Zeiner's Bass Shop - Blog Oct.

November 7, 2010 - The final angler has been added to the field of 51 contestants in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic. Kansan Brent Chapman will be fishing in his tenth classic. You can see the complete field and read more by clicking here.

November 5, 2010 - I just received a call from the EPA to let us know that they denied the petition to ban lead in fishing and hunting items yesterday. They will be emailing us a letter and some press releases in a few days. I will update you then with links to the releases. This is good decision on the part of the EPA.

November 3, 2010 - 6:52 pm - It's that time of the year again. Always a threat to drivers, they are even worse right now and it will get worse until it gets better.

The state is warning drivers again about the worse time of the year for deer-vehicle collisions. I drive back and forth between Wichita and Cottonwood Falls (in the heart of the Flint Hills) and see my share of deer. I've been lucky and I hope that luck stays with me and I hope you all avoid any collisions.

If you would like to see more about the problem and tips for if and when you find yourself in a situation with a deer, click herefor the full story from the state.

October 29, 2010 - 10:55 am - Travis Tunnell from Benton, Kansas climbed a notch to ninth place in the Bass Federation Nation tournament being held this week. He and four other Central Region anglers are in the top ten. Friday will be the last day for the tournament. Three berths in the Bassmaster Classic are up for grabs. You can read the story of the first day and see all the results by clicking here.

October 28, 2010 - 10:55 am - Travis Tunnell from Benton, Kansas is in tenth place in the Bass Federation Nation tournament being held this week. He and four other Central Region anglers are in the top ten. Three berths in the Bassmaster Classic are up for grabs. You can read the story of the first day and see all the results by clicking here.

October 24, 2010 - 5:06 pm - The season is over for the Central Division of the Bassmaster Open series. Hats off to Wichita Mark Kirkpatrick as the highest Kansan boater in the season points race. He ended the season in 83rd out of 233 anglers.

That may not sound all that high, but It takes a lot just to fish the series, let alone boat enough fish to accumulate points. Way to go Mark!

October 15, 2010 - 6:41 am - Trout season opens today. With the exception of a few areas with water problems, trout have been stocked and are ready to be caught. You can read the complete story by going to Trout Stocking Story. You can see the schedule for stocking by going to our home page and clicking on the link for your region. You will find the links at the top of our news section.

Good luck. Get out and enjoy this great October weather and catch a few trout.

October 7, 2010 - 12:20 pm - It's official now, a soldier from Fort Riley now has the official state wiper record. Information below is from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.TOPEKA — On Aug. 8, James M. Moore, an Army sergeant major stationed at Fort Riley, landed a new state record wiper while fishing the Perry Reservoir spillway. A 10-minute battle that ended when Moore jumped into the water to grab the fish yielded a monster that weighed 25 pounds and was 33 ½ inches in girth.

"It stripped off half my line before I could get it out of the current and turned around," Moore, an avid angler who has dreamed of catching a state record for years, said of the battle.

Realizing he had a possible state record, Moore took the fish to the Perry State Park Office, where he contacted district fisheries biologist Kirk Tjelmeland. The two then met at The Bait Hut, a local bait and tackle store. Tjelmeland verified the fish was indeed a wiper and certified scales at the store said Moore's new state record would be listed at an even 25 pounds. After making application to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Pratt Operations Office, Moore waited the required 30 days before the fish was officially certified a new state record.

Moore’s catch eclipses the old record of 22.29 pounds caught five years earlier in the same location by Eudora resident Chris Wilcox.

September 3, 2010 - 4:03 pm - One of our customers mentioned a new threat to fishing yesterday. Many of you many have heard about it already. The EPA was petitioned on August 23 by a group to ban lead from ammunition and fishing tackle. Three days later, the EPA denied the petition regarding ammunition, but let the petition to ban lead in fishing tackle. They've opened a short period for taking public comment.

The ban would include sinkers, jigs, weighted fly lines and components containing lead, such as brass and ballast in lures, spinners, stick baits and other fishing products. Alternative materials are much more expensive than lead and typically don't perform as well.

If this happens, it will be a serious blow to the future of fishing as we know it. It would make it much to expensive for many people and put untold numbers of related businesses out of business I'm sure.

I urge you to take a few minutes and let the EPA and your elected federal officials know what you think about the proposed ban.

You can go to the Keep America Fishing website which will make it easy for you to contact the appropriate people. Take a few minutes and do it today. The future of our sport is at stake.