Month: June 2008

Snack Size Trout Takes 3rd at Won Bass Clear Lake Swimbait Tourney

DSC_0019

Our biggest of the day, just under six pounds

I fished the Won Bass swimbait only tourney with Steve Reed (the admin on Swimbaitnation) on Saturday and we took 3rd place.

We fished the Chartreuse shad Snack Size Trout wake bait all day and came in with 19.80 total. We must have had at least 20 fish come up and attack our baits. The bite was on fire.

The fish are hanging out on vertical offshore weed growth right now and are spreading out more and more each day. There was no real key spot so we had to just cover a ton of water in one huge cove on the north end.

‘Weed-Eating Weevils to Prove Their Worth With Invasive Milfoil’

Marin IJ Weevils

The headline above from the Marin IJ caught my eye on my lunch the other day. The story talks about controlling milfoil with beetles:

"One solution under study is importing a weevil – an aquatic beetle – which feeds on the plant, killing it"

The first thing that came to mind even before I read the story was the fact that the Cal Delta just got sprayed to thin out the weeds, particularly in the Franks Tract area.

As bass fisherman we love weeds - to a point anyway. It does become an issue though when you can't get across certain parts of the delta at low tide without risk of overheating and blowing up your outboard.

I thought this was an interesting story and was honestly suprised we have not heard more about these little creatures.

heres the Link

New Monster Tackle Site and Forum

Monster tackle logo

Outdoor Pro Shop up in Rhonert Park has put together a great online store called Monster Tackle.

The website is full of all kinds of great stuff,  including a bass fishing forum, cool new product video and lots of new tackle.

They doing a promotion listed here for joining the forum

– Every 10th Registration receives a 1 time 10% off purchase code
– Every 25th Registration receives a 1 time 25% off purchase code
– Every 100th Registration receives a $100 gift Card for MonsterFishingTacke.com
– Every 1000th Registration receives a $200 gift Card for MonsterFishingTackle.com

. . And I am happy to report that they are also carrying the Snack Size Swimbaits.

Check them out

Link

Japanese-Made Lunkers Club Topwater Baits

 

DSC_0012

Being a lure designer myself, I am fascinated by lure design – especially those lures made in Japan. Some of the most innovative designs and paint schemes I have seen have come from Japan.

One of these is the Lunker’s Club line of poppers. Rumor has it that the owner of the company tragically died, although I cannot confirm this as fact myself.  In any event, the lures are not made anymore but I have collected a number of them over the years.

The foil finishes and paint schemes are really without a doubt the most realistic finishes I have ever seen on any baits, hands down. 

The baits themselves are very unique as well. The poppers I have and that are shown here are a 4”bait made of solid wood.

NewsFlash: Snack Size Shad Wins on Clear Lake

DSC_0014


This just in:


Posted on Swimbait Nation by Steve Reed and Tom Leogrande:


“Last night I fished the clear lake Anglers choice night tournament with Tom Leogrande, the former admin of this site. As we get to our first spot and we realize we lost our net on the ride over… woops


Tom started off the night with a couple frog fish on the tweety snag proof frog. We then saw some fish crashing bait on the surface and I decided to give the JSJ-Snack size trout a shot in the chartreuse color.


4th or 5th cast I’m on and its a good fish. Finally get the fish to the boat and since we have no net, Tom knows he has to lip it. With treble hooks all over he gives it the death grip we get it in the boat…. not quite 10, but close….


a while later hooked up again….fish feels bigger… oh crap! Bring it to the boat and its only 5-6 lbs but with a mouth full of weeds.


we end up culling out a small fish and weigh in with 23.96 and big fish of 9.88


PAYDAY…


lots of fun and a cool new bait by one of our own members.”


Congratulations Steve & Tom! Results are not even posted yet as of now: Anglers Choice


This is the best news I have had in a while!

My Top 10 Topwater Bass Lures

DSC_0022 (2) 

More than any other time of year, now is the time to be out throwing topwater. The long hot days post-spawn going into summer are my favorite times to go out and fish the surface.

This list does not include any swimbaits, because well, frankly I just spent the last two days pouring and fishing swimbaits, and I don't want to look at one right now.

River 2 Sea Frog

DSC_0156

This is by far my favorite lure to fish, I would say ever. I love frog fishing and would rather do that than any other type of fishing given the choice. I have fished a lot of frogs and this has become my favorite one.

Snag Proof Small Frog

DSC_0008 (2)

Not too many people use these baits but they have a few really key purposes.
I use them in clear water reservoirs with shy fish, as a follow up to big frogs on missed slurps. Plus, these baits are pretty light and you can get them to jump and do some stuff that a bigger frog won't do as easy which is perfect for fishing in open water.

Lunker Lure Buzz Bait

DSC_0018 (2)

The original buzz bait: I like this bait because it is a simple, no-nonsense lure. It also squeaks like no other buzz bait I have ever used. I think this important in pissing fish off.

The Super Spook

DSC_0015 (2)

The Super Spook has been a part of my arsenal for a long time now and I think it walks the best out of all the different sizes of Spooks.

The Zenith Lures Z-Claw

DSC_0017 (2)

This is sort of an odd, walking bait with one large lead ball in it. It is made of a slightly different plastic than a lot of lures and makes a low knocking noise.

The Bloodshot Raptor

DSC_0012 (2)

If you do not have a wood lure in your topwater line up, you need to get on the ball.
There are times when a wood lure can make all the difference in the world in turning lookers in to all-out killers. This particular wood lure is not made any longer, and when I found this out I purchased as many as I could (about fifteen or so).

The MegaBass Pop Max

DSC_0013 (2)

Not all poppers are created equal – and let me tell you: this Japanese lure maker came up with one hell of a popper.

The Deps Buzzjet

DSC_0007 (2)

This lure came out a couple years ago and raised a few eyebrows; it certainly got my attention and has become one of my favorites.

The Lucky Craft Splash Tail

DSC_0006 (2)

This is a great lure in clear water reservoirs with small mouth and spotted bass in particular. It can be ripped and fished really fast.
These baits get some explosive strikes almost like a buzzbait. 

The Lucky Craft Gunfish

DSC_0014 (2)

This is a great subtle topwater bait when the fish are slap-happy and you can't seem to convert strikes into fish in the boat. Before you switch over to a jerk bait, give one of these things a shot.

Well – it’s coming up on 5:00 and still about 80 degrees out so I think I am going to go do some topwater fishing.

New Snack Size Trout swimbait color

DSC_0007

I just got done spraying the first batch of chartreuse shad Snack size swimbaits, I spent a bit of time messing with base colors to get the pearl to read right after spraying it. I cannot wait to get my first fish on this color.

I will be out to Lake Sonoma with Tom Leogrande next week to get the first video of fish being caught on the bait (hopefully anyway) as well as some good video of the bait in action.

I am also organizing a trip with Cal from Tackletour.com to do an on the water introduction to the Snack size trout some time towards the end of the month.

The new chartreuse shad will be available by this weekend and Outdoor Pro Shop in Rohnert Park or on-line at Monster Tackle