As I guide and fulltime angler we don't get the chance to stay indoors when the weather takes a turn for the worse. I have been asked by hundreds of anglers when the weather turns cold, “how do you stand it?" Well I am not as knowledgeable as some of our Northern anglers that spend hours on the water in cold conditions but here is some of the things I have found to make the trip as comfortable as you can when the temperature falls fast.
When I first started fishing fulltime I had no idea what I signed up for. My first winter as a guide I was faced with going on the water to take trips when most people would be sitting at home watching fishing on TV. Over the years I have owned just about everything you can put on that says it's warm and weather proof and spent countless dollars to finally find something to make it better. Over this time I have learned two of the most important words in staying warm, WIND PROOF!
While alot of anglers, like me when I first started out, are looking to not spend alot of cash on gear they will only use 3 or so months out of the year this is the one time you can't be cheap and also stay warm. Now don't get me wrong you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to stay warm but a $20 rain suit is not going to do the job. The items I am going to talk about are not sponsors and the things I wear every day, not saying the brand is better than anything else on the market but it's what I use daily and have found to be the best for me.
Let's start with layers. This is one of the most important parts of gear. Always wear layers when you are fishing cold temps. This way you can shed one if the sun comes out, your tactics require you to be moving alot (making your body temperature go up), or things just get heated up. The fastest way to get cold is to overheat and start to sweat. I start with a pair of Under Armor-Cold Gear base layer pants. These are very thin but hold heat in while wicking sweat from your body. Next I put on a pair of Under Armor-Cold Gear jogging pants (loose fit). Next I use a pair of pants I learned about while I was a Police Officer in Birmingham. Blauer Tactical makes a killer liner for Police Motor Scouts and Mounted Patrol Officers. They are totally wind proof on the inside and "slick" on the outside allowing your outer pants to move over them and not bind. I then top that off with snow pants. Which are made by Northern Face. My upper layer is a cheap sweat shirt that I cut the neck out of and fits loose. I put a Under Armor Tight Cold Weather base layer top on. This will wick the sweat from the first shirt I put on but also keep the heat in. I then top that off with my favorite hoodie. The one I wear is sold by Wired2Fish. The reason I love it is because it is almost wind proof holds in heat and is thin, leaving my arms free to move. Under Armor makes some great thin hoodies as well. The key is wind resistant and very thin allowing you to move freely and be comfortable.
If the weather is just nasty I top all of the things I talked about off with an Iditarod snow jumpsuit, made by Northern Face. If it’s not below 30 degrees I will not wear this because it is made for sub-zero temps. I will switch to my Bass Pro Shops 100 mph rain suit. Both are waterproof, windproof, and thin.
Now for some outerwear I use all the time. I will wear something on my head always. Gill and Under Armor make great beanies that will hold in heat, wick sweat, and are wind proof. This is very important when fishing because your ears will get pounded with winds and you don't in most cases have to wear a hood which limits vision and moving. Shoes are also very important. If they are calling for rain I wear a pair of ankle high boots made by Muck. These are very comfortable and have non-slip soles. They are also waterproof and wind proof. If they are not calling for the wet stuff I will wear Birkenstocks or Merrell shoes. Gloves are the one thing I have had the hardest time finding. Trying to find gloves that are windproof, water proof and thin enough to tie on lures without having to take them off. So far the best I have found are Bass Pro Shops 100 mph gloves and Under Armor football gloves. I have tried the winter style golf gloves but they just don’t hold up for me. I can wear a hole in a set of gloves in about a month from casting and retrieving lures all day. So far Under Armor and BPS gloves are the only thing I can find that will last. I also use a pair of Motorcycle style gloves to drive in. They are thicker but allow you to feel controls and not get cold at all from the wind. I also use a mask made by Save Phace for driving. I prefer this over a helmet for two reasons. One, a full-face helmet kills my neck while driving long runs because of the way you have to sit in the boat and two; if you come out of a boat you can break your neck when you hit the water. The Save Phase mask works great, has a good line of sight from it, and if something bad happens it will tear away when you hit the water. Not to mention you can get them custom painted and they look awesome.
I hope this helps you out in getting ready to fish in cold weather and save you some of the "wasted" money I have sent through over the years trying to find the right stuff. As I stated before though this is only the things I have found to use and stay warm and comfortable all day on the water. If you stay comfortable on the water you will stay longer and that will increase your chances of boating the fish of a lifetime. Best of luck and see you on the water.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Dropshot 101
I have been asked several times after events how I seemed to catch fish when everything else seemed to "shut down" on the lake. Now granted I might not have had the biggest limit of the day but when fishing multi-day events catching a limit each day means staying in the race. Well I am about to let you guys in on one of the best tactics I use to catch a limit and stay in the game, dropshotting.
One of the biggest mistakes most anglers make is thinking a dropshot is only for clear, deep, open water. I have fished it in water in less than 3 feet deep all the way to water as deep as 65 feet. One other thing some anglers think is its only a light line tactic using small baits. While this is mostly true, I have used a dropshot type rig with 50 pound braid and 6 inch swimbaits. In this article I am going to let you guys in on a few tactics, equipment, and conditions I have used a dropshot and put fish in the boat when weather systems, fishing pressure, and other things that "kill" a bite seem to hurt alot of anglers.
First off let’s make sure you understand the right equipment for the job. If you’re going to fish clear deep water with a dropshot you need to make sure you have a very good understanding of what your sonar is telling you when you see things on the screen. Now, it does help to have the new "high dollar" units on your boat but it can be done right even with the older black/white screen sonar’s. I do use a big screen unit on the front deck to help me but it's just that a bigger screen and helps a little with detail and these "old eyes" don’t have to strain as much to see it. I feel knowing how to read your sonar is the biggest thing to being successful with the dropshot in deeper water. If you only have $500-$1000 to spend on new stuff for the season don't waste in on the new rods if the ones you have worked, upgrade your sonar. The cash you will win during the year will buy you new rods and reels.
Once you know how to read the electronics you need the right equipment in your hands for the job. When fishing deeper clear water and the fishing pressure is tough get a solid, very sensitive 6'6"-7'0" rod with alot of tip. I personally use a 6'8" Jackall Poison Power Inch Wacky Rod. This rod has a great feel, fits my hands well, and the tip puts an action on the bait that almost begs a fish to eat it. Also having the softer tip helps get a solid hook set and keep the fish on with lighter line in deeper water. One of the biggest mistakes I made when first fishing this tactic was a rod that was too stiff. That caused alot of line breaking and loosing fish. Also if you can use a light reel. This will help with fatigue in your hands and arm if fishing it all day. The line I use is anything from 4-10 pound Lake Fork Fluorocarbon line. I never use anything more than 10 in deep, clear, open water. On Lake Erie I was downsizing to 4 pound line to get more bites off a rock pile in 58 feet of water. Another thing I learned while fishing this up north was from a good friend and great angler, Brian McCarter of Nemesis Bait Company, you don’t need little tiny hooks to catch fish. I had a big problem loosing big smallmouth when they would jump on the dropshot. Brian told me to change to a bigger hook and I cut loosing fish by 80% atleast. I never saw a difference in the amount of bites I would get by upgrading either. I now use 1/0 or 2/0 EWG hooks that are very sharp not the little tiny dropshot hooks you see in the store. Now there are times I will use that tiny hook but it’s not very often.
One of the questions I get almost everyday about a dropshot is the knot I use. I show it on video but I will try to explain it here. Take your line and double it leaving as much as you want for your leader, let’s say 3 feet. Pull out 3 feet of extra and double your line to tie a Palomar knot. Once you have your line then with the hook point facing up take the loop and go from the underside up thru the hook eye. Tie your knot and secure it. Once you have that take the 3 feet of tag line you have left over and place the end from the top of the hook eye down. You then "roll" the knot into the hook eye (this will also help protect it). Now here is the tricky part, depending on the type of structure your fishing either tie an overhand knot in the end and slip on a dropshot weight or use my other trick. That is if you’re fishing stuff like grass or just hard bottoms, I use a bullet style sinker. Take a weight like the Lake Fork Tungsten bullet and slide it up the line letting it go free. Then take an old swivel and tie it on the end. That will keep the weight on but will allow the weight to slide. This will help alot in preventing line twist. Trust me this works well but if your fishing rocks it does get stuck alot.
As far as baits go for deep, clear water stuff I use mainly small stuff. This is something that is very regional though. If I am fishing Southern lakes (Guntersville, Logan Martin, Smith) I will use alot of baits that look like shad or small bottom feeding worms. Baits like the Jackall Crosstail Shad, Flick Shake (4.8), Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in 3.5 or hand pour small worms (3-4 inch). I also will nose hook them depending on cover I am fishing. If I’m in heavy grass I will sometimes Texas rig and skin hook the bait to make it more weedless. If I am fishing northern area lakes I use baits like Craws, Goby, and shad type baits. Some of my best baits up North are baits like the Jackall Crosstail Shad, Nemesis Goby hand pour, Lake Fork 3.5 Live Magic Slug and Zipper hand pour worms.
As for fishing lakes with more cover(grass, rocks, wood, ect) I will sometimes upgrade my equipment. For example I have used a 7'6" heavy Jackall Delta Spec rod with 50 pound braid and a 5/0 EWG hook to catch big spawning Largemouth from trees in Lake Fork. I have also used the same set up with a huge 1oz. weight and a 6 inch Live Magic Shad swimbait to punch matted grass in Fla lakes and Guntersville. One of the first times I ever used a dropshot was in an event on Lake West Point. I had found several bedding fish in practice and on day one of the event boated 3 of them. On day 2 of the event I went to one I need to catch to make the cut and found she was being pounded on by another angler. To be honest I knew I had to have a fish of that size to make it and when he was pulling off the area I asked if he was fishing a bedding fish. He told me he was but she wouldn’t bite and he wasn’t coming back, I could have it. I really think he thought the fish wasn't catchable. Well I went into the fish and soon saw he had set his boat up all wrong to throw at it right. I set up and after 45 mins of nothing I was at a loss. I then tied on my first dropshot, I used a 7'0" med action worm rod and 12 pound test and used old split weighs for a sinker. I placed them about 8 inches below the hook and used a hand pour worm on a 3/0 hook. The bait hit the water a few feet past the bed and as I slowly pulled it into the bed it lasted about 2 seconds. I boated the fish and ended up not only making the cit but making the top ten and later winning the event. The reason I am telling this is to show you to think out of the box and use what each situation calls for. Good friend and touring Pro, Mark Pack of Lake Fork Trophy Lures, taught me the shallow water dropshot with braid. He is one of the best guides on Lake Fork and boated a huge 54+ pound sack using the same tactic with a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in trees that were submerged.
After you practice some of these and get confidence in using a dropshot it will be a "go-to" tactic for any years to come. I will warn you though; this tactic is very additive when you catch fish on it. Always remember this is only a way to catch fish not the only way to catch them. Use this as a tool, become good at it, and you too will be bringing fish to the scales when alot of other anglers are not. If you have any questions or would like to see these tactics in action give us a call and we will get you on the water to master it. Remember take a kid fishing, have a good time, practice CPR (Catch, Photo, and Release) and stay safe. See you on the water.
God Bless,
Capt. Chris Jackson
Fins-N-Grins
Freshwater Adventures
One of the biggest mistakes most anglers make is thinking a dropshot is only for clear, deep, open water. I have fished it in water in less than 3 feet deep all the way to water as deep as 65 feet. One other thing some anglers think is its only a light line tactic using small baits. While this is mostly true, I have used a dropshot type rig with 50 pound braid and 6 inch swimbaits. In this article I am going to let you guys in on a few tactics, equipment, and conditions I have used a dropshot and put fish in the boat when weather systems, fishing pressure, and other things that "kill" a bite seem to hurt alot of anglers.
First off let’s make sure you understand the right equipment for the job. If you’re going to fish clear deep water with a dropshot you need to make sure you have a very good understanding of what your sonar is telling you when you see things on the screen. Now, it does help to have the new "high dollar" units on your boat but it can be done right even with the older black/white screen sonar’s. I do use a big screen unit on the front deck to help me but it's just that a bigger screen and helps a little with detail and these "old eyes" don’t have to strain as much to see it. I feel knowing how to read your sonar is the biggest thing to being successful with the dropshot in deeper water. If you only have $500-$1000 to spend on new stuff for the season don't waste in on the new rods if the ones you have worked, upgrade your sonar. The cash you will win during the year will buy you new rods and reels.
Once you know how to read the electronics you need the right equipment in your hands for the job. When fishing deeper clear water and the fishing pressure is tough get a solid, very sensitive 6'6"-7'0" rod with alot of tip. I personally use a 6'8" Jackall Poison Power Inch Wacky Rod. This rod has a great feel, fits my hands well, and the tip puts an action on the bait that almost begs a fish to eat it. Also having the softer tip helps get a solid hook set and keep the fish on with lighter line in deeper water. One of the biggest mistakes I made when first fishing this tactic was a rod that was too stiff. That caused alot of line breaking and loosing fish. Also if you can use a light reel. This will help with fatigue in your hands and arm if fishing it all day. The line I use is anything from 4-10 pound Lake Fork Fluorocarbon line. I never use anything more than 10 in deep, clear, open water. On Lake Erie I was downsizing to 4 pound line to get more bites off a rock pile in 58 feet of water. Another thing I learned while fishing this up north was from a good friend and great angler, Brian McCarter of Nemesis Bait Company, you don’t need little tiny hooks to catch fish. I had a big problem loosing big smallmouth when they would jump on the dropshot. Brian told me to change to a bigger hook and I cut loosing fish by 80% atleast. I never saw a difference in the amount of bites I would get by upgrading either. I now use 1/0 or 2/0 EWG hooks that are very sharp not the little tiny dropshot hooks you see in the store. Now there are times I will use that tiny hook but it’s not very often.
One of the questions I get almost everyday about a dropshot is the knot I use. I show it on video but I will try to explain it here. Take your line and double it leaving as much as you want for your leader, let’s say 3 feet. Pull out 3 feet of extra and double your line to tie a Palomar knot. Once you have your line then with the hook point facing up take the loop and go from the underside up thru the hook eye. Tie your knot and secure it. Once you have that take the 3 feet of tag line you have left over and place the end from the top of the hook eye down. You then "roll" the knot into the hook eye (this will also help protect it). Now here is the tricky part, depending on the type of structure your fishing either tie an overhand knot in the end and slip on a dropshot weight or use my other trick. That is if you’re fishing stuff like grass or just hard bottoms, I use a bullet style sinker. Take a weight like the Lake Fork Tungsten bullet and slide it up the line letting it go free. Then take an old swivel and tie it on the end. That will keep the weight on but will allow the weight to slide. This will help alot in preventing line twist. Trust me this works well but if your fishing rocks it does get stuck alot.
As far as baits go for deep, clear water stuff I use mainly small stuff. This is something that is very regional though. If I am fishing Southern lakes (Guntersville, Logan Martin, Smith) I will use alot of baits that look like shad or small bottom feeding worms. Baits like the Jackall Crosstail Shad, Flick Shake (4.8), Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in 3.5 or hand pour small worms (3-4 inch). I also will nose hook them depending on cover I am fishing. If I’m in heavy grass I will sometimes Texas rig and skin hook the bait to make it more weedless. If I am fishing northern area lakes I use baits like Craws, Goby, and shad type baits. Some of my best baits up North are baits like the Jackall Crosstail Shad, Nemesis Goby hand pour, Lake Fork 3.5 Live Magic Slug and Zipper hand pour worms.
As for fishing lakes with more cover(grass, rocks, wood, ect) I will sometimes upgrade my equipment. For example I have used a 7'6" heavy Jackall Delta Spec rod with 50 pound braid and a 5/0 EWG hook to catch big spawning Largemouth from trees in Lake Fork. I have also used the same set up with a huge 1oz. weight and a 6 inch Live Magic Shad swimbait to punch matted grass in Fla lakes and Guntersville. One of the first times I ever used a dropshot was in an event on Lake West Point. I had found several bedding fish in practice and on day one of the event boated 3 of them. On day 2 of the event I went to one I need to catch to make the cut and found she was being pounded on by another angler. To be honest I knew I had to have a fish of that size to make it and when he was pulling off the area I asked if he was fishing a bedding fish. He told me he was but she wouldn’t bite and he wasn’t coming back, I could have it. I really think he thought the fish wasn't catchable. Well I went into the fish and soon saw he had set his boat up all wrong to throw at it right. I set up and after 45 mins of nothing I was at a loss. I then tied on my first dropshot, I used a 7'0" med action worm rod and 12 pound test and used old split weighs for a sinker. I placed them about 8 inches below the hook and used a hand pour worm on a 3/0 hook. The bait hit the water a few feet past the bed and as I slowly pulled it into the bed it lasted about 2 seconds. I boated the fish and ended up not only making the cit but making the top ten and later winning the event. The reason I am telling this is to show you to think out of the box and use what each situation calls for. Good friend and touring Pro, Mark Pack of Lake Fork Trophy Lures, taught me the shallow water dropshot with braid. He is one of the best guides on Lake Fork and boated a huge 54+ pound sack using the same tactic with a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in trees that were submerged.
After you practice some of these and get confidence in using a dropshot it will be a "go-to" tactic for any years to come. I will warn you though; this tactic is very additive when you catch fish on it. Always remember this is only a way to catch fish not the only way to catch them. Use this as a tool, become good at it, and you too will be bringing fish to the scales when alot of other anglers are not. If you have any questions or would like to see these tactics in action give us a call and we will get you on the water to master it. Remember take a kid fishing, have a good time, practice CPR (Catch, Photo, and Release) and stay safe. See you on the water.
God Bless,
Capt. Chris Jackson
Fins-N-Grins
Freshwater Adventures
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Lake Guntersville Fishing Report
This is a report for the first two days of the year for us on the water. Rodney and I both have been going crazy to fish and the weather to break just a little. I fished on the 3rd in the mid lake section finding most of the better bites in open water on humps. The lake was stained after the rains with most areas near the main river channel being more stained. The lower end of the lake is a little clearer but also a few degrees cooler. Water temps between 38-42 depending on time of day and where you are fishing. I found my better bites on the humps with small strains of green grass on top of them and near points. Fish seemed to be in the 10-12 foot range and moving very sluggish. Most would just load up on the bait and not alot of fight to them at all. Jackall Squad Minnows were the ticket for me all day on the 3rd in a shad color.
On the 4th Rodney and I made the choice to split the river in half a little and he fished up and I fished the lower end. I hit areas with hard bottoms/rock with deeper water very close by. As stated before the water was a little cleaner on the lower end which made the temps a couple of degrees higher when the sun hit it all day. By the afternoon I was looking at areas with 43 degrees. I fished mainly Jackall Squad Minnows(Tenn Shad), Bling 55 Crankbait(Chrome Shad) and Flick Shake(Green Pumpkin) rigged on a Wacky Jig Head(3/32) Had a good solid day boating 16 fish for the day and best 5 going 18 and change on the Cull-M-Rite scale.
Rodney fished with a buddy on the mid to upper end of the lake fishing jerkbaits and crankbaits all day. He is saying the jerkbait was the better bite and boated more solid fish but the crankbait was good for numbers. Most of his fish came off main lake breaks near the ledges where current was moving. The boated some solid numbers and had a best 5 of around 18 pounds and change. The weather should get more stable in the next few weeks and things are starting to get fired up. I would say the next 4 weeks will play a huge part in how the fish will move for the pre-spawn and stage up. Hope everyone is having a good start to the 2011 season and looking forward to a great year. Stay safe and take care of our lakes. See you on the water
On the 4th Rodney and I made the choice to split the river in half a little and he fished up and I fished the lower end. I hit areas with hard bottoms/rock with deeper water very close by. As stated before the water was a little cleaner on the lower end which made the temps a couple of degrees higher when the sun hit it all day. By the afternoon I was looking at areas with 43 degrees. I fished mainly Jackall Squad Minnows(Tenn Shad), Bling 55 Crankbait(Chrome Shad) and Flick Shake(Green Pumpkin) rigged on a Wacky Jig Head(3/32) Had a good solid day boating 16 fish for the day and best 5 going 18 and change on the Cull-M-Rite scale.
Rodney fished with a buddy on the mid to upper end of the lake fishing jerkbaits and crankbaits all day. He is saying the jerkbait was the better bite and boated more solid fish but the crankbait was good for numbers. Most of his fish came off main lake breaks near the ledges where current was moving. The boated some solid numbers and had a best 5 of around 18 pounds and change. The weather should get more stable in the next few weeks and things are starting to get fired up. I would say the next 4 weeks will play a huge part in how the fish will move for the pre-spawn and stage up. Hope everyone is having a good start to the 2011 season and looking forward to a great year. Stay safe and take care of our lakes. See you on the water
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Jackall Soul Shad Review
Well as the year of 2010 comes to a close Jackall Lures is still pressing forward and the "newest" bait to hit the line up in the US market is one I have been waiting on for sometime. The Jackall Soul Shad is one of the hottest new baits on the market. So hot in fact they are being sold out as fast as they hit the shelf, according to Tackle Warehouse reps when I try to place an order. Being they were hard to get I went to my "standby" Japan dealer and found a few.
While placing the order I noticed that the Japan market has 2 sizes one is the 58SP and the other is the 68SP. The 68SP is the size being sold in the US. I placed the order but the 68SP was out so I only got the 58SP in L Wakasagi. That color is close to a Super Shad color in the US with some very good looking flash to it. Also one of my favorite colors from Japan. One thing about Jackall is they have some of the best colors in the market and every single one of them catch fish.
Once I got the bait, which is just a little smaller than the US model(the US size being just about the same size as a Shad Rap SR7), I hit the water to test it. Being the water temps in the south were dropping and the winter pattern was becoming stronger everyday I knew this was the perfect time to see what this bait was made of. I first rigged it on a Jackall Master Stroke casting rod with a Daiwa Steez reel and Lake Fork FHPro 12 pound test. I found the fish to be sluggish but they hit the bait well, with most almost swallowing the bait. I worked the bait with a slow/fast retrieve making the bait slowdown then make a fast "darting" motion to trigger the strike. Although they say this bait is a suspending bait anglers need to remember water temps make the bait sink or float. When I tested this in the tub I found the Soul Shad floats in water temps above 52 degrees and sinks(slowly) with temps below 44, give or take a couple of degrees either way.
Now one of the main reasons I am glad they are bringing the bait to the US market is it replaces my need for the time proven Shad Rap. Now dont get me wrong the Shad Rap is a great bait but it has one weakness that every angler I know dislikes. You can't cast it well in windy conditions! Well in true Jackall form they have made this bait cast in most any condition well and gave the angler another tool for their "toolbox". The "magnetic weight moving system" they placed in the Bling55 was also placed in this bait and you can cast it forever, reguardless of winds. This system also aids in an angler being more accurate in bait placement with less effort.
I really wanted to try the bait on several lakes so I moved from Lake Guntersville to Lake Wilson. Lake Wilson is also on the Tennesse River system but more known for it's great Smallmouth fishing. Well That was what I was going after. I hit Wilson at a perfect time and fished it with a little different set up. I changed to a Jackall Power Inch Wacky spinning rod and a Daiwa Steez reel and Lake Fork Flourohybrid 7 pound line. I also fished the bait with another tactic, working it more like a jerkbait. One thing I loved was it can be fished several ways and one really cool thing about this one is it will reach far deeper in the water than most jerkbaits on the market. After boating close to 20 Smallmouth in the day one great fish decided she wanted my Soul Shad more than I did and after about 3 head high jumps near a dock made a run and broke me off on a metal pole by the dock. This explains why there isnt a picture of the bait in the article like most reviews I have done in the past.
I have already put my name on the list for more of the Soul Shad baits in several colors and feel very comfortable saying this bait is going to produce some solid finished in tournaments this comming season. If you have any qustions about the bait, colors, or tactics to fish it feel free to contact me or check them out on the Jackall website at www.jackall-lures.com . There is also a great video on Kota's website as well of him fishing the bait. You can find it at www.ninjatacklebox.com
.
While placing the order I noticed that the Japan market has 2 sizes one is the 58SP and the other is the 68SP. The 68SP is the size being sold in the US. I placed the order but the 68SP was out so I only got the 58SP in L Wakasagi. That color is close to a Super Shad color in the US with some very good looking flash to it. Also one of my favorite colors from Japan. One thing about Jackall is they have some of the best colors in the market and every single one of them catch fish.
Once I got the bait, which is just a little smaller than the US model(the US size being just about the same size as a Shad Rap SR7), I hit the water to test it. Being the water temps in the south were dropping and the winter pattern was becoming stronger everyday I knew this was the perfect time to see what this bait was made of. I first rigged it on a Jackall Master Stroke casting rod with a Daiwa Steez reel and Lake Fork FHPro 12 pound test. I found the fish to be sluggish but they hit the bait well, with most almost swallowing the bait. I worked the bait with a slow/fast retrieve making the bait slowdown then make a fast "darting" motion to trigger the strike. Although they say this bait is a suspending bait anglers need to remember water temps make the bait sink or float. When I tested this in the tub I found the Soul Shad floats in water temps above 52 degrees and sinks(slowly) with temps below 44, give or take a couple of degrees either way.
Now one of the main reasons I am glad they are bringing the bait to the US market is it replaces my need for the time proven Shad Rap. Now dont get me wrong the Shad Rap is a great bait but it has one weakness that every angler I know dislikes. You can't cast it well in windy conditions! Well in true Jackall form they have made this bait cast in most any condition well and gave the angler another tool for their "toolbox". The "magnetic weight moving system" they placed in the Bling55 was also placed in this bait and you can cast it forever, reguardless of winds. This system also aids in an angler being more accurate in bait placement with less effort.
I really wanted to try the bait on several lakes so I moved from Lake Guntersville to Lake Wilson. Lake Wilson is also on the Tennesse River system but more known for it's great Smallmouth fishing. Well That was what I was going after. I hit Wilson at a perfect time and fished it with a little different set up. I changed to a Jackall Power Inch Wacky spinning rod and a Daiwa Steez reel and Lake Fork Flourohybrid 7 pound line. I also fished the bait with another tactic, working it more like a jerkbait. One thing I loved was it can be fished several ways and one really cool thing about this one is it will reach far deeper in the water than most jerkbaits on the market. After boating close to 20 Smallmouth in the day one great fish decided she wanted my Soul Shad more than I did and after about 3 head high jumps near a dock made a run and broke me off on a metal pole by the dock. This explains why there isnt a picture of the bait in the article like most reviews I have done in the past.
I have already put my name on the list for more of the Soul Shad baits in several colors and feel very comfortable saying this bait is going to produce some solid finished in tournaments this comming season. If you have any qustions about the bait, colors, or tactics to fish it feel free to contact me or check them out on the Jackall website at www.jackall-lures.com . There is also a great video on Kota's website as well of him fishing the bait. You can find it at www.ninjatacklebox.com
.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Jackall Lures Never Stops!!
Jackall Lures Never Stops
That’s right just when you think one of the premier bait companies in both Japan and the US has reached the top, they raise the bar again. Jackall has released the 2011 product line and added even more baits to the great line they already have. In this article I will discuss some of the new baits and how I have fished them and found success on several lakes throughout the US.
Let’s start with the one bait I have been begging the guys at Jackall to bring over, the Bling55. This is one of the best flat sided crankbaits I have ever seen. I got a few from a Japan website about a year ago but they are hard to find for sale to the US market until now. There is no difference between the Japan version and the US version except some colors. The bait is made of the same plastic they make the other crankbaits from but this has a little different weighing system for casting. The system takes a small magnetic weigh that slides in a chamber when the bait is thrown. After the bait hits the water the magnet then re-attaches to the other weigh in the belly near the nose of the bait making it one of the truest running baits on the market. They also went out of the normal bill system they use and made the bill of the Bling55 from Fiberglass. This makes the bait cut through the water better and gives it a quicker/tighter action. When I got to fish the bait I found the Magnetic System they use is exactly what other companies have missed out on. I could throw this bait a mile even in 20+ mph winds. For the size of the bait this was one of the most incredible things I noticed. I fished the bait on a Jackall Poison “Master Stroke” rod with a Daiwa Steez reel and Lake Fork Fluorocarbon lines ranging from 10-20 pound test. I found the bait does dive a little deeper on the lighter line as one would think but the heavy line doesn’t hamper the action of the bait like most I have seen in the past. The paint on the bait is some of the best I’ve seen on a flat sided crankbait without having a custom job. After boating more than 40 fish in a single day the bait was scratched up but not “trashed” like many others I have fished before. I know this bait is going to be a “go-to” lure for many years on my boat.
One of the new baits I have fished is a version of the soft bait called the I-Shad that they brought out a few months ago. The new hard plastic version, called the seira minnow 80S, is fished just like its soft counterpart. One thing that makes this one a little different is the open mouth area of the bait. This lets water come into the mouth of the bait and pass through the gill section just like a real fish. I noticed if you twitch the bait or move it faster this sometimes makes a small bubble action as the bait swims. It also helps make the bait more stable and swim more realistic. One thing everyone needs to remember is this bait is fished with the I-Motion tactic and it’s not going to have much feel or action but the bait does work well. We fished this bait mostly on Clarks Hill Lake where there are huge schools of blue herring. We fished a Japan version that almost matched the color exactly and I think in the US its called Sparkle SS Shad. We boated numbers of fish on the bait swimming it below schools of the Herring and it worked very well.
The last bait I wanted to talk about is the Ammonite Shad. Now I have not used the US version of this bait yet but was told by the guys at Jackall it is exactly the same as the Japan version. All I can say about this soft swimbait is it ROCKS! The bait can be fished several ways with several tactics making it one of the most versatile swimbaits I have ever used. I found testing the bait in the pool that it has a tone of action and the body moves a lot making it perfect as a trailer on a swim jig and to fish in stained water. The tail also rotates 360 degrees when it is swimming moving a lot of water and causing a better vibration. The plastic is softer than most swimbaits making it more realistic but still tough enough to catch a good number of fish before you need to break out the glue. When I fished the bait I used a Jackall Poison “ Rushburn” rod rigged with a high speed Daiwa Steez reel and Lake Fork 20 pound Flourohybrid line. I fished it both solo (just rigging it to a 4/0 Owner swimbait hook) and with a ¼ oz swim jig. Both worked well and caught huge numbers of fish in both clear and stained water. I also fished it over heavy grass with the Jackall Poison “Delta Spec “ rod and 32 pound Lake Fork Flourohybrid line with a 1/2oz swim jig and neither the line size nor the rod action had an effect of the baits action. If you are looking for some big bites this is a bait you want to make sure you have in the boat.
In the next blog I will be talking about the last two new baits they have opened up to the US market, the Sole Shad 68 SP and the Swimming Ninja G90. Both of these baits are awesome as well and I’m sure every angler with a passion for catching more and bigger fish will standing in line to be the first to get them in tackle stores across the US.
That’s right just when you think one of the premier bait companies in both Japan and the US has reached the top, they raise the bar again. Jackall has released the 2011 product line and added even more baits to the great line they already have. In this article I will discuss some of the new baits and how I have fished them and found success on several lakes throughout the US.
Let’s start with the one bait I have been begging the guys at Jackall to bring over, the Bling55. This is one of the best flat sided crankbaits I have ever seen. I got a few from a Japan website about a year ago but they are hard to find for sale to the US market until now. There is no difference between the Japan version and the US version except some colors. The bait is made of the same plastic they make the other crankbaits from but this has a little different weighing system for casting. The system takes a small magnetic weigh that slides in a chamber when the bait is thrown. After the bait hits the water the magnet then re-attaches to the other weigh in the belly near the nose of the bait making it one of the truest running baits on the market. They also went out of the normal bill system they use and made the bill of the Bling55 from Fiberglass. This makes the bait cut through the water better and gives it a quicker/tighter action. When I got to fish the bait I found the Magnetic System they use is exactly what other companies have missed out on. I could throw this bait a mile even in 20+ mph winds. For the size of the bait this was one of the most incredible things I noticed. I fished the bait on a Jackall Poison “Master Stroke” rod with a Daiwa Steez reel and Lake Fork Fluorocarbon lines ranging from 10-20 pound test. I found the bait does dive a little deeper on the lighter line as one would think but the heavy line doesn’t hamper the action of the bait like most I have seen in the past. The paint on the bait is some of the best I’ve seen on a flat sided crankbait without having a custom job. After boating more than 40 fish in a single day the bait was scratched up but not “trashed” like many others I have fished before. I know this bait is going to be a “go-to” lure for many years on my boat.
One of the new baits I have fished is a version of the soft bait called the I-Shad that they brought out a few months ago. The new hard plastic version, called the seira minnow 80S, is fished just like its soft counterpart. One thing that makes this one a little different is the open mouth area of the bait. This lets water come into the mouth of the bait and pass through the gill section just like a real fish. I noticed if you twitch the bait or move it faster this sometimes makes a small bubble action as the bait swims. It also helps make the bait more stable and swim more realistic. One thing everyone needs to remember is this bait is fished with the I-Motion tactic and it’s not going to have much feel or action but the bait does work well. We fished this bait mostly on Clarks Hill Lake where there are huge schools of blue herring. We fished a Japan version that almost matched the color exactly and I think in the US its called Sparkle SS Shad. We boated numbers of fish on the bait swimming it below schools of the Herring and it worked very well.
The last bait I wanted to talk about is the Ammonite Shad. Now I have not used the US version of this bait yet but was told by the guys at Jackall it is exactly the same as the Japan version. All I can say about this soft swimbait is it ROCKS! The bait can be fished several ways with several tactics making it one of the most versatile swimbaits I have ever used. I found testing the bait in the pool that it has a tone of action and the body moves a lot making it perfect as a trailer on a swim jig and to fish in stained water. The tail also rotates 360 degrees when it is swimming moving a lot of water and causing a better vibration. The plastic is softer than most swimbaits making it more realistic but still tough enough to catch a good number of fish before you need to break out the glue. When I fished the bait I used a Jackall Poison “ Rushburn” rod rigged with a high speed Daiwa Steez reel and Lake Fork 20 pound Flourohybrid line. I fished it both solo (just rigging it to a 4/0 Owner swimbait hook) and with a ¼ oz swim jig. Both worked well and caught huge numbers of fish in both clear and stained water. I also fished it over heavy grass with the Jackall Poison “Delta Spec “ rod and 32 pound Lake Fork Flourohybrid line with a 1/2oz swim jig and neither the line size nor the rod action had an effect of the baits action. If you are looking for some big bites this is a bait you want to make sure you have in the boat.
In the next blog I will be talking about the last two new baits they have opened up to the US market, the Sole Shad 68 SP and the Swimming Ninja G90. Both of these baits are awesome as well and I’m sure every angler with a passion for catching more and bigger fish will standing in line to be the first to get them in tackle stores across the US.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Kota's American Dream Tournament-Lake Wheeler
I had the chance last weekend to fish the Kota's American Dream Tournament and what a blast it was. Kota and his crew did a great job on the event and worked very hard to make sure everyone had a ball. I really didnt get alot of practice before the event due to working some other shows out of town. I spent about 4 hours one day up river with little to show for it. I fished on the lower end about 3 hours with not alot for my efforts that day either. So I made the choice to just go fun fishing and have a good time.
On the first day of the event me and partner Paul Ponder ran all the way down and fished bluff walls with topwater baits and the NEW Jackall Bling 55 crankbait. I boated 3 fish fast on the bling and Paul had another solid keeper on a spinnerbait. We moved to another area looking for that last keeper and some bigger fish but time just ran out for us. We had a huge number of "junk fish" and shorts but headed to the weigh in without a limit. Once at the scales we saw every boat in the field had fish and had about the same day we did.
On the start of day 2 Paul and I wanted to move up so we made the choice to swing for the fence and look for bigger bites all day. Well we made the run back down river and stayed in an area we lost some bigger bites at on day 1. We pounded the area with just about every bait we had in the boat and had nothing to show for the efforts. We then moved further up river boating a few fish on a Zipper Worm hand pour rigged on a dropshot and a jig head. We jumped around alot catching a few more fish on a Lake Fork Lures Spoon off drops in about 10 feet of water. Time just didnt give us any help and we had to run to the scales about the time we found a small pattern to build on.
Once at the weigh-in we again saw alot of boats with fish and several locals had smoked em'. The winning pattern was fishing bluff walls down river from the launch with a crankbait and an SK Popper topwater bait. Most all the fish we found were following shad and it was more a right place/right time type of bite. Most every angler told us they fished crankbaits in 6-10 feet of water in coves and the mouths of creek channels.
Special thanks to Kota and his wife for putting together such a great event, the City of Decatur for hosting the tournament, David Haygood of American Bass Anglers and his team for the great job at weigh-in, Regal Marine for the great boats to look at, and all the other sponsors that hellped make this a huge success. I am looking forward to fishing this event for many years to come.
.
On the first day of the event me and partner Paul Ponder ran all the way down and fished bluff walls with topwater baits and the NEW Jackall Bling 55 crankbait. I boated 3 fish fast on the bling and Paul had another solid keeper on a spinnerbait. We moved to another area looking for that last keeper and some bigger fish but time just ran out for us. We had a huge number of "junk fish" and shorts but headed to the weigh in without a limit. Once at the scales we saw every boat in the field had fish and had about the same day we did.
On the start of day 2 Paul and I wanted to move up so we made the choice to swing for the fence and look for bigger bites all day. Well we made the run back down river and stayed in an area we lost some bigger bites at on day 1. We pounded the area with just about every bait we had in the boat and had nothing to show for the efforts. We then moved further up river boating a few fish on a Zipper Worm hand pour rigged on a dropshot and a jig head. We jumped around alot catching a few more fish on a Lake Fork Lures Spoon off drops in about 10 feet of water. Time just didnt give us any help and we had to run to the scales about the time we found a small pattern to build on.
Once at the weigh-in we again saw alot of boats with fish and several locals had smoked em'. The winning pattern was fishing bluff walls down river from the launch with a crankbait and an SK Popper topwater bait. Most all the fish we found were following shad and it was more a right place/right time type of bite. Most every angler told us they fished crankbaits in 6-10 feet of water in coves and the mouths of creek channels.
Special thanks to Kota and his wife for putting together such a great event, the City of Decatur for hosting the tournament, David Haygood of American Bass Anglers and his team for the great job at weigh-in, Regal Marine for the great boats to look at, and all the other sponsors that hellped make this a huge success. I am looking forward to fishing this event for many years to come.
.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Bassmaster Lay Lake Regional
Well making it to Regionals was a long road fishing all new waters all season in one division and 4 new lakes in the other division. I ended up making it to Regional in both divisions being 16th in points in the Tenn Central and 31st is the Tenn East. I was excited to hit some "home waters" at Lay Lake just south of Birmingham, Alabama. Although I have not been on that water in about 2 years I atleast knew where I was going and places that had produced in the past this time of year.
Well, it was nothing like I remembered but I had 2 weeks to fish and find areas that would produce. Practice was not great but I did find a few things that I thought would help get me in the top 50 cut and make the National Championship. I fished everything from the Logan Martin Dam all the way down to the Lay Dam finding 3 patterns that would get keeper fish in the boat. One was a solid spinnerbait pattern on sea walls. The key was to hit a wall that had deep water near it and run the walls as fast as I could. If I didnt get a bite go to the next one. The 2nd pattern was flipping grass. I fished this on the lower end of the lake flipping grass lines with a Lake Fork tube in Green Pumpkin with the tail dipped in JJ's Magic red dye. This pattern was great for a bigger bite but not consistant with weather conditions. The 3rd was my favorite, fishing a topwater River2Sea frog on scum mats. I had 2 places I could boat a solid 4-5 pound fish but weather also made this pattern inconsistant.
On day one of the event the weather/high winds was going to kill the two bigger bites I had found. I made the choice to hit the walls and throw a spinnerbait all day. On my first stop I put 3 fish in the boat in about 20 cast covering a 1/2 mile of water. I made several passes then moved. I then got my limit on the 2nd stop but knew the small fish I had would not get the job done at all. My co-angler boated his limit on the 3rd stop and had a 4 lb kicker. I ended up culling only a couple of fish but not much of an upgrade at all. I ended day one with 5.19 and in 100th place which was 2.5 pounds out of the top 50. Needless to say I was not happy. After a good "pep" talk with my wife that night I got my mind in the right again and was ready for day 2.
On day two I hit the water with one thing in mind, catching 12+ pounds and making the cut. I got a call from my good friend Mike before I put the boat in the water and he got me all worked up to go catch em. I owe him a ton for getting everything pointed in the right direction. After a long fog delay and tournament director Randy Sullivan letting us go around 8 am I knew I had a shot. Alot of anglers were on a good topwater bite but the late start was in my favor. I ran to my first stop and my co-anlger had one small fish in the boat. The 2nd stop produced a 3 pound spot on the first cast for me on a Spinnerbait. I then put 3 more keepers in the boat. The bite slowed so I left it going to an area I knew had solid fish in it and if they would bite could move me up alot. Once I sat down I tied on a Jackall TN60 Lipless crankbait in a shad pattern and started chunking. It was like a dream, I boated my 5th fish that went 2.5 pounds and was on a high. I then culled every fish I had except the 3 pound fish I started with. as the bite woould slow down I switched between the TN60 and the NEW Jackall I-Shad in the 3.8 size. I swam it in timber around 10 feet of water on the first break. The key was hitting the timber and catching the fish as they suspended near it. I did dip the tail of the I-Shad in JJ's Magic Red Garlic Dye and feel this made the bite alot stronger. My co-angler fished a bait the same way and had alot fewer strikes than I did.
With only an hour to go I had to make the choice to stay in that area or make a short run to the frog fish I had found in practice to try and get a bigger bite and go for the win. Well, while I was thinking I could almost here my Dad talking to me, saying "never leave fish bitting to find other fish". That is just what I did. I sat in the same area and both me and my co-anlger ended up culling 3 more times with doubles on the last 3 cast before we had to make the run back to the ramp.
Once back we saw alot of anglers that had done well on day one were not happy and struggled most of the day. I was getting more excited that I might have pulled one out and made the cut. Once at the scales I was hoping Randy was going to tell me I was inside the cut. I was floored when he told me I was the new leader with 14.04 lbs and a total of 19.23. This was forsure the comback of the year for me. Well I was bumped off the hot seat, but kinda had a feeling that wouldnt last long anyway. I ended up in 12th place and well inside the top 50 cut to make the National Chmpionship on Lake Guntersville.
I want to send out a special thanks to all of our sponsors that have been such a great foundation of support throughout the season. Federated Auto Parts, Jackall Lures, Lake Fork Trophy Tackle, Bluewater LED, Daiwa, Gator Grip, One Creative Services, JJ's Magic Dipping Dye, Owner Hooks, Topwater Clothing, Gemini Sports Marketing, Wired2Fish, Frazier Marine Group, WAAY 31 Broadcasting, Bass Pro Shops, and American Bass Anglers. Without thier awesome support this year could not have been what it is. I also want to say a HUGE thank you to God, my family, and all our fans. Without your support I would never have taken the chance and started "living the dream".
Well, it was nothing like I remembered but I had 2 weeks to fish and find areas that would produce. Practice was not great but I did find a few things that I thought would help get me in the top 50 cut and make the National Championship. I fished everything from the Logan Martin Dam all the way down to the Lay Dam finding 3 patterns that would get keeper fish in the boat. One was a solid spinnerbait pattern on sea walls. The key was to hit a wall that had deep water near it and run the walls as fast as I could. If I didnt get a bite go to the next one. The 2nd pattern was flipping grass. I fished this on the lower end of the lake flipping grass lines with a Lake Fork tube in Green Pumpkin with the tail dipped in JJ's Magic red dye. This pattern was great for a bigger bite but not consistant with weather conditions. The 3rd was my favorite, fishing a topwater River2Sea frog on scum mats. I had 2 places I could boat a solid 4-5 pound fish but weather also made this pattern inconsistant.
On day one of the event the weather/high winds was going to kill the two bigger bites I had found. I made the choice to hit the walls and throw a spinnerbait all day. On my first stop I put 3 fish in the boat in about 20 cast covering a 1/2 mile of water. I made several passes then moved. I then got my limit on the 2nd stop but knew the small fish I had would not get the job done at all. My co-angler boated his limit on the 3rd stop and had a 4 lb kicker. I ended up culling only a couple of fish but not much of an upgrade at all. I ended day one with 5.19 and in 100th place which was 2.5 pounds out of the top 50. Needless to say I was not happy. After a good "pep" talk with my wife that night I got my mind in the right again and was ready for day 2.
On day two I hit the water with one thing in mind, catching 12+ pounds and making the cut. I got a call from my good friend Mike before I put the boat in the water and he got me all worked up to go catch em. I owe him a ton for getting everything pointed in the right direction. After a long fog delay and tournament director Randy Sullivan letting us go around 8 am I knew I had a shot. Alot of anglers were on a good topwater bite but the late start was in my favor. I ran to my first stop and my co-anlger had one small fish in the boat. The 2nd stop produced a 3 pound spot on the first cast for me on a Spinnerbait. I then put 3 more keepers in the boat. The bite slowed so I left it going to an area I knew had solid fish in it and if they would bite could move me up alot. Once I sat down I tied on a Jackall TN60 Lipless crankbait in a shad pattern and started chunking. It was like a dream, I boated my 5th fish that went 2.5 pounds and was on a high. I then culled every fish I had except the 3 pound fish I started with. as the bite woould slow down I switched between the TN60 and the NEW Jackall I-Shad in the 3.8 size. I swam it in timber around 10 feet of water on the first break. The key was hitting the timber and catching the fish as they suspended near it. I did dip the tail of the I-Shad in JJ's Magic Red Garlic Dye and feel this made the bite alot stronger. My co-angler fished a bait the same way and had alot fewer strikes than I did.
With only an hour to go I had to make the choice to stay in that area or make a short run to the frog fish I had found in practice to try and get a bigger bite and go for the win. Well, while I was thinking I could almost here my Dad talking to me, saying "never leave fish bitting to find other fish". That is just what I did. I sat in the same area and both me and my co-anlger ended up culling 3 more times with doubles on the last 3 cast before we had to make the run back to the ramp.
Once back we saw alot of anglers that had done well on day one were not happy and struggled most of the day. I was getting more excited that I might have pulled one out and made the cut. Once at the scales I was hoping Randy was going to tell me I was inside the cut. I was floored when he told me I was the new leader with 14.04 lbs and a total of 19.23. This was forsure the comback of the year for me. Well I was bumped off the hot seat, but kinda had a feeling that wouldnt last long anyway. I ended up in 12th place and well inside the top 50 cut to make the National Chmpionship on Lake Guntersville.
I want to send out a special thanks to all of our sponsors that have been such a great foundation of support throughout the season. Federated Auto Parts, Jackall Lures, Lake Fork Trophy Tackle, Bluewater LED, Daiwa, Gator Grip, One Creative Services, JJ's Magic Dipping Dye, Owner Hooks, Topwater Clothing, Gemini Sports Marketing, Wired2Fish, Frazier Marine Group, WAAY 31 Broadcasting, Bass Pro Shops, and American Bass Anglers. Without thier awesome support this year could not have been what it is. I also want to say a HUGE thank you to God, my family, and all our fans. Without your support I would never have taken the chance and started "living the dream".
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