Fernandez, Reinbold Take Top Honors at Tschida

Well it certainly was a wild weekend for the Bandits on May 25th and 26th. For those who pre-fished prior to the tournament faced strong easterly winds, and if you have ever fished Lake Tschida it can get rough! When tournament time rolled around Saturday morning it was sunny with light winds. The lake water temps were in mid 50's and the Lake Tschida smallmouth bass were in a prespawn/spawn mood. The action was hot in the morning for most members and it slowed down a bit during the late morning and picked up again in the last hour of the tournament.

 

   Finishing where he left off from the previous tournament was Chase Fernandez of Beulah, ND. Chase brought in the heavy bag of the tournament that weighed 7.44 lbs along with the biggest bass of 3.83 lbs which propelled him to another 1st place finish. His big bass also broke the tie between himself and Robert Reinbold. The Badlands Bass Bandits have seen a few hot streaks before by veteran members but Chase is certainly the youngest to do so far, good job Chase! Also having a good day and weighing in 7.44lbs was Robert Reinbold. Reinbold had tied for a first place finish but since his biggest bass did not weigh as much as Fernandez's he had to settle for 2nd place which many anglers would've love to have. Rounding out the top three was Minot resident Nate Dirks. Dirks also weighed in a dandy of a smallmouth that weighed 3.13 lbs and gave him a final total weight of 7.29 lbs. This was a good tournament showing for Lake Tschida. Typically coming in with 6 lbs would usually give you a great shot at a top five finish...not so much this year. Out of the 21 members who fished this event, 10 of them weighed in 6 lbs or more and 19 anglers brought in a limit. So it was certainly one of the best Lake Tschida tournaments for the club.

  After the awards were handed out the club packed up the wagons and headed down below the dam to setup camp for the night. If there was a world record time for setting up camp and tying things down I think we beat it. Heavy winds and rains rolled in and set in for the night, some parts of the area had tornado warnings as well as hail. It rained and blew all through the night which kept the Bandits hunkered down in their tents and campers. When day break came it was still cloudy and rainy but the winds had resided a little. By the time the members unloaded their boats the sun came out and the winds calmed down and gave the Bass Bandits a nice warm sun shiney day.

  Coming in and laying the smack down on the Bandits was long time club member Jeanette Reinbold. Jeanette hauled in the big bass of the day with 1 hour remaining that weighed 3.55lbs. This took the big bass honors for the Sunday event and gave her a total weight of 7.62 lbs which gave her a 1st place finish. Chase Fernandez continued his hot streak by weighing a limit of smallmouth at 6.82 lbs. This weekend really gave Chase a chance to seperate himself from the rest of the pack in the Angler of the Year race. Weighing in at third place was Mr. Three Time Marty Mantz with a 6.73 lb finish. For the second day in a row Lake Tschida provided the Bandits with another great day on the water.

  Well get ready everybody because the next Badlands Bass Bandit tournament is just around the corner. The club will be heading down into the northern part of South Dakota to fish Lake Oahe and Pudwell dam. Marty Mantz will be looking to defend his crown on Lake Oahe and Jay Boldt will also be looking to defend his crown at Pudwell Dam. Certainly should be a fun filled weekend with fishing and camping. If you are interested in joining our great club please check out our memberships page and give us a call! Stay tuned for the next tournament results. The Badlands Bass Bandits would like to personally thank the Lake Tschida Recreation Area for providing such great hospitality during our stay!