Tackle Update: Holy Alabama Rig!!

After reading buddy Rich Lindgren's Blog, as well as fishing with him today, I've gotten a overdose of knowledge on a new rigging technique that blew up this weekend on Alabama's Lake Guntersville. Only fitting, the rig I speak of is known as the Alabama Rig and not only did Paul Elias us it to catch over a 100 pounds of bass to win the FLW Tour event and win by a mouth dropping 17 pounds, but all the final day pros turned to it to make the top 10 as well.

The pre tournament buzz was that this event was going to be a grind and that bites were few and far between. That was until Elias showed up with a staggering 26 pounds and followed it up with a 29-03 the following day. Word didn't take long before other anglers got wind of what he was throwing and figured a way to get their hands on the hot commodity. The amazing thing was that the weights went up considerably for the anglers that made the adjustment.

Photo Courtesy of BassFan

The Alabama Rig, is an umbrella looking rig consisting of a hard body that trail five wires which have a swivel attached to each wire. What you do with it from here is basically wide open, though Elias used it to fasten five separate five inch swimbaits that when retrieved mimic a small school of shad perfectly.

Using a 7' 11" Flippin' Rod with 65 lb. test braid he targeted ridges and quick-dropping points around the causeways. Out of all the anglers throwing the A-Rig, Elias was definitely fishing it the deepest targeting schools suspending in 20 to 30 feet of water. Other pros in the top 10 reported using the rig much shallower, focusing in on schoolers to catch impressive limits.


Here in Minnesota, this rig would be illegal to use as we are only allowed to use one bait per rod but throughout most the country, numerous baits on a single line is lawful. The Alabama Rig may had been off the radar but after the splash it made this weekend, no pun attended, it guarantees to be an overnight sensation.

For more information on the Alabama Rig visit their site at www.TheAlabamaRig.com or check out their YouTube instructional video.

Cost of these rigs is a bit mind numbing but after seeing how much people threw down for Basstrix Paddle Tail Tubes, Chatterbaits and now Reaction Innovations Vixens, $24.95 is peanuts considering what they seem to be able to offer.

I know personally that after seeing what Elias and the rest of the top 10 did, as well as taking into account what other traditional baits weren't able to do, consider my order in.

The Brent Homan Story

For those that visit my website or follow my fishing know that when I'm not on the water setting hooks, I'm often busy writing articles about what has worked for me on the water as well as keeping up with this blog dedicated to literally everything I encounter along my avid fishing path.


Recently I signed on with BassEast which promised to be a good opportunity to promote myself and my sponsors. My first task at hand was a bit of a challenge in that I was asked to write about a gentleman by the name of Brent Homan.

To make a long story short, after getting to know who Mr. Homan was I jumped all over the opportunity. In the end, this ended up being to me the single most important thing I've ever written in the sport of fishing. For once it wasn't about me, it was about something much bigger. One man's sacrifice can truly change others lives, myself included.

Please follow this BassEast Link to read the whole story in it's entirety.

Smallie Heaven!

Autumn is in the air. Our exceptionally late summer weather has finally been replaced by chilly nights, stiff northern winds and cooling water temps. Usually we would already be in full on smallmouth smack down by this time but as I mentioned the late 80 degree weather has put everything on hold. Until now.

As I write this entry, the smallies are bunching up into more than impressive schools and are putting on their feed bags in preparation for old man winter's presence. Some of my favorite guiding holes are just a week away from smallmouth bliss other areas I've been fishing are full on snapping!


If interested in information regarding guided smallmouth outings please email me at Josh@JoshDouglasFishing.com. We offer fully outfitted trips with the best of the line tackle and equipment. The window is short so contact me today!

See you on the water!

Season in Review

Another bass filled tournament season come and gone leaving time to look back and reflect on some of the higher points of the season as well as some of the lower ones. This reflection process is very important to me as I'm easily my own worst critic. I take a lot of pride in my hard work and am always looking for that added ammunition to continue motivating myself to higher levels.

My main goal at the start of every season is to be a better bass angler when that season ends. This may seem like common place for a guy that spends as much time on the water as I do but in the grand scheme of things it's not a given. In fact, I think it's easier to instead get caught up in your norm, sort of rely on what has gotten you there in the first place. This isn't necessarily laziness or lack of enthusiasm, actually it's more like stubbornness. Frankly, it's a challenge to have the confidence to make a change. I feel that confidence if groomed can be what will push me to accomplish my biggest goals.

I feel I did good this year at staying out of my comfort zones and forcing myself to be more versatile. I set out to get a better understanding of my electronics. I have thousands of dollars worth of equipment on my boat but knew that I wasn't getting near that in return from them. Our electronics are our best tool when on the water, they're our eyes under the surface. They crack the code of mystery that inhabits the underwater world. These tools expose not only fish but more importantly their forage and even more important, their actual living habitat. Combine Side Imaging and traditional sonar with gps and Navionics mapping data and I don't have an excuse in the world for not finding fish. It's right in front of my eyes. I honestly believe one of the biggest differences that separates regular pro bass fisherman from tour level bass fisherman is their understanding of their electronics.

I still have lots to learn in this department but can honestly say that I've learned a ton this past season. I've always been told by upper echelon bass fisherman that to consistently cash checks you need to consistently have thorough practices. To have the confidence to know fish are there by simply using what your electronics tell you is what separates the men from the boys. It allows you to cover water so much faster. I found myself being able to do just that this season, using my Navionics mapping data to find key looking areas and then idling over them scanning for sweet spots without ever needing to make a cast. Then come back during the tournament and whack a 5 pound largemouth, a fish that if hooked the day prior in practice never would have bit on game day when the money was on the line. This was so evident in helping win one of the biggest tournaments held in Minnesota this year. I put in countless hours scanning unfamiliar areas on Lake Minnetonka to find some hidden jewels which later helped produce a giant winning sack of fish to claim the top spot at the NABC event put on by North American Fisherman and Cabela's.


Working on different tackle presentations is always a fun yet challenging thing to do. It's hard to stay with something when you're more confident using something else but is necessary in making yourself a more rounded angler. I actually find that learning a new technique is the easy part of the job but to master it you need to learn when and where. This is the hard part for me as I tend to run myself a bit thin, to actually master a technique you need not only know the ins and the outs of the presentation but also develop that sixth sense for when and where to employ it. Looking back at this past season I'm very pleased at my progression in that department. I feel more comfortable with a variety of newer tactics and presentations that were missing from my arsenal. Still lots to learn but definitely on the right track.

There's no denying that I want to consider myself a professional bass fisherman. I'll be the first to admit there's still a ways to go to get to the level I desire but there's a lot of different things that make up this kind of title being it tournament winnings, guiding, writing and all sorts of other business ventures that go with the sport. This past season I stepped up my relationship with Biovex and LoveSoulDream out of Japan. I've been associated with this company for a few years now but with their launch into the U.S. market scheduled in Spring of 2012, it's opened a door for me to become more involved. One highlight of this upgraded partnership was the wrapping of my Ranger Boat which will showcase myself competing in some of the biggest tour qualifying tournaments at the national level. This is HUGE for me in my progression. There's no denying there will be a learning curve associated with this but I'm jacked up for the challenge. As I said before, I'm my own worst critic but I also have an insane amount of confidence in my ability. So much that there's no fear in jumping in head first. I'll take my lumps right on the chin with the best of them but there will be no taking the smile off my face when I succeed.

I also enjoy writing about my passion of bass fishing. It's odd in that I can't write out two sentences about something other than bass fishing but when I'm talking shop it just rolls off my fingers. I'm definitely not schooled at this as you can probably see from my numerous grammar mistakes but I'm striving at getting better at that. Writing is important because it's not only a great avenue for showcasing myself and my sponsors but it's also a great way to reflect back on all that's been going on. I've been writing for the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Outdoor Page for a year or so now as well as maintaining this blog since I first started my pursuit of competitive fishing. I've also had two of my articles published this season in the Spring and Summer edition of Bass Angler Magazine and have just been told that my third one will be in the upcoming Winter edition. Just recently I was added to the Bass East team to not only showcase myself as an upcoming angler but also to expand my writing to other topics within the bass fishing community.

I'm also looking forward to growing my relationship with Navionics from not only being a member of their Pro Staff on the water but also being a contributor to their new digital NewsStand. The Navionics NewsStand is the first to offer a navigation app that provides users access to boating and fishing articles published by the industry’s most recognized magazines conveniently accessible from within the Navionics app.

My guiding business had it's best year yet. We did a record amount of trips this year and all where a success. Such a success that we're booking fast with return customers for our excellent Minnesota Fall smallmouth bite. Please feel free to email me if your interested in receiving more information or to book a trip.

All in all I managed to have a pretty successful season, fixed some things that needed fixing, developed some new confidence in areas that were lacking and of course opened up even more that needs to be worked on. The 2012 season is where I'm putting most of my energy now. Developing a game plan for big national level professional tournaments is a challenge I'm looking forward to as well as making an even bigger splash into the business side of the sport.

My main goals to insuring a successful 2012 season is to continue with the same humble approach that I've been accustomed to. Continue to work hard, give respect where respect is due, and be sure to always give 110% both on and off the water. The new year may still be a few months away but my 2012 season starts now.

See you on the water!

North American Bass Circuit World Championship

Leech Lake, Walker, MN

Twenty five boats competing head to head for twenty grand. It isn't everyday a guy gets odds like this and both Corey Brant and I were ready for the challenge.

Pre-practice was good. The weather was starting to change up north very rapidly showing signs of autumn on the horizon. Leech Lake being noted for it's shallow water fishing, was in the midst of a few changes and overall number of bites were few and far between. Once the cold mornings gave away to warmer afternoons the bite seemed to turn on for us. At the end of practice we would still manage around 20 pounds a day even with the slow starts.

Basically we patterned fish in all sorts of shallow cover such as wild rice, docks, cane and reeds. The reaction bite never really turned on for us and most our fishing were being caught by slowly pitching bottom bouncing baits into the cover.


Day one proved to be exactly what we expected with a relative slow start to the morning. I was able to boat one that went about two and a half pounds out of the cane first thing in the morning. Next thing you know we were approached by North American Fisherman, since we won the last event of the year they wanted to put a camera man in our boat for the day. Wouldn't you know it then our bite went cold for a few hours until Corey got a few key bites off a couple boat docks and I was able to pull one off a stump.

Still desperately looking for our limit fish we decided to run back to a reed patch that didn't produce in the a.m. Finally around 2:30 we started to put on a whack fest and was culling in no time. We were pitching small plastics using different sized Lazer Tungsten Weights and Trokar Flipping Hooks.

At the day one weigh-in we were sitting relatively solid with a five bass limit going 14.98 pounds, though 5 pounds off the lead but on Leech Lake that isn't an unrealistic feat.

Day two was started with what proved to be a mistake on our part. Since our morning bite had been awful we decided to head for some rice that we had some good bites out of in practice even though it was clear on the opposite side of the lake. Hoping to get a limit and a kicker or two in the first couple hours before heading back to hopefully scratch out a few more key culls back in our reeds. Unfortunately we only came back with a small 2.2 pound bass that fell for my topwater frog, other than that we never got another bite. At roughly noon we stopped on a row of boat docks, I skipped under the dock and my jig got popped hard, I set the hook and my line snapped instantly. I told Corey who quickly pitched back under there and set the hook, boated our second fish and wouldn't you know it he had my jig almost fully down his throat. That doesn't happen everyday.

When we made it back to our reeds we come to find that they were beat pretty badly by a few other boats just before we arrived. We managed to run some different area and finally started to get some bites and somehow scratched out a limit and even made one cull. Another hour and who knows but the big bites simply weren't there for us when we needed them. We finished day two with a rough 5 bass weighing 12.76 pounds and slid down to finish 14th overall. A disappointing end to the season but motivation to put together a very productive off season and get all geared up for the 2012 season. I'm currently studying up my options for the BASS Opens and FLW Everstarts but also looking to come back and fish the entire NABC Trail next year. I heard the potential schedule and am liking the way it's shaking out. Lots of exposure, great payouts and an excellent ran circuit all the way around. This trail is the premier team tournament trail in the midwest.

The mornings are cold, the days are shorter and the leaves are changing......it's smallie time!

See you on the water.

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

The seasons are rapidly changing now. Autumn is rearing its head and the cold nights and high winds are starting to change things at a rapid pace. Yesterday was the final Denny's Super 30 tournament of the season and instead of putting in lots of practice on Minnetonka preparing I instead was way up north getting familiar with Leech Lake, the host of next weekends NABC World Championship, where $20,000 grand is on the line.

I was met with 26 degree mornings while up at Leech with highs in the low 50's and things weren't much better down here as I found once I got home and launched on Minnetonka. Things are changing and the fish are moving. After a rough weekend of practice I had wished I had more time in between tournaments to do more work to prepare for this Denny's event. A lot was on the line, we've had some really good finishes on Tonka and were sitting 6th in the overall Team of the Year points where the top 8 in the end cash a rewarding end of the year payout.

A rough practice for me still brings hope, I knew we were fishing big fish areas but the utter lack of overall bites was my worry. The whole weekend was cold, windy and rainy but since race day called for 80 and sunny all a guy could do was hope that change would activate the bite.

Lets say that the bite never got activated and we probably should have adjusted better. Between being stubborn and lacking the confidence to make the right adjustments resulted in the poorest performance of the year and honestly one of the worst tournaments I've participated in in a long time. The one good thing that came away from this is that I definitely learned a few things that will make me even more of a threat on the water next season. I feel very confident every time I launch my boat, especially on Lake Minnetonka, being served a piece of humble pie made me open my eyes to an area in my game that is lacking a bit. I can promise you that myself as well as tournament partners Corey and Ryan Brant will have a workload ahead of us but like with anything bass related are super anxious and chomping at the bit to get out there and master it.

We finished this event in 24th place which dropped us from 6th to 10th or 11th in the Team of the Year points. I always look forward to the Denny's events and am looking forward to participating in as many as I can next summer before heading south. It's a well ran trail with stiff competition, the best of the best competing on their home waters makes for big bags, nice paychecks and a boat load of bragging rights.

Now time to focus on Leech Lake and the NABC World Championship. Wish us luck!

MN B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament of Champions

Whitefish Chain of Lakes, Cross Lake, MN

What a week of fishing, literally I'm exhausted. My practice was good though the overall size of fish I was catching was disturbing. At best I figured I was probably looking at only 13 pounds a day, at very best, yet recent tournaments have been posting numbers closer to 18 plus pounds.

Everyday of practice that went by my size kept getting smaller and smaller and the bite in general just got worse and worse. This year smallmouth played a factor in winning weights but I wasn't able to get a solid pattern on them at all, something kind of disturbing to me as I consider myself a bit of a smallie guru.

Basically I was on a shallow cover and deep structure bite. My best presentation for overall numbers was dropshotting a Biovex Kolt Fish Tail on the edge of productive weedlines. I figured I could bank on this and also whack a kicker or two in the shallow stuff. By the end of practice I figured I needed roughly 12 pounds a day and I'd move on.


First day things started slow but around 10:30 I managed to put together a limit. I fished strong all day and culled all the way up to the final minutes but the culls were only for an ounce here and a ounce there and I finished day one with a disappointing 5 fish for 9.98 pounds though still easily in the top 40 out of 160 and within striking distance of the top 12.

Second day started better but the culling was a minimum, I just never got a big bite in either days of competition. I managed to come in a little better with 10.33 pounds, 2 pounds shy of what was needed with a 2 day total to move on to divisionals. When it was all said and done I finished 28th overall out of 160. Not bad but I was there to get into the top 12 and unfortunately came up a bit short. On the good side my team consisting of myself, Dean Capra, Brad Leifermann and Jim Severson took the top honors for Team of the Year. It's always nice earning a plaque but I was there to move on and just didn't come through this time.


Congrats to Jim Severson and Dean Capra from 10,000 Lakes for their 1st and 4th place finishes respectively and also a shout out to the remainder of the top 12 for their impressive showing, it was truly a grind.

Time to shrug this one off and get ready for some big upcoming tournaments on both Minnetonka and Leech. There's a lot of money to be claimed, hopefully hard work and determination will prevail. In this sport you need to have a short memory.

On the Grind

September is sweet! An entire month packed full of fishing starting with the B.A.S.S. Federation State Championship on the beautiful Whitefish Chain in northern Minnesota. This tournament is special to me as I have set a goal for the season of qualifying for divisionals and because of my soon to be relocation to Tennessee's Smokey Mountains this looks like my only opportunity to do so.

I haven't participated in a State Tournament in a few years since it was held on the Mississippi River and I still have a bad taste in my mouth from that event. I was definitely on a winning sack of fish but a blown injector and a tow off the water caused a zero on the first day, blowing my opportunity. Other tournament obligations kept me from participating the past couple years even though they were held on fisheries that I have a lot of knowledge on in Pokegama and Minnetonka. This year I made State a priority as adding a State Team to my resume would mean a lot to me. I got a lot of work ahead of me in practice but if I fish to the level I've come to expect of myself I have every opportunity to find myself in the top 12. Time to put up or shut up.

As soon as State wraps up I'll head even further north to Leech Lake for a pre practice of the NABC World Championship were $20,000 grand is on the line. I love Leech Lake and though I've only fished it once this tournament should be right in my wheelhouse. I'd love to talk shop but we'll just hold off till the $20,000 dollar payday has been awarded to the deserving team. Lets just hope it's us.

I hurry home for the last event of the Denny's Super 30 held on Lake Minnetonka. We're currently sitting in 6th overall for the Team of the Year points and hopefully we'll be right in the mix come weigh in time. We're coming off a couple wins and good showings out there so I'm really confident in our chances.

Finally it'll be back up to Leech Lake to leave it all out on the water and try our damnedest at claiming the 20K payday!

See you on the water!

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

Coming off a big win on this body of water just days ago, myself and team tournament partner Corey Brant had considerably high expectations on ourselves. We also had added motivation in that we were sitting 7th overall in the team of the year points and with the top 8 teams in line for a nice payday.

Practice went very well for me especially since I fished all new water or at least water that I hadn't used to pull off the big win with a ridiculous weight of 5 fish for 23.53 pounds. Each practice day I managed to easily catch at least 28 pounds for my best 8. If we could simply maintain that we would easily place in the money and slide up in the points.

We drew boat 30 out of 52 and decided to run to some decent water in hopes of catching a early kicker or two before running to our better stuff. Unfortunately we left these area with very little to show for it and worse yet our next few areas were all occupied by other competitors. The day continued very tough for us yet we kept our focus and slowly managed to put together a limit.

As the day progressed it was apparent that our bite was going away from us and in hindsight should have probably scrapped the game plan and instead fished more for the moment. In fact if it wasn't for my last minute flurry we could have really had a rough showing. Instead in the end we weighed in our best 8 for a disappointing 21.3 pounds. Surprisingly enough we were still good enough for a tie for 16th but our big fish knocked us down to 17th. Obviously the bite was tough on a lot of teams though the ones that did catch them knocked it out of the park. Winning weight was 8 for 34.0! Hats off gentleman. I guess it just goes to show that old 'Tonka is alive and well.

Though a disappointing performance for us, our consistency puts us in prime position as we moved up to 6th overall in the team of the year points with only one event to go. I'm very excited as well as I tend to favor the bite on Minnetonka in the late fall and this event should set up right in our wheelhouse.

Autumn is definitely starting to rear its head though my fishing schedule is getting very busy to say the least. In a week I head up to the Whitefish Chain to partake in the BASS Federation State Championship. After that I head up to Leech Lake for the North American Bass Circuit World Championship pre practice. Then head back for the final showdown of the Denny's Super 30 and then head back up to Leech to throw down for 20 grand!

As you see September will be very busy but October and November bring some of the best smallmouth action of the year! I'll be doing a lot of guiding and though I already have lots of trips in the works I still have plenty more room for more! Contact me today!

See you on the water!

North American Bass Circuit

Lake Minnetonka, Spring Park, MN

Since early Spring I've been so excited for this tournament. When I saw that Cabela's and North American Fisherman was teaming up for the North American Masters Circuit on Lake Minnetonka, I couldn't wait to send in my entry fee. This event, promising big name anglers, a big payout and a shot at the NABC World Championship held on Leech lake was enough to keep my mind spinning at the thought of winning such an event.

Teaming up with me was none other then my boy, Corey Brant and we both put in a lot of man hours trying to crack the code of these dog day summer lunkers. We managed to catch good bass all week leading up to the event but so was a lot of other anglers. Tonka has been holding up to its reputation to say the least, big bags of largemouth have been consistently coming across the scales so we knew we needed to pull out all the stops for a true run at the leaderboard.

I was a little nervous when I found out we drew boat 42, I was really hoping for a early draw especially since the return times weren't staggered. None the less we knew we had a solid game plan and plenty a spots to fish that there was no way we would get to everything anyway.

I hate that I can't get into to much detail being that we have another big event out there in just a couple days but I can say we grinded all day, literally to the very end. We caught them both deep and shallow on a multitude of different baits. It was a perfect team effort all the way by making good decisions, landing quality lunkers and some superb fish landing. So good that we took the top prize with a whopping 5 bass for 23.53 pounds!!! A giant sack to say the least and cashed a very rewarding paycheck. To be honest, the money is great but the hardware saying we bested a stacked field on that lake is truly priceless. This tournament means so much to me, we along with our other partner in crime Ryan Brant have put in countless man hours on that lake and been soooo close so many times. We've literally seen way more than our share of wins vanish at the side of the boat. This isn't my first win and I hope to have many many more but I promise I'll never let go of this one.

We also qualified for the NABC Championship held on Leech Lake, September 24th and 25th. First place prize is $20,000!!

Check out the full results here.



Up next is the Denny's Super 30 in just a few days. We find ourselves sitting in 7th place in the Team of the Year points with 2 events to go. Hopefully our pattern holds up and we can continue to move up and make our run at the team of the year.

Making Sense of the Snell Knot?

A month or so ago I received a email from friend Rich Lindgren with a link to an article titled, "Dispelling Snell Knot Theory?", by Hale White with www.FishStrong.com.

I quickly opened the link to see what kind of foolishness this was as I've learned from the best of the best touring pros that this knot is far better than any traditional knot that ties directly to the eye. To catch up any readers that aren't familiar with the snell knot that me get you caught up.


The snell knot is a knot that goes through the eye of a straight shank hook and then wraps and fastens around the actual shank of the hook. There is numerous reasons why anglers would choose to employ this particular knot but its greatest use would be for heavy flipping and punching. The selling points for this knot is unless you use straight shank hooks that have wielded eyes your guaranteed to loose a fish or two because the knot will eventually find its way through the seam. However the main attraction to this knot is its ability to kick the hook out when using a heavy pegged sinker.

After hearing all the buzz from pros and seeing the "kick out" myself I instantly made the switch. The snell was a bit difficult to learn to tie but like with anything practice made perfect. Soon I was teaching all my buddies how to tie the knot.

I'd say my hook up ratio did get a bit better while flipping all the milfoil that we have scattered across our Minnesota lakes, though I can honestly say that it was my worst hook up ratio out of any other form of bass fishing.

I didn't really give it anymore thought until I read Mr. White's article. I just assumed that it was a true combat style of fishing and that lost fish was part of the norm. I'm not going to get into to much detail as to why his article stuck into my brain so much as I'd prefer you visit his website and read the article for yourself, snell knot theory.

What I will tell you is what I read got my wheels spinning, which is exactly what the author wanted. Every theory made sense and in fact showed far more support for why the snell doesn't work than any so called proven facts of why it does.

This past month I ran a series of tests myself. I stopped using the snell knot and instead just tied a good ole' palomar knot directly to the eye of the Lazer Trokar Flippin' Hook (TK130), the baddest straight shank on the market. I was honestly surprised by what I found, I fish 5 days a week and my hook up ratio went up from 50% to an easy 95%. I've been using the same hook and same setup for over two years now, the only difference is the knot. Why would I take away from the advantages of the Trokar Flippin' Hook? Instead, I now will let the hook do its job, what it was made to do, kick bass ass!


As I said, I did notice a slight better hook up ratio once I started employing the snell, though in hindsight it was the switch to the straight shank hook that helped not the knot. The snell was actually working against me.

With this I leave you the same as Mr. White left me. I hope to not convince you but instead make you think, try for yourself and see what works better for you. For me it's a no brainer, the snell knot is a not!

On another note, www.FishStrong.com is a new website for me and I'm very impressed with the content. It's packed with quality information that I admit can be against the grain at times but that I can't disagree with in the end. Do yourself a favor and make them one of your favorites!

Tackle Update: Shimano Still Claiming the Throne

The anticipation over Shimano's release of their new line of reels at July's ICAST Show had me going stir crazy! Being a die hard Shimano guy I always get excited for them to reveal their newest technology. The rumors were flying about these new line of reels and all I heard was great reviews and lower price points. Could this really be the case? Better reels at lower prices?

After seeing them for myself I'm excited to say the rumors held up and so did the expectations. I am particularly excited about the new Shimano Sustain FG. I already have my order in on several of these in the 4000 series. This reel is packed with all the features we've come to expect from Shimano but also adds in some newer technology such as X-Ship which provides rigidity and a tremendous amount of cranking power. It also features the new Magnumlite CI4 Rotor which reduces resistance on rotation providing added smoothness. Last but not least, Shimano added Rapid Fire Drag allowing anglers to quickly adjust drag to ideal settings during the fight.

Also new to their lineup is the reconstruction of the famous Citica and Curado lines. Both the Curado G and Citica G will be offered in 5, 6 and 7 speed gear ratios and both come equipped with their new HEG Gearing technology. HEG Gearing provides extra power and torque to a line that already has the reputation for being the toughest reels on the market.


By far my most excitement comes from their new Chronarch E Series, available in either their 50 and 200 series. I already have both these reels in my arsenal and am sure to replace all my older Shimano Chronarchs with these as well. At a lowered price point of $199.99 a guy would be a fool for not picking up 1 or even 10 of them.

I think it's fair to say the king of reels has maintained their spot on top of the throne!

Tackle Update: Trokar's Newest Hooks

Now that the 2011 ICAST is officially wrapped up, I'm very excited to announce Lazer Trokar's new release of some pretty bad ass hooks!


Everyone has been asking and anticipating for them to jump into the treble hook market. Obviously Trokar wasn't about to rush perfection and instead waited until they knew they had the best trebles in the game. Introducing the new Lazer Trokar Round Bend Treble and Extra Wide Gap Treble. Both hooks are short shank and are offered in sizes 2, 4, 5 and 6. Size 5 is a very unusual number for trebles but let me let you in on something, when so many high level bass pros demand it, go out and buy it!


The Round Bend is ideal for your smaller finesse and balsa style baits where the Extra Wide Gap is ideal for all your heavy cranking needs.

These hooks live up to all their hype!

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

I guess it's fair to say that summer is finally here. With temps in the 100's and humidity levels soaring over 90, these hot conditions are shaking things up on my favorite body of water, good ole Tonka.

Bass have been moving and if you're able to stay with them they're balling up in big schools. All of practice I spent finding these schools and honestly they can be found in all levels of the water column from dirt shallow to as deep as you fell comfortable fishing.

Ryan Brant and I had a pretty good practice and was very enthusiastic to get the deal done come Monday. We started out early when Ryan busted a 4 pounder right out of the gates and I followed up with a nice 3 1/2 to follow. The problem came just after when we tried to get to our better schools and found many boats occupying these areas. We ran around and I was able to pop another nice 3 pounder off a new spot Ryan had found in practice.

Things were going but with a couple hours burnt up we weren't exactly loving our start, we were able to finally get on some stuff that was holding a few schools and things started to heat up quickly. One area I popped a nice bass just shy of 5 pounds and Ryan finished it off with another nice 3 1/2. Shortly thereafter on a very similar type area I boated another 4 pounder and now we were sitting very good and it was only noon.

Unfortunately for us we weren't able to keep up with our mid day whack fest and fell short in an attempt to cull out a couple more 2 3/4 bass that where hindering our sack. We caught lots and lots of fish and culled like crazy but just couldn't muster up enough giants to really tip the scales.

We weighed in our best 8 for 26 pounds only good enough for a 14th place finish. No money but consistency is key when the big money is also tied to the end Team of the Year points. We currently are sitting in 7th and only 12 points out of first with 2 events remaining.

The weather was hot and the fishing was even hotter! We caught lots of fish and I'll tell you that we busted them real good on the new Trokar Hooks, I just can't tell you which ones.. That might just give it away.

Book Your Guided Bass Adventure Today!

Can you believe it's already mid July? Wow! It's crazy how fast summer flies by and how slow the winter crawls. I've been keeping very busy out floating on the water and I'm happy to admit that the bass have been jumping into the boat to join me. Between guide trips, preparation and actual tournaments, I've got the pleasure to see some really nice fish and better yet while out doing guide trips I've got the honor of seeing and sharing some fine people's firsts! First bass, first bass on a frog, first bass sight fished and first four pound bass of the year, I've been fortunate to share with the very people that made them happen.


The bass are finally starting to school up in big numbers on their usual summer haunts. This is my favorite time of year to catch them as the potential for a trophy or multiple trophies is never more possible. The long spring slowed down the spawn and really put the vegetation in a funk, with the warmer weather as of late and forecasted into the future things should continue to balance out nicely.



My schedule looks to be filling quickly but there's still some available space for a few guide trips. I've also been getting quite a few inquiries regarding the upcoming fall smallie bite! I personally am hoping for a long fall as the smallmouth action will be off the charts!

Contact me today!!

Tackle Update: Navionics Teams with Minnesota Based Rapala

WAREHAM, Massachusetts – Navionics, the world leader in electronic navigation charts for dedicated chart plotters and mobile devices is partnering with Rapala lures to provide a winning combination for anglers worldwide. Rapala will keep anglers updated on their newest products and events by using the Navionics mobile application as a location based communication tool. Navionics mobile is a must have for anglers to help find that perfect fishing spot. “The Navionics App allows anglers to view over 17,000 lakes and the entire coastal region of the US and Canada on their iPhone or Android smart phone” says Don Black, Global VP Sales and Marketing for Navionics. “Navionics mobile combined with product information from Rapala creates an unbeatable combination for the serious angler”. “We are excited to partner with Navionics on this app”, says Kelly Brockpahler, Marketing Director for Rapala USA. “This tool will give anglers information they need, real time, to catch more and bigger fish, wherever they are”. Navionics is the world’s #1 selling marine application for the Apple iPhone and iPad in HD, and was the first app to be launched on Android smart phone’s and is now available for Nokia smart phones. Ideal for boaters, fishermen and water sports enthusiasts of all kinds. Navionics charts which run on a wide variety of smart phones give user’s access to charts anytime, anywhere. Plan on-the-water adventures; check tides, set routes and markers, record tracks, or access the world’s richest collection of boating and fishing related points-of-interest (POIs). Future free updates will add additional features and now includes the latest Navionics Revolution in charts, “User Generated Content”! About Rapala Rapala was unofficially founded in 1936 when Lauri Rapala invented the Rapala fishing lure. Rapala has grown from humble beginnings to a market leader in the fishing tackle industry. The Rapala brand’s functionality and high quality are known by fishermen around the world. Rapala maintains its strict standards of craftsmanship while delivering its fishing products to anglers in more than 130 countries. For more information on Rapala, please visit www.rapala.com. About Navionics For 25 years, Navionics has developed and manufactured electronic navigation charts and systems for marine, inland lakes and rivers, and for outdoors use. Navionics is based in Massarosa, Italy, and operates sales and manufacturing facilities in seven countries - conducting research and development, operations, production, sales, marketing and distribution. Navionics headquarters in Massarosa, Italy serves Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, and manages the research, development, and production facilities globally. Navionics US headquarters, based in Wareham, Massachusetts, oversees the Americas. Navionics UK and Navionics Australia provide sales and distribution to their local regions. For more information on Navionics, please visit www.navionics.com or email marketing@navionics.com Problems viewing the HTML version? Click here

© 2011 Navionics SpA. All rights reserved.

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Tackle Update: Introducing Seaguar's New Kanzen Braid and Senshi Mono

Seaguar has already built a lasting reputation for making the finest fluorocarbon lines on the market but today I'm happy to announce the release of their much anticipated Kanzen Braid and Senshi Monofilament. These two new lines are joining an elite lineup but for very good reason.


Senshi Monofilament is strong yet very supple and has the best cast ability of any line I've ever thrown. Senshi makes for great topwater line but I'm very excited to use it in all my carolina rig leaders and even more excited to employ it on my jerkbait rod for those cold days on the water.

I'm stoked about the Kanzen Braid! I've been waiting for someone to come out with a braid of this caliber. It has a thin diameter but is as strong as any proven braid on the market. One area in particular that sets this braid apart is that it is a waxless braid, perfect for spinning gear. It doesn't dig into your spool like other waxed braided lines do. Couple this with a Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon leader and you have all the best elements for the perfect spinning rod setup.

Check out any of the Seaguar lines at your local tackle store and see what it's like to fish with the world's #1 fishing line.

Off and Running

I'm happy to announce that one of Japan's leaders in tackle manufacturing, Biovex and myself have come to an agreement that will highlight me sporting around the freshly wrapped Ranger showcasing the Biovex logo's as I partake in some of the highest national level pro tournaments the U.S. has to offer. Taking a giant jump forward in my quest to compete in a Bassmaster Classic and a FLW Forest Wood Cup, as well as attempt qualifying for tour level play.

Biovex is preparing for their highly anticipated release to the U.S. market in early 2012. I'll be out putting their innovative and quality baits to the ultimate test, trying to work my way towards the top of the pack of professional bass fishing.

My Ranger is in getting wrapped as we speak. Here is a template of my boat and what it will look like when it's complete.


I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished product as soon as it's ready to hit the water.

In anticipation for the 2012 season when I plan to make the jump to the Opens, Everstarts and/or PAA Tour events, I'm using this time to learn and progress myself as much as possible. Preparation is key and though I understand there will be a significant learning curve, I still plan to put myself in position to succeed. This is a major opportunity for me and I plan to take full advantage. I'm working on my weaknesses and mastering my strengths by trying to be on the water every available second. For instance, there's a certain lake that has always been a tough lake for me when the smallies are shallow. If there not in 25 plus feet than I often enough find myself looking from the outside once it's time to hand out checks. So when the opportunity came to get out there with my buddy Ryan Brant just for the fun of it, I was all in.

We were able to help each other become a better angler. I helped tune him into a deep bite and at the same time I learned something from him when the bass are shallow. In the end I was slinging 4 pounders on the new Biovex Kolt Fish Tail like I'd been doing it all my life. Now because of that I built confidence in methods that have historically got the better of me, making me a more versatile angler.


All for now, heading out of town soon to one of my favorite places in the world! More details on that soon.

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

Today was my first event on Lake Minnetonka as my team tournament partners for these events, Ryan and Corey Brant took the first one in early Spring. They were good enough for a rock solid 10th place finish and with this years Team of the Year money being so lucrative, this was a huge start. We've never started out this good in the past and historically the early season tournaments aren't our best showings bit somehow someway we always manage to fight our way to the top through the heart of the summer and into the fall and find ourselves in the top 12 come end of the year shoot-out time.

We seem to have a better handle on the lake come summer and fall but this year we put in some hard fought hours better understanding where these bass are in this odd post spawn transition. I literally found myself on the water every available second the last few days leading up to this tournament. Through a lot of trail and error I was able to figure out a couple things and felt I had enough numbers that my only concern was quality bites. In hindsight, this was probably a good problem to have being that we usually have quality but seem to never have the quantity and always seem to have a teeter totter bag, five giants and 3 rats.

Paired with me was the younger Brant, Corey aka Core Dogg. Corey coming off a quality smallie tournament on Green Lake were he and his brother Ryan finished 4th, was chomping at the bit to get out and cash another check. We all fish a lot of tournaments all over but to a lot of die hard Minnesota bass anglers the Denny's Minnetonka tournaments are really a big deal, it's truly the best of the best and the anticipation for these events is honestly very high.

Unfortunately we were boat 50 out of 51, sucks but to be quite honest this was the tournament for this to happen, we really didn't have any one place we needed to go. I really don't like to get into details on patterns and tactics on Lake Minnetonka but I will say it was a fun day all together. We caught a ton of fish and a limit was no problem, it was pure pandemonium for a little while, one would set the hook and drop one in the livewell and the other would then set the hook and do the same. We were rotating perfectly for about two hours. The only issue was that we had a limit of two pound bass but we had both landed a nice three to three and a half pounder.

We started looking for kicker fish and really found it to be a challenge, we made a few small culls for around one or two ounces at a crack until Corey busted a nice 4.6 lb largemouth and now we knew we were right there. We still had a couple hours in our day and knew we needed one more to be right there and two more to bust the top three.

We ran as much high percentage big bass spots as we could squeeze in but it wasn't till about five minutes remaining that I popped a real good bass that surged us up about a pound in a half. We made some last second desperation casts but in the end was one fish away yet again. We weighed in with 24.1 pounds good enough for 9th place. The good start should find us in 2nd or 3rd in the Team of the Year race heading into the summer. In that aspect, neither of us could ask for better. It's setting up to be a fun season on Lake Minnetonka!



Stay tuned to JD Fishing, I have some real exciting news coming in the next few days!

See you on the water!

Gopher B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament

Lake O' Dowd, Shakopee, MN

Preparing for this tournament wasn't tough at all since I grew up just a couple miles from the boat landing and still do most of my guide trips on this very body of water. One may think I should have this one in the bag and in the summer months when the bass go deep I would consider myself a tough one to out do but this time of year the bass are shallow and big bass at that. It was truly anybodies ball game.

I was paired with fellow fishing buddy Rich Lindgren for this event which wasn't really the most ideal pairing in that we were sitting first and second in the Angler of the Year race with Rich slightly edging me by less than a pound. I new I had the water to do well in this event but new damn well Rich would stick his fair share of them. We fish together pretty often and are used to sharing the front deck, why would today be any different? We decided we'd just act as if we were out fun fishing and rotate on the trolling motor.

The action starting slow which was a surprise to say the least. I had a stretch that I found in practice that I honestly thought both Rich and I could put 14 pounds in the box within the first 30 minutes. Not the case. Instead we left the first couple spots with nothing to show.

Success was to be had and after a mind boggling start we finally got our act together and started setting some hooks. Rich and I went blow for blow all day, culling lots and often but upgrading only ounces at a time. We joked all day about who had the better bag, both thinking the other did of course. Our main pattern was ultra shallow water because the snowy winter made for some high water and the fish were literally on the bank. Most my fish came on a Lake Fork Ring Fry with a 4/0 Trokar Magworm Hook.

Knowing we needed a kicker fish, Rich and I decided to hit a deeper spot that I knew the bass would use as a transition from shallow water out to the deeper water. Basically the weedline forms a underwater point between to spawning flats and also has some mixed in rocks. Both Rich and I were able to catch a few on football jigs, I was using a 1/2 oz. hand tied Picasso Fantasy Football Jig.

Back at weigh-in I really wasn't surprised to find out the overall weights were up. This lake is loaded with 5 pounders and I've seen my fair share of 6's and 7's as well. Actually there was a donkey of a 6.45 lb. largemouth that got weighed in as well.

I finished with 5 for 15.71 lbs. and good ole' Richy finished with 5 for 16.01 lbs. barely edging me out and adding a few more ounces to his AOY total. If I had my choice I'd take 15.71 pounds for 5 in every tournament I fished and would cash checks in almost every event but this time it was only good enough for 6th. Just like I said to the boys, "I'm on 15 pounds unless I crack a kicker or two." I had a bag of all 3 pounders and just never popped that big bite I needed to jump up into the top 3. Though I have to admit, Rich and I had a great time whacking on 'em all day that's for sure!

On another note, Lake O' Dowd sucks, stay far far away from it. ; )

Gopher B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament

Medicine Lake, Plymouth, MN

I've lived in the Twin Cities most of my life and fished most every lake in my immediate area with one exception, Medicine Lake in Plymouth, MN. I guess whenever I travel to the North West Suburbs I just assume launch the Ranger on good ole' Lake Minnetonka. Maybe I should reconsider from time to time.

I'm usually fishing Lake Minnetonka this time of year with a three man team in myself, Ryan and Corey Brant. Being that I was wrapped up in a few things this Spring when it came time to divide up the "Tonka" schedule I opted to sit back the first few events out there so that I could take care of some other obligations and set it up to not miss a single other event out there the remaining of the season.

This strategy also made way for me to jump in to some good ole' Gopher Bassmaster Events and since I had always wanted to fish Medicine I figured this would be the added motivation to get out there.

I always heard very good things about this body of water so I was eager to take a couple days to check it out before the event so I wasn't running around blind. I was able to get out with my lovely wife Bri on Monday afternoon for a few hours and then again Wednesday morning for another rendezvous. Basically practice was as good as I could expect and as good as I heard it would be. I managed to bag up close to twenty pounds both days and still pulled on a bunch that I never felt needed to get hooked. The bite was good shallow, boat docks and sight fishing. I really couldn't ask for a better scenario unless I could get freak nasty on 'em out on rock points. Unfortunately I never did find that bite but it would of made it a little cooler.

I was mainly using a few different rigged soft plastics with Trokar Hooks and Lazer Tungsten Weights. With all the panfish activity going on I also managed a few really big bites on the new Biovex Wake.

Tourney day I was last boat to take off and found a few competitors already occupying some rows of boat docks that I had pulled on what I thought to be nice fish. My first few stops provided me with nothing but a bit of anxiety, the boat docks weren't coughing up a single bite and the bass I had marked on beds seemed to already have moved off.

After two hours without a keeper bite and an attitude that needed a serious adjustment I decided to stick to the plan I had developed and just start looking for productive water. That's exactly when things started looking up. I figured the stretches I was working earlier in the week probably were getting more daily sunlight and therefor were most likely further ahead then other areas of the lake. So I set out and was rewarded quickly. With the sun getting higher I started seeing fish locked on beds in other areas of the lake. Even though they were on the smaller side I decided I best starting putting fish in the box.

First bass I spotted on a bed I was able to catch rather quickly, nothing to write home about but a bass is a bass. I kept working the bank and skipping docks but mainly kept my eyes peeled for active beds. I came across a nice cruiser and initially tossed a weightless Lake Fork Tackle Ring Fry at it and it just spooked out of sight. I made a Hail Mary type cast in the direction it was darting and wouldn't you know, "tick", I set the hook and just like that added a nice 3 pound bass to the box.

The remaining stretch I was able to limit out rather quickly all by sight fishing off of beds though still no quality at all, seriously I'm talking peanuts. I recalled a stretch of docks that sat right off an immediate quick drop and remember thinking to myself that come summer these docks would be insane. Thinking maybe these docks would hold a pissy rehabilitating female I set out and was surprised by what I found, quality largemouth locked and loaded on beds. The first one I came across looked to be about a 4 pounder and it didn't take much work at all to coax a bite. The remainder of the day I worked over bedding fish and was able to just find the time to cull out every last small one.

Headed back to weigh-in I new the bite had to of been tough on some but also new the potential of big bass in this lake could make for a big sack. I weighed in at 15.98 lbs. and managed to hold the lead until of course the very last boat, my buddy Rich Lindgren tipped the scale with an even more impressive 16.2 pounds, edging me out by only 2 ounces.

The competitor in me was obviously upset and to be edged out in the very end by a good friend whom we've always had added competition made it burn just a bit more, but with that said I had one of the better tournaments of my life and flat out had one of the best days on the water I've ever had. I've obviously caught plenty of bigger sacks in my day but never had I been so successful bed fishing an entire event like that. Every fish I saw and needed I eventually was able to coax into biting. I always thought sight fishing was my worst weakness but after this past year of actually putting in the time I can honestly say it's one of my strongest suits.

So far this season has been everything I was looking for, a fun, competitive and a educational year before upping the ante next year on the national circuits. Up next, Lake O'Dowd. A true gem.

A Guided Trip to Remember

These days I spend most all my time preparing and partaking in different bass tournaments that I don't get the time to do as many guided bass trips as I once did. This is a serious down fall of being a tournament angler because I happen to enjoy being a bass guide. Why wouldn't I? I get the opportunity to influence someone else and help show them the enjoyments that I cherish with every bone in my body. To just be able to get people out of their element and into mine is rewarding but nothing is as rewarding as seeing the look on their face as they hold up their personal best bass and then watching them let it go to be enjoyed another day.


I guess I could say I'm used to helping people keep a lasting memory that they'll reflect on for the rest of their life. Understand I don't take anything I've accomplished in bass fishing for granted but it's hard to remind myself of that when your doing it everyday. Though I have been accustomed to providing long lasting memories for my clients, it wasn't until a trip last week that some clients provided memories that I'll soon never forget.

Let me introduce you to two new friends of mine Kalai and Manju, two business men in from India and looking to go out and catch their first bass on lakes not anything like what they're accustomed to back home.

At first this was a trip very similar to what I've been accustomed to, meet them at the boat dock, introduce them to the fast boat and start teaching them to cast. Next came the fish catching and catching we did but it was their true level of sincerity and enthusiasm that slowly started taking me back. The true enjoyment on their faces could of been seen far and wide. It's their first trip to the U.S. and are feeling very fortunate to be in this situation yet all I could think about was how truly lucky I was to be able to have these two in my boat at that exact time. It goes to show how two far away and much different worlds can collide and provide an equally enjoyable experience for us all. The catching was good and the boat riding was exceptional.


Kalai and Manju, I know you had an awesome day but please know you provided me with an even better one, you helped me get back some of that enthusiasm that maybe I was forgetting. I can now say, I have friends as far away as India. Thank you.