Our last meeting before the 2024 Season begins was held on 3/10/2024 at Larrys Barn, 120 N Parkview St. Maryville, IL 62062. Larry provided some excellent smoked vittles for us to eat and the members brought excellent snacks as well.

14 members were in attendance.

Larry started off the meeting having Ed read the minutes from the January meeting. A motion to approve the minutes was seconded and the Motion was passed unanimously.

Larry discussed the Banquet, excellent work to everyone who made the banquet a sucess. The centerpieces put together by Laura, Anne and Melissa proved to be a hit by all who attended. There were 118 people who attended the banquet on 1/27/2024 at the Caseyville Community Center, 909 S. Main St. Caseyville, IL 62232. Carl arranged for Ravenellis to cater the event and the food was excellent as usual. Everyone liked the venue and we are looking forward to having our next years banquet there.

In starting off the season Larry reviewed the weigh in procedures. Everything about the weigh in process was good and we are looking to utilize solid plastic bags to hold the fish during weigh in instead of the mesh bags. This sould help the fish maintain their protective coating. remember that they club does not supply weigh in bags for the transfer of fish from your boat to the scales. Those must be provided by the anglers and not the club. Larry to get the alternate weigh in bags for use on the scale.

The table Rock invitational tournaments were discussed. This year we will have both Brian Snowden and Pete Winners talk at the pre-tournament meeting on Friday night. They always have a lot of information to pass along to the participants on what is actively happening at the lake.

Ed mentioned that all of the tournament flyers are up to date and the registration system is active. The easiest way to register for a tournament is to use the EZ-registration page : EZ-REGISTRATION PAGE. If you cannot figure out how your registration is working on your phone you may need to turn it sideways to get more info on your tiny screen. Any problems just let Ed know. All of the flyers have been updated on the schedule page: 2024 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE. The kickoff and weigh in times are all listed on the tournament flyers as well as the recommended lodging used by most of the members. If you register for a tournament you must either attend or contact Ed (or other board members) before the official kickoff time. After the kickoff time you are responsible for paying for that tournament.

The largest emergence of cicadas since 1803 is coming; One trillion cicadas are expected to emerge starting in April; Portions of the Midwest will be innundated by these insects. If you are repulsed by the notion of gross, big bugs all over the place, keep in mind it will only last six weeks and won’t come around again to a lesser degree for another 13 to 17 years. Also, maybe cutting back on watching horror movies may help too.

During the Kentucky Lake tournament that Saturday, May 18th we will be having a club get together that evening. the newest board member, Marj Wilcoxon will be handling all of the arrangements for that event with support of the entire Board of Directors. This is not at the expense of the club so each participant will be asked to provide something for the event.

The Steve Ficker Golf Tournament will be held on May 11th, unfortunately that is the same day as the Lake Egypt Tournament but the club will sponsor a hole for this event to honor one of our long time members. If you would like to participate look up: SteveFicker Memorial College Scholarship Fund on facebook.

Marj Wilcoxon brought up a note that Frank was talking to the owner of the Sportsman Lodge and he offer to cook dinner for us on Saturday night at the Lake of the Ozarks event. Look for a message from Marj coming up to all of the registered members for this event.

The David R. Brown Pomme De Terre tournament award was once again presented to Chris Rensing. The plaque was not ready at the banquet so we presented it at this meeting. This award is to honor David r. Brown who had the idea to start fishing Pomme De Terre and since it has proven to be one of the top attended events of the year.

Carl motioned to end the meeting at 3:18pm, meeting was adjourned.

Brian Patrick won the 50/50.

Our first meeting of 2024 was very cold outside but the Barn was warm inside. The meeting started promptly at 12:38 pm by President Larry Heagy. We had our meeting at Larry’s Barn, 120 N Parkview St. Maryville, IL 62062. Larry provided some vittles for us to eat.

12 members were in attendance.

Larry started off the meeting having Ed read the minutes from the December meeting. The minutes were read and Denny motioned to accept the minutes with Paul as a second. Motion was passed unanimously.

Larry discussed the Banquet which will be held on Jan 27th at 6:00pm at the Caseyville Community Center, 909 S. Main St. Caseyville, IL 62232. Carl arranged for Ravenellis to cater the event with food starting at 6:00pm. If anyone would like to help setup for the banquet we will be gathering at 4:00pm to start the setup. If anybody has any tackle or other items to donate to the club raffle please bring them. Paul Davis will be donating a Kistler Helium Rod awith Kistler Chromium reel valued at $700 and we will be raffling that off for our infamous 52 card raffle. Many other raffles and 50/50 will be at the banquet. New for this year we must have a banquet reservation for everyone so we know how many to order food for. In the past we have missed the number having excessive food left over which just costs the club extra money. The Banquet is still free and you simply register with the number of people you will be bringing. You can register at this link: 2024 Banquet registration. You will need to bring your own drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) to the banquet. If you bring alcohol you must present your cooler or beverage to the bartender for them to serve you. At the end of the evening you can take your remaining liquor home.

Larry re-iterated the Table rock expenses and that the club is currently losing money at the Table Rock Events. This is due to an increase in costs over the year. The rate for the tournament has never been raised since the club was founded therefore at the November meeting the membership voted unanimously to raise the entry fee to $150 per team or $75 per individual. When you register for the tournaments this new amount is on the registration form.

The Let’s Go Fishing show was January 5-7, 2024 at the Gateway Convention Center. The Steel City Bassmasters once again hosted the Kids Corner and handed out ice cream for all the kids (and some adults). Feedback from teh show organizers was that the show set the all time attendance record as was evidenced by the huge crowds at the Gateway Center. There was an excellent showing of members at the booth helping with the kids corner and Larry tanked each and every one for the aistance in making this a very positive experience for the kids attanding the show. On Saturday night the members and guests went out for the annual Zapatas night after the show ended on Saturday. It too was a great time for all who attended.

As discussed during the last meeting the club was deciding on possibly changing the Angler of the Year to a points based system. Ed ran every scenario disussed against the 2023 records and there was no really viable way to do a points system therefore the membership has decided to keep the AOY total Weight system in place. We can evaluate it throughout the year, gather feedback and possibly revisit for the 2025 tournament season. In summary there will be NO POINTS SYSTEM implemented this year.

Since we have not visited Truman Lake in quite a few years our newest board member, Marj Wilcoxon researched a place for lodging, Camping and RV rental for us and found the place right at the ramp was the best location. There is a campground there as well as a house and many motel type units. Larry played a video overview on the big screen tv so everyone could see the Ramp and Hotel/Campground location. This location will be presented on the tournament flyer but the place is: Beyonder Marina At STERETT CREEK

Ed reviewed the 2024 Tournament Schedule and all of the Regatta Permits and approvals have been received and is indicated on the 2024 Tournament Schedule page. Ed is working to update the flyers for each event and they will be put on the schedule when available. Right now the tournament flyer for Lake of the Ozarks is available and the motel location, Sportsman Lodge & Cabins at Rocky Mount, MO is taking reservations. The Kentucky Lake location at the Moors is also taking reservations but you have to call them as their website is not working to accept reservations as of this meeting.

A discussion was held around the general tournament fees of $35 for all of the events except the Table Rock Team Events. It was a general consensus that we should raise the Tournament Fees to $40 starting now for the 2024 season. Sergio Cortes made a motion to rasie the General Tournament fees to $40, Mike Anderson seconded the motion and the motion passed by a unanimous vote at the meeting. Therefore the tournament fees are $40 starting now. The tournament registration system has been updated to indicate this change.

To register for any Tournament, Membership Fees or the Banquet, Ed created a EZ-Registration page on teh website where you can easily enter the events without having to search the schedule of the website for the events. To register for anything please visit: The EZ-Registration Page

Carl made a Motion to Adjourn at 2:49pm. Motion passed.

50/50 was won once again by Larry Heagy!

The meeting was started promptly at 2:11 pm by President Larry Heagy. We had our meeting at Larry’s Barn, 120 N Parkview St. Maryville, IL 62062. The new venue allowed everyone to bring their own drinks and Larry provided some vittles for us to eat.

17 members were in attendance.

Larry started off the meeting with a recap of the 2023 Season and acknowledged that Chris rensing was the AOY for 2023 and Caleb Garcia was the 2023 Rookie of the Year out of 12 new members in 2023.

Ed read the meeting minutes from the last winter meeting November 16, 2023. Approval of the minutes was by Frank Wilcoxon and seconded by Paul, all members voted for approval.

Larry discussed the Table rock expenses and that the club is currently losing money at the Table Rock Events. This is dues to an increase in costs over the year. The rate for the tournament has never been raised since the club was founded therefore at the November meeting the membership voted unanimously to raise the entry fee to $150 per team or $75 per individual.

Currently the Angler of the Year (AOY) is based on the total weight of the anglers. This Total Weight systems rewards anglers, disproportionately for high weight tournaments, mainly in the spring and fall. We feel that a Points system evens the seasons out, a win is a win, doesn’t matter if you had 5 pounds or 25 for a tournament win. The club will discuss the points system at the January 2024 meeting, this point system will certainly reward the winning anglers but will also provide some points for the Anglers that participate but get Skunked.

The Let’s Go Fishing show will be January 5, 6&7, 2024 at the Gateway Convention Center. The Steel City Bassmasters will be hosting the Kids Corner again this year. On Saturday night the membership is invited to attend out annual Zapatas night at 7:00pm, please let the board know if you are going to make it so we can make appropriate reservations.

The 2024 Tournament Schedule is posted on teh website and is available to sync with your phone on the Google Calendar. Here is the link to the 2024 Schedule: Approved-2024-tournament-schedule

The banquet will be held on January 27, 2024 at the Caseyville Community Center, Ravenellis catering will cater the event. Carl Gansner arranged the food for the Banquet, thanks Carl for your efforts. To better control costs of the banquet we request that each person attending the banquet fill out the registration form and indicate how many people they are bringing. This effort is not to discourage attendance it is designed so that we can order the proper amount of food without unecessary expense. If you do not register you may not get any food as registered people will be the only approved people to go through the food line. The costs for the banquet still remains free, you will need to bring your own drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). If you bring alcohol you must present your cooler or beverage to the bartender for them to serve you. At the end of the evening you can take your remaining liquor home.

Register for the Banquet by clicking here: 1/27/2024 – 6:000pm Banquet  (Caseyville Community Center) 909 S Main St, Caseyville, IL 62232.

Ed made a new EZ-Registration page on the club website to register for the Banquet, Club Dues and Tournaments. The page is: EZ-Registration Page This link can be used to register for all of the events for the club.

Carl made a Motion to Adjourn at 3:19pm. Motion passed.

50/50 was won by Larry Heagy and the money will be used for his upcoming wedding and home improvements (or some more beer for the fridge).

For 2024 the Banquet will be held at the Caseyville Community Center. We welcome all friends, family to come join us at the awards banquet. In order to control costs we ask each member attending to register for teh banquet and how many people they will be bringing.

The registration is below.

The meeting was started promptly at 2:16pm by President Larry Heagy. We had our meeting at Larry’s Barn, 120 N Parkview St. Maryville, IL 62062. The new venue allowed everyone to bring their own drinks and Larry provided some vittles for us to eat.

14 members were in attendance.

Larry started off the meeting with a recap of the 2023 Season and stated the agenda for the meeting today. The items are to Discuss Survey Results, Discuss and Approve the Tournament Schedule , Discuss Banquet, and to nominate the Officers and Board Members for the 2024 season.

Ed read the meeting minutes from the last winter meeting on February 26, 2023. Approval of the minutes was by Carl and seconded by Paul, all members voted for approval.

Ed discussed the survey results from the recent survey put out to the membership. There were 43 people responded to the survey and 66 people did not respond to the survey. The results of the survey are reflected on this years schedule that the Board created. The first proposed schedule had to be changed due to several lakes/dates we could not get lodging at or a tournament permit for.

The members in attendance were presented the proposed 2024 Tournament Schedule. An open discussion was made around the schedule. After the discussion a motion was made to accept the proposed schedule into the final version of the Schedule for the 2024 season. The final version will be on the website as soon as possible but here is the final draft of the approved schedule: Approved-2024-tournament-schedule

The Wappapello tournament will be out of a different ramp this year. We will use the Redman Creek Recreation Area ramp.

A discussion was brought up by Larry about the Table Rock Tournament expenses. The club is currently losing money on the two Invitational Tournaments that we hold at Table Rock each year. This is due to increased costs of catering and food. Several options were discussed about making an optional checkbox for if you want food on Friday or not, optionally a discuss was brought up to raise the tournament entry fees. The current tournament entry fees have not been raised for the past 20 years and they have not kept up with the times. A motion was made and passed unanimously to raise the Table Rock Tournament fees to $75 per individual or $150 per team effective immediately.

The banquet will be held on January 27, 2024 at the Caseyville Community Center, Ravenellis catering will cater the event. Carl Gansner is working on the menu selections and will report the options selected for the next meeting. To better control costs of the banquet we request that each person attending the banquet fill out the registration form and indicate how many people they are bringing. This effort is not to discourage attendance it is designed so that we can order the proper amount of food without unecessary expense. If you do not register you may not get any food as registered people will be the only approved people to go through the food line. The costs for the banquet still remains free, you will need to bring your own drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). If you bring alcohol you must present your cooler or beverage to the bartender for them to serve you. At the end of the evening you can take your remaining liquor home.

Banquet: 1/27/2024 – 6:000pm Banquet  (Caseyville Community Center) 909 S Main St, Caseyville, IL 62232.

A location for the takeoff location for the Truman tournament was discussed and the final location will be at the Sterrett Creek Marina. The board will file for a regatta permit for that ramp.

Ed made anew EZ-Registration location on the club website to register for Club Dues and Tournaments. the page is: EZ-Registration Page This link can be used to register for all of the events for the club.

Larry then brought up officer and Board member nominations. The seat of Vice President was vacated by Mike Vallino so we have to elect a new Vice President.

Nominations for Offices were:

Larry Heagy – President,

Paul Davis – Vice President,

Ed Montgomery, Secretary Treasurer. All officers were nominated and a motion was mode to close nominations.

The Club Board member nominations were as follows for the 7 board positions.

Rudy Cardenas – Accepted nomination

Carl Gansner – Accepted Nomination

Marj Wilcoxon – Accepted Nomination (Frank will shuttle Marj to the board meeting and help with the weigh ins)

Mike Anderson – Accepted Nomination

Denny Beiter – Accepted Nomination

Russ Rensing – Accepted Nomination

Brian Carlson – Accepted Nomination

A motion was made by Rudy Cardenas and Seconded by Paul Davis to approve the 3 officers and 7 Board members as presented about. Motion was passed by all members in attendance. Therefore since there are no additional nominations the Officers and Board Members were selected without a vote. All members who were nominated are now Board Members. Ed will register the Board Members with BASS as soon as possible.

A discussion was made around the Angler of the Year. Since we now have 13 tournaments we will still keep track of the 100lb Club and Big Bass for the year. A point system was discussed around your top 8 tournament finishes for the year to become Angler of the Year. More discussion on teh points system will be had at the winter meetings.

Motion to Adjourn at 3:39pm. Motion passed.

50/50 was won by Brian Carlson.

For 2024 the annual dues will still be $65 and you will receive 100 raffle tickets. The raffle tickets can be sold for $1 each or 6 for $5, all of the revenue generated by the sale of the tickets goes to the seller and not the club (since you already got them by paying your dues). To be eligible for the raffle the dues must be paid before the banquet on January 27, 2024 (Banquet date where we do the drawing). Ed has set up paying your dues online but you can also pay Ed via Check or Cash to avoid the Online fees that are incurred via online payments.

New members are allowed to registered at a discounted rate of $40. This is applicable only to new members and cannot be used for anyone who has ever been a member of Steel City Bassmasters.

Here is the latest club Brochure for 2024!

Total Paid Members for 2024:

2024 Membership Dues

New Members (Rookies):

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Registrations Pending Payment: