Reinbold Takes Classic!

 Have you ever heard of the old saying “third time’s the charm?” Well it took the Bass Bandits three days to complete their 2012 Classic Championship and on the third day a champion was born. For the first time in club history the Classic Championship was held on a different lake other than Nelson lake. Lake Sakakawea was the chosen spot to hold this coveted event. This lake not only offers all sorts of different types of cover and structure but it also provides space and lots of it. This lake is the 3rd largest man made reservoir in the United States. It’s widest point is 14 miles wide and is 307,000 acres big with about 1,320 miles of shoreline. Which is more miles compared to California’s coastline (not including inlets and bays)? So when I say lots of space I’m not joking, mix that in with a little breeze from the plains of North Dakota and you get an experience like you see on the Discovery channels -Deadliest Catch television show!

On day one there was lots of anticipation as boats were unloading into the water. Some members had their day planned and others were going to let their instincts guide them to where the winning catch will be! The sky was clear and the sun was bright and one by one the bandits stormed out of the bay. Coming in as your day one leader was Robert Reinbold of Timber Lake, SD. Reinbold isn’t a stranger when fishing smallmouth as he made quick work in finding them on Sakakawea. His biggest bass of the day weighed 3.31 lbs which helped him secure a early day one lead with a weight of 8.11lbs. Not far behind him was defending classic champ Marty Mantz who bagged the largest bass of the day of 3.66 lbs. Mantz’s total weight for day 1 was 7.82 lbs. Finishing up the top three angles for day 1 was Jeff Wetzel of Mandan who weighed in a total weight of 6.96lbs. With the top three anglers so closed to each other this was shaping up to be a tight race to the finish for the 2012 Classic Championship.

Day two anticipation wasn’t much different amongst the members compared to day 1. The weather was a lot different on the second day. It was cloudy, cold, and a bit wet at times which is about average day for North Dakotans. The switch in the weather gave hope to those who didn’t perform well on day one. A lot of them hoped that the fishing would turn off for the leaders and turn on for them. Some had a lot better day compared to their results on the first day but that didn’t keep the top leaders from faltering. In fact one angler came in with a lot bigger weight than the first day. Robert Reinbold weighed in one of his best tournament weights in his Bass Bandit career, tipping the scales at 11.15lbs! Coming in with a steady weight to keep himself in contention to win 3rd Classic in a row was Marty Mantz with 8.78lbs.  Holding on to 3rd place was Jeff Wetzel with a 2nd day weight of 5.85lbs. Having a big day was Eric Vossler who weighed in 7.05 lbs to put himself in position to possibly take a third place finish in the classic.

Day three came along (finally) and it was pretty much up to Reinbold and Mantz as far as to whom had a win the 2012 Classic unless they would both falter really bad. As far as a 3rd place finish it was between Wetzel and Vossler. Day three consisted of a mixed bag of weather for the bandits. First it was cold and cloudy, then it was cold and windy, then it was sunny, cold, and windy, then it was calm - go figure. Never the less the bandits headed out onto the lake in search of the big one. Finding the big one was Robert who weighed in the biggest bass of day 3 with a 3.14 smallmouth. This bass gave Robert the finish that he was looking for…1st place! Roberts day 3 weight was 8.56lbs. Reinbold’s final total weight for the classic was 27.82 lbs, this was Roberts’s first classic victory and he didn’t flinch during the three day tournament event. He knew he had to fish consistently and precise during all three days and he did. Congratulations Robert on a job well done and your first Badlands Bass Bandits Classic Championship!!! Coming in with a strong day 2 weight was Marty Mantz with 7.51 lbs. This sealed a good second place finish for Mantz in the 2012 Classic. Eric Vossler of Bismarck was able to bag a nice limit of smallmouth to help him capture a 3rd place finish. Vossler’s weight for day 3 was 6.88 lbs.

Congrats to our top place finishers for a job well done. Stay tuned to this website for a 2012 Season In Review article that will feature our tournament winners throughout the season as well as our members who won the 2012 Angler of the Year and other yearly awards.