Heaven on Earth

Imagine catching huge bass, one right after the other and catching them in ways you could only dream of. Now snap back to reality, it's February in Minnesota and the chance of catching lunker largemouth on swimbaits or sight fishing 5 pounders on a dropshot would be heavenly.

Well for myself and good friends Ryan Brant and Paul Coffey, heaven opened its beautiful doors on us for just a day. The air temp when we made our first casts was a bone chilling 8 degrees and though it never did get warmer than the mid twenties, I never felt the cold for a second. Something about slow rolling a big old swimbait and having it get jacked up by a giant bass just warms my insides! Honestly it was one of the best fishing days of our lives. So good I couldn't find the words to explain so I'll just let a few of the pictures do the talking.

Bassmaster Classic Preview

**Photo courtesy of James Overstreet and Bassmaster.com

The top 49 anglers are only hours away from throwing down on Louisiana's rat nest known as the Red River and will be competing for the most coveted title in all of bass fishing, the Bassmasters Classic!

The story lines are plentiful.

Skeet Reese, who won the Classic three years ago on these very waters will not be able to defend his title after having a poor 2011 season, he failed to qualify. A tough pill to swallow given the 2010 season that is arguably the best season ever put together by an angler. The theories of what happened to Skeet in '11 are plentiful but fishing is fishing and things sometimes just don't come together. I'm sure there's multiple explanations for why Skeet is on the outside looking in but I'm confident we'll see him at the top of his game in 2012.

KVD, what can I say? The man's to good to even refer to him by his real name and now is only known as a 3 lettered fishing god who simply toys with mere mortals. Littered with credentials, he's earned 6 Angler of the Year titles and won 4 Bassmaster Classics all while racking up over 5 million in winnings alone. Three times a charm right? KVD won the last two Classics respectively and now will have the chance to win his third in a row. The Jedi Zen Master, Rick Clunn had that exact same reality once in his studded career but after going back to back, he came up just shy by placing second. Impressive to say the least but don't think KVD will finish in second, that spot is usually held for Aaron Martens. You know KVD's eyes are only set on first, a scary thought for the rest of the field.

Speaking of Aaron Martens, the California Kid is one of my favorite anglers and though I poked at the obvious, 4 second place finishes in Classic competition is in my mind the best resume under Clunn and Van Dam's. I think this might be the one where he finally claims the top spot and to be honest, there's no one who deserves it more. My life goal is to qualify for a Classic and Martens is not only a every year contender, he's threatened the throne more than any other. If he's the one to hold the trophy over his head, we'll all get the honor of sharing the emotion with him.

Greg Hackney, the local who's fishing in his fourth hometown Classic has got his hands full or should I say mind full trying to deal with the lost opportunities of the past. Every serious bass angler dreams of competing in a Bassmaster Classic on their home water, yet the Hack Attack has had that opportunity 3 times before and watched them all slip away. I've spoken with him in person about this a couple times and you can't help but notice how bad it bugs him and how ridiculously bad he wants it. Truth is when you know too much about a body of water it's easy to catch yourself chasing your tail instead of staying in one or two spots and grinding it out. This year could be the exception, besides the fact that Hackney's one of the best bass fisherman to ever walk the planet, the word on the water is that the Red River is fishing tough and the clean water is at a minimum. With anglers expecting to be fishing on top of each other and thinning out the fish, Hack's knowledge of the area could come into play when needing a small out of the way spot to produce a few key bites. I wouldn't bet against him.

Mike Iaconelli is always a threat anywhere bass swim and his credentials in the crayfish state is mind boggling. Take Skeet Reese out of the 2009 Classic and Iaconelli would be holding his second Classic title in Louisiana. To bad for him, Skeet was in the 2009 field but won't be now. Will Ike find that same magic? He's been fishing on top of his game and has some added motivation in that he's been so close in numerous other events in the past couple years. When the bite's tough, he's all the better. No matter what, if he's on 'em I'm sure I'll be able to hear it all the way up here in Minnesota! Stay you Ike, we wouldn't want you any other way!

Now that I've talked about the numerous elephants in the room, what about the dark horses? I should be smacked for referring to Denny Brauer as a dark horse as the man's truly a legend but after being a "every year" classic contender through the 80's and 90's, his appearances have been less than spotty over the past decade. What's in the past is in the past and unfortunately for the competition, Denny's there and could be flippin' and pitchin' his way to his second title.

From legendary status to spring chicken. Brandon Palaniuk has earned his name amongst the best by being thrown to the wolves last year on the Delta but ended by making the cut and banging boats with KVD and the rest of the top 10 on the final day. Brandon came up through the Federation but has since proven that there's a smooth transition from amateur to professional. His Federation win on this very body of water has got to give him some added motivation as well.

Someone is going to earn the right to hold the trophy high come Sunday and will have earned it against a stacked field that all deserve it. Good luck to the entire 2012 Bassmaster Classic Field!

BASSMASTER Central Open

Lake Lewisville, Lewsiville, TX

Lake Looserville, Lake Sewerville and the Mud Hole where just some of the names I heard when people where referencing Lake Lewisville just north of Dallas, Texas. In fact, during my week and a half stay down there I heard many other choice names given to the lakes from the locals but I should probably keep this a family site.

Regardless of it's reputation, I was more than thrilled to be there competing in my first nationally recognized professional event. I knew the bite would be tough well before I signed up but also knew that when dealing with Texas everything is bigger and the bass in Lewisville is no exception. The facts be told, Lewisville is a tough fishery that sees its fair share of pressure but I don't think anyone could foresee just how rough and tough it was going to treat us while we were throwing everything on the line for the second spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.

Texas as a whole has been facing a record drought and the lack of rain had Lewsiville marked at over six feet low. Days before we arrived for practice the Dallas/Fort Worth area got pounded with heavy rains that raised the water level to just a foot shy of full pool. Texas, as well as the rest of the United States, has been experiencing an unusually warm winter which changed as Mother Nature got wind of a big tournament getting ready to take place and instead delivered us a wicked cold front. The end result was high, muddy and cold water, not the most ideal situations for an already tough fishery.

Practice started very slow and honestly never really got good as bites were few and far between. As the realization of a possible skunk become more and more a reality, I found myself digging to the depths of my boat to find whatever was going to give me that edge. As a self proclaimed "dragger", I'm often more comfortable locating key areas and slowly milking it for everything it's worth. I soon realized that this was a recipe for disaster as I was having real problems locating more than one fish in a single area and with the water color being the exact same as that of chocolate milk, bass didn't have the visibility to see the bait unless it smacked them directly in the face. I shifted my focus to forcing a reaction bite and was rewarded a bit better, they still weren't jumping into the boat but bites were bites and the ones that were biting had some pretty decent size to them.

My main weapon of choice was a 3/8 oz. Biovex Stangun Spinnerbait (Black), the dark color helped them locate it in the dirty water. I found most of my fish holding in or around small stickups that had grown during the low water period and now had a foot of water on them. Finding these areas around some sort of rock was even better as the rocks retained more heat and warmed the water by maybe a degree but it was just enough to hold these weary bass.

I also practiced around a lot of deep water as I really wanted a few key areas that I could slow down and capitalize on a school of fish. I used the heck out of my Lowrance Units and Navionics Chips looking for that perfect sweet spot and it wasn't until late in the day on Tuesday that I found a point that held an immense amount of baitfish and an awesome rock spine that jetted out into deep water. The coolest thing was I was able to use my Lowrance DownScan and actually see bass school shad. It was absolutely amazing to see but getting these fish to bite was the most impossible thing ever and yes, I even through the Alabama Rig at them with still no result. I instead focused my efforts at the rock cropping as I figured it may hold inactive bass. I caught a short off it relatively quickly which even though wasn't the required 14 inches, it was still a bass. The next morning I wanted to see if I had indeed found anything and on about my third or fourth cast with a carolina rig, I set on a solid 4 pounder! This gave me a little bit of confidence that at least I had a little something that could work out if the shallow fish didn't with the intense cold front that was apparent for the tournament days.

**Bass schooling shad on a deep point with the use of Lowrance DownScan.

I drew boat 10 at registration and though most anglers weren't on anything strong enough to feel as though they needed an early draw, I felt as though the early bite on my point would be very beneficial to my overall success. Unfortunately for me, the point never produced a bite and after burning two hours up I decided to start running shallow. I knew blanking was a real possibility in this event and even when the hours went by without a single bite, I still stayed focused, kept my composure and put my head down knowing this was going to be a grind. With no fish in the boat and only about an hour left in the day, I decided to leave it all out there on my point and go for broke. Fortunately for me I was rewarded with a small spotted bass that measured just over 14 inches. Nothing to write home to Mom about but that lone fish really took the pressure off. If you fail to weigh a fish in the BASSMASTER Opens, you receive zero points for the event, which really hurts in the overall Angler of the Year points race. I weighed in at a mere 1 fish for 1.5 pounds and found myself sitting in 96th place out of 178 boats. I'd naturally think that I had shot myself in the foot with that disappointing showing but 81 anglers blanked and I was a mere 3 or 4 pounds out of the top 12. We were truly in an all time BASS record tournament for the lowest weights ever!

Day two I once again found myself fishing my rock point but with the 30 mile an hour north wind that was pummeling the area I was forced to move on as it was truly unfishable. I went shallow and since my spinnerbait didn't produce the day before I switched up to Chatterbait (Green Pumpkin) and matched it up with a Zoom Speed Craw (Okeechobee Craw) as a trailer. I was able to catch a good keeper right away in the morning which gave me the added drive I really needed on a tough Lake Lewisville. Though my pattern of 5000 casts per 1 bite held up and I again took to the scales with only 1 single largemouth bass. I weighed in at 2.8 pounds for a combined 2 day total of 3 pounds and 13 ounces and finished 68th out of 178. I seriously couldn't believe how tough the fishing was as more anglers blanked on day two than had caught fish. A BASS record for sure.


I had a lot of mixed emotions when it was all said and done regarding my finish. I was so close to the money and was only 5 or 6 pounds away from making the top 12 that I couldn't help but be disappointed. I try to remind myself of my original goal that I had set for the season of making the top 50 in the points race and growing as a professional bass angler on the national level. I got off to an excellent start. I realize to make this my career, I need to crawl before I can walk and it's definitely a marathon not a sprint. I gained much confidence by finishing in the upper 35% and edging out numerous Bassmaster Elite Anglers and FLW Pros. I proved to myself that I can play at this level and now want it even more than ever. I know with hard work and discipline, my future will be bright! Now I'm just chomping at the bit to go out there and do it again! Next up, Table Rock Lake! One of the best fisheries in the nation, bring it on!!

I'd like to thank my boy, Strike King pro Brent Homan for a great week as well as my new friends Carlos and Denise for their hospitality as they truly made me feel right at home. The red beans and rice was to die for man and the brownies and ice cream was the exact thing needed after grueling days on the water. Thanks again!

Makeover for JoshDouglasFishing.com

Hopefully when you checked into my website you noticed the we're sporting a fresh, new look for the 2012 season. I wanted to showcase Biovex, my title sponsor as well as the rest of my sponsors who without there support, I never would be packing my boat and heading south to throw down in the Bassmaster Central Opens.

Over the years I've taken great pride in the Blog portion of my website and am looking forward to continuing to do so well into the future. Since day one, I've tried to always give a true and personal look into what all goes into chasing my dream of competing on the largest stages of professional bass fishing. I openly wear my heart on my sleeve and try very hard to portray both the ups and the downs that I face on a regular basis. I'm very thankful to see first hand all the return visitors that continue to follow what I have going on. This started as a personal journal if you will, or as personal as a public blog can be. I'm still amazed by how fast it is growing and I receive emails all the time with people commenting on what they've read and personally showing their support which is equally rewarding as it is humbling.

Now that we have so many followers I plan to start doing some fun giveaways and spread the love around to my readers. Biovex, a leader in Japanese Tackle has graciously agreed to donate boat loads of tackle that we'll be giving away in different contests. Biovex will soon be releasing their products here in the U.S. and the buzz has been overwhelming! I can personally attest to how well these baits perform. They're the real deal! I've been working with them on designing some high quality and even higher performing baits unlike anything else on the market. The amount of detail that goes into designing and manufacturing these baits is second to none and though I've been fortunate enough to use these baits to cash paychecks for years, I'm excited to see others get that same opportunity!

Currently we're looking for some contest ideas to get the ball rolling. If anyone has any ideas that we could use please send me an email at josh@joshdouglasfishing.com or leave your contest idea on my Facebook page and I'll add your name to the first drawing for a SWEET Biovex tackle package!

All for now, I got a boat to get tournament ready and unfortunately snow to shovel off the driveway so I can physically get the boat out of the garage. Got to love a Minnesota winter!!

Tackle Update: Lowrance Introduces Gen 2

I'm happy to announce that I've teamed up with Lowrance, the leader in fishing and boating electronics! It honestly couldn't have come at a better time being that Lowrance just rocked the water world with the release of their new HDS Gen 2. This is perfect timing as now I'll be fully rigged up and ready to breakdown new and unknown water competing in the 2012 Bassmaster Opens.

Lowrance has always been known for producing the best sonar capabilities on the market. In the past few years they've made awesome technological advances in releasing StructureScan as well as introducing the fastest GPS module in the LGC-4000 that actually pings the satellite an impressive five times per second, making course tracking spot on.


Now they've really set the standard by introducing StructureMap which allows an angler to combine Navionics mapping data to StructureScan to get a real-time view of the lakes contours as well as the actual lake bottom both underneath and off to the sides of the boat.

After working the Warner's Dock Open House this past weekend, the buzz with the attendees was terrific and the response was even better. Lots of heads being turned with this kind of new technology!

Lowrance also made the new Gen 2 the fastest chartplotters ever by drastically beefing up its internal processor which provides lightening-fast chart updates, panning and zooming, plus faster start-up and menu options.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding Lowrance or Navionics options or order yours today at Warner's Dock!

2012 Bassmaster Central Opens Preview

It's official! I received notification from B.A.S.S. that I was granted entry into the 2012 Bassmaster Central Opens to compete against some of the best bass fisherman this country has to offer. A challenge I'm not taking lightly but an opportunity I'm taking very seriously.

I've been working very hard doing my homework and preparing myself so that when I pull into Lewisville, Texas in a mere month, all I'll have to focus on is the fishing itself. I'm trying to familiarize myself with bodies of water I've never been to by utilizing what I can find on the internet and studying my maps.

Here's a quick overview of the 2012 schedule.

Lake Lewisville, TX - February 9th-11th


Lake Lewisville located just north of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolis will be hosting the first stop of the year. This time last year, B.A.S.S. had this exact same event here and it's fair to say the lake fished tough. The weather was cold, windy and wet but that's what one should come to expect when fishing north Texas in February. I myself am planning for the same weather and in many ways would like to see the lake fish the same while I'm down there. I'm not there for a warm vacation, I'm there to compete and being cold is what a guy from Minnesota is used to this time of year.

Last season, Mark Tucker won the event with a 3 day total of 45.15 pounds, 20th place was 12.6 pounds and the last check getter sitting in 40th place caught a mere two day total of 9.9 pounds. A tough bite to say the least and big bites were few and far between. Just because there weren't many lunkers weighed at the scales doesn't mean they don't exist. In 2005, Kevin Van Dam caught an 11 pound 13 ounce monster on this very lake setting the lake record. What's astonishing is that the record went on to be beat 3 more times in a matter of months until eventually settling out at a whopping 13.63 pounds!

Generally the lake is host to much of Dallas/Ft. Worth's recreational boating throughout the summer months but being this event falls in the heart of the winter, my guess is the only pressure this lake will be under is heavy fishing pressure.

Table Rock Lake, MO - April 26th-28th


Table Rock, known for it's deep, clear water is a legendary fishery for both largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass alike. Generally known as a deep fisherman's lake, April could very well set up as a sight fishing event as bass should be bundled up on beds preparing to spawn.

All I know is that I'll be needing to have my dual Power Poles installed by then as well as my Lowrance HDS-10 unit keyed up ready to mark waypoints on all the fish I find on beds.

I'm excited to bring my knowledge of Minnesota finesse fishing to the ultimate finesse style lake east of California. Table Rock has a reputation of being a light-line fishery and though I wouldn't mind jacking 'em up with 20 pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon, I won't hesitate to bust out the 8 pound Tatsu either.

Fort Gibson Lake, OK - September 6th-8th


I don't know much of any of these three lakes and I know even less about Fort Gibson, which is probably why it's the one I'm excited about the most. I prefer to fish water I've never been to as it seems to have away of surprising me at the scales. Something about zero preconceived notions aids me in finding and catching fish.

What I do know is Tommy Biffle's the man, and he just so happens to reside on this lake and recently won the Bassmaster Elite Series event that was held here. Tommy felt the need to instead of practice, mow is yard and still ran away with the title.

Tommy caught them in away I'm very familiar with and actually prefer to catch them on any given day. Though Mr. Biffle ran away with the title, the rest of his competitors still managed to put together impressive bags even with only a very limited practice. Meaning Ft. Gibson Lake is looking to be alive and well.

I still got much to accomplish before jumping on Interstate 35 South, literally I get on 35 right behind my house and don't exit till I cross Lewisville Lake in Northern Texas, some 15 hours away. I can't wait to move south! The gas isn't cheap but competing against the best bass fisherman in February when Minnesota is frozen over, now that's gotta be priceless!

G Loomis Goes Green!

Right before the holidays G Loomis introduced the new NRX Green Series to their already stellar line of fishing rods. I myself have used the original NRX rods for about two years now ever since the very first supply was made available and I can honestly tell you there isn't a better classic graphite rod on the market. With that said, there wasn't any changes made to the "Green" NRX with the exception of the cosmetic look so I wasn't exactly jumping out of my seat to run out and get my hands on these new green rods......until now!

I'm excited to report that the online tackle outlet, The Hooked Up Tackle has made the G Loomis NRX Green Series just a tad greener by offering a recycling program where you can trade out your old rods for stiff discounts on the new NRX Green Series Rods. Trade-in any G Loomis, St. Croix, Daiwa, Shimano or Dobyns rod and get 75% of the original retail value of your trade-in rod towards a new NRX Green rod! Now that's what I call recycling!

I have dabbled with other rods and pushed away sponsorships from other reputable rod makers through the years and still label myself a die hard Loomis guy. I have zero affiliation with the company except for my complete trust in their products. There's surely other great rods out there but I will fight to the end to say they're all chasing the mold that G Loomis continues to break!

The Hooked Up Tackle is offering a great promotion this holiday season, treat yourself and see why I depend on these rods day in and day out! Happy Holidays!

Tackle Update: Introducing the Biovex Stangun Hyper 7 Spinnerbait

I've been receiving email after email wondering about the availability of the highly anticipated Biovex Stangun Hyper 7 Spinnerbait ever since my Bass Angler Magazine article was published this Fall showcasing the benefits of this unique bait. I'm excited to announce that Biovex, a top Japanese tackle manufacturer, has plans to make their products available to the U.S. market very soon, looking at mid 2012 to release their lineup.


The Stangun Real Hyper 7 is unique because of it's most obvious feature, all seven of its willow blades. This spinnerbait is so intriguing because it resembles a small school of baitfish instead of just one or two single fish. For proof, look at the sensation the Alabama Rig cast on the entire bass fishing community. We've been throwing single paddle tail swimbaits for years now with modest success but add five paddle tails on a single rig and all pandemonium breaks out. In similar fashion, we've been throwing spinnerbaits for decades if not a better part of a century and have shared that same modest success. Now add in the appealing schooling sensation that the Hyper 7 delivers and hold on, we've broke the mold!

I personally was drawn into the Biovex line of baits because of the original Stangun line of spinnerbaits. These spinnerbaits are a direct reflection of exactly what you come to expect from the entire Biovex line, innovative and improved action technology coupled with high detail, super realistic designs.


For more information on the Biovex Stangun Hyper 7 Spinnerbait please read my article in the Fall edition of Bass Angler Magazine or email me directly at josh@joshdouglasfishing.com. Being that so many have shown early interest in the release date for the Hyper 7 to the U.S. market, I will be doing some giveaway contests in the very near future. Check back for more information next week or follow me on Facebook and Twitter to get your chance of being one of the first to whack a big one on the Biovex Stangun Hyper 7 Spinnerbait!

The Stars are Aligning

The anxiety is ridiculous as I wait for word on whether I'm in or not for the 2012 Bassmaster Central Opens. I'm registered and my deposit has been cashed but it's a waiting game from here. I'm excited to step up my game to a bigger stage and I know in my heart I'm ready for the all the challenges that come with it.

My main goal for the season is to make the top 50 in the Angler of the Year points. I'm a competitor, there's no denying that, I work endlessly everyday to put myself in position to accomplish these stiff goals I've put on myself. Though I aim to win each and every event I sign up for, it's important for me to set long term goals as well. Longevity is key in this sport and as I make the transition from semi pro to full on touring pro it'll take patience and perseverance to reach the heights of professional bass fishing.

As if I needed added motivation, BASS announced that the 2013 Bassmaster Classic will be held at Grand Lake, in northeastern Oklahoma. With the exception of Lake Minnetonka, Grand Lake is the lake I know the most. I'm slowly coming to the realization that I may be getting the opportunity to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic and knowing it will be on a lake I love to fish, really gets me jacked at the chance!

For now I go with the preparation makes perfect approach. I'm banking on the fact that I'll get in and preparing accordingly. If I don't then I'll just have to adjust and look at other avenues to get to where I'm determined to go. I also have my eye on the FLW Central Everstarts, especially the event at LaCrosse, WI. It's nice that big name tournaments are starting to creep closer and closer to the north.

Bri and I head down to Alabama as well as Tennessee soon to do some future scouting! We're excited to say the least!

Happy belated turkey day!

Gearing for the Bassmaster Opens

Today is an exciting day for me but a day that also comes with much anxiety. This morning I officially registered for the 2012 Bassmaster Central Opens Pro Division.

This is just the next step but one that could potentially catapult me into the top ranks of professional bass fishing. It's an anxious time for me to say the least, just cause I registered doesn't mean I'm in. I did everything I could to give myself the best shot at it but it's just not as easy as signing up. I won't know for sure if I'm in for another 4-6 weeks, which will be only one month before the first event kicks off on Lake Lewisville in Texas. There's a lot of anglers that want in and unless you're an Elite Series angler, a top 50 from the previous year or have a BASS title sponsor exemption, then you simply get put on a waiting list, first come first serve. I was early in getting my registration in so we'll just have to see.

Regardless, tournament mode starts now. My aim is to plan for success so preparation is first on my mind. I'm not setting very lofty goals for my first season fishing at the national professional level. Instead, I've aimed my goals at being competitive. I want this for a career, so my main goal is to qualify to fish next season by making the top 50 in the angler of the year points. Don't get me wrong, I'll work to win, I'm just too competitive to not think big, but at the same time my goal is to learn and grow to be a dominate force, so for now I'm trying to stay realistic.

I also plan to fish other events this year like the FLW Everstart Series but I need to wait and see how the Opens shake out, then I'll put together the rest of my schedule.

Here's the schedule for the 2012 Bassmaster Central Opens.

Lake Lewisville, TX - February 9th-11th, 2012
Table Rock Lake, MO - April 26th-28th, 2012
Fort Gibson Lake, OK - September 6th-8th, 2012

All for now! Wish me luck!

Aiming for the Record

Most of Minnesota's outdoor enthusiasts will be headed up north to partake in the opening weekend of deer hunting season. This bassaholic will also be headed to the north woods but not to hunt whitetail, instead to try to break the Minnesota state largemouth record. Sitting strong at 8.15 lbs, Minnesota's bass fishing legend Mark Raveling bagged the record just a few years back. Not taking nothing away from his accomplishment but I gotta think there's another bigger one swimming out there in one of our ten thousand lakes and God willing I hope to be visiting that one.

Most every other state that has largemouth bass fisheries have their record set in the books over ten pounds. Rumor has it that a lake in a Minneapolis suburb easily would have held that mark had the gentleman who caught it not began to fillet it. Sounds odd I know, why was he filleting a bass anyway? We'll just skip over that.


Last year I had the opportunity to fish this little gem of a fishery and had some success getting bit on large swimbaits. I wasn't catching small fish, these were giants and they would choke a Huddleston Trout like it was a frickin' Oreo. Insane to say the least and the gene pool certainly has the makeup to produce a 9 pound plus. In addition, here in Minnesota we will be dealing with old man winter shinning his ugly ass head any day now, meaning the bass are eating up to survive the harsh winter, they're going to be chunks!


My main plan of attack is to throw the big swimbaits in search of my quarry, there's something to be said about the phrase, "go big or go home". I'll surely be chucking the big Huddleston as well as a Matt Lures Tournament Series Bullhead. My secret weapon will be a custom rigged Biovex Kolt Ridge Tail with a gold turtle blade.

I'll also have my stand-by jig of course, it be cool to whack a true giant on the swimbait but it won't hurt my feelings none if I'm forced to do it on a jig.
There's also no way I don't have a Picasso Football Jig in the boat as well as a Biovex Deep Runner.

I'm excited to have a couple guys from North American Fisherman there to shoot a video. Hopefully the star of the show, the fattest of the fat bass show up. Of course I know catching a true state record is more difficult than anything to accomplish in bass fishing, it's probably easier to win a Bassmaster Classic, though at the same time if I didn't set my standards high and believe I actually had a chance to accomplish such a feat, then what in the world is going to keep me warm in the 30 degree potentially snowing weather? Game on!

See you on the water, or on second thought, maybe you'll see me on the water from your deer stand! Oh yeah, and the lake I speak of is......HAHAHAHA!!! Not a chance!

Tackle Update: Introducing the Biovex Kolt Ridge Tail

From time to time I find myself very excited about the introduction of a brand new bait. Over this past season, I was very fortunate to be able to test the newly introduced Biovex Kolt Ridge Tail, a internally weighted 4" paddletail style swimbait.

My first impression of the bait was favorable, the basic design mimics standard size baitfish perfectly and the ridges along the body offer added vibration and better buoyancy while being retrieved. The tail was noticeably beefed up and instead of just pointing down like many standard paddletail swimbaits, this one points up and down, allowing for a very heavy pulsating action while retrieved at slower speeds. In addition, the Ridge Tail has an additional eye on the underside of the body, perfect for adding a treble "stinger" hook or for adding spinner blades for added flash and vibration.


My first outing with the bait and I instantly gained confidence in its ability to catch big fish. I was fishing a riprap bank on the south side of the dam on the Mississippi River, looking for post spawn smallmouth. I had made a few passes and was managing a few bites from time to time but nothing much to brag of. I was going in between baits using a shakey head worm, a flat side balsa crankbait and a texas rigged Reaction Innovations Beaver for the numerous laydowns that lined the bank.

Needing a bigger bite, I decided it was time to debut the Biovex Kolt Ridge Tail. I tied it up to a G Loomis GLX 843 with a Shimano Core 100 Mg and 15 lb. Seaguar Abrazx Fluorocarbon. I let the bait fall to the bottom and at a slow and steady retrieve I got bit on the very first cast, a solid 4 1/2 pound smallie. On the next cast I caught a chunky 3 pounder and on the third I caught another smallie just shy of 5. On my fourth cast, again I got bit but broke off on a good one that got me wrapped around a jagged rock. Unfortunately that was the only prototype of the lure I had but needless to say I had more shipped to me the next day.


All year I secretly used this bait to find and catch fish but it wasn't until recently that I started adding a spinnerbait blade to the bottom for added appeal. More times than not, the added attraction delivers a few more bites but there are times when just the standard gets the nod. If it's windy and there's weather, the blade is a must but on slick sunny days the lone paddletail gets the job done as is.

This upcoming weekend I'll be shooting a video in northwestern Minnesota throwing swimbaits for late fall largemouth with North American Fisherman. The Biovex Kolt Ridge Tail will be a go-to for putting some pigs in the boat. I guess the secret will be out! Check back for the video soon.

With the new craze of the Alabama Rig sweeping the nation, I can't think of a better bait to use on this rig. The Biovex Kolt Ridge Tail will be available to the U.S. in early 2012. Check back soon as I'll be doing a contest where the winner will get their hands on this bait before anyone else in the country!

See you on the flip.

Tackle Update: Holy Alabama Rig!!

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

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

Photo Courtesy of BassFan

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

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


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

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

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

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

The Brent Homan Story

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


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

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

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

Smallie Heaven!

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

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


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

See you on the water!

Season in Review

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you on the water!

North American Bass Circuit World Championship

Leech Lake, Walker, MN

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

See you on the water.

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Whitefish Chain of Lakes, Cross Lake, MN

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

On the Grind

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

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

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

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

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

See you on the water!

Denny's Super 30

Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, MN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you on the water!

North American Bass Circuit

Lake Minnetonka, Spring Park, MN

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

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

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

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

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

Check out the full results here.



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

Making Sense of the Snell Knot?

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Tackle Update: Shimano Still Claiming the Throne

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

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

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


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

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