Grand Lake, Vinita, Oklahoma

I recently got home from a trip to Oklahoma's, Grand Lake. This was my third time there in the past three years and I have to admit my expectations where real high. Every trip I take to this lake seems to getter better and better and this year couldn't have followed suit any more perfectly. I was joined by a bunch of good buddies Cris Campbell, Jamie Short, and Ryan Brant. Also we were met by two more friends who tugged their Ranger over from Colorado, Chris Beddow and Brandon Jensen.

The first day we awoke to balmy and cloudy weather. When we launched I instantly noticed the water temp in the low 50's and the water wasn't nearly as dirty as last year. Ryan and I started by working from the back of the cove out to the main lake, it didn't take but a few casts and I stuck my first bass, weighing just shy of 5 pounds. Awesome! After catching a couple more good sized fish, Ryan joined in the party by boating a solid 5 1/2. What a nice fish! We where quickly developing a pattern, before we got here the water temp was pushing 60 degrees and the bass where getting prepared to spawn. A cold front moved through the area and knocked the water temp back down, which in return pushed the bass back into a holding pattern, just waiting to move up and spawn. We where able to find most fish off drops in 8 - 15 foot of water, close to spawning areas. Shallow fish where few and far between and high winds kept us off a good majority of the main lake. On our way back in to the cabin, Ryan and I where pretty pumped about the remainder of the trip. We where on fish and good quality ones at that. I decided I would try the same spot that I caught the 5 pounder in the morning. I tossed a 1/2 oz. Tru Tungsten Jig (Peanut Butter and Jelly) to the ledge and as soon as it hit bottom I noticed my line running off to one side. I set the hook and was instantly stopped dead in my tracks, the fight was on and after a not so graceful landing I had a awesome Grand Lake toad in the boat. She weighed in at an astonishing 7 lbs. 13 oz. and after a few pictures I released her back unharmed for another angler to one day enjoy.





Campbell and Shorty also had a good day but found success a little differently than we did. They caught some good ones by cranking Norman crankbaits on secondary points. They said they seemed to hit on the stop and after looking at the proof on Jamie's camera, you could guess that I would have a similar crankbait tied on as well.

The next day the forecast called for a stormy front with lots of rain and much cooler temps. Ryan and I started by following the same pattern that worked so well the day before. We caught a lot of fish but better yet the overall quality was a little better than the day before. Surely we didn't catch any more 7 pounders but pretty much everything was a solid keeper with a few real nice ones as well. The best part was we really got dialed in our pattern and were able to look on our map and jump from spot to spot knowing which areas had the most potential for quality fish.

After the front moved through it left us with cool temps in the 50's and low 60's and bright bluebird skies. It was nice to enjoy the sun after a long Minnesota winter but the fishing got tougher. We still found success with jigs like the Tacklesmith Bronzeback Football Jig, but we also had to employ the skakey head to just barely catch keepers. Ryan and I both had the spinning gear and light line in our hand's for a good majority of the trip. I found success going back and forth between an 1/8 oz. Reaction Innovations Screwed Up Jighead with a 4" Zoom Brush Hog, on a 7' medium heavy action Carrot Stix spinning rod, with a Shimano Sustain and 8lb. Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon and a 1/4 oz. Reaction Innovations Screwed Up Jighead, with a Amp Lures 6" Mimi shakey worm, with a 7'1" medium action G Loomis GLX spinning rod, Shimano Sustain and 10 lb. Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon.

Campbell and Shorty also had to slow down their techniques, they started really catching them good by following our same pattern but instead tossing Berkley Chigger Craws on 1/2 oz. Picasso Shake Down Jigs.












All in all it was a great trip. "Flipping Jigs and Drinkin' Beers" was the motto of the week. We fished hard all day and kicked back at night. I enjoy fishing more than anything, but between guiding, tournament practice, and the tournaments themselves, it's very rare to have a stress free, relaxing and just plain fun trip like this. Although believe me, I can't wait for the next major tournament to come to Grand. Where do I sign up?

Headed for Open Water!!!

Finally it's time! I'll soon be headed south for Oklahoma's well known, Grand Lake. I have been doing a lot of homework in preparation and am really liking what I'm learning. I've been to Grand the past two seasons and found success in a lot of different ways. Two Springs ago we where met with a record breaking cold front. It was sleeting and 30 degrees the first day and the high never went above 40 the whole week. Weeks prior to then the average high was 70 - 80 degrees, making fishing more than difficult. The spawn was already over and a vicious cold front mixed with a post spawn funk, made bites few and far between. Although it did take some work I ended up doing alright. The size was never there, with most all fish weighing about 2 to 3 pounds but the quantity was great. I found most fish on main lake points in 10 to 20 foot of water, throwing 5/16 oz. finesse style Jewel Jigs.

Last year the weather still was a bit cooler but it was a pretty chilly Spring all together. The lake had seen record rainfalls and the water level was very high. This also made the water color very dark, almost the same color as chocolate milk. With the water up in the trees it didn't take long to get bit by pitchin' a 1/2 black and blue jig to the timber. I would average 10 or so bites a day, but almost all of them where over 3 pounds, with most being 4 and 5 pounders and a 6.1 pound toad just for kicks. Almost all the bass came on the jig but the big fish came on a 1/2 Jewel Football Jig on a main lake point that has always proven good for me down there.

This year we are looking at a pre spawn bite with the spawn right around the corner. I'm expecting males to be attacking anything shallow and the females just waiting to move up. The water temp is pushing 60 and the week forecast calls for lots of sun and highs pushing 70 degrees. One day will be a bit chilly and lots of rain but to me those are the best days to catch big females. With the warmer days and nights and a full moon on the way, I'm hoping to see a good bed bite by trips end.

I'll be sure to give a full report as soon as I get back. With all the rain we've been getting here in the cities I'm expecting ice out on most metro lakes to be right around the corner. Hopefully before I get home. I'll then be headed down to the Mississippi to get tuned in with those river smallies. Follow this link to know when your favorite lake is officially ice out!













On another note, I'm just got my 2009 tournament jersey's in the mail and I am more than impressed. They look awesome thanks to the people at Gemini Sports Marketing, who were more than helpful and the best part is I got to design it myself. These jerseys are made of the best high grade material on the market. Not only do they offer protection for your skin but also breathe better than anything on the market. I've used other companies in the past but have to admit Gemini knows their stuff. See you on the water!!

Tricks of the Trade - Jig Tying 101

Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I'm a die hard jig fanatic. Any jig really, flippin' jigs, football jigs, finesse jigs, tube jigs, swimming jigs, whatever, there all awesome. Plain and simple they're big fish baits and I'll happily go on record saying that at least 70% of the real big bass that I've caught over the years have all come on some sort of jig. I absolutely love it! It's all about the bite and the hook set, they eat it and I jack their jaw for it.

Being that I'm 100% comfortable when I'm slinging a jig, I have picked up a few tricks of the trade that I truly believe help me catch more and bigger fish. In my opinion, a jig directly out of it's packaging isn't ready to be fished until I have put some love into it by tricking it out a bit.

Not all jigs on the market are created equal and I only trust a select few to get the job done. I am a huge advocate for tungsten and the benefits it provides to fisherman. So my first selections are a Tru Tungsten Jig for any weed and wood cover or a Tacklesmith Bronzeback Tungsten Football Jig for the rock piles and points. Other jig companies that I trust are Boivex, Kietech, Jewell and Piccasso.

First thing I do is rip the factory skirt off the jig I'm going to be using. When deciding what color skirt to tie on, I take a couple different factors into consideration. The two most important factors are water clarity and forage. I always use one of three different colors as my primary color when tying a jig. These colors are black, brown and green pumpkin and no matter where you are in the country those are fish catching colors. If I'm fishing real dirty water I'll go with black and when the water is clear I'll go with brown or green pumpkin. I usually go with about 50%-75% of the skirt being my primary color and 25% as the flair color. Some good flair colors are blue, pumpkin, orange, purple and chartreuse. By combining these colors I make my version of the already popular skirt combos like black and blue, green pumpkin/brown and peanut butter and jelly.

To tie your own jigs you'll need to purchase some equipment to get started. The following is a list of what you'll need to have.

Jig Tying Vice - Also known as fly tying devices, these range in value from $10 to $500. It doesn't matter what you spend on these as long as you get one that's sturdy and will easily hold a 5/0 hook. A lot of the vice's on the market don't get that large as they're more meant for small flies and not bass jigs.

Bobbin and Tying Thread - The bobbin holds the spool of tying thread making it a lot easier to tie the jig. These also vary in price but I have never spent more than five dollars or so on a single bobbin. As far as the thread needed to tie the jigs, I go with Gudebrod 3/0 Kevlar Thread or feel free to use small diameter braided line like Power Pro. Both are very strong and neither weaken when saturated in water.

Skirt Material - I like to use a lot of round rubber when tying my skirts. I believe the action is second to none, however I also like to add a little silicone skirting as well. The one thing round rubber or hydro silk skirts lacks that silicone doesn't is the printed patterns. Round rubber is a solid one color where silicone comes in many different patterns and colors, making it ideal for adding that bit of flare to the jig.

Accessories - These are rattle, trailors, and chunk slings. I go with a good rattle, the Picasso Tungsten Pod Rattle. Trailers I switch up a bit but usually prefer the Yum Chunk or a Gary Yamamoto Twin Tail Grub and I always add a Vertical Lures ChunkX Sling to keep my trailor in tact. You really can get more out of your trailers by taken the time to rig one up. One other trick that I have been getting into is removing the factory brush guard and replacing it with a homemade fluorocarbon one. I'll save that for another day though.

Being that I'm getting ready for a fishing trip to Grand Lake in northeastern Oklahoma, I've been tying up some jigs that I know will get the job done. In the past I have done extremely well there on the deep points with football jigs and one color that has performed well for me over the years is peanut butter and jelly. For the demonstration I will be tying up a 1/2 oz. Tacklesmith Bronzeback Tungsten Football Jig in the peanut butter and jelly color.

The first step in tying your own jig is to securely clamp your jig to the vice. Then take your tying thread along with the bobbin and tie a over hand knot along the very top of the jig collar. Using a tight line, start wrapping the upper collar, usually about 10 to 15 full wraps.















Next, start adding in small strips of skirting material. I always get all the skirt strips in on one pass. For this jig, it goes one strip of brown, then a strip of purple, another strip of brown, followed by another strip of purple and finally ending with a strip of brown. When first starting out, this part proved to be the most challenging, but after just a few attempts you'll have this mastered. It just takes a few tries to train your hands to work with all the different strands while trying to keep a tight wrap on the thread and the material at the same time.

Once I get all the material tightly in place I'll continue on wrapping the skirt. Again I stress the importance in keeping a tight line while wrapping. A tight wrap insures the skirt will not easily unravel on me. I wrap about 15 more times before doing the first set of three consecutive overhand knots. After I get done with the last knot, I make 5 more wraps, followed by three more knots. This helps insure the wrap will not come undone. Once I have the jig all wrapped up nice and tied off securely, I'll cut the thread and start preparing it for a haircut. This is also where I would cut the crown on the head of the jig if I where looking for a finesse cut. Simply cut the outer strands of the skirt, leaving just a inch, that will make the skirt stick up and form a crown on the head of the jig. For this jig I left the outer strands long so it provides a bigger profile in the water.














The jig is now ready to go with the exception of adding a few accessories. First I thread up a Vertical Lures ChunkX Sling, followed by a rattle, and then a trailer. For this jig I went with a Gary Yamamoto Twin Tail Grub (Green Pumpkin).

A big part of having a successful day on the water is having confidence in what your doing and that comes with having confidence in what your using. I hope this helps anyone that is looking to give themselves an edge against the bass in their lakes. If you have any further questions on any of the information I just went over, please don't hesitate to contact me. Happy Tying!

Tackle Update: Gearing Up for the 2009 Tournament Season - Part 2

In the next few weeks I'll be headed South to Oklahoma's, Grand Lake. With the bass season closed in Minnesota I've been just itching to get out and stick some six pounders right in the lips. Lately, in an attempt to get ready for the upcoming season as well as keep my sanity, I've been spending some time looking into the new products that are hitting the market.

The first on my list is the Texas based company, Power Tackle. This company offers some of the best built and most sensitive rods on the market. Every rod in their lineup is built to the most exact specs for ultimate performance. I know I'll be getting my hands on their Ultimate Football Jig Rod to aid me in dragging jigs over the deep rocks for tournament winning bass. This rod reeks of success. It comes with 7 foot 3 inches of the highest quality graphite available, that's not only the most sensitive on the market, but the strongest as well. I have always been a G Loomis guy and have put them at the top of the totem pole, but let me say that they may finally have some serious competition to contend with. I do believe Power Tackle has everything needed to become bass fishing's most elite line of bass rods.

Today was a good day, I finally picked up the new Shimano Chronarch D. I've been waiting a long time to own this reel and see myself getting a lot more of them in the future. I'm a giant fan of both the Chronarch and the Core and this new reel is the perfect mix of them both. It's the Core MG with an aluminum body and a fast 7.0:1 gear ratio. It will make the perfect addition to that Power Tackle Football Jig rod. I plan to use that combo as well as the new Tacklesmith Tungsten Football Jig on Grand Lake in the next few weeks. There should be a pretty solid pre spawn bite and the big fish should be found on the deep points of the creek arms that lead back to the spawning flats. Making this the perfect setup for picking those points apart.

Other tackle that has found it's way into my tackle compartment is the Jackall Giron swimbait. This small sized sunfish look alike is the answer to swimbait fishing in the Upper Midwest where bluegill populations are plenty. Swim these under boat docks or along submerged weedlines and prepare to get bit.

I'm also looking to the Biovex Bio Jack Hog Master to flip up giants from the thick mats that litter the gnarly backwaters of the Mississippi River. These soft plastic baits are designed to entice the biggest bass out of the roughest terrain. Match this with a 4/0 Youvella Pro Flip Hook, a 1/2 to 1 oz. Tru Tungsten Flippin' Weight, along with some 20 lb. Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon and you'll be flippin' up toads one after another.

**From left to right:the Jackall Giron Swimbait and the Biovex Bio Jack Hog Master.
Just when I was about to pull the trigger and add the Hummingbird Side Imaging Unit to my boat, I found out that Lowrance is soon to release their version of side imaging. This will be an accessory that will adapt to Lowrance's new HDS line of sonars. I have also heard that they will work with LCX units as well. I don't know that for fact but will update something as soon as I have a definitive answer. This is going to be a very hot product once it releases and I'm imagining demand to be pretty high. I'm thinking they will be found in stores and online by mid to late summer.

That's all for now. Check back soon for my preview on Grand Lake. The weather has already been in the 80's down there and I'm expecting a strong bite again this year. I can't wait!!

Tackle Update: Gearing Up for the 2009 Tournament Season - Part 1

With the start to the upcoming tournament season right around the corner, I have been staying real busy preparing tackle and stocking up on the baits and equipment I know will be needed through out the year. I've been going through all my hard baits and cutting off any old line as well as checking hooks and replacing the ones that are needed. I'm also cleaning all my reels and lubricating them to assure they will perform as well as they did the day they came out of their box. Shimano makes great reels that last forever but a little love assures better performance. I also check all my rods especially the guides for any issues. A broken guide will cost not only a tournament angler precious money, but can cost any fisherman the fish of a lifetime.

As I wrote in my last post, I also have been starting to get my boat ready. First on my list was to add a Loc-R-Bar. These are one of those things you'll wish you had but probably won't realize it until the day you walk out of your hotel room and find all the tackle and equipment you have spent a lifetime to put together is gone. I have been very fortunate to not have this happen to me, but after walking out to a smashed window on my Suburban and finding my briefcase missing along with a digital camera and some Navionics chips, I decided to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening to my boat. Sure everything is insured but not everything is replaceable, and I have no problem dropping $300 dollars on a rod the least I can do is spend a hundred or two and get a Loc-R-Bar installed. It's an extra insurance policy that also could save the headache of missing a big tourney because I don't have anything to catch fish with!

Tackle is a necessary part of the game but some things are far more necessary than others. One of those necessary things is fishing line and I make sure to stock up plenty of it. I would guess that I use fluorocarbon 90% of the time and one of my favorite brands is Gamma. It can run a few dollars more than some of it's competitors, but I feel like it's well worth the money. I have played around with a lot of different brands but Gamma is one that always prevails in both sensitivity and strength. It doesn't break and handles awesome. One way to cut down on the cost is to look into buying bulk spools. Line is the one things you know you'll always need so it shouldn't be to hard to buy in bulk, and buying a 1000 yard spool knocks a couple bucks off what you would spend on a smaller spool off the shelf.

That's all for now. Be sure to check back later for part two of this entry where I'll show off some of the newest and hottest baits to hit the market, as well as proven must have baits for any serious bass anglers tackle box.

Skeet Reese is the 2009 Bassmaster Classic Champion!!

As most of you already know, California's Skeet Reese won the most prestigious title in bass fishing, the Bassmaster Classic. The Red River proved to be an excellent fishery, but it wasn't easy. The 51 anglers in this competition all had to overcome harsh weather along with the gnarly backwaters to even have a chance at being a top competitor in this event. Skeet was able to hold off the field with a three day total weight of 54-13 and barely held off a charging Mike Iaconelli who brought 20-3 to the scales the final day for a three day limit of 54-2.

Skeet stayed in pool 5 for the final day to maximize his fishing time. He was targeting shallow wood by throwing a Lucky Craft Redemption Spinnerbait and then slowing down by flippin' a Berkley Crazy legs Chigger Craw directly to the cover. In the end the decisions were perfect and Skeet took home his first Classic title and added it to an already impressive resume that also includes the 2007 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year title.

All in all, my fantasy team did pretty good. I'm involved in three different leagues and I'm in the top 90%+ in all of them. Mike Iaconelli took 2nd, Kelly Jordan 10th, Terry Fitzpatrick 17th, Greg Hackney 20th, and the biggest surprise Kevin Van Dam missed the cut and finished in a disappointing 30th place. Next up for the Elite Series is hog heaven AKA Lake Amistad. I'm expecting a big time showdown on one of the best lunker lakes in the world.

I have to be honest, all this fishing has got me completely antsy to get out on the water. The problem is all the lakes in Minnesota are frozen shut and the bass fishing season ended yesterday and doesn't reopen until the end of May. My wait will be short lived however, I'll be heading to Oklahoma's Grand Lake the start of April, and then I get back for an early Spring tourney in Iowa on Lake Okoboji and then a few in Wisconsin on the Mississippi River. Then I have a full schedule from there. I'm anxiously awaiting the 2010 Bassmaster Opens schedule to be released. My lifelong goal isn't to be watching the Bassmaster Elite Series and Classic, but instead to be competing in it. The vast majority of competitors qualified for that level by doing well in the Opens. I'll be fishing either the Central or the Northern Opens, possibly both if the schedule permits. I can't wait!

I have to admit though the time off is much needed. I have been sorting threw all my tackle along with my rods and reels getting it all ready for the upcoming season. I'm also in the process of upgrading somethings on my boat. I'm looking at adding a new Lowrance HDS unit to the console of my boat and I'm awaiting the arrival of my new Power Pole, as well as making plans to have a Loc-R-Bar installed to protect all my equipment on overnight stays. To much to do and so little time!

Congrats to Skeet Reese, the 2009 Bassmaster Classic Champion!!!

Gearing up for the BASSMASTER Classic!

The top 51 bass anglers along with Louisiana's Red River are getting ready to throw down this weekend at the BASSMASTER Classic. The Classic in my mind is the most prestigious bass tournament available. We're talking about the best going against the best and there is no better place to do it than the Red River. I'm expecting the weights to be pretty high for this tourney. The time of year is setting up a great prespawn bite and reaction style baits should just be the thing going. Consider those two alone and it should be obvious that the big girls will be biting. They are reporting a pretty dramatic cold front moving in but I see that as only helping insure bigger stringers. Anglers are reporting some good fish being caught shallow, showing that indeed the first wave of spawners are moving up. When this cold front moves in I would bet that they move back out to deeper water. The front won't be drastic enough to effect the deeper fish, meaning the bite should be steady and all the good ones will be schooled up together waiting to move up. Get on a good school and the possibility of a 20+ stringer becomes a lot more likely.

Going with that way of thinking, I have selected a pretty solid group of power fisherman to lead my Fantasy Fishing campaign. Of course I sold out and picked Kevin Van Dam as my first pick. I'm a firm believer in the phrase,"the numbers never lie". Take into consideration that KVD has finished no worse than 5th in his last 5 Classics, that includes to seconds and a first. Not to mention he's coming of his 4th season as Angler of the Year and not only has the one Classic win from '05, but also has another one from the '01 Classic on the Louisiana Delta. I'd be stupid not to have him as a starter. I'm expecting KVD to contend for this years title. The scary part for the other 50 is that, he expects to win it.

I also added Mike Iaconelli to the starting roster. Ike has both an Angler of the Year and a Classic victory to his resume. He's no stranger to winning big events and Louisiana seems to set up nicely for the New Jersey native. ESPN reports that he's claiming he's on 'em good, even going as far as saying he has a "magical area". This doesn't fair well with his competition, because a confident Mike Iaconelli is a tough one to beat. I'm sure we'll be hearing A LOT of what Ike has to say this weekend!

I also went with Lake Fork's own, Kelly Jordan. Kelly is a great fisherman, that often excels in deeper water but he's also known for catching big ones in and around the spawn. Plus he quotes the Red River as "being in his own backyard". Jordan is one of my favorite anglers on the tour and I'm thinking we will be watching him put in work on the final day.

When I think of Louisiana and bass fishing the name Greg Hackney instantly comes to mind. You would naturally think the Red River would be considered his home lake, that isn't the case at all. In fact he has spent very little time fishing this body of water. Don't let that fool you, he still knows Louisiana fishing, and the Hack Attack also knows how to work a jig for gorilla bass. Add in a cold front and schooled up toads, you can expect the bayou fisherman to have heavily stuffed livewells.

My dark horse pick goes to Iowa's Terry Fitzpatrick. This is a river rat true and true. Terry qualified through the BASS Federation Nation, and although this is the biggest tournament he has ever been involved in, I expect to see some surprising results. He understands current and he's proven at running extensive backwaters in search of good fish. If he keeps his nerves under control I wouldn't put it past Terry to contend against the very best.

Also for those of you that are not signed up yet be sure you do it very soon. Click here to be directed to the BASS Fantasy Fishing Page to register and put in your starting lineup. Also once registered look for teams like Tackle Warehouse to join. Their giving away tackle, rods, reels, and gift certificates. Be sure to tune into ESPN2 on both Saturday morning and evening for highlights of both days 1 and 2. Then absolutely make sure your tuned in Sunday evening for the third and final day highlights and see who gets to be titled World Bass Champion!

Tackle Update: Tacklesmith.com Introduces their New Tungsten Football Jig

I'm really excited about the new products that have recently been added to the Tacklesmith line of products. www.Tacklesmith.com is a tackle distributor that only sells non lead based lures. They carry companies like Tru Tungsten, Keitech, Zappu Inchi, and River to Sea, but to be honest, it's their own line that's getting all the buzz. I recently started employing the Tacklesmith Tube Jig for all my tube style applications for smallmouth bass. Instead of using lead, a known toxin to our waters, they made them from a bismuth/tin alloy. More often than not you fish these rigs with the hook exposed and considering that most of the good smallie areas are on beautiful rock piles, snags are going to be inevitable. I can't even imagine how many lead jigs are scattered across the rock flats on Lakes Mille Lacs, or worse yet, Lake Erie. By using bismuth, tin and tungsten in their products they are doing there part to insure our lakes and rivers stay healthy.

Anyone that's read my blog knows that I'm a giant fan of tungsten in my baits. Tungsten just offers so many advantages when fishing. It's a harder and heavier metal, that offers smaller profiles, while also producing more noise underwater attracting fish to the bait. The only downfall is the price and with the addition of companies like Tacklesmith the price is starting to come down.

Very recently Tacklesmith added a tungsten composite 1/2 ounce football jig to their lineup. This is something I have been begging for in the past and was just shocked that no companies could put two and two together. Until now. The Tacklesmith Bronzeback Football Jig is the first I have found of it's kind. I recently received one to try out and am really excited about the possibilities this jig will provide. I throw football jigs as often as possible, pulling up giant bass form the deeper depths. The key is feeling the bottom for key changes in the structure. A lot of the times I'm looking for small rock piles that are holding schools of lunker largemouth and smallmouth bass. The key is to finding the sweet spot. The advantage of a tungsten head over lead is the head of the jig is smaller than your average lead jig of it's same weight, producing less hang ups. Also there is much more density to tungsten, this produces more sensitivity making it easier to feel the bottom and detecting subtle bites.

The jigs comes skirtless so you can easily thread up a double tail grub. I took the liberty to tie up a custom skirt made of silicone and round rubber. I also added a tungsten rattle and a Gary Yamamoto Double Tail Grub. The results are great. I can't wait for my upcoming trip to Grand Lake, Oklahoma! These jigs are going to cash me some serious paychecks!

Welcoming Home the Newest Member of the House, Kigen

Finally! He's here. Last Monday, Bri and I picked up our new puppy, a 9 week old rottweiler named Kigen. Kigen is awesome! He's been adjusting great. Bri has got him on an all raw meat diet. Something that is proven to help the age long health of dogs. I do encourage any dog owners to take a look into it sometime if they haven't already.

With the new addition I haven't had the chance to get out fishing, which worked out perfectly since the high all week has been hovering right around 15, but that's all about to change starting tomorrow when it's supposed to hit 40 and then is offering highs in 30's the rest of the week. I'm planning on heading up to northern Minnesota for a largemouth slug fest on open water! A warm water discharge keeps the water from freezing so don't think I sold out to drilling holes!

After talking with my buddy Rich Lindgren about the ridiculously good outing he had there last weekend, I decided to put down my light smallie gear and bust out the serious ammo. In Rich's most recent blog entry, he talked about sticking quality largemouths with baits like Tru Tungsten Jigs, Basstrix Paddle Tail Tubes and even Tru Tungsten swimbaits! Not many people can say that in Minnesota, at least not in February when 99% of our lakes and rivers are covered in at least 2 feet of ice. So after listening to all that non sense I was quickly making plans to do just the same. I mean come on, it ain't no fun if the homies can't get none, right? I'll be sure to give a full report when I get back.

I also plan on getting out and exercising some smallies on Sunday. Last Saturday, Seth Fieder and I caught somewhere between 75 and 100 quality smallies in just a few short hours of fishing. We didn't even make our first casts till right around 11 in the afternoon. We caught our first dozen using tubes, grubs and darters. Later in the afternoon we revived the bite by throwing dropshots rigged with 4" Jackall Cross Tail Shads (Green Pumpkin). As the afternoon wore on I started nailing the bigger schools with a Biovex Real Craw (Green Pumpkin) and 3" YUM tube, rigged with an environmental friendly 1/8 oz. Tacklesmith Tube Jig, made of bismuth. We never did catch one over 4 pounds but we did get real close a few times. Hopefully on Sunday I'll get a 5! Wish me luck.

For more information on raw diets for your dogs, please feel free to email myself or Bri at Josh@JoshDouglasFishing.com, or if you live in the Twin Cities here's a link to Raws for Paws.

Slinging Grubs for Schooling Smallies

With day time highs not breaking zero degrees and night time lows hovering around - 30, the only thing I've had on my mind is fishing. When the forecast showed a few days of almost 30 degree weather, I instantly tied up a couple spinning rods with a few select baits and headed to my favorite winter smallie water. I tied on a Biovex Kolt Grub (Green Pumpkin), with a 1/16 oz. Kalin's Jig Head and on another rod I went with a Yum Tube (Green Pumpkin), rigged with a 1/8 oz. Kalin's Jig Head. As far as line I used 8 lb. Vicious Fluorocarbon, and spooled it onto a Shimano Stradic 2500FH with a G Loomis 6'6" IMX meduim action rod and a Shimano Sustain with a G Loomis GLX 7'1" medium acton rod. These setups are perfect because they have the sensitivity to pick up those delicate cold water bites, yet have the backbone to get good hook sets and play the fish, as well as the length to be able to cast light weight baits as far as I need to.

Unfortunately because of other obligations I was only able to get out for a few hours in the afternoon. We arrived at around 1:30 and I instantly started throwing my tube to select rock piles in the area. After about 30 minutes with only one missed bite I moved along and started fishing some small points. Being that the current goes only one way, this set up the points to be the perfect ambush areas for small schools a good sized smallies. The current carries sediment that causes there to be a shallow and deep side off the points. The deep side is going to be on the down river side of the point, and that is exactly where I ended up finding my smallies. I started by throwing my tube and caught a couple nice two pound fish, but I was getting hung up frequently in all the debris, so I switched to the 1/16 oz. Biovex Kolt Grub and was rewarded with more and better quality fish. I would throw the lightweight bait up stream and let the current push it across the point like an injured baitfish and the smallies would come up from the deeper water and grab it.

Unfortunately for me I had to leave early as well to give a lesson on pouring soft plastics otherwise I may have stayed till after dark trying to coax smallies into biting. So at around 4 o' clock we headed back to the cities. I had caught ten good smallmouths with two of them being over three pounds. It felt good to get out there and set some hooks. Although the next week is looking mighty frigid, however next weekend is shaping into a pretty nice one. I'm looking forward to getting out yet again soon. If anyone is interested in going on a winter guided smallmouth trip please don't hesitate to email me at Josh@JoshDouglasFishing.com, to book your trip.

Speaking of guided fishing trips, I was recently contacted by Sport Smith, of http://www.sportsmithfishing.com/, to help him with a corporate ice fishing trip on Lake Minnetonka. After hearing the details I was more than excited to help out and for good reason. Sport put on one heck of a guided trip. We spent the better part of the early morning setting up a nice big tent to house all the guests, than drilled the holes and set up the heaters. There was plenty of room for everyone to move around and mingle and of course, catch fish. Everyone one was furnished with panfish set ups in the tent and then we set tip ups around the house for northern pike. Sport picked a great dropoff on the weedline that hosted all sorts of different fish species from bluegill to crappie and even largemouth bass and pike. Inside the tent was coolers full of water, soda and beer, along with more than enough coffee and hot chocolate. Sports father Bill was a great grill man, serving up hot dogs, burgers, and chicken kabobs, along with baked beans, potato chips and even cookies. John Haynes, Sport and myself stayed busy helping people land fish, taking pictures, and keeping bait on hooks. It was a blast for everyone involved! What a great way for a company to give back to their employees, have some fun and most importantly, create some some quality team building time. Please email me at Josh@JoshDouglasFishing.com, for more information on our corporate ice fishing events. Great Job Sport!

On another note, I am very excited about a new line up of hooks that are hitting the markets this winter. Youvella USA has teamed with Fish Harder Companies and is getting ready to start sending out their new edgy products in the next month or two for public purchase. A rep with Fish Harder Co. has informed me that they will be available to local tackle shops as well as big box retailers like Bass Pro Shops as soon as February. I'm particularly excited about the release of the Little Flip Hook and it's bigger brother the Pro Flip Hook. The Little Flip was designed to flip and pitch finesse plastics with heavy gear and in heavy cover. The unique pro designed hook keeper keeps today’s soft plastics firmly in place. The Pro Flip was designed to keep the soft plastics perfectly in line with the hook point for optimum penetration. The pro designed hook keeper keeps plastics from sliding down the shank, helping you fish harder, longer. Look for more innovative and efficient hook designs to come from this company in the future.

**From left to right: Youvella USA Little Flip Hook and the Youvella USA Pro Flip Hook.

I recently read a great article on BassZone, about a persistent pro named Mark Burgess and his determined drive to make it to the top level of bass fishing. It goes to show that with hard work and endless determination dreams can come true. In fact it's the only way they will.

Schooled by Denny Brauer

With the day time high floating around 15 degrees, Rich Lindgren and I decided to head over to Warner's Dock in Wisconsin for a seminar by the BASSMASTER legend, Denny Brauer. Denny has always been a role model of mine, mainly because of the style fishing that he excels at, he's the master of flippin' and pitchin'.

There's good reason why we would venture all the way out to Packer land to hear Denny speak. Please keep in mind I hate the Packers, but Denny has got a long list of credentials that should make any die hard fisherman sit and listen. Starting his list of accomplishments is his 16 wins on the BASS tournament trails, where he has totaled well over two million in tournament earnings. He is the 1987 BASS Angler of the Year, as well as the 1998 FLW Angler of the Year and his most notable victory has got to be his 1998 BASSMASTER Classic win on North Carolina's High Rock Lake, where he beat out second place finisher George Cochran by a whopping ten pounds!

During the seminar Denny broke down some of his basics to fishing shallow water. Gave some tips and techniques to flippin' and pitchin' and also went through some of the equipment that works well for him on the tournament trail. Given that he spends a vast majority of his time in shallow water working isolated cover, he was eager to show off a new Ardent reel that he help develop, the F500 Flip-N-Pitch. Being pretty much a Shimano snob myself, I have to say that reel intrigued me. It is the first reel on the market to not employ a star drag system or a levelwind guide. Ardent has factory preset the drag on the reel to a hefty 22 pounds and when your main duty is pitchin' a few feet of line at a time there is no use for a standard levelwind, in fact it would only complicate the reel. Tackle Tour recently did a great article on the new Ardent F500, if interested click here to check it out.

The second part of the day included a Lowrance seminar put on by walleye pro and fishing electronics expert, Doc Samson. I personally am going to sign up for an advanced class to better help me understand my Lowrance units and be sure I'm getting the most out of them. There's so much out there in the world of fishing electronics that the more I can learn the more successful I will be.

I also learned today that the BASSMASTER Elite Series has dropped three tournaments next year on Pickwick Lake, Big & Little Bay de Noc, and Lake Champlain and instead added a no entry postseason for the top twelve in the Angler of the Year race. Though the biggest change has got to be the $25,000 dollar entry fee cut. Instead of the standard $50,000 dollar entry for the season, BASS has cut it back to $25,200 in hopes of helping the anglers financially in these current rough economical times. So far there has been no changes to the already set 2010 season.

That's all for now, hopefully the upcoming weather will be sympathetic and give me the chance to get out and jerk on some smallies! I mean seriously, is asking for 25 degrees to much? I'd also like to thank Warner's Dock for putting on such a educational free seminar! Tight Lines!

Tackle Update: Introducing the Shimano Chronarch D

I am proud to inform that Shimano has set a date this upcoming March to release the new Shimano Chronarch D. Being that I'm a die hard Shimano junkie, this has got me trying to think of the many reasons why I need to get a couple of these for this upcoming season.

Personally my favorite reel on the market is the Shimano Core, followed closely by any Chronarch ever made, and the great thing about this reel is it's a hybrid of both. It wears the exact frame of the Core but instead of magnesium, the new Chronarch is made of lightweight aluminum. Another new feature I'm excited about is the CH100D7 is the first Chronarch offered in a high speed 7.0:1 gear ratio,making catch up time minimal on those giant hook sets! The CH100D5 will be offered in a 5.0:1 gear ratio, sure to be one of the premiere crankin' reels on the market.

Tackle Tour recently posted an excellent review of the new Chronarch D, offering the first inside look at what is soon to come. They do a great job explaining the differences and similarities of the current and past generations, as well as highlight some of it's key new features.

Shimano has consistently pumped out the best the fishing industry has to offer and after the success of the new Citica and Curado, you can be rest assured the Chronarch D will be everything it's cracked up to be.

Out with the Old and In with the New

Only a day away until we look back at 2008 and look ahead to 2009. I for one am really looking forward to the New Year.

As you can now see the new version of JoshDouglasFishing.com is up and ready to rock. We followed a lot of the same guidelines that the old version went by, but with the help of Roth Knight, and his company Cantankerous Design, we put a whole new and improved face on it.

Some new features to the site is you can now subscribe to my blog. Simply scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on the appropriate link, fill out the information and then you will receive a email when I have submitted a new post.

Another nice feature to the blog is the archive, where you can look back at older posts a lot more efficiently by looking up by month and year.

Some other changes for the new year is the sale of Stick 'Em Lure Company and Guide Service. Because of this, I will now be doing guided bass trips under the name Josh Douglas Guide Service. Look for the link to the guide service on the home page. Trips are starting to book up quick for next season so please contact me soon to set up your next fishing outing.

The bad news is the extended forecast isn't ringing in the new year in the way I would have hoped. Instead of day time temps in the 30's, it's more like the teens. Making fishing close to impossible, unless of course I wanted to go ice fishing, which most of you know just isn't my thing. I'd rather hook up the boat and head south for a bassin' get away. Which this year looks like it won't be until the first week of April, when I head down to Grand Lake, in northeastern Oklahoma. I am very much looking forward to this trip, Grand has been good to me in the past and is quickly becoming one of my favorite fisheries.

I also have been using this down time to get ready for next season and get my tournament schedule all figured out. It's sure to be a hectic one. My tentative plans are to fish the Silverado Tour, the BASSMASTER Weekend Series MN/WI Division, the Denny Super 30's, the Denny's Wednesday Nighters, and a few solo events like the Pan O Prag, St. Jude, MN Federation TOC, and more. As well as some of the Gopher Bassmaster events. My plans are to start to prepare for 2010 when I plan to be competing in the BASSMASTER Opens and FLW Stren Series to continue my push to fishing at the Elite levels of both BASS and FLW.

I would like to hear people's feedback on my newly updated website. Feel free to send me an email by clicking on the Contact link of the website or by simply emailing me at my new email address of Josh@JoshDouglasFishing.com.

That's all for now. I'd like to wish all a safe and wonderful new Year! See you in 2009!

All I Want for Christmas is the Chance to GO FISHING!

First off I need to apologize for the lengthy amount of time since my last blog entry. I usually am a lot better at keeping up. This is the time of year for me to catch up with some things that get put on the back burner during the lengthy fishing season. I usually spend a lot of time chasing around cold weather smallies, but I think I have only been out once or twice since mid November, due to the horribly cold weather we have been having. Trust me, I'm no fair weather fisherman, but when the temp dips under 25 degrees, standard fishing becomes impossible because of line and spool freezing and it's been hovering steady around 0 degrees!! It simply makes it impossible to cast and reel in, especially when a slow retrieve is standard this time of year. So instead I've been saving some money, doing some sponsor work, getting in my entry forms for next years tournaments, and most importantly spending some quality time with my wife Bri and dog Madison. Bri and I are also getting ready for the new member of the family to be able to come home, our new rottweiler puppy! He should help make sure the rest of the winter flies by.

I also have been doing a little equipment upgrading. I recently just got a few of the new Shimano Curado reels in and I have to say that they are even nicer than I was expecting. I'm also real excited about getting my new Power Pole installed. I just know it will compliment my style of fishing so much by the versatility and anchor support it will provide.

On another note, hopefully some of you are making plans for your winter get away. My good buddy Chris Campbell just got back from a business trip to Palm Beach, FL and was able to sneak out one morning for a guided trip on one of Florida's world class bass fisheries. Chris hooked up with Captain Art Canahan, who with his brother Doug Kimball run a very successful guide operation for largemouth bass, peacock bass, and also saltwater species like snook and tarpon. Chris, who is an avid basser himself said that this was the best guided trip he had ever been on, if not one of the better fishing outings to date. They caught both size and numbers of both largemouth and more notably, the beautiful peacock bass. If planning any trips to the South Florida area, give either Doug or Art a call for a awesome day on the water. http://www.palmbeachbassin.com/

I am excited to share that www.JoshDouglasFishing.com is currently being reconstructed and so far the results have been awesome. I have teamed up with Cantankerous Design and we're hoping to have the newly upgraded version up by very early in '09. I will post a link in the near future. Also look for my 2009 schedule to be updated soon. It's already looking to be an exciting season.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday. Merry Christmas!!

Tennessee Valley Adventures

Kentucky & Barkley Lakes, KY, TN

On a recent trip to Kentucky Lake, I got the honor of meeting Mr. Randy Nichols and his wife Nora, owners of Tennessee Valley Adventures. My wife Bri, my dog Madison, and myself got the opportunity to stay at their fully furnished lodge, while I was competing in the BASSMASTER Weekend Series Regional championship. Even though Randy was so busy taking people out on guided fishing trips, we still had time to get to know each other. Randy takes southern hospitality to the next level. Every night I would get home from a long day on the water, the gate to the backyard was open, the grill was already burning, and the delicious smell of Nora's freshly baked brownies and cookies, were just the things needed after a long day. There is a lot of hotels and lodges in the area, but none that can even come close to competing with the service provided, and that are as affordable as they are.


**From left to right: The lodge living room, kitchen, a private backyard with more than enough boat hookups.

Tennessee Valley Adventures offers everything from hunting turkey and ducks to world class fishing trips for crappie, largemouth & smallmouth bass, and stripers. Day after day, Randy had his clients on fish and not just numbers but giants as well. I couldn't believe the size stripers they were bringing in. I just recently talked to Randy by phone and he had just got off the water, with his clients catching slab crappie, one after another. Randy could easily be touring the U.S. competing as a top level bass pro, heck he used to, but he enjoys taking people out on guided trips more. That says a lot about a guy, he turns every client into a fisherman with just one outing. Something very important in keeping our sport healthy for years to come.


**From left to right: Your guide Randy and some of his client's awesome catches.

If your planning a hunting or fishing trip to the Kentucky or Tennessee area, I highly recommend you contact Randy and set up not only an awesome guided trip, but an experience of a lifetime. Combine one of the best lakes in the country with one of the best fisherman in the country and your sure to have an action filled trip. I know for a fact that I will be back to Kentucky Lake for many more tournaments in my life and not only do I have a Kentucky Lake connection but I also acquired a new friend for life. Thanks for everything Randy!

Tennessee Valley Adventures
Specializing in Fishing, Hunting & "Adventures"
Randy Nichols (618) 315-5058 or email him at TVAdventure@Yahoo.com

Chasing Fall Time - Small River Smallies

With my tournament season slowing down for the winter, I have had a lot more time do get out and do some fun fishing, chasing Minnesota's smallmouth bass. This time of year the smallmouth action can be at it's best and small rivers can be one of the best places to get out and really whack 'em. With Fall upon us and the water temp falling the smallies have been starting to bunch up and prepare for the upcoming winter. When I say bunch up, I don't mean four or five fish schools. I'm talking twenty or thirty good sized hungry smallies.

The key to catching them is to first find them and then trigger them to bite. A lot of the times if I can get one to bite, that will literally start a feeding frenzy. The bass will actually compete over my lure. It is non stop fish catching action. However the second I let one get off, it's over. The bite will shut down just as fast as it took off. Usually, I count on a finesse presentation to get the job done, as 95% of the time it will do just that. Although just a week ago, I can remember fishing with my buddy Rich Lindgren and doing better by doing just the opposite. I remember I went from 8 lb. fluorocarbon to 16 lb., setting my spinning rod down for a 7ft. heavy casting stick. Rich was throwing a 3/8 oz. Tru Tungsten Jig (Sunfish) and I was going between a NetBait Paca Craw (Green pumpkin) and a Biovex Real Craw (Real Zarigani), with a 3/8 oz. Tru Tungsten Sinker (Green Pumpkin). We went from a relatively slow day to a great afternoon.


**From left to right: Me with a nice smallie caught on a Biovex Real Craw and Rich with another beauty

To find these schools I usually start with throwing a mid running crankbait until I locate the school, then I'll position my boat so that I can make long casts. My proven cranks are a Rapala DT-6 (Red Craw), Storm Wiggle Wart, and a Biovex Amp and Mid Runner (Fire Tiger, Ayu). Once fish are found there is no better way to catch them then by slowing down and casting small soft plastics on light line. The last couple of days I've done really well by casting a 3" Biovex Real Craw (Green Pumpkin), a Biovex Kolt Grub (Watermelon Seed), and a YUM tube (Green Pumpkin). All of which I was applying with 8 lb. P Line Fluorocarbon and light wire Gamakatsu hooks.


**From left to right: Weapons of choice, Biovex Real Craw in the water (there's nothing more realistic), and the go to setup for hog smallies

When the fish are real active I usually do well catching them off shallow rocky flats that are close to deeper water dropoffs. Once the bite slows down and the shallow bite dies, I'll start working the dropoffs. I also look for wingdams to hold both good numbers and quality sized bass. Topwater can also prove extremely productive in the Fall, given the right conditions.

Well as I'm writing this the snow is already starting to fly here in Minnesota. The extended forecast looks very favorable for some quality smallmouth fishing. I'm also trying to get out to Lake Minnetonka a few more times before it ice's over for the winter. I'll post a report next week. I also may be heading to South Dakota to do some pheasant hunting next weekend. I don't get out hunting to often it usually conflicts with fishing, but one of my good buddies promises an awesome time so wish me luck! Or better yet, I think it's the pheasants that need the luck!