Springing Back to Life!

Let me first admit that I have been in a downright funk the past couple weeks. Thank God for my recent fishing trip out to California or I'd be in a straight jacket right about now. The utter lack of fishing is very disturbing for an individual wired like myself and the fact that we're so close, yet still so far away is haunting. For my readers that live south of the Minnesota border, you'll never be able to understand the pure torture us ten thousand lakers have to endure year after year. See our lakes have been ice covered since roughly December and this winter has dealt us a few substantial blows in that we've had very cold sub zero weather, record breaking snow falls which also lead to the inevitable, river flooding. The cold doesn't help in that it continues to make layers of ice on the lakes that adds days to the thaw meter. Yet just when we had some serious warmer weather and all the snow was close to thawed, we get blasted with yet another Canadian clipper that brings in another half foot of snow in the metro, over a foot up north and more temps in the teens. The result, an even longer winter and even worse river flooding which clearly means no fishing anytime in the very near future. Anyone that questions my soon to be move to Tennessee just purely is not wired like a true bass fisherman, or at least not an obsessed bass fisherman that probably has clinical mental concerns when it comes to the sport.

In hindsight, this period has been considerably worse on me than years past and anyone who's read my posts over the last few years knows that it's bad every year. I got a lot on my plate in the future and I don't plan on leaving a single crumb to waste. If things continue to go right, next winter should be my last here in Minnesota and even then I'll be spending a lot of time down South. Bri and I's move should have us down in Tennessee a lot next winter planning our living arrangements and my plan to make a run at the sport's highest levels should have me fishing year round, as I plan to fish events in the PAA Tour, Bassmaster Opens and/or the FLW Everstart Series. My anxiety level is literally off the charts and the one thing in the world that balances me out is simply not an option, but we're getting close, very close. I'll have a rod and reel in my hand in no time, right?

Being a junkie fisherman, I probably watch weather just as much as I do tournament broadcasts and now I can officially say we are on the mend. Looking at the 10 day forecast here in the Twin Cities we got highs in the 40's and 50's and rain, that's right I said rain, not snow. Nothing wreaks havoc on ice more than 50's and rain, except of course 60's, yes that would be even better but for now I'm focusing all my energy on positives so hip hip hooray for 40's and 50's!! Spring is here!

The next few days shouldn't be to bad for me either as I'll be working the Navionics booth at the annual Northwest Sport Show held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. A long weekend of talking shop is probably no cure for what I got but at least it'll burn up a couple more thawing days and at very least take my mind off the fact that I'm not fishing, which talking fishing isn't exactly the same but it's kinda close.

What's more exciting this time of year than watching the ice melt on all the major Minnesota lakes? Since it's impossible to actually watch the ice melt on all the lakes, the second best thing is the annual website telling us the progress. Follow link here.

I started and am getting closing to finishing a chore that will be rewarding in the end but is also a giant mess and that's going through all my tackle and cutting off old line, replacing terminal parts and reorganizing everything. This also allows me to figure out what needs restocking and it's a lot easier getting products now than in the middle of the summer when my favorite color plastics are all sold out.

Some other things that I have on the agenda or have already conquered are cleaning all the corks of my rods and checking guides for any nicks that would need replacing, as well as cleaning all reels that need a bit of love. Making some necessary boat repairs as well as servicing my trailer are also on the check list.

Lately I've been getting a influx of guide inquiries and dates are starting to book so if you have any desire to book a guided bass trip this year please feel free to contact me with any questions and to check availability.

Well I'll end my post and/or bitch session here so that I don't continue to ramble on and actually put myself back into my funk. Please, if you find yourself at the Sport Show this weekend stop by the Navionics booth and take a look at some of the new things they got in the works or just stop by to talk fishing, trust me I'm all ears!!

Bye bye Winter! Hello Spring!

Tricks of the Trade - Bed Fishing 101

Before I even get started, if you're reading this and find bed fishing for bass to be negative in any way possible by all means stop reading. My personal take on this format of fishing is actually better compared to that of hunting but with an even better take as I practice catch and release 100% of the time. With that said, I find bed fishing extremely intense, nerve racking and just a plain old good time. If you question my sportsman ethics than you clearly have no idea who and what I'm all about. I respect everyone's views, you don't need to respect mine.

On to the basics.

First and foremost, there is one common thing that a sight fisherman needs, a quality pair of polarized sunglasses. This should be common sense but when your trying to see the bass that you intend to catch, being able to see into the water without glare is highly beneficial. If you haven't been to the eye doctor in a while be sure you do, prescription sunglasses or contacts will obviously aid your sight. Also a large brimmed hat as well as a hood can also assist in blocking out additional light.

When sight fishing, it's equally important that you can see the fish and at the same time you don't want the fish to see you. Keep in mind what your wearing, a red shirt isn't the best idea. I like to wear colors that match the sky such as certain shades of blue or white and if there is a lot of cover around you than you may want to consider camouflage. I meant it when I said it, it's more like hunting than fishing.

When it comes to equipment you want to factor which species of bass your going after, whether it be largemouth or smallmouth. In my experience I consider smallmouth bass much easier to catch off a bed and therefor I don't change up my presentation all that much. I usually just use a spinning rod with 8 lb. fluorocarbon and whatever plastic bait seem to be best. When it comes to smallies you can simply chalk it up to their overall attitude, they don't care if your right there, they'll bite it damn it, it's just that simple. I've caught them before and placed them back on the bed just to make another cast with the same lure and catch them again. They got a bad attitude and frankly belong in a loony bin, that's why I love 'em so much.

Mainly I want to focus on tips to catching largemouth as I consider them much harder to catch while spawning. As a general rule, big mouths are much more finicky and more aware of their surroundings.

Equipment is a very big key in bed fishing. I've found a three step process of baits key to triggering a bite. It's a process, sometimes the first bait will do the trick and other times the third and final bait will do the trick.


My first bait choice is a white 1/2 oz. jig. I like the 1/2 oz. jig because it's heavier, gets on the bed quick and is easier to bring to life without pulling it off the bed. Really any jig will do but there is a couple modifications that I feel makes the jig more efficient. First I cut the skirt way down, above the bend of the hook. Largemouth aren't hungry this time of year but they are very territorial. Most of the time they'll nip at the bait and spit it off the bed, so I try not to leave them nothing to nip at without getting hook. The other thing I do is cut off the weedguard completely, again I don't want anything to come between me and the fish. I use white so I can see it, not for the fish. Again they're very territorial, more often than not they don't care what the bait looks like, they want it gone and there's only one way to get rid of something, their mouth, if bass had hands we'd never catch them off beds, pure and simple. I also don't use a trailer, again it's not necessary, always try to avoid the short strike.

If the area you are fishing is real snag filled than instead of the jig I'd go with a texas rigged plastic such as a weightless senko or a weighted tube or Beaver.

Lastly, I always have a dropshot close by with light line and a very dear to my heart certain plastic. If I wasn't sponsored by this company I'd honestly never open my mouth about these plastics, they are simply the best. I've used them before when they were prototypes on smallmouth and ran out within in hour. At Diamond Valley Lake in California earlier in the month, they outproduced every other plastic I had including California's precious Roboworm (Mourning Dawn). The bait I reluctantly speak of is the Biovex Kolt Fish Tail, a bait that comes to life in the water and quivers like no other bait I've ever seen. Also it floats, this is very key when bed fishing with a dropshot rig because I want that bait to sit right in front of the bass's face. Additionally the bait has numerous tiny holes going through it that aids in its buoyancy, I find a better trait in that these tiny holes produce small bubbles exactly like a live baitfish would.


On the terminal side of things I go with a heavier weight similar to the same reasons of the jig. I want the bait to get down as quick as possible and when I impart action I want the weight to be an anchor and keep the rig on the bed. The hook is very important and I go with the best out there, a Trokar Dropshot Hook. There isn't a sharper hook on the market and when I finally get that bass to bite, I want a hook that will bite back. Lastly I use fluorocarbon line mainly 8 lb. test.

One note on line selection that I feel is very important. Usually I try to use the heaviest line I can get away with almost all my regular fishing, the exception being when sight fishing. I know a lot of anglers would argue this point but while sight fishing I want to use the lightest line I can get away with, key words being "that I can get away with". The reason for this is lighter line will let your bait be more realistic and give it more of a natural action. When the key is soliciting a bite by annoying the bass I find this tip to be very crucial. Fluorocarbon always gets the nod here as well, when sight fishing you need to be always thinking stealth. Invisible is as stealthy as it gets so I'm always going to make sure the bass can't see my line.

Now that we're rigged for battle, it's time to catch some fish. This is by far the most addicting way to catch them for several reasons. This is the best time of year to catch a true trophy, the females are the largest and they're extra plump now. You can see the fish and have to initiate a strike without spooking her, way easier said than done. When I come across a fish on the bed the first thing I do is move on and make a mental note of where the bass is. Some people will mark the bed with a long stick or a weight/fishing line/bobber combo. This simply aids them in making accurate casts. I haven't used this but I can see how it could be beneficial. Basically once I spot a bass on her bed I'll simply trolling motor away and develop a game plan. Remember if you come across one on a bed there's a good chance the bass already saw you too. So calming the situation is key plus it gives you time as well. I'll position my boat so that my shadow doesn't cast over the bed, that would not be a good idea so sun in the face or better yet from the side would be best. I get myself to where I can barely see the bed and use the the fishes lateral line as a visual aid. It's like one of those 3D pictures, you stare long enough and you'll see nothing but the hidden image.

Once I feel like I'm in perfect position, I'd ideally drop my Power Poles. Unfortunately, at this time I don't have this anchor system on my boat but it is a must come this Fall when I'm rigging up my new boat. There are so many advantages to having Power Poles and this is surely one of them.

I'll start with the jig and make a long pitch past the bed. It's important to not cast it directly onto the bed as you'll almost always spook the fish, so instead cast beyond and swim it onto the bed. Now is a crucial time as you can see the mood of the bass. If the bass swims quickly off the bed and doesn't come back relatively quickly, you may be screwed and need to come back. If the bass spooks off the bed it's very important that you leave the jig on the bed until she comes back. You may not see the bass anymore but I guarantee she is watching the bed and the fact that there is something foreign in her space will most likely draw her back.

Now that you have a bass on the bed and your jig is also on the bed it's up to you to use your annoying traits and produce a bite. I start by lightly quivering the jig ever so seductively, meanwhile constantly watching the bass and paying close attention to how it reacts. With some luck on your side the bass will start showing signs of being highly annoyed of your jigs presence. An annoyed bass will nose down on your bait, start fanning it's fins trying desperately to intimidate your bait into leaving. Remember they're not hungry therefor they're not going to eat it, to get your bait in their mouth you need to make the bass feel like the only way this thing gets out of their area is by moving it and lucky for us they need to use their mouths to do just that.

If I haven't been bit yet, I'll start getting real erratic with the jig by making quick violent hops with the bait. If the bass turns broadside, I'll whack her on the belly with the bait, trust me it works, you'll get a similar reaction as you would if you hit on some UFC fighters girlfriend and then put your finger in his face after he confronts you. Through all this remember, if the white disappears, SET THE HOOK! The bass will simply crush the bait and spit it off the bed, so cat like reflexes are a must!


If all this isn't initiating a bite or you keep missing on the hook set go to your dropshot and nine out of ten times they grab it instantly. By doing this your creating a reaction bite, the bass was getting conditioned to your jig and all of a sudden another fish jumped on it's bed, game over.

I hope this gives a few readers a better understanding of bed fishing, it wasn't that long ago that I thought this style of fishing was by far my worst, but little did I know I'm pretty darn good at it, it just takes patience and practice. Please remember to be responsible during this time of year, the bass are reproducing and it's important to practice catch and release. There's no denying that bed fishing has a few negatives that come along with it but honestly I'd much rather catch a fish from it's bed before it's even laid eggs than to catch a male while he's protecting his fry and people do that all the time and not even realize they're doing it.

No matter what, please practice catch and release, it's for the livelihood of our sport and if everyone keeps the fishes well being in mind than there's no reason we can't all enjoy hunting our favorite quarry.

Studying the Art of the Spawn

I sit here dwelling on the fact that technically it's Spring, yet just when all the snow was melting and the lakes ice showing it's vulnerability, we get blasted by a bunch more snow and a weeks worth of cold weather. To stay sane, I try to look forward to what's right around the corner and that is bass in the shallows preparing for the spawn. Naturally, I never considered the spawn one of my strong suites, I had tried a few times with less than perfect results but living in Minnesota it's hard to sharpen your skills. Minnesota has a closed bass season from the end of February through the end of May and usually the largemouth bass have mostly wrapped up the spawn and are already blowing up my frog in the shallow vegetation.

It wasn't until last April when I traveled down to Oklahoma to take part in a tournament on one of my favorite bodies of water in Grand Lake, just outside Tulsa. Three consecutive years I had made the trip to Grand with my buddies as a way to kick off the season and enjoy some fun fishing. Fun we had and I managed to get on a bite that pumped out giant staging females that were setting up for the spawn. When I found that there was a Bassmaster Weekend Series event going on I was all in.

I made the trip by myself and took part in a tournament that I really thought I had a better than not chance of winning. It didn't take long at all to realize that the pattern I had come to master the previous few years was a day late and a dollar short. Instead I was finding fish up on the bank spawning. Trust me, had I known this beforehand I would never had the balls to venture all this way and take part in a tournament that would require me to sight fish against a field that employs this technique annually.

To make a long story short, at first I relied on a shakey head to catch these fish by positioning my boat far enough away that I couldn't even see my quarry. I managed to use this technique to boat four descent bass and it wasn't until the last hour that I came across a nice one on a bed. I instantly spooked her and without any hesitation she fled for deep water. Knowing I needed this bass to show face at the scales, I made the commitment to stick out the last hour and throw it all in the wind for a chance at catching this fish using a technique that I've never found successful in the past.

I pulled my boat back and waited and after about 20 minutes she showed up back on the bed. Staying far enough back so that I could just barely see the bass I started pitching a texas rigged Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (Xmas Pumpkin) to the bed. To not startle the bass, I would pitch the bait onto the bank and gently pull it into the water and onto the bed. Instantly the bass turned and stared at my bait. I wiggled the bait a bit and the bass moved in for a closer look. After about twenty pitches to the bed the bass was really getting annoyed, fanning her fins hard and trying to kick at the bait with her tail. With time running out I quickly ripped off the Sweet Beaver and rigged on a white tube. As soon as the bait hit the bed I could tell I was going to get my chance, just then the tube disappeared and I set the hook to see a big ole' mouth come to the surface and just like that I had a 3.6 pound largemouth in the box rounding out a pretty solid limit. I can't even begin to count how many 3 pound bass I've caught in my life but that particular one sits in my top 3 catches of all time.

On my recent trip to Southern California I expected that a bed bite may be the ticket. It didn't take to long to realize that my assumption was dead on. For three straight days I honed my sight fishing skills and on the last day was even able to guide two friends from Biovex Baits to bed fishing success.

I had never considered myself good at sight fishing but now have all the confidence in the world and actually am looking forward to the next opportunity. Looking at my upcoming tournament schedule I see potential on two of my first events. One will be on Iowa's Lake Okoboji, which takes place early May. My educated guess tells me that it will be to early in the year but at the same time I'm a firm believer that the bigger fish spawn first and if not the case, having a understanding of where bass spawn will aid me in finding the prespawn females.

Another event will be the TBF Open on Lake Pokegama in early June. This event should definitely offer up some sight fishing opportunities as this lake is located in the far Northern end of Minnesota and the timing should be setting up perfectly.

Check back soon for a "Tricks of the Trade" segment where I plan on laying out some of the tactics that have proven for me. I'll go through bait, line, rod and reel selection, insight into spawning location, technique and differences between sight fishing smallmouth and largemouth bass.

Check back soon!

Diamond Valley Lake, Hemet, CA

Diamond Valley Lake, the "Jewel" of Southern California. I've fished all over the country but never had the opportunity to head out west and get down on some of the world record breaking reservoirs that litter the golden state. Lucky for me, I had the opportunity thanks to Biovex Lures who was holding a meeting in Long Beach and invited me to come out and spend some time in the beautiful state. As far as the meeting went I do have some very exciting news but lets start with the fishing.


I have to admit I was a bit anxious the weeks leading up to the trip, for many reasons really but two main reasons were the long drive and before I could even fish Cali waters I had to get my boat passed through inspections and from everything I had been hearing, this was no walk in the park. You can imagine my anxiety level accepting the fact that I may be driving all across the country, over 2,000 miles one way and be told I wasn't fishing. Luckily, this trip was a blast from the very beginning and everything just went right. I passed inspections with flying colors. Basically, the state of California is trying to keep the infestation of the Quagga Mussel out of their precious waters and zero tolerance is zero tolerance. To be honest, they need to be strict with infested waterways such as Lake Havasu and the rest of the Colorado River so near by.

The drive was truly grueling, really much harder and much longer than I ever expected. The trip was so long that I had the new Dr. Dre and Eminem song, "I Need a Doctor" memorized within the first three states of the thirteen total that we traveled through. Try pulling a heavy Ranger Bass Boat through the Vail/Frisco Pass in Colorado's Rocky Mountains and you'll have a new appreciation for trailer brakes! Though with all that said, I do it again tomorrow! I got problems, I know.

Helping assist me in passing inspections as well as getting on fish was the local tackle shop Last Chance Bait & Tackle. Don't be fooled, this is your traditional Mom and Pop type shop but on steroids. I've visited tackle shops all over the country and this is easily in my top three, with a fighting chance at being my personal favorite. The husband and wife duo that own and operate the shop, Dan and Megan Merchant, stop at nothing to be sure they are carrying the very best products that the industry has to offer. A guy like me can get lost for hours in the isles looking at all the high end baits but also the very hard to get baits as well, including JDM products. Besides tackle, their staff is also full of local knowledge. This is something that shouldn't be taken for granted either. Again, I fished everywhere but there isn't anywhere that fishes like Southern California. Matt Magnone, one of their very experienced employees and a local DVL stick, offered up tremendous knowledge and better yet, I left there a far more experienced angler and know for fact that I'll take some of those techniques he taught me and cash paychecks all over the Eastern United States. Thanks Matt, your the man!

The fishing started out slow for me to be honest. I had done lots of research on the lake the months leading up to this trip and felt pretty confident in my plan of attack. I felt that the spawn would be just around the corner and that I just needed to probe some near by deep structure and I'd find loads of giant females staging to move up. I studied maps and previous reports and felt I had identified some key pieces of structure that would hold up, though inexperience on these Cali waters proved to much as I'm used to fluctuating water levels but not like this. The trees that I had seen on Google Earth were literally under water. The water that I was hoping to probe in 40ish feet was now in 70?? I still gave it my best and after burning up my entire first day I finally caught what I thought to be a giant ledge donkey and instead ended up being a nice striper. Let me tell you about a rush! You throw a football jig on 50 foot structure, feel that "tap" in your line and hook into what feels like a moving tractor, then tell me the thoughts that run through your head while fishing lakes that pump out potential world records like their hot cakes at a Sunday morning breakfast hot spot. To finally win the battle and see it's a striper on a football jig?? Cool, but not really..


Finally later in the day, I ventured shallow and started seeing some nice largemouth up on the bank. I worked one and caught my first largemouth of the trip that went roughly 3 1/2 pounds. I never thought of myself as a good bed fisherman but after this trip I'm pretty damn good. Maybe it's because I can be pretty annoying when I want to be so why wouldn't that work with my fishing? Let me assure you it did!

The next day I started my morning by heading back out to some deeper stuff and trying that again, a bit stubborn but in my defense I never did see any big females up shallow and was convinced that they were holding up somewhere. After again burning up several hours in the morning I started working shallow and right away was awarded with a quality smallmouth on a wacky rigged senko. I catch four pound smallmouth all the time back in Minnesota, but catching them here with a mountain filled back drop is a bit more rewarding.

After now catching two quality bass off the bank I started working my way around the banks and it didn't take long to start seeing the bucks up preparing the nests. The rest of the day I spent sharpening my sight fishing skills with success! I basically went between three different lures to do the job. First I would try the new Matt Lures U2 Flat Tail Ultimate Gill (White), this is a bad ass bait and worked real well. I didn't catch too many on it but it was very effective at annoying the fish so that I could easily catch them on one of my other two baits being a all white 1/2 oz. jig modified to be more effective on bed fish and a drop shot with a Roboworm (Morning Dawn) with a Trokar dropshot hook. There's really no better hook than these Trokar hooks, they're simply the best.

Throughout the days the fishing just got better and better. I was mostly catching males though and from time to time I would see giant females sitting in the flooded trees but after hours upon hours of trying to figure a way to yank on one of these toads, I ended up with a attitude of that's just plain a tough fish to catch. See this lake is known as a light line lake, seriously light line. I never got bit on anything more than ten pound fluorocarbon and that's even considered heavy line to the locals. The lake is gin clear and these fish aren't like any I've ever fished for, they really make you be on your game. I can foresee this year being very challenging on the fisherman because with the water up so high there is so much cover for these fish to hide in. Even worse, there's so much cover for these fish to break you off in. There's a common phrase I hear amongst the locals. Ask them what their big bass is and they'll spit out a ridiculous number like 11.6 pounds but they'll all follow it with "I've broke off a dozen or so better". That's just the beauty of the beast. The Jewel gives it and the Jewel will take it away.

The last day on the water I had the privilege of being joined by Katsushi, the owner of Biovex and Hiro, the owner of Zusho Venture Partners. The reason for my trip to California was to join in on meetings as Biovex who makes awesome Japanese bass baits, will be soon distributing to the United States. This is extremely good news, I've been fortunate to be using these high end baits for a few years now and have been very heavily involved in this new expansion. A lot goes into this kind of move and I've been assisting in developing a line of baits that will cash many paychecks for tournament anglers all across the US. I'm very lucky to be sporting the Biovex logo in 2012 when fishing the Bassmaster Opens and FLW Everstart Series in my push to qualify for the tour level.


Katsushi brought out some new baits that have been developed and we got to put them to good use. It's really a good feeling when the company that I represent makes a bait that out performs other baits that I had been using all week!! One such bait was the Biovex Kolt Fish Tail, a four inch morsel of love with a awesome hyper tail. Tip this bait on a drop shot and it comes to life. Another winning bait was the Biovex Kolt Stick and Kolt Shad Tail, these simply catch fish and there's really no other soft plastic on the market that resembles the detail and action that these particular baits provide.


Katsushi and Hiro went on to catch numerous largemouth their first time bed fishing and we all had a blast doing it. Unfortunately for me I broke off on two giants that day, just as I was explaining before, light line, nasty trees and giant bass don't mix. I easily broke off the two biggest fish that bit all week. Both were females that finally moved up and both found a way to break me off. Still cool though, in the clear water I got to see everything and so did the camera that was running. Stay tuned for the video of numerous bed fish and the tactics used to catch them! It was truly exciting!

In the end, I was slightly ticked that I was never able to crack that deep bite but with only a few days on the lake I didn't really have the time I wanted to be able to break it all down and sometimes the most obvious pattern is the one that will produce in a crunch. I still had a boat load of success and am pretty confident if a bed fishing tourney broke off there that I'd be right up in the mix. There wasn't too many that I couldn't get to bite after a little bit of work.

I also had a chance to hit the annual Fred Hall Fishing and Outdoor Show. I had a good time and got the opportunity to see some pretty sweet baits as well as rub shoulders with some of California's best fisherman. One such was Troy Lindner, son of famed Minnesota fisherman Al Lindner. Troy has clearly stepped out from his fathers shadows by making a name for himself on the west coast. Look at tournament results in Southern California and if his name isn't on the very top, it's surely a spot or two after. I especially like his Fit 4 Fishing, I take pride in staying in shape and truly believe it'll give me an advantage over my competition and Troy's expertise in this field is second to none. Check out his website at www.fit4fishing.com for more information.

Now back in Minnesota, Bri and I can say we had one of the best trips of our lives. Besides fishing and the business end of fishing we also had the chance to visit some nice restaurants as well as some sweet vineyards, you know, things to make my beautiful bride happy of course! To be honest, everything went perfect and I'm very excited to know that I get to go back yearly!


On another far more important note, I want to send my condolences to the people of Japan for the catastrophic series of natural events that occurred there. It hit close to home for me when my friends from Japan had to sit and watch the devastation thousands of miles from home. We need to do something to help the country of Japan and it's people. Here is a link to a donation site if anyone can and wants to help out. Follow Link Here.

The Wild West

I can't even begin to explain how busy I've been the past few days, hectic living for this guy. I'm not complaining though, honestly a busy Josh is a happy Josh and this winter is really trying a bass addicts nerves. The more time that can fly by and the more business I can accomplish before the ice breaks is all the better cause I plan on wrecking them this spring!

The month of March is really filling up quick as I'm happy to announce that I'll be working the Navionics and possibly even the Capra's Outdoors booths this year at the Northwest Sport Show, so be sure to stop by and say hi. If you have any questions about anything fishing swing by and we'll talk shop.

The last few days have been extra hectic as leave shortly for a upcoming business trip to Southern California and if you don't know me better, business for me includes a rod and reel in hand. I'll be fishing Diamond Valley Lake with the people from Biovex, who'll be in town from Japan. We got a on-water photo shoot planned so I'm hoping the giants show up to help make me look good. I'll also be attending the Fred Hall Fishing Show in Long Beach.

**The heart of the Jewel

Bri and I still got lots to do before loading up the Ranger and make the trek across country, important things to like unwinterizing the rig, making sure the truck is good to cruise a ridiculous amount of miles but my heart is whaling a mile a minute in pure anxiety of being able to get the opportunity to fish Southern California's jewel known as DVL.

This is a new man made reservoir that was originally opened to the public in 2002 and was made for the residents in the area for usable drinking water. The lake is loaded with giant florida-strain largemouth bass and is constantly stocked with rainbow trout. It's also building a reputation as being a trophy smallmouth fishery. This deep rocky reservoir has already shelled out a 16.43 lb. monster largie and smallmouth weights aren't uncommon in the 4 and 5 pound mark.

Mid March should be a good time to fish the Jewel, the fish should be moving up preparing to spawn and if they're not up on the banks than they should be out on the points and drops in large schools. They've been getting some unusual weather and the water temp is on the cold side so the deep bite may still be where it's at if the overnight temps don't start bumping up a bit.

I've been doing my fair share of research and I got to admit I feel out of my norm. I was put in touch with the guys at Last Chance Bait and Tackle for some advice as well as some input on passing lake inspections, which is a long and honestly depressing side of California fishing that I just rather not get into and instead focus on all the positives that could come from this trip. When it comes to fishing it seems like a guy's got to be extremely versatile, it's no joke, either I'm throwing giant swimbaits with very heavy tackle or I'll bust out the fairy wands with light 6 lb. test and do work that way. There's really not much in between. I do plan on throwing some big texas rigged worms, Carolina Rigs, Football Jigs and of course a weightless senko for when I see a cruiser up on the bank. From what I hear it's not much of a reaction style lake, mainly because the lake is so gin clear. It's all about deep water or stealth in the shallows and when I say deep, we're talking 30 to 40 feet.

**Photo of a Matt Lures Bed Bait

There's always the possibility of busting a giant Chicana off a bed as well. I know the spawn is still a little ways off but I'm a firm believer that the real big ones are the first to get to doing the dirty deed and I just got the bait of all bed baits to break up a happy home. My real good buddy Eric Aske hooked me up with a couple baits for my trip and the bed buster of them all is a smaller white version of the Matt Lures Ultimate Gill. Dude, there's no way this bait doesn't get the job done. It's really an awesome bait!

My goals for this trip are through the roof, honestly though they're more on the business side of fishing. I got some meetings planned with Biovex that if everything is on track could mean real good things for the future. Of course I still have one main goal and that's to catch a ten pound giant. I'd really like to accomplish this and where's a better venue than a Southern California donkey pond? I came close last year on Falcon Lake but just never was able to bust that ten. This year could be my year!

Be sure to check in on my Facebook page for on water status checks and pictures of giants with Real Prey Swimbaits choked half down their throat!! Wish us luck!

Mapping Your Way to Fishing Success

Being an avid tournament bass fisherman, the competition that I face on a day to day basis is overwhelming. I'm always looking for that new product whether it be tackle, line, electronics, whatever can promise me that edge over my competition.

Over the years I've seen things introduced to the fishing world that promises success and guarantees the buyer that they'll catch more and bigger fish. Whether the product does just that is up to the fisherman, we definitely don't all fish the same and our styles leave the door wide open for something to be coveted by one angler yet waste away in another ones garage.

When I was first getting into the competitive side of bass fishing I admit I was one who would look for that bait or that product that would cash me paychecks. Most of the time I just ended up a little more broke in the checkbook and carrying a lot more junk in the boat. See the product itself was probably great but my skill at using it wasn't. I recall a time that I went out and bought a fiberglass rod because I heared KVD preaching the benefits of using these rods when throwing crankbaits. I remember hitting the lake with it and wouldn't you know I didn't catch anything. Insulted, I shoved the rod back into my rod locker and I swear it sat there for a better part of six months.

Gimmick? Well had you asked me that then I would have said yes, without a doubt. Ask me that now and the answer would be not at all. See the truth to the matter is I wasn't seasoned on the technique of deep water crankin' and just because I buy that specific style of rod doesn't give me all the inner tools needed to master the technique. Though now that I've spent countless hours practicing the technique of deep crankin', I can wholeheartedly see the benefits as to what KVD was talking about.

There's a million examples one could come up with very similar to the one I just shared. Though from time to time a company will introduce a product that will set a new standard. A product so useful that it rewrites the way fishermen fish. You can't fine tune a presentation if you can't find the fish and the products put out by Navionics are meant to do just that.

Out of everything I own fishing related, what couldn't I live without? That's a really tough question to answer and one that was emailed to me by a fisherman looking for some solid advice. My first answer would have to be my boat, I can't compete or even fish without it. Second would have to be my electronics. Without these I wouldn't know where to fish. That's when I got to thinking, my electronics are very important but without my Navionics data cards showing me what is under the waters surface I wouldn't know where to begin. Even the new addition of Side Imaging is known as a game changer but it wouldn't be nearly as useful if I didn't know what structure was underneath me. To be able to just show up and fish a body of water and have all the lake information at the tip of my finger is essential to my and every other anglers success. My Navionics chip is what breathes life into my electronics!

Now Navionics has stepped up there game once again and introduced a new App for both Android and iPhone. This state of the art and already award winning product can now be at anybodies fingertips even if you don't own a boat. For around ten dollars anyone who owns one of these phones can download Navionics and see exactly what I can see from the deck of my Ranger. Not only can they see but they can follow along with the GPS as well as save waypoints. Talk about a truly good deal, for a ten spot you can turn your phone into a hand held unit? Now were talking about a good deal!

Another key introduction to the Navionics App is the User Generated Content, better known as UGC. This function empowers Navionics customers to modify navigational aids or points of interest on their charts and instantly share it with an entire community of users! Simply input your UGC via your Smart Phone App or PC App and you will join others in creating the best and freshest localized charts available.

No matter your skill level, Navionics offers a product that will benefit you the instant you hit the water. Like any other sport, practice develops your skills. To catch fish you need to be able to think like one, invest in Navionics and take the guess work out of your time on the water. From the crankbait rod to the crankbait itself, it's all useless if I don't know the structure that I'm throwing it to. That's were Navionics gives me my edge!

For more information please contact me via email at Josh@JoshDouglasFishing.com or contact Navionics directly at www.Navionics.com.

Tackle Update: New for Navionics

Problems viewing the HTML version? Click here Navionics World… Anytime, Anywhere. Experience the Navionics World Miami International Boat Show February 17-21, 2011 Booth #1643 BUY Navionics for your Chart Plotter: • Get unlimited access to Freshest Data* • Get a Free Navionics PC App too! For 1 year when you buy Navionics for your chart plotter you get unlimited access to download the freshest data via our Web Store at navionics.com. It’s easy! But that’s not all - you are also eligible to download our PC App to view Navionics on your computer. It’s a great value! NEW! User Generated Content! Join the Navionics Revolution. User Generated Content (UGC) empowers Navionics customers to modify navigational aids or points of interest on their charts and instantly share it with an entire community of users! Simply input your UGC via your Smart Phone app or PC App and you will join others in creating the best localized charts available. NEW! Wireless Plotter Sync! Raymarine and Navionics are pleased to announce the availability of Navionics Mobile with Plotter Sync technology. Plotter Sync enables the wireless exchange of navigation data between Raymarine’s E-Series Widescreen and G-Series navigation displays via mobile devices including the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. * Customer registration required. Gold cartography is eligible for freshest data updates which include HotMaps Premium, HotMaps Platinum, Gold, Platinum+ (freshest data available March/April 2011). For more information please visit navionics.com

KVD Wins the 2011 Bassmaster Classic!!

It isn't everyday that I write about other tournament bass anglers but at the same time I find it important to give credit where credit is due. On that note, the 2011 Bassmaster Classic just wrapped up minutes ago and the venue, the Louisiana Delta proved to be healthy as ever imagined.

This stretch of waterway from New Orleans to Venice, where the Mississippi dumps into the Gulf of Mexico has been under the gun lately by literally catastrophic events. First, the area gets slammed by Hurricane Katrina and if that isn't enough a couple years later it gets attacked by a BP oil rig that exploded in the Gulf. People all over the world expected this massive waterway to be decimated beyond repair. Many thought the Classic would be relocated, not the case, in fact it was one of the best Classics I can remember. In fact, the final day pumped out sacks close to thirty pounds and the man holding the trophy at the end was the one and only, Kevin VanDam.

**Photo courtesy of Bassmaster.com

The dude's simply unreal, by far the best stick in the world and there's no question. Taking second was Aaron Martens, yes again, Aaron takes second to King Kong. I'm sure he feels like puking on himself right now but should hold his head high, very high. I dream everyday of just qualifying for a Classic, one day God willing I will, but hats off to a guy that not only qualifies but is in the thick of it year after year. There's no doubt in my mind Aaron will hold that trophy over his head one year very soon.

From all the reports I heard, the top anglers were fishing an an area very close to the take off, literally fishing a cast length apart. While most anglers made super long runs, some claiming to have ran over 700 miles in the three days, for the most part just couldn't find the fish that the others could. Fog delays may have been part of this but in the end it just seemed like the ones that stayed close were on the fish to do just what they did, whacked 'em.

The top five were KVD with 69-11, Aaron Martens 59-0, Minnesota's own Derek Remitz with 56-8, rookie Brandon Palaniuk with a very impressive 55-7 and Brent Chapman with a very respectable 54-8.

Some notables were Mike Iaconelli took 11th place with 43-3, Skeet Reese finished 14th with 42-3 and local favorite Greg Hackney finished in a disappointing 42nd place with a weight of 15-1, going to show again that winning on home waters isn't as easy as one would believe.

Early reports prove that attendance and interest in our sport is at in all time high. It's said that over a million people were tuning into the live streaming to watch the weigh in. I can't imagine how many will tune into ESPN 2 next weekend to watch all the on-water action!

Now that the Classic is officially wrapped and in the books, my anxiety to be on the water is through the frickin' roof! As I write this we are being bombed by yet another snowmeggedon which is supposed to dump another twenty inches of the white stuff all across the Twin Cities. It's easy to sit here and feel bad for myself but instead I'm going to be grateful it's now and not two weeks from now when I'll be headed to California's Diamond Valley Lake to try my hand at whacking a ten plus pounder! This weather is also securing the move to Tennessee, trust me!

Congrats to KVD and all the rest of the Classic qualifiers and thanks to all of bass fishing sponsors that make our sport even possible!

Tackle Update: Real Prey Introduces the 5" Shad

Massachusetts swimbait maker, Joe Rainville, owner of Real Prey Swimbaits, just announced the release of his much anticipated 5" Shad. A 1 oz. bait designed to be fished anywhere from the east coast to the west coast and from Florida to Minnesota. The 5 inch size of this bait is ideal for all size bass no matter where you fish, if there's shad this bait will shine. In fact, because the bait swims so natural it'll get bit no matter if the dominant forage is shad, bluegill, trout or alewife. I personally have never thrown a bait that runs as true as a Real Prey and the 5" Shad is no exception.


Besides the baits irresistible action, there's other attributes worth pointing out. Unlike more mass produced swimbaits on the market, the Real Prey's are made of a high module and far more expensive silicone product, instead of more widely used plastisol. The benefits of this silicone favors the buyer far more than the manufacturer. As mentioned the price of the silicone is much more than that of plastisol and the reasoning behind this is because the silicone is far more durable. Durability is very high on my list when spending over twenty bucks per bait. Being that silicone is more expensive you'd think this added expense would be passed along to the consumer, not the case with Real Prey. Instead of being like most companies producing swimbaits who would rather have less expense in manufacturing and less durability in the products so that their consumers would need to buy more product when the baits wear out, Real Prey on the other hand give their customers more value for their buck and depend on old fashioned level of service to produce more and longer lasting customers.


The price of the 5" Shad is $19.99 and the best way to purchase these baits is through Real Prey directly at www.realpreyswimbaits.com and if you spend over $50, shipping is free. Real Prey is in the middle of constructing a brand spanking new website so continue to check in for new developments. If you have any questions or want to order these baits contact realpreyswimbaits@yahoo.com

Staying Warm and Alive in the Frigid Dead of Winter

With the weather forecast finally showing signs of slight compassion, I was extremely eager to get out and take advantage of the rare mid thirty temps by exercising some dormant smallies. Luckily for me, I know just the place.

Yesterday was more of a challenge to get bit and the size wasn't all fantastic either though the methods employed to catch them made it all worth the trip. I managed to catch around twenty-five smallies and for the majority of them I leaned on soft plastics to produce, though all my big bites came on a Real Prey Alewife Swimbait. The six and a half inch bait put in work on some real nice fish and the viciousness of the bite was mind numbing, numbing because no matter what, I couldn't put the bait down. The more methodical the cast and retrieve the better the results. I'm telling you, I'm really starting to break the possibilities of these large swimbaits wide open here in Minnesota. Fair warning.....I'm learning.


Dave Cindrich, who originally introduced me to Real Prey's line of swimbaits also used the exact same bait and had a fantastic time himself. Heck, not only did he introduce me to this swimbait, he introduced me to all swimbaits. I really got to give Dave the credit, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be the believer I am today, which also means when he calls me to tip me off on a bait that is secretly stacking giant stringers, I shut up and listen.


This day we were throwing matching Real Prey Swimbaits but I had the perch and he was using some sort of shad color. Needless to say they both produced and though the day was slow and the big ones were few and far between, it speaks volumes when one bait caught all the big ones that day, the same fish that passed on the small plastics. See the key to these baits is that they are large but they're just large enough to perfectly imitate the largest forage. As a man, do you want a 6 oz. petite steak or a 14 oz. Porterhouse? Enough said.


Besides the baits perfect "match the hatch" profile, it's balance is my favorite feature. I can slow roll it or speed it up at any depth and the bait doesn't roll on itself at all. I also look at the cost vs. durability factor, I mean for a 30 year old aspiring professional bass fisherman, money can not be spent foolishly. These baits are so strong that I have yet to loose one and they all still look like the day I bought them with the tiny exception for one or two battle scars, scars that I'm honored to tell the story of. These baits are so well put together that I plan to be throwing them on my upcoming trip to California's, Diamond Valley Lake. Can you just imagine a chunky 13 pounder with a Real Prey choked in her throat? I'm literally loosing sleep.

Switching gears to today and the results were completely different as to were the patterns for success. They were snapping today man and a tube as well as a dropshot is what me and my buddy Chris Campbell were using first thing in the morning. The smallies were far more predictable and I was able to pattern them early by attacking the river break lines. Really it was simple, the bass were active today and were eager to jump on whatever was on the move. I just worked small soft plastics through those natural eddy areas were the smallmouth were stacked up in schools hoarding whatever came down river.


Finally after the bite slowed down a bit, I took some early morning advice from my buddy Andy Young who was fishing in a different area and was catching good ones on a crankbait. I followed suite and it was like I was never there earlier whacking on them. They jumped on it. Good ones too. In the end, I ended with somewhere around 50 fish and my buddy Chris finished somewhere around 30. The size was nice to with most lying right around the 3 pound mark and a couple real nice ones sitting in the 4 pound range.


All in all it was a great couple days, just the thing to temporarily relieve my premature spring fever. Hopefully the weather cooperates a bit better in February and provides for a few more highly anticipated trips. Stay tuned..

Plans for 2011 and Beyond

Now that the New Year has come and passed, I'm excited to say that the future is looking very bright! I've been busy putting together plans for the upcoming 2011 season which, in a nutshell, is preparation for 2012 and on.

With the tournament situation here in Minnesota and Wisconsin taking a dramatic downturn for lots of different reasons, it's giving me the added motivation to jump in head first into the upper echelons of professional bass fishing. I'm truly not being a negative nelly, it's just that since there isn't a lot of professional level tournaments here in my area especially ones that have the potential to qualify a guy into the highest levels, it's time I get where the getting is good and head south to start making a name for myself on some more well known tournament waters.

This is a move that both my wife Bri and myself have been waiting in anticipation for some time. Though not exactly sure on the location just yet we do know we like the Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia areas and being that they're so centrally located to most the tour venues, this is a big advantage. Add in the fact that I'll be able to fish year round and will be able to save thousands of dollars every year in gas money instead of trying to fish these events traveling all the way from Minnesota.

I also want to live right next to a major waterway that suits my style yet exposes me to other methods of fishing that I haven't yet got the chance to master. Ideally the Tennessee Valley lakes are where we'll end up. These reservoirs offers all styles of fishing but the biggest is that they offer true ledge fishing, something unheard of hear in the north country. To be able to live minutes from a lake like Chickamauga and still just be a couple hours from Guntersville, Pickwick, Kentucky and Old Hickory is a huge advantage in sharpening my learning curve and aiding me in my campaign at fishing and winning on the highest levels.

Now there's still a lot of work to be done before we join the birds and migrate south so the time frame for our move is anytime between Spring and Fall of 2012 as this will be the year I pony up and jump into the Bassmaster Opens and FLW Opens and test myself against the best. This is something that I know may take some time to be competitive fishing against guys on their home water, but I've never been one to turn down a challenge and actually loose sleep at night chomping at the bit in anticipation. Understand this is what I've wanted since I was a little kid and how can something that feels so right be wrong?

As far as 2011 goes I plan to join in on a lot of tournaments and cash some needed checks as well as take on a lot of guide trips, when your planning a big move like we are additional money can never hurt. To be honest, I'm really looking forward to this season even though the tournament scene kinda took a downturn. I look at it as a good thing as it'll give me more time to hang with my boys, do some fun fishing yet at the same time prepare for the road ahead.

On a another subject, I mentioned in a previous post that there is something big in the works coming soon for my main sponsor Biovex. It's still a bit premature to throw out but I'm telling you I'm getting very excited. In March, Bri and I will be heading out west to southern California to attend the Fred Hall Fishing Show and do some fishing on SoCal's jewel, Diamond Valley Lake. I'll be meeting and fishing with the top dogs of Biovex who will be flying in from Japan. I assure you I'll have much more information for you as soon as I get back.

All for now. Check back soon.

Wait, one more thing, another reason I'm excited to move, I just looked at the temperature outside here in Minneapolis and it's sitting at a bone chilling temp of -12 degrees Fahrenheit and with the wind chill it's supposed to be -30F. Where's the Uhaul truck?

I'm Not a Ice Fisherman but I'm Still Catching 'Em!

Most would assume that here in Minnesota die hard fisherman like myself resort to drilling holes holes in the ice to get our fix. If that's your assumption I'm eager to inform you that you couldn't be more wrong.

First off, I'm not a fisherman, I'm a die hard bass fisherman. I don't have anything against ice fishing, but it's just not for me. With that said, I still fish open water here in Minnesota all through the winter, you just got to know what your looking for.


So far this winter it's been more catching than fishing and my last trip was as good as it's been in years. On a recent trip with buddies Andy Young and Timmy Kuzy we put in work. Odd enough it was weird weather too. Never in my life have I fished in Minnesota and had it down pouring the entire time in the middle of the winter. This must have triggered the smallmouth cause it was one after another for hours. We caught some good ones too. I really think the rain helped aid us in our venture as well. It seemed the smallies had a bit more spunk than usual.

We used a few different tactics to catch them but in the end the tube was the magic ticket. I was disappointed because I forgot my swimbait rod at home and on my last trip I really had some good luck on the Huddleston Shad. On that trip my buddy Eric Aske also put in work on the 6 inch Huddleston if you can believe that? I promise you it's true, they would just jack it up too, down their throats!


With the weather so brutally cold the next few days I don't have much planned fishing wise besides sharpening up on my pitching skills around the house. Tomorrow I'll be out at Warner's Dock in New Richmond, WI for their open house. Mike Mcclelland and Dion Hibdon will be there doing seminars. Mcclelland is one of my favorite anglers and in my opinion he's the best structure fisherman this country has to offer. If you don't have anything going on stop out and check it out, they even feed you a free lunch.

All for now, check back soon and STAY WARM!

Reflecting Back on 2010

Another year flies by just like that. Unbelievable how quickly time can pass by. It seems like just yesterday I was setting goals for 2010 and now it's only hours away from being 2011. I had a very busy 2010 and I guess that's why it seems as time just flew past. What's the saying? Time flies when your having fun?

Anyway, looking back at this past year I have some mixed reviews of myself and my fishing. Overall I feel like this was my toughest year to date. I just completed my third year of competitive fishing and this year was my worst out of the three as the first two were highly successful. I find this odd as I'm a thousand times better fisherman than I was three years ago and am even more driven. Even more so, I'm a lot better angler now than I was at the start of this season yet it didn't show at the scales.

When I first started tournament bass fishing I wasn't very versatile. I was a shallow water jig fisherman and that year that's what I did, I fished shallow and I took advantage of every good fish that bit my jig and tournament after tournament I collected a nice paycheck. Then the following year I managed to win a real big one down on the Mississippi River. Again not really getting away from what got me there. It wasn't until the very next tournament, the Silverado on Green Lake, in Spicer, MN. I found a deep bite and was catching rogue smallmouth on every cast. I couldn't sleep that night, never in my life had I found those true sweet spots that people talk of. I tossed and turned all night as I truly thought I was going back to back major wins.


That tournament day held up to the hype too. Tt was the best single day of fishing I had ever had and the weather was absolutely awful. Four foot waves were coming over the bow of my Ranger every 3 seconds but I must have caught over 60 fish that day. All big ones too, the only problem was they were all around 3 to 3.5 pounds. I simply wasn't catching the 4's like I needed to win and like the ones I was catching in practice.

I ended in 16th place, not horrible but not great. Leaving there I had such satisfaction and still know in my heart that had the weather not negatively effected these deep spots so bad I would have won that tournament. Best part, no one else was even close to me all day. I was the only one running that pattern or at least that had the kahunas to actually sit out there and take a beating that day. That drive home I was as excited about my fishing future as I was a week back leaving the boat ramp with a 5 thousand dollar check in my pocket. I truly found a hidden gem, loaded with good ones at that and caught them in ways I only saw on TV. Not the way Josh Douglas usually catches them.

That day, though one of the most exciting days of my fishing career was also one of the most necessary as well. I found how tournaments could be won off the bank, out deep where true big stringers pile up in big schools. I made it my destiny to learn off shore structure. Every chance I got I was learning my electronics, trying to determine what I was fishing under the water and trying to teach myself how to effectively comb deep structure. I found some success and learn relatively quickly though the problem was when do I know where to be and what to do? See when your heart set on banging shallow cover all day, it doesn't matter what the conditions do because your staying put, your looking for 5 good bites. Most of the time you'll get those bites however you may never get that big stringer like the guys out working over that deep milfoil or those deeper hard bottom areas. Truth to the matter is I spread myself to thin, trying to milk run everything and just not cleaning up.

There's no doubt I am a better angler than I was last year at this same time. I not only am comfortable in deep water as I am in shallow water but I now have confidence in a lot more different techniques as well. This all stems from trial and error. I caught my largest bass of a lifetime at over 8 pounds on Falcon Lake last February on a flip shot rig. I helped cash a paycheck this spring throwing wacky rigs and had the smallies coming up and eating jerkbaits all Spring. This Fall I did most all my damage on a crankbait from 1 to 15 feet of water and caught some of my best fish of the year and last but not least, I inspired myself even more the day I caught my first giant on a true swimbait and became straight addicted on the countless rest that followed.


It takes time to learn and be confident with new fishing techniques. If I want to continue climbing the ladder of professional bass fishing than I need to know when to adjust. The only way to learn that is from paying the dues and listening to myself. After all, I'm the one that got me there.

On a very positive note, my business side of bass fishing had probably the best year yet. I cannot tell you how truly important it is to excel on the business side of the sport as well. No one likes to hear it but it's so true. Professional bass fishing is a 50/50, you need to be as good off the water as you are on the water. This was so apparent at the Bass University last month in Chicago, those guys are talkers as much as they are flippers. There are a lot of great fisherman out there, one's that could compete on the water with KVD but couldn't hold his jock strap with a camera in his face. I'm convinced KVD is selling Sexy Shad Series 5 Crankbaits in Pakistan, the dude's unreal.

This year has been great and I'm looking so forward to 2011 to be even better. I've signed on with Trokar which is awesome for me. I only accept business deals with companies I use, baits that I rely on. Being able to work with Trokar and exclusively use the best hook on the market is a no brainer.

I'm also developing a long term relationship with Biovex, a Japanese company that has a lot of big things planned for the future, things that I am very fortunate to be involved with.

Check back in 2011, as I plan to lay out my future agenda and goals for the upcoming season and beyond.

Happy New Year!

My Christmas List

With Santa hours away from climbing down chimneys and dropping off everyone's wish list, I thought of a list of things that I would like to see under my tree come tomorrow morning. Of course there's always the essentials like boxers, socks and long underwear, but I'm talking the real stuff, tackle, rods and reels!

A lot of tackle companies are gearing up for 2011 and are already starting to advertise and release some of their new product lines. I made a list of some notables that I'd like to get my hands on as well as things that are essential come the start of the 2011 tournament season.

First things first, I'd really like to open a box, a very large box I might add, chuck full of Trokar Hooks and Tru Tungsten Weights. This is one of those gifts that no one really loves to buy but every serious fisherman wants a garage full of them. They're not the most glamorous side of tackle but in my opinion they're the most important. Sure fancy crankbaits and high speed reels or ultra sensitive rods are more fun but the nuts and bolts of my fishing is what puts weight in my livewells and these two products are the cats booty when it comes to putting together tournament winning sacks. Out of all my tackle in my boat, Tru Tungsten Weights and Trokar Hooks are by far my most relied on, with only a slight exception....

That brings me to my most favorite lure, the one bait that is most responsible for the vast majority of my BIG fish and my even BIGGER paychecks, the jig. There is no better bait available to suit my fishing style. I LOVE FISHING WITH JIGS! Big or small, deep football jigs, finesse style, skipping boat docks, stroking the milfoil or swimming through the tullies, it really doesn't matter. As long as I have a jig in my hand, I'm confident and we all know that confidence equals success. Like I've said before, if I can start any given tournament with 3 or 4 jig rods scattered across my deck and that's the bite that day, I will be a tough one to beat. The jig gives me my swag.

With that being said, I've found myself at a not so appreciated cross road when it comes to which jigs I throw. Anyone who has been seriously fishing long enough knows the feeling of becoming dependent on a bait and then the company changes it or goes out of business and you can no longer get what you've come to covet. It sucks, plain and simple. With this said though, I've spent endless hours trying to find what I consider to be the cream of the crop in this department, so if Santa has got a in with Tackle Warehouse or Capra Outdoors, hopefully there will be a large and very heavy box of these come tomorrow morning.

Football Jigs - I love me some Picasso Football Jigs (1/2 oz. to 1 oz.). The only modification I make is adding a double tail grub, hand tying a skirt and adding a rattle. The nuts and bolts of this jig is unmatched.

Work Jigs - This is my favorite style of jigs. Whether I'm skipping boat docks or pitching laydowns, this style jig is my work horse and because of this I am ridiculously picky on what jig I use. For this style jig I really only use 3/8 oz. to 1/2 oz. and I want a hand tied skirt basically because I don't want to foul a cast when I skip the jig. The more efficient I can be on the water, the more successful I will be and fouling casts is just not going to be acceptable. I also need a jig that comes in the colors that I like and that comes equipped with a stout hook. I'm always looking for better but I think I've found the best, Shooter Elite Series Jigs. These awesome hand fashioned jigs come with all the qualities I listed above but are also handmade.

Flippin' Jigs - Again I've tried them all but am extremely happy with what I've found out of the Strike King Hack Attack Jig. For this I usually lean towards 3/4 oz. and 1 oz. and the fact that they come equipped with a 6/0 tuna hook. Enough said.

Finesse Jigs - Always have been, always will be Jewel Finesse Jigs. I also like their football jigs too.

Swim Jigs - This category I'm a bit spoiled in because the best two companies are somewhat local. Up here on the Mighty Mississippi, we swim jigs a lot and who better to buy from then the experts. I use two kinds, Super K and Brovarney. Super K offers a 5/0 wide gap hook where as Brovarney is a standard 4/0, not better just different and I depend on both given certain situations. Both companies make awesome colors.

Last year was a good year for me, being that I was known as a jig fisherman I secretly started relying on crankbaits as a go to. With that said, I really hope Santa has connections in Japan because if I don't get a giant box fully loaded with Biovex Deep Runner Crankbaits, I'm screwed next year. This bait simply catches fish and big ones at that. Newly designed and added to an already deadly lineup, Biovex upped the ante when it comes to deep running cranks. In fact, I am so addicted to throwing these baits that I had to add a whole new set up to my repertoire.

This leads me to my next must have and hopefully I've been good because my list is getting long and expensive. I really like the new Deep Flex Crankbait line that G Loomis introduced last year. I plan to match my Biovex Deep Runner with a G Loomis Deep Flex Crankin' rod (CBR 896), a 7' 5" heavy action rod, fully equipped with a Shimano Chronarch 100D5 cranking reel. This deadly combination without a doubt will pull dandy's off of rock piles and ledges all over the country.

Lets see, what else? I am a fisherman and a competitive one at that so being glutenous shouldn't be much of a surprise. I mean as soon as I catch a 5 pounder I want to catch a bigger one or at very least another one. I win a tournament and I'm not satisfied, I just want to do it again so lets go ahead and pile it on.

I've also been in the process of making a significant transition. My mentality from the start is small is better when it comes to reels. I've been very accustomed to 2500 series spinning reels. I see a lot of other bass anglers using larger 4000 sizes. In fact, after going to the Bass University I couldn't help but notice that on all their spinning rods they had large spool reels. I started looking into this further and my findings all made sense on why to make that change though I still couldn't get the size thing out of my head. The benefits of a larger spinning reel are huge though, first off casting distance will exceed greatly, it manages the line better on the reel and therefor greatly reduces line twist and most important it speeds up the ratio of the reel and helps pick up line quicker, making fighting the fish more efficient. So my plan goes like this, I instead switched to 3000 size reels and in a year or two will again up size to a 4000. Let me tell you so far I love the change, my new 3000 size reels cast further and are just better off when fighting fish. Kind of just wish that I sucked it up and went straight to the 4000 but hey, a plan's a plan.

With that being said it's time for me to head out and plow more snow. I've never in my 30 years seen so much of it already and it's not even January. Bri and I made a promise that for fact we will be moving to Tennessee within the next two years, winter is for losers. Though on that note, the fishing has been stunning and probably because of all the low pressure storms we've been getting. The smallmouth have been popping and yesterday I couldn't keep them off my baby Huddleston swimbait. In fact I would have smashed them on the bait had I been able to hook up with them all. My hook up ratio was very much an issue and though I did catch a bunch I had to lean on my tube to catch the bulk of them. Sadly my hook up ratio was only about 10% so last night I developed a new stinger hook setup for these that will surely do the trick. Maybe one day I'll share? We'll see.

To everyone please have a terrific and safe holiday. Merry Christmas and I hope Santa will be generous to all his favorite fisherman and women.

Bass University

Marriott O'Hare, Chicago, IL

I remember about five years ago the Bass University, which at the time was put on by B.A.S.S. itself, had a scheduled stop here in the Twin Cities and I remember how badly I wanted to go. I was just starting to jump full go into competitive bass fishing and had just bought my first Ranger. That was a fantastic winter buying a boat but it was also an expensive one as I had really not much of any equipment and the idea of fishing out of my new shiny bass boat without electronics was awful. Needless to say my priorities kept me from attending the University when it came around but still I promised myself that I would be in attendance the next year when they came back in town.


That next Spring I sported a nice Lowrance unit on my boat and even saved enough to add another to the front deck. I looked the part that year and actually was able to learn a lot over those first few months which was very rewarding because of the exception of a few good friends, I learned a lot of it on my own.

After that first year I felt I was ready to take the step into tournament bass fishing and that off season I looked forward to attending the BASS University to help really sharpen my skills. When I came to learn that the University wouldn't be coming back to the area I was disappointed I hadn't gone the year prior.


Business went on as can be expected and year after year I look back at my successes and how quickly I was able to accomplish as much as I have in a relatively short amount of time. I obviously still have much to learn so when I got news that the new Bass University was coming to a city within driving range, I was on the road to Chicago.

I'll be more than honest with you, the entire drive down there I was pretty skeptical. I was just hoping I wasn't driving all this way to Chicago to hear a pro tell me what color jig is the magic fish catching color or why their Triton is better than a Bass Cat. I mean, I know a thing or two about catching a bass and for good reason, in the past 5 years I've spent every available second I could to catching these fish. Not only do I wake up at absolutely ridiculous hours of the morning, day after day and spend hours after hours wreaking havoc not just physically but mentally as well, just to stay up late scowering magazines and reading internet articles just to absorb more.

Well, I can happily say that in just the first two hours of the first day I felt I had gotten my money and time worth. There was barely any sponsor plugs and when there was it was because someone in attendance asked. I have a knack for the business side of the sport and understand plugging sponsors is as important to a pros career as consistently catching fish. However, it's unheard of to be able to sit in the same small room with other top echelon sports figures and pick their brain for knowledge.


In fact, I feel as though I may have been more bass savvy than a lot of people attending however I feel like I may have learned some of the most that were in attendance. I know for fact that had I attended this class 5 years ago I'd be even more better off as I am now. Yet, I'm even more impressed by how much more confident I am now.

I wasn't there to get an autograph, not at all. I couldn't. Everyday I think of how bad I want to be competing out there against them and though I have a lot to learn I'm now reassured that that very feat could be had with any given cast.

To hear someone like Mike Iaconelli or Brent Ehrler talk to you just like your fishing buddies and to see that they are just like myself, a dude that really, really likes to fish and that the difference is he made an opportunity happen at the right time.

I can honestly say that no matter what your level of bass fishing is you can and will take useful knowledge away from this, knowledge that will help you put more bass in your livewell. When you see a bass pro that has cashed a million dollar paycheck sit in the same seats as the rest of the class and intently listen to his competitor talk and even ask questions to better help himself understand what he is saying. The best thing I learned is that if I continue to work and stay dedicated to my goals, I'll too cash in on that opportunity when it presents itself.


I did learn a lot of tips and techniques that will better help me excel because of going to this class. Tips that I really don't care to share but for one exception, one thing that I will live by. The five P's, as long as I follow the five P's I will always put myself into contention to succeed.

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performances

Enough said.