Saturday, December 30, 2017

Product Review: Lunker City "Slug-Go"




Company Description: This is the lure that started a revolution and a new category in fishing lures. The Slug-Go is the original lure that created a generation known as Soft Stick baits. By having a slender profile and erratic darting action this lure broke the boundaries and was the first to expose the effectiveness of having action that was imparted to be random in movement and not repetitive as all other lures before its time.

It was originally developed to be a bass lure but soon anglers around the world found the effectiveness of this design to catch all game fish both fresh and salt.

From the smallest 3" version to the 12" large model there is a size to adapt to your angling. From drop shotting to fishing the sea.

Review: The slug-go is a bait that has had a spot in my tackle box since I was a kid.  The first time I had seen the slug-go was on a saturday morning, when I was around 8 years old, watching Bill Dance Outdoors on tv. I remember being mesmerized by how many bass Bill Dance caught on this bait, as a result I had to have some.  Especially since at that time largemouth bass were by far the hardest fish for me to catch and obviously these magic baits would catch buckets full.

So with my mind made up I ran to the room to get my mom and began my petition for her to purchase me a pack of sluggos.  Well, it didn't take much convincing to get her to purchase me a pack but we'd soon find out that we had one problem, at that time sluggos were mail or phone order only.  So my mom helped me place my order and a week later I was in my first package of sluggos.

That was almost 30 years ago and I've always kept at least one package of slug-gos in my tackle box sense.  Why?  Because they catch everything from bluegill to bluefish.

Sizes: 3 inch, 4 inch, 4.5 inch, 6 inch, 7.5 inch, 9 inch, and 12 inch

Colors: 61 colors available, both in standard weight and sinking slug-gos


Recommended Tackle:

  • Hooks: Worm hooks, Extra wide gap worm hooks
  • Jigs: Darter head jigs, walleye head jigs & bullet head jigs
  • Nail Weights

Quick Tip: For 3 inch and 4 inch sluggos use small screw locks through the nose then hook the screw lock with a appropriately sized octopus hook. By nose hooking the smaller slug-gos you're gonna get the full action from the bait without inhibiting hook ups.

Price: $5.99 to $14.99

Quick Tip: When fishing below dams with heavy current for striper and hybrid striper. Use a popping cork set up with a white sluggo on a darter head jig to keep your bait suspended at the depth the fish are feeding at. Twitch your rod tip often and hang on for explosive bites.

Match the hatch:  Below are just of couple of the forage species that slug-gos imitate in the water.








Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Top Baits For Catching Channel Catfish








Channel catfish are one of the most widespread game fish species in the united states.  Wide spread, game fighters and easily topping the 10 lbs, channel cats are the favorite of many fishermen and women.  In fact they are the first large species I've introduced my family to. Needless to say they love catching big cats.  Not just for the fun of it but also because how easy it is to find bait for them.  A couple minutes digging in the dirt or a quick trip to the grocery store and we're all baited up and ready to go.  For this reason I wanted to share my top five baits for channel catfish.

Worms 
Possibly every child's first fishing experience includes the use of worms. Why wouldn't worms be a part of our childhood fishing memories?  You can find them anywhere there is dirt and a simple stick used as a shovel will help you fill a container with enough bait to fish all day.  Not only that but you can pretty much catch any kind of fish on a worm and channel catfish are no different.

When fishing for catfish with worms, size matters. Because worms produce a lot of by-catch you want to use as large a worm as possible when targeting catfish. If you don't have large night crawlers on hand you can simply thread multiple night crawlers on your hook in order to present a larger meal for catfish.

Use a slip sinker rig for deeper and faster moving waters in order to keep your bait along bottom.  And in cases were the water your fishing is rocky or very snaggy use walleye floats to lift your hook above the snags.  Also when fishing fast moving waters make sure you're using no roll sinkers which do a better job of holding your bait in one spot.

On the other hand in still water you can use either slip sinker rig or a slip bobber rig.  When using this right you're gonna use split shot to get your bait just above the bottom where it'll avoid snags.



Chicken Livers
Next to worms chicken livers are probably the easiest bait to find. No, you can't dig them up in the backyard but what you can do is pick up a container of chicken livers in just about any grocery store in the country.  At a price under $3.00 they are affordable for fishermen and women with even the most modest of budgets.

Due to their consistency, chicken livers are best baited on treble hooks or bait holder hooks. When using treble hooks just pack and wrap on as much chicken liver as you'd prefer.  However in the case of using bait holder hooks there are two ways to rig up chicken livers effectively. The first way is to put the livers in the freezer for a short amount of time.  The partially frozen livers will be firm enough to easily grab and thread on to your bait holder hooks. The other way is to wrap your chicken livers in spawn sacs and hook them that way. Using Spawn sacs is by far the best way to do it as the sacs will
hold chicken livers on the hook longer, even when there are smaller bait stealing fish around to peck at your livers.


Dip / Dough Baits
As a kid one of my grandmother's neighbors would always talk to me about his dip bait recipe that would catch every catfish around.  When I was kid hearing this had me mesmerized with thoughts of catching huge catfish, larger than anything I'd ever seen. If you're like me you've heard of or know of someone who has they're own dip bait recipe that they swear by. It's for this reason that dip baits make my top baits list.

I'm sure there are countless recipes for dip baits that are just a google search away.  However if you don't want to deal with the process of making your own, then powerbait makes a great version of catfish dip bait.  Also if you're gonna fish with dip bait you wanna use a treble hook made specifically for it.  There are many version of hooks made for dip bait, some with plastic casing and some with just a wire coil around the hook shank to hold the dip bait to the hook. Lastly if your're gonna use dip or dough baits in high currents use spawn sacs to keep pre-rolled dip baits attached to your hook.  As well when fishing in snaggy areas simply adding a couple walleye floats to your line will lift  your treble hooks out of the rocks yet still in the strike zone.




Cut bait
For me cut bait is a weapon of opportunity rather than a bait of quick choice. If I happen to catch the shad die off on time or if I have some by-catch like bluegill while I'm fishing then that's when I'll opt for cut bait.  However just because I don't run to it as my bait of choice doesn't mean its not extremely effective.  In fact I have a few friends whom will pretty much only use cut bait for large channel cats.

Due to its size cut bait is a great bait to use for weeding through smaller fish to get to the bigger fish waiting to be caught.  For this reason I believe cut bait is not just effective for catching large channel catfish but blues and flat heads as well.  With the size of the bait in mind you want to use hooks that can accommodate cut bait. For this reason I recommend bait holder or circle hooks sized #4 to #5/0.  large circle hooks are more than able to hold large and small pieces of cut bait on with out the bait hindering your hookup ratio.

When using cut bait you'll find that some pieces work better than others.  In my experience is that the head of any fish you catch is gonna be your most choice piece of bait for pretty much any species of catfish. The head is followed by the stomach, with the internal organs inside, as the next best piece to use.  However something I do when I have the opportunity to catch and prepare cut bait early is I let it soak in the blood from chicken livers to give it more smell in the water.  I've found that this helps me keep the bite going a little better when catfish tend to slow down biting.


Shrimp
Shrimp is the last of my top five baits for channel catfish.  It came in last not because it lacks in catching ability behind any of the other four baits but because I'm allergic to shrimp.  As a result this requires me using gloves to rig shrimp up which is just bit of a pain to me.

Allergies aside though, shrimp is an extremely effective bait for channel catfish.  Not only is it effective but it is easy to find, a simple trip to any super market will have you in a bag of bait.

If you're gonna use shrimp as bait you wanna keep a couple things in mind.  First thing is to remove the shell from the shrimp as it will hinder hook ups.  Second is to use either bait holder or circle hooks sized #4 to 1/0, there really is no need to go much larger as the shrimp are only gonna be so big.  Third, if you find that you're getting bites but not hooking up, pinch off some of the shrimp as the size of the shrimp may be inhibiting your hook ups.  Lastly fresh shrimp tends to work best in my experience so keep it as fresh as you can.

Thanks for reading my short list of my top choices for channel catfish bait.  Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite channel catfish baits are.


Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Product Review: Bass Pro Shops Kermy Frog



Company Desciption:  Guaranteed to bring Miss Hawggy charging in for a place at the dinner table. The Bass Pro Shops® Kermy Frog features an incredibly realistic body design cutting through the wind and lands belly-down, ready to start kickin' its way through the heaviest cover. Superactive silicone rubber legs respond to every movement of your rod tip. Exciting blowups await!


Features & Benefits:

  • Realistic body design
  • Superactive silicone rubber legs
  • Heavy Gauge Sharp Hooks

Review: The Bass Pro Shops Kermy is the budget hollow bodied frog that I'll buy whenever they go on sale.  At $2.99 on sale its a price you cant beat.  It's often said that you get what you pay for but in this case I think it would be misstated.  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure people have had some quality control issues with this frog.  But for me I havent had a problem with them at all.  In fact I've used the same frog the last two years with no problems.  It hasnt begun taking on water, the belly weight hasnt flown out and it still rights itself when it lands upside down.  All of this and I've caught at minimum twenty bass on this frog.

The hooks are stout and sharp out of the package.  In fact after fishing last years season with it I checked the hooks and they weren't bad, hence the reason I fished the same black Kermy frog this year. I can honestly say I didnt lose any fish due to dull hooks on this frog and the fish I lost on this frog were due to me setting the hook too soon or having too much vegetation in the way of the hook set.

The only downside I've noticed about the Kermy hollow bodied frog is that the paint job doesnt last very long.  Don't get me wrong its a good looking frog out of the package but over time the paint comes off, which I expected.

The overall action of the frog is pretty good, much like any other hollow bodied frog.  However it's not the easiest frog to walk the dog with.  But with eventually I figured it out.

Overall the Bass Pro Shops Kermy frog gets a 5 stars for me simply because it does the one thing I want a hollow bodied frog to do.  Catch Fish!!

How I Used: I fished the frog over thick scum mats, lilly pads and even from the bank into open water.  When fishing in cover like mats and pads I fished it relatively slow so bass could zero in on the bait with no probems.

Set Up: 6ft. 6 inch Medium Berkley Lightning casting rod with a Abu Garcia Silver max reel spooled with 45lb braided line

Colors: 15 colors available
Length: 2 3/8'
Weight: 5/8 oz.

Price: $6.99 (2.99 during the fishing classic)

Pros: At 5/8 oz. the Kermy cast long distances.  As well it has held up very well for me, in fact I've fished the same black Kermy two years in a row without it taking on water or losing the belly weight.  Bass pro did a great job with this hollow bodied frog.

Cons: The only con I've found with the Bass Pro Shops Kermy frog is the fact that the paint job doesn't too long.  After a fair amount of fishing the paint begins to wear off. 

Saturday, July 8, 2017

The Sluggo Saved The Day





It seems as though this year has been a year of late starts for me when it comes to fishing.  Every time I've had a chance to go I've either hit the snooze button too many times or due to my lack of organization gotten on the water far later than I would've wanted. So why should this day be any different, I got this day started a few hours later than I would've wanted because I was indecisive on whether or not I even wanted to go fishing. Not only was I indecisive but I failed to pack my stuff up the night before, despite my wife telling me I should get ready.  So the late bird has to spend more time than needed packing up the rubber worms.

Despite my late start though I made it to Newburgh lake excited and ready to fish. I jumped out the truck and reached into the back seat only to find that I left my tackle bag at home on the couch. Really... After all that work, I get to the lake and have no tackle to actually fish with. However, thank God I wasn't as organized as I'd like to be because I had my junky backpack in the back which had a couple of packs of plastics in it and I still had last years frog tied on one of the rods. Eureka!! Hopefully my pack of black sluggos would save my fishing trip or maybe I was already smelling a skunk.

 A quick paddle across the lake and three cast in and I hook up with this little guy under a downed tree.  At just over 13 inches he's no monster but a heck of a fish for a guy with no tackle. I assumed this little guy wasn't alone under this downed tree he was sitting in so I threw several more cast in and around it.  Probably around my fifth cast I hooked into fish number 2.  Shortly after pitching into the spot and a couple twitches with the soft jerk bait he smashed it.  This little guy was only about 15 inches but well worth the fight.

I ended up fishing this area for about 15 minutes before deciding it was time to move about 30 yards down to another downed tree that was surrounded by scum.  I ended up fishing that spot for about 10 mins with nothing more than one swirl at my bait.  However right when I was about to leave I saw a bass blow up not far from where I was.  It was time to paddle on and grab the rod with my Basspro Shops Kermy frog on it.

When I got to the spot where I saw the fish blow up I pitched the frog close to where I had seen the fish.  However due to not so accurate casting I was a couple feet off from where the fish had shown itself.  "No biggie... I'll just make another cast", I figured.  One more cast to the bank just behind where the bass had blown up and I was walking the frog right back to where I had seen the largemouth.  That first few feet of walking the frog and nothing so I decided to pause the frog right at the spot where the fish was spotted.  No sooner had I paused it and "splash" she had nailed my bait and was quickly becoming the highlight of my day.

Once I'd gotten this fish to the yak I couldn't be more excited. At 18 inches this fish was not my largest bass by far.  However for a day that started out with me leaving all of my tackle at home and with it my hope of catching anything, this fish made the trip worth it.


After I caught that fish I ended up fishing for about an hour more.  I ended up losing 3 more bass 2 on the frog and one on the sluggo.  But hey, even losing 3 fish is better than sitting in front of a computer at work dreaming about fishing.  Tight lines everyone and thanks for reading.




Thursday, June 29, 2017

Tips For Staying Safe While Kayak Fishing At Night



Let's face it, some of the best fishing you'll ever encounter is at night.  This is especially true during the dog days of summer when even the fish are not too happy about the extreme heat of the day. Whether you're catching catfish by starlight or crappie by streetlight, night time fishing is always a blast and almost always productive.

No matter how productive it is, when fishing at night from a kayak, safety is your biggest concern. As we all know, when fishing at night your sight is extremely impaired. With that in mind you have to remember that also means the vision of pleasure boaters and bass fisherman, whom you share the lake with, is also impaired. Not only is their vision impaired but we as kayak fisherman and women are sitting far lower on the water than they are so we're even less visible to other people on the water. For that reason your number one safety tip for kayak fishing at night is to light it up.


1. Light It Up!
Depending on where you live the laws may require you to have a light on your kayak that is visible up to 300 feet with a 360 degree field of view.  Whether the law requires it or not, you need to have a light that is positioned higher than you are on the kayak so you extend your visibility.  Your first priority with kayak fishing at night is making it home at the end of a successful night of fishing.  Having a light that is visible from a long way off is the first step of letting anyone you're sharing the lake with know you're out there.  A kayak light I recommend is the YakAttack VISICarbon Pro. You can get it with pretty much any mounting option you want, from geartrac guides to ram balls.  However if you're not interested in paying for a yak light and you're pretty good at tinkering you can make one yourself for less than half the cost.

Another great option, that requires a bit more work on your part, is to add LED light strips to your kayak. Kayaks with LED strips can pretty much be seen from the moon.  Well... Maybe not the moon but you get the point, they can been seen a long way off.  Actually they look pretty eerie crossing your local lake at night.  Credit for the LED Lit kayak to the right goes to Amazon. 

Now that you're kayak can be seen by anyone on the lake you're fishing on, it's time to consider you're field of view. Fishing is a sport that requires a large amount of tedious tying of knots, accurate cast, changing baits and dodging sharp fins that are eager to test their sharpness in one of your hands.  All of these things require you to be able to see what you're doing so lets talk options for opening up your field of view so you can actually fish in comfort.

The first option you have is the use of handheld flashlights.  While they're not a perfect option they're an option.  Hand held flashlights will give you light to work however the problem with them is that they require you to use one of your hands which limits how efficient you are when tying knots etc. I personally keep a small flashlight in my dry hatch with my phone in case of my primary source of light goes out or gets wet and shorts out.  But beyond that I don't expect to get much use out of a handheld flashlight.

The next option is the use of a headlamp. Headlamps are compact and hands free which makes them a great light source when its time to unhook a flapping fish.  As well with most head lamps you can broaden or tighten the beam as needed. Not only that but you usually have an option for using a different color light.  This function is great because the one big drawback to using a head lamp is the fact that lights attract bugs. The change of color will lessen the amount of flying insects hovering around your head.

Probably the best option is to make an overhead light for your kayak.  It'll keep the bugs out of our face while giving you the light you need to perform any task you may have.  As well they are great for those of us who film our outings. As we all know gopro cameras don't do well in low light but an overhead light will give your gopro the light it needs to make filming successful.  Click here for a great example of a diy overhead light created by: Kayak Catfish

The other great function of an overhead light is, depending on how you build it, it can function as a spot light as well.  So when you're paddling in at the end of a good night of fishing it can give you the light needed to guide the way.

2. Reflect
Where lights do a great job of making you visible and giving you a larger field of view at night, placing reflective tape on your kayak and PFD will help people see you by reflecting their lights back at them. Reflective tape is a great back up plan in the instance your lights fail due to battery failure or any other malfunction.

Beyond reflective tape I've also added glow in the dark spray paint to my rod holders that are attached to my crate.  Is it overkill? Possibly, but it's one more thing that keeps me visible and safe on the water.

3. PFD
Just because this is number three on the list doesn't mean it's not as important than the first two items on the list.  Wearing your PFD is the absolute most important thing you can do at night.  Let's face it there are just two many variables at night that can have you going for an unwanted swim, so wear your PFD. If you fish rivers that have dams upstream of where you fish you should have on a PFD because the water flow can increase very quickly and that increase can wash large debris down with it that can knock you in the water.  I could go on forever with different scenarios on why you should where a PFD at night but I won't, I'll just leave you with this.

When my dad was teaching me to drive he said to me, "When you're driving you have to constantly be accounting for the actions of others. Assume that everyone else on the road is stupid and compensate for that stupidity in order to keep yourself safe on the road." While his analogy was a bit cynical his  lesson was very true and even more true when it comes to kayak fishing at night. We've all seen how pleasure boaters and bass fishermen in boats can do some pretty careless things.  Things that could easily hurt one of us had we not been paying attention. So magnify those careless things by 10 when you're out there fishing at night, because not only are they possibly being careless but they also can't see while they're doing it. Wear your PFD.

4. Know Your Surroundings
When your eyes are limited as a source of information you have to compensate for that in some way, familiarity is that way of compensation. Take some time to fish that spot during the day and familiarize yourself with every aspect of that spot.  That familiarity will allow you to dodge objects that your eyes can't see. It's one thing knowing there is a sunken log in the lake it's an altogether different thing knowing exactly where that log is.  It's the difference between having fun fishing and taking a miserably cold swim at night.

The other aspect of knowing your surrounding is constantly looking around. Just because you know the lay of the lake doesnt make up for those unpredictable things that can happen.  Things like floating debris, other boaters, or getting to close to a swans nest are things that can ruin your night if you're not constantly looking around. So keep your head on a swivel and be vigilant in your awareness while out on th water.

5. Take a buddy
The only thing better than your eyes watching your back, is having a second pair of vigilant eyes helping you stay safe. Your fishing buddy is your second most important asset while kayak fishing. Your buddy is there to see things you may not.  As well two of you are an irreplaceable first aid tool for each other, a helping hand if you go overboard and the best way to keep fishing fun throughout the night. So choose your fishing buddy wisely.

6. Make Yourself Heard
There will be times when you're on the water and someone in a boat is driving completely blind and don't see your reflective tape or the lights attached to your yak.  Either that or its just so foggy that they can't see the reflectors or lights as fog refracts light in weird ways.  Either way when they can't see you make sure they can hear you in the case of an emergency.  Keeping a whistle or an air horn within reach on your yak will get the attention of even the most oblivious person driving a boat. Not just that but blasting the signal for S.O.S. will help people locate you faster in the case of emergency.

7. Leave a note with your location (lattitude and longetude)
Kayak fishing is a pretty safe sport however things can go wrong in a hurry. One thing that can help you in case of an emergency is leaving a note telling someone where you'll be fishing. It doesn't matter where I'm kayak fishing nor how familiar I am with the spot, I always leave a note telling someone where I am. This is doubly true when I'm fishing on the great lakes or any large bodies of water for that matter.

My notes always have an image of the area I'm fishing with my put in and out point clearly marked. As well the spots I intend to fish are marked on the map to make life easier for any would be rescuers. Beyond the image in my note I leave the longitude and latitude of where I'll be as well as any address that available for where I'll be putting in.  The only other major info in my note is what time I'll be on my way home and should be home, that way if for some reason I'm too late my family knows to look for me.  This step isn't just for you but it's for your loved ones who have a huge stake in you making it home.

8. Be GPS & Radio Ready
When fishing large bodies of water like the ocean or Lake Erie, as I try to do as often as possible, its not hard to get out of cell phone range so you need to be prepared.  A simple way to be prepared is to have a VHF radio with you whenever going long distances off shore.  The VHF radio will work out of range of a cell phone as well it will reach other boats in the area when calling out.  Unlike a cell phone the VHF radio will reach out to anyone listening where a cell phone is specific to whomever you call.  This will give you much higher chance of rescue in case of an emergency.

The other thing you'll need to have is a GPS.  The GPS will point you in the right direction if the shore is no longer in your line of sight.  Additionally it will give your exact location in case you have to hail for help over the VHF radio.


9. Be Organized
Kayak fishing at its core is a minimalist sport. Pretty much you're limiting yourself to what you can carry in a milk crate and the pockets on your PFD.  So the best thing you can do is when it comes to kayak fishing at night or during the day is be organized.  Good gear organization will save you frustration and possible injury while fishing in the dark.  There is absolutely nothing worse than having to fish around for your fishing pliers while turned around uncomfortably and trying to hold down an angry 15lb catfish.  That's a recipe for disaster, so save your self from wayward fins, and sharp hooks by being extremely organized.

10. Blaze your take in and out trail
Many of the lakes I fish have traditional launches that I use regularly.  However some of the larger lakes I fish don't have traditional boat launches close to where I want to fish so that requires me to get a bit dirty with my kayak launches from. By dirty I mean there are times when I have to cut through some wooded areas to get to the best places to launch.  Besides mosquitoes and possible poison ivy contact that presents a major problem.  How do I find that random spot when it's time to get off the water after a night of fishing.

The best answer to that question is to use hunting trail tacks to blaze my trail in and out of the water.  A simple scan with my flashlight or spotlight and the tacks reflect back to me where I need to go to get back to my car safely. So use reflective tacks or tape to blaze yourself a trail for nontraditional launch points.

Overall when fishing at night safety is your biggest concern.  Hopefully these ten tips will help you stay more safe the next time you're out at night chasing big fish.  Please comment below with any other night fishing tips you can offer to our fellow anglers.

Monday, May 1, 2017

Product Review: KastKing Mela 4000 Spinning Reel




Company Description:  The KastKing Mela Spinning Reel is light, smooth, powerful, and comes with a free spool! When other brands charge premium price for the so called fame, we cut our price to give more value back to our customers!

You will love the features of the Mela Spinning Reel that includes: 10 + 1 shielded stainless steel bearings, instant stop anti-reverse, CNC machined aluminum handle and exquisite aluminum spool, plus a spre graphite spool and most of all the up to 20lb max drag power.

Amazing Aerospace- grade aluminum honeycomb design spool gives you a fishing reel with strength and light weight. Mela spinning reels are equipped with: precision brass gears, hardened megal main shaft, 10 shielded stainless steel bearings, clutch roller bearing, and interchangeable right or left hand CNC machined handle.

Flawless light weight graphite spinning reel body with carbon black finish is corrosion proof. The best thng about a Mela Spinning REel is its great features at an affordable price. Compare a KastKing Mela spinning reel to a similar size fishing reel that costs much more, such as a reel from Shimano, Penn, Daiwa, Okuma, Lew's or other fishing reel brands. KastKing is an ICAST 2015 award winning brand.


Specs:
Bearings: 10+1
Gear Ratio: 4.8:1
Line Capacity: 10LB/195Yds, 12/140yds, 15/110
Max Drag: 20LB
Weight: 12 oz.

Review:  I got the KastKing Mela 4000 as a birthday gift this year from my wife and kids.  A welcome gift that was right on time since I had broken one of my reels last fishing season.

On first view I couldn't be happier with the Mela 4000 spinning reel.  It's a stout real that comes with an additional spool, which not many companies provide any more.  While the second spool is simply a plastic spool, the main spool is made of high quality aluminum and helps balance out the reel perfectly.

The main spool I have spooled with 20lb braided line with a 6lb flourocarbon leader.  The spare spool is spooled with 8lb monofilament designed for spinning reels. I went with these combinations because using this reel for casting hair jigs ranging from 1/8oz. to 1/4oz which are ideal baits for this spinning reel.

On top of good the quality is of the reel, the price point is something that is affordable for any angler no matter what their budget is.  A price point thats achieved by selling straight to anglers rather than to retailers then anglers.  The fact that Eposeidon has taken a couple of players out of he supply chain has taken quite a bit of cost of the marketing of the reel which normally would've been passed down to the consumer

So far I've had all good experience with the Mela 4000 with the exception of one thing.  The first time I fished with it the reel was noisey due to a lack of lubrication on the shaft. However once lubed it worked absolutely great.  I'll definitely be purchasing another and possibly giving one away on my youtube channel as well.

Price: $35.98


Wednesday, April 19, 2017

April 2017, Mystery Tackle Box Unboxing






Strike Pro: Montero
Description: These baits have great casting range  and stable throw, simple cast and retrieve makes pronounced rolling action. By jerking, stroung sound wave created by special designed rattle chamber and tungsten rattles can attract large predators from a distance.  Excellent flight distances combined with great sound, action and a realistic Strike Pro finish makes the Montero irresistible to predators!

Length: 9.5"
Weight: 0.3 oz.
Class: Suspending
Hooks: Not Sure
Max Diving Depth: 1.5 feet - 2.3 feet
Line: 10lb
Color: SIN023G (25 colors to choose from)
Price: $11.96



Booyah: Baby Boo Jig
Description: This litle jig carries the attitude of the big boys. WIth a 60-strand ultra fine Booyah silicone skirt, light weedguard and a Mustad Ultra Point black nickel light wire hook, this baby has a proven record of catching big ones.

Weight: 3/16 oz. (also available in 5/16 oz.)
Hooks: 3/0 Mustad Hook 
Color: PB and J (13 colors to choose from)
Price: $2.59



V&M Baits: J-Bug
Description: The J-Bug is built specifically for flipping and pitching into heavy cover. Poured with a durable yet soft plastic, the V&M J-Bug features a coned front that butts-up perfectly against concave weights to create a perfectly streamlined profile, making it easier to slip through tight spots.
Super scented and fitted with four J-shaped appendages, the V&M J-Bug delivers a fluttering action that grabs the attention of bass as it moves through matted vegetation and timber.
Length: 3.5"
Class: Soft Plastic
Color: Money Maker (15 colors available)
Price: $4.99


Catch Co: Flicker Worm
Description: The Catch Co. flicker worm is a top design for both bass and walleye. The flicker worm has a long tapered body with a blade tail that floats. The combination of a lively body and floating tail, regardless of your rigging technique, produces lots of crazy and enticing action.
Length: 6"
Class: Soft Plastic
Price: $3.49

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

March 2017 Mystery Tackle Box Unboxing



It's my favorite time of the month again, Mystery Tackle Box time. I got my box yesterday and as usual it was a pleasant surprise.  Every month I assume the high dollar item will be the best thing in the box.  However this month I'm super excited by a couple of the less expensive items the box, the Z-Man Project Shroomz Micro Finesse Jig and the Z-Man Crusteaz. The shroomz jig was made specifically for the ned rig which is one of the most efficient finesse rig I've fished and the crusteaz is the trailer for it.  I'm definitely purchasing some more to add to my jig box but these two products made my March Mystery Tackle Box worth every penny.




Lucky Craft LV-0
Description: Lucky Craft's new LV-0 is a super shallow running crankbait.  It is designed for fishing shallow grassy cover when a traditional lipless crankbait would dig too deep. It also works great over dee weed beds that grow almost to the surface. The small lip on this bait makes it run higher in the water column allowing the angler to just retrieve this bait over the tops of the weeds. The LV-0 is equipped with brass and glass rattles that have unique sound unlike other rattling lures.  This is unique bait that was built for special situations, and will help you put fish inthe boat when other techniques fail.
Length: 2-3/4"
Weight: 1/2oz
Class: Sinking
Hooks:  Belly Hook #6; Tail Hook #8
Max Diving Depth: Surface
Line: 10-12 lbs
Color: Ghost Baby Bass
Price: $14.99




Z-Man Project Shroomz Micro Finesse Jig
Description: A skirted, Midwest finesse-style mushroom jighead that's known to entice strikes in tough conditions, the ShroomZ Finesse Jig's 100% silicone skirts in custom-designed patterns provide a realistic appearance, lifelike action, and tantalizing slow fall rate that is simply deadly on finicky bass.
Weight: 1/8oz. & 3/16oz.
Hook: Size #1 black nickel jig hook
Weed Gaurd: Dual multi-strand wire weedgaurd
Color: Pond Scum (6 colors available)
Price: $4.99



Z-Man Crusteaz
Description: This miniature crustacean imitation is perfectly suited for any application where fresh or saltwater gamefish are feeding on small crabs, crayfish, sandfleas, ghost shrimp or other crustaceans. The uniquely shaped body can be rigged in a variety of manners, and the twin u-tail claws produce attention getting action on both fast and slow retrieves.
Size: 2"
Color: Pond Scum (8 Colors Available)
Price: $2.99



Cabin Creek Baits Salty Creature
Size: 5"
Color: Green Pumpkin (15 colors available)
Price: $2.24

Daiichi Bleeding Bait Hook Assortment
Price: $1.70

Monday, March 6, 2017

Tips for Smallmouth Bass Fishing With Bucktail Jigs

This is not my photo and unfortunately I'm not sure who to give photo credit to


If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times.  Bucktail jigs are smallmouth bass candy.  It doesnt really matter where you are in the country, as long as you have smallmouth bass in your area then you probably do or at least you should have some bucktails in your tackle box.

I've personally been using bucktails for smallies for several years.  However as of late I've been trying to perfect this method of fishing.  In fact my journey to becoming a better bucktail jig fisherman started with me searching the web and that only yielding limited results.  That's what brings me to this post, giving a detailed how to article for fishing bucktails for smallmouth bass.

As with any other type of fishing you're pretty much going to start with matching the hatch when it comes to bucktails.  That can't be more true when it comes to smallmouth bass.  No matter where they live, be it in creeks, deep rivers or northern shield lakes, smallmouth bass eat the same things.  The number one meal on a smallmouths menu is gonna be crayfish followed by bait fish then hellgrammites.  If you can mimmic any of those three you're gonna catch smallies with bucktail jigs.

Jig Size:  So what size jigs should you be using for smallmouth?  That depends on the waters on you're fishing.  For example for catching smallmouth in shallow water, creeks and streams you'll want to use 1/8 oz. to 1/4 oz. jigs. In fact most applications are gonna be fished with 1/8 to 1/4 oz. jig.  However in deep, swift current rivers like the detroit river, depending on where you're fishing you'll want to up your jig size to 3/8 oz.  As a rule though, no matter where your fishing you want to use the lightest jig you can get away with so you can achieve the most natural action possible.  I personally only tie 1/8 and 1/4 oz. jigs for smallmouths as when I'm chasing smallies even on big water I'm fishing relatively shallow.

Rod & Reel Setup:  Throwing these small jigs doesnt require much in the line of equipment.  Fishing bucktail jigs is pretty much a finesse technique like fishing the ned rig or shaky head so the same equipment used for either of these will work for bucktails.
Rod:  You wanna use a 6.5 foot to 7 foot medium to medium/light spinning rod with moderate to morderate/fast action tip.  The light rod will make casting the lighter jigs much easier.  While the moderate action will  help load the smaller jigs for longer cast. In addition to getting to longer cast the moderate to fast action will give you enough backbone to get the jig out of mud with no problems unlike slow action rods like Ugly Stiks which will flex with encountering structure and mud.
Reel: You'll want to use a 20 to 30 series spinning reel spooled with 6lb to 8lb test line for fishing bucktails.  I personally spool my reels with 30lb braid attached to a 8lb flourocarbon leader as the two have the same diameter.  This gives me a little more casting length and more confidence for fighting bigger bass.

Where to fish:  In small rivers, creeks and and streams you want to focus on fishing the runs and pools. As well fish any eddies created by large rocks and log jams, simply cast above them and jig your way down past these spots where waiting smallmouth will be.  Bridge pilings are also perfect smallmouth attracters so definitely target any bridge pilings you come across in the same way you would any other eddy.
Gravel flats and the base of dams are also amazing places to fish with bucktails.  These rocky areas hold crayfish, small baitfish and hellgrammites which make them a buffet for hungry smallmouth. In fact if you see if a shallow flat that has a bunch of holes in it target that area especially as those holes are crayfish dens and the smallies will be cruising those looking for an easy meal.

If you see schools of baitfish being pushed to the surface or in deeper water on your sonar, these are perfect times to break out your bucktails.  In the case of bait fish that are pushed to the surface, cast your bucktail in the middle of the fray and start twitching when your jig gets just below the school.  Within seconds you should hook up with one of the bass that are pushing the baitfish. As for suspended baitfish, you want to vertically jig the bucktail just below the school as that will be were the predators will be waiting.

Also in cold deep water for suspended bass another tactic you can use is the Float-N-Fly technique.  Pretty much for this technique you're suspending your hair jig about 11 to 13 feet below a small bobber on 4lb to 6lb test.  When fishing the Float-N-Fly rig you wanna use a 9ft. to 11ft. noodle rod in order to cast with such a long leader. For the  Float-N-Fly rig you'll be fishing it along channel edges, deep points, bluggs and steep banks while twitching the bobber lightly to give the jig action.  The great thing about the hair jig is that you dont need much to give it action as the bucktail has a very lifelike action on its own.

To Trailer or Not to Trailer: Normally when you're using jigs for bass its not
uncommon to attach a soft plastic to your jig as a trailer.  However in most cases this is not necessary with bucktail jigs as the bucktail has a very lifelike action on its own.  If you want to use a trailer though probably the best trailer you can use is a pork rind, yes an old school porkrind.  If you're gonna fish with a fly-and-rind rig it'll work best if your porkrind has a contrasting color to the bucktail.  The other trailer you'll want to use for bucktailing is a twister tail.  Another option to a trailer is to tie a bunny buckail jig, in this case the zonker strip will function as your trailer.

When: Most people assume that bucktail jigs are only cold water baits.  However bucktails are a year around pattern, especially for smallmouth bass.  You just have to know the patterns of the smallmouth in your area in order to target them with bucktail jigs effectively.  Howevever, the spring and fall will be the best times for fishing with bucktail jigs as smallies are feeding heavily in preparation for winter or the spawn.


Colors:
When it comes to colors, it's pretty simple. Consider where your fishing and what forage is in that area.  For schooling baitfish go with lighter colors and for bottom dwelling forage go with darker patterns.  Here is a list of some of the more productive color patterns for smallmouth bass.

White
White and blue
White and red
white and pink
White and chartreuse

Black
black and blue
black and gold
black and white
brown and white
brown and orange
brown and yellow
black and yellow
olive and black
olive and yellow
olive and orange
Rust
Rust and black
rust and yellow
rust and orange

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Special Delivery: Jerkbaits from Limit Out Lures

About two and a half weeks ago I was on facebook doing my usual scroll and like session.  When an ad popped up in my timeline for what seemed to be a great deal on custom painted jerkbaits.  Initially I was just going to ignore the ad and keep it moving to the next random picture, meme or political post, but who could pass up five dollars for custom jerkbaits.

With a quick click I was on the Limit Out Lures website browsing through the products.  My first thought was that these baits look too good to be only five bucks a piece. My next thought was, "The baits look good but how is the product?"  With that I started my usual google search to see what people have to say about Limit Out Lures.  Once again that got me just positive reactions from peoples reviews of the products online.  So, why not?  Let's order a few of these puppies up and see how they work out.

Fast forward to this evening when I get home from work and there is this bag waiting for me on the computer desk.  This has to be my order from Limit Out Lures.  Overall I'm impressed with the product and will definitely be ordering more.  Additionally I'll be doing some youtube videos with them soon, one of which will be a give away, so stay tuned for that. So without further ramblings from me, here are the three jerkbaits I picked up.


Twitch 110
Color: Bream
110 Slow Sink Jerk Bait
Hooks: #6 KVD Mustad Hooks



Twitch 110
Color: Blue Sparkle
110 Slow Sink Jerk Bait
Hooks: #6 KVD Mustad Hooks



Twitch 110
Color: Tennessee Shad
110 Slow Sink Jerk Bait
Hooks: #6 KVD Mustad Hooks


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