Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you on the water!

North American Bass Circuit

Lake Minnetonka, Spring Park, MN

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

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

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

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

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

Check out the full results here.



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

Making Sense of the Snell Knot?

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Tackle Update: Shimano Still Claiming the Throne

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

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

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


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

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

Tackle Update: Trokar's Newest Hooks

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


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


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

These hooks live up to all their hype!

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Your Guided Bass Adventure Today!

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


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



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

Contact me today!!

Tackle Update: Navionics Teams with Minnesota Based Rapala

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

© 2011 Navionics SpA. All rights reserved.

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

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


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

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

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

Off and Running

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

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

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


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

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

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


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

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

See you on the water!

Gopher B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament

Lake O' Dowd, Shakopee, MN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gopher B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament

Medicine Lake, Plymouth, MN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Guided Trip to Remember

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


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

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

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


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

Gopher B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament

Mississippi River Pools 3 and 4, Red Wing, MN

Talk about what I thought was to be polar opposites. Yesterday we were on the Mississippi River Pool 2 and today we find ourselves just 30 or so miles south on Pool 4. Pool 2 I was expecting to be a slug fest and the north side of Pool 4 I was expecting to be a limit grinder, get 5 and you're all good. Unless guys were planning on making the long haul to the south side of Pool 4 and fish the Wabasha area, the catching up in Red Wing can be a challenge.


I'm pretty familiar with the waters on these pools and would probably tend to favor Pool 3 as I've cashed a very rewarding first place paycheck fishing these waters two years ago at a BASSMASTER weekend Series event, though with the extremely high barge traffic this season locking through could be a huge mistake. So instead I focused all my efforts on the north side of Pool 4. Catching smallmouth would again be my forte but they were being overly elusive for me but because of the high water I was finding largemouth and pretty good sized ones at that. I decided I'd stay close to the launch point and basically fish the same style as I had planned on for Pool 2, flipping and pitching laydowns.

After burning up the first hour on tournament morning targeting largemouth, I decided it was time to see if I could better my luck on smallies. This was a great move as I quickly caught my first two within minutes, both on a shakey head with 8lb. Seaguar Invizx fluorocarbon line.

I then ran to a similar area to what I had fished the day prior while on Pool 2. To my surprise I couldn't get bit by any quality largemouth but was able to back off the laydowns and instead work the rock and catch quality smallmouth. This is a perfect example of how you need to fish the moment, all of practice I struggled to catch smallmouth but was able to catch largemouth. This time the largemouth weren't cooperating for me but the smallies were snapping. Feeling like I had to make a move I decided to run to an area that I hadn't practiced in but had past success on one or two lunker smallmouth. The area I'm referring to is a riprap bank that sits off the main river but is protected from the current. I caught a few right away on a Biovex Stangun Spinnerbait and then managed a nice 18" smallie on the shaky head. My very next cast I hooked up again but unfortunately this one didn't stay pegged. It happens but still leaves you feeling a bit empty when you know your right in the mix of things.

In the end I weighed 5 smallmouth for just shy of 10 pounds good enough for 7th place. I was very close and really just needed one good kicker to make a run at back to back victories but in this sport you have to be somewhat satisfied to be in the mix of things. In hindsight my only regret would be to not have stuck it out for a little longer in these areas as my good buddy and team tournament partner Corey Brant won the event and did it by dedicating his entire day to one key stretch. You live to learn I guess.

Up next I got lots of guide trips on the books and if anyone is interested in booking please be in touch. The local largemouth are keying in on the spawn and the whack fest's should be on like donkey kong!

See you on the water!!

Gopher B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament

Mississippi River Pool 2, St. Paul Park, MN

With Bri and I's upcoming plans to move south, the preparation has found myself on the outside of the hardcore Minnesota bass fishing scene looking in. It's honestly a tough pill to swallow but is setting the stage for big things and truly preparing me to be able to chase my life long dreams on the big stages all across the U.S.

I told myself that I was going to use this time to go back to the chalk board and remaster the basics and develop more skill that will be necessary to compete with the big boys. One way to do this was to go back to the grass roots of bass fishing and fish with the same individuals that I first cut my teeth with, the Gopher Bassmasters. These guys are some of the best sticks in the state and doing well here says a lot about your fishing ability.

The first tournament of the year was on Saturday and was on a venue that I'm very fond of, the Mississippi River Pool 2. This body of water suites my strengths very well. There's a lot of main river smallies as well as backwater largemouth.


For the most part, practice was a success though it was different than I had expected. I usually tend to favor the smallmouth on this pool but because of the delayed Spring and the very high water, getting the smallies to cooperate was a huge challenge. I knew they were getting close to grouping up and preparing to spawn but consistency was a big deal.

I instead focused my energy on largemouth and found an ideal backwater slough that I felt would be the ticket with winning this event. The largemouth bass in this area were preparing to spawn. During practice I was able to catch a few off beds with relative ease but with the weekend weather forecast calling for non stop rain and thunderstorms I knew sight fishing would be more than difficult so I instead planned to fish these key backwater areas very slowly and pay extra special attention to my line so that I could detect the very subtle bites.

Tournament morning I was one of the last boats to take off but because of my new Evinrude ETEC H.O. I was one of the first to get back to my key areas. I quickly was able to put together a limit within the first couple hours, because of the low light conditions I wasn't having to much success flipping the trees so instead I fan casted these areas with a hand tied 1/4 oz. swim jig and was rewarded very quickly. Once I had a decent limit put together I reverted back to flipping but keeping an open mind I instead started catching better bass by flipping the main shoreline where there was an abundance of grass, wood and most importantly rock shoreline. This was very key to have the three types of cover as the bass where spawning in these areas and I had to pay very close attention to my line as detecting these bites was extremely difficult. My main weapon of choice for this tactic was a Reaction Innovation Sweet Beaver with a pegged 1/4 oz. Eagle Claw Lazer Tungsten Weight and most importantly a 4/0 Trokar Magworm Hook. The Trokar hook was seriously a difference maker as the fish were not eating the bait they were simply trying to move the bait from the beds and then would spit it out and the sharpness and the over-sized hook would assure that they fish got stuck and stuck well. I went with 15lb Seaguar Red Label Fluorocarbon which seemed to be a perfect compromise between finesse and power.


Towards the end of the day the pressure really started to get to this area and I decided to take the last hour and try my luck on some smallies. This proved to be a very good decision as I was able to cull twice on two smallies around the 18" mark.

I weighed in 3 largemouth and 2 smallmouth for an impressive bag of 17.33 pounds and claimed the top spot at the first event of the season! It felt good to notch another victory but it felt even better knowing that I developed a game plan and stuck to it all day, trusted my instincts and kept my head under control the entire day. Something I've set out to master this season before throwing down in the years to come.

Tomorrow Pool 4!!! I can't wait!

Okoboji Open

Lake Okoboji, Okoboji, IA

Tournament season is finally upon us yet if you went strictly by the outside temperature and the ridiculous weather we've been having, you'd feel as if it were still the heart of winter. I'm not complaining, simply just sharing facts, as long as the water isn't frozen I'll be happily wetting a line.

I was excited to get in on this years Okoboji Open, the past years Ryan Brant and I had found some success down there. Two years ago we took second in our debut showing and last year Ryan and his good buddy fished the same bite and again found themselves in second place. The only place to go from here is to finally claim the top spot and no better time than now. Maybe the third time's the charm?

Unfortunately for the both of us we were unable to get in much practice time. With only having one day we decided to search out new water to go with our already successful pattern and hopefully get enough bites throughout the day to put together a winning sack. The practice though proved to be a challenge and finding quality water wasn't coming as easily as we had hoped. In fact, really we only found one maybe two areas that could possibly pump out a keeper and if we were really lucky would cough up a good one.

Game day didn't go as planned to say the least. The take off temp was hovering around 30 and with the 20 to 40 mile per hour winds the wind chill was at a staggering 23 degrees. We really struggled in our primary areas as the water temp shot way down over night and was completely effected by the harsh winds. Our hope was that the area would warm as the afternoon sun came out but since the temps never came up enough and the high winds were very persistence the water temp didn't cooperate. The areas never produced and though we did manage a few descent fish we were never able to fill a limit. A tough pill to swallow considering we banged out three good ones in a matter of twenty minutes. We both managed to leave a couple good bites swimming and in the end was on the outside looking in.

It was easy to find our mistakes, the largest being fishing off of memory. Bottom line our previous check cashing areas hadn't yet become ripe and are still a couple weeks from maturing. The late spring season has everything set back a bit and we didn't do a good enough adjusting to that. We also left a few out there and in a tough tournament where you don't have a lot to work with bites are key and need to get in the livewell. The result was a very disappointing 23rd place finish and to be honest it wouldn't mattered if we finished 50th, 23rd or 2nd, we came to win it and weren't even close. We'll chalk it up to a lesson learned and use it as motivation for bigger and badder tournaments ahead.

Tackle Update: Introducing the Biovex Amp Jr.

The past week has been awesome! It's been real cold and nasty around here but lucky for us the ice gave in just before the cold arrived so it's business as usual for a guy like me. I've been without a boat for the last couple weeks as I'm awaiting the arrival of my engine, which I'm happy to announce my brand new Evinrude ETEC 225 H.O. will be strapped on first thing next week! Lucky for me I got some good buddies who have as equally good boats and even better they all share that overwhelming sick desire to withstand the cold temps, 30 mile an hour winds and sideways rains for the chance to jack up on a fat ass dandy!


I'm not kidding either when I say we've been dealing with some unseasonable weather. A week and a half ago it was pushing 70 outside, since then we've been dealing with highs in the low 40's and snow. Then take in factor that I've been rolling shotgun behind some pretty damn good sticks and you could guess that getting good bites are few and far between when in reality the getting has been good! Real good!

** 6.6 pounds!!

The fish aren't aggressive at all but lucky for me I found a bait that serves 'em up when the bite is rough and tough. Biovex has a bait perfect for facing these types of conditions, the Amp Jr. crankbait, a micro style crank that runs less then a foot under the surface. It runs similar to the Strike King Pro 1XS but a bit more seductively and blows away all the competition with it's top of line components and hand crafted good looks. I've been throwing this bait with very light 6 lb. monofilament line and the slowest of retrieves produces the biggest bites. I'm mean painstakingly slow, all you feel is the weight and your hooked into a giant.


I recall a tournament I had a couple years ago down on Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee. It was late fall and the lake was drawn down for the winter, all the bass were in the way backs of the creeks pushing balls of shad up into the super shallow coves. For the life of me I couldn't find the right crankbait that would perfectly imitate the size forage yet still run shallow enough to produce. Since it was fall, the leaves had mostly shed from the trees and sunk to the bottom of the cove making a crankbait that ran more than a foot completely useless as snagging leaves would immediately foul the retrieve. The Biovex Amp Jr. would be perfect in this exact situation as the bait runs terrific at about 6 to 8 inches. A quick stop and go retrieve when the bass are blowing up the shad will fill a limit in no time.


This time of year up in these neck of the woods I'm required to slow up my presentation considerably. The bass are moving shallow by the day but the cold water has got them turned off. A slow dragging presentation works fantastic and a lot of the times the fish will take it on the stop. One major bonus of the Biovex Amp Jr. is that no matter how fast or how slow you work the bait it maintains it's seductive wiggle.

Biovex baits will be available to the U.S. in the near future, please feel free to contact me for more information about any of their products.

See you on the water!

One Step Closer

What a day! The sun has been shining, the air temp has been well over 60 and with the future forecast the local lakes will be rid of their ice in no time. Better yet, today I ordered my new Evinrude Etec HO 225 outboard! Dude, I am straight jacked! I've put a lot of love into my boat that I just couldn't get myself to sell it. I have all the top of the line electronics between both Lowrance and Humminbird units and more importantly they are all rigged exactly the way I want them to be. I have a new jackplate and just mid last season I added a brand new Minnkota Fortrex 101 to the bow. All my boat batteries are new last season as well as new seat skins sitting next to me just waiting to be put on.

I also put brand new tires on the trailer as well as all new brakes and master cylinder. I even got a new swing away tongue. All this and my only real issue was my engine that has a bragable 1000 hours on it as well as a warranty that freshly expired.

I looked at pricing out a new boat but in the end, I really really like my boat and now that my new engine is on order I can simply concentrate on fishing and enjoy the fact that I have a all around new boat that is already pimped exactly to my liking.

Next in line will be matching Power Poles and trust me they'll be mounted on sooner than later.

See you on the water!!

Northwest Sport Show

Finally! The Sport Show is gone and passed! Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy working the shows but the ending of the show means fishing season is underway! The long winter is over and the temps stay steadying in the mid 50's, the lakes ice is on it's last stand.


The show itself went great. The Navionics booth was hopping as usual, everybody very excited about the new lake map application by iPhone and Android. The different vendors were very pleased as well as people were out in droves to cash in on all the deals floating around.


I got my new St. Croix Fiberglass Glass Rod for a great price and my boy Ryan Brant picked up a couple Shimano Stradic Ci4 4000 Spinning Reels for just over $160 a piece! Capra's Sporting Goods was selling G Loomis NRX Rods like they were the last rod made. I guess the words finally out.

I also got the privilege to hang out and have dinner with the walleye legend himself, Tommy Skarlis as well as Navionics own, Jeff Brodeur. Lets just say I'm glad ole' Tommy stays on the walleye side, I really wouldn't want to try to compete against that guy on the regular, dude's a stick! I got the opportunity to hear about whats in the works for Navionics and there continuing efforts of providing the best and most detailed maps available. It's real easy to represent a company when you have 100% confidence in them.


All in all, the show went great but now that it's over let the fishing begin! It's so sweet when I can finally exit a post with.......

See you on the water.