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IGNITION BASS Tournament Trail 2010

We had the pleasure of asking Jim Brockman the Tournament Director - (Conroe/Livingston) of the IGNITION BASS Tournament Trail some Questions(in red). Thank you Jim for your response! (in black)



What is Ignition Bass?
Ignition Bass is a One (1) Lake Bass Tournament Trail started in 2003 by Ian Coleman. It started out as a Trail on Cedar Creek with 5 fall events. In 2006 I became involved with forming a South Region with tournaments on Lake Conroe . Ignition Bass now has 4 Divisions on 3 different lakes. Cedar Creek in the North Region, and Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston in the South. In 2006 we had 5 Team events and 5 Individual events on Lake Conroe . We now offer 6 in the Team Division and 8 in the Individual and over 30 tournaments a year statewide.
We have also started a Youth Fishing League (YFL) for kids from 6 to 18. We have four Divisions within the League....Little League for those 6 to 9, Minor League for 10-12, Major League for 13-15, and All-Stars for 16-18. This is our second year to do so and last year we gave out $8400 in prizes at the YFL Championship! We hold 6 tournaments (3 on Conroe and 3 on Livingston) and a Championship on a Lake to be determined for the top 6 finishers in each age group.
How does one join your circuit?
We charge a membership fee to belong and participate. Our Membership fees are currently $25 per year (Jan. 1st - Dec 31st) and are good for any Ignition Bass Division, North or South.
When is the next event at Lake Conroe?
The next one is this weekend in fact (March 28th) The next Individual will be April 11th and the next Team events are April 24th on Livingston and April 25th on Conroe.
Where on Lake Conroe do you have your events?.
We hold our events on Conroe out of Stow-A-Way Marina (13988 Calvary Rd. in Willis) They have an excellent facility (a Pavillion) for us to use and it enables us to have better contact and connection with our fishermen.
What is in store for your circuit in the future at Lake Conroe?
We hope to be able to continue to provide a good venue and provide a "quality" circuit that our fishermen enjoy fishing. The economy has had some impact in attendance. And since we are basically a "Starter" type circuit for those that are looking beyond the Bass Club level but are just getting started in Tournament Fishing, we do get a pretty good turnover from year to year.
We have maintained a very solid base of fishermen that have been with us since the beginning.
What is the average turnout at Lake Conroe for your events?
As I stated above, the economy has had some impact and out numbers are down a little so far. Another big factor has been the weather.....this has been a very long and severe winter and it has kept the numbers down some also. We are currently averaging around 65 Teams and 40 in the Individual Division.
What kind of success have your members had at Lake Conroe?
We have had a lot of very good stringers brought in over the years. The Conroe Lake Record 5 fish limit was brought in at the very first event we had in March of 2006. Robert and Glen Baney brought in 5 fish that weighed 36.79lbs! We also had a 13.07lb "Share-A-Lunker" bass brought in by Kyle Nitschke which set (at that time) a new Junior Record for the State of Texas.
What is the average stringer weights this year compared to past years at Lake Conroe?
They have been down some this year mainly due to the weather. Last year the weather was great and the fish moved up a lot earlier than this year. They moved up on Conroe a couple weeks ago as the water warmed up. The banner year was 2008. Numbers have fallen slightly since then in both weights and numbers of fish total.
Who are some of the local anglers that stand out this year at Lake Conroe?
I'll start with Jeff Randolph from Huntsville. Jeff is a student at Sam Houston and fishes on their college team. He is doing very well so far. Other notables include, Keith Caka, Charles Bebber, Mark and Tyler Goetzman, Donald Gregg, and Joe New. In the past we have had a couple Touring Pro's come by in Jason Reyes and Sean Hoerneke.
What difference if any has the lack of vegetation in Lake Conroe had on the bass as far as weights and numbers of bass brought in during your tournaments?
As I stated above the numbers and weights are down slightly since 2008. This coincided with the eradication of all vegetation in Lake Conroe. I am not totally concerned however, because there are those fishermen that will adapt and continue to do well.
How does Lake Conroe compare to the other lakes you hold events at?
Very favorably. Our weights and numbers are very good when compared to Cedar Creek and Livingston when you consider Conroe has a 16" minimum legal length as compared the others 14" minimum.
What kind of success can someone expect from bass fishing lake Conroe?
Lake Conroe is a VERY hard lake to fish the very first time you fish it. You can help your business along if you are willing to spend a lot of time on the water. (TOW) To be successful, you must do your homework, spend TOW, and keep at it.
What are some tips that could help someone come to Lake Conroe have successful bass fishing trip?
If it is your first time, I would recommend hiring a guide. However, good guides are hard to find on Conroe. Most of the guides on seem to specialize in Crappie or Catfish, or Hybrids. If you don't hire a guide, stick to fishing points and boathouses on points. Learn to read your electronics and find creeks and submerged structure.
How do you picture the success of Lake Conroe bass fishing in the future?
The fish aren't going anywhere, they might just get harder to locate with any consistency. As far as tournament fishing, we currently have individuals and teams that do very well one time and the next time, nothing. The number of tournaments should remain fairly consistent. We currently have four circuits that fish Lake Conroe on a regular basis. Bass-n-Bucks, Angler's Quest, Media, and Ignition Bass. Along with the Tuesday night, Wednesday night and Thursday night and Sunday morning tournaments, the lake stays pretty busy. Also the PAA will be back in October with the Texas Toyota Bass Classic so the lake has a pretty good reputation.
How could bass fishing on Lake Conroe be improved?
I would like to see the lake dropped 4-5 feet about every 5 years for about 6-8 months, like it was after Hurricane Rita, to allow the vegetation to return and give the new spawned hatch a chance to survive and grow but it would impact the pleasure boating and that ain't gonna happen!. Of course it took a hurricane to do it then and the property owners aren't going to allow the grass to come back on its own. A prime example of the importance of vegetation is Lake Livingston. After Rita, they dropped the lake 6 ft. while repairing the Dam. The grass grew, the bushes came back and the fishing has Exploded! They are bring in weights to the scales in tournaments there that are unheard of for Lake Livingston! They just had a 13lb. fish brought in there!

Check out ignition tournament trail at.......
Jim Brockman
Tournament Director - Conroe/Livingston
IGNITION BASS
281-433-8360
http://www.ignitionbass.com/