Upper Midwest Bass Challenge Series anglers take on Boom Lake in regular season finale

Twenty-nine teams took on Boom Lake on Aug. 11 in post-cold front conditions, all hoping to bring in the heaviest bag of five fish by the time weigh-in started at 3 p.m. Conditions were tough for many, but all but two teams brought fish to the scales. Only nine teams were able to bring a full five fish limit in at the end of the day, however. In all, 101 fish were brought to the scales. Largemouth accounted for 39 of those fish and 62 were smallmouth. The total weight of the fish was 240.45 pounds, meaning an average of 2.38 pounds per fish. This meant an average of 8.29 pounds per team.

A month earlier, the Wisconsin Bass Team Trail took on Boom Lake. The average weight per fish was almost the same, at 2.35 pounds. Again more smallmouth than largemouth were brought in. Thirty-three of the 87 fish brought in by the 27 teams were largemouth and 54 were smallmouth. 

The average per team was a bit lower, however, at 7.59 pounds. The Wisconsin Bass Team Trail tournament also took over 15 pounds to win. Brothers Matt and Dan Hirman took that tournament with five largemouth, weighing in at 15.28 pounds. Winning a tournament on Boom Lake on largemouth found on the lake was thought to be a thing of the past, but the Hirmans proved the field wrong that day.

Anglers from the Upper Midwest Bass Challenge Series Central Division will compete against the (Mississippi) River Division and the Western Lakes Division in the Tournament of Champions on the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage next month. That will put an end to the series, said tournament director Gregg Kizewski. 

While it was a difficult decision, and he will miss his “fishing family,” he said, it was time to step back and concentrate on family and simply fishing for fun.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].