BASS Reporter’s Notebook:

Sit, Stay, Down, Heel – SportDOG Brand Will Showcase Dogs, Dog Training at Bassmaster Elite Series Events in 2009

Article and Photo courtesy of BASS

January 27, 2009

A leading maker of dog-training devices, SportDOG Brand will present demonstrations at seven events during the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series regular season.

Fishing fans will be treated to the free sessions — Dog Training and Retriever Demos, Brought To You By SportDOG Brand — beginning with the March 26-29 Diamond Drive on Lake Dardanelle out of Russellville, Ark. (Below, see the full schedule of events at which SportDOG will appear.)

Kevin Lee of SportDOG said pro staffers will be on hand at Elite events with Labrador retrievers to show Elite fans how they can train their dogs to obey basic commands.

“We’ll be doing 20- to 30-minute presentations on stage,” said Lee, SportDOG’s field staff manager and sales specialist. “We’ll cover basic obedience, meaning how to make your dog a good citizen in a human environment. We’ll show the processes to teach a dog how to behave, and how dog owners can work with them to accomplish that.”
The trainers will also cover advanced techniques, such as those used by hunters, Lee said.

“We’ll probably be able to run some retrieves, such as the blind retrieve or water retrieve,” he said. “We’ll cover how to take your dog to the next level, how to give your dog the opportunity to learn.

“The pro staffers will bring in a couple of dogs. They’ll have what they call a beginner dog — a dog that’s had a little bit of formal training — plus what’s called a finished dog. Most will be black, yellow and chocolate Labrador retrievers.”

In addition to the demos, trainers will be available at the SportDOG Brand booth to answer specific questions about dog-training problems they’ve encountered in the field or at home, Lee said. SportDOG will have a presence at the Elite events on the final two days of competition.

SportDOG Brand manufactures a complete line of dog-training products, including professional-grade training accessories for field and hunting dogs.

SportDOG Brand’s Web site (www.sportdog.com) contains training tips and articles as well as information about its new SportDOG Conservation Fund.

SportDOG Brand Demo Schedule:

March 26-29: Diamond Drive on Lake Dardanelle out of Russellville, Ark.

April 2-5: Dixie Duel on Wheeler Lake out of Decatur, Ala.

April 23-26: Blue Ridge Brawl on Smith Mountain Lake out of Moneta, Va.

May 7-10: Southern Challenge on Lake Guntersville out of Guntersville, Ala.

June 3-6: Tennessee Triumph on Kentucky Lake out of Paris, Tenn.

June 11-14: River Rumble on the Mississippi River out of Fort Madison, Iowa

Aug. 13-16: Champion’s Choice on Oneida Lake out of Syracuse, N.Y.


BAIN-MOORE TAKES SALTWATER EVENT: Kim Bain-Moore, the 28-year-old Alabaster, Ala., pro who is the first woman to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic in the event’s 38-year history, won a kingfish tournament last weekend in Florida.

She competed as a member of a four-angler team that included her husband, Bassmaster Open pro and team captain Andre Moore. The team took the top prize in the first 2009 event of the Southern Kingfish Association’s Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour. Bain-Moore also scored first place in the women’s division.

“We’re so excited,” Bain-Moore said the day after the team won with a two-day, two-fish weight of 92.03 pounds. “We’ve been fishing these tournaments for a while, and to come through with the win was pretty special. It was an aggregate tournament — we had to catch big fish both days. We were able to do that. It was a good start to 2009.”

Their “Team Crikey” bested a field of 129 teams. Bain-Moore landed their Day 1 fish, a 36.68-pounder.

Next stop for Bain-Moore is the Feb. 20-22 Classic, where she will look to carry forward the momentum from this victory.

NEW DEALS: With the 2009 Bassmaster Classic out of Shreveport-Bossier City., La., less than a month away, many of the 51 qualifiers are busy completing boat-wrap deals and other new sponsorships.

Among the anglers with new agreements in place for the Feb. 20-22 Red River competition are:

Rick Clunn of Ava., Mo.: When he competes in his 32nd Bassmaster Classic, the Bassmaster Elite Series pro will be wearing a new model of the Xtreme Glove.

The Montgomery, Ala.-based company said a prototype of the Rick Clunn Signature Series glove will be ready in time for Clunn to use it during the three-day competition. The glove, designed to protect an angler’s hand as well as the fish, is expected to be available for retail sales by April.

Clunn holds at least two unique BASS records: He’s a four-time Classic champion (1976, 1977, 1984 and 1990), and he has qualified for 32 Classic competitions. Clunn also was the 1988 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

Bassmaster Elite Series pros Bill Lowen of North Bend, Ohio, and Dustin Wilks of Rocky Mount, N.C., also on Xtreme Glove’s pro staff, will also compete in the Classic.

Michael Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J.: LaserLure of Shreveport, La., is a new sponsor for Elite pro Iaconelli, the 2006 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year and 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion.

The 2009 Classic will be Iaconelli’s 10th. He’s looking to repeat in Louisiana -- his 2003 win was on the Louisiana Delta out of New Orleans.

LaserLure makes a series of crankbaits that emit a laser light said to attract fish. The company also recently signed 2009 Classic qualifier and Elite pro Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala., the 2007 Classic champ.

Byron Velvick of Del Rio, Texas: Georgia-based FishHarder has signed Elite pro Velvick, a first-time Classic qualifier.

FishHarder brands include Tru-Tungsten, Picasso, Capt. Mike’s and Youvella. FishHarder’s pro staff includes eight other 2009 Classic qualifiers.

Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala.: She will be running a new Legend-Evinrude rig with a new wrap showcasing longtime sponsor Reaction Innovations. Bain-Moore, the first woman to qualify for a Classic, also recently signed two new sponsors, Plano and Pflueger.

FOUR RIDES: Toyota has expanded its Bonus Bucks contingency program to include the 4Runner and Tacoma.

The program previously included only the Tundra and Sequoia.

Bonus Bucks awards cash prizes to tournament anglers who own or lease one of the four Toyota vehicles; anglers with a 2007 model or newer are eligible. The registered angler who finishes highest among program participants in a sanctioned tournament wins the bonus money.

Eligible tournaments include events of the Bassmaster Elite Series, BASS Federation Nation, Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors, Bassmaster Opens and the Bassmaster Weekend Series operated by American Bass Anglers.

Details of the no-cost Bonus Bucks program are available at www.ToyotaFishing.com.

HERE WE GO: The first BASS event of the 2009 season is set for Jan. 29-31 out of Tavares, Fla. The Bassmaster Southern Open on the Harris Chain of Lakes will run Thursday-Saturday. The daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public, will be at Wooton Park, 200 South Rockingham Ave., Tavares. Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET and the weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

Open pros are competing for a $45,000 first-place prize and points that count toward qualifying for the 2010 Bassmaster Classic and Bassmaster Elite Series.

SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS: “Having already qualified for the 2009 Classic helped me fish in a very relaxed way in the 2008 Elite season. I could focus on fishing rather than on winning points. There’s something about that dynamic that worked for me.” — 2008 Classic winner Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, on how he managed a fifth-place finish in points in the Bassmaster Elite Series 2008 season to earn a 2009 Classic berth, even though his Classic crown guaranteed him an entry