Category Archives: Fishing Tackle

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Ott Defoe On Using Electronics To Catch Bass

The View from Ott’s Boat

Advice from Bass Fishing’s ‘High-Tech Redneck’
from The Fishing Wire

Admit it. Our eyes are drawn to fancy, new-fangled objects. It’s all over pop culture: Pimp My Ride. The Bling Ring. Tricked Out TV. Every time we turn around, it seems, someone’s flashing another superficial doodad or device. In fishing, it’s a slightly different story.

Ott Defoe studies his electronis

“The high-tech redneck himself, Ott DeFoe angles from the helm of his tricked-out office.” (Courtesy of Ott DeFoe)

“Man, the front of your boat looks like an aircraft carrier!” quipped a Bassmaster fan, studying Elite Series angler Ott DeFoe’s ride at a recent event. Flashing his trademark grin, the affable bass pro nodded and casually replied “Yessir, I’m a high-tech redneck.”

DeFoe, who in a short span of four years has racked up some impressive credentials on the B.A.S.S. tournament trail, has also emerged as one of the more techno-savvy anglers on tour. In a game that’s increasingly driven by technology, however, competitive fishing for DeFoe is still mostly about dropping the trolling motor and zinging casts down the bank.

But even the trolling motor’s a techno-tool. Albeit after decades of routine use, the common bow-mounted device has become as synonymous with bass fishing as a plastic worm. Like a rod and reel, livewell or crankbait, the trolling motor serves a purpose; has a singular function that helps put more fish in the boat. So while DeFoe speaks with many folks each year who puzzle over his vast network of electronics, he’s comfortable saying that each and every device plays a critical role in his success on the water.

As one of the nation’s top bass anglers, DeFoe freely admits he’s in an enviable position that gives him access to all the sweetest stuff. (Admit it, you would too.) And if the ‘bling on his bow happens to carry a certain “cool” factor, that’s just fine with him.

“These days, no matter where I go, I probably get more questions from folks wondering about electronics than any other topic or piece of equipment,” says the Knoxville, Tennessee based angler. “Specifically, they want to know how electronics can help them catch more bass. That’s the main reason we spend the money and put ’em on our boat-trolling motors, Side-, Down- and 360 Imaging, Talons, GPS mapping and underwater cameras. If they don’t help us catch bass we’re not going to use ’em for very long.”

Shallow Water Scouting

For years, many anglers neglected their sonar-fish finder units. The reason was simple. Most bass anglers spent most of their time in shallow water, casting to visible cover along the bank, where sonar beams couldn’t “see.”

Last season, DeFoe and a few other anglers on tour began using a new sonar tool that unlocked the unseen shallows. Not only was it now possible to see structure below the boat, but the new 360 Imaging device also revealed the water in front of and on all sides around the boat-even in 10 feet of water and less.

A breakthrough occurred for Ott at the 2013 Elite Series event at Lake St. Clair. “On day one, there were three of us fishing this 8 foot point. Little wolf packs of big smallmouths were working all around it, but the point didn’t seem to have any cover to actually concentrate fish.” DeFoe and several others had taken numbers of 3 to 4 pounders off the point, but at day’s end, it seemed to have dried up.

On the second morning, after a few bites, the fish again appeared to vanish. “After the other boats left the area, I decided to hang around a little longer. I felt the fish were still close by, so I returned to my waypoints on the spot, and just moved along studying the screen of my Humminbird 360 Imaging unit.”

Finally, DeFoe spotted a single object on screen-a moderately sized boulder lying on the otherwise clean point. Set to search 100 feet all around the boat, the 360 unit allowed him to determine that the boulder was approximately 75 feet ahead of his position. “I picked up a tube,” said DeFoe, “cast toward the target and immediately got bit. As I fought the 3-1/2 pound smallmouth, I spotted a bunch of his buddies following him to the boat.

“DeFoe calls his underwater camera an ‘awesome time management tool,’ confirming fish species seen on sonar, as well as bass size and their position relative to cover.”

“In my head, a light switch went off. The bass hadn’t left at all but had simply moved away from the boat traffic and repositioned around this single insignificant boulder. Without 360, I would have never seen or caught this fish without spooking him first. Nor would have I stayed and caught several more good fish off the same rock on day 2 and day 3.”

Classic Conditions

At the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, DeFoe cashed a sweet 4th place check, riding the same 360 Imaging unit to success. “Worked awesome for identifying the sweet spots on offshore structure. I could quickly zero in on the stuff that looked good and fire casts right to targets that held bass.”

DeFoe indicated that ultimately, his specialized “full-circle” sonar guided him to key little ditches that cut across main river bars. “Fishing new water on Guntersville, the 360 showed me stuff all around the boat that I couldn’t have found in days or weeks of random casting. At the Classic, you don’t have time to scout. But if you can scout while you’re casting, that’s huge.”

“The coolest thing about 360 was that while I fished, it helped pick out targets-stumps, small patches of emerging grass-before my boat reached them and potentially spooked fish. It showed me these little low spots on the bar, where I eventually caught most of my fish. Got to where I could come pretty close to hitting on-screen targets on the first try. Often, I’d get bit right away.”

Camera Confirmations

Strategically placed among two giant 10-inch Humminbird LCDs, a Minn Kota-mounted 360 Imaging unit, and a HydroWave sound attractor, DeFoe’s boat also houses an Aqua-Vu Micro underwater camera. Underwater viewers, he says, help solve mysteries, yet can also be tremendous time management tools.

“In practice, we’re always trying to find active fish, but not necessarily catch too many of them before the tournament starts. Last year on the St. Lawrence River, which has really clear water, I pulled in to a spot, made a few casts and finally started catching them on a dropshot with a Berkley Gulp Fry. I was marking a few fish on my sonar, but it was hard to tell how many were there. I dropped the Aqua-Vu and immediately saw a nice looking rockpile and probably several dozen smallmouths cruising around. It gave me the confidence to leave the area alone, so it would be fresh come tournament day.”

At the recent Elite Series event on Table Rock Lake, DeFoe’s 2-D sonar identified a massive school of sizeable fish, suspended in timber 20 feet down over 35 feet of water. “It looked like the mother lode. So I spun around and threw a swimbait through the zone. Fished this way for 20 minutes without a bite. I could see fish on sonar, grouped so tightly they almost cluttered out the screen. Finally, I dropped the Aqua-Vu, and saw . . . Gar. Piles of ’em.

“For that reason alone-fish identification-I always keep the camera in the boat. Imagine how much time over the years we’ve spent fishing for the ‘wrong’ species, and wondered why they wouldn’t bite.”

A 360 Degree Sonar helps find fish and cover

“At the 2014 Classic, meticulous use of 360 Imaging sonar lead to a 4th place limit, anchored by Ott’s final day 8-pounder.” (Courtesy of Humminbird)

DeFoe adds that he often simply uses the camera to confirm or disprove what he’s seeing on sonar. “It’s awesome for showing bass that get lost in cover-grass, brushpiles or under docks. I like to watch how they’re relating to the cover; how they move around and alongside it. Fun to watch all this on screen. My kids love it. But it’s also a great learning tool that can help determine patterns or even indicate what type of presentation will work best.”

Whether your rig resembles a tricked-out tournament battleship or not, the game’s the same. Find bass. Catch a few. Look cool . . . well, who really cares? Just have fun. So says bass fishing’s high-tech redneck.

–Ted Pilgrim with Ott DeFoe

Can I Catch Saltwater Fish On Artificial Lures?

The Lure of Artificials

Florida charter captain avoids the hassle of live-baiting.

By Frank Sargeant, Editor
from The Fishing Wire

Catch big redfish like this on artificials

There aren’t many charterboat skippers around Florida’s central west coast that specialize in tossing artificial lures these days. The ease of catching fish with live sardines, particularly for anglers without a lot of experience, has made live bait the go-to standard for dozens of guides, and there’s no question the silvery baitfish are deadly on every inshore gamefish.

But Captain Ray Markham of Terra Ceia has taken another route.

“I just don’t like fishing live bait,” says Markham. “I like the idea of fooling the fish with a lure, and I like the process of casting, working the lure just right, setting the hook at the right moment–the whole thing is just more interesting.”

Of course, it’s a whole lot more challenging, too.

Unlike guides who use live ‘dines both as bait and as magic chum, Markham does not get that nice string of explosions along the shoreline to tip him off as to where the snook and reds are hanging out.

And since artificials don’t feed the fish and keep them in one spot, it’s not common to sit in one location and catch a dozen or more, as is sometimes the case with sardine skippers.

“It’s basically just a different clientele I cater to,” says Markham. “Anglers who have done enough fishing to know how to cast reasonably well, and who appreciate getting to see a lot of backcountry and picking out the spots for each cast are the ones who really prefer fishing lures to fishing sardines. For people who can’t cast at all, of course, live baiting is a lot easier, and that might be the better route for them.”

Markham says that if he had only one lure to fish year around, it would be a DOA CAL jig head in quarter-ounce weight, with a 4 to 5 inch soft plastic shad tail in white or pearl color.

“Just about everything from snook to reds to trout to flounder will hit that lure,” says Markham,” and it’s very easy to work–just pop it up off bottom, let it sink, and then repeat.”

He also likes the DOA shrimp, most often fished under a popping cork–an easy system for those new to fishing artificials to learn because it’s very similar to live baiting–and tossing an assortment of MirrOlure hard baits, including the MirrOdine in shallow grass flats.

He typically arms his anglers with spinning tackle, with 2500-size reels and 10-pound-test braid, tipped with a length of 20 to 30 pound test fluorocarbon leader. His lures are tied on with a loop knot to allow them extra action.

I’ve fished with Markham many times, and he consistently outfishes me, even though I consider myself a reasonably good lure angler. The difference, he thinks, might be the power he puts into the retrieve.

“I really snap that lure up off the bottom–it’s a quick, violent action, and that seems to trigger the strikes a lot more often than just a pull and drop retrieve,” says Markham.

He uses the same tactic when fishing a popping cork–the violent jerks he uses makes the cork chug and pop loudly, and the noise seems particularly attractive to trout.

Of course, the other thing that makes Markham effective is his bone-deep knowledge of the terrain–with more than 20 years of guiding the area, he knows every pothole, cut and mangrove point intimately.

On the half-day I joined him, we fished the string of bays and mangrove islands that stretch south from the Skyway, and caught a steady assortment of big redfish, trout and flounder, along with an occasional snook. It was rare to go 5 minutes between bites–for those who get impatient waiting for something to find their sardine, there’s something to be said for run-and-gun lure tossing.

The other major advantage of fishing artificials, Markham points out, is that you can start casting at first light; prime time for low-light feeders like snook.

“I just hate the idea of spending that best hour of the morning throwing a castnet for bait instead of fishing,” says Markham. “And the other nice thing about lures is that they’re always there in my tacklebox–there are no days when I have a hard time getting bait.”

For more, visit www.captainraymarkham.com

How To Set Up An Umbrella Rig

Tips on Setting up Castable Umbrella Rigs

By Brad Wiegmann
from The Fishing Wire

Fishing is complicated. There are thousands of lures and hundreds of jig heads to rig them on. It’s frustrating.

Dustin Grice and A-Rig

Pro Angler Dustin Grice likes A-Rigs for targeting suspended fish, as well as those around structure.

Selecting the best lure and jig head for the right technique can be overwhelming, in addition to figuring out the right weight of the jig head along with hook size and style.

Jig heads don’t look complicated, but they are all different and made for specific techniques. Those designed for swimbaits are commonly used on castable, multi-lure rigs or combined with a soft plastic lure. FLW Tour angler Dustin Grice has put a lot of thought into what works best where and when.

“Prime time to fish with the Alabama Rig, A-rig or castable umbrella rig is during the prespawn. Once the water temperature gets 50 degrees in the early spring it’s hard not to cast because of how many big fish it catches. The next best time is later on in October when the water temperatures begin to fall, however, you can still catch bass on it during the summertime offshore fishing ledges,” said Grice.

When selecting lures to rig on his castable umbrella rigs, Grice matches the bait size. During the spring, he uses small-bodied swimbaits and changes to a larger profile as the bait grows during the year. Once Grice finds the right size, he will rig all of the jig heads with it.

Double Barb Jig

The double barb on this type of jig helps to keep the soft plastic tail in place during repeated casting.

“Really, jig heads may be more important than lure size when it comes to catching fish on castable multi-lure rigs. The weight of the jig heads determine how deep the lure will run. Hook size will determine what size lure to use. A castable umbrella rig has to be down in the strike zone to get a bite,” said Grice.

Right speed and presentation can also make a difference with the number of fish you catch when fishing a castable multi-lure rig. “It’s great for catching suspending bass. I just count it down to where the bass are and then start a slow retrieve. Sometimes, I will pause it when its coming back in and that will trigger a strike,” said Grice.

“I think bass like to bust up a school of baitfish then come back and eat them. I call that a “swim through.” It’s great because you know that any second after that happens you’re going to get a bite,” said Grice.

Grice acknowledged a large percentage of the time he uses 1/8-ounce Th’ Rig Head by Santone Lures on all five of the wire arms. Other times he will put 1/16-ounce jig heads on the top two wire arm and three 1/8-ounce heads on the remaining wire arms. He believes this keeps the castable multi-lure rig running true.

“95 percent of all the hits on a multi-lure rig are on the bottom three jig heads,” said Grice.

For Grice the gap between the hook point and hook eyelet is the key to catching fish when using a castable multi-lure rig. He also wants a jig head that lets the water move around it better creating a lifelike swimming action.

Another FLW Tour pro, Jim Tutt, also fishes castable multi-lure rigs. “It’s a lure just like any other lure, but when that bite is on you had better be throwing it as long as it’s legal in the tournament and state you are fishing in,” said Tutt. The Kellogg’s Rice Krispies pro is no stranger to the castable multi-lure rig having caught his biggest bass on it weighing over 11 pounds.

A large percentage of the time, Tutt will rig 1/8-ounce jigs with 4/0 hooks on all the wire arms. “I really don’t think hook size matters when a bass is going after a castable multi-lure rig. A bass is just trying to bust up the school,” said Tutt.

His favorite presentation is just casting out and letting the castable multi-lure rig fall to the bottom then slow rolling it back in. If the bass are suspended, Tutt will count down to where the fish are suspended then start reeling in slowly.

What’s important to Tutt when fishing a castable multi-lure rig is his jig heads.

“I use the Santone Lures Th’ Rig Head. These jig heads feature a drop weight system that keeps the jig heads from wrapping up or tangling, round ball head giving the lure great side to side motion and a double-barbed model or over-sided screw lock model for keeping the lure in place,” said Tutt.

Tutt added on solid bodied swimbaits the double-barbed model lures will stay on even without using super glue. On hollow bodied swimbaits, Tutt will put a drop of super glue to keep it in place.

Smallmouth On Umbrella Rig

Both smallmouths like this one and largemouths are susceptible to the swimming “school” of bait represented by A-Rigs.

“I use these heads because they have heavy duty hooks and when you are fishing with a castable multi-lure rig it’s not little fish you’re catching on it,” said Tutt.

Th’ Rig Head double-barbed model is available in 1/16-ounce with 3/0 Mustad hook, 1/8-ounce with 4/0 Mustad hook, or 1/8-ounce with 5/0 Mustad hook and over-sized screw lock model in 1/8-ounce with 4/0 or 1/4-ounce with a 5/0 Mustad hook.

As for gear, Grice uses a 7 foot, 6 inch flipping stick with 65 pound braid on a 6.3:1 reel. Tutt uses 65 pound braid, 7 foot, 2 inch heavy action rod with a 6.3:1 Shimano Calais reel.

In addition to using these heads on castable multi-lure rigs, Grice uses swimbaits rigged with them almost year round. His favorite targets with this combination are rocky areas and points.

“On reservoirs like Beaver Lake and Table Rock, I will put on a 1/8-ounce head rigged with a swimming fluke Jr. and fish it everywhere there’s rock. I will tie on 6- to 8-pound test and fish it on a spinning rod. The spotted bass and smallmouth just love it when it’s reeled back in slowly,” said Grice.

He changes to baitcasting equipment and heavier 15 pound test fluorocarbon fishing line when fishing Lake Sam Rayburn, Kentucky Lake, or Toledo Bend. Grice will also switch to a full sized swimbait. Again, Grice likes to reel it back in slowly after it falls to the bottom.

When Do Kentucky White Bass Spawn?

Kentucky White Bass Spawning Runs Are Here
from The Fishing Wire

March is traditional white bass time across much of the South, but in Kentucky and most other states this year extreme cold slowed the runs until April. Here’s a report from Lee McClellan offering tips that will be helpful, where ever anglers pursue the spawning run of these prolific panfish.

It is now the first of April. If you asked most Kentuckians what it feels like weather wise, they would say it is the first of March.

The warm winds finally began to blow from the South earlier this week and brought the white bass upstream with them.

The spawning runs are finally here.

Kentucky White Bass

Most white bass are caught on small jigs or spoons when they swarm into rivers and creeks during the spring spawning season.

“Last week, in Nolin River Lake, they were up to the Cane Run arm of the lake and should be between Bacon Creek Ramp and Broad Ford by now,” said Rob Rold, northeastern fisheries district biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We’ve had a lot of warmer, sunny days lately and the water temperature at Wax Marina was 54 degrees on Tuesday.”

Water temperatures breaking the 50 degree mark combined with rainfall signal to white bass that it is time to move upstream to reproduce. They need a gently rising river along with sun-warmed water to begin migrating from the main lake into the headwaters of reservoirs such as Nolin River Lake, Taylorsville Lake, Cave Run Lake, Herrington Lake and Lake Barkley.

Nolin River Lake has arguably the best white bass population of any Kentucky reservoir. The really good fishing occurs from Lick Run all the way upstream to Wheeler’s Mill. Bank anglers have good access to both sides of Nolin River at the Nolin River Voluntary Public Access Area (VPA) via KY 728 (Priceville Road) and Kesselring Road. Bank anglers also fish at Bacon Creek Boat Ramp and at Broad Ford.

Boaters should not venture upstream of Bacon Creek Boat Ramp as Nolin River Lake reverts back to the pool and riffle habitat of the pre-impoundment river at this point, risking the health of any boat motor’s lower unit.

Local anglers are catching white bass around the KY 248 Bridge in the headwaters of Taylorsville Lake in Anderson County. White bass run as far up the Salt River as the once-vibrant river trading town of Glensboro in spring.

The headwaters of Herrington Lake will be churning with white bass with the warming weather. This historic run spawned lure inventions and a regional reputation for incredible fishing. The legendary white bass fishery in Herrington Lake went through a fallow period in the 1990s and early 2000s, but is now producing good numbers of white bass from 12 to 14 inches long.

The good fishing starts near Bryant’s Camp Boat Ramp and upstream into Rankin Bottoms, near the KY 52 Bridge between Lancaster and Danville. Bank anglers may access Rankin Bottoms at the Dix River VPA site at the end of Rankin Road off KY 52 near the bridge. This site grants over a mile of bank fishing for white bass.

Small topwaters as well as crappie plugs are also effective at fooling white bass, which typically weigh a pound or two but can go up to 6 pounds.
With water temperatures just reaching the low 50s, white bass are moving into the upper reaches of Lake Barkley. They are also hitting in the Cumberland River just below Lake Barkley.

When the flows modulate slightly after the recent rains, the white bass will be active below locks and dams on the Green and Kentucky rivers.

White bass fishing inspires such ardor in anglers because these fish strike practically anything that comes near them during their spawning runs. No other fishing compares to it when white bass are really on and biting. Bank anglers can enjoy fishing just as good as those fishing from boats.

Herrington white bass anglers invented the plunker and fly presentation, originally comprised of a piece of broom handle with an eyelet screwed into it. They tied a piece of heavy monofilament to the eyelet with a treble hook dressed in white marabou at the other end. They cast this rig into the boils of feeding white bass and popped the rod to draw the attention of white bass.

Modern anglers use a white chugger-style topwater with the back hook removed. They tie a piece of light braided or monofilament line to the eyelet of the hook and attach a 1/32-ounce marabou jig or a dressed treble hook to the business end. Some remove both hooks to keep the rig from tangling on the cast. This presentation still catches white bass as well as it did in the 1950s.

White or chartreuse 1/16-ounce marabou or feather jigs suspended under bobbers and allowed to drift downstream also work extremely well on white bass. Adjust the depth of the bobber until it disappears from a fish.

In-line spinners of practically any color, small silver spoons and white 2 ½-inch curly-tailed grubs rigged on 1/8-ounce leadhead all score white bass.

White bass are either right on top, a few feet deep or just above bottom. The depth you catch them changes from day to day and sometimes from hour to hour. Keep probing the water column until you find them. When they are mid-depth or deeper, the curly-tailed grub is hard to beat.

The white bass are here, signaling this dreadful winter is finally gone for good. Get out in the next couple of weeks for the most exciting fishing found.

Author Lee McClellan is a nationally award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

Get the latest from Lee and the entire Kentucky Afield staff by following them on Twitter: @kyafield.

Almost Drowning While Trout Fishing

Trout season opened in Georgia last Saturday and many people took advantage of inexperienced trout that have not been fished for in several months. It is an excellent time to head for your favorite stream.

My first experience trout fishing was almost my last experience of any kind. I was a senior at the University of Georgia and read about trout fishing below Hartwell dam, not too many miles from Athens. The cold water coming from the bottom of the lake supported trout, and the state stocked rainbows there for fishermen to catch.

I either did not have class one week day, or maybe I even skipped class, but I headed over there to check it out. I arrived in the area at about 9:00 AM. As was my usual tactic, I stopped at a fishing store near the river to ask for information. The owner took me outside and showed me an ice chest full of trout his son and a friend had just caught.

They told me the state hatchery truck had just dumped a load of fresh rainbows in the river at daylight that morning, and the fish were feeding. After getting directions to the spot, I bought a can of Green Giant nibbletts corn, the recommended bait, and headed off.

I turned down the side road, found the steel bridge over the river and parked beside it as instructed. The Savannah River was beautiful, about 200 yards wide at that point with rocks all the way across. The rock areas were full of pools and streams of water. It looked like a fantastic place to fish.

I waded into the water and started walking upstream, casting a small Mepps spinner to likely looking places. Nothing bit so I opened the can of corn with my pocket knife and put a kernel of corn on one of the treble hooks. On the first cast I hooked a 12 inch rainbow and put it on my stringer.

For the next couple of hours I caught fish out of almost every pool. I could hop from rock to rock and wade through the shallow streams, casting as I walked. Just after noon I had circled back to the truck, put my catch of trout on ice, and ate my lunch.

After lunch I decided to fish downstream from the bridge and had worked out to the very middle of the river at about 1:30 PM. I had two trout on my stringer hooked to a rock at my feet, and I was casting to a fairly deep pool, expecting to catch another trout any minutes.

A car went across the bridge about 200 yards upstream of me and blew its horn several times. I turned and waved, and went back to fishing. For some reason, something just did not seem right. I looked back and realized a fog was coming down the river. Then my heart almost stopped. The rocks I had walked on earlier above the bridge were under water, and the fog was from the cold water rushing down the river.

I grabbed my stringer of trout and started running across the slippery rocks toward the bank. I was lucky and did not fall, and was able to run straight to the bank, not around any pools. When I reached the edge, I was standing on a rock just above the water level and the top of the bank was at chest level.

I put my rod on the ground on the steep bank and hooked my trout to a limb. By the time I had done that the water had risen from ankle deep to waist deep where I was standing and I quickly climbed out.

Looking back to where I was standing just seconds earlier, there was a torrent of water several feet deep covering the rocks I had been on. The Corps of Engineers had started generating water at the Hartwell Dam three miles upstream, and the rushing water had almost washed me away. If the folks in the car had not blown their horn and warned me, I would have been trapped.

I stopped at the store on the way back and told them my story. They said a fisherman had drowned three days before when he had gotten caught by the rising water. They found his body trapped in the rocks the next day when the water went down. They also told me the Corps had a warning siren on the dam but had quit using it because of complaints about the noise from local residents.

Lake Russell now backs up to the Hartwell dam and there is no moving water. The old steel bridge was cut in the middle and is now a fishing pier.

I was lucky to survive my first trout fishing trip, thanks to some unknown person blowing their horn and warning me.

Is There An Online Fishing Show?

Bringing The Fishing Show to You Online
from The Fishing Wire

If you’re in the outdoor industry, you’ve just about had it with trade and sport shows. From the first week in January through the end of February, it’s an almost constant cycle. Go to a show, set up your booth, “do” two to four days of endless meetings with potential customers then tearing the booth down, repacking and replenishing your once-again depleted inventory and hitting the road – again.

I know, the rest of you are really feeling for us, right? Weeks of seeing, trying and talking about the newest gear in the entire outdoor industry. Many of you are looking at the one or possibly two events you can find time to attend, wondering why you can’t see the latest-and-greatest when they’re announced.

Maybe you can- at least in fishing. There’s a new site up and running on the internet that’s been created specifically to bring a SportShow to you year-round, on demand. It’s called the http://vshow.on24.com/vshow/nasportshow?l=en#home> North American Sportshow , and the goal is simple: bring you the latest news and information on new products, along with the ability to buy them and get them shipped directly to your door.

It’s the brainchild of David Gray, one of those “idea” guys who’s not afraid to put his idea to the test. If you’re familiar with Ardent fishing rods, you’ve seen David’s work. He first told me about his idea at SHOT Show, promising to contact me when it the North American Sportshow was ready to go.

Having spent some time on it over the past few days, I’d say he’s got it coming together. Plenty of “name” companies, state tourism offices and even some media outlets are already in attendance, and he tells me things are moving along steadily.

The first thing you see when you attend is a quick screen test to make certain you have all the plug-ins you’ll need to best experience the show. The second, an uptempo introduction from outdoor communicator Josh Lantz that gives you the rundown on the show and it’s goals.

You can quickly decide what you want to see in the various booths- with no one standing in your way, bumping you with trolleys full of “free stuff” or beeping at you from their own motorized chair. All pluses to us.

From there, you’re in to one of several “areas”. In the Auditorium, for example, you’ll be able to see presentations on the latest-and-greatest products from exhibitors. The Exhibit Hall is exactly what it sounds like, a graphical representation of trade show booths -with a couple of exceptions: no crowds jostling you and the ability to easily navigate in any direction.

When you click on a “booth” you have several options, from watching their product info videos, to going to “learn more” and moving to the Show’s Resource Center where you can browse literature and collect your own digital equivalent of a bulging trade show literature bag.

Sorry, no pens, pencils, stickers, pins or candy. And now ripped plastic bags or “stuff” to clutter up your workspace. But you can enter for a variety of prizes- up to a completely equipped Ranger boat. You can also enter your contact information if you’re interested in learning more and want an exhibiting company to contact you.

Wandering the show floor, I realized there was another advantage to the virtual show- material could be updated and the information wasn’t going out-of-date. In fact, show specials could be managed on-the-fly. If I were a manufacturer, a tourism department, or even an enterprising retailer with enough volume to offer products online and fill orders with affordable shipping, I’d be considering the North American as one of the shows I added to my 2014 planning budget.

One advantage of the digital show is the ability to actually measure attendance and statistical information on your booth. It gives you the ability to tweak offerings, change-up specials and actually see what’s getting the attendees’ attention.

And the show isn’t going to run out of space. Utilizing ON24 Virtual Show as the backbone, the North American Sportshow is “scalable” in computer-speak; with more than 24,000 shows “served up”, ON24 has the ability to expand computer space and bandwidth to accommodate enough visitors to crowd the Las Vegas or Orlando convention venues.

It’s not a free show, but there’s a value in being able to regularly visit a site that’s designed to bring you the latest-and-greatest in the industry.

What Are Wobble Jigs and Why Should I Fish With Them?

Wobble-Jigs

This specialty bait is sometimes the only one you need.

By Frank Sargeant
from The Fishing Wire

What might be called “wobble-jigs” or bladed swim jigs are the ace in the hole of many expert anglers. They perform as a combo of crankbait, swimbait and swimjig, with a bit of spinnerbait flash and buzzbait clatter thrown in on some versions.

Scrounger Jig

The Scrounger features a plastic collar that causes the lure to wobble. Other wobble jigs have a metal plate ahead of the jig head.

The lures have accounted for two major national tournament wins already this spring, one at Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, the other just this past Sunday at South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. Clearly, for pre-spawn and post-spawn bass, these lures have got what it takes.

The lures are basically a jig with something extra, either a metal plate or a plastic lip that makes them wobble when retrieved steadily. The Z-Man Chatterbait, the BooYah Boogee Bait, the Strike King Pure Poison and the Choo-Choo Lures Shaker are all designed with metal plates at the head of the jig that wobble and flash and cause the trailer to swim like mad. The Luck-E-Strike Scrounger is somewhat different-it’s a jig with a flexible plastic collar-but it still has the same wild action.

When dressed with a swimming soft-plastic tail, all of these lures come to life with a remarkably fishy wiggle–sort of swimbaits on steroids–and in many lakes when conditions are right, the bass kill them.

Quality Bass On Wobble Jig

Quality bass like this one captured by Guntersville guide Mike Carter at sunrise are suckers for wobble jigs in spring.

The lures have a wobble similar to a crankbait, but since they sink rapidly, it’s easier to get them down to where the fish are and keep them there-without extremely long casts, thin lines or rapid retrieves.

The single hook of these lures means they’re much less likely to pick up weeds or to get snagged than a standard treble-hook crankbait, and are also easier on fish you tend to release. And for bouncing off hard cover, the shovel-like wobbling plate works like the bill of a crankbait.

Wobble-jig fans agree, one key to success with these lures is to use a tail of the appropriate size-too big and you don’t get an adequate wiggle, too small and the profile of the lure is less attractive to quality fish. Another factor is retrieve speed. Too slow and you don’t get the rapid wobble that draws the bites, too fast and some versions simply roll over and plane to the surface. As with a crankbait, the rod will tell you when the speed is right-the perfect speed is the one with the most resistance.

The classic Chatterbait-apparently the original of the genre–is a 4.5 inch lure dressed with plastic skirt, available in weights of 5/8 to ¼ ounce. A slightly longer version, the Chatterbait Trailer in 3/8 ounce, has added length to the skirt, while the Chatterbait Pro has an added nylon weedguard, twin rattles and oversized reflective eyes. The lure also comes in skirtless models with baitfish profiles on swimming plastic bodies.

The single hook jigs stick and hold, but do less damage to fish than treble hook lures and are also easier to remove.
The Booyah Boogee Bait has a couple of interesting innovations, including a spring-like flex zone in the hook shank which the company says will help to prevent fish from shaking the lure. The Boogee Bait also has the longest hook shank of the four bladed baits, aimed at sticking short-strikers. Also unique, says company spokesman Lawrence Taylor, the wobbling plate sits on a clip-release allowing you to quickly change swim-jig bodies without retying the line to the plate.

Lake Guntersville guide Mike Carter is a big fan of the

“You get the swimming action without the extra hardware up front, and when the fish want a more subtle presentation, the Scrounger does the job,” says Carter. He fishes the lures in heads from 3/8 ounce for shallow water to 3/4 for water up to 8 feet deep–any deeper and he switches to a standard jig or crankbait.

In short, there are lots of options when it comes to using wobble-jigs. Tie one on one of your working rods this spring-you may be surprised at how it adds to your catch.

CONTACTS
Booyah Baits: www.booyahbaits.com
Choo-Choo Lures: www.choochoolures.com
Luck-E-Strike: www.luck-e-strike.us
Strike King: www.strikeking.com
Z-Man: www.zmanfishing.com

How To Take Charge Of Boat Fuel Efficiency

Take Command of Fuel Efficiency
from The Fishing Wire

Yamaha gives you the tools to reduce fuel consumption

Gasoline-it was once so cheap it was a non-factor in everyday life. You stopped at the gas station and filled up that gas guzzling four-wheeled monster without a second thought. The same went for your boat. Gather up the family, fill the tank and away you’d go for an afternoon of fishing, waterskiing or cruising because fuel expense was just no big deal for the average middle class family.

As we all know, those days are gone and things have changed significantly. Gas prices now fluctuate between three and four dollars a gallon, and even more for marine gas purchased on the water. Today’s drivers and boaters are constantly striving to wring more miles from each gallon.

Manufacturers are working harder all the time to offer more fuel-efficient boats and motors, but the challenge is a bit more daunting than it is with road vehicles. Pushing a boat hull through the water requires considerably more power than rolling a car over a smooth roadway. Obviously, the engine dynamics and power requirements for a boat are more complex, but boat and engine manufacturers have been finding ingenious ways to make recreational vessels burn less fuel. That said, as a boat owner you can exercise more control over the amount of fuel you use than you might think. No, we’re not talking about using your boat less, just operating it more efficiently. All you need are a few critical bits of information while running your boat. The tools that provide this information can help you to make smarter operating decisions.

Yamaha’s four-stroke engine technology is on the cutting edge of fuel efficiency. In each horsepower class, Yamaha provides the power you need while burning much less fuel than outboards did just a few years ago. Yamaha engineers also understand the importance of providing critical engine information to you while you are operating your boat. It is this information that makes it possible to run it farther on less gasoline, thus reducing operating expenses and extending your boating enjoyment. The tools they developed for providing this information are the Command Link® and Command Link Plus® engine gauge systems. The same gauges that tell you engine RPM and vessel speed can also provide continuous, highly accurate fuel consumption data as you run the boat. With this information, you can adjust engine RPM to squeeze the most nautical miles out of each gallon of fuel burned.

Let’s take a look at how the system works. Most modern outboards are equipped with an Electronic Control Module (ECM), essentially the engine’s computer brain. It accounts for and orchestrates all operational aspects of the engine, including fuel and air mixture supply, spark timing, and operating temperature. It also includes a host of early warning systems to prevent engine damage.

“The ECM on Yamaha outboards continuously calculates exactly how much fuel is being consumed using an ‘injector-on-time’ system,” said David Meeler, Yamaha Marine Group Product Information Manager. “The ECM, through a vast array of sensors, is responsible for metering just the right amount of fuel for any given throttle setting and engine speed. It accounts for all facets of performance-things like in-gear idle, hard acceleration, cruising in the mid-range, or running on the pins. The ECM then relays the data regarding the amount of fuel that passes through the electronic fuel injectors in real time to our Command Link engine monitoring systems. The process is extremely accurate.”

How accurate? When you first set up a Command Link system you will enter in the size of your boat’s fuel tank in gallons and as you run the boat, the system will calculate how many miles are left in the tank until it is empty. When you fill up, don’t be surprised when it takes almost exactly the amount of fuel the system tells you was burned. That simple test provides the proof of a fuel management system’s accuracy.

Fuel data is transmitted to the Local Area Network (LAN) and displayed to the operator by the Command Link or Command Link Plus gauge system as fuel flow in gallons-per-hour (GPH). With a little mathematical calculation, you can ascertain that all important bit of information that tells you just how efficiently you are running at current speed called miles-per-gallon (MPG). The calculation is simple enough, just divide speed by GPH and there you have it. Calculating long division while driving a boat, however, might not be such a good idea. So to make it easier, the Yamaha system incorporates the vessel’s speed from its electronic speed sensor and feeds that into the LAN where it is used to provide the vessel operator with continuous exact fuel economy readings in MPG at current speed.

So how does this help you save fuel? Most boats are operated at cruising speed a majority of the time, yet most boat owners have no idea what the most economical cruising speed is for their vessel – the “sweet spot” where the boat is achieving the greatest distance per gallon burned. Different hull designs have different operational characteristics, which are complicated by how they are powered. A boat that is underpowered can actually consume more fuel at cruise than a boat that is correctly or evenly overpowered. Every hull and engine combination
varies and additional factors affecting fuel economy include the weight the boat is carrying (fuel on board, number of passengers, gear, etc.) and sea conditions. Without a continuous MPG reading, you have to guess where the sweet spot is and that is a very difficult assumption to get right. Some boat owners are surprised to find that their boats actually operated more efficiently at speeds faster than they estimated. Others realize that if they trimmed a few hundred RPM off their cruising speed, they could reduce fuel consumption by a significant margin. The ultimate telltale for finding the sweet spot for your vessel is that all-important continuous MPG readout displayed by the Yamaha Command Link and Command Link Plus systems at the helm.

Any outboard motor that provides this critical information accurately puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to fuel economy. Yamaha Command Link and Command Link Plus systems definitely let you take command of how efficiently you run your boat, and ultimately help to mitigate high fuel prices.

Are Snook Florida’s Poster Child Fish?

Florida’s Poster-Child Fish

Florida Snook

The uncommon Common Snook

By Frank Sargeant, Editor
from The Fishing Wire

Florida’s spring snook season is upon us, and odds are that after the winter closure, Sunshine State anglers are going to find a lot of dumb, happy snook eager to take their baits and lures.

Snook have a special attraction both for resident anglers and for visitors from all over the world. Someone aptly noted they behave like “largemouth bass on angel dust” when hooked–they truly go berserk, and many of them have awesome size to add to their unique speed and jumping ability–fish of 8 to 10 pounds are common, and 20 pounders are always a possibility.

Whether you decide to kill your legal fish-one per day between 28 and 33 inches on the west side of the state, one per day between 28 and 32 inches on the east side-or release it is between you and the conservation gods, but if you choose to release it, FFWCC biologists say there’s a great chance it will survive. In tests where captured snook were held for several days after being hooked, transported in a livewell and then released into a mesh pen, 98 percent survived long term.

Of course, that’s assuming the next angler to come along and hook it does not decide he’d rather have the fillets than a chance at catching a bigger fish later on.

Though tens of thousands of snook died in the 2010 freeze, the Fish & Wildlife Commission noted the species has staged a strong comeback in the intervening years, and determined there are now enough “spare” fish in the keeper slot to allow harvest.

Whether you agree or disagree with this-and some guides and expert anglers would just as soon see snook closed permanently, to become a catch-and-release species-if you want to tangle with snook this spring, a few basics will help you get hooked up.

First, though there are some straggler populations as far north as Crystal River on the West Coast, and up to Daytona Beach on the East Coast, the best fishing is a bit farther south on either side–roughly from Holmes Beach on the west side, and from Fort Pierce on the east.

On either shore, snook feed best when and where currents are strongest. While the strong flows around the new and full moons make good fishing most everywhere in the back country, the intermediate moon periods mean best fishing is limited to the deeper passes, sloughs, cuts, holes and mangrove points on peak tidal periods.

And of course those peak flows change progressively as you move from the beaches to far up in the black-water areas and tidal rivers. Learning to gauge the difference from the published tide tables to your chosen fishing area is key to catching snook.

If you are not an expert lure fisherman, forget artificials and invest in a cast net and a big live well. Live scaled sardines make these very smart fish stupid. Use the sardines both as live chum, pitching a few out to drift down deep shorelines and through cuts until one gets blasted, and as live bait, nose-hooked on short-shank 1/0 livebait hooks.

The season continues until May 1 on the West Coast, June 1 on the East Coast, then is closed until September 1 on both shores to allow the fish to spawn in relative peace. The spawn continues into September most years, and you’re likely to find concentrations of catch-and-release fish behind the first breakwater or the first side bay off major passes from the gulf, as well as from the larger bays. The spawn occurs around the new and full moons.

Most of the snook you catch in Florida these days will not be in the slot-it’s just 5 inches wide on the west side, 4 inches on the east side. So use single hook rigs or lures and have a dehooker at hand, ready to get the barbs out quickly and get the fish back over the side after a quick photo; that way, we can be sure the return of the snook population continues, and hopefully there won’t be another extended closure any time soon.

Bassmasters Classic Won On Livingstone Lures

Classic 2014: Livingston LARGE

by Russ Bassdozer
from The Fishing Wire

Randy Howell and Classic Trophy

Newly-crowned 2014 Bassmaster Classic champ Randy Howell had only 20 pounds on Day One and dropped to 18 pounds on Day Two but this Springville, Alabaman has seen so many huge stringers on Lake Guntersville in his life that he knew it was still possible to come from behind and win on Day Three. Indeed his third day catch of 29 pounds was the largest bag Howell’s ever weighed in his professional fishing career of 21 years. His was also the longest comeback ever in Classic history – from 11th place to 1st.

Most every Classic day, Howell caught a lot of fish on the Rapala DT-6 which is a great cold water bait made of wood. When a medium-runner is called for in cold water, the DT-6 is one lure that almost every bass pro uses (whether they are sponsored by Rapala or not). The DT-6 was in Ike’s Demon – a bright red crankbait color. He also caught a key 6-pounder on a Fizzle brand of bladed swim jig on Day Three.

History however will remember Randy Howell and Livingston Lures as the winners of the 2014 Classic.

On Day Three, Howell livewelled his first 20 lbs for the day on the Rapala DT-6 but as the day progressed, his fish moved deeper than could be reached with that crankbait. As the model number DT-6 implies, it dives to a maximum of 6 feet deep.

Howell had located the bass hanging around the riprap surrounding Guntersville’s Spring Creek bridge. He could see the arches of bass and tons of shad on his Lowrance SideScan about 15 feet deep hanging off and looking up at the 8 foot deep riprap rock line where he had been catching them earlier. He could see the streaks and noodles coming up and down from the deeper water to the rocks and back down.

Classic Winning LIvingstone Lures

Randy got out a box of Livingston Lures prototypes he had been given only a few days earlier. He was looking for a deeper-runner in a bright crawfish orange/red color that’s perennially popular on Guntersville. The prototypes had been in his boat all week unused. When he tied on the one deep-runner in the box, he flipped it in the water alongside the boat to see what it looked like. It vibrated really hard, wobbled and rattled his rod tip. In that muddy water, Howell knew it was going to catch them. The bass were everywhere on his graph in the last few hours of the tournament. He landed 30 or 40 bass on the Livingston medium-runner which dives about 8-10 feet deep. The bass just choked it, that hard vibration and that bright color with that red and orange combined in that dirty, muddy water was just perfect. Howell culled every bass he had caught earlier on the DT-6 except one, ratcheting up to his 29 pound Classic-winning weight with the Livingston prototype.

At Livingston, the company and pro staff are prototyping a lot of new lures right now. Howell estimates there are maybe six different models although they may be testing up to several different configurations of each in order to determine which is best. Overall, the Livingston Lures pros had received up to 30 prototypes on the day before the Classic, mostly different configurations to test and give feedback to the company.

Howell said he felt like he did what he needed to do for Livingston Lures by pulling that bait out, having never used it before. The 2014 Classic champ believes Livingston is a great company and a great family of people that are trying to love our sport and really promote our sport. To win on their lure like that was the best feeling in the world for Howell because he wanted to put Livingston Lures on the map.

He has such a love for the people at Livingston because of their commitment to our sport and to Randy Howell and his family personally that he wanted to use their prototypes as a part of this Classic and the results exceeded even Howell’s expectations. The prototype diver fit exactly what he needed to come from behind to win the 2014 Classic.

As we said, he started the morning with the Rapala DT-6. At this time of year in February when the water is cold, a subtle wood bait can be good, especially up shallow. Then when they move out deeper, you need a little more vibration and sound – and that’s where the Livingston came into play.

Howell is a strong proponent of sound. He had his boat’s HydroWave electronic sound attraction unit turned up loud all day on 30 second intervals emitting feeding stimulation sounds in that dirty water.

Likewise, Howell feels the sound unit embodied within Livingston Lures is a huge attraction to fish. The croaking sound emitted by a Livingston Lure is the same decibel level recording as a natural baitfish sound that’s given off, said Howell. He’s watched fish in seminar demonstration tanks come to Livingston Lures solely due to the sound they emit, so he knows they hear the recording and are attracted to it, and in muddy water like on Guntersville during the Classic, that electronic sound is especially good said Howell.

As a media observer during the Classic, I had the chance to eyewitness the Livingston Lures prototypes in action catching bass on Guntersville. I saw up close how the medium-runner like Howell used swims. Obviously its action is good; no, make that great enough to win the Bassmaster Classic. There’s no higher accolade than that. However, the action of the Livingston Lures shallow-running squarebill prototype looks even better. Hefting the prototypes in my hand, at first I couldn’t tell and didn’t believe the sound-emitting electronic units were inside because the crankbaits were so lightweight. I had to dip them in the lake (water activates the sound system) in order to prove to myself that the new, lightweight electronic sound-emitting units really were inside these baits. Clearly these new prototypes, once tested and finalized, will prove to be a huge breakthrough for Livingston Lures and for savvy bass anglers worldwide.

A few months before this Classic in a conversation I enjoyed with Basil, one of the two Battah brothers that head up Livingston, Basil said he hoped to have the sport’s top professional anglers begin to recognize Livingston Lures technology-enhanced baits as the wave of the future – that these lures are not just gimmicks. Certainly Randy Howell just accomplished that. The lure company and its techno-marvels are suddenly and emphatically Livingston LARGE for the entire world to see.

Livingston lures really do work and are not a gimmick. They’re the real deal. Randy Howell’s 2014 Classic win will change any preconceived notions of any anglers that don’t yet believe that Livingston Lures represent the cutting edge and future of our sport.

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