Can you feel it in the air. The cool and crisp breeze through the sunshine in the morning. The leaves are starting to fall and the Halloween candy is on the shelves at your local supermarket. The kids are all back to school. Yes, once again its getting close to the time of year when California's best float tubers and kick-boaters come out from their favorite fishing holes to go head to toe with others who are hooked on the sport of float tubing.

Its time for the Sonoma County Belly Boat Bass Clubs
( 2006 State Classic Tournament ) Sponsored by Bucksbags Float tubes. This tournament will be held at Clear Lakes State Park on Oct 7th and 8th. Check-in will be Friday evening at the group campsite from 6:00PM until 7:30PM. We will also be taking entries Saturday morning near the bathrooms at the state parks boat ramp. We will post Saturday mornings check-in and blast-off time as we get closer to the events dates.

Some of the other sponsors this year will be Sunrise Tackle, Assault baits, Motorguide, Rejuvenate Bassmeds, Seytre Rods, Western Sporting goods, Outdoor Pro Shop, AC Pro Shop, Jimmy Reese, Bill Sweatt, ESPN, just to name a few.

This is the 20th year that the SCBBBC has been putting this event on. I would say its safe to say that its the longest running annual float tube tournament on the planet. This tournament started as the Jimmy Reese invitational 20 years ago and it was held at the Malard House back then. We had two weigh-ins each day with a BBQ going for you when you came in for the first weigh-in. We had rolls and OJ for all anglers in the morning. Then when Jimmy went Pro we changed the name to the ( Invitational ) This name stuck up until last year when we found that there where float tubers out there who thought they had to be invited to our invitational, go figure. So we changed the name to the ( SCBBBC State Classic ) Now every one should know that they can be involved in the biggest, the baddest and the oldest Open float tube tournament in the world, bar non.

There will be no $35.000.00 glitter rockets, no gas guzzling 250+ outboard engines, no mile long lines of boat trailers at the ramp. Just some good old fun in a float tube or kick-boat. Oars and swim fin, a dozen rods and a thousand lures crammed into little pockets with zippers. Live-wells in the water and live-wells out of the water. This is when anglers get a chance to meet other anglers from different parts of the state. You can learn new ways of setting up your rigs and how to catch the fish of a life time from guys that have been floating around the states water ways for many years.

Im looking forward to this years State Classic as its my first as the President of this great organization. Im even going to try to kick off the old casting contest, but don't get your hopes up. I'll have to talk to the V.P. about that event.
So mark your calenders and start prefishing as this tournament is just around the corner.

P.S. Did I forget to mention the Saturday evening Raffle? I'll let you in on one of the many prizes to be given away for just 1 dollar. It is a day on Clear lake with the flw Stren Series angler of the year 06' and I think he was also the WON bass angler of the year 06', Oh Yea Baby, you can fish for one full day with Mr. Jimmy Reese on his brand new 21 foot Ranger bass boat........ Do I have your attention now? Stay tuned for more posts as we get closer to the weekend of the State Classic 2006.
For more information contact me at 707-494-4093. See ya all there.
Rich