Bob Toppe
8340 South Pvt. Rd. 235 West
Commiskey, In. 47227
To: !BF Officers and Board of Directors
I would like to start this by telling you gentlemen that 1 have never felt more honored in my life than
I was when Erie Hardesty called me and ask for this writing, i will try to make this as short and compact
as, I can. t would like to start with the following names Larry Watson, Joe Landwerlin, Eldon Crabtree,
Unas Mailer, Wes Thomas, Frank Wolka, Mike McDonald and Wally Burns. These names have always
been synonymous with the IBCF and IBF for all of these years.
I use to sub for the South in the early 1980's before I became a Director. I always set there at the
meetings with my mouth shut scared to say anything as we had Frank Wolka and Wes Thomas to do our
talking.
Sometime in the late middle 80's I became a Director for the South and served as a Director until
sometime around 2008 when i ran for Vice-President and held that position for two years and them
bowed out for others to fill the Directors Roles. 1 stayed on a treasurer for the South and still hold that
position.
I have been ask to make a listing of the different things I have done with the IBF and things I did with
fishing the IBCF and IBF Trail.
In 2002 our home burned to the ground and nothing was saved. I lost over half of my Plaques and
Trophies. The ones I still have were the ones hanging on the wall in our Sporting Goods Store. I will list
the ones I still have and try to remember as best I can. At 65 years old I don't remember as good as I
used to. i will list the more notable things I have done for and with the IN. Federation.
My wife Deanie and I ran the Boat Raffle Program two different years, once in 1995 and I'm not sure
of the date for the second one. Deanie would drive us there every day to get us there at least an hour
before the Show started and we always stayed till it was over. It was always Larry Watson there before
us sweeping carpets and getting the money boxes ready for us and Eldon Crabtree always seemed to be
there to help.
Deanie and I ran the State Finals two times both out of the Ohio River Rocky Point. That is something
every Director should have to experience. Again Larry Watson come down with the IBF Trailer and
helped us out. Those tournaments were in the middle and late 90's I think. Deanie and I were sponsors
for the IBCF and IBF Tournament Trails. We ran this sponsorship through our business Bassmaster's Spt.
And Tackle, Inc. out of Seymour, In. Sometimes it was hard to do but Deanie always seemed to come up
with cash or merchandise or both. I think Deanie spent more time on the phone with the Tournament
Trail Directors through the years than i did. I think it was around 2006 or 2007 when we made the move
from BASS to FLW. Our trail was starting to fail and the entire board and Officers wondered how the
Trail was going to survive. Over the years Wes would stop by the house from time to time and once we
were going over South business and we both came up with the idea to solicit and sell slots in the BASS
News Magazine for cash and solicit merchandise for the Trail and use the bulk of the money to give the
Trail a shot in the arm. To make a long story short after many discussions with the President, Officers
and Board of Directors we were given permission to proceed. In the short time of winter, to our
surprise, we were able to amass around $20,000.00 in cash, pledges and merchandise for the trail. I was
able to only get $8000.00 and Wes got the rest around $12000.00. Anybody knowing Wes Thomas
knows that blood can be squeezed from a turnip. That venture helped the Trail for the next two years;
just what it needed to get back in the groove. It was great to have Trail Directors like Larry Mclntosh and
Kenny Swint to carry us through those very tough times.
The next item to list is the thing that makes me fee! best about out Federation and the things it can
do when it puts its mind to it.
Over the years we constructed and installed some handicap fishing piers so that Veterans, Kids and
anyone with handicaps could go fishing in comfort. First thing first, I would like to thank Mr. Kim Earney
with the U.S. Forest Service as the acting engineer of these projects and solicitor of materials and
monies from the Forestry Service. Working close with Kim we installed a handicap fishing pier outside of
Salem, In. at a local lake. The materials were delivered and we loaded my job trailer with the generators,
equipment and extra materials we had laying around and to the lake we went early. Mrs. Sherry White,
a teacher at Salem spearheaded this project. The fishing pier was large and took us all day to construct
on the lake bank. While the pier was being built other volunteers were driving the 2" galvanized pipe
supports and anchoring system on the water. We inflated the tractor tire inner tubes, carried the dock
to the inner tubes and floated the dock in place to the piping, anchored the dock in place, and finished
the construction. Mrs. White had several students from High School there to help us with material
handling and all the clean up. Sherry also had Burger King and McDonalds donate breakfast and lunch
for ail of us there working. I would like to thank Paul "Bo" Killey and Tilden Slone from Ft. Valtonia B/M
for all their help with this project.
We installed a handicap fishing pier at Celina Lake, located fifteen miles North of Tell City, In. This
pier was about the same size as the Salem dock and constructed and installed about the same. We did
install a walkway, constructed with treated materials from the launching area to the pier entrance.
Again we worked closely with Mr. Kim Earney on this project. I again would like to thank Paul "Bo" Killey
and Tilden Slone from the Ft. Vallonia B/M for their continued help. We had plenty of help on this
project as about thirty members from the South were there to help us, most of them from the Tell City
area clubs.
We also installed a double pier system in 1992 at Sundance Lake during the winter and spring
months. Again Kim Earney was acting engineer. Frank Wolka, of the Ft. Vallonia B/M and Mr. Bob Ames
of the U.S. Forestry Service spearheaded this project. I want to say that Frank Wolka, his two sons and
Eldon Crabtree had many many weekends removing brush, cutting up timbers and burning brush piles
while the Lake Dam and Lake perimeter was being finished. Mr. Earney called and told me what
equipment he thought I would need. We loaded both job trailers and to the lake we went. When we got
there and I saw the upright post, already set in place, I thought my God I'll be here for several
weekends.! don't remember for sure how many weekends it did take but it went much better than any
of us thought it would. The project was completed and we were on our way home.
About a month later one evening the phone rang and it was Mr. Earney. He told me he had money
appropriated for a Men's and Women's bathroom and wondered if we would help install it and push out
and install a couple of walk ways to it from the parking lot. The Forestry Service supplied all materials
and a couple men to help. We loaded the trac loader and backhoe loader and equipment needed and
went to work on the installation. This part of the project took about seven days.
A time later Kim called again and ask if we could help install a bridge. The lake dam set to the West;
on the East side was a long ravine that people were having trouble getting around. The materials were
delivered and away we went. The bridge and railing was installed in one weekend, we cleaned up and
was finished. I would like to thank Randy Thompson and Asa Sessions's employees of Toppe
Construction, Inc. and my son Andy for donating a Saturday and a Sunday to help install the bridge. This
was without a doubt the most involved project that I ever did for the Federation. I enjoyed every minute
of the project.
1 don't remember the year, late 90's I think, the telephone rang and it was Kim Earney. He had a set
of prints to send me on a new dry dock handicap unloading structure. This would allow people to unload
wheelchairs from their vehicle onto the structure and run the wheelchair onto the boat deck without
being on the water. The prints arrived and the materials were delivered, we loaded up and to Hardin
Ridge at Lake Monroe we went. We constructed the structure on the ramp, moved it into place and
anchored it to the existing concrete. This structure took two weekends to complete. I would like to
thank my friend Steve Niemoeller and Asa Sessions, employee of mine, for donating their time to
construct and install this experimental project. I have been ask to complete a listing for all awards and
fishing accomplishments over the years with the Federation. I'll list the plaques and trophies ! have left,
so many were lost in the fire. Listings will be the next two pages.
IN closing I would like to say yes we worked hard back in the day but we were young.
Sincerely
Robert W. Toppe
Listing of Certificate
Fort Vallonia Bassmaster's
Boy Scouts of America Tournament, Directors Recognition
Ft. Vallonia 1991 Kids Fishing Derby
Ft. Vallonia 1992 Kids Fishing Derby
Ft. Vallonia 1990 Kids Fishing Derby
Ft. Vallonia Cert of Appreciation, Forestry Service 1991
Ft. Vallonia 1993 Kids Fishing Derby
Ft. Vallonia 1994 Kids Fishing Derby
Ft. Vallonia 1994 Partnership Award/Forestry Service
Ft. Vallonia 1995 Cert, of Achievement/Forestry Service
Ft. Vallonia 1995 Kids Fishing Derby
Ft. Vallonia 1996 Kids Fishing Derby
Ft. Vallonia 1997 Kids Fishing Derby
Ft. Vallonia 1997 Cert, of Appreciation/Forestry Service
Ft. Vallonia 1991 Cert, of Achievement Volunteers/Forestry
Service
Bob Toppe IBF Community Service Award 1999
Bob Toppe IBF July 17th,1993 Piers at Sundance Lake
Tournament Plagues & Trophies
1. IBCF 1989 Top 8 2nd PI. Team O.R. Rocky Pt./Ft. Vallonia B/M
2. IBCF 1990 Top 81" PI. Team O.R. Rocky Pt./Ft. Vallonia B/M
3. IBCF 1991 Top 8 3rd PI. Team O.R. Rocky Pt./Ft. Vallonia B/M
4. IBCF 1991 State Finals O.R. Rocky Pt./3rt PI. Individual
5. IBCF 1991 State Team Northern Member
6. IBCF 1991 B.A.S.S. Northern Divisional Wisconsin 3rd PI. Team
7. IBCF 1992 Top 8 l" PI. Team O.R. Rocky Pt./Ft. Vallonia B/M
8. IBCF 1992 Classic Qualifier Brookville
9. IBCF 1992 Invitational Patoka 3rd PI. Individual
10. IBCF 1993 Invitational O.R. Rocky Pt. 2nd PI. Individual
11. IBCF 1993 Classic Qualifier Lake Shafer
12. IBCF 1993 Classic Lake Shafer 5th PI. Individual
13. IBCF 1994 Classic Qualifier Eagle Creek
14. IBCF 199S Classic Qualifier Ohio River/Duffy's Landing
15. IBCF 1995 Classic O.R. Duffy's Landing/a1* PI. Individual
16. IBCF 1997 Classic Qualifier Salamonie Reservoir
17. IBCF 2005 State Finals Patoka 2nd PI. Individual
18. IBCF 2005 State Team Regional Patoka
19. IBCF 2005 Northern Regional Patoka/2na PI. Team
20. IBF 2006 Top 81" PI. Team Patoka/Ft. Vallonia B/M
21. IBF 2008 Invitation O.R. Madison 4th PI. Individual
22. IBF 2008 Invitation O.R. Rocky Pt. 4th PI. Individual
23. IBF 2008 Top 8 2nd PI. Team Patoka/Ft. Vallonia B/M
24. IBF 2008 Invitational Patoka l" PI. Champion
25. IBF 2008 Top 8 Patoka l" PI. Individual
26. IBF 2008 Classic Qualifier Patoka
27. IBCF 1990 Invitational Monroe Big Bass
28. IBCF 1993 Invitational O.R. Rocky Pt. Big Bass
29. IBCF 1993 Invitational Classic Lake Shafer Big Bass
30. IBCF 1994 Invitational O.R. Tanner's Creek Big Bass
31. IBF 2006 Invitational Patoka Big Bass