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June 2009 9th
I got it
I thought this was clever
Do you have O.C.F (obsessive compulsive fishing)
That is a very important question. The first step to managing your obsession is admitting to yourself that it exists.
Please read these five simple questions and answer them honestly.
1. When eating finger foods, do you ever smell fish on your hands?
2. Has your loved one ever been upset with you for coming home late because you were “stuck” on the water?
3. Do you own a higher number of fishing rods than you do shoes?
4. Do you secretly feel upset when someone in the boat catches more fish than you?
5. When preparing to call it a day, do you ever make five or more “last casts”.
If you answered “yes” to two or more of these questions, you are a member of one of the fastest growing conditions in America.
Posted: May 27th, 2009 under Blogroll.Comments: none Edit this post
Prefish # 2 Miss river 5a
The second day of prefishing found me with my tournament Partner Greg Halleland or as he goes by on some boards – champion198elite
After meeting him at his house and helping him diagnose some engine starting issues (coughcoughkillswitchcough) we were on the river. The first spot we tried was a sand drop and it was so windy that it was nearly impossible to fish. We went into a slough and started pitching to wood. On my fifth pitch I felt a wonderful tap and I set the hook. With the fight being on I knew it was a good one and Greg asked if it was a good one and I said yes. He came back to help and he didn’t realize how good it was until he got it in his sausage fingers. It was a good 4.5 pound start to the day and I hoped it was going to carry momentum through the day. We each managed one smaller keeper off of that chute and then off to the next spot. The next spot produced a smallie on a swim jig and another on the DT FAT 3. We then poked our head around some docks and Greg got bit and we decided to save this spot for the tournament. We then hit the sand drop that I had hit on Monday and it proved successful again kicking out a 3.5 pound fish for Greg. We caught several others from a few different spots but many of them seemed to be at random places. After checking one area we decided to run an area that was heavily wooded and run it is what we did. Greg cut through two big downed trees and as he trimmed it up we both cringed to the sound of metal on wood. We pulled into the access to check things out and all we had was a bent skeg. After that Greg figured is rig was invincible so we ran everything. A decent day of fishing and we learned as much where not to fish as well as where to fish. Swim Jigs were the top producer of the day and it is always fun running around in a bass boat for a day. We both had high hopes going into tourney day especially hoping the big one would bite again. sorry for the lack of quality sun was just coming up and all we had was the cell camera
Posted: May 20th, 2009 under Blogroll, prefish.Comments: none Edit this post
Prefish # 1 Miss river 5a
With our first club tourney right around the corner it was time to prefish. My guest today was Andrew. Andrew and I hit the river early. And when I went to start the van that morning I was scraping frost. YIKES. We started out by the access and within the first half hour we had our first fish on a 16” piece of supper walleye on a chart. and white spinnerbait. In another 20 minutes Andrew would christen the trip with the first bass, a short, on a coffee tube. After leaving there we went to a weed flat. With the sun coming up and the fog lifting I caught the first fish of this area ripping a swim jig through the weeds and had another one come off next to the boat both 2.5 pound fish. We then went to an area with some bed fish. We couldn’t coax any large mouth into biting but each of us landed a decent smallie. We fished some rip rap with some shad catching a short and good smallie on a DT FAT 3. The next area went fruitless as it looked good on a map but turned out to be very shallow.We then found a good little sand drop with some roots and stumps on it. This is where we had a bit of a flurry. Andrew caught his fish on a square billed storm and I caught my 3 lber swimming a jig over the stumps. All in all a good day on the river. the three pounder
Posted: May 19th, 2009 under Fishing Log, prefish.Comments: none Edit this post
Pro research
I am not pushing buying this stuff but it is lure and technique research all condensed into one. Here is their site http://www.profishingresearch.com/?utm_source=Outside%2BHub&utm_medium=Banner&utm_campaign=Campaign
but what I liked most was this chart:Top 50 lures rankings
Posted: April 30th, 2009 under Uncategorized.Comments: 1 Edit this post
Bass bite
Interesting article on how bass get caught and their genetics.http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=3257
Posted: April 23rd, 2009 under Uncategorized.Comments: none Edit this post
Bassin
Headed to the river on Saturday afternoon for a little basin fix. After checking a few places that looked good on a map only to find them unfishable we headed to my old trusty spot. The water temp on the main channel was low fifties but in this back water bay it was 64 which was great. I had the whole family with on this excursion so fishing was not the first priority. We did manage some bass but none pictureworthy and Idso was with and he managed a few first. His first spinnerbait fish ever (which was a 4-5lb pike) and his first spinnerbait bass and first bass of the year. Good to be along when someone accomplishes their first. Good job Idso. I hope to get back out soon I love smacking those fish.
Update: I noticed that the first batch of tourney results are in from Pool 4-5 looks like it took a 16lb bag to win. Brown and green fish mix.
Posted: April 20th, 2009 under Blogroll, Fun fishing/Multispecies.Comments: none Edit this post
a good little trick
Master Chuck turned me on to this little video - although i have never tried it CEO Jeremy says it works good. I guess if i ever had the need i might do it. Ha Ha
Posted: April 14th, 2009 under Blogroll, video.Comments: none Edit this post
Trouting
As I was sitting at my desk on Monday the 6th I got a phone call from the man who is a 3 time daddy, Andrew. He dangled in front of me this idea that he was playing bachelor for the day and wanted to have something tug on his line. I proposed trout fishing and shortly after 1:37 p.m. we were on the water. Andrew was new to trouting and he told me to play guide and so I did. I put the best lure I knew of for trout on his line because I wanted him to have action. The lure was an inline spinner but the color is the real secret – I call it the Jeff Oliver – after the man who introduced it to me. After having a few short strikers on the first few smaller holes Andrew finally tied into one and it was a good one. His first trout ever measured in at an impressive 15 inches – even through his sucker in his mouth you can see his smile. We caught several others in this time that were decent but none picture worthy. We hit one hole and I caught a decent one but my sausage fingers definitely dwarf this trout.JPG. After these few hole we were onto water I had never fished before and we were walking many yards due to shallows and no deep water haunts. After tagging one decent fish I wanted a picture on I managed to step into a good hole of mud. (No I am not kneeling) Then we came across and area that was scum filled due to no current and just above this scum area was a good haunt. I was the first to cast and my lure brought nothing but 3 big boils behind it. Then Andrew made the cast with Jeff Oliver and it was on. The fish came out of the water immediately and then proceeded to bull dog him. Of course I left the net at home but I knew this was a giant and I was certainly wishing for it. After many good runs by the fish we managed to wrangle him to shore and put the tape on him and he measured in at an impressive 20.5 inches. After a few pictures and much admiration we let the biggun go. Then on the very next cast Andrew hooks into an 18 incher, hey when you are hot your hot. Not bad for a first time trouting EVER. Nice work Andrew.
p.s. if you want the full quality pictures those are linked belowmud.JPGlang15.JPGandrewstank.JPG
Posted: April 9th, 2009 under Blogroll, trout.Comments: none Edit this post
Betty the bass
We have an at home aquarium with a small bass in it and feeding time is my favorite. Here is a video of her nailing fast and furious. I would recommend only watching the first 1:20 after that it’s lame but I don’t have any editing software. ENJOY!
Posted: April 8th, 2009 under Blogroll, video.Comments: 1 Edit this post
First mn bass trip
March 30th - we headed out for our first Minnesota bass trip of the year. It took found us on the Mississippi river over by Winona. I grabbed Idso and Meyer (since it was Meyers birthday and spring break) and we went. Although we ate a glorious lunch on one of the island down there the fish weren’t biting as well as brandon. As you can see by all the pictures we never got bit. Warmest water temp we found was 41 and most of the time it was 39 and we had to break ice to launch the boat. Felt good to get out though, but was pretty cold.
Posted: April 8th, 2009 under Blogroll, Fun fishing/Multispecies.Comments: none Edit this post
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Trouting
Went out Last week with a first time trouter the man we like to call Idso. We each had spinners tied on and went to a local stream for our first attempts at catch and release season. Since it has been some time for us to have gotten precipitation of any amount the stream was as clear as i have ever seen it. Many fish were moving to our spinners but it was tough getting any to commit due to the clear water and what we did get to commit came unbuttoned easily due to barbless only rule. Either way plenty of trout action on this day here are a few pics of Idso.Idso doing his best Iaconelli impression
Posted: April 8th, 2009 under Blogroll, trout.Comments: none Edit this post
Missouri Massacre Day 3
Day 3 was the day of exploration. Steve had a milk run of ponds set up that he knew had never seen any bass pressure but didn’t actually know if anyone had stocked them. So we were on the search and destroy mission to see if any of these ponds had bass. We woke up this morning to cold temps around freezing with even worse wind chills. We hit the first pond called heart pond and immediately Jeremy poked one and then Steve a few and me as well. We had not been there even 5 minutes and it was good. We fished until they stopped biting and then off to the next pond. We fished about 5 more ponds and blanked on all of them. Until we hit the mother. This pond was off the beaten path and was a bit of a walk to get to. I casted out the spinnerbait and POW I got bit, we knew it was on then. We were also under specific instructions to keep everything for a fish fry. So we started stringering them up. We got to one bank of this pond where everything was just right. The wind was blowing into it and had for days. There was a nice point on flat with submerged clumps of weeds and for about 6 casts in a row I got bit. And then I poked my big one of the trip. She was short and fat like a MN fish and was right at 4lbs pig.JPG. I missed her the first time on the spinnerbait and then she came and smoked it the second time. It was fun to watch it all happen as I stood up above the pond casting from a rock. We fished the whole pond and everyone was catching them. At one point I caught one and its stomach had a big bulge in it and I messaged its tummy and up came a bluegill. This bluegill was an identical match to my spinnerbait it was scary wanted to take a picture but by this time the batteries had died. The last time I was able to match the hatch that well was in my days of fly-fishing. Equpment of the day was a and most of the spinnerbait bites - SCIII 7′0″ MH Fast 1pc, Plueger supreme reel and 14lb test fireline tied to a secret weapons spinnerbait in bluegill. It was a fun day and I will always remember it. Click here if you want to see bass about to get the chopping block.A great trip to Missouri’s finest pond fishing and a special thanks to the Rowland family for putting up with our Minnesota sarcasm and to their great hospitality.
Posted: April 7th, 2009 under Fun fishing/Multispecies, Missouri.Comments: none Edit this post
Missouri Massacre Day 2
Day two the birds were singing and the sun was shining. We again headed to our favorite pond so far, midnight and her sister Crane lake. These were big enough to dump the boat in so we did. It was nice having electronics and knowing how deep they were and were the fish were. We also brought the aquavu so we could see what was down there. I threw a suspending jerk bait most of the morning and it produced a few fish always on the pause. The biggest fish of the morning went to Josiah. He was chunking a Blackbird spinnerbait by northland and caught a good solid high 3lb bass. We had gotten several fish to cough up several crayfish and they were orange on the tips and dark otherwise and this spinnerbait does a good job of imitating that when cranked slowly. We also hit a pond near midnight and crane that we named bipolar pond. This is where Steve caught the biggest of the trip that was over 4lbs. He caught it on that good ol blackbird spinnerbait. On this pond it seemed like you caught a good one or a real small one hence the name. I caught one good one on a secret weapon spinnerbait in bluegill. I bought this bait because the blade change intrigued me. So I used it and it caught a good one and slowly became my goto lure for the trip. After milking these three puddles we went to Steve high school coach’s pond. It was a good walk there and according to coach we needed the exercise. We found the fish just inches off the shore sitting in the wood that was there. I had a good one pull off just at my feet as I was wading into the water. The real show this evening was the ducks. Being a duck hunter first when the sun started to go down the ducks showed up and were everywhere and all kinds. I have to admit I put my rod down and just watched the show. We ended the day learning a good amount about Missouri fisheries and how if they are there they will bite quickly – putting this into good use on day 3.
Posted: April 7th, 2009 under Blogroll, Fun fishing/Multispecies, Missouri.Comments: none Edit this post
Missouri Massacre Day 1
It all started late Tuesday night with a 1 a.m. Wednesday morning wiring harness fix on my dad’s sub (which is a whole other story) and we were headed for Unionville mo. After picking up hillbilly Steve in Doesntmatter Iowa we were on our way. Arriving sometime before 8 a.m. after a little bit of rigging we were on lake #1, Midnight is what we named her. It was a chilly morning and keeping hands warm would have been an issue had it not been for Jeremy was first to break the ice catching a bass on a jig and pig combo. This jig rod was Jeremy’s favorite all week until he decided to throw it overboard cause he thought the lake needed more structure (guess you can do that when you are the CEO of a big Company like ajrodsandtackle.com). The fish was a good one and was probably just shy of 3lbs. I was burning a orange craw red eye shad early that morning because I have A.D.D. and don’t like slowing down. When I attempted to make a long cast I a small professional overrun that I had to fix and after getting it fixed I went to start reeling and felt weight on the end and THUMP. I had hooks into my first Missouri bass. She was about 2lbs and after singing a few bars of the Missouri Waltz to her I gently returned her to her home. The fish were just on the outside of some of last year cover. We proceeded to catch many more fish and I ended up catching most of mine that day on a jig spinner – kind of an old school lure where a skirted jig collides with a spinnerbait, but good for this kind of situation. I think most of the fish were in prespawn and I check the water temp and it seemed to be in the mid to low 50’s. Jeremy seemed to catch the quality that day with several fish around the 3lb mark and most of them coming from one area, where he was soaking a Stanley flat eye jig in green pumpkin (pics the wrong color but right kind). After this stop we got a little taste of Missouri eating lunch at the sales barn. After lunch we hit a few mud puddles that were worthless and then we hit one that we caught a few that we named Dead calf pond. This was the darkest water I have ever caught fish out of. I could not see my jig in even an inch of water. All of my fish came on slow rolling a spinnerbait. For the evening we went to a deep dark strip pit that produced only marginally but we were happy to just be fishing since we got the Sub stuck and it took us over an hour to get out thanks to the help of Big Wes and his truck. With day one in the books and no sleep, full tummies of chili and peanut butter and syrup sandwiches and some thumb wear it was easy to fall asleep. And at this point this was all done from shore and had not even launched a boat yet.
Posted: April 7th, 2009 under Blogroll, Fun fishing/Multispecies, Missouri.Comments: none Edit this post
Count down
It is so close I can taste it as i write this we are leaving in 36 hours. I put the last of the rods on the epoxy turner last night, tip tops today, spooling reels tonight and sharpening hooks and i am set. Weather is looking wet but I don’t even care. So excited i could explode. I still expect to catch them on things like jerkbait but i would love to catch them on faster thing like swim jigs and Spinner baits. It would be great. Can’t wait to make that first cast, get a stinky hand and a ripped up thumb
Posted: March 23rd, 2009 under Blogroll.Comments: none Edit this post
Getting Close
As spring is approaching I am super pumped about open water fishing. This year Me, CEO of ajrodsandtackle.com (Jeremy) and hillbilly Steve are all going down to Missouri for a little early basin. We are going to hillbilly Steve’s parents house. I have been checking the weather and it maybe quite wet while we are down there. I am also going to say that the fish are going to be in pre-spawn or post winter – I will be bringing some deep water stuff just in case the are still deep. The thing I am most excited about is a possible jerkbait bite. We will be fishing mostly farm ponds that sound like they are less than 20 acres – I am thinking they will heat up fast. I would really like it if it got warm enough we were looking at a bedding situations. That would be fantastic!!! Here is a new lure a bought:
Looks like a lucky craft Pointer only it is a net craft Springer – suppose to be a great knock off and for about 75% less than a pointer too. We will see only I have never had deep enough pockets to fish a pointer I will have nothing to compare it too. The other tough thing is to decide how many rods to take – chances are I will take too many and most will stay in the truck but that is ok too. Pretty excited and this is turning into a ramble.
Posted: March 16th, 2009 under Blogroll, Fun fishing/Multispecies.Comments: 1 Edit this post
good drivers
Just looked at Skeet Reese’s picture gallery from his practice day and he must be good if things like this don’t even rattle him a little bit.
Posted: February 20th, 2009 under Blogroll, Tournament action.Comments: none Edit this post
Classic update
Well the day is near half way and still according to bass traks and the classic blog KVD is a 0 - however they have a camera on his boat along with Kim Bain on hers and Kims is working but it says KVD’s is out of range - i am guessing if his camera is out of range so is the cellphone they text updates in with. - I personally think it is rigged for dramatiziation.
Posted: February 20th, 2009 under Fantasy Fishing.Comments: none Edit this post
Fantasy picks
Well it is classic time of year and that means time for some fantasy fishing . Well I waited this long to say who my classic picks were so no one could rob them.
Kevin VanDam – You would have to be a fool not to have this guy on your team. He will be the captain of my team all year.
Todd Faircloth – he is on a roll right now he only missed one 50 cut last year and that miss alone cost him the angler of the year. He will be on my team at least through Amistad and then we will see from there
Gary Klein – this guy has fished pro longer than I have been alive. He is well respected – if a flippin bite turns on the Red River for the classic he will be in it. He is my sentimental pick – I really would like to see him win the big one before he retires.
Mark Davis – Back in the classic after being gone a few years. He will most likely do well this year and is my dark horse for the Classic
Matt herren – Just a river rat with a simple attitude – bust buy for 12 bucks.
Got a $1.50 left for tootsie rolls.
Posted: February 20th, 2009 under Fantasy Fishing.Comments: none Edit this post
Smallie Excursion #2
We headed back to my favorite winter time smallmouth hole for another wack at them. With chest waders on and too many rods with I was ready to go. Today I was once again accompanied by my long time fishing friend Andrew. Andrew is a good river rat in my opinion as he understands the current and how it places the fish. He cut his teeth river fishing on the St.Croix and he put it to good work here. We started out the morning on a stretch of river we both had a lot of confidence in. We started out with the 1-2 combo of Andrew tossing his favorite coffee tube and I throwing a small x-rap. I don’t remember who caught the first fish but it was back and forth for a while and we left our first spot each touching seven fish. Today’s gear I was excited about because I was using a new Rod – a Seeker Crankbait rod that was new to me. Being a cranking rod that meant baitcasting gear and it felt wonderful not to have a spinning rod in my hands. The real fun for me was in the second part of the day when we started getting into some warmer water. I saw a fish rise and I stood in one spot and caught 3 fish and missed one more. At this point the fish were fairly aggressive and I thought to myself, “wonder if I could catch one on topwater”. With this thought in mind Andrew just tied on a Mann’s baby -1 in what I think was chartreuse shad. At after seeing yet another fish rise he casted towards it and he had blow ups immediately. It was fantastic. Andrew lost and missed more than he caught on the lure but the amount of fish action that it brought was second to none. After success with the x-rap lessened I switched to a ½ oz Terminator spinnerbait (thanks Andrew) and I wrangled my last 3 of the day on this lure. It seemed that the water was warm enough that they wanted summer time presentations. All said and done we each ended up with 14 fish a piece with probably losing and seeing almost that many again. Big fish honors of the day went to Andrew so that is probably the tie breaker. This big fish had a huge gut. Don’t know if she was hungry or if she was already packing eggs but she was hefty and probably over 3lbs. Good times. I might be back once more. Presidents day?
Posted: February 10th, 2009 under Fishing Log, Fun fishing/Multispecies.Comments: none Edit this post
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Smallies, skis, largies
Here is a decent video part of it shot in mn and the other part with KVD - What i find amazing is the casts he make in the dirty water. He is so efficient and has pinpoint accuracy over and over again. Watch and enjoyclick here
Posted: February 1st, 2009 under Blogroll, video.Comments: none Edit this post
Carolina rigging Part 2 of ???? (The basics)
It has been said,” Why say it yourself when someone has already said it better” That is true for the following article. I stole it from someone else but it give good basics. Good standard info
Carolina RiggingD. B. Jackson
The Carolina rig is one of the most effective bass fishing techniques on the planet. Two top 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series pros - Peter T and Kenyon Hill - consider it a mainstay in their arsenal on the tour. Between them they have banked over $1,000,000 using the technique.
And, the great thing about Carolina rigging is that you don’t need to be an expert to use it effectively. It’s easy to make and even easier to use.
The basic rigging is as follows: Thread a sinker and a bead to the main line running off your reel. Then, tie a swivel to the line. The bead should be between the sinker and the swivel.
Tie a leader to the other ring of the swivel and a hook to the far end. Attach your favorite soft plastic lure. Toss it out over your favorite structure or near your favorite cover and you’ll should be good to go.
Those are only the basics, however. To make your rig more effective give these refinements a try.
1. Sound: Beads are made from different materials. Each has its own unique sound as it smacks against the weight; some are loud and clank, others are soft and barely tick. Change beads to create a different sound.
2. Line size and strength: The line running from your reel to the swivel is important but isn’t visible to the fish. It’ll have no effect on lure action or movement. Heavy fluorocarbon or braid increases feel and sensitivity while reducing break-offs. Give one of them a try if you haven’t already.
3. Tie knots carefully: There are three knots in a Carolina rig - two on the swivel and one on the hook. That’s three places for trouble to develop. Take your time, tie your knots carefully and retie frequently throughout the day.
4. Adjust leader length: The length of your leader directly affects the way your lure looks to a bass. Short leaders tend to keep your bait near the bottom and restrict its action. Longer leaders do just the opposite.
5. Hook size and design matters: A round bend model is not an offset worm style. And, neither is a circle hook. Make sure your selection suits your style of fishing and the bite pattern of the the day.
Buy good, high-quality hooks. Keep them sharp and make sure they’re big enough. Bass have very big mouths. They can handle a big hook.
6. Get creative with your lures: You can rig darn near any bait available with a Carolina rig. Hill used a 10-inch worm on his during the Pride of Georgia. And, don’t think plastic lures are your only choice.
Small, shallow-running crankbaits can be Carolina rigged. They wiggle just fine as they’re being pulled behind a sinker along the bottom. (Rapala minnows and Shad Raps are especially effective when fished this way along sand and rock bottoms.)
7. Vary your retrieve: Most anglers drag the rig back to their boat. That may work some of the time but it won’t work all of the time. Try varying the speed of your drag, give the assembly a hop every now and again. And never be afraid to do something different - radical - if you’re not catching bass.
Posted: January 25th, 2009 under Blogroll, Technique.Comments: none Edit this post
A Classicish Showing
The following article is from a fellow Zumbro Valley Bassmaster. He nearly made it to the Classic this year. The following are his thoughts about going as far as he did and how he did it.It is a little lengthy so i won’t post it but if you want to check it out here it is.http://futurebass.com/intRickBillings.htm
Posted: January 25th, 2009 under Blogroll, Tournament action.Comments: none Edit this post
Carolina rigging Part 1 of ????
Carolina rigs have been around for many years. No one is quite sure who invented it. However I would be willing to bet it was some average joe with a ‘take care of business’ attitude that just found a need for it and it worked. However, It first came to national prominence in 1973 when Bill Dance used the technique to finish second in the Bassmaster Classic on Clarks Hill Lake. In 1985, Jack Chancellor used a Carolina rig to win the Bassmaster Classic on the Arkansas River. Using a 4” pre rigged ‘do nothing worm’ that he created. Now it has taken many new avenues version and dialects and is a useful technique when applied correctly. Over the next few weeks I will try and cover the latest and greatest and the old and the new on this technique known as c-rigs.
Posted: January 23rd, 2009 under Blogroll, Technique.Comments: none Edit this post
Zumbrovalley Bassmasters Schedule
So for some time the bass club that I am apart of has had their schedule out. So I thought I would give a little up date to on each stop.
May 16th Pool 5&5a Mis. River – This one should be a good one. Last year the guys that did well found some big smallies and the pattern that won it was good largies moving in and out of spawn. I didn’t do to well last year but it was great seeing all those fish caught. I will probably do a little prefishing for this one since it is closer to home and the river is open year round. Prediction to win it 16lbs.
June 20 Sugar – This is a lake I have never see. However it should be interesting as I will probably not get much sleep the night before coming directly from working a week of camp, and leaving that morning REALLY early to get there on time. However I do plan on prefishing this one on Memorial day.
July 20 Waconia – This should be an interesting tourney if I even get to go. My wife is due with number 3 on July 20th however she has gone early with both of our kids, so one can only hope for an early again I will say July 14th giving us enough time to get settled in. However if there was one I was going to miss it would be this one. It is unique in that once you find them you usually pound them. That is fun but it proves to be pretty unskilled fishing that is why I would chose this one. However Wac is known for some big bags so that makes it fun too. Prediction High teens to win it.
Aug 17th Minnewashata – I have never seen this lake either and this will be my first paper tournament. It is a catch and release tourney so everything will be by measure. This makes it pretty anticlimactic. I really like weigh-ins and seeing others fish. However I have also been told it’s a good fishery and new to me so I am looking forward to it.
Sept 19-20 – TBD – This will be our club 2 dayer. I am not sure if I will attend our not. We will see when we get closer. I would like to do it just for the comradery and the shenanigans that go on.
October 3 Pool 4 Mis. River – This does break my heart a little as this is the projected duck opener. All the banging of guns will hurt me a little with each shot as that is where my roots are. However the river was smokin hot last year at this time. Fish were being crushed on topwater making it an absolute blast. Looking forward to this one and hope we time it right.Prediction is that it takes 18 to win it.
Click here for more info on ZVBM
Posted: January 23rd, 2009 under Blogroll, Tournament action.Comments: none Edit this post
Good vids
Bassmasters is allowing us to watch some great video action of previous classics. Only 30 days left until the classic and that means 30 more classic videos. Check them out at bassmasters site . Just look for the countdown in the center column.
In February I will give my classic predictions but probably closer to when my fantasy fishing team is due!!!!
Posted: January 21st, 2009 under Blogroll, video.Comments: none Edit this post
King day Smallie Excursion
Bass fishing in the winter here in Minnesota is a bit of an oxymoron unless of course you find a hot water discharge. After hearing about this from a few other guys it has been a quest of mine to do it for a couple of years. Last year we didn’t go due to brutal cold temps on the day we had planned for the trip. This year was a high of 20 and we thought that was quite doable. We showed up ready to fish a few minutes before 10:00 a.m. Since many students didn’t have school due to Martin Luther King day I was accompanied by, Josh, Nick, Brandon, and Idso and long time basin buddy Andrew. Our pursuit today was smallmouth. My goal was to try and figure out the fish quickly and hopefully assist the students in catching some as well. As we arrived Brandon was the first out of the gates catching a bass on his second cast. We were in amazement at his quick success. This bass fell victim to a Rapala Husky Jerk #9 in Glass blue Minnow. We all then rushed the water. For several minutes I threw a small x-rap but no takers and after baitcasting gear getting real iced up that rig had had enough. After that I quickly switched to a small booyah bug with a gulp trailer – I had several hits on this but due to long casts and mono I didn’t connect with any. The star of the show quickly became Andrew
In the short few hours he was there he brought around 14 smallmouths to hand and lost several others. He was using a 4.5 Coffee tube in Watermelon red flake on a shakey jig of some kind with a barbed keeper similiar to the keepers on Northland Jigs. Andrew was very persistent and was well set up for the morning excursion. It was obvious this river rat had done this before – with his warm Neoprene chest waders and all of his equipment on his back he could have gone all day. Nick managed to snag a good sized carp through the eye on a Daredevil– and so we failed slightly on getting all the students some action. However, if you didn’t have chest waders your odds weren’t that great at getting bit. It was along cast to where the bass were from shore. The bass seemed to be in the 3-5 foot range and not in heavy current but in some current. The water was also fairly clear so I am sure we spooked many fish. It turned out to be a tough day for some– I had one extra pair of waders and Idso thought he could fit his size 12 skis into about a size 9 boot. After much convincing and the boot going through birthing pains he got into it. However, the moment he hit water he asked, “is it suppose to feel cold?” This turned out to be a hole and in order to get them off of him we had to cut them off with a knife. I will be back to chase these smallies and hopefully we have a few more pairs of waders or some live bait to dead stick some minnows as others on shore showed us how effective this set up was. Biggest fish of the day was this three pounder. Great to be chasing my favorite fish while everyone else has to punch holes in the ice. I will be back.here is a little product showcase on the go to lure of the day:and a video on the tube too.
Posted: January 20th, 2009 under Blogroll, Fun fishing/Multispecies.Comments: none Edit this post
Happy New year
I can think of really no better way to bring in the New Year than fishing. This has been a bit of a tradition for about 5 years and traditionally I have gone trout fishing or even ice fishing but this year we were open water fishing. My goal – to cast. I know that sounds funny but it just feels like you can beat the system this time of year if you can just cast. We headed to a near by dam that holds an array of species from Northerns and muskies all the way to cats and carp. I grabbed my stout gear as I was going to chase Cats and Muskies. My guests today were Zach, Jen, Brandon, and the artist known as IDSO. We were not there long and someone coughZACHcough got his boot wet falling through some snow covered ice – shortly after that someone COUGHidsoCOUGH found the whole section of thin ice and was wet up to his knees. At this point goals switch from casting for muskies, northerns and catfish to building a roaring fire. After collecting wood having a fire and throwing rocks we did manage one fish. Brandon managed to land a nice Muskie on KVD’s finest a Redeye chrome sexy shad. A good day and nobody lost any toes thanks to God’s beautiful placement of loads of driftwood.
Posted: January 20th, 2009 under Blogroll, Fun fishing/Multispecies.Comments: none Edit this post
TOP 10
Well it is now the time of the year to start working on your vocabulary for next season. So the next time you get a big one on here are some possible choices to yell. Thanks to our man John Crews.
Posted: December 28th, 2008 under video.Comments: none Edit this post
Greatest Fishing video ever!!!
If this doesn’t make you want to put off winter than go buy Golf clubs.
Posted: November 20th, 2008 under video.Comments: none Edit this post
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Marshaled
So gitty I can hardly take it. I am signed up to be one of the Bassmaster Elite Marshals when they come to the River Rumble in Ft. Madison Iowa. What this means is I get to spend 3 days riding in a boat watching a pro’s every move. It is gonna be great. You can read more about it here:
BASS Unveils New Marshal Programfor Bassmaster Elite SeriesAn exclusive opportunity to ride along with the world’s best bass anglers
Continuing with its firm commitment to provide opportunities for BASS members to learn from the best, BASS announced details today regarding its Bassmaster Elite Series Marshal program, which will allow BASS members to ride along with Bassmaster Elite Series pros during competition throughout the 11-event Elite Series season.
Upon registering for the exclusive opportunity to learn a lifetime of bass fishing tips and techniques from the best in the business, Marshals will be expected to become familiar with tournament rules and to help ensure the integrity of the highest level of professional fishing by reporting rules violations to BASS tournament officials. Thus, they will be required before each event to attend a registration and briefing by BASS officials, who will provide them with copies of BASS rules. During the briefings, Marshals may ask rules-related questions.
As an added bonus, Marshals will also have the opportunity while on the water to operate technological devices that will enhance the sport, including BASSTrak, a cell-phone based scoring technology, and BASSCast, an onboard camera developed by ESPN Technology, which will broadcast to Bassmaster.com so fans can see more up-to-the-minute action from the top bass fishing pros in the world.
Similar to the popular “Day on the Lake” feature in Bassmaster Magazine, Bassmaster Marshals will witness first-hand a full day of tournament fishing from the best seat in the house. In addition to the experience, Marshals will be provided with official Bassmaster Marshal apparel and will be allowed to attend exclusive social functions with the Elite pros. Marshals will also receive products from BASS sponsors.
“One of the main objectives of the Marshal program is to provide a unique, fun experience that will resonate with members,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager, BASS. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to get up-close and personal to the only true professional fishing league.”
BASS members who are interested in becoming Marshals can register at Bassmaster.com. The enrollment fee is $100. Starting on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. ET, BASS Federation Nation, BASS Insider and BASS Life members will be able to sign up at Bassmaster.com, and on Nov. 18 beginning at 1 p.m., all other BASS members will be allowed to enroll in any of the 11 Elite Series events. View the complete 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule.
Elite Series Marshals will only participate on the first three days of Elite Series competition. Elite pros will be joined by a cameraperson for the final day of competition. In instances where more Marshals register than the number of Elite pros, BASS will keep an alternate list and spots will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
This will be the inaugural season for the Bassmaster Elite Series Marshal program, created to replace the co-angler division at Elite tournaments. Each day, Marshals will be randomly paired with Elite pros. Family members of Elite pros can participate but will be restricted to ride along with Elite pros to whom they are not related. Members must be at least 16 years of age to participate.
Posted: November 18th, 2008 under Blogroll, Tournament action.Comments: none Edit this post
Nov 7 Late Fall Fishing
I wanted to get out and try my hand at some fishing in late fall. And late might be an understatement. We woke up to temps in the 20’s with some good snow falling. We started out at about 8 and we were going to fish for about 4 hours. Again tough for me to not be chasing ducks but I rose above it. Today in my presence were again Brandon and Mike. They didn’t have school today and wanted to get one more crack at it before heading to their deer stands the next day. I had done my homework the night before looking on a map I figured fish would be deep near winter holes. We drove up to a spot with a nice sharp break and as we went over it shad scattered and I dropped a buoy marker. We fished around that marker for 10 minutes and I had fish on. I thought it was a small bass that had fallen victim to X-rap in Glass Ghost. However it was a decent sized crappie that went in the box for my tummy. A few casts later I caught another smaller crappie too small for the box. And then in the next 10 cast I caught another keeper crappie and 2 keeper walleyes all going home for a meal. Although this was a nice bonus it didn’t make any sense that we weren’t catching bass. As the snow fell the shad were busting all over the surface. I knew they had to be near. As most fishermen are object orientated we moved closer to the bank and after Mike had some tangles with an aerator and a broken rod later we were back fishing. We moved down the bank and as someone else was running the trolling motor I rigged up a strike king Z Too in Smokey shad a fluke style bait. I made a cast out towards shore and I saw the infamous tick in the line I set the hook on the first bass of the day. Cast back out and another one and the third cast also reaped a bass. By this time Brandon and Mike were re-rigging intensely. Luckily these are the 3X plastics so they last a person a life time. We pounded that weed edge for about an hour catch fish here and there with even a few doubles. It was not fast action but pretty constant I wondered if this same thing could be duplicated in deep water. We head back out to the deep and we were sitting in 32 feet of water and we started catching bass. They were schooled up and all right around 2 lbs. pretty good time. We all went home with stink on our fingers this time and we were cold.One observation I notice throughout the morning is that the fish bit better the worse the weather got. Snow falling made for good pictures though.
Equipment: X-rap gear – 6’6” Gander Mountain I.M. 8 Rod M.H. with a Quantum tour edition P.t. and 14lb XL.Z Too – 6’8” St. Croix SCII M – Gander Mountain spinning reel with 8lb Vanish transition
Posted: November 18th, 2008 under Blogroll, Fishing Log, Fun fishing/Multispecies.Comments: none Edit this post
MEA day 2
On day 2 of MEA we were heading to THEE River. Around here when we say the river it is known that you are heading to the daddy of all rivers the Mississippi. We got there in the morning and we were welcomed by God with Rain and wind. After some time the wind left but his friend the rain didn’t. Today in the boat we had Mike and Brandon two fine fellows that help me beat the banks of Rochester and know their way around my boat as well. We started chunking topwater on wing dams as this was going really good the last time I was on the river. I had a couple follows and a few misses on a Spook but no takers. We tried one other spot that on the map looked good but was a failure. As we floated down stream we discovered a little point and as we drifted by we had a double. Mine on my favorite swim jig and Brandon’s on a Jointed Shad colored Shad Rap. We kicked the trolling motor back up and we had discovered a honey hole. This was just one of those spots that the fish were there for one reason and that was to eat. The current was bringing food by and the rocks were blocking the current so these fat lazy largemouth could sit there and just eat was came by. At this point I was convinced that it didn’t really matter what you were throwing it was more where you were throwing it. Your lure had to be right on the rocks or they wouldn’t eat it. They weren’t moving far to eat but they were eating. Fish were caught on Senkos, swim jigs and one on a Strike king series 3 in sexy shad. Brandon caught the biggest one of the day at just over 3lbs.In all this mess however Mike didn’t boat a fish. Now he had several on and had teeth break him off but my heart went out to the guy. He fished the hardest that day and he went home without stink on his fingers. Sorry Mike.
Posted: November 11th, 2008 under Blogroll, Fishing Log.Comments: none Edit this post
MEA Day 1
Growing up i had always duck hunted Mea - not that those years are behind me but i bet the fishing is better over MEA than the hunting is we shall see…
So I had some ambitious students who wanted to get out over MEA so we went no matter what the weather. First day of MEA we went to Lake Lura. This lake is known for hawgs not numbers. I warned all the students (Josh, Brandon, and Tanner) that they might not catch a lot of bass but that they would probably catch a big one if they caught one at all. My wife and i fished a fun tourney here this summer and we only had 9 bites all day but caught a couple of pigs.click here for tourney results
We hit the water at 8 and it was cold air temp was 27. This lake is only 9 feet deep at most and the water temp was 49 when we started. I figured the bite wouldn’t pick up until afternoon. We fished the first 4 hours without a bite and I caught the first 2lb bass on an edge on my favorite purple swim jig. We went another 3 hours or so without a bite. We tried deep, shallow, slow, fast and everything in between. It was just slow. So we went to a proven bank that had been getting sun soaked all day and we pounded it and I had switched to a green pumpkin swim jig. After about a dozen casts I hooked into a good one I politely asked for the net and Brandon netted it like a champ, a few moments later we had one in the boat that was 4-11 on the Berkley digital.
A few casts later I tagged into one that was 3lbs. By this time everyone in the boat was chunking a swim jig. Josh caught one little one making him the winner of the student trophy that day. So much for all that talk about only catching good ones. Good times but not the bites we were wanted. Day 2 Mississippi River…
Posted: November 11th, 2008 under Fishing Log.Comments: none Edit this post
October 4th North South center – Tournament day
We were the last boat in the draw for take off but we didn’t think it would matter because we were going to start out deep and we figured most guys would beat the banks from start to finish on this one. We raced one other boat there and as it turns out it is one other guy who found the same spot as us in practice. We got bit on this spot in practice but couldn’t get them to commit and we never landed one. As it turns out our waypoints were within a cast of each other and Brent the captain of our boat put one fish in the box but wasn’t the quality the other boat had found the previous day.During prefishing everyone works as a team to find the fish but during the tourney it is every man for himself. This has its positives and negatives but more on that later.We left our deep spot for another deep spot and Brent landed another keeper. We then headed to another deep spot but on the way we hit a milfoil patch that was near by. Brent landed yet another keeper this time pulling a swim jig through the cover. When we arrived at our 3rd deep spot I quickly hooked up on a good fish but in 14 feet of water any fish feels good. And as it turns out it was just an ok fish right around 2lbs on a footbal jig. We hit a stretch of milfoil Brent cranked while I threw a swim jig and I boated 3 non keepers quickly. Brent switched from cranking a Sexy shad to his swim jig and boated a keeper right away. At this point I am wishing I was in front of the boat, but with the amount of money one pays for a rig this nice he indeed has honors. We then got to the first dock that was on this long milfoil patch, Brent skipped in a Gitzit Tube and the line took off. I quickly helped him net it and it was his best fish yet. As he was getting situated I boated 2 more non keepers on the swim jig. At this point I know he is going to probably chase bigger fish and this is where it becomes a disadvantage to be in the back of the boat. We were zooming in between docks and I was burning the swim jig as fast as I could but when the boat is moving a little over 3 mph you are casting and reeling as fast as you know how. I picked up another keeper this way nothing much but he will measure. And by now he was no longer swimming a jig in the milfoil and was leaving them for me. He picked up another fish on a dock and he told me to go to the front so he could cull. I thought this was my big chance but nope just a couple more runts. We then circled back around to where we started our day on the deep stuff. But the spot was already taken. So we hit some milfoil nearby and Brent caught another keeper off of a dock. I get the front while he culls and this time I capitalize. The fish came on the deep edge of the milfoil. And it was a fish that wasn’t quite 2 lbs. We then went back to the long stretch of milfoil and Brent again cranked it while I fished a swim jig another couple of little guys until we got to the dock and then I caught one keeper casting straight out the back of the boat on a swim jig. Brent hooked up on a good fish under the same dock he got his biggest one on. Again I netted and Brent was grateful. Brent asked me at this point what I was thinking. All I was thinking at this point was how I would love to have my 5th fish. We then flipped a huge milfoil flat where we had gotten 2 bites that we shook off the day before. Nothing, not a tap. At the end of the flat there was a big pontoon and we thought while we are there let’s do it. Brent flipped in and wacked the pontoon with his tungsten weight. It was loud! He reeled in gave himself a little pep talk and flipped in there good. Only problem was he was over the pontoons gas lines and you would guess it we watch the line go ‘thump’. He hooked into a good one and let it hang over the gas lines while we motored up to it. It was a dandy fish. It turned out to be his big one of the day 3.15. It came out of 18 inches of water. We flipped a few more docks and Brent caught a few more keepers but none that helped him. By this time we were deep into some pads and I wanted to put a frog on but no time. We were hauling through the area. We finally got down to the last stretch of docks before it was time to go in. And Brent asked if there was anything else I would like to do in the last 45 minutes. I said I didn’t know because what I wanted and what he wanted were 2 different things. He needed a 5lber and I need a 12incher. Right as I said I didn’t know the rod loaded up and it was over I caught my 5th and final and smallest keeper and took almost all day to do it. Brent ended up taking 4th on the day and became our state team captain and I took 15th with 7lbs.It took 15 lbs to win and winner caught 4 of his fish swimming a sprofrog on the inside edge of pads.Here is what I learned. Don’t let anyone talk you out of what your gut tells you. There were some areas that I thought looked mint for top frogs and I was talked out of it. Also I would have made a few suggestions on fishing an area a little slower. There was an area that still had some really green milfoil in 8 feet of water and we just burned through it. Other than that I was proud of myself for doing a good job scrapping behind a very good fisherman.
Equipment used –Swim jig gear – 7’0” SCIII MH fast, Diawa tournament reel, 20lb Power pro, 3/8 oz. Custom swim jig in purple/Black
Football jig gear - 7’6” Batson flipping stick IFT 905 og, Quantum Tour Edition PT Burner, 17lb Vanish transition Fluorocarbon, ½ oz unknown brand jig in black and brown, Chomper DT skirted grub in watermelon seed
Although this is all i caught fish on this day i had 10 rods on the deck and they all saw use. Happy readings let me know if i can answer any questions. ike
Posted: October 9th, 2008 under Tournament action.Comments: 2 Edit this post
October 3rd North and South Center lake Prefishing
We left early Friday morning for some pre-fishing. I met a fellow club member at 4:30 a.m. to make the drive to Lindstrom. We met up with a few more club members in Cannon Falls. When we arrived at the landing it was a steaming 40 degrees outside. This was the coldest I had fished in sometime when it wasn’t ice fishing. We started out hitting some pads by the access and found nobody home. We gave it some thought and figured that the fish probably weren’t up shallow yet due to warmer temps out deep. So we hit some deep stuff and nothing but a few taps and swing and misses. We then went to the north end of north center and immediately we started popping fish on swim jigs and spinnerbaits. Only problem was the size. We caught maybe 10 fish and 2 of them would have been keepers. So we set off in hopes to find bigger fish. We tried pads, milfoil flats and we had nothing going. We pulled up to one rock point in the afternoon and caught a decent keeper on the rocks. Then we flipped some more pads and more milfoil and we shook off a few bites in hopes they would eat it again tomorrow. Overall numbers producer was my favorite swim-jig but the size came on a Mann’s Hardnose Junebug worm. We continued to fish with very little luck and before we were done for the day we decided to retie in preparation for tomorrow and so we didn’t have to do it in the dark later. We had high hopes for the next day but with 10 rods on the deck you know things can’t be good.
Posted: October 6th, 2008 under Tournament action.Comments: none Edit this post
Hawg Country fun fishing
On Saturday we headed to a known hawg producing lake and it didn’t disappoint. The last time I was there we caught two fish over 5 pounds and not one fish less than 2 pounds. It made for a good time. I did well last time on a swim jig so I started with that and the northerns really liked it and it was my last one of my favorite color (but have gotten more since then here is a picture sorry for the cell phone quality) We turned the corner of a spot and Jason missed one a spinnerbait so I flipped in with a Booyah jig and berkley beast trailer WHAMO it crushed it. Fish went 5 pounds and an ounce. After catching about half dozen other fish we went back to the access for a food run. I messed around by the access while Jason went for grub and had one blow up on a horny toad and that was it. We then headed to the far side of the lake. We pulled up to a shore and talked to a few other fellas and they had just fished the shore. They told us they caught nothing but a couple of 2 1/2 pounders. We fish it anyway and about 20 minutes later Jason dropped his northland reed runner spinnerbait or as we like to call them Fleet farm specials in front of the right fish and CRUNCH. 5lbs 9 oz A very nice fish. We fished a few other spots and only one small fish and then off to home. The lake wasn’t as good for numbers but didn’t disappoint with size.
peace out,ike
Posted: September 29th, 2008 under Fishing Log.Comments: none Edit this post
N/S center practice
We arrived to the south access of South Center Lake at about 8 a.m. I was fishing with Jeremy’s (CEO of www.ajrodsandtackle.com) brother Jason. Jason just bought a new (to him) bass boat. It is pretty nice and I would take it any day. I wanted to start on the north Center and then slowly work my way back to the access as the day went on. We started on the islands and the long point on the east side of the north lake and Jason quickly boated a couple of nice northerns on a spinnerbait but no bass to speak of. We slowly made our way out to deeper water. The wind had really picked up. The lake is quite low and what the map said would be 5 feet of water was more like 2-3 feet of water. We threw across the rocks with spinnerbaits, wigglewarts, and Booyah Jigs but nothing to show for it but one small keeper coming on the wart. We then tried chasing some fish in deep water that we didn’t know if they were bass or not we each had one bite. Jason on a craw, and me on dropshotted ringworm. However we failed to connect on either. We then went into the northern part of the north lake. There was already a boat in there so we kept our distance but as we rounded the point I pulled a swim jig over a clump of coontail and POW a fish hit it come out of the water while striking. Fish weighed a little over 3 pounds. We fished areas the rest of the day trying to duplicate this type of area only to find little fish. I hope I learn more fishing it again the day before the tourney. I am pretty pumped because I am fishing with “Mr. 45” The guy that took 45th in last years Bassmaster Classic.Peace outike
Posted: September 29th, 2008 under Tournament action.Comments: none Edit this post
I am rich
Many of you would probably like to know why? Well here is the story. This past spring I entered in a trout and bass league. It was an online contest and all entries had to be submitted by the month and it was your best 5 fish making up total inches. It started in April with the hunt for trout. I only registered 3 average fish. Then May came and I was banking on the bass so I didn’t even pick up the trout gear. However with hail and a huge front the day before bass opener fishing was rough. In one day of fishing our whole boat only boated one keeper (12 inches or longer) bass. And the between our boat and 2 others all chasing bass we only boated 6 keepers.Anyway one guy in the league registered 5 fish for the month and pulled way out ahead. I thought it was over. All he had to do was catch fish even little ones and we had no way of catching him. But he let down and only registered 3 fish the next month. I was coming on as strong as I knew how. As it goes he ened up missing a month as well and I ended up squeaking out the win by almost 40 inches. Not to mention I became 180 dollars richer. You can check it all out here. This is what I might be doing with the money…SCIV 7′0 M Fast 1pcRainshadow Mag Bass 7′0 MH Fast 1pc SCIV 7′0″ MH Fast 1pc Or I am predicting I may need one of these soon.
On a side note look what my wife got me for my birthday.
Off to N/s center this weekend to prefish for our last club tourney. Never been on the lake but I have done my “off water” scouting and am ready to hit the water.Peace out,ike
Posted: September 25th, 2008 under Blogroll.Comments: none Edit this post
Guaranteed Fish Catcher? (Part 2 of 2)
The other guaranteed fish catcher is a little friend of mine I have been getting to know this summer. Of course like stated before there is no guarantee in fishing but this is as close as it gets. I will preface the lure with a little Story.I joined the Zumbro Valley Bassmasters this year in hopes of learning how to fish better and although I got an education sometimes it was painful. The first tournament of the year was definitely that way. It was May 17th and we were headed to the Mississippi river, where it is legal to fish bass year round. I was lucky enough to drawn a river vet and I was excited. We got to our first spot and he told me it was a smallmouth spawning area. I had my doubts but I had nothing to loose. I tied on a Yum Zellamander in Junebug and after about the 5th cast I felt a chomp. I set the hook into a 2.5 smallie and I was pumped. And then the dry spell began.We fished that area for the next 2 hours and the guy in the front of the boat proceeded to show me how to catch them and even how to lose a few next to the boat. We made a run and this is where I became a believer. He started casting a black and purple jig. However I notice he wasn’t working it on the bottom he was reeling it. I had heard of the swim jig craze as well as the chatterbait craze. I thought I would never own one of them because if you could catch them on that then why couldn’t you catch them on a spinnerbait or a rattletrap. Well the river rat in the front of the boat gave me a free education on just how effective swim jigs were. He filled his livewell and culled a few times and was catching fish that were doing him no good but would have helped me because I only had 2 in the box. These fish however wanted no part in my spinnerbait or my Sexy shad. By the end of the tourney I was throwing one but it was too little too late. At the next club meeting I asked him to bring his box of swim jigs so I could buy some. I proceeded to buy about 10 (which turns out isn’t enough because Northerns like them too) in about 3 different colors.This lure has been Phenomenal. The fish absolutely crush it or they swim right at you and you have to burn the reel to catch up with them. It is so easy to fish too. Cast it out and real it in nothing fancy largemouth and small mouth both like it A BUNCH.I thought they were only good on the River until I tried them in some north-country clear water lakes and the fish loved them. The fish haven’t seen anything like them and they look very good to eat and are great at producing reaction strikes.This august while fishing a lake in the metro area I made a cast at a log and felt the unmistakable thump of mister line sides inhaling the jig. I set the hook and the line snapped instantly I thought for a moment it was teeth but upon further review an old knot was the verdict. About 20 minutes later Jeremy (CEO of www.ajrodsandtackle.com) cast in the same general area and caught a nice 2.5 bass. He said it had something sticking out of its throat. It was black and I figured it was the remnants of a bullhead. After some prodding and a little help from a needle nose it was indeed my swim jig. I was so gitty because by this time in the summer I didn’t have many left. I offered it to Jeremy as a finders keepers but his heart was so BIG he let me tie it back on. WHAT A GUY.Swim jigs are to stay in my tackle box and I think they are really a new thing on lakes in the upper-Midwest even though they have been on the River for many years now. With something so easy to fish and catching so many fish I would be a fool not to fish them, however there is a little part of me that didn’t want to publish this just to try and keep it more of a secret, however I continue to realize there are no secrets in fishing. By the way these rods would make excellent swim jig rods and have plenty of tip for soft quite entry but back bone to horse around cover.For some more information on swim jigs check this out.Peace out,ike
Posted: September 22nd, 2008 under Blogroll.Comments: 2 Edit this post
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A good little video
A quick little 5 minute video to see a piece of graphite turn into a quality rod.Pretty neat,ike
Posted: September 9th, 2008 under video.Comments: none Edit this post
Guaranteed Fish Catcher? (Part 1 of 2)
There are few things when fishing that you can call a garuntee however here is one. Now granted I fish for bass almost always but i dabble in a few other areas. But when bass fishing there are a few things that just always work. The first is a senko/ soft stick bait. There is much debate as to why this lure was built but the builder designed it after a ball point pen. I don’t know if he had one fall out of is pocket into the water and watched a bass inhale it or if he was under the influence of something but that is what I was once told it was designed after. There is also much debate as to why fish eat it. One theory that i was told is that is simply moves like a panfish. or My personal favorite “It looks like food but appeals more to their curiosity and since fish don’t have hands they have to use their mouths” Whatever the reason they workOne morning while I was out fishing with Jeremy (CEO of www.AJRODSANDTACKLE.com) I was out fishing the old man on a top water Dean Rojas signature series Sprofrog. I believe I caught 5 bass in 6 casts. After some time the top water bite shut off and Jeremy picked up his old faithful Chartreuse pepper Senko. I believe Jeremy has never even used another color but he would stake his life on this one. It was at this point of the morning where things shifted. Jeremy started catching fish, bigger fish. At one point I said out loud, “ Stupid senko always working”. And it is true. They almost always do and it is as close to a guarantee in bass fishing as it gets. For all you competitive spirits out there I think I caught more fish that morning but Jeremy would have definitely had more pounds. If you are interested in buying some senkos or one of their knockoffs they are everywhere and go by the alias as – Tiki sticks, Zeros, Stickos, Wackos, Dingers, noodles, sinking minnows, and I am sure many more that I cannot think of right now. Fish them like there is something wrong with you. Cast them out and don’t do anything. Let it sink all the way to the bottom if you can then a few jerks and let it sink. The fish will tell you what they like.
On a personal note:i don’t use senkos too much anymore i feel that once you figure them out and how to use them they are another thing in the arsenal of tricks to get mr. linesides but dont’ get stuck on them esspecially in days where is windy they are tough to fish. however here is one of my personal best caught on a watermelon red fleck dinger and a jobee hook on a SCV marblized rod
peace out,ike
Posted: September 5th, 2008 under Blogroll.Comments: none Edit this post
Inaugural blog
Hello, to all the readers out there. My name is Isaac, i am from Rochester, mn. many of you may know me by the alias ike or on the fishing and hunting boards on the net as ikeslayer. Due to the blog needing some attention Jeremy asked me if i wouldn’t mind doing some blogging. I was absolutely honored to have some blog space. So here is what i will do. I will tell you as much as i know as if you were the most intrigued listener as it pertains to the subject of fishing, and rod making and whatever else i throw on the blog. So greetings to you all and i look forward to sending some thoughts, product info and fishing news your way. tight lines.
(Just so you all know what i look like and what a 5lber looks like)
good new to you,ike
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 under Blogroll.Comments: none Edit this post
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