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Bob began to think of ways to further increase his sales from painting crankbaits for other anglers. Since he had webpage design experience he added his services with another fishing buddy named Larry Brackin of LB’s Lures out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. This was after the big demand for the “Chatter Bait” craze that hit the U.S. a few years back. After a short period of time Larry closed down his website because of the demand for his jigs, spinnerbaits and other lures in the local area. (You can still buy Larry's lures from local area bait shop in the Shoals area called “Gray’s Tackle”. Or you can email him at lbslures1@comcast.net.) This is when Bob decided to begin his own website business to promote his product across the country. So began BER Custom Painting website, http://bercustompainting.net
BER Custom Painting has painted over several thousand crankbaits for many customers. Bob especially enjoys trying to match old patterns and colors of crankbaits that are no longer in production by the manufacturer. BER Custom Painting has painted, and still paints, for several of the touring bass pros who have had great success with these custom patterns. In addition to the touring pros a lot of the local guys in North Alabama have won many tournaments using these same patterns and designs. A lot of these clients have him paint hundreds of dollars of lures at a time nearly every year.
One client from North Florida has three patterns painted for him every winter. This year Bob painted a few of these for himself just to test the pattern with on Alabama waters. One of those patterns was a “Baby Bass” pattern, needless to say it became a great producer at catching these Bama bass as well. On one trip Bob found a school of bass in a spot about 50’ in diameter and caught over 50 bass on that one lure in about an hour and a half.
BER Custom Painting uses a water based acrylic paint on all of their lures. They have mixed or matched hundreds of colors and patterns. In addition, they use a two part epoxy for the final finish that they have to spend 10 to 12 hours either on a curing rack or baking oven to harden the finish. This finish is very durable and found that it does not yellow over time as some finishes tend do.
For more information about BER Custom Painting go to their website .. CLICK HERE
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The Birmingham Bass Masters were recognized as one of the featured bass clubs in the 2004 issue of Bass Club Digest. Bass Club Digest produces two issues of their magazine each year, a Pre-Spawn issue in the spring and a Post Spawn issue in the summer. The editors of Bass Club Digest promote the magazine as "The Voice of Bass Clubs Across America". Click on the images below to enlarge the article on The Birmingham Bass Masters.
Club News and Information Page
2009 Birmingham Bass Masters Club Officers
President
Vice President
Secretary
Recorder
Treasurer
Membership Chairman
Tournament Director
Public Relations
Scott Jones
Chuck Whitfield
Jim Harrington
Mike Linn
Jim Weems
Chris Atkerson
Mark Hawkins
Charlie Johnson
conservation department our organized moral and political support and encouragement, to promote full adherence to all conservation codes, to improve our skills as bass anglers through a fellowship of competition and a sharing of our knowledge with fellow club members.
We fish 10 club tournaments a year utilizing the Draw Format to pair up Boaters with Non-Boaters. We do allow Boaters the guaranteed option of taking their own boat separately when two Boaters are paired together. Each tournament is held on a different lake and no two anglers can fish more than one club points tournament together during the year. Club meetings are held twice each each month, often with seminars hosted by a Guest Speaker from within the fishing industry. During the year we will organize and officiate several "Open Wildcat" tournaments that have gained a reputation for being operated in a very professional and organized manner.
For more information about The Birmingham Bass Masters CLICK HERE
Birmingham Bass Masters Meeting Location
Club meetings are held at Richard's BBQ near I- 459 at Acton Road. Meetings are on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month at 6:30pm. A majority of the club members arrive at Richards by 6:00pm for dinner and to socialize with other members prior to the proceedings. Richards BBQ & Grill is located six miles east of the Galleria off Interstate 459 at exit 17; the Acton Road exit.
Additional Information Links
First and foremost, new prospective members should fill out the Membership Application located on the Additional Information Menu on this page or you can CLICK HERE . Once the Membership Chairman reviews your information, and providing that there are open membership slots available within the club, you will be contacted by a club officer with more details. An invitation to attend a club meeting will be extended so as to allow a prospective member the chance to find out even more about the group. New members are voted into the club by the currently active club membership. New prospects must attend two club functions and fish with two current club members prior to qualifying to be voted on.
To apply for membership or to request more information about becoming a club member CLICK HERE
How to join the Birmingham Bass Masters
Every fish tale has a beginning and an end. When you think about it, so does every day on the water, and most often, at this start and finish is a boat ramp. Sure, important sites these boat ramps. But hey, they can be much more than that. Boat ramps are also center stage for bass anglers.
Launch and Load ..The importance of Boat Ramp Etiquette By Taylor Wilson and Bass Club Digest
These locales are places where the public can get and up-close and personal look at the critter labeled “bass angler.” And unfortunately, how we are perceived on this stage/ramp also determines the public’s opinion of bass clubs and those that enjoy them. The key is getting the boat in and out of the water as quickly as possible. Don’t do things that slow the process — or more appropriately, ramp access — down.
For launching, the primary thing to do in order to be a considerate boater is to have your boat prepped for launch before approaching the launch ramp itself.
Most larger boat launch facilities have room for this and there's always a place in a parking lot where boaters can pull aside and get everything ready (except for maybe disconnecting the winch strap). If everyone preps their boat before pulling up to the ramp, then there's only the time spent unhooking the winch strap and backing the trailer into the water. (We've all seen inconsiderate boaters who back their boat trailer halfway down a ramp and then start thinking about removing straps, loading things into their boats, etc.)
For the rest of this article CLICK HERE
Rethink those older Crankbaits in your tackle box or sitting on a garage shelf..........
BER Custom Painting, located in North Alabama, was started when its owner, Bob Risner, got back into fishing after a few years of giving it up. When Bob started fishing again he found that some of the old colors and patterns that he had used back in the mid 1980’s were no longer available. Since Bob had done some lure airbrushing for himself back in the early 80’s he decided to just paint some of his own crankbaits with those older color patterns he could not find. After having some great success with these "new" crankbaits Bobs fishing partner suggested that he try and offer those painting services to the local bass club they were in at the time,. the Tennessee River Bass Club.
Knowing some battery basics will pay off with extra time on the water. Trolling motors offer anglers tremendous flexibility. They enable a variety of specialized fishing techniques and provide an alternative to using gasoline-powered motors and expensive fuel. Because batteries power them, trolling motors are less expensive to run than gasoline-powered engines. However, getting the most out of them requires a little know-how. By understanding several battery fundamentals and some pro angling techniques, a fisherman can spend more time on the water and get more enjoyment out of every fishing excursion.
Get the Most Out of Your Trolling Motor ...... by Bass Club Digest
In the Wild with Damon ......
This section is brought to you by Damon Lee Abernethy, Fisheries Development Coordinator for Alabama Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries Division
Dear Birmingham Bass Masters,
While fishing a tournament this year on Jordan, I was slow-rolling a big spinnerbait across a flat in the current up river when my rod loaded up. I set the hook and reeled in what appeared to be a very lethargic bass. When I got it to the side of the boat, I was shocked to see a G. Loomis rod and Shimano Chronarch rod and reel combo worth well over $500!!! The head of my spinnerbait was somehow wedged in between the reel and the reel seat. The combo had apparently been kicked overboard by someone up on the flat because it still had the lure attached to the reel and the line twisted around the rod. We finished one place out of the money so it was the only thing I did that really “paid off”. I just thought y’all might find that interesting.
Hope to see you guys on the water soon,
Damon Lee Abernethy
Fisheries Development Coordinator
Alabama Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries
64 N. Union St., Suite 551
Montgomery, Ala. 36130
About The Birmingham Bass Masters ...
Although we are not a B.A.S.S. Federated Club, we do embrace the principles and purposes of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. Our goals are to stimulate public awareness of bass fishing as a sport, offer our state
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This page was last updated: November 24, 2009
Editor’s Note: October is the best month to catch a variety of fish along Alabama’s Gulf Coast because as the weather cools off, the baitfish move in, with the sportfish following not far behind. According to Captain Johnny Greene of the “Intimidator,” docked at Orange Beach Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, anglers don’t have to travel nearly as far to catch fish in October as they do in the summer.
Fishing Doesn’t Get Any Better Than October Offshore at Orange Beach with Captain Johnny Greene By: John Phillips
This is the month, the primary focus for our bottom fishermen will be yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, amberjack, white snapper, scamp and gag grouper. In October, we don’t have to travel nearly as far to find and catch the gag grouper as we do in the summertime. On a good day of grouper fishing, everybody in the boat will catch one or two grouper. Of course, there always will be big snapper to catch, which you can’t keep, but you can photograph them. Too, you’ll catch scamp and big white snapper. With snapper season being shortened, more anglers are targeting scamp. We’ve caught several scamp in the 15- to 25-pound range. To catch these big-sized scamp, put your time in at the rail, and be ready to drop your bait when I tell you to drop it. You can’t stand back and wait until someone else gets a bite before you decide to fish. Traditionally, the first one or two baits that hit the bottom will be the baits the scamp will take.
Too, this month, we’ll catch plenty of king mackerel until the first really-hard cold front moves through the area. The tuna and the king mackerel follow the same baitfish, and as long as the bait stays close inshore, the king mackerel will be biting. If we have a mild winter, we may have king mackerel inshore all month. Now, we don’t catch the monster kings that weigh from 40 to 60 pounds like those, caught by the Southern Kingfish Tournament anglers. Our kings will range from 25 to 30 pounds.
Amberjack fishing will be good throughout the winter. We’ve caught gorilla-sized amberjack weighing an average of 30- to 50-pounds each all year because of the overabundance of baitfish. We’ve also caught amberjack
in the 90- to 100-pound range. We fished the Alabama General Contractors Rodeo a few weeks ago and finished second place in the amberjack division with an 88-pound amberjack. We won the rodeo overall with a number of other good catches. Too we’ve caught plenty of blackfin and yellowfin tuna, which have averaged about 100 pounds, depending on the size of fish in the schools of tuna we find each trip.
The wahoo fishing also has been really productive this year. The average wahoo we catch weighs around 30 to 50 pounds, with an occasional 60 to 70 pounder. In October, the wahoo make their fall migration into our area, so everyone on the boat generally will take at least one wahoo. Most of our big wahoo are caught in the middle of the day when most of my fishermen are half-asleep and not expecting to get good bites.
This year has been the best for marlin I can remember. We’ve caught more white marlin over at the Nipple and the Elbow than I’ve caught in many years. Also, the swordfish have really showed-up well this year. We’re catching quite a few swordfish now, and the middle of October, we’ll be doing a lot of swordfishing. Although we haven’t caught many blue marlin, we have caught white marlin and sailfish.
This is the month you can leave the dock and expect to catch anything from a white snapper to a blue marlin within 40 to 50 miles of Orange Beach. Since the baitfish are moving close to shore, we don’t spend nearly as much money for gas to reach productive fishing waters.
If I had to pick one species in October that your chances are the best for catching, I’d choose swordfish. We’ve had tremendous success with the swordfish this year. We can average catching about one swordfish every trip. Recently, I saw pictures of a fisherman who caught a 200-pound swordfish. Our boat record is a 185-pound swordfish. When
I was younger, this area didn’t home swordfish. But the swordfish have had a strong comeback in our region, and we’ve just begun to learn how to catch them.
If you’d like to fish with Captain Johnny Green on the “Intimidator,” visit his website @ www.fishorangebeach.com
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Sharing the wealth, Night fishing tournament benefits many By Stephen Dawkins | Clanton Advertiser
There were lots of winners at the 20th annual Birmingham Bassmasters Club’s fishing tournament to benefit Camp Smile-A-Mile.
The actual winners were Rick Duke and Tommy Pegues of Montgomery, who took home $1,000 by weighing in 17.24 pounds worth of bass.
Keith Phillips and Michael Hatten of Lapine finished second with 17.09 pounds, and Bo Hunter and John Canada of Pelham finished third with 15.53 pounds.
Phillips and Hatten caught the big fish, which weighed 5.86 pounds.
Then there were the door prizes, which club president Scott Jones estimates more than 60 percent of participants took home. Every angler received a grab bag.
For more on this article CLICK HERE
Photo by Scott Mims
Waiting game: Participants wait for the signal to begin the 20th annual Birmingham Bassmasters Club’s fishing tournament to benefit Camp Smile-A-Mile.
Examples of custom painted crankbaits by BER Custom Painting.
Click on images to enlarge
Bob had great success with his painting services and started painting lures for a buddy to sell on EBay and for a few collectors he knew that were looking for patterns to finish out their collections. From there word spread and really increased the business.
The Key to Successful Trolling: Know Your Batteries
“There are two -sponsored professionalkeys to successful trolling,” said Edwin Evers, OPTIMA B.A.S.S. Elite fisherman. “Have the right batteries and know how to use them.” Batteries serve as the only power source for a trolling motor. While one might assume that all “marine” batteries would be essentially the same and capable of long-day fishing applications, there are differences that affect performance. On a long-term basis, you want a battery that can be repeatedly discharged and recharged time after time and still deliver a high percentage of its original capacity. That’s what determines its true lifespan. “Anglers have enough to worry about. Their battery power shouldn’t be an issue,” said Josie Cline, marine product manager for OPTIMA Batteries.......
For more on this article CLICK HERE
Don't forget about the new feature that we at the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Department are testing, the Tournament Webpage. Here’s the link to our new tournament webpage: CLICK HERE
I felt compelled to share my recent experience with WorldWide Marine Boat Insurance regarding a boat accident I had 4 days ago on the water. Recently (less then a month ago) , I took delivery of a brand new 2010 BassCat Pantera PIV bass boat with a Yamaha 200HPDI motor (pictured above). Per our Bass club’s website Worldwide Marine was a promoted boat insurance company for it’s members. I called a respected member of my club and he enthusiastically said that WorldWide Marine saved him $200 per year on his boat vs his existing boat insurance policy.
I called Bob Luellen at WorldWide Marine and he saved me $200 plus dollars a year on my boat insurance too. Also, my insurance coverage was more comprehensive including my tackle for my new more expensive boat vs my previous less expensive and smaller boat. During my conversation with Bob I really could sense Bob's passion because he is a fisherman that understands the needs for bass fishermen and their bass boat needs.
Where the rubber meets the road:
Unfortunately, last week, I had a on the water accident that damaged my lower unit. I had such a sick feeling when it happened. Especially since my boat was one month old. To make a long story short I hit a floater (log) that I did not see in the water. I damaged my cavitation plate beyond repair, bent my prop shaft and lower unit gears. Immediately, I got off the water, took pictures of my damaged motor, emailed it to my dealer and took it to him the next day. Scott Brech at Brech’s Marine said I would need a new lower unit. I called World Wide Marine who is the underwriter for my policy. They detailed for me the protocols with my insurance carrier. (a national company to be remained nameless) I initiated the process to get my boat repaired knowing I was faced with another challenge. I was less then one week away from my Tournament Trail season ending event sponsored by local Marina and BassPro Shops. Normally a timeline would not be an issue but my partner and I are only two points out first place fishing on our home lake. I was concerned because my local agent/adjuster could not get out to see my boat until three-four days before my tournament event. If that happened there would be no way I could fish this tournament. I called Bob and boy did he pro-actively make things happen. In less then twenty four hours I had another agent to come out to my dealer, approve the repair, my dealer was able to order a new lower unit and I’ll have my boat back on the water in two days. Now I will be able to pre-fish before my tournament let alone be able to fish my tournament! That is impressive but better yet Bob called me and followed up at least FOUR times that day and did the same with my Boat dealer too. NOW that is incredible service!!! Bob and Worldwide Marine Insurance actively understood my needs as a fisherman and came through for me. It’s a comforting feeling to know that excellent service still exist and a business make you feel you are important to them! Also, Bob did not allow the insurance bureaucracy machine to slow down. His experience and networking skills got me back on the water way past my expectations. I can’t say thanks enough!!! I will be his customer for as long as I own my boat because I KNOW Bob will find the best policy for my boat insurance needs. One last comment. I live in Birmingham, AL and Bob’s office is out of Grand Ledge, Michigan. One might hesitate due to geographical distance but do not hesitate. He’s just as close your local agent is now just a phone call away!All I can say is WOW!!!
All I can say is WOW!!! I want everyone to know I did not receive any special benefits per this post. I felt compelled to share this story and pay it forward. I am one very satisfied customer and want everyone know the great service I received!
If you are considering another boat insurance company please call: Bob Luellen at World Wide Marine toll free
(800) 339-1235
Good Day. Tom Moore
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham Bass Masters would like to thank Aaron Martens .....
Aaron Martens was kind enough to visit the Birmingham Bass Masters on November 19th. Aaron and his nephew spent several hours talking with our club members and guests that night. Topics of discussions ranged from taking care of your fishing gear, how to prepare for tournaments, specific knots for specific techniques, life on the road as a touring bass professional ...etc.
Aaron is known for his finesse fishing, but he excels at all techniques of fishing. His innovative ideas for using old baits in new ways has drawn attention from several national magazines and newspapers. Aaron is frequently featured on ESPN2 and has had several feature article stories in magazines such as Bassmaster Magazine and In Fisherman.
Arron Martens speaking at the November 19th Birmingham Bass Masters Meeting.
Wide Open Throttle with the Birmingham Bass Masters .............
This section is designed to focus a story on a specific club member every other month
This months section is brought to you by current club member Tom Moore.
Tom joined the Birmingham Bass Masters late last year. Though he has not been able to compete in many club events so far for 2009 due to the fact that Tom has been very active on a local money tournament trail. At this point in the season Tom and his tournament partner are leading the Points Chase in that trail, thus keeping him focused on that event. Tom brings this story about a recent situation he ran into with his Bass Cat....... no pun intended.
be held on Lay Lake in February of 2010. The Birmingham Bass Masters would like to thank Aaron for taking his time to come to our club meeting and speaking with our anglers.
For more information on Aaron Martens you can visit his website at www.aaronmartenslures.com or just CLICK HERE
Arron talking with Birmingham Bass Masters.
Aaron is currently in the early stages of preparing for the Bass Masters Classic. The Classic will
