Thursday, September 16, 2004

Josh Lantz wins AGLOW Hunter's Specialties Duck-Calling Contest Okoboji, IA. Josh Lantz, of Osceola, In., easily took first place in the duck-calling contest sponsored by Hunter's Specialties (HS) at today's Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) Breakout Day activities, held on the shore of West Lake Okoboji at the Inn on Lake Okoboji. Lantz was judged the best caller by an audience of seasoned outdoor writers, many of whom had been eliminated in the contest's preliminary round held earlier this afternoon. Kevin Howard and Mike Capps, of Howard Communications, conducted the contest. They gave all active AGLOW members an HS Barnie Calef signature series Bill Collector (model 08010) duck call and told them to practice their calling, then come back and compete whenever they were ready. Each contestant was asked to blow a hail call, a comeback call and a feeding call. Howard and Capps judged the preliminary round and chose the finalists: Lantz; Bill Love, of Mapleton, Ill.; Mike Schoonveld, of Morocco, In.; Larry Myrhe; and Steve Weisman. In the final round, Weisman took second place and Love took third. The winners each received an HS duck call as prizes. Lantz won a custom acrylic Ringer call, which retails for $125; Weisman won a Custom Wood Timber call worth $80 retail and Love, an acrylic call worth $45 retail. Lantz immediately tried his prize call and produced a feeding chuckle even sweeter than the one that won him first place. A dozen or so supporting members participated in Breakout Day, with displays of products, giveaways and photo opportunities. Pure Fishing introduced its new Berkley PowerBait BladeDancer, a weighted, fixed-spoon lure with a PowerBait soft minnow tail that wobbles on a slow retrieve and swims when allowed to drop. The bait rides hook up, making it perfect for fishing over submerged weeds. AGLOW active member Doug Stamm brought two Innovex Kayaks to Breakout Day, an Atlantis solo model and a Caribe tandem. Innovex Kayaks have a clear Lexan bottom, which allows paddlers to see under water. Stamm, a prize-winning photographer, said he has shot photos through the Lexan floor. My favorite new product, however, was a simple device for picking minnows out of a minnow bucket or livewell. Called the Take One Minnow Trap, by Pangrcic Products, the device is nothing more than two sockets of different sizes on opposite ends of a 10-inch hard plastic handle. When submerged in a bucket of minnows, the Take One offers minnows a cave-like refuge. Unfailingly, a minnow swims into the socket and stays there. When the angler is ready to rebait his hook, he simply picks up the Take One, dumps the minnow into his hand, and baits up. Introduced by new corporate member KassWinns, of Bloomington, Minn., the Take One was a big hit among AGLOW members, who had to test it for themselves. KassWinns president Dan Ahlstrom explained that the inventor of the Take One got the idea for the tool when he accidentally dropped a socket into a bucket of minnows and a minnow immediately swam into it. "Even if there is only one minnow in the bucket, it will swim into the socket," Ahlstrom said. I'm waiting for Pangrcic Products to come out with a Take One big enough for a three-pound muskie sucker! Later... 4:18:21 PM    comment [] Golden Glow Awards Okoboji, IA. An evening capped off by the presentation of a $40,000 check (see post below) also celebrated the annual Golden Glow Awards, presented by the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers at its banquet here yesterday. Sgt. Dean Shadley, who heads up the Turn In Poachers (TIP) program for the Indiana DNR, received the Golden Glow Public Servant Award; Tru Turn Industries received the Golden Glow corporate award; Safari Club International received the Organization Award; and AGLOW member Doug Stamm, of Sauk City, Wis., received the Excellence in Craft Award. In presenting Stamm's award, AGLOW board chairman Dan Donarski said that Stamm had "turned outdoor photography on its ear" with his stunning images. Stamm is also the only AGLOW member to have won the coveted Pete Czura Award for best photo three times. Bill Horine, of Nevada, Ind., received the Pass it On Award for over 60 years of volunteer efforts to introduce youngsters to the outdoors. In receiving the award, the 89-year-old Horine said, "I'm doing more volunteering now because I have more time." He encouraged members to take the time to get kids into the outdoors, saying, "The kids love it, the parents love it, and you get some of the damndest stories you've ever heard." Outgoing president Mike Schoonveld presented President's Awards to Eric Naig and Kevin Michalowski for their efforts to make this one of the smoothest-run and best-attended conferences ever. Schoonveld also acknowledged Darrell Taylor's efforts to create "Boating Day," a new feature launched at this year's conference, which offered members an opportunity to look at new boats by about a dozen manufacturers and interview pro anglers who run them. (If there had not been 40 mph onshore winds, they would also have taken rides and fished in them.) Schoonveld also introduced incoming board members Bob Whitehead, of Chesterfield, Mo.; Will Elliot, of Lancaster, NY; Bill Love, of Mapleton, Ill.; and Chris Young, of Camdenton, Mo.; and incoming secretary Bob Groene, of Port Byron, Ill. and incoming treasurer Josh Lantz, of Springfield, Ill. If I get a break in tomorrow's activities, I'll report on other conference events. Later... 1:23:52 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 Dan Small. Last update: 10/3/04; 10:09:50 PM.