2010 BPS Open - Canadian Record Details

Please see below and attached the press release about this amazing tournament. A HUGE Congratulations to our winners Mark Moran and Joe Muszynski – their hard work and high skill level paid off big time.

On behalf of the entire organizing committee – lead by George Wallace of Bass Pro Shops, Melanie and Simon Frost, JP De Rose, Herb Quan, Andy and Vita Pallotta and myself I would like to thank all the sponsors, anglers, media and volunteers for their support of Canada’s Premier One Day Bass Tournament. The buzz about our new Canadian all time tournament record is growing every day not just here but south of the border.

Thanks again everyone ... enjoy the rest of the bass season and we’ll see you out on the water.

Canadian Bass Tournament Record set at 2010 Lake Simcoe Open

For Immediate Release: Wednesday Oct 27, 2010
October 23rd 2010 Orillia, Ontario: The most incredible victory in the history of Canadian Bass Tournament Fishing is beginning to sink in for Mark Moran and Joe Muszynski. The tournament team won Canada’s most prestigious one day bass tournament and did it with a new all time Canadian record weight for the five heaviest bass ever weighed on Canadian soil. Their weight for the 2010 Bass Pro Shops Lake Simcoe Open of 31.50 pounds of smallmouth bass topped the previous record of 30.35 lbs.

For their record win, the duo took home the guaranteed $25,000 for first place, an additional $20,000 for the Toyota Truck Record Payout, $5,500 for the Shimano Pay to Play bonus and $2,500 for using a Minn Kota electric motor and running Humminbird electronics. Their $53,000 total cash payout is one of the highest in the history of tournament fishing in the country.

The BPS Lake Simcoe Open hosted by the Aurora Bassmasters began as the “Crackle Cup” in 2001 as a late fall tournament that would capitalize on the incredible smallmouth bass fishing opportunities that Lake Simcoe offers at this time of year. Total weights over 28 pounds soon became the norm as the tournament grew in popularity. In 2007, Bass Pro Shops Canada became the title sponsor and have since attracted other sponsors that help provide payouts seldom seen anywhere else in Canada.

How the Winners Did It:
Mark Moran, 43 from Port Perry and Joe Muszynski, 32 from Barrie caught their oversized bass in 30-40 feet of water. “We caught around 20 fish during the day; I was using a green pumpkin tube jig on a 3/16 oz weight and drop shotting a custom hand poured black and white minnow bait. We moved fast looking for fish on our Humminbird electronics and then dropped the baits down on them”, Moran revealed.

Muszynski explained, “It was the most incredible day a bass angler could ever ask for. In my career I have won Team of the Year titles, a Classic Championship and some other one day tournaments but winning the BPS Open is by far my greatest accomplishment. I have a deep passion and respect for this body of water and to set the record with all the great Lake Simcoe anglers fishing this event; well it’s very special to me. The BPS Lake Simcoe Open is a standalone event and I think everyone agrees it is the biggest tournament in our country. The industry support and preparation are phenomenal and that along with the amazing bass fishery of Lake Simcoe is what makes this event such a huge success.

The 2010 BPS Lake Simcoe Open, had a full field of 100 teams with some of Canada’s finest anglers. Orillia hosted record crowds at the free weigh-in show who watched team after team weighing in some of the biggest smallmouth bass on the planet. Facts of Fishing star, Dave Mercer MC’d the event which was broadcast live on the websites below. He also fished the tournament with JP DeRose of the WFN’s Gettin Schooled with JP.

The Yamaha Big Fish award went to 12th place team of James Paluch and Shaun McKay who caught a monster 8.05 smallmouth that earned them $4,000, plus an additional $1,000 for Berkley Trilene 8lb Test prize ... the first time this has ever been awarded anywhere in Canada. This Big Fish weight is currently being explored by tournament officials as a possible record for the single heaviest bass ever weighed in during a Canadian tournament.

Behind the Weigh-In Scene:
Back stage the Lake Simcoe Bass Tagging Research crew were busy measuring, tagging, taking scales and spines (for ageing) all the bass before they were transported to the Shimano Live Release Boat for transport and release back to the lake.

This award winning research program coordinated by the Aurora Bassmasters and supported by MNR’s Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program has collected data from this and other bass tournaments for the last five years. Collectively over 1,300 bass have been tagged and released. Anglers who catch a tagged fish ... like the one caught by Rob Hyatt during this event, are asked to report the number and details to MNR. The phone number and individual fish ID numbers are on each tag.

2010 BASS PRO SHOPS LAKE SIMCOE OPEN OCTOBER 23, 2010
TOP 20 STANDINGS

Position Team # Angler Co-Angler Weight
LBS Big Fish Total $
1 16 MARK MORAN JOE MUSZYNSKI 31.5 $53,000 *
2 100 JOHN MCGOEY JOSH MYERS 29.8 $10,000
3 2 MIKE DESFORGES DEREK STRUB 29.65 $5,000
4 83 WAYNE MISSELBROOK GAIL MISSELBROOK 29.5
5 44 TODD HATCH CHAD WENTZELL 28.7
Tie 6&7 35 MIKE REID BRIAN GARDY 28.45
Tie 6&7 48 GREG KLATT GEORGE SCHNEIDER 28.45 Y
8 86 SCOTT MURISON PAUL HECKING 27.6
9 4 SIMON FROST MELANIE FROST 27.3
10 28 JOE CUTAJAR MARK KULIK 27
11 12 DAVE KENNEDY BOB DEVINE 24.55
12 23 JAMES PALUCH SHAUN MCKAY 23.5 8.05 YBF, B
Tie 13&14 6 GERRY HEELS WIL WEGMAN 21.85
Tie 13&14 53 ERNY JANZEN ROB HYATT 21.85
15 3 TODD CURRIE ALEX CAMPBELL 21.75 HW
16 10 MARCEL CARTWRIGHT CARRIE CARTWRIGHT 21.2
17 71 JOHN PROKATOR KEVIN MACDONALD 21.05
18 15 BARRY GRAVES DAVE JOHNSON 20.75
19 85 JAY HOTZAK RUSSELL WATKINS 19.8
20 5 GEORGE SALIBA DES BARNES 19.15
29 21 KEVIN LOWES NIKO TERPSELAS 15.75 4.02 BBL
36 25 STEVE CHAISSON JASON GOUGH 14.15 R

*Total: $55,300 in Registered Payouts to 20th Place – not counting bonus prizes below

S- Shimano Pay To Play = $5,500; YBF Yamaha Big Fish =4,000; B Berkley Over 8 lbs =$1,000 Y- Top Yamaha team= $1,000
HW- Hidden Weight= $1,000; BBL Berkley Bucket Largemouth=$1,000, R= Rapala 36th Spot award

To view photos, the complete standings of all 100 teams, or to see a recap of the exciting weigh-in, please visit: www.simcoeopen.com High Res Photos available to media upon request.

Sponsors of the 2010 BPS Lake Simcoe Open include:
Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, BoaterExam, Ontario's Lakes Country, Toyota, Tracker Boats, Yamaha, Northstar Marine Insurance, Berkley, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Shimano, Rapala, Maple Toyota, Mustang Survival, Musky Graphics, Advanced Taxidermy, CSFL, and Bass Pro Shops. A special thank you to all the dedicated volunteers who helped make this event such a success.

We appreciate all the assistance from various bass club members, Junior Bassmasters and the dedicated MNR staff who ran the sampling station.
Press Release Prepared By:
Wil Wegman
wil.wegman@rogers.com