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One of the most dynamic and exciting opportunities BASS has created for
junior anglers is the Junior Bassmaster World Championship. Just like mom
or dad competing in the BASS Federation Nation club competitions, this program
allows junior members to compete at a club level, ultimately qualifying for
their Junior Bassmaster State Championship.
Junior clubs are sponsored by adult Federation Nation Clubs with members
of the adult clubs acting as mentors and educators for these young anglers.
Junior members gain skills from how-to clinics, educational workshops based
on conservation, good fishing ethics, catch and release and habitat restoration.
Junior members also get involved with youth tournaments, adopt waterways,
Bassmaster CastingKids programs and community service projects.
| Event Calendar | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| MN Junior TOC Meeting | June 25 6:30pm | Cabela's Rogers, MN |
| MN Junior TOC | June 26 | Waconia, MN |
| Junior Northern Divisional | August 10-14 | Escanaba, Michigan |
| Junior World Championship | October 19-24 | Travares, Florida (Harris Chain) |
| Junior Club | Location | Contact | Sponsor Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bassinators | Minneapolis | Jeff Nelson | Stellar | website |
| Bassin' Boys | Minneapolis | Todd Saterbak | Sportsmen | |
| Fairmont Jr. BASS Anglers | Fairmont | Dave Vogel | Bass Seekers | |
| Gopher Jr. Bassmasters | Minneapolis | Rich Lindgren | Gopher Bassmasters | website |
| Jr. Granite City Bassmasters | St. Cloud | Granite City Bassmasters | ||
| Red Lake Bass Busters | Red Lake | Darwin Sumner 218-679-3148 |
Red Lake |
Volunteers are needed for the 2009 Junior Tournament of Champions on June 25-26 at Waconia, MN. If you can volunteer as a boat captain, download the boat captain registration form.
Any JR TOC participants, may download the entry/registration form.
Download the JR TOC
schedule and rules
Lucas Lindgren of Gopher Jr. Bassmasters and Keenan Reed of the Bassinators dominated this year’s class at the Minnesota Junior Tournament of Champions. Lindgren brought in a mixed limit of smallmouth and jargemouth weighing 11.81 lbs to win the overall “Top Hook Award” along with the senior division.
Keenan Reed worked a jig and a 4” black worm all day to win the junior division with a very convincing 10.19 lbs. Reed also showed he could keep up with the older class with a very impressive fifth place in the overall completion.
Big Fish awards went to Lucas Lindgren of Gopher Jr. Bassmasters with a 4.18 lbs smallmouth in the senior division and Matt Cook of the Bassin Boys with a 3.51 lbs largemouth in the junior division.
The team completion, always provides fireworks and gives the winning club bragging right until the next years Jr. TOC and this year was no exception in a very close competition, the “Bassin Boys” with Dave Saterbak, Ben Winge, Brent Relopez, and Austin Anderly finished first with 34.83lbs, “Granite City”, with Jordan Keller, Neil Moliter, Mark Shirley, and Aaron Teal, finished second with 30.78lbs, The “Red Lake BassBusters” took third place with April Kingbird, Shaylynn Johnson, Joey McNeal, and Joseph Fairbanks weighing in with 29.13 lbs
“We had a great tournament,” said the State Youth director Paul Perovich “I could not be more proud of all of our competitors and boat captains this year. Things were moving along as smooth as we could ask for, then at 1:30, the skies opened and it rained 3.5” in 40 minutes. I have seen rain like that in Panama, but never, in Minnesota. The kids hung in there and the boat captains did what they do the best, hold everything together and make the right decisions for the kids. “
This year we had the largest junior tournament yet with 54 competitors. With these kinds of numbers, boat captains were at a premium and we all need to thank Todd Saterbak, Mark Gomez, and Jeff Gilmer who worked many extra hours getting the captains we needed. KFAN radio also pitched in and ran two segments on Billy Hildebrand’s show asking for people to help out as boat captains. We also had unbelievable support from sponsors from around the state. I would like to personally thank Gopher Tackle, Northland Tackle, Berkley, MG Lures, Sportsmen’s Warehouse of St. Cloud, Gander Mountain of St. Cloud, Reed’s, Joe’s Sporting Goods in St. Paul, Hardware Hank of Big Lake , and a special thanks to Cabela’s for all of the donations to this year’s Junior TOC.
“The 2008 tournament was a great success for all involved. Commented the State Tournament director Peter Perovich. “We knew Serpent would provide some great tournament fishing. With bags averaging 3.62 fish and the fish averaged just short of 2 lbs.”. “With the weather moving the fish deeper overnight and the kids still finding them in numbers and size, should reaffirm to everyone what kind of talent we have coming up through the junior ranks and how effective and important the junior program is to the future of the Minnesota Federation. They all did a great job and I am very pleased and very proud of all of our juniors that fished this year.”
The next challenge for the Minnesota juniors will be the Northern Divisional in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on the 16th of August. Lucas Lindgren will not compete due to a previous commitment, so Dave Saterbak of the Bassin Boys, a former two time Junior State Champion and who has been the senior division runner-up the last two years will replace Lindgren and join Keenan Reed as Minnesota’s Junior Champions to represent Minnesota along with the rest of the State team. The next stop if our junior’s win at the Northern Divisional is Junction City, Kansas, and Milford Lake, the first week in November for the 2008 Junior World Championships
15-18 group 11-14 group
1. Lucas Lindgren 11.81 lbs Keenan Reed 10.19 lbs
2. David Saterbak 11.58 lbs Brent Relopez 8.99 lbs
3. Rick Brennhofer 10.88 lbs Jack Boyle 8.67 lbs
4. Eric Fabano 10.74 lbs Joey McNeil 8.56 lbs
5. Tyler Gromberg 10.00 lbs Neil Molitor 8.38 lbs
Club Competition
1. Bassin Boys 34.83 lbs
2. Granite City 30.78 lbs
3. Red Lake BassBusters 29.13 lbs
4. Gopher 28.13 lbs
5. Bassinators 24.2 lbs
6. Fairmont 23.98 lbs
View full standings and big fish results
Minnesota’s
Junior champions Cody Sieben, 11-14 age group and Tom Gomez, 15-18 age group,
persevered through Sunday's chilly temperatures and gusting winds on Alabama's
Logan Martin Lake to help win 2nd and 4th place Northern Division Team standings
at the fourth annual Junior World Bassmaster Championship (JWBC).
Junior
Anglers from around the State of Minnesota came to compete in the 4th Minnesota
Junior State Championship on Prior Lake. 43 junior anglers from 7 different
Minnesota Junior BASS Federation clubs participated in this years’ Championship
tournament. 
Derek
Jacobson and Dave Saterbak, both members of the Minnesota Junior B.A.S.S. Federation
and the Bassin Boys, along with their families traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
for the 2005 Junior Bassmaster World Championship. 
The Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation
flew Derek Kuntz and Randy Helms and their parents to Charlotte, North Carolina
with B.A.S.S. hosting them up at the Omni Hotel. 
Lower left to right: Derek Kuntz, Dave Saterbak, Kevin Niccum
Upper left to right: Derek Jaconson, Matt Vogel, Randy Barnett
