Eric Helmick - 1 win (Potomac River)
Joe Montoya - 1 win (Conowingo River)
Tom Casteel - 1 win (Susquehanna River)
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2019 TOURNAMENT SEASON
#1 - Susquehanna River - John Richick -1st Place
#2 - Potomac River - Eric Helmick - 1st Place
#3 - Elk River - Paulie H - 1st Place
#4 - Conowingo Lake - Joe Montoya - 1st place
#5 - Susquehanna River - Tom Casteel - 1st place
#6 - BUSH RIVER - John Richick - 1st Place
#7 - WILD CARD - Paulie H - 1st Place
#8 - Northeast River #1 - Matt Houtz - 1st Place
#9 - 2019 CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP
(( NORTHEAST RIVER ))
Matt Houtz - 1st Place
PICS FOR THE 2019 SEASON:
cache/wst.opf.4862218.xml
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Old-school line-up, circa 2014
Misc. info Recent events
...in honor of our friend Sam
Fishing in a better place,
Don't catch 'em all Sam.
2019 BUSH RIVER
1st Place
John Richick
3 FISH LIMIT - 9 LBS 04OZ
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2nd Place
Eric Helmick
3 FISH - 4 LBS 12 OZ
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CURRENT
LUNKER of the YEAR
JOHN RICHICK
4 LBS 11 OZ
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To contact the Hazzard County Bassmasters:
Email: info@hazzardcountybassmasters.com
or
Fill in your contact info on our resources page
Thank you,
H.C.B.
