Day 2 BASS Southern open- Lake Toho

Well day two is in the books and I just had another of those days. lol After adjusting too late on day one I had made the choice to learn from that mistake and make the long run one day two. That was until I saw my boat number and knowing the lock was packed and would cut my fishing time down atleast 3 hours total. I made a last min choice to run to one place first that I found in practice but not fished. I knew I could get there in less than 5 mins and while some lock thru I could have a shot at boating a fish before running to the lock to head south. Well I sat the boat down and after 3 cast I knew I had to slow waaaaaayyyyyy down due to the water temps dropping 8 degrees over night. I picked up a "go-to" bait and tossed it to the edge of a grass line. WHAM!! fish number one in the boat. within a couple of cast my Co-Angler, Houston Smith, boated a solid fish. I continued to toss the bait and after about 15 or so cast I hit my 2nd keeper. My co answered again with another keeper. Within the first hour I had 4 fish in the boat but the wind was picking up and switch directions. I stayed about another 30 or so mins then knew I had to move. Well knowing I had fish on Toho and knew areas that would prob produce I changed up and thought I'd make one more stop before going to my long run. Well we both missed big fish we couldn't turn on that stop which made me stick to that area and once I did that I was commited to not locking down. I hit several areas most of which were still dirty from the winds on Thursday. We grinded and flipped every inch of water we came too with a few missed and several fish just not hooking up solid. It was enough to "spin" most mortal men out but we held strong and stay focused. We ended up finishing where we started but with dirty water and no results. I fell a few spots but got some points that will count in the end of the year. I will give a detailed account of the entire trip and event in another report that will explain my pre-fishing, patterns, and baits as well as a few other funny things that happened.

Day 1 BASS Southern Open- Lake Toho

Well after a number of practice days I was ready to hit the water after a long year off the tour. I had a game plan and even a "plan B" already in my head. As I took off and headed to the first stop I sat down into high winds (in an area that had been semi-protected from a north wind all week prior) and rolling waves. Well knowing from past events that shallow water grass lakes with big fish really hate choppy water I knew I wouldnt be there long. I wasnt. I spent about 30-45 mins on the trolling motor blind casting to areas that had been very productive my first week here. To give you an idea on the winds the water I was fishing was fairly clear when I stopped and got nasty by the time I knew I had to move. I hit the gas and ran back north to an area Mike and I had fished with some good results for keeper fish and had one over 5 lbs shake off. Well I made the 10 min run and the second I sat the boat down knew that was not a good move on my part, again nasty wind blown water. I satyed about 15 mins before fighting my brain and pulling up the trolling motor. On to stop 3 which was fairly protected water wise and I knew it had to have some clear water in it. I had seen numbers of beds and knowing the water temps havent dropped all week, but really gone up I had to make the stop. Yep, you guessed it water was dirty, cleaner but still dirty and every bed was vacant. This is the point I talk about in most every class I teach on tournament Bass fishing NOT spinning out. I was at a loss, everything I had was going to be nasty and I knew there was only one thing to do, lock down. Mike and I had locked down one day in practice but never made the entire run to Kissimee. I just closed my eyes and went with my gut. I made the hour run down and once in the lake saw exactly what my gut was looking for, clear water with a drop near it. Once on the trolling motor it only took about 10-15 mins for my young Co-angler and first time BASS Open fisherman, Billy Mathews to validate my choice by putting a keeper in the boat. Once that happened it was like I knew I made the right choice. I boated a fish within another 5 mins and was back in the game. about another 15 mins went by and WHAM another fish. Not big fish but they were taking a boat ride either way. lol I call it part of the "Chris Jackson- Relocation program."lol Anyway, The sun got higher and the bite got slower but he and I both missed a limit of fish. That just happens sometime and I have learned to just accept it and stay moving forward. Once time ran close we made the run back which was a great ride to jar the Kidney Stone lose at 75 + in solid 3 footers. Once closer to the ramp had a little time left and knowing this lake has huge fish knew it would only take one to keep me in the game for the top 12. Well after missing two more that felt really good I was just out of time and had to return. I had a bad sack at 2.12 lbs but Im really not worried. The reason I say that is this is a lake that is famous for one bad day and one giant day. Looking at the standing, yes I am in like 160 place but the bigger picture is im only two realistic solid 4 lb fish from a check. I have seen many angler catch me on Guntersville the same way. Sitting nice and comfy in the top 20-30 and some guy come knock me out of a check on day two catching a sack of pigs. Friday I plan to be that guy!! Huge thanks to everyone for all your support and well wishes and I will be swinging for the fence Friday. You will see the Classic "hero or zero" Chris Jackson at its best.lol See you on the water and at the tanks. Best wishes to all the other anglers and my buds fishing the event.

Wrap up of the First BASS Event 2013

Well here is the "skinny" on all the practice and tournament events of the last 3 weeks in Fla. First of all, yes I got it handed to me and I dont make excuses at all it is what it is. lol Upon my arriving at Kissimee, Fla I was stoked up and ready to hit the water. Little did I know I had some obstical to overcome along the way. One major thing was the battle with several large Kidney Stones that choose one of the worst times to deal me a fit. Now many of you that know me know I look at pain as more of an inconvenance that a probelm. I was raised and trained throughout my life to "suck it up and deal with it". Well I did but it also had a plan. I fished though not being able to bend much and when I did bend it was not really on my own accord.lol Anyway, I fished the first week in practice everyday except one and 3 main areas on Lake Toho that I knew would produce solid bags for the tournament. Many thanks to team mate and fellow angler/Guide, Scott Taylor for clueing me in on a few things as well. Scott is a guide there(Taylor Made Charters) as well as up north on the Great Lakes and one heck of an angler. He also owns a bait company that makes some awesome hand pours I have been using for sometime, Reveloution Bait Co. Be sure to check both out on Facebook and let em know we sent ya. Scott hooked a boother up with some great baits for swimming a jig in the grass and they produced some great fish including 3 over 8 and one over 7 in the first week. After week one was in the books I was very confident I could catch some fish and at worst nail a limit off bedding fish in two of the areas I was in. So the start of week two I wanted to run around and look at some new water. Monday morning of official practice I took my room mate and buddy Mike to some new stuff. We did a ton of looking on the sonar. I would be willing to say we spent atleast 6 hours at less than 1000 rpms on the boat just looking for shell beds and ditches. I was wanting to find areas the fish could move to or "highways" they would use to get to spaning flats. Well all that looking resulted in one ditch, one shell bed and a ton of gas out of the boat. Now most of you know I prefer to pattern fish NOT spot fish. I was a little worried because the only pattern I had so far was bedding fish and Hydrilia grass. Bad thing with the grass is that it is like Lake Guntersville, sometimes they are there sometimes they are not. I continued to search the next day for something odd or that others might over look. I never found anything that could convince me not to stay in Toho and battle it out with all my eggs in one basket. On the last day of practice I spent the day getting my game plan together and getting the boat ready. I do that in every event no matter how well practice went because the mental part of the event is just as, if not more, important than the physical part of fishing. We end up at the meeting and had a blast seeing old friends I havent seen in a year and introducing Mike to several people he should know. After the meeting we hit the bed and got ready for battle. One the first day I noticed the water temps had dropped a ton and while waiting for my number knew I was not going to be in the shape I had planned. I confirmed that on the first stop and went into scramble mode. One of the worst things an angler can do on the first stop is freak out and after taking a year off I was doubting myself and my gut a little. Now don't get me wrong I never lost focus or control like some do but I was close to the point of "spinning out", which in my book is just as bad as doing it. lol Anyway, I made a run even though it was too late to capitalize on it and came up with a way to salvage my day two(read the day one note). on day two I had a plan but catching 4 fish in the first 45 mins tossed a wrench in that plan fast. I made the move to stay where I was go to my bedding fish and swing for the fence. I knew this lake has a ton of big fish in it and I can catch them if I stay. I knew from day one I could catch a limit making the run but a limit wasn't going to do me any good if I wanted to mount a huge comeback and make the cut. So in true "CJ" style I said ROCK ON and stuck with the bigger bite and the gamble. Well that didnt fair too well as most of you know but I had to live with it and suck it up. One thing I know from the years of competive Bass fishing is those who win are those willing to take risk and willing to put everything they have into getting 5 bites. Well Sometimes they get them and win and sometimes they dont and lose. Either way I am blessed to play the game and learn from each day to become better and more ready for the next time I face the same conditions. Here was the problem I had with my fish so some of you can learn from it as well. One: When fishing south Fla lakes cold fronts can kill a solid bite in less than a few hours. Two: NEVER fish dirty water!! Meaning if your water gets stained LEAVE it!! Well both of those happened to me. Water temps dropped on day one and killed my bedding fish bite. When I showed up to sight fish the winds were slamming my area but I had the beds marked so I didn't care. The problem was the water temps dropped 12 degrees and got muddy. That will drive a bedding fish out to a more secure area faster than anything. I knew I had to find clean water and made the adjustment. Although it was a 30+ mile adjustment and killed some fishing time. WHen I did find an area I have not even pre-fished in I caught fish but too little too late. The pattern I found waqs the right one and one that the winner was on oddly enough. I found a huge field of pads and had clean water. I flipped a Vertical Lures Creature X and a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in the pads. One thing I found after two bites was fish were not just "in the pads" they were only positioned in the pads that were flat without any other grass near it. That was the best pattern I saw. I then narrowed the 1/4 mile of pads down to a few hundred yards of productive water. On day two I duplicated that same bite on my first stop and boated fish. My day two co-angler, Hunter, did catch his fish out of some slop so we did move deeper into some nasty areas to get a few bites. I ended up switching up baits a little from the Creature X to the Tube X in a watermelon red color to get in the grass better. One thing that might help some of you out there is the way I flipped it. The biggest weight I had was a one ounce Lake Fork Tungsten. Well I pegged one on then backed it with another 1 oz rigged backwards. That gave me a point at both ends to slip thru the grass better and also added the weight I needed to punch the grass without having to toss the bait in the air and make a "splashdown" with my bait that could spook fish that are under pressure already. After getting back to the ramp and "licking my wounds" I learned a few good things and was humble on stage even making a few jokes about my fish being "washed in hot water and shrinking" LOL I love to make the crowd laugh and cut up. I think even if you have a bad day and no matter how exhausted you are you should still make the best of the time the director gives you on stage. I am ready for the next event and hope my experience will help others think out of the box and salvage a bad event. I want to say a HUGE thank you to God for giving me the chance to do what I do and put me in the position to effect peoples lives in someway. My family, friends, and fans for believing in me and ALL the support during this event and trust me I read every comment and when we do WIN we WILL ALL WIN TOGETHER! My Sponsors, for being such an asset to our program. Ronnie Parker at Lake Fork Lures for making some awesome stuff and making sure I have what I need. My buddy and fellow tour angler JW for tossing me some Vertical Lures baits that helped me not zero on day two. lol Curt at Daiwa for everything you do and making sure my gear is in top condition. Brad at Topwater Clothing for making me look good on the water and we all know what a task that is. LOL Gator Grip for making my custom board so I could make sure I don't bring in a short fish with all the "dinks" I caught.lol Jim at The Rod Glove for keeping my tools all safe, sound, and organized. Then Judy and John at Clear Creek Cove, They made sure everything was nice and safe while I was gone and I cant think of a better place to stay on the water than that place. See everyone in the next few weeks at the Classic and looking forward to the Next BASS Event at Lake Douglas in Tenn. Going to be a great tournament with some awesome fishing. be sure to come check it out. Thanks again to everyone for all the support and see you on the water.

” Beating the Heat on the “Big G”

Beating the Heat on the “Big G” I always want to chuckle when I pull into one of the many boat ramps on Lake Guntersville in the summer months. You can just about have any parking spot you want and most of the time only one or two people are lining up to put in. Such a different sight than January-May when you better arrive 3 hours before daylight and still wait in line to get in the water. People seem to forget this lake holds big fish and the chance to catch the fish of a lifetime even in the heat of the summer. It’s not like they move north to cool off, they are still there just not as easy to catch as in the spring. Most anglers make a huge mistake on Guntersville thinking all the fish are moved deep in the summer months. Now they are somewhat right, some great catches come from deep water but there is a trick. Deep fish on Guntersville are not as easy to find for “non-local” anglers or anglers that have never seen the lake. I’m not saying an angler that’s not familiar with the lake can’t catch fish deep; the chances are just not as great as other smaller lakes. When I’m asked what I do to catch fish on Guntersville in the summer months or asked for tactics an angler need to do to better his/her chances I always stick with the consistent bite, shallow. I generally fish topwater in the mornings until the sun gets above the trees then break out the flipping stick for the rest of the day. I do fish a couple of other things every now and then and I’m going to break those things down for you here. Let’s start with topwater; I start in areas near the main river channel but not in the backs of pockets like most would think. Smaller pockets right off the channel with grass near the surface or topped out. I like to start with a couple of different baits. I will start with a Lake Fork Trophy Lures “Fork Frog”. I rig it on 30 pound braid with a fast 7.1 Daiwa Steez reel and a Jackall Master Stroke rod. The rod has backbone but a fast action tip to let me cast the bait a long distance. I rig the frog on a weightless Hookerz Tackle hook 4/0 hook. I cast the bait out over the grass areas and reel it slow but steady and every now and then “pop” the frog to give it a little “jumping” action. The next bait I like is one that’s near and dear to my heart. It’s the first bait I ever purchased from Jackall Lures in Japan and the bait that helped me meet and become part of the Jackall Pro-Staff, the Jackall Dagored. This bait is larger topwater “wake type“bait that has a small prop on the rear of the tail that also causes loud noise when “yanked” across the top of the water. This is not numbers bait but it is a great “big fish” bait. I have boated some of my best topwater big fish on this bait including several over 10+ pounds on several lakes in the US. I rig this bait on a Daiwa Steez Swimbait 7’6” swimbait rod with Lake Fork Flourohybrid line. I use this bait in just about any location except where grass is topped out. If I have fish in an area that’s topped out I will still swim it along the grass lines on the edge. The next topwater bait I use and catch a ton of fish on is the SK Grande’ by Jackall. This bait is super easy to cast, work, and almost always produces fish. Clients sometimes think it is too small to catch bigger fish but it’s not. I’ve had many 20-25 pound limits of fish on this bait. It’s extremely versatile and can be worked just about anywhere there is bait fish present. Once the topwater is done and the bite slows down It’s time to break out the big sticks. There are several ways to catch fish on Guntersville when it starts heating up but the best “big fish” bite is a tactic near and dear to my heart, Flipping grass! I normally will head to the main river ledges to flip. I put the boat in 12-15 feet of water on the edge of the grass lines and start by pitching to the outside edges and work my way into the heavy mats. I generally weave back and forth until I get a bite and then I stick to the type of grass I caught the fish in the rest of the day (i.e. outside edge or back in the mats). Also try to target turns in the channel, places that have good areas to hide from fast currents or small underwater points in the channel. I use a Jackall Delta Spec flipping stick topped with a Daiwa Steez 6.3:1 reel and either 65 pound braid or heavy Flourohybrid line. Now when it comes to baits there are several and I will even give you a few new little secret baits I use in a minute but we need to get it ready for bait. First I use a “bobber stopper” made by Bass Pro Shops to peg the weight I am going to use. This is very important to use because if you don't peg the weight sometimes (more often than not) the weight will drop through the grass and the bait will stay on top of it. The weight being pegged pulls the weight down in the strike zone as it falls. Once I get the peg on I use anything from a ½-1 oz Lake Fork Lures Tungsten weight and a 5/0 – 7/0 Hookerz Tackle Flipping hook. These hooks are super thick and can handle just about anything you can connect them to and not straighten out. The knot I use is one that has increased my “hook ups” in the grass ever since I started using it, the Snell knot. I have a video on how to tie the knot on my You Tube Channel, ChrisJacksonAngler be sure to check it out. Once you have everything tied up its time to get the bait on. The choice of baits is endless and a lot of times more what an angler has confidence in. I have several I prefer, Jackall Sasuteki craw, Lake Fork Flipper, Lake Fork Lures Fork Tube, and sometimes big worms and (here’s the secret) a swimbait. If I use a swimbait I use either the Jackall Ammonite Shad or the 5.5 Lake Fork Live Magic Shad. One thing all these have in common is the colors. I stick to natural colors. On the swimbaits always shad colors but the others I will stick to Black and Blue, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon and Bluegill. The one thing with flipping is the time you flip without a bite. This will keep most anglers from doing it. Until you find fish you could flip miles of river channel before you get a bite. Once you do you can duplicate that area on the map and find more fish. The cool thing is once you find one fish you will find a pile of them. They are generally stacked up in a small area this time of year and I’ve seen a lot of doubles and triples on guide trips flipping. Big thing is don’t burn all your fish if you plan on coming back anytime soon. You can pound on them in a section and if you push them too hard they will move and you have to start at square one again. If the flipping bite doesn’t seem to be your thing and you want to cover more water there is one other tactic I use and probably one thing I am kind of known for on Guntersville and that’s “finesse cranking”. I’m not real sure where the term came from but I can tell you how I do it. I start on the grass lines on the main channel (but this can be used just about anywhere) with a good heavy cranking rod with a fast action tip. This rod will help you make accurate cast right to the edge of the grass you can see but still have enough backbone to snap the bait free if it gets loaded up in the grass by mistake. I use Lake Fork 20 pound Flourohybrid line on a fast 7.1 reel. I use the faster reel to take up slack in the line fast when I’m working the bait. Once I make the cast I then raise the rod tip pulling the Jackall Muscle 10+ in the grass. If you don't hit grass during the pull then start reeling while you drop the rod tip. Then you slowly reel until you hit the grass. Once you hit it stop the bait, hold pressure on it and lightly shake it with the rod tip pointed up. This will slowly bend the grass over and then bait will slide right off in a quick motion. That’s when most every bite I get happens. If you don't get a bite you will drive right back in the grass. You then repeat the process until you don't hit grass anymore or you catch a fish. The one thing I tell clients when I am teaching them this tactic is if you bring grass back with the bait your fishing it too fast. This is the number one way to see if you’re doing it right. Most of the feedback I get it the action is a lot like working a worm but with a cranbait attached. When you do get a bite there will be no doubt in your mind a fish hit it. They will knock the rod out of your hand if you’re not careful. It’s a very aggressive bite from very non-aggressive fish. One thing I think makes a difference between this tactics and using a shallower diving crankbait like a square bill is the deeper diver has to be worked slower and gets in the strike zone fast and stays there. The shallow diver just passes over their head and catches the more aggressive fish which are a lot of times smaller. I’m not saying they are always smaller but this tactic will get you several more bites out of an already fished or pressured area. It’s a great way to catch fish behind someone else working the line. These are a few ways I use to catch some great fish on Lake Guntersville and I’m sure if you incorporate these tactics it will increase your chances on catching the fish of a lifetime on this amazing body of water. If you want to see these in action or want to get some personal instruction be sure to give us a call and we will get you set up for a guide trip and get you on the water and in the action. See you on the water and stay cool in the heat. Chris Jackson chris@chrisjacksonfishing.com 205-706-2425

New Weather App Sets the Bar for All Others

The outdoors changes all the time just like the world of technology. As anglers and hunters search for anything to make them better in their chosen hobby some move to technology to find ways to improve. Professional Angler, Chris Jackson is right there with them. While fihsing at an event in New York and faced with a choice to stay in an area or move to an area closer to the check in and safety due to some clouds rolling in. It was at that time it hit Chris. He told his co-angler, "we need a weather app that works on smart phones to let us know when its going to get bad." Well after making the run back and weighing his fish he made a phone call. " I called my close friend and meteorologist, Brad Huffins back in Alabama.". I told him I knew he worked closely with Weather Call, a home based weather aleart system that would call you in the event of severe weather, and wanted to make it mobile. I also asked him about adding a lightning detector to the service as well. After we talked a few hours the ball started rolling. It was only about a month later Brad called Chris and said "I think we have it.". Brad sent Chris a site to test and after over a solid year or more of testing both on the road traveling to events and on the water fishing it was tweeked and prefected.

On the 28th of September Chris released a new app for any smart phone called "chrisjacksonfishing.com Mobile Weather Alert". This new app for the phones can save you not only on the water but also on the road as well as at home. It's easy to use and one of the most important things affordable for everyone to have at only $17.95 a year, YES thats a YEAR.

This app is one of the coolest things I have ever had on my phone. I can travel to a tournament log on and set it in the seat. It goes off if I am traveling into bad weather and lets me know I need to either change my route or prepare to get wet. On the water "IT ROCKS", he says. I can be fishing and no worry about a cloud coming over the top of a mountian and bring nasty weather with it. I know if its coming long before I see the cloud and can adjust what I am doing. "It has saved me on more than one tour event or guide trip, because getting a co-angler or client on a guide trip struck by lightning is just bad for business", Chris says while joking.

AS Chris walked us through how to get started I noticed how easy it was to get the app and how much this thing really does. Once you go to his website www.chrisjacksonfishing.com, click on the link at the top of the page and it takes you to the page. It explains what options you have you get the app and load it to your phone by following the steps on the page. Then all you have to do is click the icon on your homescreen, set your location and go about your day. If Lightning strikes within 6 miles of your reported location your sent a phone call, text, and/or email letting you know. If another strike doesnt happen in the next 15 mins your sent another text telling you it's safe to return to what you were doing. The same with severe weather, tornado's, and flash floods within a mile of your location.

While getting updates on lightning and severe weather is the main reason to have this app, Chris points out something else he uses it for. " You can go to the page, load it and get some awesome options.". "I can hit the detailed weather tab and get up to date weather forcast as well and an up to date"real time" radar for the area I am in" says Jackson. This is awesome while on trips but really great on the water. I can see the direction winds are shifting which might make me move to a better location for catching fish. So it's a win/win anyway you look at it.

Enev though this app was created with anglers and hunters in mind it's not just for them. Everyone should have it if you ever go outside. I used it at an outdoor concert once and knew to go ahead and head toward cover when lightning was in the area. By the time everyone else "saw" the lightning I had the best seat in the house because I beat them to it knowing it was coming about 10 mins before they did. So even if you dont hunt of fish this is an app for you as well. To get more information about the app be sure to go to www.chrisjacksonfishing.com and keep you and your family safe in the outdoors. Remember when severe weather strikes seconds count and can mean the difference between life and death.

Day 1 PAA Event-Table Rock Lake

Well where do I start? My practice was ok but nothing great with only 2 1/2 days to pick apart a lake I've never seen. Table Rock is an awesome lake with some great numbers in it. I fished both main patterns in practice and on day 1 I did exactly the same thing. I made the long run this monring with almost certianty I would have a limit on the first stop. I got there and a local was right on top of it. After I pulled in about 200 yards from the point I wanted to fish he turned his boat at me and to be honest I could have moved closer but know how I hate when someone does that to me. Now if it was me and I see a guy fishing a big event I give them the water on Guntersville, I have lots of places like most locals. That wasnt going to happen so I stay away and left there without a fish.

On my 2nd stop I started with the topwater bite and had 4 fish only one keeper that jumped off at the boat. I then moved a little deeper and slowed down. Typically when your catching short fish if you move a little deeper you can find the bigger bite. The jig and dropshot gave me 19 short fish on 27 cast. Knowing how spots and smallmouth group by size I left it. I made several other stops without a bite and made the choice to go shallow and flip, which had given my my biggest fish in practice. First place I hit I tossed in and missed the bite. Made the 2nd pitch into the tree and WHAM!! She hit it and took off running. Now for those that dont know, when they do that there is more with them. When I set the hook it wrapped around a huge brushpile. I could see the fish so I pinned it to the tree and trolled into the brush. While doing that saw 3-4 more fish, all great fish trying to take the bait away from the fish I had. I laid down on the deck and stuck my arm into the water and grabbed the fish. As I was trying to get my hand in it's mouth I felt something funny and then felt like I was hit with a small hammer. I then saw the water snake that just bite me.LOL I got the fish but it was just shy of the 15 inch limit. The snake swam off before I could kill it.hahaha. Shortly after(about 5 mins) my habd started to swell and yep got sick as a dog.

I regained my composure and got my head back right then went back to flipping. I then had 4 more solid fish wrap me up as I was setting the hook and just couldnt get the bites I needed in the boat. I changed back to the deeper bite due to the boat traffic beating up my water that was shallow. I learned that typically this will shut off fish in shallow water. Yes I learned it the hard way at Lay Lake in Birmingham, Al..

Long story short My deeper bite gave me a ton of fish(45-48 total) but not one single keeper fish. I did have 3 that were very close but and even hit the line if turned the right way but I dont weigh fish if I have to flip or fan them. Also learned that the hard way on Guntersville when it cost me 3 grand for having a short fish that shrunk in the livewell after both me and my co-angler saw it was over the line when I caught it.

All in all just a bad day for me on the water as far as keeper fish go but Friday is another day. I was kinda down about it until I was reminded last year at Lay Lake during the Regionals I started day 2 in 100th place. I moved up to 12th by the end of day 2 and made Nationals so dont ever count me out.lol Im going to repeat that event and fish new water and swing for the fence. Friday will either be really good or really bad. hahaha Either way I am going to enjoy the things I am blessed with and the chance to compete against some of the BEST anglers in the industry. Thanks to everyone for the support and we will hit it hard again in the monring. ROCK ON!!!!!

God Bless

Phil.4:13

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Lake Chickamauga Event

Last weekend was the was my first tournament event of the year on Lake Chickamauga. After only seeing the lake once before but having a good finish there last year I was ready to get to Tenn and see if I could keep the streak rolling. I rolled into town on Wed moring and as soon as we pulled up noticed the water was way down from last year. After the rains I would have expected the water to be higher if anything but plans were changing as I was ideling around looking at the sonar.

I made the run to one of my best areas from last year and after making a few adjustments my buddy boated his biggest fish ever on a Jackall Muscle 15+ in Chart/Purple color. I was fan casting a point sitting in about 18 feet of water looking for fishin that were ready to move up for the spawn. I boated one fish in the 4 pound class and had several more bites I shook off. We moved around in the area tossing several baits and getting a few strikes. I put a Lake Fork Ring Fry on a small C-Rig and boated another solid keeper. We changed areas looking for some clear water but that was just not going to happen with high winds and pending storms rolling in. We made the move back to the ramp with a productive day one practice and got dry.

On day 2 of practice we wanted to build on what I had seen from the previous day. I hit main lake points where water got very shallow but would drop fast into deeper water. We still boated fish on the Muscle Deep 15+ and also the Jackall TN70 in a Red Craw color. One key was to make sure you worked the bait on the bottom very slow. We hit several areas and boated fish on all but one place. Most of the fish looked to be just coming up so I was very happy with the bite and what I found.

Day 3 of practice was only a halfday due to needing to get everything ready and the meeting that afternoon. We mainly rode and looked alot and I laid a track for my main run I was planning. On the night of the meeting it did nothing but get colder and pending thunderstorms were looking like they were going to move in and stay. That night we got pounded with rains and wind and were heading to the ramp in a down pour. I was hoping they would blow out of the area fast to be honest. I really needed the sun to be out to make my bite stable.

On the monring of the tournament I was sitting on the boat watching weatherreports and radar. We got held due to some nasty lightning but after that storm moved through we were off. I made the 20 min run North of the ramp to my first stop. I really didnt have anything before 9 am but wanted to make sure I got that area so I stayed on it. I boated my first fish on the Jackall TN70 in about an hour. Once I had that bite I noticed it was very sluggish and the bite was very light, unlike the bites I had during the week. I worked the area another hour until I saw my Co-Angler swing on a fish and miss right at the boat. I moved the boat out a little more and the next cast hit another fish and put it in the boat. I had slowed way down fishing the Jackall Cover Craw on light line trying to "coax" a bite. The rains were still pounding us but I was now running against the clock. This is the one time most tournament anglers have issues. I had 2 more areas that produced well in practice and wanted to hit them but had said in my mind I wouldnt leave this place without a limit. Well I always go with my gut and when it said to leave I left with only 2 keepers in the livewell.

On stop #2 I sat the boat down and within 5 mins of setting up boated my 3rd keeper fish. I noticed the water level had changed and also got a little dirty. I still worked the area the way I did in practice and boated 4 more non-keeper fish. I then moved out to the first break(where the better fish should have moved to) and started slowing way down. I was fishing a Jackall 4.8 Flick SHake rigged on a Dropshot and 6 lb line. I hooked a huge fish I saw on the sonar and he came up once. When he took the last dive we pulled me back in the brush and ended up breaking off. This is something that you just have to know will happen when you downsize. I had this happen one more time before time just ran out and I had to go back to the ramp. I did boat several more fish but none that were legal.

I ended the day with 3 fish that went 8.84 and gained some points torward the Regional event. Missing the first event I really need a good finish at Ft Loudon coming up. I want to say a special thanks to everyone that came out to see us and all the well wishes and support from our fans on Facebook. Also a huge thanks to our Sponsors, Jackall Lures, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Hookerz Tackle, ReserveFishing.com, The Professor, Elite Series Products, Wired2FIsh, Gemini Sports Marketing, Topwater Clothing, Bass Pro SHops, and Gator Grip. Without these guys we couldnt be doing any of this. Looking forward to getting back at it soon and hope to see you on the water. ROCK ON!!!

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Lake Guntersville Weekly Report

This week has been slammed with trips but fishing has gotten better each day but one. Water levels were up and down all week starting about 3 feet over summer pool, dropping to 3 below winter pool, and back to normal pool for the time of year by the end of the week. This along with water temps moving alot made fishing just about the most unpredictable I have seen it in some time. One day we would flat smoke em' and the next had to fight for every bite. All in all a great week weather wise with water temps getting more stable each day.



We had solid keeper fish on every trip and a limit but fish didnt seem to be "bunched up" like they should be. One fish would be green and appeare to have been in the grass awhile and the next was white as a ghost, meaning it just moved up. The best baits for trips this week was the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in shad colors, the Jackall Flick Shake, Jackall Soul Shad, and a Pure Poison Jig in Black. The fish moved all week but we found the best fishing from the State Park launch going North to the BB Comer bridge. I didnt travel much past the bridge because of the hundreds of boats up north. I did see the best pattern seemed to be fishing flats with close by deep breaks on them. I would start on the deep side in the morning then work my way onto the flats as the sun made the water temps go up. The best water temps have been from 58-64 degrees. If you find that water you will find active fish. If the water drops below that mark it makes the bite alot slower and you need to fish accordingly.



I will be on the water 2 days this week then off to a tournament in Tenn until Sunday. Hope everyone has a great and safe week on the lake and please remember to treat other boaters as you would like to be treated. I saw alot of things happen this weekend. Remeber 2 wrongs dont make a right. Also I heard of some tackle being stolen at the Waterfront Ramp while a boat was tied up. I know there are a ton of us "locals" that leave our stuff on the deck to run grab a cheeseburger but stop. If you see some strange people hanging out on boat ramps call the Police. Several ramps are having problems again this year.

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Lake Guntersville Weekly Report

The last week on Guntersville has been one strange week of events. As many remember last week was just awesome with the weather getting the water temps right on track for the spawn to start and fish were starting to move up fast. There were event several areas I saw bedding fish and 66 degree water. We started catching better numbers and size was going up each day.



Well That was not the case this week. Storms rolled in and two huge cold fronts slammed us and the lake paid the price. Water temps fell almost 14-16 degrees almost over night in some areas and water levels shot up well over 2 feet in a day. Lots of stain in areas that normally dont have stained water and tons of debris floating in the lake has made it just plaiin dangerous to be out there.



My trips this week started off very rocky to say the least. Monday I fished with some great guys from up north looking to find some tournament fish. I spent most of the day looking for a better size bite and didnt even go to areas that I knew were holding smaller fish. The bigger bite just never came. We did catch some fish but clients wanted to cover alot of water so we never sat in one spot and worked it hard after a bite or two. Tuesday I fished with two awesome anglers from Birmingham that I met at Bass Pro Shops. The monring we met at Waterfront I all but begged them not to take the trip. With pending heavy rains and a poor bite on Monday I just didnt feel they would have a good time. Boy was I wrong. We started slow but after putting a few fish in the boat we decided to learn some new tactics. I moved to a section I knew there were some smaller fish but would build their confidence in the new tactic. We were not there less than 5 mins before the first fish was boated. We worked the area hard with the Jackall Flick Shake boating fish after fish and ended the day in the cold pouring rain with 14 solid fish and one almost 7 pounds.



I made the dession to change my date on the Wed trip due to so much floating in the water and I just thought it was too dangerous to be on the water. My Thursday trip was a local angler that had his brother in town and wanted to see him catch some fish. Well they ate today! After telling them it was going to be a tough bite we stopped on the first place and they both had a small limit in just about as many cast. We fished the Jackall Flick Shake on the Wacky Jig head for a few more hours boating several more limits. They then wanted to hit some bigger fish so we changed up the baits and started fishing Lake Fork Live Magic Shad swimbaits. Both boated a few more fish with a little better size but the Flick Shake was the numbers bait without a doubt.



All in all a good week with some awesome clients and we are getting ready for another great week of trips next week. I wil be off the water this weekend working an appearance at the Bass Pro Shops in Leeds, Al on Sat and Sunday but back on the water on Monday to start another round. Hope everyone has a great weekend and if your not on the lake be sure to stop by and see all the huge sales at BPS. This is the last weekend of the Spring Classic. If your fishing please be safe and keep your eyes open. Lots of things floating on the water and just under the surface. Dont be in a hurry and enjoy the day out on the lake. ROCK ON!!

Well the last day of Jan gave us alot of fog and misting rain all day. I started out on the lower end of the lake fishing creek channels near the river and went the first 3 hours without a single bite. After making alot of moves and covering a ton of water I found a section or two that produced. I fished mainly 6-12 feet of water with better results on steep drops. The Jackall Soul Shad and TN70 were the best baits I found to produce.

I then loaded the boat and moved further up river putting in at Waterfront Tackle. I fished the afternoon up river having about the same luck. I fished and made a ton of cast but once you found a fish they were not alone. Ended the day on a good note with a solid 7 pounder and saw 3 following it when I put it in the boat. The afternoon baits were the same but I did have 3 on the I-Shad rigged on the I-Motion head. The fog was getting worse as I was coming in so I would think it will be just as bad in the morning. If you get out there go slow and pay close attn to other boats, they might not beable to see you.

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone that came out last weekend to Bass Pro Shops for the boat show. We had a great time and I met some awesome people. The fish in the tank were nice to me and liked just about everything I tossed in the tank. I will be on the water everyday until I leave for the Bassmaster Classic then back the following weekend at Bass Pro Shops until the end of their Spring Fishing CLassic.

Lake Guntersville Report 1-16-2011

The last week or so of snow and ice seemed to slow the fishing down a little today for me. I hit the water working the same pattern I have been fishing but had to change things up a little. I moved further out on the points to a little deeper water and had to slow the baits down alot. I put the boat in more of the current and let the bait sit for around 12 seconds before moving it. Once I slowed down I started getting more bites and better fish. I fished the Jackalll Squad Minnow(Tenn Shad) on Lake Fork FH Pro 12 lb test. Once casting into about 6 feet of water I noticed the bites came right at the boat in about 9 -10 feet of water. I moved the boat further out and found I would get bigger fish. Once I worked an area and boated a few fish I then would re-work the area with a Lake Fork Craw Tube and got several more bites.



The big key is staying in the area and trusting you ability. If you didn't give up on an area too soon and worked every inch of it you would find where the fish were positioned and could put a good solid day together. Start working the typical winter pattern and then adjust and tweek it. Once I slowed down a little everything came into place. I am back at it again in the morning and the rest of the week. Hope everyone had a great weekend and looking forward to an awesome week. Stay safe and see you on the water.



God Bless

Phil.4:13

Preparing For the Cold Weather

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.

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

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

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

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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.

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.

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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".

BWS-Old Hickory Lake Event

Well what I can say about Old Hickory Lake...... Well let's start with it kicks my butt every time I go there so I knew the last BWS event was not going to be easy. After a long trip on the road and coming from one of the hardest events I have fished in years on the Detroit River (Lake Erie and St.Clair) I was looking forward to getting back south. Little did I know what I was asking for. I had one day to pre-fish, well more like 6 hours, but knew I could atleast put a small limit together. After getting to the lake I found out this event was going to be alot harder than I thought.
I hit the water at daybreak after a short nap in the truck at the ramp(thanks to the security at Blackjack cove) working some areas I had fished in the past event. I thought if those fish were still there, great but if not I atleast had a starting point on where to adjust on the water. When I pulled up on the first stop I noticed the shad were so thick it looked like you could walk across them. Now don't get me wrong, I love to find bait fish but there is such a thing as too many. I have found in alot of tournaments that if you have too many it kills the bite. Reason being it is hard to compete with Mother Nature.
After finding the deeper bite was not going to work for me I moved to shallow water and started fishing my strong points. I hit grass lines and areas just inside the mouths of creeks right off the main channel finding some keeper fish but nothing huge at all. After making some calls to good friend and local Radio host of Southern Bass Radio, Scott Morris I found I was on the right track. After making a few small adjustments I still found nothing huge but had a little more confidence in my areas.
On day one I drew a good guy that was from the area. We hit a couple of topwater spots fast I had boated a few keepers on first thing then moved to one of my better places when the sun got up. We stayed in that area catching tons of fish but all were smaller except one my co-angler boated on a spook type bait. We saw numbers of bigger fish eating shad but never got them to commit to the baits. Day one ended with my first zero in a tournament day in a long time. Needless to say I was not thinking very right at dinner. I needed to atleast boat one solid keeper to make the top 20 and make it to Regionals at Lay Lake in Birmingham.
On day two I drew out with a guy that didn’t fair much better than I did on day one so I went for the fence. I told him we were going to fish two areas all day on the south end of the lake and that's exactly what we did. On stop one(a small rock pile in Drakes Creek) I started busting all the 13.5 inch fish I wanted on just about everything I tossed at them. My co-angler got schooled in dropshots and Jackall Flick Shake tactics. I boated atleast 30 fish with not one keeper and he had no bites at all. I then moved to the second stop. Within one pass my co-angler boated a solid 2.5 lb keeper on a small crankbait(not sure of the brand). After seeing that I felt a little better and got a second wind. I tossed several baits at them with nothing but shorts to show for it. With time running out I just stopped and cleared my head. I changed the playlist on my IPod and tied on one of my big fish baits, a Jackall Ammonite Shad. I rigged it on a heavy Lake Fork Swimbait hook and went to stroking in under shad on the break line. It only took about 8 cast to put a 2 lb keeper in the boat. This was the last bite I got that would keep before time ran out to make the run back.
Once back at the dock I could already see several boats loading so I knew I atleast past a few others with that one keeper fish. After taking our catch to the scales saw I was in 16 for the year and made the top 20 as I wanted to at the start of the season(I did miss the first event so I made it in 4). To give everyone an idea of just how strange the lake was the angler that won only had one fish on day one and a massive 17+ lbs on day two to win the event. All his fish were caught on deep structure. Congrats to him and a great comeback.
Also I would like to say congratulations to Chad Hall for a great two day event and top 5 finish(he is strong on that lake with this being his 2nd check on it this year) and my roommate Robert Taylor for getting his first check ever on the Co-Angler side. He worked hard all year and waited to the last event to get one.LOL We are done with the regular season now in that Division and it's time to turn up the heat as we go to Lay Lake just south of Birmingham for the regional event. I look for Chad to be a heavy favorite there but I will give him a run for his money.LOL The big picture is making the top 50 there. Once you make the cut you are invited to the BWS Nationals held on Lake Guntersville. The gloves come off at that event and the winner heads to the biggest stage in Bass fishing, The Bassmaster Classic.
Thanks to all of our sponsors, supporters, and most of all our fans for the great support and well wishes. Looking forward to seeing everyone at regionals in Oct.

Guntersville Report 8-31

Water Temperature: 86
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Well after 2 months on the road fishing tournaments from Tenn to New York I made it back to Guntersville. Rodney has had several trips that were very productive and the frog bite has been getting stronger everyday. I hit the water Monday with a halfday trip with a father and son learning some of the lake. We started kinda slow with several bites but nothing boated on shallow grass lines. We then moved to deeper water and teaching them how to use some tactics I learned fishing the Detroit River. They both had some fish but nothing huge. After that bite died we found some schooling fish. We stayed on them the rest of the trip with several solid fish on a Jackall Mikey swimbait and the Bowstick.

After the trip was done I went back out to look around and the flippping bite was ok but not what I expected. I also tossed a rat over matted grass with several blow ups but nothing bigger than 4 lbs..

The schooling fish are alot of fun but the better size seems to come from flipping mats and throwing frogs. Im looking forward to being home all of Sept and staying on Guntersville for awhile. Thanks to everyoe for the calls and support and looking forward to seeing everyone back on "the Big G". Hope everyone has a great and safe Holiday weekend.

God Bless

Phil.4:13