February 2024 Bartlett

TOURNAMENT SUMMARY

Winning Team: Charlie Mackintosh and Bill Pfeifer won with a total catch of five fish weighing 13.35 lbs, including the tournament's big fish at 3.67 lbs.

Pre-Fishing and Strategy: Both Mackintosh and Pfeifer pre-fished separately and found success with bass in shallow water up the river, using jigs and drop-shot rigs.

Tournament Day Tactics: They adapted their location due to the presence of another boat, with Pfeifer catching a two-pound bass on a Margareta Mutilator drop-shot, while Mackintosh used a green pumpkin 4” Yamamoto hula grub on a ¼ ounce jig. They moved between 2-3 spots, timing catches with the fish’s feeding.

Catching and Culling: Despite early losses, they caught 9 keeper bass, culling smaller ones. Mackintosh's 3.65 lb. bass was crucial for their win.

Other Competitors: Tactics and Baits Used:

Tactics:

Several competitors focused on shallow water techniques, exploiting the river's natural structures.

Some adopted a run-and-gun approach, moving frequently to hit multiple spots.

A few anglers targeted specific types of cover, particularly rocky banks and rocky points.

A pattern was noted of targeting transition zones where pre-spawn bass might be moving.

Anglers also adapted to weather changes, switching tactics as needed.

Baits Used:

• Crankbaits, especially red ones, were popular for initial catches.

• Drop-shots, with Margareta Mutilator and power worms, were widely used.

• Jigs, Texas rigs, hula grubs targeted larger bass.

• Brush hogs and jerk baits proved effective in coves and shallow waters.

• Carolina rigs and homemade jigs were chosen for upriver fishing.

• Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits were favored later in the day.

• The flick shake method was employed for quickly catching a limit.

Challenges and Adaptations:

Competitors had to constantly adapt to the changing behavior of the fish, with a focus on exploiting brief feeding patterns.

Acknowledgments:

The event was praised for its organization and the spirit of camaraderie, with special thanks given to the weigh crew and sponsors.

Charles Mackintosh

I had the pleasure of fishing with new club member Bill Pfeifer. While new to the club, Bill is an experienced Arizona tournament angler. We worked well together as a team and were given the opportunities to win. I look forward to fishing with Bill again.

Thanks to the club officers and tournament staff for organizing and executing another great event.

Bill Pfeifer

Charlie Mackintosh and Bill Pfeifer drew each other for the MWB February 21st tournament at Bartlett Lake. We won the tournament with five fish weighing 13.35 lbs., and a big fish of 3.67 lb.

Mackintosh pre-fished on the Monday before the tournament, and Pfeifer was able to pre-fish on the Tuesday before the tournament. As luck would have it, they both found the same pattern that they had confidence would do well.

We both found fish up in the river past the No Wake buoys in relatively shallow water. Jigs and drop-shot seemed to be the baits of choice for the bass that were pushing shad up towards the banks.

As soon as we launched, we made our way to the shallow bluff up in the river to begin fishing. However, when we got there, another boat was already on that shoreline. Instead of following that boat, twe decided to motor across to the other side and fish that shoreline. Within 15 minutes of fishing Pfeifer caught a nice two-pound bass on a drop-shot (Margareta Mutilator).

While Pfeifer stuck primarily with the drop-shot, Mackintosh chose to throw a ¼ ounce jig with a 4” Yamamoto hula grub (green pumpkin). Mackintosh used a slow retrieve method as opposed to a more traditional dragging the jig across the rocks. Both agreed that they thought the better size fish would come from the jig, as opposed to the drop-shot.

We hopped around fishing 2-3 primary spots in the area where we caught fish. We felt the fish would move up to feed and then back off to deeper water. They just needed to catch the fish at the right time in each spot to fill out our limit.

Pfeifer had two fish in the live well before Mackintosh was able to hook up with a nice size bass, however it was lost at the boat. Mackintosh would lose another nice bass later in the morning and Pfeifer would joke that he might have to put Mackintosh into the “Transfer Portal” if he didn’t do a better job of setting the hook.

We continued to catch fish throughout the day. We caught a total of 9 keeper bass, and were able to cull out a couple of smaller bass. Mackintosh was able to redeem himself for the two bass that came unhooked at the boat by hooking up with a nice 3.65 lb. bass in the early afternoon. That bass was the big fish for the tournament.

**2ND PLACE**
**Lew Southard and Jeremy Griffiths 11.26#**

NO REPORT SUBMITTED

**3RD PLACE**
**Bill Briggs and Joe Edgett**
**10.95#**

Once again I want to thank all off the staff and members of Midweek Bass AZ for another well run and safe tournament. It is becoming a pleasure to fish with all of you.

Thank you Bill Briggs for a great day fishing Bartlett Lake. Bill spent several days camping at Bartlett and pre-fishing the lake. I could only hook up with him on Monday before the tournament day to pre-fish. We covered all the locations I knew that normally have held fish in the past. One of those locations was a spot Bill caught a good fish on the day before we practiced. On the day we pre-fished, I caught two fish in that same area. Needless to say that was about it for pre-fish practice.

On the day of the tournament, we headed out, boat 36, and stopped on a main lake point. Bill caught a nice fish quickly on a crank bait. He followed that up with a small fish on a dropshot. After a couple of hours and no more fish, we headed up the lake to the spot we had both caught fish during our pre-fish practice. When we got to the area, another boat was coming out and told us they had not had a bite all morning. We decided to work the area over anyway. It turned out to be the right decision.

After about 30 minutes, I stopped casting a jerk bait and threw a brush hog right up on the bank in the back of the cove. Bang! a two pounder hit the bait in less than two feet of water. About 10 minutes later, same brush hog, opposite side of the bank and another two pounder. Bill says to me “we’ve got ourselves a pattern”.

We fished the area for another couple of hours throwing brush hogs, power worms and hula grubs. All our fish were caught in less than four feet of water. We think the fish were just up sunning themselves. We limited out and culled two small fish. After that we just went to the backs of coves and power fished the water edge line. Nothing more than four feet of water. Bill caught and culled our biggest fish in another cove in the last hour.

Thanks again Bill, we had a good day on Bartlett and it was fun fishing with you.

**4TH PLACE**
**Andrew Goettl and Gilberto Munoz**
**10.60#**
**Second Big Fish 2.94#**

Andre Goettl

I pre-fished Monday and had a fantastic day. About 13.5 lbs. for my best 5 and lots of two pounders were caught. The shad were thick in the river holding between 10 and 15 feet with plenty of hungry fish blasting them all day.

But as it always goes for me, come tournament day, all that changed and we had to figure it out quick. We ran up river first thing and Gilbert nailed a solid two pounder on a crank and I was thinking it was going to be a good morning. Several hours passed before I finally gave up on the river and headed south for the main lake. I noticed very few shad balls above 30ft on the main lake but I was marking a ton of fish glued to the bottom in 8-10ft. I didn't want to, but I resorted to getting the drop-shot out of the rod locker. We started picking up the typical Bartlett dinks and at one time we actually had a solid 1/2 pound, 8 inch bass in the live well. Gilberto stuck with the drop shot and I went back to cranks. I finally caught a good one in the back of a cove and Gilbert and I culled a couple of times. It was not the bite I expected or wanted, but we stuck with it and we managed to pull out a 4th place finish. Pretty good turnout so I can't complain where we ended the day. I wish I could have found that jig bite but I couldn't buy a fish on that.

Thanks again for a great day on the water Gilbert, you are welcome in my boat anyday. The rest of you guys have a great time at Mohave, I am sorry to say I don't think I will be able to make that one. See you all at Pleasant though.

Jeff Mason

Congratulations to Charlie and Bill on a tough day and thanks to the weigh crew who did another outstanding job.

I fished with Mike Adamson and we weighed in a decent bag of 10.18 lbs. after a couple of dismal days pre-fishing. We really didn’t have a starting spot so we decided to go way up river to start, in fact we idled up river behind Charlie. Mike got us off to a good start by catching two fish on a red crank bait. I caught number 3 on a jerk bait, and then we left the river.

We bounced around , Mike caught #4 on a drop shot (little guy) and I caught a good one on a jig. Mike kept culling and then the last hour I caught 2 good fish on a Texas rig and a jig.

I really enjoyed fishing with Mike and we worked well as a team. Mike seemed to know everyone, which was fun!

Mike Adamson

Congrats to Charlie and Bill for finding the bigger fish and to all the other winners.

We started the day way up river by Shiprock, throwing red crank baits. We picked up 3 bigger fish right away and were hoping the day would continue like this.

Once we left the river, we worked our way back to the main ramp stopping at points and steep banks picking up one here and one there using jigs, Texas and drop shot. In total we caught about 15 fish which allowed us to keep culling up. I think the key to our success was only stopping at an area for maybe 30 min tops and fishing the best water in that area.

Victor Cunningham

I had the honor to fish with Mark Durben, for the second stop of 2024 at Bartlett Lake. We found it challenging, with the full moon to get an early bite. The bite turned on some time around noon and we managed to get 7 bites.

Fish all came on a drop-shot, Carolina rig, and a homemade jig. We fished up the river all day, focusing on rock, points and steep drops.

Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who came out to fish.

Mark Durben

It was great to be back fishing with the club after being gone for two years.

I was fortunate to draw Victor Cunningham for the first tournament back and he's not only a very good fisherman but a great guy as well.

We were beyond the no wake buoys all day and mainly targeted rocky banks. Victor caught most of the fish, throwing a jig. While I caught a few with a senko and Carolina rig.

Joe Michels

As I prepared for the February tournament, I spent considerable time fishing at Bartlett Lake, conveniently located near my home. These outings were often challenging, with few bites and even fewer catches, particularly due to the cold winter conditions.

Over time, my trips to Bartlett became more productive. I discovered effective strategies and identified prime fishing spots. Fishing in the main lake was difficult because the fish, following the shad, were deep, around 30 feet.

On an outing with Mark Peiffer, we tried our luck in the river area. There, using a jerk-bait over large schools of shad, I managed to catch several sizable fish. This approach, along with using reaction baits in shallow waters, became my go-to method for several trips and proved effective during the tournament. On two separate occasions, I caught bass weighing over 3 pounds using a chatter-bait, which helped me refine my strategy for the competition.

On the day of the tournament, I began by targeting large schools of shad with a Megabass 110 Jr but had to change locations as the fish caught were not of the desired size. Interestingly, I caught a 2.25-pound crappie before moving. In the river, continuing with the jerk-bait, I caught more crappie, while my partner landed a decent 1.8-pound bass on a chatter-bait. This prompted me to switch to chatter-baits and spinnerbaits.

As we moved further up the river, amidst a crowded field of competitors, our fortunes varied. I caught a small bass on a spinnerbait, and then Jin caught a notable 2.6-pound bass, our biggest for the day. We managed to catch five fish in total and had time to try for larger ones.

Although I lost a potential 2-pounder, I eventually replaced two smaller fish in our tally with larger ones caught on chatter-baits. The day, spent with Jim Clisch, was overall enjoyable and productive, despite the ups and downs typical of fishing.

Dennis Theil

I had the pleasure of drawing Steve Minich. We had a great time swapping stories and ribbing each other on our fishing abilities. Steve and I did not have a chance to fish together before the tournament, but I was able to get out myself a few times. I shared with him that there was an afternoon bite for a little bit bigger fish that I found in the river. He suggested since we were boat 23 that most people would be headed that way and we should start near the dam and then in the afternoon go up river.

So that is just what we did. Steve caught one on a crank bait almost immediately right on a main lake point. So we continued to jump from point to point. I threw a flick shake and caught a limit in less than an hour. Steve then switched to a drop shot and we caught almost 20 fish in the first two hours of the day.

Since all the fish were typical Bartlett 1 and 1\4 to 1 and 1\2 lb. fish, we decided to work our way to the river fishing points along the way with jigs and crank baits looking for bigger fish. Steve picked up a better fish and lost a good one near rattlesnake cove on a jig. But the rest of the lake was no help to our limit until the afternoon when we went upriver.

We came around the corner to our “secret” spot and there were 6 boats in the area. This kind of deflated our sails a little bit. But since we had idled so far past the no wake buoys we thought we might as well get in line and see what we could do. Luckily, I was able to catch 3 fish over 2 lbs. on a hula grub and it got rid of some of our smaller fish giving us just enough for tenth place. We did not get the big kicker fish we were looking for but we had a great time on the water.

March 2024 Lake Pleasant

January 2024 Martinez