Morson to catch bass fever this weekend

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Anglers and fans are gearing up for the 8th Annual Morson Bass International tournament, to be held in Morson this Saturday and Sunday.
A few new things have been added to this year’s event. “The tournament is now on Facebook with details being posted regularly and the tournament committee voted to open up the “in-bound” portion of the lake which reaches north to Kenora,” said Nancy Miller of the Morson Tourism Association.
The tournament inbound waters have been extended to include all Canadian waters from Manitou Rapids on the Rainy River up to Kenora on Lake of the Woods. Tournament anglers that are more familiar with fishing techniques in clear water versus the more stained water on the southerly end of Lake of the Woods are excited for this change.
All waters leading into the first narrows of Shoal Lake and all the Labyrinth thereafter are not part of Lake of the Woods and are out of bounds for fishing. The portage at Turtle Lake to enter into Whitefish Bay will continue to be off limits to avoid anglers missing the weigh-in time deadline due to mechanical failure of the portage. All of the previous out of bounds areas including Obabikon Lake continue to be off limits. For full angler rule details, anglers are encouraged to view the 2012 Angler Rules via the tournament website at www.morsonbass.com.
“The team entries have been slower than we like but always seems to be the trend for the tournament. People wait to the last minute if they can. Anyone having difficulty finding a partner or someone with a boat, should contact the committee to help them form a team,” said Miller.
Because of generous sponsors, the tournament continues to be a 100% payback of entries in cash and prizes. Cash prizes are determined by the number of entries.
Anglers depart from Morson Government Dock both mornings at 7:30 a.m. Weigh-ins begin at 3:30 p.m. on Day 1 and 3:00 p.m. on Day 2 and are open to the public to attend. There are a full slate of other activities for the public to participate in, including a Kids derby on Sunday. For a complete schedule of events see the ad in this week’s Record.