Why now? “The north end of the Hood Canal was at the extreme southern end of our territory,” said Slade, who started working with Vessel Assist in 2001 and became owner of Vessel Assist Port Townsend/Port Hadlock in 2005. “When we got a call from someone on the canal, it would take us more than an hour and a half to get there.”

Nobody liked that, so this spring Slade expanded his operation and opened Vessel Assist Hood Canal. The assist boat, a red 26-foot aluminum Munson with “Vessel Assist“ on the hull, can travel at 35 knots and Slade expects to be able to reach boaters who call for assistance within about half an hour. The boat will divide its time between Pleasant Bay Marina in Brinnon in the northern part of the canal and Hood Canal Marina at Union in the Big Bend area in the south

Much like an auto club for recreational boaters, Vessel Assist, a program of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), offers on-the-water towing service plans for salt waters that cost just $149 a year and include BoatUS or BoatUS Angler membership. Without a towing plan, boaters face out-of-pocket costs that nationally average about $600 per incident, or $250 per hour.

The word canal suggests a manmade waterway, but the Hood, which forms the westernmost lobe of the Puget Sound, is a natural fjord, about a mile-and-a half-wide and 70 miles long. Remote and extraordinarily beautiful with the Olympic Mountains rising 10,000 feet on the western side and the bluffs of the Kitsap Peninsula to the east, the Hood Canal is becoming an increasingly popular boating area, according to Slade. The canal is renowned for its good fishing, world-famous Hamma Hamma oysters, and the unusually warm water at the southern end where boaters come to water-ski or swim. With the opening of new marina facilities, many cruising boats are heading there as well.

Slade, who spent summers on the Washington coast as a boy, moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2001 after a career that included maritime jobs all over the United States as well as work in architecture and graphic design. “I had to get out of the office and back to the water,” he said. He picked Puget Sound, “because the water was still pristine, and there was still a chance to keep it that way.” Now he owns a business that gets him out on the water almost every day, and he couldn’t be happier about it.

Vessel Assist Hood Canal is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist anyone who has engine problems, runs out of fuel or runs aground. Their bright-red towboat is fully rigged for towing and salvage, with powerful pumps, battery jump packs, dive gear and extra fuel. Slade and the captains who work for his Vessel Assist operations have USCG Captain’s Licenses and are accredited by the National Association for the Marine Assistance Industry.

Boaters can contact Vessel Assist Hood Canal by hailing on VHF channel 16, calling 360-301-9764 or calling the BoatUS toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869. To see the location on a map go to www.BoatUS.com/hoodcanal.

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing over half a million members with a wide array of consumer services, including on-the-water towing assistance provided by TowBoatUS and Vessel Assist. Combined, these two towing fleets offer boaters, anglers and sailors the world’s largest network of towing ports with over 300 locations and over 600 towing assistance vessels — more than double that of any other service provider.

The championship is a two person team event for students in grades 9-12. Registration for anglers and their “coach,” who will provide the boat they compete in, is online at HighSchoolFishing.org. Check-in begins at 5:30pm EST on Friday, June 8 at the Gallia County Convention & Visitors Bureau in Gallipolis, Ohio, with a mandatory rules briefing at 7pm EST. We highly encourage all teams to preregister online or by phone in advance to avoid late registration fees.

“We are so excited to be hosting the second annual SAF Ohio High School Fishing State Championship in Gallipolis,” Executive Director of the Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Bob Hood, said. “The majestic hills paint a beautiful backdrop as the stunning waterways open the door for a unique adventure in this southeastern Ohio town. We are making every effort to make sure this experience is a memorable one!”

Students and parents can go to HighSchoolFishing.org for details on the Student Angler Federation (SAF) and to sign up. Cost is only $25/ year and includes full TBF and FLW Outdoors benefits, including access to the all-new FLW Outdoors Magazine e-Edition and insurance coverage for students and their club. The winning two-person team from each state championship will advance to an FLW Outdoors/TBF High School Fishing Conference Championship held in conjunction with a National Guard FLW College Fishing Conference Championship. Those winners will advance to the FLW Outdoors/TBF High School Fishing National Championship held in conjunction with the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship in the spring of 2013. All SAF members and state championship participants qualify for the largest event in high school fishing, the 2012 High School Fishing World Finals to compete for thousands of dollars in college scholarships and prizes. Each team that qualifies for a conference and/or national championship will receive a travel allowance to help offset expenses. The National Champions will also each receive a $5,000 scholarship to use at the university of their choice.

If you’re not an SAF member, there’s a $25/per angler fee, which includes full TBF/FLW Outdoors membership benefits for the year, as well as, free entry to ALL SAF sanctioned events!

Another unique feature of an SAF sanctioned event is the “angler testing” component. Anglers can take a free online test at HighSchoolFishing.org about boater safety, conservation and angler ethics, which makes them eligible for contingency awards at their state championship. “It’s an industry first by TBF and a tremendous way to emphasize the importance of education to these student anglers,” SAF Program Manager, Alex Craw, commented. “The Federation is driven by our desire to promote education through fishing and the testing component is designed to do exactly that. We also offer all TBF/SAF members 11 free online training courses in our member’s only online store with Faculty of Fishing’s angler advantage program. Put this package together with all the programs our affiliated state federations like the Ohio Bass Federation have to offer, and our partnership with FLW Outdoors, and the sky is the limit,” Craw continued. “These young anglers and their families have opportunities unlike anything the industry has ever seen.”

Event Details:

State Championship sign-up: PRE-REGISTER ONLINE at HighSchoolFishing.org. Boat numbers are determined by date registered. A $25 late registration fee applies to those registering at check-in. The best way is to pre-register online at highschoolfishing.org.

Mandatory Check-in: Friday, June 8, 5:30-7pm EST, at the Gallia County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 259 Third Ave., Gallipolis, OH, 45631; Mandatory rules briefing to follow at 7pm.

Takeoff & Weigh-in: Saturday, June 9, at the Downtown/Public Use Launch Ramp on the Ohio River, 300 Block of First Ave., Gallipolis, OH, 45631. Takeoff and weigh-in times will be announced at the Mandatory rules briefing. Questions? Mark@bassfederation.com or 580-765-9031.

Host Hotel: Hampton Inn at Gallipolis, 444 State Route 7 South, Gallipolis, OH, 45631; Rooms will be available to tournament participants and their families at a special rate of $95 plus tax. Call the Hampton Inn General Manager, Joshua Felty, at 740.446.8000 and ask for the Ohio High School Championship Tournament rate. Book your rooms early to guarantee availability!

About FLW Outdoors

FLW Outdoors is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free, as well as, sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.

About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing organization. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years. Visit bassfederation.com.

The secret will be revealed at 1 p.m. CT, Thursday, May 24, a month prior to the start of official practice for the event. The fishery will immediately be placed off-limits to the competitors, who will also be forbidden to obtain any information about the fishery that isn’t publicly available, noted Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. tournament director.

“Keeping it a secret is definitely a challenge,” said Weldon. Not only does the advent of the Internet and social media channels make it hard to maintain secrecy, but logistical considerations also add to the difficulty. It takes at least 50 staff members and volunteers to conduct an Elite event. Plus, travel and lodging must be lined up, and Marshals must be recruited as observers for the 99 anglers. It’s a big production.

It was easier to pull off a mystery event in the early Bassmaster Classics, after which the Mystery Lake Elite was patterned. In 1971, only two dozen competitors were invited to fish the first championship, and they weren’t told their destination — Lake Mead, Nev. — until their chartered jet was en route.

It was more of a challenge to keep the Classic location a secret in 1972. That year, Ranger Boats became the official boat sponsor, and the company was required to transport identical rigs — at night — to an empty hangar near Nashville’s Percy Priest Reservoir. Trouble was, Ranger owner Forrest Wood was one of the qualifiers for that Classic, as was Blake Honeycutt, who was responsible for moving some of the equipment.

To keep the two from revealing the secret, B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott had the pair held under house arrest in a Memphis, Tenn., motel, guarded by city policemen who were also B.A.S.S. members, until the announcement. The 1972 mystery flight was the shortest. Classic contestants and their media observers boarded a plane in Memphis and landed in Nashville.

A year later, the Classic contingent flew east out of New Orleans, giving most of the anglers the idea they would be fishing in Florida. They weren’t told the true destination until their plane circled low over Clarks Hill Lake before landing in Augusta, Ga.

In the succeeding years, mystery flights embarked for airports near Wheeler Lake, Ala. (1974), Currituck Sound, N.C. (1975) and Lake Guntersville, Ala. (1976).

By 1976 — the first of Rick Clunn’s four Classic victories — the event had grown too big and become too popular with fans to keep a secret. For the next several years, however, locations were not announced until weeks prior to the events, in an effort to keep the pros from scouting the lakes in advance.

The same strategy was behind B.A.S.S. co-owner Jerry McKinnis’ desire to hold a Mystery Lake Elite event this year. Unless some anglers made lucky guesses, no one was able to “pre-fish” the fishery that is soon to be revealed.

Since the official practice period begins Monday, June 25, the day after the finals of the Mississippi River Rumble at La Crosse, Wis., everyone assumes the lake will be within an eight-hour drive of that host city. Speculation among the pros has placed the location as far away as Kentucky Lake, with others predicting lakes in Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois and, of course, Wisconsin.

The only Elite angler with Mystery Lake experience is Clunn, who fished the last three Mystery Lake Classics and won the final one on Guntersville.

“I totally love the concept,” said Clunn. “Everybody has a system for preparing for tournaments, and this is going to force them to adapt that system to this format if they’re going to be successful.”

Will the Mystery Lake be a largemouth fishery, or will smallmouth dominate? Will it be natural or man-made? Will it be deep and clear or shallow with lots of cover? How do you pack for all these contingencies?

The answers to these questions matter. The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title and nearly three dozen berths in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic are at stake.

Stay tuned. Bass fishing’s biggest mystery of the year will be revealed on May 24, in a special video presentation on Bassmaster.com.

2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, MinnKota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsor: BOOYAH, Carhartt, Lowrance, Luck “E” Strike, Power-Pole, Ramada

2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Proud Partner: Mustang Survival

About B.A.S.S.

For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications — Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times — comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Cabela’s B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.

What are two key findings? With the dog in the life jacket, first ensure that straps and buckles don’t rub sensitive parts. This is especially important when the life jacket will be worn dry, on deck. Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, but regardless, also look for foam floatation centered on the dog’s body to make swimming easy. Foundation testers also found that a lifting strap or handle is a must. For a full look at all of the Foundation Findings test results, go to www.BoatUS.com/foundation/findings.

National Safe Boating Week is also a great time to have two-legged friends aboard, but before you head out, it’s a good idea to brush up on a few safety tips. The Foundation has three fun and practical ideas:

The “DockIt!” game, which has you practice the spectator sport of boat docking, avoiding shoals and steering clear of boat traffic, is found at www.boatus.com/games. Or, put yourself at the helm of a speedboat with the Foundation’s “NavigateIt!” game, where following the rules of the road will keep you from sinking.

Going to have a youngster aboard but don’t have the right size life jacket? The Foundation’s Kids Life Jacket Loaner Program offers a range of children’s sized life jackets at over 570 locations across the country.

Don’t forget that a boat owner is also responsible for his or her guests. So while it may be common practice to allow them to drink, inebriated guests can really ruin a day when they become a safety risk or injure themselves.

About the BoatUS Foundation:

The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating. Funded primarily by the half-million members of BoatUS, it provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America’s waterways and keeping boating safe for all. To make a tax-deductible donation to this 501(c)(3) nonprofit, go to www.BoatUS.com/foundation.

“We could tell you about the countless hours we spent and all the fish we caught in developing the scent we call Molopo®. We could even try to dazzle you with terms like “scientifically formulated” and “synthetic polymers”, and make ridiculous statements like “now, you’ll have the unfair advantage” but that’s not our style,” says Paul Whitman Jr., President of Wave as he discusses the release of MOLOPO.

“The things that are most important to us (and we think to you as well) are the incredible results our customers have seen year afteryear, results that confirm Molopo® is something special. Use a shot or two to revive an entire bag, or to give your bait a little extra pop before you cast. You’ll see what we mean.”

For more information about Wave products call (903) 383-3573.