Tricks of the Trade - Swim Jigs 101

There are all sorts of different lures on the market, all offering different styles and actions, promising extraordinary results. One of these baits is the swim jig, the spinnerbait with no blades. At first glance there's really not much to a swim jig, a cone shaped head, a silicone skirt, weed guard and a stout hook, but once you couple this with an action filled trailer and add some tried and true techniques, this simple bait turns into a bass catching machine.

**Above Picture: Two Super K Swim Jigs in black chartreuse and white flash.

Being a self proclaimed jig fisherman, this technique is actually somewhat new to my repertoire. To be honest, I never really saw all the hype in the bait and just thought a crankbait or a spinnerbait would be a better bet, therefore I ignored most of the rumors and never really gave the technique a fair shake. It wasn't until this past spring when I signed up to fish the Bassmaster Weekend Series, where all the events where scheduled on different pools of the Mississippi River. A swim jig, amongst others, is known on the river to be an effective method to catch nice limits of both smallmouth and largemouth bass. Going into the season I hadn't had a whole lot of previous experience fishing the Ole Miss and after finishing 2nd in the AOY points standings the year prior fishing popular lakes throughout northern Minnesota, I was looking for any advantage I could get.

I made a sincere commitment to myself that I would take the time and figure out why this bait was so popular. It didn't take long and it quickly became one of my go to techniques and not only did I find success on the river, but also found the swim jig to be equally as lethal on lakes and reservoirs. This bait straight up catches fish and big ones at that. My first time really using it was on a trip to pool 2 of the Mississippi where I managed to catch 10 to 15 solid keeper largemouth, while my two friends couldn't buy a bite on any other bait.

A month later, I counted on a Super K Swim Jig to help catch some prespawn smallmouth at the first event of the Bassmaster Weekend Series and was able to ride the success to a first place finish. When it came to a reaction bite, I couldn't find any bait that could better perform and the quality of these fish was surprising. Being a jig fisherman, I've always said that jigs are big fish baits and the swim jig is no different.

The key to a swim jig is that it's a finesse bait that can be power fished. Not a lot of flash and a very subtle action that can catch pressured fish. Rich Lindgren, my good friend, tournament competitor and fellow Tru Tungsten Pro Staff member agrees, "Swim jigs are one of many great baits or tools in my arsenal. I also catch fish on spinnerbaits, lipless cranks and chatter style jigs, which often cover the same water column. I like swim jigs when the fish are more pressured because it's a more subtle presentation that gets a bit overlooked by other anglers."

Another factor in a swim jig is its versatility, you can truly fish them almost anywhere. They come through snags and vegetation better than any other bait. I' m able to fish this bait in areas that the only other option I'd have is a topwater frog. Rich couldn't agree more, "The swim jig really shines around thick vegetation and slop where other baits would foul up and if your bait is consistently fouled then you're not being efficient with your casts." He continues by saying, "When I have a wide variety of cover I lean toward the swim jig strictly because of its versatility; if I come to a stump, dock, laydown or hole in the grass that I feel like needs more of a vertical presentation, I can pitch and hop my swim jig like a normal jig through it and not have to switch baits or rods, plus I can skip a swim jig into places that would be tough with other baits."

Since this is generally a shallow water presentation, you'll want a rod with both a light tip capable of throwing 1/4 oz. swim jigs, as well as a strong backbone capable of pulling big fish through thick vegetation. Both Rich and I use a 7' heavy action baitcasting rod (G Loomis IMX MBR 844), and a fast 7.1:1 gear ratio reel. I find most often that 15 or 17lb. Seaguar Invizx Fluorocarbon line works best, but if I'm in the real thick stuff I'll opt for 30lb. Power Pro Braid, to insure that I get the fish through the mess without breaking off. Also a sensitive rod is real important to me because depending on the bite, a swim jig strike can feel awfully similar to that of a worm bite. All you feel is a "tick" as the bass engulfs the bait from behind, knocking slack into your line. This is also why line choice is so important, you really only want to be using fluorocarbon or braid, because mono has way to much stretch, making hook sets a real gamble.

When it comes to river fishing, the swim jig has turned into a staple for fisherman because it consistently catches fish. Brent Haimes, well known river rat and Bassmaster Classic qualifier, uses this technique every time he's on the water. Sure he admits that there can be other ways to better catch them, but says when the conditions are right, there's no better bait than a swim jig. "When fishing secondary channels, a guy would normally need a buzzbait (tight to the bank), a spinnerbait and a jig to cover all the areas that fish hold, where a swim jig covers all these." explains Brent. He adds, "What I really like about the Super K Swim Jig is the weed guard is soft enough where hook ups aren't an issue, but stiff enough that it doesn't get hung up in the wood."

After having much success throwing swim jigs on the river, I decided I needed to start incorporating this method on some natural Minnesota lakes. I really wasn't too surprised with my findings, swim jigs catch fish on any body of water, the key is to match the forage that the fish are biting. Usually rivers and southern reservoirs require your standard shad colors as well as darker hues when the water muddies up. Lakes on the other hand, require more of a bluegill or perch presentation. Gregg Kizewski, a Wisconsin tournament angler and creator of the Super K Swim Jig, has daily success fishing swim jigs in lakes and has really turned me onto the tactics in which he approaches this style of fishing. "On natural northern lakes, I look for weight in regards to my swim jig fishing", explains Gregg. "Many of our northern lakes have weeds in 8 to 20 feet, soft plastics and plunking jigs are not the only methods to pull fish out of these deep weeds. Often times the fish will want a moving bait and a 3/4 oz. swim jig with a FG30 weedguard is made to order for this application."

For this deeper style of fishing, Gregg suggests to beef it up with a 7' 11", heavy action graphite rod, a slower 5 to 1 gear ratio reel with 50 lb. braided line. I particularly find this deep bite to be more productive in the middle of the summer and into the fall when bass are relating to deeper water. This is also where some of the gnarliest vegetation is as well as some of the lakes biggest bass, it's essential to have beefed up equipment to get the job done. I do my best with a 7 ' 5" G Loomis GLX Flippin' Stick and a fast 7.1:1 Shimano Core Reel with 20 lb. Seaguar Invizx Fluorocarbon. I like the faster ratio reel for catching up the slack before setting the hook, where as a slower reel is better for presenting the bait during the retrieve.

Swim jigs are made of five key elements, a weighted head, weedguard, skirt, hook and some sort of trailer. In my opinion, Super K offers the best version on the market. Some of their qualities include a weedless cone shaped head along with a custom hand tied skirt. The hook is all muscle using a 5/0 Gamakatsu Round Bend that Gregg custom bends to 28.5 degrees.

The trailer is important because it's what gives life to the swim jig, by imparting a vibrating action into the water. Dan Elsner, owner of Get Bit Baits, and founder of the popular Hypertail Grub, insists that the action of his grub when used as a trailer will elicit a feeding response from all game fish because of its unique vibration. "Bass feed off prey by detecting vibrations in the water column through use of their lateral line." he explains. "The Hypertail Grub will trigger their natural instinct to grab an easy meal."

Although grubs tend to be the most popular choice amongst swim jig fisherman, there are other options that can be more effective depending on the conditions. When the water's dirty, I like to use a bait with dual appendages like a Sizmic Toad or a Zoom Speed Craw, largely because these baits will disperse more water, making it easier for a bass to locate it. Also baits like a Basstrix Paddle Tail or a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad, provide a great look when bass are hitting larger prey like gizzard shad or tilapia.

When retrieving these bait's it's important that you play with your speeds. Most of the time I get 'em by using a slow standard retrieve and occasionally killing the bait and letting it free fall as if to suggest it's injured, yet at times burning the bait will get the best response. Smallmouth are especially vulnerable to this tactic, a fast retrieve can really activate a school of rogue smallies in a quick hurry.

**Above Picture: Me with a Old Hickory largemouth, caught on a 1/4 oz. Super K Swim Jig (Darin's Shad)

Next time you're out on your favorite body of water, pick up an extra rod and tie up a swim jig. If you're not a believer now, you will be in no time.

Tight Lines!

Vamos Pesca de la Lubina en el Lago Falcon!

Yeah, that's right! If your not up to date on your espanol than I'm sure you'll understand this, We're going bass fishing on Lake Falcon! The mecca of giant 10+ pound largemouths located on the Texas and Mexico border.

In a few weeks, myself and two buddies will be making the long 23 hour haul from ice covered Minnesota all the way to the border for what could set up to be some of the best fishing any of us have ever experienced.

Lake Falcon is the hottest lake in the world right now for the chance of catching true lunker bass and numbers of them as well. Every tournament held there seems to break records and if your not holding a 30 pound bag every day of competition than you ain't cashing many checks. I mean a 40 to 50 pound bag is a definite possibility. It's crazy, but it's true! I just got done watching this video on YouTube of a guy catching donkey after donkey and when he was done his best five tipped the scales at more than 56 pounds! Could you imagine if he did that four days in a row? He'd have a four day total of over 200 pounds!!??

My only goal for this trip is to catch a 10+ pounder. My personal record is 7 lbs. 14 oz, caught last April on Grand Lake, in Oklahoma. My previous big bass was 7 lbs. 6 oz. caught in Northern Minnesota which my Dad had gotten a replica made for me. I've always said since that I wouldn't get another replica until I caught a 6 pound smallmouth or a 10 pound largemouth and I'm hoping this trip is the one that yields that award.

Mid to late February on Lake Falcon is a great time in that we should see all three stages of the spawn, the pre spawn, spawn and post spawn. During this time, large females are up and moving making them a easier target for a self proclaimed "trophy hunter" like myself.

I decided I am going to make the most of this trip by adopting the "don't bring a knife to a gun fight" type of attitude. I'm throwing big baits for big fish, something I don't get the chance to do everyday living in Minnesota. I'm stocking up on baits like the Weedless Huddleston and the Tru Tungsten Tru Life Swimbaits, heavy 1 oz. Super K Plunking Jigs and plenty of large 1 oz. Biovex Stangun Spinnerbaits. I'll also have plenty of 20 pound Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon as well as a few spools of 65 lb. Power Pro Braid to handle all the flooded trees that Falcon is known for. The last thing I need is to hook into a fish of a lifetime and then break it off.

With all this I've also been preparing for next season. I'm especially anxious for my trip to Oklahoma's Grand lake where I'll be competing in the Bassmaster Weekend Series. Grand is an excellent fishery and I've managed to do well there in the past. My Dad is also driving out from the Rocky Mountains to join me in practice and then he plans to compete on the am side. I've never visited a lake that fishes to my strengths as well as Grand, it's a jig fisherman's dream!

I also put in my order for a new Hummingbird 998 SI Combo, to compliment my two Lowrance Units. There's no doubt the addition of side imaging to the fishing world has some serious advantages. I plan to be out on my favorite lakes the day the ice breaks getting accustomed to all that the Hummingbird has to offer. I'll be able to accomplish so much more during my practices and I'm hoping better practices will help get me a spot this year at the Silverado Championship, held on good ole' Lake Minnetonka. Last season I felt I struggled a bit in a couple tournaments and the difference between cashing a check and getting a early start on your ride home, was done in the few days leading up to the event. Tournament day should simply be execution.

All for now, stay warm!

Sights Set on 2010!

With only hours remaining in 2009, I can't help but look back at this past year and reflect on both the good and the bad times. Economic times of our sport have been tough, but being a "glass half full" type of guy I look at this as a plus. I work hard everyday for my money and making sure my head stays above the water in both fishing and family alike. With the country in a bit of a downward spiral financially, sponsors are tough for pro anglers to get, let alone keep. Being a up and comer in this industry I use this to my advantage. I'm using this time to continue to learn and the best way to do that is time on the water. Big money sponsorships are fading a bit but this means there's more opportunity for guys at the semi pro level like myself to build relationships with companies. Opportunities that may not have been there a few years ago are available now and if I continue to do my part, these relationships can really grow.

With this said, I am really picky on what products and what companies I align myself with and put next to my name. I use products that give me an advantage on the water and more importantly give me the edge over my competition. Honestly I see no reason in representing products that don't absolutely dominate when put to use. With the exception of being a good husband and son, my only goal in life is to be the best bass fisherman I can be. Life is short and the competition is stiff, I need to be able to trust my equipment when chasing this type of dream.

Biovex - One of Japan's most popular tackle manufacturers. Although not well known in the US, that will change in the future once these baits find their place in other angler's boats across the country. Biovex, leads the way in both lure design as well as lure action, thanks to well known designer Katsushi Umeda. I'm really looking forward to some of the new products that will be released in the near future. I'll be sure to post these baits as they become available.


Tru Tungsten - When on the water, I stop at nothing to give myself every advantage available to me. If your not using tungsten, than your missing the boat. There is no denying all the hype that comes from using tungsten tackle, in fact the hype isn't opinion, it's fact. Tungsten is much more dense than lead, which is better in that it is more sensitive and smaller. I get hung up much less and the hardness of tungsten relays information much better than that of lead.


Gamma - Every good fisherman knows your no better than the line your using. My opinion is that line is the most important part of your fishing arsenal. This is why I trust nothing but Gamma to get the job done. I use Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon for almost all my fishing. It's the strongest and most sensitive line on the market. I'm excited to announce the release of Gamma Touch Fluorocarbon for 2010. This fluoro is made for the spinning reel and is exceptional on dropshot and shakey head rigs. It provides all the benefits as it's well known brother Edge, but also is extremely manageable on spinning gear where other brands of fluorocarbon lack.


MiHatchii - Truely the most unique and efficient hooks on the market. Just when I thought that they couldn't make hooks much better than they already where, Fish Harder Companies teamed with some of the top tour level pros and the outcome has be awesome. Take one look at the Pro Flip Hook and you'll see what I mean. Use it once and you'll be hooked for life, no pun intended.


Super K Swim Jigs - Swim Jigs are one of the most deadly baits on the market and Super K is leading the way. These are finesse baits that can be power fished through anything and catch pigs. All Super K Swim Jigs come with a hand tied skirt that match any forage you can think of and best yet each one comes equipped with a stout 5/0 hook, bass bite and don't let go or should I say Super K bites and doesn't let go?!


LSD Designs - When your on the water as much as I am you find yourself in all sorts of different elements. LSD designs is who I trust to protect me and my gear. LSD's products protect in the harshest of conditions yet still have plenty of style. When your business is establishing a name in the fishing industry, appearance is very important and this is what separates LSD from it's competition.


Tacklesmith - There's no denying that internet is the way of the future, it's where I go to buy all my gear. www.Tacklesmith.com is where I go to buy my hard to find products at the best prices. Check them out for all your tungsten needs!!


Ranger Boats - Is there anything more important than your ride? I've dreamed of owning a Ranger since I was a little kid and you could imagine just how thrilled I was the day I brought my first one home. There's no denying that Ranger Boats are the mold in which every other boat manufacturer strives to produce, why use any less?


Looking forward to 2010, I'm very excited for what's to come. This upcoming year is sure to be a test. My tentative plans are to fish the Silverado Pro Tour and some select local and Bassmaster Weekend Series tournaments as well. I'm looking real forward to the 2010 MN BASS Federation State Tournament held on Lake Minnetonka, where a top 12 will insure me a spot on the divisional team, which is one of my biggest goals for the season. Another goal I have my sight set on are competing in the Bassmaster Opens starting in 2011. I really want to make the push for the tour level and this is the most efficient way there. To better prepare myself for this level and everything that comes with it I've decided to enter into a couple this year and fish them on the Am side. Some of the lakes I'm looking into is Lake Amistad and Lake Texoma, both are regulars on every tour and good ones to learn from. I feel I'm ready to take the jump and begin to close the gap between mid level pro tourneys and tour level events. I've never fished on the Am side before and a couple events would be good for me. I'm hoping it will quickly excel my learning curve and give me a better shot for quick success competing against the best of the best in 2011.

Well I have a lot to be excited about for the upcoming year, but now it's time to go out and celebrate the end of a year to remember. Here's to 2009!

Have a Happy and Safe New Year. See you in 2010!!

Record Breaking Christmas from Minnesota!

It's almost unbelievable how quickly things can change. My original plan for Christmas Eve was set to be a perfect one. I was going to be headed to one of my favorite winter fishing holes to tug on some brute smallmouths before heading out to spend the rest of the time with my entire family. Thank mother nature for ruining my plans. Now I'll be trading a G Loomis for a snow shovel and instead of excersizing smallies, I'll be the one getting the workout by shoveling up to a foot of snow from a blizzard that is set to break a 65 year old record in our region. Though disappointed, I do take some satisfaction in that our lakes are low and I was hoping for a lot of snow this winter to help fill them back up. I wasn't expecting it all to come at the same time though!

I did get out last Friday and thumped the smallies once again. Joining me where my good friends Rich Lindgren and Ryan Brant. The bite was consistent though there where no giants caught the overall size and numbers where good. I did manage a couple that where trying desperately to push the four pound mark, maybe in another month or so they'll be there.



Well I'm off to make sure the snow blower is locked and loaded. I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday! Merry Christmas!

Lights, Camera, Action!

My excitement level is already through the roof with the upcoming 2010 tournament season. First off, I'm ecstatic about my new relationship with one of the most influential tackle developers to date, Tru Tungsten and the rest of Fish Harder Companies. Included under the Fish Harder umbrella is not only the leading developer in tungsten made tackle in Tru Tungsten, but also well known companies, Picasso and Mihatchii. I have depended on a endless number of products from all these companies for years now, so to actually represent them out on the water is a feat all in it's own. I seriously can't say enough about what Fish harder has done for our sport, knowing I'll be using their products gives me a distinct advantage over the competition. What more could you ask for?


I'm also very pleased to announce that Josh Douglas Fishing, is now equipped for video. Recently I have been a guest for a couple episodes for "All About Bass" with Rich Lindgren. I've added our first episode which was shot over the 2009 MN Bass Opener and soon will be uploading the newest episode in which Rich and I head out for some early winter smallies.

This upcoming year I'm planning on adding a new "how to" style of episodes, little 6-10 minute shows where I'll be showing off the baits and teaching the techniques that have proven successful for me.

Well on another note I finally managed to get out and do some much needed smallie fishing. The temp never broke 20 degrees but the fish still managed to cooperate. With the cold snap that took over our region it definitely put the bass in a funk and it took some patient finessing to get them to bite. I managed to catch most of my good fish on a 3" Yum Tube (Green Pumpkin) with a 1/8 oz. Kalin's Tube Jig Head, and 8 lb. Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon. I also got to break in a new rod and am more than impressed with the outcome. The G Loomis Bronzeback GLX spinning rod (SMR822S-SP-GLX) may be the best smallie rod on the market. With a fast yet sensitive tip and a powerful mid section, this rod offers all the advantages one could ask for and is surely worth every penny. The reel was a Shimano Sustain 2500. When I found myself around thick cover I would change to a Strike King Coffee Tube (Green Pumpkin) and a 1/8 oz. Tru Tungsten Ikey Head Jig, with 8 lb. Gamma Edge Fluorcarbon. For this I went with a bit heavier action rod in the G Loomis GLX (BSR852) and again had it equipped with a Shimano Sustain 2500 Spinning Reel. Check back soon to the "Video" portion of this site to view all the action from that day on the water.

Stay Warm!

Tackle Update: L.S.D. Designs

Things have been great! First off, the weather around here has been more than terrific. Being that we're just days away from December and I live in Minnesota, yet there's not a single speck of snow in the whole state. The lakes are no where near ready to freeze and best yet the smallmouth bass have been just chomping!

**Above Picture: Owner of Biovex and L.S.D. Designs, Katsushi Umeda, with a nice Minnesota smallmouth bass.

A couple weeks back my wife Bri and I got the opportunity to do a photo shoot for Katsushi Umeda, owner and founder of Biovex and L.S.D. Designs, a tackle and apparel company based out of Japan. As most of you know, I've been with Biovex now for a couple years and have all the confidence in the world in their tackle, and for the record some of the new products that will be coming out will surely take the industry by storm. Unfortunately I'm not at liberty to talk about these new products just yet but I assure you they'll be worth the wait. The photos we took are going to be used for both companies 2010 catalogues but even better, will also be used in some of Japan's most popular fishing magazines. I decided on one of my best smallie spots for two reasons, one that Katsushi had never caught a smallmouth bass and two, maybe more importantly, I'd be very hard off to be holding a small fish for all of Japan's die hard bass anglers to see. I mean come on, I have a reputation to withhold here.

Lucky for us the fish where biting and the size was good. Katsushi also managed to catch his first smallmouth and a good one at that. We got some excellent photos and got to try out some of the new lures that will be released this year. Bri and I where also impressed by the outdoor gear that L.S.D. has been creating. We sported a new line of waterproof boots, as well as sunglasses and hats. Bri loves their new jackets, the Amsterdam Series, that offers a lightweight, breathable, waterproof, yet stylish look that is sure to be a big hit anywhere. I've always been a big fan of their tackle bags. There's none better on the market, they offer all sorts of sweet styles yet have all the efficiencies one could possibly think of. More importantly the quality of all these products are second to none, when your in the elements as often as I am this is something you don't take for granted, it's a must.

**Above Picture: Bri and I on a L.S.D. Designs ad as seen in many of Japan's popular fishing magazines.

Well with the weather forecast still staying favorable for days to come, I'm planning to get out and exercise some bass over the holiday weekend. I just can't get enough of those brown fish, as a good friend of mine always says, I'm diseased!

Oh yeah, did I mention the Vikings are 9-1??!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tricks of the Trade - Autumn Small River Smallies

Fall is quickly turning into one of my favorite times of year. As the weather forecasts shift, bringing in cool temps and cold rains, our northern waters start to go through a rather dramatic change. The biggest change that occurs is the drop in water temperature making the lakes abundant vegetation and forage start to die off or hibernate. This pushes the bass out of their deep summer haunts and schools them up in large groups in the shallows, gorging themselves for the long winter. Over the past few years, the fall has produced some of my best fishing of the entire season. No matter if it's largemouth in a lake or smallmouth in the river, these fish all move to relatively shallow water and put on their feed bags, making them all more susceptible of falling for one of my baits.

While in Tennessee last month, I found the largemouth to be in big schools in less than a foot of water on the shallow flats in the creek channels. These fish where feeding up for the winter and they where wreaking havoc on the many schools of shad that where doing their annual migration up the creeks to spawn. Now back home Minnesota, I've been spending every extra hour out chasing smallmouths in some of our local rivers. The success is been good and the size has been rewarding, but the key to catching them has been to trigger the school. Once the school gets excited, it can result in fish after fish for cast after cast.

Targeting small river smallmouth this time of year I find micro ledges off flats to be especially productive. There will be times when the fish roam the flat chasing baitfish but the majority of the day you can find them hanging off that immediate first drop, for instance where the 1 foot flat drops to 5 feet. The fish tend to stack in these areas, and when fished correctly can result in check cashing bags at the scales.

**From left to right: A picture of my front deck Lowrance Unit as I'm am Paralleling the ledge break.

One river in particular I found the ledge to go from two feet down to seven rather quickly. I fished my bait thoroughly along the 7 ft break concentrating on the bottom. Once I caught a good smallie I would instantly slow down, or better yet, I STOP! It's critical to not spook the school. Once I release the fish my next cast is to the exact same spot that the last one came from and more times than not I'll get met instantly with another bite. It's not uncommon for me to throw back 10 times and get bit on 9 of those casts.

I find bait choice not to be to big a deal this time of year. The bass are not always that picky to what they eat. Mother nature says it's time to fatten up for winter so they do, they start eating anything and everything that comes there way. Not to mention the competition to eat because of others in the school. Although I do still have my favorites that have produced so well for me over the past few years.

Early in the fall I like to throw crankbaits like the Biovex Micro Crank and Biovex Mid Runner, these work real well at impersonating baitfish and can be fished fast on shallow ledges. When there's a presence of baitfish or fish are busting bait on the flats, there's nothing better than a topwater spook, or my favorite, the Reaction Innovations Vixen. Another great reaction bait this time of year is a Super K Swim Jig, which subtle action locates these schools of bass rather quickly. Last but not least, there is no bait better at catching cold bass than a jerkbait and lately I've been using either a soft jerkbait pegged with a 1/32 oz. Tru Tungsten sinker to keep the nose down or a hard plastic jerkbait like the Megabass Ito Vision 110.


Once I've caught one or two from the school on the reaction bait, I slow down and pick up a bait like a tube or a beaver and continue to pick apart the ledge. I like the YUM 3" Tube and a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver. The tube I usually rig hook exposed with a light tube jig. Last weekend my buddy Rich Lindgren went out with me and had success by rigging a stupid tube, which you can read in one of his recent blog entries. Basically, the stupid tube is a texas rigged ball head jig, which when rigged correctly works it's way through cover with relative ease. I've also been finding success with this method and the Tru Tungsten Ikey Head Ball Buster is extremely effective for the job. The Beaver, I texas rig with a 4/0 Mihatchii Hook and a pegged Tru Tungsten Sinker, size ranging from a 1/8 oz. to a 1/2 oz.

The rod and reel I feel are critical to your success in that once the schools are located, it's important not to miss hook ups or drop fish during the fight. Just as a fighting smallmouth can fire up the school, a spooked smallmouth can turn them off in a second. To better combat this I use a G Loomis 843 casting rod with a Shimano Core 100MG lined with 12-16 lb. Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon for the beaver and the tube I go with a G Loomis SMR822 GLX spinning rod paired with a Shimano Stella 2500S and 8 lb. Gamma Touch Fluorocarbon.

Lastly, not all ledges are created equal, in fact some never hold fish. This time of year I stick to the main river channel. If I was on a big river with larger creek channels than those may prove productive, however the rivers I've been fishing are northern rivers that are not that wide and don't offer much for creeks. I look for turns in the river where current has made these ledges over time, then the key to really dialing them in is the bottom content. I look for rocky areas on these main river turns, in my opinion the more snags the better. This is where tungsten comes into play, it's smaller diameter allows it to be worked through the rocks and snags without getting hung up. When the sun is shining, any emerged wood in these areas can be especially productive, for this I like to pitch a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver with a 1/4 - 3/8 oz. Tru Tungsten Sinker. I use 16 - 20 lb. Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon for this to assure I get the fish out of the laydown, and there's not a stronger line on the market than Gamma Edge.


With the next week showing a very favorable weather forecast, try taking a break from raking leaves and try these tips on your favorite river. Maybe, just maybe, when you mix football, brats and trophy smallmouth together you'll see why fall has become my favorite time of year.

See you on the water!

What Lies Ahead?

With the tournament season all wrapped up and winter just right around the corner, I find myself wasting no time preparing for what lies ahead in 2010. My plans are to step it up and really concentrate on tournaments that can take me to the next level and eventually pave the way to accomplishing my life goal of competing at the tour level. To be fortunate enough to actually obtain this goal would be incredible. I plan to continue to fish in the top circuits throughout the midwest, at the same time start preparing for larger national level tournaments. My next major move would be to enter the FLW Strens and the Bassmaster Opens, in an attempt at earning my way onto either tours, the Bassmaster Elite Series and/or the FLW Tour. The lakes that host these national pro tourneys are scattered throughout the United States and to consistently finish at the top requires an extremely versatile angler. I do have some knowledge of lakes outside Minnesota and Wisconsin, but really want to spend the next year or two learning how to fish other lakes throughout the country before I make the commitment and take that plunge to the next level. I want to be sure to give myself the best opportunity to succeed. Which also leads to the question of what happens if I do make it to the Elites? Being financially secure enough to compete at the Open level is manageable for a younger guy like myself, but having the financial security to compete at the tour level is a whole other thing. I could really use the next few years to save money and even more important, continue to develop business relationships with companies that have the same visions and the means to offer that security.

This year I plan on fishing a Weekend Series event as a non boater on Kentucky lake in either May or June in an attempt at helping me get more familiar with classic ledge fishing. This style of fishing is not something that we do here in Minnesota and there is no better place to get a crash course than Kentucky or Tennessee in the early summer. I've also got plans to fish the Bassmaster Weekend Series event on Grand Lake, OK, in mid April on the Pro side. I've been down there the past 3 years in a row and every year I've managed to do well. Going down there and competing against locals on their water would be a great test for me. I've also not decided on which one, but I will be registering into a Open tournament as a non boater. Before I put up the cash I want to be familiar with all that goes into one of these tournaments. Most of it is basic tournament bass fishing I would imagine, but in the long run I think it would prove beneficial.

I'll be fishing the Silverado Pro Tour again next year with my sights set on both winning an event, as well as the top honor of winning the Angler of the Year title. I'll also be competing in the Bassmaster Weekend Series with the main goal of qualifying for the National Championship. In the two years I've fished this circuit I've been fortunate to do well, my first year I finished second in the Angler of the Year points and managed to cash a check in 3 out of 5 tournaments. This year I won the first event of the season against an 88 boat field and both seasons qualified for Divisionals. Neither year though have I qualified for the National Championship. Accomplishing this definitely is at the top of my list. Plus to sweeten pot, the championship is being held on Alabama's pride and joy, Lake Guntersville.

This winter I'm looking to have the most productive off season yet. I want to establish a few successful habits that will assist me on the water. One is preparing for tournaments off the water by studying maps and using tools like Google Earth and getting better familiar with the body of water before I ever even launch my boat. This will help develop better game plans well before the first day of practice.

I also think it's very important to be in the best physical shape I can be. Tournament bass fishing requires extremely long hours in less than perfect conditions. The amount of wear and tear on both your mind and body can be debilitating. I've been spending a lot of time at the gym working on my strength and endurance. The more reps I make in the weight room the further I'll be able to cast that spook and the more accuracy I'll have flippin' a jig to a tournament winning largemouth. The biggest benefit is the more you work out the healthier you are in both body and even more importantly, the mind. To a tournament bass fisherman, mental strength is the biggest asset, it's what separates the pro's from the legends.

Though with all this, you know I'll still be spending time on the water! Chasing around smallies this time of year is as addictive as it gets. I've managed to get out a few times the last week and had some pretty good success. Look for pics to be posted soon.

To My Loving Family

With the tournament season starting to wrap up for the year, I think back to all the ups and downs I've had throughout the past seven months. Some where real good and others not so good, either way they where all worth it. The bad times gave me something to learn from and made the high notes all the better.

Through these times though I've been extremely fortunate to have someone with me every step of the way, my lovely wife Bri. Baby, I cannot begin to express how much you mean to me and I know that I couldn't do any of this without you. You have turned my goals into our goals and continue to push me to higher levels.


Since I was a little kid all I've wanted to be when I grow up is a professional bass fisherman. I want this more than anything I could ever imagine. I'm 29 years old now and am getting ready to make an even harder push at accomplishing these goals. Long days on the water, away at nights for tournaments, financial commitments, and through all these you are right there standing next to me, pushing me and believing in me every step of the way.

Bri, I know in my heart the level of committment you bring to our family and every time I'm on the water, every cast I make, I'll be pushing to accomplish these goals we've made for us. I blog about myself and my career all the time, this one's for you. Thank you.

I love you,

Josh

American Legacy Fishing Company

Last Saturday, I was paired with Adam Daywalt for the final day of the Bassmaster Weekend Series Regional Qualifier. Even though the fishing wasn't great, the conversation through out the day made up for it. This guy's just as big of a tackle freak as me! Adam was telling me about the company he works for American Legacy Fishing Company, www.gloomis.us, an internet based company that carries full lines of G Loomis and Shimano. Being that I'm a 100% G Loomis and Shimano junkie, he instantly had my attention. Not only do they carry G Loomis but they have EVERY rod in stock. I'm especially interested in the brand new G Loomis Topwater Rod (TWR802C), a 6'8" Meduim action rod perfect for throwing around poppers like the Megabass Pop-X.


They also will accept warranty rods and offer a trade in program. They'll give you the going rate for your used rod, so you can use that to upgrade into the rod you've always wanted. Who does that?

American Legacy also is up to date with all the new Shimano and Diawa reels that are on the market. I've already been putting together an order and am getting really close to pulling the trigger on that new Shimano Core 50MG. I just love the Core 100 MG and MGFV that I expect big things out of the 50 MG. I'll pair that up with the new topwater rod from Loomis and have the sweetest set up imaginable. It'll cast those light poppers a mile!

They also have the complete line from Megabass, which is actually incredibly difficult to find specific baits here in the states. Lately I have been really catching the smallies on the Megabass Ito Vision 110, this jerkbaits the real deal, crazy action and mimics a baitfish to perfection.

With Christmas right around the corner, remember to check out American Legacy Fishing Company. Not only do the cater to bass fisherman, but have a full selection of walleye, muskie and fly fishing rods and reels.

Just for the record, Adam was the first non boater partner I've had that paid me gas money in Megbass lures and custom cranks! How sick is that?!!

BASSMASTER Weekend Series Regional Championship

Old Hickory Lake, Hendersonville, TN

My anticipation for this event was through the roof. Being that both my wife Bri and I want to move to Tennessee, it made this trip all the more special. Bri was even dedicated in that she put aside four of the first five practice days to be out on the boat with me. In the end she got pretty good at throwing a buzzbait as well as feeding the ducks our granola bars.

The first day of practice I put aside for fishing down in the river and decided I would spend all day in Spring Creek. I had done a lot of research prior to launching and had an idea where the bass would be, but really wanted to dial them in early and instead of running all over the lake I figured I would work this entire cove and once I felt I had them dialed in, I would duplicate that pattern all over the lake and start looking for more and more productive areas that held bigger fish. In the end this concept sounded a lot easier than the reality would be. I managed 4 keepers and a dozen or more shorts. The fish where shallow for the most part but the keepers where scattered around different structure and came on different baits. I caught a 15" largemouth on a bluff wall on a Rapala DT Flat 3 (Parrot), I caught another 14" largie on a Biovex Stangun Spinnerbait, as well as another 14" on a Biovex Micro Crank Shallow Runner (Fune Orange Belly), and my best keeper, a 18" largemouth came off a laydown in 7 ft. of water on a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (Xmas Pumpkin) with a 1/4 oz. Tru Tungsten pegged sinker. I caught most my shorts by throwing a 1/4 oz. Super K Swim Jig in a Pro Staff only color (mostly white with a bit of black and green pumpkin).













After day one I was pretty convinced of one thing, I was going to have to move water and make as many casts as possible. This is a bit out of my comfort zone, just in that I like to locate good fish and then slow down to catch them. I don't like feeling that I'm leaving good fish behind me. This is something I know I need to work on to continue to develop into a versatile angler. So I was more than happy to step up to the challenge.

Day 2 and 3 of practice I continued to spend my time up the river and fished the Bartons Creek area as well as some other smaller, less known creeks and pockets in the area. Fish where easy enough to catch but finding keepers where more than difficult. Both days I believe I caught 4 keepers each day with none being more than 15 inches. Most of these keepers came on one of three different baits, a 3/8 oz. Chatterbait (White), a Strike King 1 XS Crankbait (sexy shad or chart. blue back), and the Biovex Micro Crank Shallow Runner (Fune Orange Belly).

The final two days of practice I spent closer to the dam in Cedar Creek, Drakes Creek, Station Camp Creek and several other smaller creeks in the area. Both days I managed my standard 4 keepers but had a kicker each day. One day I whacked a healthy 4 pounder from a boat dock in Drakes Creek on a 3/8 oz. Tru Tungsten Jig (Green Pumpkin) and then went on to fish another 100 or so docks in the creek and never got another bite. Then the last day I managed another 4 pounder by throwing a homemade football jig on a secondary point in about 12 feet of water. I went on to fish a dozen in a half other points and never got a bite. I guess this is standard on Old Hickory. Like I said before, trolling motor down chucking and winding as fast as possible for 8 hours and maybe I could get myself in contention to qualify for nationals.

Day 1 of the tournament started out tough near the dam, so around 10:30 I decided to make the run up river to Spring Creek where I finally manged a keeper off that same laydown but instead of a toad 18", I got a barely bumper 14" rat. In the box it went. After another 2 or so hours with nothing more than a handful of non keepers I ran back toward the dam and managed to catch another 14" largemouth on the chatterbait. Day one I weighed in a very disappointing 2 fish for 2.88 lbs. and was sitting in 108th out of 169. The good news was that I needed to make the top 50 to qualify for nationals and was only 4 pounds back from 30th. So I knew I still had an excellent chance of making up ground. The bite was tough for everyone which I was quickly learning was common place for Old Hickory.






















Day 2 came and I ran to a spot in Cedar where I had missed a big one in the last minutes the day before and managed to catch two small ones and dropped a good 3 plus pound largemouth. It was still pretty dark and I was throwing my chatterbait threw the tulle grass, when I realized it was on. The problem was that it was all to common to hang up on the stem of the plants which felt the same as a fish grabbing the bait. By the time I realized I had a fish on it was way to late and she got off.

From there I ran up a creek arm close by where I had seen a lot of shad up in the dirt shallows, literally dirt shallow, 6 - 8 inches. I got a few short strikes but ended up catching a barely 14" largemouth on the Strike King 1XS. The fish choked the bait and was bleeding real bad, I quickly sunk the fish in the livewell by employing a heavy ice fishing weight to keep the bass from turning on it's side and added a bunch of Please Release Me.

I fished and fished all day and in the end only managed small ones that wouldn't cross the 14" mark. At weigh in I checked my keeper and because of all the blood loss was just barely touching the 14" mark, I wasn't sure if it would go, it was the closest I had ever seen. Since I had revived the fish and it was healthy I just let it go instead of risking a DQ and it wouldn't of helped me get to Nationals, it would of only made me look a bit better on the final standings. With a 15 hour drive ahead of me back to Minnesota it seemed like the most logical decision. In the end the lake proved to be as tough, if not tougher than I had thought, to make the top 50 a guy only had to catch a two day total of 11 pounds and was in. To make the top 25 I only needed a two day total of 14 pounds. That's a tough bite!

I had a lot of time to think back on the week while I was driving home and really don't have many regrets. I learned a lot of solid info that will pay huge dividends in the future. I learned a lot more about shad which is the primary forage in that part of the country and even better I feel a lot more comfortable with a crankbait in my hand. Being a die hard jig fisherman and topwater guy, this was much needed. From here on out, I'll always have a crankbait tied on and on the deck of my boat. My strength is slowing down and flipping cover, whether it's wood, docks, mats or milfoil, and if that's the pattern of any given tournament I have all the confidence in the world that I'll be in the top when it's all said and done. I also feel more than comfortable with smallmouth gear like spinning rods, 8 lb. test and a 3" tube or shakey head and my most favorite way to catch them would be throwing a football jig probing deepwater for giants, but crankin' just hasn't been my thing and I know if I can incorporate that technique as a go to strength I'll be able to contend with the best all over the country. Challenge accepted!

Now back home, old man winter is letting us all know he's right around the corner. Most people start getting all ready for hunting and or ice fishing, not this open water junkie. No not at all, it's time to go whack some schooled up smallies and toad smallmouth at that. Rivers and small creeks this time of year get chucked full of smallies that school up for the long winter, where the current keeps the water from freezing solid you will find me. This is the only way I know how to recharge my batteries after a long grueling tournament season.

This winter keep checking back as I'm looking at adding a lot more tips and techniques for others to try. I've been getting a lot of emails and am humbled by all that read and follow my blog all over the country. Really I can't believe how many are out there that frequent my site. Thank you. Being that I am a tournament fisherman I can't always give to much information that can be used against me, however while out fun fishing working on new techniques on non tournament waters, I'm going to break down what I look for and what works for me so that it may help another angler out there looking to sharpen their skills. If anyone has any ideas or questions please email me and I'll be sure to address them personally or do a blog entry on the topic.

Good luck to all the hunters coming up, even though I haven't been doing much hunting the past few years I can still smell it in the air. I just can't seem to put down the rod and reel. Also hats off to all the fisherman that where able to weather the storm that is Old Hickory and qualified for nationals on Lake Dardenelle.

Brant Brothers Claim Top Spot!

Generally here at Josh Douglas Fishing I don't go to far out of my way to promote other anglers, it kind of defeats the overall purpose of a self promotion website. With that said I have always prided myself on giving credit where credit is due, especially when the credit goes to my team tournament partners and very close friends.

Ryan Brant and brother Corey Brant found themselves both in the number one spot of the Silverado Angler of the Year standings when the season ended on Lake Minnetonka earlier in the month and both got to fish together in the year end Shoot Out!


The season had lots of ups and downs but both managed to make all the right decisions and in the end where better than all the rest. "I don't think we could have scripted it any better", said Ryan on being paired with brother Corey for the Shoot Out. Ryan contributes his success to long hours on water that he wasn't all that familiar with. Corey, who fished on the Am side, gave his pro's the credit on finding good areas but also on the time he spent himself perfecting different patterns form the back of the boat. I personally have said this since the beginning of the year, it's hard to find a better Am to have in your boat than Corey and I guarantee any of his Pro's would say the same!

Hat's off gentleman!

Denny's Super 30 Shootout

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

I hurried home from the river with just enough time to line up a few rods, get some baits prepared and get ready to take to Tonka for the year end Denny's Super 30 Shootout. After talking over the game plan with team tournament partner Ryan Brant, we came to a very specific pattern that we felt would give us the best shot at taking the two grand first place prize.

Tournament morning started slow with our first couple spots not producing anything. Even our third spot was getting a bit depressing until we came to a small isolated area that always looks good but never seems to produce for me. I even made a comment to Ryan that we never seem to catch anything off this when all of a sudden I get a nice bite. I quickly set the hook on a giant 4+ pound largemouth and as I was getting it to the net it just came off. I couldn't believe it! This has been a thorn in our side on this lake all season. If it isn't me than it's Ryan and if it's not Ryan dropping a big one than it's Corey. I'm sure it's starting to sound like a broken record but sadly it's true. I guess we should just chalk it up to a type of slump, like when a NFL running back gets a case of the fumbles, but believe me this is a slump that will end soon. We all put way to much effort into finding good schools of fish that we just CAN NOT drop the big ones when we hook up. If I sound a bit annoyed it's because I am, unfortunately this wasn't the only big one that we dropped in this tournament. Luckily though, before we could let it get us down Ryan hooked into a nice one that definitely got into the livewell. I managed a few smaller ones and before we knew it, we where well onto our way of filling a descent limit.

We caught fish through out the day making small culls here and there. As the day was starting to get long and the images of dropped fish haunting our thoughts, we decided to call an audible. I told Ryan that not far away was a spot that fishes small but produces good ones. In fact I've fished this area 10 to 12 times and only caught 2 fish of it but both where over 5 pounds. We worked the area and as we where about to leave Ryan sets on what ended up being big fish of the tournament at 5.05 lbs. In fact we made another nice cull like this within 20 minutes and where within sight of winning this thing.

Unfortunately time wasn't on our side and we weren't able to make any more culls to help our bag. We we're one of the first to weigh in our 8 fish limit which came to a solid 23.10 lbs. and landed us in third place with big fish honors when it was all said and done. We where both more than thrilled with the outcome. It was an up and down season but we where consistent enough all year to make the top 12 and in the end walked away with the much needed $1000 dollar pay day plus another $300 for big bass!


Now I'm planning to take a week or so off from fishing and start getting things ready for the upcoming Bassmaster Weekend Series Regional Championship held on Old Hickory Lake, just outside Nashville, TN. I've been doing all sorts of research trying to put together as much useful knowledge of the lake before I head down. Though it calls for an extremely hard bite, my anticipation level is through the roof. I really feel like this tournament could set up well for my strengths. I'll try to put up a prelude entry to the event before I go. Tennessee here we come!

BASSMASTER Weekend Series Tournament

Mississippi River Pools 3, 4 & 5, Alma, WI

It was important going into this event for me to have a strong showing. There's multiple reasons for this, one being that because I missed the last tournament out of LaCrosse due to conflicting tournament schedules with the Silverado, I would have to have a strong finish to assure I made divisional's held on Old Hickory, in Hendersonville, TN. Before the LaCrosse tournament I was sitting strongly in 5th place in the Angler of the Year standings, but after I missed an entire event I dropped like a rock and was sitting in the low 40's.

Another reason I was looking for a strong finish was more of a personal one. I really like fishing the river and my favorite time of year to be down there is definitely during the fall. Although in the past the river hasn't been very accommodating to me during this time of year. Last year I put in lots of time preparing for the MN State Federation Championship held nearly at the same time. What ended up being one of the best practices of my life quickly turned into a nightmare on all sorts of different levels. Day one of the tournament my engine's impeller quit causing me to overheat before I could even get to my starting spot, eventually causing a DQ because I had to be trailered off, I never even made a cast. The next day after getting my engine fixed, we all sat due to fog, during this time I received a call from my wife Bri that our four year old rottweiler Kairo who had been diagnosed with lymphoma cancer a few weeks prior, had just taken a major turn for the worse. Then after the 3 1/2 hour fog delay I got to my spot and was able to finally start catching some good fish, on the way back to weigh in one of my injectors popped. So with this all said, it was personally real important to me to have a better outing down here this time around.

I spent almost all of my practice focusing on pool 5. After two solid days I was able to come up with what I felt was going to be a solid game plan and I had multiple spots that held both quality largemouth's and smallmouth's. I spent a few hours on pool 4, mainly finding areas that had potential for a good fish or two and where located close to the weigh in site, somewhere I could spend my last 45 minutes in the day. When I went to load my boat to get off the water I thought of an area much further north (30 minutes or so) that always has good smallies on it this time of year. I only had an hour before I had to be off the water for registration so I trailored my boat to the closest ramp and launched again. On my second cast I hooked into a 3 1/2 pound smallie and the best part was that shad was flickering all over the place, a key ingredient for this place to be on.

All night I rigged rods wondering what I should do, If I ran up river it would take 30 to 40 minutes in perfect conditions and then take at least 45 minutes to get to my second spot and that's if I could lock straight threw without waiting on a barge. After going round and round I finally came to a commitment that I would make the run, I mean I had to, I always live by the no risk no reward philosophy, it's just not always a bullet proof way of thinking though.

After a nice run, I made it to my first spot and on my second cast throwing a Amp Lures Pop (Parrot), I put a nice 3 pound smallmouth in the boat. The shad started blowing up everywhere but the problem was I couldn't get anymore bites. There was a nice school of smallies there but they where way more content chasing around real food and wouldn't commit to anything I was throwing. I did manage a few but they where all just an 1/8 of an inch short of the mandatory 14" size requirement. Finally afternoon was really starting to close in and I had to make a decision, I had managed one more 15" smallmouth, it was either stick out the day up here and maybe run to a couple more mediocre spots and scratch out a limit or make the run back down river and lock threw to pool 5. I decided it was time to go.

After the 45 minute run back to lock I was devastated to find three barges sitting at the lock. I come to find out that the lock has been down all day because a barge had broke down inside the lock. Being that I spent all practice in pool 5 I had to come up with a plan quick. I decided I would just slowly pick apart the area that I had planned on saving for the last 45 minutes and just spend 4 hours there and try scratching out a limit. After two hours quickly went by with nothing more that a few shorts, which I might add where again an 1/8 of an inch shy, I finally hooked up with a quality largemouth going about 4 pounds. This really put the fire under me because if I could manage to just fill a limit than I would have a nice day 1 sack and haven't even touched my stuff on pool 5. Although I gave it my all, the small area that I had to fish just didn't have the quantity or quality needed for me to put together a limit and I ended day 1 with 3 bass for roughly 9 pounds.

Going into Day 2, I had a slightly different agenda, I found myself way out of the money, but my day 2 Am partner Jeremiah, was sitting in 4th place after he had a successful day 1. My goal instead turned on making sure he got a check as well as showing face and putting together a nice limit of my own. After an up and down day, we where both able to catch fish and in the end Jeremiah was good enough for a solid 5th place finish. I myself ended in a tough 41st place, though with that said it was still a good enough showing to make divisionals, believe me when I say I can't wait to get to Old Hickory!!

No time to rest though, I'm off to Minnetonka tomorrow for the Denny's Super 30 Shootout Championship. Wish me luck!!

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

The pressure was really on for this tournament largely because it was the 5th and final Super 30 of the year, with the exception being the top 12 in the AOY race will get to go at it next week in a one day year end Shootout. A no entry fee, 5 grand for first showdown between the best teams on Tonka. Corey and I found ourselves sitting in 13th place, one spot away. We figure we need to at least make the top 10 today if we where going to make post season play.

Our plan of attack was to go after big fish, we where truly looking for 8 good bites. We had a lot of water to run but figured we'd let the first few spots dictate how we fished out the rest of the day. Our first area worked well when I was able to boat a solid 4 pound largie within the first half hour. Area two was almost as good when I added a 3 pounder to our bag. Our third area proved most productive when things really started hitting the fan. Corey went back to back on two nice 3 pounders and I managed to ad a few small ones to round out our limit.

With an already good bag with only two hours down, we knew we had put ourselves in perfect contention to go for the win. We knew we need 2 more solid culls and we'd have a sack. Fishing started to slow a bit, which we knew would happen but we said we'd stay patient and look for those big bites. Finally Corey set into a donkey of a largemouth and as he was fighting the fish to the boat he switched sides with his rod and we managed to catch the rod into the landing net and the fish come undone. Not exactly the team work we had come accustom to and to make matters worse Corey got another big one caught up and unfortunately for us that one got off to.

We ran water the remainder of the day and both managed to make a few small culls, but still had a few small two pounders left when it came time to weigh. Our sack put the scales to 23.01 lbs. on a 8 fish limit and in the end we finished two spots from the money in a solid 10th place. Because of our effort we where able to move up one spot to take 12th in the Team of the Year race and hold the last spot in the Year End Shootout. It's going to be a blast!

Up next I'll be headed back down to the Alma, WI for the final Bassmaster Weekend Series two day event on the old Mississippi River. I am very much looking forward to this event, I really like fishing the river in the Fall. Wish me luck!!

Silverado Pro Am Bass Tour

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

I've been really excited about this tournament for some time now, that I did everything imaginable to get ready for it. I found time to practice and put in hard work 8 of the past 14 days. I knew that because of my 49th place disaster last month, I would have to finish at least in the top 3 to have a legitimate chance at making the shootout. Even more importantly, I consider Minnetonka my home lake and would love to notch a win here in such a big event. It would just mean a ton to me personally. I've only been fishing the lake for 3 years but since then I have put in my fair share. In my defense Minnetonka can be real addicting, it's got some really nice fish in it, four pounders are the norm here.














**From left to right: A few pics from practice of me rigging up some tackle.

At take off I was pretty confident. I had a good practice and was really on some nice fish. The fishing wasn't fast but the quality was there, when I'd get bit it was a good one. I was able to put together around 15 or so spots that where more than productive in the weeks heading in but the problem was that I couldn't pattern when they would be there. I would check them periodically through practice and found that one day they would bite in the morning and the next day not until late afternoon. So my plan was to milk run these spots and at least try to fish everything twice. The bad part was that I was on the move a lot but the good part was that every cast I made I knew I had a legitimate chance to catch a four pounder. It's not every tournament a guy gets that opportunity.

The tournament started out great with a quick limit and a nice nearly 4 pound largemouth hitting the livewell. I decided to go check a small isolated spot that I knew had great potential. It didn't take but a minute and I hooked into a solid 5 pound fish just to have it come to the surface and spit my bait. It got off!! Man, I can't even begin to explain how much that hurts when that happens.

As the afternoon wore on the fishing really started to slow and I just wasn't able to get enough of the big bites that I needed to put together a winning bag. In the end I weighed a limit of 6 bass for a total weight of 12.93 lbs and a disappointing 28th place finish. Although it wasn't the outcome I was looking for, I was still somewhat happy in that I worked very hard and was extremely prepared for this tournament. Frankly I just didn't get the bites needed, but I put myself in the best position to win. If I can continue to prepare for all my other tournaments like I did this one, I'll have a very highlighted future. It's going to take a ton of self determination, but that's the challenge I live for.

A sincere congratulations to my two real good buddies and my team tournament partners, Ryan and Corey Brant, who after a very successful year both found themselves on the top of the Angler of the Year points. Ryan finished 1st on the Pro side and Corey ran away with the honors on the Am side and now the brothers are paired together in next week's Shoot Out. Way to go guys!

Gopher B.A.S.S. Federation Club Tournament

Lake Minnetonka, Twin Cities, MN

Tonka, Tonka, Tonka. In the next couple of weeks, I could be competing in four different derbies that will combine for a total first place earnings at 70 grand, all of which are being held on none other than Tonka itself. Needless to say that I jumped all over the chance to join my MN Federation Club, the Gopher Bassmaster, for a weekend throwdown.

It has been decided by the MN B.A.S.S. Federation that next years venue for the state Championship will also be held on Lake Minnetonka. This is an event I am extremely looking forward to. Since the tournament is local, I figure it gives me the best chance at advancing myself to divisionals and make a run at the BASSMASTER Classic.

Being that Minnetonka is only 15 minutes from my house, I've been spending every extra second out there, trying to put in my time and piece together a solid pattern before the Silverado lands there in two weeks.

I was out there both Thursday and Friday before the club tournaments and managed to locate good fish relatively quickly. Since the lake is being divided in half each day I spent most of Thursday on the east side and friday on the west. I checked a few spots that had help me secure a solid 7th place finish last year on Minnetonka for the Bassmaster Weekend Series, but more importantly I spent a vast majority of my day trying to locate new areas. All in all, I was very pleased with the outcome and was pretty excited to get out there Saturday morning and start filling up livewell.

Unfortunately, because of these big tournaments that are coming up in the next few weeks I really can't get into many details on what worked and what didn't. Saturday we awoke to our first cold night, touching the high 40's. Although the bite was really tough, I managed to use my patience to help me to a awesome 2nd place finish with a total of 5 bass weighing 12.59 lbs.

Sunday's Tournament, held on the lake's east side, started out even more chilly with overnight low's in the low 40's. Again I was able to put together a solid game plan and rode it to a very gratifying 1st place finish with a winning weight of 16.32 lbs.

Although I have lots of work to do, I can't help but to be excited.

Check back soon!

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

After a rough finish at Saturday's Silverado tournament at Lake Minnewaska, I was anxious to get out on Tonka and get that bad taste out of my mouth. Pairing up for this tournament was my buddy Corey Brant.

We managed to get out on Sunday to practice and found the fishing to be great. The big ones where biting and we didn't even fish any of our tried and true spots. Instead we searched new water and where able to find some nice areas holding good schools of fish.

Tournament morning went very slow and we left some of our best areas with not even a single bite. After fishing about three productive areas with nothing to show, I knew we needed a change. We've found that power fishing some of these areas proves to be most effective, but after these tactics weren't producing, we needed to scale back and throw a bit more finesse at them. Being that my boat was in the shop, I didn't have the proper tackle along so I made the suggestion to Corey who was obviously thinking the same thing. It wasn't two casts later and Corey sets the hook. We managed to put a small limit in the boat and things started turning for the better, so much better that Corey managed to get a solid 4 1/2 pounder safely in the boat after it was completely pinned down in the thickest milfoil and he was only using 8 lb. line!! It was sick. That's just not how it happens, but things started going our way.

We weighed in with 8 largemouth's going 23.10 pounds, good enough for a solid 9th place finish. Unfortunately they only paid out 8 spots, but we moved up from 20th to 13th place in the Angler of the Year points race and are only sitting one place outside the top twelve who all get invited to fish in the no entry shootout.

I'm excited because next week Bri and I are taking the dogs up to the cabin for a fun relaxing weekend. Then when I get back it'll be nothing but Minnetonka, with a lot of big events taking place there next month I need to be sure to be a top my game. I'm really looking forward to it.

Silverado Pro Am Bass Tour

Lake Minnewaska, Starbuck, MN

This whole tournament was a challenge for me literally from start to finish. Two weeks prior to the actual tournament I put aside a couple days to get out there and practice. Being that I had never even seen the lake before, I wanted to at least get out there for the weekend and check things out, get a good feel for the fish and more importantly get familiar with the lake itself. Unfortunately, an hour after I launched my trim went out completely on my motor and instead of figuring out the mystery of Lake Minnewaska, I was forced to limp back, load up and head back home to get things patched up.

Once tournament week came around I was charged up and ready to go. I got a new trim motor put in my Evinrude and it was running great. I was able to practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and it wasn't until mid afternoon Friday that I finally found a few good schools of fish. I didn't have a backup plan at all but if this pattern held up it could produce winners. I've never had this challenging of a practice and worse yet, had never felt this uncomfortable about my opportunities get a check.

Well to make a not so long story even shorter, my pattern definitely did not work out. After four straight days of sun, tournament day gave way to stormy and cloudy skies which definitely effected my fish. I struggled half the day to even coax a single bite and when I finally wised up and made the proper adjustments I dropped the few good fish needed to fill a nice limit. Instead I managed to only weigh in three bass for a total weight of 4.56 lbs. and took 49th place, dead last. I once said after winning the first event of the 2009 Bassmaster Weekend Series, that in order to actually win one of these tournaments everything has got to go right, from practice all the way to the the weigh in. The competition is just too stiff and someone ALWAYS manages to catch them. On the other hand, to finish last, most everything has got to go wrong.

Although very disappointing, I've still managed to learn a very important lesson that will make me an even better tournament fisherman. I've learned to be a bit more humble. In only my second season fishing at this level, I've been so fortunate to have had the success's that I have. I've done this by putting in my time and trusting my own decisions on the water. This tournament I didn't listen to the voices in my head telling me I needed to adjust, instead I was stubborn and didn't make the proper changes until it was to late and then panicked and didn't stick with the adjusted game plan long enough to make it work and it resulted in my worst performance by far. Someone once told me to be a true winner you must first learn what it's like to loose. Point taken....

Congrats to my good buddies Ryan and Corey Brant for their strong finishes, 3rd and 7th respectively. Hats off gentleman!