|
|
|
|
 In part one of our three-part series with electronics guru Aaron Martens, we spoke to him about the importance of his electronics and what major features are the most important to him. In this piece, part two, he delves a little deeper into the settings and tweaks he makes to his electronics to dial in on sweet spots and how the new electronics have sped up the process of finding fish for the amicable pro.
|
|
Yamaha Marine Group announced today the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA®) has again recognized Yamaha with a CSI Award for excellence in customer satisfaction in the Outboard Engine category.
In addition, Yamaha’s boat companies Skeeter® and G3® Boats also received awards. Skeeter® was recognized in two categories: Fiberglass Outboard Boats and Fiberglass Bass Boats. G3® Boats was also recognized in two categories: Aluminum Outboard Boats and Pontoon Boats. This year’s award is the ninth consecutive for Yamaha in the Outboard Engine category – an achievement no other outboard can claim.
“We always work to improve customer satisfaction,” said Ben Speciale, Yamaha Marine Group President. “So do our dealers and our boat builders, with whom we share this award. The perception of satisfaction is ever changing; we have to be flexible so that we consistently deliver products and services that satisfy our customers.”
NMMA® launched its Marine Industry CSI Award Program in 2001 to provide boat and engine manufacturers with an independently-measured, cost-effective tool to help improve customer satisfaction in the boating industry. The program allows participating manufacturer companies to monitor customer satisfaction on an ongoing basis and to create benchmarks in the industry.
National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA®) is the leading association representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA® member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters in the United States. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy, market research and data, product quality assurance and marketing communications.
Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine Group, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,000 U.S. dealers and OEM partners with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. Visit yamahaoutboards.com for more information.
|
Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win $49,349 in the FLW Series Eastern Division tournament on Lake Champlain with a four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 73-12.
The catch gave him the win by a mere 5-ounces over Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., who caught a total of 20 bass weighing 73-7 and earned $19,740.
“I just fish,” said Fukae, who was looking for pay back after a 5th place at Lake Champlain in 2006 and 6th in 2008. “I drop-shot all week with a shad shape worm.
“Today, I almost broke the camera guy,” replied Fukae when asked about the high winds that affected Lake Champlain today. “Waves were really bad, I lost two fishing poles.”
Fukae opened the tournament in 12th place Wednesday with five bass weighing 18-12 that he caught on a drop-shot while fishing the Inland Sea. On Thursday he added another five bass weighing 18-12 to jump into third place. He then caught five bass weighing 17-13 on Friday to make the crucial top-five cut in second place. On Saturday he sealed his victory using the same drop-shot with a shad shape worm that had worked for him all week.
When asked about his weigh marks, Fukae indicated that he had 980 on Lake Champlain; however, he only used 15 of those spots for this tournament. Fishing suspended fish in 30 – 40 feet of water he indicated that he was looking for bait fish that resembled shad.
Rounding out the top-five pros are:
3rd: Jason Ober, Johnstown, Pa., 20 bass, 70-10, $14,805
4th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 20 bass, 70-1, $9,870
5th: David Wolak, Wake Forest, N.C., 20 bass, 66-9, $8,883
The remaining pro anglers in the top-10 were:
6th: Michael Wolfenden, Warwick, R.I., 15 bass, 52-14, $8,389
7th: Jim Gildea, Weston, Mass., 15 bass, 51-12, $7,896
8th: Jason Knapp, Uniontown, Pa., 15 bass, 51-1, $7,402
9th: Scott Parker, Londonderry, N.H., 15 bass, 50-11, $6,909
10th: Lancen Halbert, Enoree, S.C., 15 bass, 50-7, $6,415
A complete list of results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 25 bass weighing 77 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 5 pros Saturday. The catch included five, five-bass limits.
Christopher Hall of Clarks Summit, Pa., won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger 177TR with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard motor Friday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds, 7 ounces followed by Tony Bushey of Champlain, N.Y., in second place with 15 bass weighing 47-7 worth $4,918.
FLW pro Fukae and co-angler Bushey each won a $1000 gift card as part of the Cabela’s Angler Cash program. Beginning in 2010, Cabela’s is offering pro and co-anglers the opportunity to register and win a $1000 gift card for being the highest qualified finisher in each division at all FLW Series events, making the stakes even higher in an already rich award package. Anglers can visit FLWOutdoors.com for a complete list of rules and to register.
|
Jason Ober of Johnstown, Pa., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 4 ounces Friday to recapture the lead in the FLW Series Eastern Division tournament on Lake Champlain. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 58-13, he now holds a solid 3-pound, 8-ounce lead over his closest competitor, Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas heading into the final day of competition.
“There is a good chance I will zero tomorrow,” said Ober, who has one win and two top-10 finishes on Lake Champlain in the past two years. “I have been using a drop-shot in the same area all week long, on one rod. I hope the fish last, but there is a chance they won’t be there tomorrow. The bite has been tough for me all week, I have really had to work hard to get my fish, but in this game quality and quantity are two very different things and I have definately been on some quality fish.
“I think I understand this lake; I don’t get discouraged and I try to grind it out. Yesterday I left my area prematurely which might hurt me tomorrow. I probably could have gotten a 20 pound bag if I would have stuck it out.”
Lake Champlain is a lake that is known for its large smallmouth bass, however, many have said and believe that a tournament on Lake Champlain is won on largemouth.
Ober is a smallmouth bass angler and all of his fish this week have been just that. Ober is hoping for a lot of sunshine and no wind tomorrow, which is exactly what is predicted, so he can bring in the winning bag of smallmouths.
Fukae caught a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 55-5, all smallmouth, to advance to the final round as the No. 2 seed.
“I have been using a drop-shot in deep water all week long,” said Fukae, who has two top-10 finishes on Lake Champlain and is looking for his first win on the lake. “I will do the same, same tomorrow.”
Fukae believes that the bait fish in 10 feet of water have been key to his fishing.
The remaining top-five pros who will fish the final day at Lake Champlain are:
3rd: Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 55-4
4th: David Wolak, Wake Forest, N.C., 15 bass, 53-12
5th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 15 bass, 53-6
The remaining pro anglers in the top-10 are:
6th: Michael Wolfenden, Warwick, R.I., 15 bass, 52-14, $8,389
7th: Jim Gildea, Weston, Mass., 15 bass, 51-12, $7,896
8th: Jason Knapp, Uniontown, Pa., 15 bass, 51-1, $7,402
9th: Scott Parker, Londonderry, N.H., 15 bass, 50-11, $6,909
10th: Lancen Halbert, Enoree, S.C., 15 bass, 50-7, $6,415
Overall there were 623 bass weighing 1,680 pounds, caught by 146 pros Friday. The catch included 112 five-bass limits.
In FLW Series competition, pros are competing for a top award of $50,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
Christopher Hall of Clarks Summit, Pa., won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger 177TR with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard motor Friday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds, 8 ounces followed by Tony Bushey of Champlain, N.Y., in second place with 15 bass weighing 47-7 worth $4,918.
Hall opened the tournament in second place Wednesday with five bass weighing 17-12 while fishing with pro Mark Melnyk of Toronto, Ontario. On Thursday he stayed in second place on the strength of a five-bass catch weighing 14-13 while fishing with pro Stephen Sykas of Plainfield, Vt. He sealed the win Friday with a five-bass catch weighing 14-15 while fishing with pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala.
“Pairing and execution are key to any co-anglers success,” said Hall, who got his first victory as a co-angler. “I was paired with three excellent partners and that is half of the equation. You need to get with guys that keep you on fish and then you need to be able to execute. I was fortunate enough this week to execute almost perfectly.
“I had the spinning rod glued to my hand all week working the drop-shot; I just filled my bag with drop-shot baits like the 5 inch wacky senko and was able to adapt with each pro.
On the first day of competition Hall indicated that he and his partner were fishing the N.Y. arm of the lake, the second day he was taken on a run to Ticonderoga, and today he and his partner were near the Inland Sea.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Jeff Gengler, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 44-13, $3,688
4th: Chester Williams, Shavertown, Pa., 15 bass, 44-9, $2,459
5th: Edward Pecore, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 15 bass, 42, $1,967
6th: National Guard co-angler Dr. Michael McGhee, Blackstone, Va., 15 bass, $1,475
7th: Kurtis Michaux, Clermont, Fla., 15 bass, 40-15, $1,229
8th: Anthony Brooks, Cornelia, Ga., 15 bass, 39-9, $984
9th: Blaine Bucy, Follansbee, W. Va., 15 bass, 38-14, $861
10th: Richard Rhodes, Calvert City, Ky., 15 bass, 38-2, $738
Co-anglers are also competing for valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
Overall there were 542 bass weighing 1,230 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 146 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 71 five-bass limits.
|
|
Elite Series Pro Angler Jason Quinn recently joined Legend Boats. He talks about customizing his Legend Alpha 211 in a great new video on the Legend site. Take a look. |
|
|
|
If you want to learn about throwing a deep diving crankbait the "Kneel and Reel" King Paul Elias is a good place to start. Check out the tip below as he lets anglers know the best way to walk a crankbait through trees and brush.
|
Our buddy Dave Mercer of Facts of Fishing and Subway had more than 150,000 entries and randomly pulled one lucky winner of his 2010 Skeeter FX bass boat with Yamaha Outboard. We love this guy's reaction! Congrats to Dario!
Of course Mercer had to give him a shot on the pink phone!
|
|
|
|
Anthony Gagliardi of South Carolina leads on the second day of the FLW Series Eastern Division on Lake Champlain. Staying remarkably consistent on day two, Gagliardi again caught a nearly 20-pound limit to put his two day total just shy of 40 pounds with 39-11. He has a 1-pound, 2-ounce lead on day one leader Jason Ober.
“I had a limit early,” said Gagliardi, who finished second at the 2009 FLW Tour Lake Champlain event. “I fished the same area I did yesterday and I am really fending off a lot of anglers just to hold my ground; I had my limit by 9:30 but was afraid to leave because I didn’t want anyone else catching the quality fish that are in this area.
“It’s a grassy flat about 10 to 13 feet deep and the bass seem to gravitate there because it is loaded with bait fish; not just one species, but several. I am seeing shiners, shad, perch, crawfish and I think that is what is making it so attractive.
“Like yesterday, I drug tubes and soft plastics on the bottom and I don’t plan to change much for tomorrow.”
Most of today’s anglers had an early bite, before the wind picked which was about noon. Very few largemouth bass crossed the stage today and several frustrated anglers declared it was a waste of time largemouth fishing and were able to save their day by going north and catching limits of smallies.
Gagliardi now holds an 1-pound, 2-ounce lead over second-place pro Jason Ober of Johnstown, Pa., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 38-9 during the first two days of competition.
Ober continued to fish the same area he did yesterday which is in the northwest corner of the lake near the Champlain Islands. He also had his limit early, by 8:30 a.m., however once the wind kicked up, it took him a long time to upgrade any of his fish.
“I’m still using a drop-shot with a 3 1/2-inch cut tail worm,” said Ober, who won an American Fishing Series event on Lake Champlain in 2008 and in 2009 finished third at the FLW Tour and 6th at the FLW AFS events. “I have been fishing clean most of the week; I’m getting a bite on every cast, but my biggest challenge is competing with the perch, there are just so many there it’s hard to get the bass to bite.”
The rest of the top 10 were as follows:
|
|
1 |
GAGLIARDI, ANTHONY |
19-12 (5) |
19-15 (5) |
39-11 (10) |
|
|
2 |
OBER, JASON |
21-02 (5) |
17-07 (5) |
38-09 (10) |
1-02 |
|
3 |
FUKAE, SHINICHI |
18-12 (5) |
18-12 (5) |
37-08 (10) |
2-03 |
|
4 |
WOLAK, DAVID |
21-02 (5) |
16-02 (5) |
37-04 (10) |
2-07 |
|
5 |
HIBDON, DION |
19-01 (5) |
17-12 (5) |
36-13 (10) |
2-14 |
|
6 |
WOLFENDEN, MICHAEL |
18-00 (5) |
18-03 (5) |
36-03 (10) |
3-08 |
|
7 |
LUCARELLI, STEVE |
18-12 (5) |
16-09 (5) |
35-05 (10) |
4-06 |
|
8 |
HALBERT, LANCEN |
19-09 (5) |
15-11 (5) |
35-04 (10) |
4-07 |
|
9 |
MURPHY, MICHAEL |
18-02 (5) |
17-02 (5) |
35-04 (10) |
4-07 |
|
10 |
PARKER, SCOTT |
17-05 (5) |
17-14 (5) |
35-03 (10) |
4-08 |
|
Based at Lake Park, Texas, the 3rd Annual North Texas Big Bass Classic comes to Lake Lewisville on September 25-26, 2010. The angler with the largest overall big bass of the tournament will take home a 2011 Nitro Z7 valued over $25,000.The North Texas Big Bass Classic will be open to amateur anglers only. Anglers will compete for thousands in hourly cash payouts throughout the two day event. There will be seven hourly weigh-ins each day with the overall largest fish of the event earning the winner a fully rigged 2011 Nitro Z7 powered by Mercury. The first 100 anglers to pre-register for this event will receive a custom Oakley 7' MH Carolina Rod valued at $150. Anglers may pre-register for this event online at www.oakleybigbass.com Anglers may also register by phone, fax or mail. Additionally, mandatory event registration will be held at Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine, Texas on Friday September 24th from 11am-8pm. Anglers may pick up registration forms at Bass Pro Shops. Anglers must check in at Bass Pro Shops on Friday to pick up tournament packet.
Oakley's Rolling O Lab will be onsite at Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine, Texas for Friday's registration. There will be complimentary food and drink on Friday along with prize raffles and contests. Saturday and Sunday's weigh-ins will take place at the Toyota Main Stage at Lake Park.
"We are thrilled to be back in Dallas for another year," says Keith Odom with the Oakley Big Bass Tour. "Our partnerships with Oakley, Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Marine have allowed us to create one of the premier tournament experiences that exist at the amateur level. We welcome all anglers and look forward to a great event weekend on Lake Lewisville."
Sponsors of the North Texas Big Bass Classic include: Oakley, Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Marine, Mercury, MotorGuide, Lock-n-Haul, Quantum, Toyota, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, and Power-Pole.
|
|
|
|
Falcon Rods just introduced the new Falcon Cara Micro. It's a brand new series for Falcon and offers a full range of split-grip, high-modulus tournament casting rods with the new smaller microguides from Fuji. These new Fuji Alconite Micro Guides are designed for longer casts, controlled line slap and sensativity that is unparalleled with regular guides. We just got our hands on one of them, and to say the rod is impressive is an understatement.
Today's rods are designed for specific applications, as are the Falcon Cara Micro's, but we found the versatility of this rod was very special. We tested the "Head Turner" model (CCM-6-1610) with a jig, tube, swimbait, crankbait and spinnerbait, and we couldn't find one application that stood out as the best. One benefit of its versatility is the consumer can buy a high quality rod that can be used for more than one bait without losing a single rod characteristic. We believe the lightness of the rod coupled with its balance and power, however, makes this is a perfect rod for pitching jigs and tubes at close range. The sensitive nature of this rod allowed us to feel even the slightest taps even in heavy cover.
The Cara Micros come equipped with at least 12 guides. More guides mean more points of contact and better sensitivity for the angler, and because there is less line slap, casts are longer and more accurate. A side benefit to the guides is they store easily and do not tangle with other rods in the rod box. The guides are made with Fuji's corrosion-resistant S-4 stainless steel featuring Alconite hard ceramic, diamond-polished ring inserts that are smoother than Hardloy inserts, lighter than SiC, silicone carbide inserts. They are perfect for braided lines and durable enough to withstand hard hook sets and cutting that other guides may not have.
The new Cara Micros were announced and showcased at the recent 2010 ICAST Show in Vegas. They weigh less, have a comfortable split handle that is balanced well and provide plenty of power on the hook set. We even got a bit scared on the initial hook sets fearing breakage because they are so light. And to top it all off, they are made in the USA.
The Cara Micro "Head Turner" Grass Rod weighs in at just a tad over 4 ounces. We teamed this rod with and Ardent XS1000 and it matched perfectly both in appearance and performance. Other rods in the new line includes the CCM-4-170, 7-foot, Cranker, the CCM-5-167, 6-foot 7-inch Weightless Worm, and CCM-7-173, 7-foot, 3-inch Amistad, with 13 guides. All are designed with three actions including medium, medium-heavy or heavy actions. Lure weights vary, depending on rod, from 1/4 to 1 1/2 ounces. Prices for the Cara Micros range from $199.99 to $219.99 depending on model.
Wired2Fish pro's and Falcon Rod endorsers Mike McClelland and Jeff Kriet were integral in the design of the new Micro Guide series which combine strategies from two other successful Falcon rod series and have been testing them for several months.
We recommend the Cara Microguide Series and believe that anglers that move to the new smaller micro guides will be impressed. Falcon Rods also has a full line up of clothing and tackle organization products on their website.
|
|
Dave Wolak of North Carolina already has one win on Lake Champlain this year, and he put himself in good position to repeat with an FLW Series win on the fishery, as he and Jason Ober of Pennsylvania, both caught 21 pounds, 2 ounces to take a slim lead on day one of the FLW Series Eastern Division event. A betting man would guess that Wolak is around grass and bass.
“I am covering a lot of water and just keep moving,” said Ober, who won an FLW AFS event on Lake Champlain two years ago. “That and my experience are what really made the difference for me today.
“I am fishing up North using a drop-shot with a prototype bait that mimics a perch; right now the bass seem to be feeding on the perch so mimicking them has been key.
“I was able to eliminate a lot of water today, and tomorrow I am hoping the predictions for wind are wrong, I may not be able to get to my location if that happens, I need some bright sunshine too! I didn’t have a bite after noon today and that’s when the wind started to play a factor and the sun went under.”
Wolak was also using baits that mimicked the perch. He was using reaction baits and the key for him was to keep the bait moving. Unlike Ober, who caught all smallmouth, Wolak’s bag consisted of all largemouth bass.
“I ended up having a good day, but it started out really slow, I didn’t have my limit until about 11 a.m. I was here two weeks ago for an AFS tournament and the bite was crazy; I didn’t see those bites today but luckily the bites I did get were quality.”
Rounding out the remainder of the top-10 pros after day one at Lake Champlain are:
3rd: Sheron Brown, Shirley, Mass., five bass, 19-13
4th: Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 19-12
5th: Lancen Halbert, Enoree, S.C., five bass, 19-9
6th: Charlie Hartley, Grove City, Ohio, five bass, 19-5
6th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass 19-5
8th: Mark Hickory, St. Albans Bay, Vt., five bass, 19-4
9th: Chevy pro Dion Hibdon, Stover, Mo., five bass, 19-1
10th: Matthew Applebaum, Johnson, Vt. five bass, 18-15
10th: Gary Yamamoto, Palestinie, Texas, five bass, 18-15
Overall there were 676 bass weighing 1,915 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 146 pros Wednesday. The catch included 123 five-bass limits.
In FLW Series competition, pros are competing for a top award of $50,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
Chris Kinney-Hermes of Champlain, N.Y., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 18-15 followed by Christopher Hall, Clarks Summit, Pa., in second place with five bass weighing 17-12.
“This is the best day on the water I have ever had,” said Kinney-Hermes, who last year was fishing in the FLW College division for SUNY - Plattsburgh. “Anthony (Gagliardi) was just a great guy to fish with and we were able to find a couple of really good spots. I was using a Gary Yamamoto Flat Tail Worm, black, most of the day. We each had our limit by about 11 a.m. and then from 11:45 to 12:15 we were on this spot that allowed each of us to cull all of our fish, it was incredible.”
Kinney-Hermes caught his bass on a drop-shot while fishing with Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, who is currently in fourth place.
The remainder of the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: National Guard pro Pat Lay, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 17-10
4th: Tony Bushey, Champlain, N.Y., five bass, 17-6
5th: Robert Gulley, Tupelo, Miss., five bass, 17-3
5th: Jerry Thompson, Bemidji, Minn., five bass, 17-3
7th: James Dixon, Southfield, Mich., five bass, 16-15
8th: Jeff Gengler, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 16-11
9th: Max Allen, Frankfort, Ky., five bass, 16
10th: Edward Pecore, Plattsburgh, N.Y., five bass, 15-10
Overall there were 589 bass weighing 1,366 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 146 co-anglers Wednesday. The catch included 90 five-bass limits.
|
|
Chad and Denny Brauer will be launching a new television show on the Sportsman's Channel beginning in January called Brauer Bass Battles. The format of the show will be one on one competition between Denny and Chad, in their own boats, fishing head to head for five best bass, at the end of 10 hours. They will be fishing public water.
The show will air on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am ET, Wednesday morning at 6 am ET and again on Friday at 3:30 pm ET.
We can hardly wait!
|
 The stage is set for the ultimate Canadian showdown of the year. The 2010 edition of the Berkley B1 Canadian Bass Open, powered by Evinrude takes place Oct. 2-3 on Lake St. Francis out of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec.
Featuring 300 of the best bass anglers in Canada facing off for the ultimate bragging rights, championship rings and a first-place prize of more than $60,000 in value. Lake St. Francis has recently been regarded as one of the top bass fisheries in Eastern Canada, as it has been consistently producing giant smallmouth bass, some weighing 7 pounds. As the competition consists of teams of two anglers bringing five fish back at the end of each day, this means potentially over 1,100 bass will be brought to the scales during the event.
In order to properly manage and handle this volume, a very unique fish management and weighing system is being brought in to ensure the well being and vitality of the resource. As the newest premier partner to the event, Shimano Canada is stepping in and providing their proprietary, world-class Shimano Water Weigh-In System, complete with two Shimano Live-Release boats.
"We are very excited to be a part of the B1 competition and to be the driving force behind demonstrating to the public, that fishing tournaments are fun, challenging and safe for the environment," said Bob Mahoney, Northern Marketing Manager, Shimano Canada. "The Shimano Water Weigh-In System improves the physiological condition and survival of fish in live-release tournaments and we'll be ready to properly handle the big bass that await us on lake St-Francis. Our goal is to get these fish back in the water better than they came in."
With the addition of Shimano's expertise, the Berkley B1 Canadian Bass Open is truly poised to be a fishing competition like no other. Weigh-in ceremonies are scheduled to commence at 3 p.m. sharp on both days of the event. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early for best viewing opportunities.
For more information on the Shimano Water Weigh-In system, Visit Shimano.com.
For more information on the Berkley B1 Canadian Bass Open, email info@berkleyb1.com or visit BerkleyB1.com.
|
|
The stifling, frying pan, hot summer season has somewhat relented for much of the midsection of the country and temps have cooled to bearable in most areas. That will mean that bass will again be on the feedbag and chasing shad -- a fun time of the year!
The shad have reached 3-4 inches and are a perfect meal for feeding bass. When they start busting shad, you better have the right bait tied on to take advantage of the action. This is no time to be digging through the tackle box. As quickly as they come up, they disappear and that means you must have a bait that can cover the entire water column.
We find that a Big Bite Baits Super Shad Swim Bait or a Dean Rojas Cane Thumper combined with a Jewel Swim Gem is just the ticket for targeting crazy feeders. The Super Shad comes in 4-, 5- and 6-inch sizes but we like the 4-inch Super Shad combined with the 3/8- and 1/2-ounce Swim Gem to cover top, middle and bottom of the water column. Because of the combined weight of the bait and head, it allows anglers to cast it long distances to blow ups. It also works great with long sweeping hops off the bottom. Most hits occur with the bait moving but many times they smash it on the fall as well.
 |
 |
|
Jewel Swim Gem
|
Big Bite Baits Super Shad
|
The Super Shad has a handpainted, scaled appearance with 3D eyes and comes in 14 great colors. The Jewel Swim Gem comes in 3/8, 1/2 and 5/8 ounce sizes and comes in shad and chrome.
The neat thing about this combo is it can be "waked" on the surface for some heart stopping action as well.
|
|
Today on Weighing In with Terry Brown BASS photographer and avid angler James Overstreet talks about telling the Elite Series story with photos, how being an angler helps him get the shots and working with the pro's. Check it out! |
|
|
|
Texas angler and Wired2Fish reader Rollie Sheppard knows how to catch big bass. He also knows how to parlay big bass into big cash and a $10,000 paycheck at the KDCD Lonestar 92.9 23rd Annual Big Bass Tournament. Nice fish and even a nicer check Rollie. Way to go!
|
|
 Just like peanut butter and jelly and ice cream and cake, Uncle Josh pork and jigs go together. This year, Uncle Josh also brought a new Bump and Run Series of baits to the table that allows anglers to drive their baits - almost like remote control. Today on Weighing In with Terry Brown Uncle Josh's Matt Bichanich talks about their complete line up. More on Uncle Josh right here.
To take a look at all of the Uncle Josh products at Tackle Warehouse click here. |
|
Some guys are known as great flippers and pitchers. Denny Brauer and Tommy Biffle come to mind there. Some are great power fishermen. Kevin VanDam and Skeet Reese are names at the top of that trade. Some are great boat drivers. Shaw Grigsby and Gary Klein are in that mix. Do you know who the electronics guru on the BASS Elites is? Aaron Martens is the top of that class. We call him the “e-Wizard” here at Wired2Fish.
Aaron Martens is known by his peers as the king of the meticulous. He can be eccentric and a bit in his own world at times, but rest assured, he is one sharp dude, a great stick and loves all things electronic. He is more like a NASA engineer at times than a bass angler. For example, he was installing a new high-end stereo with surround-sound receiver and modifying the internal software on it when we spoke to him.
|
|
By Terry Brown
Spinning Rods are for sissy's. You throw little bitty baits on light line, and when you set the hook, you look like you are having a seizure. After about 20 casts, you spend the rest of the day unwinding the snarl that has cast through 10 guides over a hedge tree and into a stump. That used to be my opinion of spinning gear until I got my hands on the new St. Croix Legend Xtreme XS68MXF rod and combined it with the Abu Garcia Soron SX40 spinning reel. This combo makes music like a Boston Pops concert. Combined with some Sunline 8-pound fluoro, I look like I was born with a spinning rod in my hands.
 After using this combo for several weeks my opinion has changed, and to be honest my prior experiences were attributed to operator error. This old buzzard has to admit that being hard headed was the ailment, and getting a good dose of "no fish" was the medicine. The "Tim Allen approach" wasn't working, and I needed a little finesse in my life.
I have always felt like I was pretty handy with baitcasting gear. Put a bait under a low hanging sticker bush ... no problem. Cast a jig and chunk a country mile and feel a 3-pounder sniff on it ... no issue. But throw a spinning rod with 8-pound test on a spinning reel ... NEVER.
Years ago, I used them for dock fishing for bass, mainly to skip tubes under docks without backlashes. I used them for crappie and bluegill fishing with tiny tubes, and I might even throw a small crankbait to catch a walleye. Use one for tournament bass fishing? Never. That was until the dreaded days of hot summer and the bite went south.
I went through a couple of weeks where I couldn't have caught a bass if someone put it in an envelope and mailed it to me. Shad were everywhere, my deep spots went dry and a 22-pound lead in my local club became a 2-pound lead. I had to adjust, and I had to do it quickly. So, out came the spinning gear. I knew a Kicker Fish 4-inch Holeshot teamed with a Jewel Squirrel Head would catch something. They might be small, but maybe, just maybe, I could squeak out a small limit to protect my lead and my ego.
I practiced three days, only using spinning gear, and guess what? I caught a bunch of small bass, but about every 4th or 5th cast, I caught a keeper and some nice ones to boot. My confidence level improved, and the fairy wand told me where the fish were positioned. It told me where they were, and now it was grind 'em out time. I went from completely lost to feeling pretty good about catching a few and was able to parlay my new found weaponry into a new tool in which I have total confidence. The real beauty in this whole arrangement is I also found several new techniques - new to me at least - to catch No. 5. When the going gets tough, the tough now pulls out the St.Croix spinning rod and gets after them.
 The St.Croix Legend family of rods is well known to die hard anglers. Jason Sealock, of our staff, recently did a killer review of the St.Croix Xtreme X70MHF and the XS68XF so it you want the down and dirty get it there. He gives you the nuts and bolts, the technology and the Kentucky version of how to use them.
For me, it's about finding a new tool. The old saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" doesn't apply here anymore. I have found a confidence weapon that took a bad couple of weeks and turned it into a bright future. This old dog now has another trick up his sleave and shaky heads, drop shots and more limits of bass are in his future.
Fairy wands, heck ... I am a believer!
|
|
Dave Mercer talks Opens, KISS, Carp and Paddle boats...
|
|
 BASS photo
Today on Weighing In with Terry Brown Mark Zona talks about how he sees the fishing industry from his side of the fence. New show, new BASS owners and new boat to boot. Zona Weighs In right here. |
|
If you follow year-end events like we do you may start to recognize a small Indiana bait company, Poor Boys Lures, time and time again is on top of the leader board.
This year, in particular, Poor Boys has taken leadership role in the Northern BASS Opens and even the FLW Cup. Names like Ryan Said, current BASS Northern Open points leader, David Hasty, 2nd at Detroit, Chad Pipkens, 7th at the FLW Cup as a co-angler and 5th at Detroit, noted FLW stick Chip Harrison 6th at Detroit, and Kenneth Taylor, BASS Detroit River Open Co-angler winner all have one thing in common. They have used the Poor Boys Erie Darter. Pipkens and Taylor used the Erie Darter in smoke pepper Super Soft and Harrison and Said have a long established relationship with all of the Poor Boys offerings and used the Darter there as well.
The Poor Boys hand poured family of baits has a long and storied history around the Great Lakes for smallies but recently has also gained notoriety across the country on spotted bass and largemouth bass as well.
|
|
It's not the newest reel in Quantums line up, but we finally got our hands on the Tour KVD reel and if you want to know more about the ins and outs of this reel, visit the Next Generation Tackle Box today to learn what the TKVD150 HPT is best used for. If you're wanting to get better with baitcasters, we always believe buying a high quality reel makes the learning process more enjoyable. Click the photo or the highlighted text to view our on-the-water review of the reel.
|
|
Todd Schmitz of Goshen, Ind., came from behind to win the Bassmaster Northern Open launching out of the Detroit River. His final day limit weighed 23 pounds, 13 ounces and it was anchored by a monster smallmouth weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces. Schmitz had 61 pounds even for his three days on the Great Lakes system. Day one Leader David Hasty, a guide out of Toledo, Ohio finished second with 59 pounds, 3 ounces. Ryan Said finished third with 56 pounds, 10 ounces, Art Ferguson finished fourth with 56 pounds, 7 ounces barely edging out fifth-place finisher Chad Pipkens who had 56 pounds, 5 ounces.
Day two leader Chris King, zeroed on the final day but still finished 20th.
|
Photo by BASS Communications
Changing weather threw most anglers a curve Friday, but it was the locals who came on strong with the 180-degree wind shift. Taking full advantage was Chris King of South Amherst, Ohio, who boated 25-14 worth of smallmouth. King’s limit was the heaviest of the tournament and he accumulated it by repeating Thursday’s milk run of old, proven fishing spots.
“I went back today and hit the same spots, and one had an especially good stock of fish in it,” King said. “I hope the weather holds out Saturday, because I think I can do it again.”
King’s 25-12 gave him a two-day total of 47-4, a nearly 5-pound cushion over second place and Day 1 leader David Hasty.
Hasty, a long-time guide on Erie, followed up Thursday’s performance by adding 20 pounds, 2 ounces, to bring his two-day total to 42-5. The Toledo, Ohio, native followed the same general pattern he was on yesterday, with one key shift.
“I left (Lake) St. Clair a lot earlier today,” said Hasty, a carpenter when he’s not fishing. “The sun was out a lot earlier today than it was yesterday, and that killed my bite up there. After I got two, I ran to the north end of the Detroit River and caught my other three. There were good quality fish there.”
Hasty believes that if the weather doesn’t offer any surprises, he could be in contention for the $45,000 top prize the event boasts.
In third place was Jared Rhode of Port Clinton, Ohio. Rhode brought a 20-14 bag to the scales for a two-day total of 42-2. In fourth was Art Ferguson of St. Clair Shores, Mich., with 38-11. Rounding out the top five was Bryan Coates of Amherst, Ohio, whose 19-15 stringer gives him 38-6 going into the final day.
There was a lot of movement on the co-angler side as Kenneth Taylor of Shelby Township, Mich., caught a monster three-fish limit that weighed 13-12, shooting him up into the lead with a two-day total of 26-2. Taylor credits his partners with putting him on good fish the last two days. Also in the chase for the top prize, a Triton/Mercury rig valued at $32,000, was Ken Ramsey, whose Day 3 catch of 10-0 brought him up to 22-4 and second, and Jay Clingenpeel of Bridgeport, W.V., in third with 22-03
|
|
New York Wired2Fish readers Kenny and Dawn Bak stopped by Wired2Fish today on their way to a fishing trip to Lake Vermillion in Minnesota. Kenny said, "We are going to fish for walleye, bass and panfish. Whatever is biting that is what we are going after".
One funny side story...Dawn calls her GPS unit "Faith". " I have a lot of faith in that unit. It gets us to where we are going" said Dawn.
Thanks for stopping by Kenny and Dawn.
|
|
|
|
From Soundings Trade Only Today:
Fiberglass boat sales unexpectedly fell 31 percent in July in the popular 14- to 30-foot segment over much of the country, and the 5,419 units sold marked a record low for the month in that category.
Overall sales of fiberglass boats, including personal watercraft, fell 26 percent on a year-over-year basis in 30 early reporting states that represent about 65 percent of the national market. The preliminary results help identify the prevailing retail trends in the 30-foot-and-under marine market segments for states that are able to report either monthly or weekly.
Sailboats were the only bright spot in the fiberglass market, as sales rose 4.9 percent. Sales of personal watercraft fell 21 percent.
Aluminum boat sales slipped only 0.1 percent. The aluminum pontoon boat segment continued to buoy the market, however, as sales rose 7 percent.
The documented vessels file was not available for July because of data entry delays. Declines for boats over 30 feet could be slightly overstated as a result.
|
|
A guide on Lake Erie, David Hasty of Toledo, Ohio, used his intimate knowledge of the tournament waters Thursday and took the Day 1 lead of the Detroit River stop of the 2010 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Opens. Hasty weighed in 22 pounds, 3 ounces – good enough for a 7-ounce lead – and is in pole position in the race for the $45,000 top prize.
“I started up North (in Lake St. Clair) throwing a Vandalizer crankbait to pick off the aggressive fish I could see, then as the arches (fish symbols on his SONAR) dropped, we headed down South to lake Erie,” Hasty said. “They were suspending down there, so I started drop shotting an Xtreme Tackle tube.”
Hasty is confident that he can repeat Thursday’s performance and says he still has a few productive areas he hasn’t touched.
Hot on Hasty’s heels was Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., whose 21-12 five-fish limit was anchored by a 5-13 smallmouth. Despite his productive day, Dobson said he had a difficult time catching what he did. Like Hasty, Dobson also made the run to Lake St. Clair.
“It was tough up there,” he said. “I found some fish in a grassbed on Tuesday (during practice), and I caught a few from there today, but then they moved. I ran up into the St. Clair River and caught about 15 pounds on a Mizmo tube then I had to chase ‘em the rest of the day. Once the wind starts blowing, you have to figure out which way they go.”
Dobson’s explanation for the fish moving more than normal is the unusually warm summer the region is experiencing. In third place was Chris King of South Amherst, Ohio, with 21-6. In fourth was Jared Rhode of Port Clinton, Ohio, with 21-4. Rounding out the top five was Curtis Richardson of Belleville, Ontario, Canada with 19-7. Richardson is no slouch in the Northern Opens circuit as he nearly won the 2009 Chesapeake Bay event. The top five is comprised of three anglers from Ohio.
Pro anglers are vying for the top prize along with valuable points toward a berth in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans. Elite Series pro Dave Wolak currently leads the points race, but is absent in the second event. He already has a Classic berth secured through the Elite Series. That leaves local favorite and Wixom, Mich., native Ryan Said in the driver’s seat. Said had a decent Day 1, bringing 16-15 to the scales, good enough for 17th place.
In the co-angler division, Christopher Helfer’s three-fish limit topped the field. The Powell, Ohio, native brought an astounding 13-9 to the scales. Helfer drop shotted for most of his weight. Behind him was Joseph Nega with 12-14 while in third was William Schwartz of Sheffield Village, Ohio, with 12-11. Co-anglers are competing for a Triton/Mercury bass boat package valued at $34,000.
The full set of standings can be found on bassmaster.com.
|
|
Check out this Tackle Warehouse video with Wired2Fish angler Jared Lintner and Paycheck Baits Bub Tosh punching grass mats. A great tutorial about equipment and technique for getting more bites in heavy grass. From tackle to hook set and set up. A great teaching video on grass.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Professional bass fisherman and Professional Anglers Association (PAA) President Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville is hooked on Special Olympics. He is teaming up with Special Olympics Illinois and the Law Enforcement Torch Run to host the 5th Annual Chad Morgenthaler Bass Tournament presented by Jasper Engines & Transmissions on Aug. 28 at Rend Lake in southern Illinois.
The tournament is a buddy team format, with a Beat the Pro fishing contest and chances to win great prizes. Professional anglers Guido and Dion Hibdon pros will attend as celebrity guests to meet and greet anglers and participate in the Beat the Pros contest.
The fishing tournament is limited to the first 150 boats to register. Entry is $175 per boat if registered by 5 p.m. Aug. 20 which includes entry into the Big Bass pot. The team that still catches the Big Bass of the tournament will win a guaranteed $500, sponsored by Svada GM Motor Group. Entry fee is $200 per boat for those who register after 5 p.m. Aug. 20. Entries will be taken until 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27. Each angler receives a meal, T-shirt and goodie bag full of tackle. The first four years of the tournament raised more than $100,000 for Special Olympics Illinois.
Anglers and companies interested in getting involved in the tournament may contact Jeff Henson at 800-394-0562 or email him at jhenson@soill.org. Tournament sponsors and auction items are still needed for the tournament. Auction items may be sent in care of Jeff Henson at Special Olympics Illinois, 605 E. Willow St., Normal, IL 61761.
Registration for the tournament is from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, at Rend Lake Resort. A pre-tournament meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the resort. The meeting includes dinner, an auction of great fishing items and a meet and greet with the pro anglers. Rend Lake Sailboat Harbor is the launch site for the tournament.
For entry forms or more information, contact Jeff Henson at Special Olympics Illinois at 800-394-0562, email him at jhenson@soill.org or visit http://www.soill.org to download a form.
Morgenthaler is a three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and has several FLW Top 10 tournament finishes. He became involved with Special Olympics Illinois in 2005 when he donated a day-long fishing trip as part of an online auction sponsored by the organization. Special Olympics athletes were on hand at Crab Orchard Lake in southern Illinois to see Morgenthaler and the auction winner begin their fishing trip. That experience led to Morgenthaler’s interest in hosting a charity tournament for the organization.
“I was inspired by the courage and enthusiasm shown by the Special Olympics athletes,” said Morgenthaler. “After talking more with Special Olympics Illinois, we agreed a fishing tournament would be an exciting way to introduce the organization and its athletes to a previously untapped audience of fishermen.”
Chad Morgenthaler, 43, has been a professional bass fisherman since 2002. He is sponsored by Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Phoenix Boats, Lunker Lure – Hawg Caller, Svanda GM Motor Group, Solar Bat, Power-Pole, Nameoki Village Marine, Plano Tackle, Minn Kota, Element 21 Fishing, Optima Batteries, Fishouflage, U.S. Reel, Humminbird, Line & Lure, BTS Protectant and El Grande Lures.
Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit organization offering year-round training and competition in 19 sports for nearly 21,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and more than 4,000 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics changes lives by empowering people with intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential in sports and in life. Special Olympics programs enhance physical fitness, motor skills, self-confidence, social skills and encourage family and community support. If you are interested in learning more about Special Olympics Illinois, volunteering or providing financial support to help make Special Olympics programs possible, contact your local Special Olympics agency, call 800-394-0562 or visit our website at http://www.soill.org.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run is the single largest year-round fund-raising event benefiting Special Olympics Illinois. The intrastate relay and its various fundraising projects have two goals: to raise money and increase public awareness for the athletes of Special Olympics. Each year, more than 3,000 officers in Illinois run more than 1,500 miles carrying the Flame of Hope through the streets of their hometowns and deliver it to the State Summer Games in Normal in June.
|
|
Lone Star Bass on the move…
LoneStarBass.com a new Texas based fishing forum is rapidly expanding its membership and bringing with it a different approach. Membership to this forum comes primarily through referrals from its current members and forum founder Mike Kernan.
Kernan is no stranger to the Texas fishing scene and has been competing successfully in some of the best tournament trails in Texas for decades. “As a member of various forum sites, I was frustrated with the lack of real content and the sharing of information that went on. I wanted to create a forum that was lead by its membership and that served the fishing community with its efforts” said Kernan. “So with the help of a couple of friends, I set up the website, pulled out my rolodex and created Lone Star Bass.”
What’s unique about this forum is that each member must use their full name and come by way of referral or provide some brief information regarding their fishing background. “The registration process and our system eliminate the vast majority of the challenges you find on other sites. Our anglers know who they’re talking to and the exchange of information is vastly improved.” added Kernan.
With special member's only sections that discuss tournament strategies and results, the state’s top anglers have a chance to share information and communicate in an open format. “There’s some valuable information here and some great anglers providing feedback, tips and tactics. Lone Star Bass is proof that anglers can moderate themselves and have healthy discussions about important topics in our sport without all the policing that you see in other sites.” said Kernan.
Anglers can get more information and register for the forum by visiting www.lonestarbass.com
|
By Alan McGuckin
Avid readers might remember a story posted last year that detailed 2004 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle’s reliance on P.B. & J sandwiches to get him through long days on the water. His loving wife “Lulu” makes the masterpieces of bread early each morning when she travels with him.
Since that story published, Swindle has qualified for yet another Bassmaster Classic – his 11th – and time spent chewing on a P.B. & J continues to play an integral role in his success.
But what about when she’s not there; when she simply can’t be at a tournament? Well, the dock-skipping Quantum pro makes his own P.B. & J. But “Lulu” is still very much a part of the daily bread. She writes different messages of inspiration on numerous sandwich bags and sends them from their Alabama home to wherever the Bassmaster Elite Series may be.
She’s not a sports psychologist. She’s a wife. A friend. A lifelong mate to bass fishing’s funniest man. And what she knows – that most of us don’t – is that a huge part of Gerald Swindle’s success or failure plays out between his ears. There’s a deep thinker in there. She knows that. And she makes it her job to make sure the thinker is motivated in a positive fashion. A permanent marker, polyethylene bag, postage stamp and love are her tools.
“She knows my mental trigger points,” Swindle said. “She started writing on my sandwich bags at Kentucky Lake last year. And together, we nabbed three straight Top 12 finishes from that point forward.
“There may be other pros that tell you they don’t get lonely out here on the road, but I’m not sure I believe that. Let me tell you something. Years from now, when I’m retired, when I’m reflecting on my career, ‘the one that got away’ won’t be a bass. Instead, it will be time. Time shared at birthdays, anniversaries and weekends together. So knowing that she’s thinking about me keeps me going. Keeps my head straight.
“Self confidence is way bigger than a change in weather or lake level in determining success or failure as a tournament fisherman. She knows that."
More than just subsistence in the form of grape and extra crunchy, it’s a source of inspiration written on a sandwich bag. And it’s working – even when she’s not there.
|
|
We always get a ton of eyeballs as we travel the country in the Wired2Fish trucks, but we just added some more bling with the American Racing Wheel Pro's Justice ATX wheels. We know there will be even more gawking now. Stopping at a gas station or getting a quick bite to eat usually means watching fishing fans walking around the truck, checking it out. We also get a lot of "thumbs up" signs as we travel the interstates.
The new ATX 20-inch Justice Wheels match the "Wired" motif of the truck perfectly. The aluminum look is accented with flat black depth behind each spoke and a detailed center cap sets it off as well. We also like the alternating aluminum and black accents on the outer rim of the wheels as well.
American Racing has dealers across the country and also have over 22 distribution centers for quick service on new products as well.
Look for more models of the ATX Series from American Racing and give us a wave when you see us. |
Quick, name the one piece of fishing gear that although vital to putting fish in the boat, often gets left behind because you’ve simply run out of space? Think of your favorite trips to the Canadian North, Florida Keys, or anywhere else you travel in search of large fish. On many of these excursions, carrying a landing net just isn’t practical. What would you say, then, to a premium portable net that actually fit right inside a travel rod case?
Last year, the engineers at Frabill® introduced the retractable and storage sensitive Hiber-Net®—the first completely retractable landing net that stows like a broomstick and deploys as easily as an umbrella. Since then, countless fish have been safely landed, both during fly-in trips and journeys to neighborhood ponds alike.
Now, to tame even larger fish—northern pike, walleye, redfish, catfish and striped bass to 25-pounds—Frabill brings us Hiber-Net XL. With a larger, beefier hoop and deeper, more cavernous bag, the new Hiber-Net XL gives you big fish landing insurance, no matter where your fishing adventures take you.
“The Hiber-Net XL is an awesome landing net concept that works great for guide trips as well as family fishing vacations, where packing light is essential,” said full-time fishing guide and Frabill Pro-Staff Tony Roach. “When I’ve got a group of anglers in the boat, the Hiber-Net XL is always ready to play, plus it’s never in the way and never gets stepped on or tangled. The design is absolutely foolproof—when I need the net, I simply slide the handle forward to lock the hoop in place and land the fish. For all those big walleyes and pike we catch, the new larger Hiber-Net XL is perfect. And stowed, it occupies no more room than a 6-foot rod and reel combo. A net that fits in the rod locker, you’ve gotta love that!”
“Hiber-Net is unquestionably the best portable landing net solution we’ve seen,” said Frabill Engineer, Ryan Kleckner. “And in over seventy years in the net business, we’ve seen a few.
“The beauty of the Hiber-Net XL lies in its simple, foolproof design,” asserts Kleckner. “There are no buttons or confusing push connections. All you do is slide the handle upward. You feel, see and hear the net lock into place, so there’s no way to overdo it. Hiber-Net XL retracts instantly, too. Just pull the Slide-Grip back toward the handle. This unlocks the hoop and draws it back inside the tube.”
Hiber-Net XL, l ike its smaller brother, the Original Hiber-Net, features a robust handle and hoop frame built with heavy-walled, extruded aluminum. The Slide-Grip itself is super-durable, using pultruded fiberglass springs, which power the automatic hoop lock. Hardware consists of stainless steel and anodized aluminum, fortifying an already rock-solid product with extreme corrosion resistance for use in saltwater.
On the business end of the net, a premium rubberized handle yields sure-handed use. The netting itself is made from a soft, black poly mesh. The material is UV and wear resistant, and won’t spook or harm fish. Retracted, Hiber-Net XL is 72-inches in length, with a fish-friendly triangular-shaped hoop that’s 31- by 27-inches wide and 32-inches deep. Thanks to Frabill’s always-sound engineering, Hiber-Net XL easily handles some of the mightiest fish swimming our waterways, all with the portability of a fishing rod and the convenience of an umbrella.
For more information about the Hiber-Net family and other great products, visit Frabill.com.
To read our review of the original Hiber Net or to see more close-up photos, click here.
The HIBER-NET XL will be available at retailers Dec. 1, 2010.
|
Completing a remarkably consistent 2010 season, Cabela’s pro Paul Meleen won the FLW Walleye Tour Angler of the Year award with 818 points over six qualifying events. To be eligible, competitors had to fish both divisions, Eastern and Western, of the FLW Walleye Tour.
 Meleen started the Eastern Division season with a 19th-place finish on the Detroit River in Trenton, Mich. He then placed 16th on the Illinois River in Spring Valley, Ill. At the season-opening Western Division event on Pool 3 of the Mississippi River, Meleen notched his first of three top-10s – finishing seventh. He then took 35th, his worst tournament of the year, on Lake Oahe in Pierre, S.D. Meleen finished the Eastern Division season with a fifth-place performance on an ultra-stingy Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wis. He closed the Western Division season with a sixth-place finish on Devils Lake in Devils Lake, N.D.
“Winning Angler of the Year means I was the best out there in 2010,” said Meleen. “And that’s something no one can take away from me. It gets harder and harder every year to win, so I feel very fortunate.
“This past year wasn’t the best for tournament walleye fishing, but the majority of the really good sticks – the Keenans, the Przekurats and the Harshes – still fished. Everything has to go just right to win AOY; one bad day or one bad decision can cost you.”
Meleen attributed his success to a loyal group of sponsors and old-fashioned hard work.
“I’m old school; I simply put more time in than anyone else. I’m practicing from sunrise to sundown, trying to find something off the wall. I also have the confidence of a great sponsor team. Foremost among them is Evinrude. Cabela’s has also been instrumental, and I’ve been with Ranger Boats since 1988. In fact, I was the first walleye pro to run a 600-Series Ranger.”
In his career, the Isle, Minn., native has accumulated over $100,000 in FLW Outdoors earnings. He’ll have a chance to add to that total at the 2010 FLW Walleye Tour Championship, to be held Sept. 22-25 on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn.
“I’ve had two goals for a long time. The first was to win Angler of the Year and the second was to win the year-end championship. I’m halfway there, and this could be my year.”
Hatley, Wis., pro Tom Keenan won the points race in the Eastern Division with 421 points over three events. Keenan, the 2006 Angler of the Year, finished fourth on the Detroit River, first on the Illinois River and 27th on Lake Winnebago. Keenan clinched his victory with two skinny 15-inchers caught during the final few minutes of the Winnebago event.
In the Western Division, Bill Shimota edged out Dusty Minke by a tiebreaker. Shimota and Minke each tallied 422 points, but Shimota accumulated more weight during the season. Shimota won the first event of the year on the Mississippi River, took 12th on Lake Oahe and finished 18th on Devils Lake.
|
|
Jesse Buechel won the AIM Pro Walleye Series-South Dakota Walleye Classic tournament on Lake Oahe this past weekend by more than 15 pounds. Starting on day one, he brought in the largest seven-fish limit for 39.23 pounds, giving him a little more than an 8-pound lead on second place finisher, Chase Parsons. On day two he brought in another 27.66 pounds, moving his lead to more than 11 pounds.
On the final day, he topped it off with another huge limit of 28.67 pounds. This was Buechel’s first major tournament win.
“The first win is obviously going to be the one that I remember most," Buechel said. "To think of all of the people that have done it for so many years and have had the opportunities - it’s unbelievable! I just figured, if I could get in the top ten with the competition that I was against, it would be phenomenal. But to get a win, and this size of one, it hasn’t sunk in yet."
Jesse explained how he was catching his fish, and what he felt was the key to his program. Pulling any crankbait in a white color was more important than a single crankbait profile, in Jesse’s opinion, and didn’t mention one particular crankbait as working better or best.
“I fished about a 3- to 4-mile stretch that had good fish on it, and there was one point that was about 200 yards long, that held the most 'good' fish," Buechel said. "It didn’t hold the biggest fish, but it held a bunch of 21-inchers and 22-inchers. Most of my 21s and 22s came off of that one stretch. I decided I would go right to that stretch, and I would just pull it, and pull it and pull it until I had all 21- and 22-inchers. Then I would go searching.
"On the final day, I knew it was going to be slower. I went through probably 150 fish the first day, about 75 the second day, and I went through about 35 fish the final day. My first pass, I hit a 20 3/4-incher. My second pass was a 21 3/4-incher. I said, 'You know what? If I just got one fish a pass, and a good one, then I wouldn’t care.' It probably wasn’t 9 a.m. before I got my limit in the boat. At Noon, I still needed to upgrade a 19 1/2-incher, and at 12:18 p.m., I popped a 25 1/2-inch fish. That’s the big hog I had the final day. I popped it and I was doing the “Happy Dance” up on the front of the boat.
"That was when I knew for somebody to beat me, they were going to have to have 40 some pounds. After seeing the weights the first two days, I knew that it was done. I was wondering what to do, so I came back and Jason Przekurat was running my secondary spot.
"I respected him and I left there and gave him that spot. I went out with my GPS Tracker and wrote, “Hi Mom!” It took me about two miles to write it. I wrote, 'Hi Mom!' with a heart. I figured if anyone was watching online they would have been able to see that, and if I got the win, I didn’t have to call.
"The turning point for me was on day one, about two hours into it. We were letting a board out, and on the way out, it slammed down with a 25 3/4-inch walleye. It told me instantly that I needed to slow my presentation down. I was going 2 MPH during pre-fishing and up until I caught that fish. That first fish told me I had to slow down, so slowed to 1.5 MPH and 20 minutes later I had a second kicker walleye. Less than an hour later, I had a third kicker. So, within an hour, I put three kickers in the boat all because I slowed down.”
The NPAA sponsored youth event was a big success even though the kids didn’t get to fish in the farm pond due to the less than favorable weather conditions. Pro angler, Marianne Huskey, did a tremendous job of organizing the event, and other pros including; Scott Duncan, Lynn Jurrens, Dennis Gulau, all helped out with the “Kid’s Fishing Clinic”. There were a large number of children that turned out for the event, and after receiving brand new rods and reels, tackle boxes, and other goodies, the kids received their “NPAA Future Pro” T-Shirts that they were able to get signed by all the pros as they weighed in.
Here is the top 10 from the event. To see the full standings, visit aimfishing.com.
NAME INCHES FISH WEIGHT
1 BUECHEL, JESSE 469.50 21 95.56
2 PARSONS, CHASE 445.50 21 79.83
3 FLUEKIGER, JARRAD 443.50 21 79.61
4 SAMSON, BRUCE 443.75 21 78.81
5 BLOSSER, ROBERT 442.25 21 78.79
6 OKADA, JOE 441.25 21 78.43
7 PRZEKURAT, JASON 442.75 21 78.31
8 MCMAKEN, MICHAEL 423.75 20 76.85
9 OLSON, RICK 434.25 21 74.57
10 SCHILLING, CHAD 434.00 21 73.17
|
|
Our good friends at Jewel Bait Company now have a fan page on Facebook. You can interact with the Jewel pro's, Gayle Julian, the owner of Jewel and Bryan Head of Marketing directly on that page. Get questions answered, ask about Jewel techniques and get tied into the manufacturer of some of the finest fishing products on the market. Their jigs win a lot of tournaments at all levels of the sport. It pays to keep up with what they are doing. To join the Jewel Fan Page click here. |
|
Spro Little John DD
There is a ton of new products coming out of the Spro camp for 2011 and many of them will be generally available to the public as early as November.
The BBZ-1 2.5 Baby Shad, designed by Bill Siemantel, is available now and the reviews have been awesome. Great for fall fishing this 4 section bait swimmer will catch fish throughout the entire water column but is also perfect for V-Wakin as well.
Spro BBZ-1 Baby Shad
Spro pro Mike McClelland is coming out with two new signature baits for 2011 - the McRip 88 and the McStick 95, later this year. It looks like they will be shipping in early November. The McRip 88 is a slash bait that has a longer bill that allows it to dive deeper but also suspends. The McStick 95 is a smaller version of the proven McStick 110 and will be one that stickbait slingers will love.
Elite Series frog king Dean Rojas will be introducing four new colors of the Spro Bronzeye Poppin Frog, also available in November.
John Crews, the crankbait kid, has a new edition to his arsenal for 2011 with the Fat John, a 3-inch shallow diver, with a fatter profile perfect for shallow cranking flats and points. He is also introducing 3-4 new colors of the Little John this year. Mid-year they introduced the Little John DD and its been a big hit. The DD is a deep diver that dives in the 18-20 foot range and it can be thrown a country mile. The soft tungsten transfer system with a single tungsten ball allows it to be thrown long distances even in the wind and the narrow profile won't wear you out after a long day of cranking. If you missed our review of this crankbait earlier this year, check it out by clicking here.
Stay tuned to Wired2Fish for more details about these and other great Spro products. We will have videos on Spro products on Wired Media as well.
|
|
Elite Series pro Mark Davis was an original Wired2Fish angler. He has been with us from the start. Not only is he one of the best anglers in the world, he is a great guy and is also one of the best story tellers in the world of fishing as well. Whenever we get together, he seems to have a limitless supply of great tales from the water that will make your side hurt.
We have never questioned him on any of his stories, and we really don't know if he embellishes them as they grow older or not. Rest assured he is one funny dude.
The Strike King pro tells a great story about a big one that didn't get away but the details involves one hungry bass. To listen to this tale click here. |
|
Facts of Fishing FYI Today......
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Berkley Experience Trailer will be at the Bass Pro Shops store in Altoona, Iowa for the next stop in 2010. The 60-foot trailer of fun and activities brings fishing education to all skill levels of anglers. The scheduled stop for the Berkley Experience Trailer is August 20th and is set to end August 22nd.
The trailer has new videos and interactive demonstrations on line and bait. The Berkley Experience Team will have seminars scheduled throughout the day to cover the four main components of fishing:
Line Selection
Rigging Techniques for Bait
Reel Maintenance
Rod Selection
Each stop has special retail promotions only available while the trailer is at the location. These include line, bait, rods, reels and combos.
“We look forward to educating anglers as we head to the Bass Pro Shops store in Altoona,” said Andrew Marks, Marketing Director. "The Experience Trailer staff is ready to help anglers of all ages and skill levels learn about fishing, our products and how best to use them to catch more fish. This event is great to introduce young anglers to the sport of fishing or simply to attend to get out of the house.”
Other exciting elements include a knot tying contest and demonstration, where you can learn new knots and even win a prize. Under the tent, we will have racks filled with the latest products and big screen videos that help you experience the adventure with Berkley. The Berkley Experience staff is always on hand to help answer any questions that you have about our innovative products.
UPCOMING BERKLEY EXPERIENCE STOPS
August 20th – 22nd
Bass Pro Shops
1000 Bass Pro Drive NW
Altoona, IA 50009
September 15th – 17th
Gander Mountain
151 Market Square Blvd.
Tyler, TX 75703
|
|
 BASS photo
As anglers, we sometimes over think baits and techniques. Even the pros do at times. We generally get comfortable and look for a "catch-all" for every situation. That can mean lost fish some of the time. Lost fish can mean lost wages to the pros, and for weekenders, it means a good situation can turn into a bad one. Simplifying the game and getting down to the nitty gritty details can make a difference and help every angler put more fish into the boat.
Fishing a jig is a go-to technique for both shallow and deep water fishing, and again, it's the little things that make a difference. A jig is a big fish bait but learning that one jig is specific to an application may be incorrect.
We recently had the chance to sit down with one of the worlds best and most knowledgable jig anglers, Denny Brauer, and get his thoughts on jigs and the hooks that are used. Below is that conversation.
Wired2Fish: Denny, we have recently been doing a ton of research on jigs and the quandry comes down to lost fish. Jig flex seems to be the culprit. What are your thoughts on thin wire versus heavy wire hooks on jigs and is it ever good to have "hook flex"?
DB: I cannot see a time where flex in a jig hook is good. I think as anglers we sometimes over analyze jigs. Sometimes we are looking for a lighter wire, sometimes we want super heavy wire, sometimes we think we have to use a football head. Its really about putting more fish in the boat and to be straight up, to me it's about matching the right jig and the right equipment. Using 20-pound test, a long heavy rod and a thin wire hook is counter productive. The thin wire is better for penetration, but combined with heavy line, the hook will flex. That's bad.
I am a firm believer in matching the gear with the type of hook and the type of jig. I have seen some companies put a thinner wire hook on a 3/4-ounce football head, and I think that is bad.You maybe get better penetration, but ultimately that type of jig means it will flex and you lose the fish. I seldom use a super heavy wire hook unless I am using braid and a flipping stick. Most applications call for a medium wire hook and a great point.
That is where the rubber meets the road. Matching the hook to the rod, reel, and line is critical. It's not just about the size of the jig but what application that determines that.
W2F: With that said, let's go down a path and talk about situations. In the last several years, the football head has taken the front seat for offshore fishing due to its ability to come through rocks, shells, etc. Is it the best choice for this in your opinion?
DB: Let me put it to you this way. I have probably thrown a jig as much as anyone, and to be honest I am not convinced that a football head is the best jig for deep water. Let me tell you why. The size of the head is large and it can cause poor hook-ups. A football head works well in rocks and heavy cover but I have moved back to my heavy 1/2-ounce Premier Pro Model Jig with the bulit in rattle. I don't miss any fish and it comes through cover just as effectively. The rattle serves as a keel and a good planing surface, and I find I hook just about everything in the top of the mouth. Right where I want to hook them. The hook has both good penetration and strength. Sometimes we over think things and this jig handles the deep water real well. New products get the most attention, but sometimes the old tried and true is the best option.
W2F: What type of point do you like best and what about the barb?
DB: I really feel the Mustad Needle Point is the deal. Cutting edges make too big of a hole and can tear loose. The needle point penetrates very well and it has the perfect barb to hold the fish on the hook too. You have to look at the barb and the type of hook for a perfect match. A thin wire hook with a big barb will not allow for good penetration. I have been known to take a pair of needle nose pliers and smash the barb down on finicky biters. Then it's all about pressure and hook set.
Do you have any more jig questions for Denny? If so, send them to feedback@wired2fish.com and we will do our best to get them answered.
|
|
Nitro Boats pro Edwin Evers caught five bass weighing 15.70 pounds Saturday on Lake Norman for a three-day total of 40.71 pounds to win the second event of the PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
The veteran Oklahoma pro had a 5.19-pound largemouth, one more than 4 pounds and another more than 3 pounds in his final-day catch. It was the largest limit of the week and came after Evers dissected his “docks with brush” pattern more thoroughly on the second day.
That resulted in him staying on the deeper brush a bit more Saturday, working a 3/8-ounce Booyah Jig and a Texas-rigged Yum! Dinger with a 1/4-ounce tungsten weight. Evers made short pitches toward the dock and worked the baits to the brush. He also threw a 3/8-ounce Booyah Buzzbait around specific shallow, shady areas containing cover, riprap or sandy bottoms with spawning bluegills.
“I just spent more time on the brush,” he said. “I didn’t catch a lot in practice, but I saw a lot of good fish up shallow. I found about 60 or 70 brushpiles in front of docks that had some depth in front of them.”
When things are going right, they’re going right. Evers flipped the 4-pounder – his second keeper – and hit the driver’s console of his Nitro, but got the fish into the boat. On his 3-pounder, he had to hand-line the fish to the boat. He also stealthily chased a third keeper about 100 yards down a bank, making two casts with the worm and jig before getting it to slurp the buzzbait.
“I’m really pleased with this week,” he said. “It’s been a while since I won, and this is pretty gratifying.”
Evers won a $45,000 package that includes a Nitro Z-8 boat rigged with a Mercury 250 and T-H Marine Atlas Jackplate. Evers already is qualified for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in October on Lake Conroe, to which the PAA will send its top 15 points leaders following the season’s third tournament next month on Lake Tawakoni in Texas.
Hard chargers
Bass Pro Shops pro Ott DeFoe of Tennessee made the strongest move of the tournament, jumping 32 places the final two days to finish second. DeFoe finished with 34.80 pounds after going up the lake below the dam to work key shoreline cover with eddy pockets the final two days.
DeFoe caught one keeper on the lower end Saturday before going up toward the dam, where water was being generated. Bass were on the banks in 2-4 feet around shady wood cover, he said. He cast a 1/4-ounce Texas-rigged Berkley Power Worm in pumpkinseed around the cover, getting a little drift from the current into the eddy pockets.
“When I got there, the water was running, and it was game-on,” DeFoe said. “The first one I caught was a 3-pounder, and I finished my limit pretty quickly. I was able to cull the limit and even caught one about 15 minutes before I left to check in, and that probably was the difference between second and third place, and possibly fourth place. It wasn’t much, but every ounce counted.”
The current along the shore wasn’t too strong, but was enough to nudge the lightly-weighted worm into the eddies.
“It drifted a little, and the key was getting a good cast close to the bank around those eddies,” he said. “I normally use a bigger weight, but with the slim profile of the Power Worm you want to use as light of a weight as you can get away with.”
Ranger Boats pro Chris Baumgardner of North Carolina finished third with 34.63 pounds. Megabass pro Shinichi Fukae of Texas led going into the final day, but fell to fourth after catching just four bass for 7.99 pounds and a total of 34.42.
Fukae was fishing a Yamamoto Baits Pro Senko on a shaky head in three lightweight sizes over brush 20-30 feet deep. Instead of vertical drops, he targeted spotted bass suspended over the brush with a pendulum presentation of his bait. Casting past the brush, he let the bait fall to the bottom, then made quick turns of his reel to imitate a darting minnow before killing the action.
“They follow it and turn on when it’s going fast,” Fukae said. “Then I kill it, and it’s right there in front of them. But they didn’t bite as well today and my best area … nothing. I went there four times and didn’t catch anything.”
The PAA Tournament series will visit Lake Tawakoni in Garland, Texas, for the third event of the season. The tournament will be Sept. 9-11.
|
|
To say that the rules and regulations to qualify for a genuine Guinness World Record are extreme is an understatement of epic proportions. Just ask the Marathon Man himself, Frabill’s Jeff “Kolo” Kolodzinski. “Well let me see… We had to have two individual fish counters with unique tally sheets. Literally, a trained timekeeper had to be on hand. There needed to be two minutes of video evidence for each hour during the 24 hours. Sworn affidavits were required. We even brought in a witness from the Minnesota DNR to check my p’s and q’s.” Whew…
Fortunately, the blood, sweat, tears and microscopic attention to detail paid off. For Kolo not only bested his previous mark – set two summers ago – but made the standing total of 1,628 fish landed and released in 24 hours look like chicken feed compared to his new number, a jaw-dropping 2,160 fish! Holy fish-heads, Batman…
Once again, he pulled off the stunt from the docks of Maynard’s in Excelsior Bay on Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka. Adding to the hoopla, the crowd and coverage was way up, and so were donations to Fishing For Life, the event sponsor.
Further entertaining the masses, Kolo pulled a few tricks out of the tackle box. For one, there were no less than eight muskie insurrections during the event. In fact, one particularly mercurial muskie clipped the posterior two-thirds from a respectably sized bluegill. (Various sunfish species end up accounting for well over 90% of the catch.)
Weather was in Kolo’s favor, too, which wasn’t the case last year when key sundown hours were stolen by lightning storms. “Rain and storms were forecasted on and off, but thank God, the meteorologists were wrong,” said Kolo. Daytime temps ranged in the mid 70’s and were coupled with consistently overcast skies. “I’m confident the cloudy skies kept fish closer to shore and more active throughout the day.”
As a man possessed to give back to the sport of fishing, and a wee bit competitively natured too, Kolo will take another whack at it next year. “It’s a big number, but it’s beatable,” he said with confidence hidden beneath that trademark grin.
Oh, and to the rest of the world…bring it on! Lets see whatcha got. And don’t come to the table with a cloud of fishbowl-sized, nipping gobies, roach, or sculpin, either. (Okay, just kidding around.) Challengers are welcomed.
|
Photo courtesy of PAA / Fishpaa.com
Nitro Boats pro Edwin Evers of Oklahoma slammed the door on his first win in three years Saturday with a three-day total of 40.71 pounds at Lake Norman in the PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
 Evers stuck with three baits all three days: a Booyah buzzbait, and a green pumpkin Booyah jig and Yum Dinger. He caught one on the jig and four on the Dinger on Saturday, including a 5.19-pound largemouth that pushed his catch to 15.70 pounds. That was the largest limit of the tournament and sealed the win.
Alternating between shallow, shady areas with cover and brushpiles in deeper water in front of docks, Evers overtook Megabass pro Shinichi Fukae of Texas and held off strong charges from Bass Pro Shops pro Ott DeFoe of Tennessee and Ranger Boats pro Chris Baumgardner of North Carolina.
Fukae had four bass weighing 7.99 pounds and fell three spots to fourth place. DeFoe continued his climb up the standings – he moved from 34th to second in the final two days – and finished behind Evers with 34.80. Baumgardner was third with 34.63.
Evan Williams Bourbon pro Jason Quinn of South Carolina was fifth with 30.63.
The rest of the Top 10:
6. Takahiro Omori, Texas -- 30.60
7. Anthony Gagliardi, South Carolina -- 30.34
8. Andy Montgomery, North Carolina -- 29.66
9. Aaron Martens, Alabama -- 29.52
10. Russ Lane, Alabama -- 29.40 |
|
Our good buddy Mike McClelland shows that suspender type lifejackets work in this BoatUS Wear Your Life Jacket safety tip. No doubt, he will get even with Hackney, Crews and Kriet.
|
 PAA photo
Friday the 13th offered a tough start for Shinichi Fukae of Texas after he left his GPS waypoints notes on Lake Norman and left it in his camper.
But that didn’t stop him from capitalizing on his career-best showing at Norman. The Megabass pro jumped into the lead with five bass weighing 11.47 pounds for a two-day total of 26.43, with one day remaining in the PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
The top 30 will fish Saturday for a $45,000 package including a Nitro Z-8 boat, Mercury 250 and T-H Marine Atlas Jackplate, along with qualifying points for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in October on Lake Conroe in Texas. Today’s final weigh-in will begin at 4:30 p.m. EST from Bass Pro Shops at Concord Mills Mall. Live coverage will be streamed on AnglersChannel.com.
Fukae is targeting specific areas with a shaky head and also is trying to capitalize on schooling fish. His run-and-gun approach paid off as he separated himself a bit from Nitro Boats pro Edwin Evers of Oklahoma, who has 25 pounds. Evers caught 10.04 pounds on Friday.
“Saturday will be busy on the lake,” Fukae said, “so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to some of my spots. I’ll go to them if they’re open and I can get on them. I hope I can.”
The 28,500-acre lake is popular on weekends with throngs of recreational anglers and boaters. The field will face challenge that along with the possibility of overnight thunderstorms that could change things if the forecast holds true. Friday remained sweltering but the wind was picking up later in the day from the southwest.
Ranger pro Chris Baumgardner of North Carolina surged into third place with a limit weighing 13.36 pounds for a total of 23.51. Bass Pro Shops pro Ott DeFoe of Tennessee also came on strong, posting in fourth with 14.39 and a total of 22.77. DeFoe’s catch was the biggest of the day and included the big bass, a 4.90-pounder.
Several anglers said the bite died or grew tougher after about 9 a.m. when the sun began beating on the lake.
“I sat on one spot too long and that was stupid,” said Triton pro Jeff Kriet of Oklahoma. “I didn’t catch my first one until about 10:30. A few guys saw me on Thursday on my best spot and I knew if I didn’t go there first, I’d never get on it. I hit it hard Thursday and I think you have to be able to rotate your spots to let the fish regroup. When you catch one or two, it pulls them off and they scatter. But if you can’t move, it makes it tougher and you may not get another bite.”
The tournament is the second in the four-event series this season. The third stop will be Sept. 9-11 on Lake Tawakoni in Garland, Texas.
Complete standings are available at http://fishpaa.com/tournaments/lake-norman-results/
Here is the top 10 anglers from day one and day two:
1. Shinichi Fukae: 26.43
2. Edwin Evers: 25.00
3. Chris Baumgardner: 23.51
4. Ott DeFoe: 14.39
5. J.T. Palmore: 21.57
6. Dave Wolak: 21.11
7. Aaron Martens: 20.32
8. Anthony Gagliardi: 20.23
9. Mark Menendez: 19.87
10. Casey Ashley: 19.79
|
|
|
|
Our friends at Outdoor Music in Nashville produced this video with Elite Series angler Casey Ashley. He is one talented kid. We think its one awesome video and everytime we see it get fired up about wetting a line and fishing a tournament. Take a look and see if you feel the same!
|
|
Nitro Boats pro Edwin Evers of Oklahoma and Megabass pro Shinichi Fukae of Texas are tied for the lead with 14.96 pounds caught on Lake Norman in the first day of the PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
Fukae’s catch was anchored by a 6.13-pound largemouth, the biggest bass of the day. He and Evers are fishing similarly in that they’re making multiple moves to specific targets.
“I’m only using a shaky head worm and going to a lot of areas,” Fukae said, adding that he’s fishing in “medium deep” water.
Evers also is making numerous stops on the 32,510-acre lake northwest of Charlotte. He was buoyed by his limit that came in a few pounds above his pre-tournament expectations.
“This lake has a lot of fish in it but I didn’t know how well I’d do,” Evers said. “I thought 12 or 13 pounds would be pretty good, so I’m happy. I lost a couple of good fish that would have helped a little more. So, who knows what will happen Friday?”
Evers would have claimed the top spot alone if not for a 1-pound penalty for late arrival at check-in. Fukae and third-place angler Guy Eaker of North Carolina sustained fish care penalties of a quarter- and half-pound, respectively, but those would not have affected their places in the standings.
The field will launch Friday morning Blythe Landing at 6 a.m., with weigh-in scheduled for 3 p.m. The top 30 pros will advance to Saturday’s final day and weigh their catches at 4:30 p.m. at Bass Pro Shops at Concord Mills Mall, preceded by free pro angler seminars in the store beginning at noon.
The field is competing for cash and a new Nitro Z-8 boat with a Mercury 250 and T-H Marine Atlas Jackplate, along with qualifying points for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in October on Lake Conroe in Texas. Live weigh-in coverage will be streamed daily on AnglersChannel.com, along with daily reports and photo galleries on FishPAA.com.
Eaker brought in the first big bag that included a 4.75-pound bass. He said a day on the lake before last month’s cutoff clued him into a new area that, along with a drop shot strategy, paid off well Thursday.
“I haven’t been on the lake in two years but that day I found a little something that I thought might hold up and it did,” said the Bojangles pro who lives in nearby Cherryville. “I typically fish up the lake above the (Highway) 150 bridge, but I didn’t fish up there. I don’t know if it’ll hold up, but I’m going to find out Friday.”
Duckett Fishing pro Boyd Duckett of Alabama, in fourth with 12.87 pounds, said the bass are feeding, “but not around the stuff we like to fish. They’re off the cover or getting off, and you have to find them. They’re suspended and moving a little bit. It’s tough.”
Extensive experience with dock fishing paid off for Prowler pro JT Palmore of Virginia, who is fifth with 12.33 pounds. That included a 5.33-pound lunker that helped push him into contention.
“I live on Lake Gaston and have about a thousand docks up there,” he said, “so I just did what I know to do.”
|
 Those of us that have worked at FLW Outdoors and fished their events know the staff there is like family. Now one of them needs our help. Bass Fishing League tournament director Ronnie Brinegar, a young husband and father, was involved in a serious auto accident on July 1. He is currently a patient at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Ga., where he is beginning his long road of therapy and rehabilitation.
River City Bass Club is hosting a benefit tournament Sept. 4 at Kentucky Dam Marina on Kentucky Lake to benefit Ronnie.
Please click here to download an entry form and additional information on prizes, donations and sponsorship opportunities.
All of us at Wired2Fish and FLW Outdoors appreciate your consideration and participation.
Terry and Jason from Wired2Fish.com will be fishing it, so we'd love to see all you guys from the area that can make it there.
|
|
Much like Doublemint gum, where you get two mints in one, you now get two great radio programs on Wired2Fish.com. Wade Bourne has his nationally syndicated Wired Radio with Wade Bourne and Terry Brown has Weighing In, both are also right here on Wired2Fish.
Wade's program airs six days a week where he talks to the biggest names in fishing. Wade brings you tips, techniques and great stories from pro's, legends and some of the biggest stars in our sport. He also touches hunting, camping and other outdoor interests. It can be found under the Radio drop down on the homepage.
Today Wade talks to Al Morris about elk hunting and calling. Click here to listen.
Terry's program, Weighing In with Terry Brown, highlights the pro's and newsmakers of the sport as it happens and is found under the Wired Media drop down. Weighing In today has FLW's Charlie Evans. Click here to listen.
Check out Wade's program every day on Wired2fish and across the country in over 300 markets and listen to Terry right here on Wired2Fish.com.
|
|
This past week, right after the 2010 FLW Cup, FLW CEO Charlie Evans stepped down from his job there. We had a chance to sit down with him on Weighing In with Terry Brown and speak to him about the move, talk a little about the history of FLW and what he will be doing next. To listen to this program click here. |
|
|
|
|
 FLW Outdoors announced that Beaver Lake has been added to the 2011 Walmart FLW Tour schedule. The Walmart Open, which will be held March 3-6 in Rogers, Ark., will begin the 2011 FLW Tour Majors season.
“It is only fitting that we begin our first Walmart FLW Tour Major of 2011 at Beaver Lake," said Trisha Blake, President of FLW Outdoors Marketing Division. "We could not be more excited to once again return to one of the greatest host cities in the country and home to Walmart Headquarters. Northwest Arkansas has some of the greatest fishing fans in America and we plan to put on the biggest and best event the area has ever seen. We look forward to bringing the Walmart FLW Tour to Beaver Lake for years to come.”
Beaver Lake has played an instrumental role in the growth of FLW Outdoors with the Walmart Open being held there 12 of the past 13 years. Some of the most famous anglers in bass fishing have won the Walmart Open including Gerald Swindle, Rick Clunn, Andy Morgan, Ray Scheide, as well as Andre Moore and Clark Wendlandt, each winning it twice.
The Beaver Lake tournament replaces the event originally scheduled for Falcon Lake in Zapata, Texas.
|
|
Bassmaster Elite Series Chris Lane’s third annual “Reeling in Future Pros” fishing camp was held Saturday, August 7th. In attendance were 100 boys and girls ranging in ages from 5 to 19 from as far away as Louisiana. The campers were treated to how-to seminars from Lane, his brother Arnie and local Guntersville guides.
"The response to the camp this year was remarkable,” Lane said. “To see this many kids, parents and grandparents turn out on a hot summer day to learn more about fishing was uplifting. These kids are the future of our sport and our country. It was awesome to see the excitement on their faces as they picked up their new Shakespeare rods and reels donated by Pure Fishing.
"Tony Chachere cooked an amazing lunch and the Val Monte Resort was a terrific venue. Thanks to everyone that helped with the event we now have 100 kids with brand new fishing equipment ready to fish lakes and ponds all over the south.”
Casting winner Kenneth Dennis and Chris
In addition to seminars, Q&A sessions and hands-on instruction, the campers participated in several contests during the day with winners receiving a trophy. Clay Hardin, Kyle Cole and Jared Force won awards in the boater safety contest. Dakota Morgan, Josie Altom and Joseph Runions took honors in the casting contest. The fishing contest winners were Kenneth Dennis, Jordan Parnell and Chris Cygan.
All participants received donated items from Legend Boats, Boat U.S. Angler, Costa del Mar, Gambler Baits, Azuma, Power Pole, Stren, Big Green Egg, Mercury and Fish Lake Guntersville.
Details regarding the fourth annual “Reeling in Future Pros” camp to be held again at the Val Monte Resort will be available soon at ChrisLaneFishing.com.
Fishing in his 8th year as a full-time professional angler, Elite Series pro Chris Lane recently relocated to Guntersville from Winter Haven, FL. Chris finished the 2009 season with an FLW American Fishing Series win on Lake Guntersville and opened the 2010 season with a victory in the Southern Open on Lake Okeechobee. More information about Chris Lane is available at ChrisLaneFishing.com.
|
|
FLW Chairman and CEO Irwin Jacobs made two major announcements at this years FLW Cup. Walmart has rejoined FLW in a long term contract and T. Boone Pickens has joined FLW as a partner. Both announcements mean big things for the anglers fishing their trails. To listen to his interview click here. |
|
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Gene Larew Hard Head Contest. The Hard Head and Biffle Bug information is available on the Gene Larew website. You can buy them by clicking here.
You had to know a lot about Tommy Biffle to get this one correct. You also had to be a good guesser!! Here are the questions and correct answers to the contest.
1) On the rare instances when he does miss a bite, Biffle is hardheaded
about always:
a) Rerigging with a brand new bait
b) Clipping his knot and retying
c) Turning his cap to the rally position before casting again
Correct Answer B
2) When in a vehicle about to park (whether driving or not) and concerned
about door dings, Biffle is hardheaded about always:
a) Making sure the vehicle is dead center in the parking space
b) Parked in a handicapped spot
c) Finding a place between the two most expensive vehicles
Correct Answer A
3) While eating at a fine Italian restaurant during the 2009 Bassmaster
Classic in Louisiana, Biffle was hardhead about having the waiter take his
lasagna back to the kitchen to scrape the sauce off and add:
a) Two fried eggs on top
b) A generous supply of ketchup
c) A big scoop of guacamole
Correct Answer B
4) In selecting the hook for his HardHead combination, Biffle was hardheaded
about using this specific hook brand and style for the Bottom Buggin' rig:
a) Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp
b) Gamakatsu EWG
c) Owner wide gap "J" hook
Correct Answer C
5) Always particular about his boat's appearance, Biffle was hardheaded in
telling a friend he had to do this before getting in his boat:
a) Wash the mud off his shoes
b) Take his shoes off
c) Vacuum his boat when getting home
d) All of the above
Correct Answer D
The winners of the contest are:
Gordon Hardle
Lincoln, NE
Mike Russell
Calvert City, KY
James Wade
Loris, SC
Paul Williams
Fayetteville, AR
Congrats to all and your prize packages are on the way.
|
|
|
|
It takes the right tools to do the job. BASS AOY Kevin VanDam has the right hooks with the Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip Trebles and he knows it. Check out this video of Kevin talikng about the difference these new hooks have been to his fishing and a presentation from Mustad at this years ICAST show. Three AOY's in a row, 3 Classic wins with the latest this past February and over 5 million in BASS winnings. I think we'll watch.
|
Mercury Marine’s simple, easy to follow fuel care system takes the guesswork out of choosing the right fuel additive for your boat engine. Easy to read, numbered labels describe when each product should be used – eliminating unnecessary confusion.
Quickare, Quickleen and Quickstor fuel additives are essential in helping keep your engine running at its peak. By regularly using these fuel care products, your engine may start easier, idle smoother and hit the hole shot quicker. Other benefits include extended spark plug life and less stalling from cold engine starts. All three of Mercury’s fuel care products can be used in any 2-cycle or 4-cycle gasoline engine with any octane grade – including ethanol-blended. They are also safe for catalyzed engines.
Most of today’s gasoline can begin to break down and oxidize within weeks, leaving behind deposits that hinder an engine’s performance and fuel economy. Mercury’s new fuel treatment, Quickare, is designed to be used with every fill-up. Besides keeping fuel fresh between fill-ups, it helps prevent problems associated with ethanol-blended fuel, such as corrosion, rust, oxidation, gum and varnish build-up and phase separation. It also controls moisture and corrosion problems associated with non-ethanol fuel. A 12-oz. bottle will treat up to 120 gallons of gasoline.
Quickleen, Mercury Marine’s engine and fuel system cleaner, is the same formula customers have relied on for years. The deep cleaning engine treatment keeps engine parts lubricated and free of excess carbon deposits, which can cause performance problems or even engine damage.
Powerful cleaning properties remove and prevent carbon from forming on spark plugs, combustion chambers, pistons, intake valves, and carburetors. Thus, it can help prevent fouled spark plugs, damaged pistons, broken rings and scored cylinders. Regular use of Quickleen helps maximize performance, fuel economy and engine reliability. One 12-oz. bottle will treat up to 60 gallons of fuel.
Quickstor, Mercury Marine’s improved fuel stabilizer, is now two times stronger. Help prevent fuel from breaking down and oxidizing by adding it to gasoline before storing your engine. It also prevents fuel system corrosion and keeps fuel injectors and carburetors lubricated. One 12-oz. bottle will treat up to 60 gallons of gasoline.
Customers can purchase all three fuel products at their local Mercury dealership. Additional information is available at mercurymarine.com.
|
|
Cabela's Pro Staff member and three-time FLW Angler of the Year Clark Wendlandt has designed a series of technique-specific bass-fishing rods that are made by Falcon Rods and available exclusively from Cabela's.
Wendlandt, a member of the Falcon Rods Pro Staff since 1992, was able to call on more than 20 years of experience as a professional bass angler when he was selecting the components for the rods in this series, which offer technique-specific actions for a variety of lures and fishing situations.
"I've been with Falcon a long time and I knew what actions would fit best in this series of rods," Wendlandt said. "We started with the same quality graphite blanks that are used in Falcon's popular Cara series of rods and then made some subtle changes that are designed to decrease weight and increase performance. The idea is to reduce wear and tear on your arm, so you can make lots of casts and fish more effectively all day long.
"I think this is going to be an awesome series."
Included in the Falcon Clark Wendlandt series are the following rod models: All Purpose, Weightless Worm, Finesse Jig, Pitching, Medium Cranks, Deep Cranks, Carolina Rigging, Heavy Cover, Shaky Head and Grubs/Worms.
The foundation for these rods are American-made, high-modulus F120X graphite blanks that deliver an amazing blend of lightweight strength and sensitivity. They sport EVA foam handles that are constructed of high-grade foam that is lighter and more consistent that cork.
The casting rods feature Fuji ECSM exposed blank reel seats for detecting light bites, while the spinning rods have the proven Fuji IPS reel seats. Both are easy on the hands.
Lightweight and durable Fuji Alconite guides are mounted in a performance-maximizing low-rider configuration. These guides handle the stress of fishing braided line, which can wear grooves in lesser-quality guides.
All the rods in this series are made in the United States and include a limited lifetime warranty.
|
|
Today on Weighing In with Terry Brown, Jerry McKinnis talks about their purchase of BASS. He talks about his partners Don Logan and Jim Copeland and how it began. He also sheds some insight into when it will be completed and what his plans are for the future of BASS. To listen to this interview click here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 FLW Outdoors announced that it has agreed to a long-term sponsorship with Walmart to become the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors, beginning in 2011. Per FLW Outdoors’ policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed. This new partnership will serve as a key component in combining several marketing and promotional opportunities including, but not limited to, Walmart in-store product marketing and promotions, retailtainment at fishing tournaments and at Walmart stores, and advertising and marketing through FLW Outdoors’ worldwide media owned outlets. Irwin L. Jacobs, Chairman of FLW Outdoors, stated, “Walmart has been an integral part of professional and recreational fishing for many years. We recognize Walmart’s renewed, long-term commitment to FLW Outdoors as a substantial and important confirmation of Walmart’s support for their customers’ passion for the outdoors.” Irwin L. Jacobs, Chairman of FLW Outdoors was joined onstage at the Forrest Wood Cup by Walmart executives to jointly announce the breaking news that Walmart is once again returning as a title sponsor of FLW Outdoors. “Many Walmart customers have a deep commitment to the outdoors. To them, time spent fishing represents ‘living better,’” said Stephen Quinn, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Walmart. “Through this partnership, we see another way to connect with this important segment of our customer base while nurturing additional interest in fishing at all levels, whether professional or recreational.”
Local Walmart stores will be offering in-store family-friendly events, such as fishing simulators, and an expanded assortment of fishing gear for sale. Individual stores will also play supporting roles for FLW tournament events around the country.
Walmart will serve as title sponsor across multiple circuits of FLW Outdoors including the FLW Tour. As part of the sponsorship, Walmart will receive exposure and prominent presence across the multiple platforms of FLW Outdoors, including all bass and walleye events, FLW Outdoors’ multiple websites, FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors Magazine, “FLW Outdoors” television show, broadcast to over 500 million households in 24 countries, and additional marketing functions operated by FLW Outdoors.
Walmart began its sponsorship of FLW Outdoors in 1997 and that commitment served as the first of its kind for the world’s largest retailer and for the sport of bass fishing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A tough bite paired with extreme pressure and heat, followed by a blizzard of rain lakeside didn’t stop 82 TBF youth state champions today, on day one of the 2010 National Guard Junior World Championship on Lake Lanier. Anglers traveled from 41 different states to face off in this national contest knowing today it was all or nothing to decide who would advance. The tournament big bag goes to Drake Young, from Lincoln, Mo., representing the 15-18 year olds as the TBF Youth Central Division Champion. Young caught a total of four fish weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces.
“I’m really excited,” Young said. “I just went out there and caught fish today and had fun!” Young also caught the most keepers. “I don’t know what I did differently; I guess I just found more fish.” Young plans to stick with the same approach tomorrow, but other than that he’s not looking too far ahead. “Winning tomorrow, really I haven’t thought about it; I’m just not thinking that far ahead, yet.” His strategy placed him on top, but only 1 pound, 2 ounces separate his closest competition. Greg Zellers, from Winamac, Ind., is the TBF Northern Division Champion in the 15-18 age group, and in second place overall. Zellers brought in two keepers today weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces. “It’s just a world of change, an unbelievable event,” Zellers said. Zellers fished mostly deeper water today, but plans to switch his stroke up tomorrow and fish shallower. “I just want to thank everyone that made this possible and TBF/FLW, Berkley and Ranger Boats; to be able to go into the second day is just a dream come true.” Weighing in 3 pounds today is Regan Green, from Macon, Ga., with two bass claiming the Southern Division title and the top spot overall in the 11-14 age group. “Really, I’m excited, eager” Green said. “I have a good plan going into tomorrow.” Green lost two keepers mid-day and plans to go hunting tomorrow. “I lost a 5- and a 4-pounder that would have brought me way over the top.” He caught one fish on topwater around 9:30 with a little Spook and the second on a drop shot. “I’ll definitely plan on the same thing tomorrow; I’m anxious but ready to go.” Adrian Forbes, from Fairfield Vt., is the Eastern Division Champion in the younger age bracket. “I really didn’t think I was going to make it,” Forbes said. “I didn’t have much confidence to begin with but now I’ve got a lot; I got a lot from this place.” Twelve young anglers pushed ahead despite all odds, solidifying their spots on the final day of competition to crown this year’s National Guard Junior World Champions and pronouncing them Division Champions. The top two anglers from each of the six TBF divisions advance, one from each age group, 11-14/15-18, to comprise the final twelve. The crowd waited in the midst of a storm, rain soaked and still cheering on these young anglers as each state champion walked across the stage. It was definitely a day for the record books. Tomorrow will echo that as 12 Division Champions take-off from Laurel Park on Lake Lanier right alongside the FLW Pros. Of the final 12, the top finishers from each age group will walk away proving to the nation they have the right to be called champions.
|
|
Pro Cody Meyer of Grass Valley, Calif., crossed the stage with a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces to lead day two of the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier. Meyer now holds a 1-pound, 4-ounce lead over Chevy pro Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark., who weighed five bass weighing 13-8 for a two-day total of 10 bass for 26-2 in a tournament featuring 78 of the world’s best professional bass anglers.
“Today I started off and caught two pretty quick”, said Meyer, who is appearing in his second consecutive Forrest Wood Cup. “I fished the same water I fished yesterday.
“I ran a bunch of water and wasn’t catching them,” Meyer added. “Yesterday I caught them mostly all suspended over the top of brush and today it seemed like I couldn’t find them doing that, so actually I just dropped it into brush.”
Meyer said he caught only five keepers throughout the course of the day with his last fish coming at 2:45. He said he caught his limit on a drop-shot rig in 25 to 30 feet of water on the south end of the lake. Meyer said he approached brushpiles and made long casts to them and kept fishing vertical and dropped the bait repeatedly in different spots in the brush until he provoked a strike.
“I’m going to fish a lot of new water tomorrow, so maybe that will produce,” Meyer said. “The bites that I’m getting are all really good ones, fortunately. It could be really good or I could have only a couple of fish.”
Nixon’s practice pattern dried up and forced the Chevy pro to make a change during competition.
“You’re not going to believe it, but in practice I was killing them on a Texas rig,” Nixon said. “I mean it was unreal. I thought I was going to win this thing on it and then all of a sudden I don’t know what happened. That cloud cover left two days in a row and they went deeper and went plumb off of it and I had to fall back on something else.
“I had to put together a new game plan yesterday,” Nixon added. “I was set on catching them 22 to 26 (feet deep) on a Texas-rig worm on brushpiles or a jig-head worm and they just left and went a little bit deeper and I’ve had to go to a drop shot.”
Nixon said he believes he has a chance to take home the championship title because he’s catching good limits each day.
“If I can just bust me 12 to 13 more (pounds) tomorrow and the next day and a couple of guys stumble or stump their toe, then it will be my time.”
Rounding out the top-10 pros after day one on Lake Lanier are
3rd: Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., 10 bass, 25-1
4th: Jason Menninger, Gainesville, Ga., 10 bass, 25-1
5th: Kevin Hawk, Buford, Ga., 10 bass, 24-15
6th: National Guard pro Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 24-5
7th: Ronald Hobbs Jr., Orting, Wash., 10 bass, 24-3
8th: Castrol pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 22-9
9th: Brain Travis, Conover, N.C., 10 bass, 22-6
10th: Troy Morrow, Toccoa, Ga., 10 bass, 22-6
Overall there were 239 bass weighing 500 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 72 pros Friday. The catch included 25 five-bass limits.
The second day of competition marks the cut to the top 30 pros and co-anglers. Pros are competing for the title of Forrest Wood Cup champion, the most prestigious award in professional bass fishing, as well as a top award of up to $600,000 — the sport’s biggest award.
Dereal Rodgers of Camden, S.C., leads the Co-angler Division with 10 bass weighing 18-0 followed by Frank Divis, Sr. of Fayetteville, Ark., in second place with seven bass weighing 17-4.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are
3rd: J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., six bass, 14-13
4th: Chad Pipkens, Holt, Mich., six bass, 13-12
5th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., six bass, 13-11
6th: John Niedosik, Avondale, Ariz., four bass, 11-14
7th: Alan Hults, Gautier, Miss., seven bass, 11-2
8th: Brad Roberts, Nancy, Ky., five bass, 11-2
9th: Gayle Janes, Bermuda Dunes, Calif., six bass, 10-12
10th: Matt Peters, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 9-15
Overall there were 100 bass weighing 197 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 57 co-anglers Friday. The catch included two five-bass limits.
|
|
|
Manabu Kurita, the Japanese trophy hunter and co-holder of the largemouth bass world record officially announced Tuesday, Aug. 3 that he will open bidding on the mount of the world record fish. On July 2, 2009, Manabu Kurita tied a record that had stood for 77 years when he caught a largemouth bass that weighed 22 pounds, 4.9 ounces, nearly one ounce heavier than the record fish caught by George Perry in 1932. Kurita’s fish was subsequently certified by the International Game Fish Association as a legitimate world record catch. Kurita’s American associate David Swendseid has been charged with assessing legitimate domestic and international offers. “I am honored that Manabu Kurita asked me to take on such a privilege,” Swendseid said. “The next several weeks will be one heck of a ride. When you think of the residual value this fish could present to the industry, it is exciting, but the intrinsic value this record will bring the purchaser is humbling.” “My preference is to see the world record make its final resting place in the US,” Swendseid said. “It’s America’s number one sport fish and originated here. We gifted the largemouth to Japan, and now a matured return such as this would be an honor.” For companies or corporations this amazing freak of nature could be exhibited at promotions and trade shows, giving the public a window view of the dream fish. Alternatively, an individual might want to add this one-of-a-kind piece to his or her private collection. Swendseid will consider all legitimate offers. For further information or to make a bid, contact David Swendseid: Phone: 971-506-1359 Email: dside7@yahoo.com |
|
|
Pro Kevin Hawk of Ramona, Calif., crossed the stage with a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces to lead day one of the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier. Hawk now holds a 4-ounce lead on pro Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., who weighed five bass weighing 14-8 in a tournament featuring 78 top bass anglers. “Today went really, really well”, said Hawk, who has fished most of his FLW Outdoors career as a co-angler. “I had a fairly good practice, but I didn’t expect to catch the weight I did today. “In practice I had a lot of fish but I was shaking them off,” Hawk said. “I didn’t want to stick them and have the chance of them not biting during the tournament. I thought I was on about 12 pounds a day. I came out here today and had a little milk run of 30 or 40 (spotted bass).” Hawk would fish an area for 5 or 10 minutes then pick up the trolling motor and head to another spot. Hawk used this method to fill his limit by 10:30 a.m. He began culling and had the limit he weighed by noon. Hawk qualified for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup as a pro through 2009 FLW Series Western Division competition and soon after moved to the Lake Lanier area. Hawk also fishes the FLW Tour as a co-angler. “I have confidence in the fact that I think I know what the fish are doing,” Hawk said. “I’m a little worried that I hit a lot of my big fish spots today, so I don’t know if I can get the same quality tomorrow.” “I started on a place that I really didn’t catch any fish on in practice,” said Christie, who has won more than $314,000 in FLW Outdoors events. “I caught a 2 ½-pounder and then went a while without another fish. About 10 o’clock I ended up catching three more pretty quick. I pretty much had what I weighed in by 11:30. “I’m really surprised,” Christie added. “My practice was terrible. I think I figured out something today that really helped me for the next couple of days.” Christie said he relied on the YUM Dinger and the YUM Houdini Worm for his bites on the first day of competition. “I’ve got three rods on the deck and that’s pretty much all I’m fishing,” he said. Rounding out the top-10 pros after day one on Lake Lanier are: 3rd: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., five bass, 14-6 4th: Cody Meyer, Grass Valley, Calif., five bass, 14-3 5th: Ott Defoe, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 13-10 6th: Jason Meninger, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 13-3 7th: Brian Travis, Conover, N.C., five bass, 13-2 8th: Chevy pro Larry Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark., five bass, 12-10 9th: National Guard pro Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., five bass, 12-9 10th: Castrol pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 11-14 Overall there were 253 bass weighing 537 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 72 pros Wednesday. The catch included 27 five-bass limits. Pros are competing for the title of Forrest Wood Cup champion, the most prestigious award in professional bass fishing, as well as a top award of up to $600,000 — the sport’s biggest award. J.R. Wright of Truckee, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 12-5 followed by Brandon Hunter of Benton, Ky., in second place with five bass weighing 9-5. Rounding out the top-10 Co-anglers are: 3rd: Dearal Rodgers, Camden, S.C., five bass, 8-15 4th: Frank Divis Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., three bass, 8-12 5th: John Niedosik, Avondale, Ariz., three bass, 8-7 6th: Gayle Janes, Bermuda Dunes, Calif., five bass, 8-0 7th: Taylor Thompson, Half Moon Bay, Calif., five bass, 7-14 8th: Kevin Koone, Greenbrier, Ark., four bass, 6-12 9th: Paul Mueller, Southbury, Conn., four bass, 6-11 10th: Jeff Grant, La Mirada, Calif., four bass, 6-9 Overall there were 113 bass weighing 216 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 56 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included five five-bass limits. Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $60,000 this week. |
|
Kevin Hawk of Ramona, Calif., might have made the right moves the last year to break this thing wide open. Hawk was Ehrler's practice co-angler in west coast events last year while qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup. He qualified through the Western Series events out west and is now leading the biggest FLW Outdoors event of them all. Hawk caught 14 pounds, 12 ounces. The 15-pound limit proved impossible on a brutally hot day that saw little win and very skittish bass. Drop shotting deep was the story of the day, but the wildcard of the event is going to be the shallow largemouth. Ott Defoe ran way up the river in a Bass Tracker john boat rigged with a 150HP Mercury outboard on the back and caught a good limit of largemouths in shallow water. Full story and results will be posted soon.
|
|
Baker Curb Racing announced today that G2 Gemini Custom Apparel will be a sponsor of Nelson Piquet’s No. 27 Ford Fusion for Saturday’s Zippo
200 at the Glen. The Minnesota-based company provides custom apparel for worldwide customers in several industries, including; fishing, bowling and shooting and has supplied the Baker Curb Racing team with custom crew shirts that they will be wearing at the track this weekend. Joining G2 Gemini Custom Apparel as sponsors for the Zippo 200 are ArcSight, Qualcomm, AutoTrac, Alpinestars and -273.
Piquet Jr. will be making his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut Saturday. He made his NASCAR debut at Daytona International Speedway in February finishing sixth in the 2010 NextEra Energy Resources 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. He has recorded three top- 10 finishes in four Camping World Truck Series starts in 2010. The Brazilian driver has also made three starts this year in the ARCA Racing Series, qualifying in the top-10 for all three races. He captured the pole for the Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway and went on to register an ARCA Series-best finish of ninth.
|
|
|
|
|
 Pete Gluszek announced that the first Bass University Classes will be in Kissimmee, Fla., Nov. 6-7, 2010. Registration for this class will open next week. To book hotel reservations contact visitkissimmee.com. To find out more look for more details coming on thebassuniversity.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mercury Marine angling team dominates at 2010 BASS events
FOND du LAC, Wis. (Aug. 3, 2010) – Mercury Marine’s Bass-angling team finished a record-breaking season in high fashion Saturday when Kevin Vandam claimed the Bass Elite championship on the Alabama River, locking up his sixth Bassmaster Angler of the Year title to go with wins by Mercury anglers at every regular-season 2010 Bass Elite event. The Mercury team also got a win from Vandam early in the year at the Bassmaster Classic.
VanDam is only the second angler ever to claim the Bassmaster Classic and Angler of the Year titles in the same season.
The win Saturday – the 19th in Vandam’s storied career – tied the Kalamazoo angler with Roland Martin for the most career Bass wins. Vandam earned $200,000 over the weekend to push his career-earnings record to more than $4.5 million.
Ten of the 12 anglers who competed in the 2010 Elite championship drove Mercury 250 Pro XS engines.
“I know I can count on my Mercury, and that gives me confidence in my ability to win,” said Vandam.
"I never get tired of winning. This title was the hardest for me to accomplish so it means that much more. I take nothing for granted because I face competition every day that can beat me.”
Skeet Reese, a Mercury Marine angler from California, dominated much of the 2010 Bass season, winning two Elite events, finishing six times in the top-five positions and leading the Angler of the Year standings most of the year.
VanDam netted an even 26 pounds on the Alabama River over the weekend to claim the tournament win and the Angler of the Year title. Reese finished third in the AOY standings.
Mercury angler Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., finished second in the championship event and the Angler of the Year standings. His two-day total was 24 pounds, 0 ounces. Finishing fourth in the AOY race was Terry Butcher, Evers' brother-in-law and a Mercury angler, while Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., also with Mercury, finished fifth.
|
|
|
|
Kevin VanDam just won his sixth BASS Angler of the Year. The timing is perfect for one lucky Wired2Fish reader to have part of that history with a Mustad KVD Signature Series Shirt. Specially designed for Mustad by Gemini Sport Marketing, this shirt is autographed by KVD and is perfect as a tournament shirt or to be displayed in the den.
The winner of the July Mustad Shirt is Mike Gallagher of Madison, Mississippi. Your shirt is on the way.
Also, stay tuned for another opportunity for another Mustad KVD Signature Series shirt next week. We will also be running a special contest where 5 lucky anglers will get to design their own shirts courtesy of Gemini Sport Marketing. Stay tuned for that as well.
Thanks to all that participated.
|
|
|
|
There is no question that Strike King has a premier pro-staff. Year after year their anglers rise to the occasion and this year is no different.
Kevin VanDam won his 6th BASS Angler of the Year on Saturday and his 3rd Angler Of the Year in a row as a member of the Strike King Team!
KVD also won the Classic back in February. With this win, Kevin becomes the first person since Mark Davis, also a Strike King Pro Staffer, To win both the Classic and Angler of the Year in the same season. Davis did it in 1995.
Kevin also won the last postseason event yesterday giving him a total of 19 BASS Wins!
Kevin mentioned on stage during the event that he won using a Strike King Series 5 Crankbait and his NEW KVD1.5 Signature crank both in Sexy Shad color. "Sexy" has taken fishing to a new level.
Since the inception of the Sexy Shad color back in 2007, KVD alone has won the following :
2 Postseason BASS Events
7 Elite Series Events
3 Angler of the Year Awards
1 Classic Championship
Other Strike King notes:
Greg Hackney also fished in the top 12 Postseason event and came home 8th in points.
At this point in time, Strike King will be sending four anglers to the BASSMasters Classic in February in New Orleans, La.
They are KVD, Greg Hackney, Shaw Grigsby and Mark Davis.
Strike King pro Mark Rose will be fishing in the Forrest Wood Cup this coming weekend on Lake Lanier in Georgia.
Using Strike King lures definitely paid for these pros!
|
|
|