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Reel Team Bass Schedule for 2024

June 1 - Lake Ida
June 29 - Lake Le Homme Dieu
August 3 - Lake Minnewaska

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Mittelstaedt and Preston Top Minnewaska Field

Kent Mittelstaedt and Ethen Preston - First Place
 

On Saturday August 3rd the Reel Team Bass anglers took to Lake Minnewaska. Practice reports were that the lake was fishing very tough and it was hard to come by the bigger bites.  As is always the case with this group of anglers somebody always seems to put the pieces of the puzzle together and finds the quality fish that Lake Minnewaska is known for. 

The team that did just that was Kent Mittelstaedt and Ethen Preston. They weighed a bag of brown fish that weighed 20.08lbs. They also had big fish on the day with a 4.35 lb. specimen!   Congratulations on a great day!

The weights dropped off a bit after the top spot but the leaderboard was very tight for the remainder of the top 10.  Taking the 2nd spot was the team of Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil. They weighed 17.98 and had a mixed bag of 4 Largemouth and 2 Smallmouth.  

Rounding out the top 3 was the father and son team of Mike and Wyatt Mohr.  There 6 Largemouth weighed 17.92 and if not for a dead fish penalty would have taken the 2nd spot.

The Team of the Year race was very tightly packed with several teams hoping to gain enough points to take the 2024 title. Starting the day in the 4th spot in points was the team of Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil.  Their 2nd place finish gave them 131 points and a 3-point advantage over the team of Tony Hatten and Matt Seymour.  Rounding out the top 3 with 126 points was Cody Rupert and Dustin Ziesemer.  Congratulations on the great year guys!.

The Lakes Area Arms Big Fish of the year award went to Todd and Noah Kelm. Their 5.07 largemouth caught on the Chain was plenty big to take top honors this year.  That one bite earned them two $500 gift certificates to Lakes Area Arms in Alexandria. Reel Team Bass cannot thank them enough for the great incentive they give our anglers who fish all 3 events.  They can take care of all your hunting, shooting and now recently, archery needs. Stop in and thank them for being a great partner!

Reel Team Bass would also like to thank FXR for their sponsorship. They help with the plaques and provide gift cards that allow the payout to be well over 100%.  Their high-quality clothing makes a day on the lake much more enjoyable. Especially when us Northern anglers have to deal with the wide range of conditions we see in a typical fishing season.

We are very fortunate to have great places to weigh in and would like to thank Big Horn Bay Cove association on Ida, Carlos State Park on the Chain and Water's Edge Bar and Grill on Minnewaska. 

Last but not least,  none of this would happen without the hard work of Clarence and Carol Rasmussen! They have been running tournaments for many years and continue to do a great job every year.  Thank you,  thank you, thank you!

Once again, the season flew by and we will start the process of making plans for next season.  Continue to follow the Facebook site for info on the up-and-coming 2025 season. 

Complete Results

TOY

Schwab and Wicht Take Top Honors on Le Homme Dieu Chain

 

Troy Schwab and John Wicht III - First Place
 

Tough cold front conditions and high winds greeted the Reel Team anglers Saturday June 29th on the Le Homme Dieu Chain.  As always somebody always seems to put the pieces of the puzzle together and weigh some big bags no matter how bad the conditions are.  

The team of John Wicht III and Troy Schwab did just that and weighed a bag of 6 green fish that weighed 21.29. They had a 4.57 kicker that helped them on their way to their first Reel Team Bass victory!  Great job guys

With a bag of all largemouth weighing 21.17 the team of Brian Krause and Paul Lewis took 2nd on the day. They're big fish was 4.01.

Rounding out the top 3 was the team of Bob Chapin and Tanner Tetrick. They had 21 lbs. and had a big fish of 3.82. They also had all largemouth. 

We have a new leader in the Lakes Area Arms Big Bass of the year award. The Team of Todd and Chris Kelm caught a giant 5.07 largemouth!  If that holds with one event to go, they will receive two $500 gift certificates to Lakes Area Arms. That big bass also propelled them to a 6th place finish on the day.  They also recieved $300 for big bass of the event from FXR.

After 2 events the Team of Tony Hatten and Matt Seymour have a slim one-point lead over the teams of Cody Rupert and Dustin Ziesemer, and Matt Gilbertson and Shawn Olson for Team of the Year.  It will be interesting to see how it will shake out down on Minnewaska.

Our next event is on August 3rd on Lake Minnewaska. Take off and weigh in will both be at Waters Edge in Starbuck. Tournament hours will be 6:30AM to 2:30PM. We will have another full field.  Just a reminder that Highway 114 from Lowry to Starbuck will be under construction so you may need to take an alternate route to Starbuck.

We would like to thank our sponsors once again for all they do for Reel Team Bass. Please support Lakes Area Arms, Alex Pro Firearms and FXR. 

Complete Results

TOY Standings

Olson and Gilbertson Top Field on Lake Ida

1st Place - Shawn Olson and Matt Gilbertson

On Saturday June 1st Reel Team Bass was on Lake Ida and for the most part it did not disappoint.  Tough post spawn Largemouth and Smallmouth in all stages was what the majority of the field found.   

With a bag consisting of 4 Smallmouth and 2 Largemouth weighing 21.12 the team of Shawn Olson and Matt Gilbertson kept their momentum going from last year and took the W.  They also took the lead for the Lakes Area Arms Big Bass with a 4.28 smallmouth. 
 
In Second place was the team of Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil. They had 21.01 for their 6 smallmouths. 

Rounding out the top 3 was Dustin Ziesemer and Kyle Grinager. They also weighed 6 smallmouths for 20.64.  

Congratulations to all teams who cashed checks and we look forward to the next event on the Le Homme Dieu Chain on June 29th. Take off will be from Rotary Beach and the weigh-in will be at Carlos State Park. 

We would like to thank our Sponsors FXR, Lakes Area Arms and Alex Pro Firearms for all they do .

Complete Results
 

Klemm and Trousil Take Second Win on Ida

Trevor Trousil and Matt Klemm

1st Place - Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil - 19.84 Pounds

The weatherman was wrong on Saturday August 5th and the Reel team anglers who took to Lake Ida were fine with it! Everybody was preparing for an all-day rain, but it turned out to be a beautiful August day. The winds were light from the East and temps were in the mid 70’s. The fish seemed to cooperate for most with a tightly packed leaderboard for the final event of the season.

For the 2nd time this year the team of Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil got the win. They had a mixed bag of 3 brown and 3 green that weighed 19.84. In second place the team of Jon Englund and Kyle Wicklund had 5 brown and 1 green that weighed 19.69. And rounding out the top 3 was the team of Cody and Dave Rieland weighing 5 green and 1 brown for 19.67.

Big Bass for the event was a 4.72 largemouth caught by Andrew Gajeski and Arthur Dobbs. That big bite got them $300 in FXR gear and propelled them to a 5th place finish for the day.

With a 4th place finish in the final event of the season the team of Matt Gilbertson and Shawn Olson sealed the deal for Angler of the Year! They ended the year with finishes of 1st, 4th, and 5th for a total of 141 points. They needed all but a few of those points to hold off the team of Jeremy Schrantz and Luke Thang who had a great season as well.  

Matt Gilbertson and Shawn Olson also took home the Lakes Area Arms big fish of the year award, good for two $500 gift certificates, with their 5.09 largemouth on Lake Minnewaska!  Congratulations to all teams who had top finishes and made a run at that season long big fish award.

Once again, the season flew by, and Reel Team bass would like to thank all our anglers, sponsors and host sites for making this circuit possible. Also, a big thanks goes out to Clarence and Carol Rasmussen, for all they do to make sure things go smoothly and for running a top-notch circuit.  Please remember to support our amazing sponsors Lakes Area Arms, Alex Pro Firearms and FXR. They are great companies that support bass fishing.

Complete Results

AOY Results
 

Gilbertson and Olson Crack Reel Team Record for 6 Fish

Trevor Trousil and Matt Klemm
1st Place - Matt Gilbertson and Shawn Olson - 23.13 Pounds

The 2nd event of the Reel Team Bass season is in the books and once again Minnewaska showed out.  Anglers had a beautiful day with light winds and high skies with temps in the low 70’s.

Matt Gilbertson and Shawn Olson took top prize for the day. They weighed the biggest bag in the 6 fish era of Reel Team Bass with 6 Green fish weighing 23.13!  They also took big bass honors with a 5.09 that not only won them $300 in FXR Gear but put them in the driver’s seat for the Lakes Area Arms Big bass of the year award.

In second place was Scott Johnson and Scott Hawkes with 4 Largemouth and 2 smallmouths weighing 20.60 and coming in 3rd was the team of Greg and Jer Kretzman also weighing 4 largemouth and 2 smallmouths for 20.44.  Congratulations to all the top finishers.

Once again, we would like to say a big thank you to our Sponsors FXR, Alex Pro Firearms and Lake Area Arms.

Our next event will be on Lake Ida Saturday August 5th. We are pushing take off back to 6:30AM and we will be weighing in on North end at Big Horn Bay Cove Association at 2:30 PM.

Complete results

AOY Standings

Trousil and Klemm Take the Win on the Chain

Trevor Trousil and Matt Klemm
1st Place - Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil - 21.25 pounds

On Saturday June 3rd anglers took to the Le Homme Dieu Chain for the first event of the 2023 season. Conditions were balmy with a light breeze and lots of sun.

When the weigh in concluded at Carlos State Park the team of Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil came out on top with a bag of 6 Smallmouths that weighed 21.25.  In second place was Cody Rupert and Dustin Ziesemer with a bag consisting of 5 Smallmouth and 1 Largemouth for 20.89. Rounding out the top 3 was Jeremy Schrantz and Luke Thang with 4 Smallmouth and 2 Largemouth for 20.82.

Big Bass for the event was a 4.93 Largemouth weighed in by Troy and Sarah Jutting that was good for $300 dollars in FXR gear and puts them in the lead for the season long Big Bass. Teams competing in all 3 events are eligible for the Lakes Area Arms Big Bass award that will give the winners two $500  gift cards to Lakes Area Arms.

Please support our two amazing sponsors FXR and Lakes Area Arms.

Looking forward, the next event will be on Minnewaska on July 8th with take-off and weigh in at Waters Edge in Starbuck, MN.
Complete results
 

Team of the Year - Trevor Trousil and Matt Klemm

Team of the Year - Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil

Big Fish of the Year - Matt Klemm and Trevor Trousil

Matt and Trevor also had big fish of the year, a 4.66 Smallmouth caught on Minnewaska. They win Gift Certificates for guns from Alex Pro Firearms.