Muskoka Wins Bid For 2009
Hank Gibson Qualifier
For the second time in three years Lake Muskoka was chosen as the site of the 2009 OBFN Hank Gibson Qualifier. The Muskoka Bassmaster's bid was very compelling with the support of the Town of Gravenhurst, a great launch and parking facility, perfect stage/weigh-in area with ample docking and of course the Muskoka clubs track record of hosting excellence with a flawless event just two years previous.
Team Ontario 2008 with national contender Mike DesForages
Great facilities and execution excellence in itself don't make for a good tournament. The fishery itself has to meet the challenge and Lake Muskoka certainly meets the criteria. Primarily a smallmouth lake, there are some big largemouth as well, as Frank Ramsey can attest as he placed 2nd overall in the 2007 qualifier with over 27 pounds of primarily largemouth including the big fish on day one.
Add to the abundance of Smallmouth, big Largemouth, huge Pike and maybe the most underrated Walleye fisheries in the province and you have a venue worthy of an early repeat visit from the OBFN.
Launch area
Docking &
Weigh-in
Other contending bids for the qualifier were from Huronia Bassmaster's for Georgian Bay and a joint bid from Dunville/ Niagara for Niagara/Erie. There was strong support for Georgian Bay going into the AGM but the vote came up short after Huronia president Terry Crawford stated during his presentation that to date he couldn't guarantee a modification of the current regulations allowing for a five fish limit. A show of hands after the vote concluded that the reason the voting members didn't vote for Georgian Bay was in fact the 3 fish limit. It's a shame to lose such an incredible fishery to bureaucracy and not science.
Support for the Dunville/Niagara bid was also short even though the bid was very comprehensive with ample local support including the Mayor of Niagara. The lack of support could have been because of the lower than average entries the last time the qualifier was held there with only 68 entries but members of the club feel Lake Erie scares many of the other clubs. One of the best fisheries in the country often gets ignored for fear that Erie will blow up and force everyone into the Niagara River even though the river itself is a great fishery without even heading for the lake.
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