Art Simms Bass Fishing

Z-Bone Special

2011-06-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Great Fathers day special on Z-Bone ST special run models. $50.00 off and free shipping, check it out at www.kistlerrods.com

2011 Bassmaster Classic picks

2011-02-15T12:49:00.000-08:00

Here are my picks for the 2011 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta....

Sentimental Pick.....Gary Klein. Everyone wants to win the Classic, but no one wants to win the Classic more than Gary!

DUH pick........KVD, Skeet, Ike. Need I say more?

Homeboy pick....Derek Remitz. I would love to see homeboy Derek win the Classic, but unfortunately the Delta doesn't fit his style.

Gut pick...... Kelly Jordan!!

Good luck to all the classic contenders!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a happy and safe holiday season!

Done

2010-11-24T22:11:00.001-08:00

My fishing year is officially over. The boat is winterized and put away, all my reels are stripped and the drags loosened, I am done for the year!
All that is left now is to thank my great tournament partners - Scott and Shawn, for another successful year, my sponsors - Kistler Rods, FlaMinn lures, Mepps and Mister Twister, and most of all my Family for their support.
Over the winter I plan to blog some how-to articles, some reviews on a few new products I used this year, and whatever else I may think of.
For now, thank you to all my readers and have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Just Hawg Huntin

2010-10-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

With the tournament season over and a beautiful day on the horizon, my Brother Scott and I decided to hit one of our favorite North Metro lakes Friday for some hawg hunting. Conditions were sunny and calm with a light South breeze picking up in the afternoon, water temp was 55 degrees. The weather had been stable and with the fall feedbags on, we knew the fish would be biting. We ended up having one of the best frog fishing days we have ever had! Every fish we caught was between 15 and 18 inches with one very fat 19 that Scott hauled in. We estimated out best 5 at around 18lbs!

Simply Fishing Marine tournament - Green Lake, Chisago

2010-10-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

I pre-fished Friday and pretty much eliminated the deep bite. The post turnover conditions had the fish very scattered and we only caught a couple of little fish deep. Our plan was to stay shallow, cover water, and hopefully connect with some good fish.
Tournament morning started out a beautiful 50 degrees and sunny with virtually no wind, warming to about 80 in the afternoon, water temp was about 60 degrees.
Our first spot was a row of docks in Little Green, I started skipping a junebug Mister Twister Comida while my partner Shawn was alternating between a FlaMinn Lures spinner bait and a Subwart. After finishing the docks and no fish we ran to another set where we were able to pick up four small keepers on the Comida.
We then went back into the main lake to another set of docks where I connected with a 16 incher to fill our limit. We continued our dock pattern on the main lake, catching some keepers, but only made a couple small culls.
About noon we decided to fish a small bay that was full of milfoil and lined with lily pads. I was throwing a Snagproof frog while Shawn was throwing a Zoom Horny toad. We had worked about half way in and were working back out when Shawn nailed a 14 incher for a cull. A short while later he connected with a 15 incher for another good cull. At this point I also tied on a Horny toad and we continued working the area for about another hour without another bite.
With about an hour left we decided to run back to the docks in Little Green in hopes of culling a couple more times. We managed to catch fish but nothing that would help.
At the weigh in it quickly became apparent that we did not have a good day. We weighed a limit for 8.34lbs for 13th place. There were a few smaller limits and some teams did not even have limits, so we felt good about that, but twelve other teams did pretty well making me believe we missed something. The winner had over 14lbs, and quite a few bags were over 10 lbs.
Thats it for my tournament season, so now its time to just fish for fun, hopefully the weather stays unseasonably warm for a while, I could be fishing well into November.

Sunrise Bassmasters Youth Services Bureau - Big Marine

2010-09-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

My brother Scott and I arrived at Big Marine Lake to a very chilly 37 degrees and light fog, fortunately the forecast called for sunny skies and light SE winds. The water temp was 49 degrees warming to 59 in the afternoon.
Like every tournament I fish on Big Marine, we decided to start on what used to be my best spot. We were not able to fish exactly were we wanted because another boat was already sitting near the spot, but we were able to position ourselves close enough. After about two hours of casting jigworms to the weedline we managed a small limit with the biggest fish in the 14 inch range.
We next ran to another weedline where Scott caught a 14 incher that replaced a 12. After another hour of working the area and no bites we figured since the better fish were not going deep we would try shallow.
We settled on a reed bed that has produced in the past and started flipping. Almost immediatly I missed a fish that I didn't feel bite. We continued working around the reedbed and Scott connected with a 3 lber which culled our last 12 incher. Next I caught a 14 incher which culled a 13. A short time later I set the hook on another good fish and Scott netted a 18 incher, culling another 13 incher.
At this point we opted to spend the rest of the day flipping the reeds hoping to upgrade the three small keepers we had. The bite slowed but Scott did manage a slight cull with a fatter 14 incher.
The weigh in was typical for Big Marine with mostly 7 and 8 pound limits. We ended up with 10.68 good for 4th place - unfortunately they only paid 3 places. 1st and 2nd place had over 12 lbs and 3rd place was over 11 lbs.

Fishers of Men - Horseshoe Chain

2010-08-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

My partner Shawn and I pre-fished a week ago and found the fishing tough, but did manage enough bites to feel confident. We pre-fished again on Friday and located an area holding a lot of fish that hopefully would still be biting the next day.
Our plan was to hit some of my 1-2 fish spots along the way to our larger fish holding area we found Friday.
Tournament morning started out a cool 65 degrees with 10-15 mph SW winds. We drew boat #17 and when our number was called we raced to our first spot, a tree overhanging the shore on a point. We shook off a bite here pre-fishing and hoped we could pick up a quick fish. After about 10 minutes and no bites it was time to go. Our next stop was a shoreline with a mix of docks and wood. On about the third dock I caught a 13 incher on a Mister Twister Comida in watermelon candy. After fishing the rest of the shore with no success we left.
The next spot was a small bay rimmed with lily pads and wood, and a "magical" tree which always produces a good fish. We started on a shoreline pitching B-A-Hawgs and FlaMinn Lures Jigs to the pads and wood. About half way down I connected with another 13 incher. We next headed over to the "Magic" tree where I stuck a 17 incher on the B-A-Hawg. We continued down the shoreline and were rewarded with two 14 inchers from pads - giving us a limit.
With our plan working and having a limit at 9:30 it was time to go to our best spot. This was a large bay filled with lily pads but only one particular area was holding fish. On about my 3rd cast with a white Snag Proof frog I hauled in a 16 incher which culled a 13. We took our time working the area but didn't get another bite so we decided to work through it again. About half way down the shore in the pads was a long dock which I skipped the first time through with no success. This time I was walking the frog parallel to the dock when the frog just disappeared. After a short battle about a 15 1/2 incher was netted, culling another 13 incher. We continued working the area for quite a while but the bite had slowed so we made a call to go to another shoreline that looked similar.
We flipped and frogged the pads and wood with no takers until we reached an open pocket behind the pads and between two trees. After casting the frog to the pocket and twitching it a couple times a fish boiled but missed the frog. After a couple more twitches the fish came back and ate it. When the nerve wracked fight was over, Shawn netted about a 4 1/2 pounder which made about a three pound cull.
At this point I figured we had about 12 lbs but we knew we had to cull our last 14 incher to have a chance for the money. We figured our best bet would be the pad area that had the most fish, so we spent the last hour there where Shawn was able to cull up a couple ounces with a fish a little over 14 inches.
A few teams had already weighed when our fish were put on the scale. We took the lead and although we had a couple scares we never relinquished it. We ended up in first place with 12.73lbs and second big bass at 4.49lbs for a healthy payday.

Fishing again!

2010-08-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

After about three weeks of being busy, lousy weather and not feeling well, I finally managed to get out fishing a couple times this week.
On Sunday I went to The Horseshoe Chain to do some pre-fishing for an upcoming tournament. The Chain is fishing tough right now but we caught a few fish with my biggest being about three pounds and found some potential water for tournament day.
On Wednesday I just wanted to whack some fish, so my brother Scott and I decided to head to Rush lake. Again it was tough fishing, mainly due to the strong winds. The bite was pretty slow but we still caught plenty of fish, most were in the 14 - 16 inch range but I did manage one 17 incher.
It felt good to get out fishing again and I'm looking forward to this weekend. I'll be pre-fishing again Friday and fishing the tournament Saturday.
Watch for a blog next week about the tournament.

Full Throttle - Forest Lake

2010-07-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

My Brother Scott and I arrived at Forest Lake Saturday to a beautiful sunny, calm morning. The forecast called for sun and light winds but strong storms for the afternoon.
We had put together a pattern pre-fishing Friday and were confident in our plan for the day.
Our first spot was a reed bed that normally produced better quality fish. Armed with our Kistler Helium Flipping rods we went to work. Scott was pitching a 1/2 oz Black/blue FlaMinn Lures jig while I started with A Mister Twister B-A-Hawg in black neon. By the time we left the spot we had four fish in the well that were all 14-15 inches. Not the size we hoped for but a pretty good start.
Our next spot was another reed bed that we shook off numerous bites in on Friday, but after working them thoroughly we had nothing for our efforts.
We decided to run to some docks that produced bigger fish in the past, which turned out to be a good choice, the first dock produced a 16 1/2 incher which filled our limit. On the next set of docks a 15 1/2 incher culled one of the 14's. We ran some other docks but never had another bite on any of them.
With about two hours left we decided to kill the remainder of the tournament on the reeds we started on in hopes of culling the last two 14 inchers. After pitching for about 10 minutes I stuck a 17 incher that replaced one of the 14's.
With about 45 minutes remaining, the storms started rolling in with lots of lightning all around, so we headed in to fish around the weigh in site but did not get another bite.
At the weigh in we ended up with 11.42 lbs with our big fish being 3.11 - which was good for 4th place and a check. 1st place weighed a little over 14 lbs.

Canada pics

2010-06-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

A few pics from our recent Canadian fishing trip.

Annual Canada trip

2010-06-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

We are back from our annual Canadian fishing trip and what a great time I had with my 9 year old grandson Triston and my wife Monica. The weather could not have been more perfect with temps in the low 70's, light winds and partly cloudy skies all week.
With water temps in the low 60's the fishing was awesome. Fishing slip bobbers and jig/leech combos in 4-8 feet of water in the bays we were catching 30-50 walleye a day and numerous smallmouth of various sizes. We also managed to catch 3 northern pike in the 36" range, along with many smaller ones.
This was the 3rd time Triston went with us and although he had fun the last 2 years, the fishing and weather was terrible and we caught very few fish. This year he saw how good the fishing really is and caught many walleyes, bass and pike, and even caught a few jumbo perch on a bumblebee pattern spinner bait he picked out himself at the sportshow. I'll post some pics in the next couple of days.
Well for now it's back into bass fishing mode, but I'm already looking forward to next years trip.

Boat problems!

2010-06-06T16:11:00.001-07:00

I had planned on fishing the Fishers of Men tournament on Clearwater lake Saturday, but due to boat problems I couldn't make it.
Last time I used the boat I noticed the steering was slipping - not a good situation at 60+ mph. Knowing I had a tournament coming up and a fishing trip to Canada next Saturday I had to get it fixed.
After doing some inspecting, I located a leak at one of the hydraulic fittings, which I was able to tighten. The problem began when I attemptd to fill and bleed the system. When I opened one of the bleeder screws the threads came out with it. I scrambled all day Friday to get it fixed, but turns out the only option was to have the steering cylinder replaced. So I called the tournament director and got a refund on my entry fee and then dropped the boat off at Bethel Marine for repair. Hopefully I'll have the boat back Tuesday or Wednesday.

Full Throttle - Balsam Lake

2010-05-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the 2010 Full Throttle Balsam Lake tournament is in the books and I kind of have mixed feelings about the outcome. Traditionally, a limit in this tournament will put you in the money - not this time. Although a limit of 14+ inchers can be tough to get on Balsam this time of year, we managed to fill ours, but so did a lot of other teams, leaving us in 15th place.

Pre-fishing Friday we found water temps in the mid to upper sixties, so we started looking in the shallows to get a feeling for what the fish were doing. We saw lots of small bass cruising but only saw one small male protecting a bed. My feeling was they were, for the most part, done with the spawn. We checked some deep spots to try to locate some post spawn fish but caught nothing but dinks.

Tournament day started partly cloudy with air temps in the low sixties and a light SE breeze. Our plan was to do as we did last year and hit all the docks in spawning areas, confidant some of the post spawn fish moved under them.

Our first spot was a small bay that we caught 3 good keepers from last year. I started throwing a weightless Mister Twister Comida in watermelon candy, while my partner Scott was throwing various moving baits. After working all the way around the bay, fishing the docks and in between them, I finally connected with a 14 incher on the inside edge of some pads.

We then ran to a larger shallow bay where I caught another 14 incher near a dock. A few docks down the line I managed to stick a 15 incher. On the other side of the bay, my partner Scott hooked into a 14 incher, and a short while later I caught another 15. It was now about 10:30 and with a limit in the well we still had over 4 hours to upgrade.

We then ran into East Balsam and fished a few similar areas with no success. It was now raining and a front was pushing through with very strong winds and thunder. We spent about an hour in a small protected bay and again, no keepers.

The front had passed and with about two hours left we decided to fish through the same areas where we had caught our keepers earlier, but after almost 2 hours and no upgrades we headed to weigh in.

We ended up with 8.18lbs. I was thrilled to have a limit, we fished clean all day and caught the fish we were fishing for, unfortunately, we simply were fishing for the wrong size fish.

new tournament jerseys

2010-05-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

I received my new tournament jerseys from Gemini last week and I think they turned out great. I also ordered one for my 9 year old grandson Triston, who fishes some tournaments with me. Here is a pic with Triston modeling his.

Instinct

2010-05-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those tournament days where every decision you made was the right one? On the other hand, have you ever struggled just to try to fill your limit and every decision was the wrong one? I have experienced both kinds of days several times in the past and spent a lot of time thinking about why the bad days were bad, but never coming up with anything except excuses.
About two years ago I found a big piece of the puzzle.
I was watching the Bass Pros on TV and Rick Clunn was talking about fishing by your instinct. He stated that we make decisions based on either instinct or intellect, instinct being a gut feeling and intellect being a decision made after the thought process was complete. It was now starting to click! He went on to explain that the way to tell the difference between instinct and intellect is if your decision is based on fear, it is intellect.
After thinking about some past tournament experiences, I realized how true his theory was.
I remember tournaments where I stayed on a spot too long in fear of someone else getting the spot if I left, even though it was not producing well. And days when I left a spot to fish another before someone else got to it, decisions based on fear! I also found that on the tough days, I tended to over think, which took instinct out of the equation.
I also remembered on my best tournament days I didn't seem to feel any pressure and just fished by instinct (although I didn't realize it at the time) and the days ended with good results. One example is, last year I was fishing a Full Throttle tournament on Green lake. I normally fish a weedline that produces big fish, but this day only small keepers were there and we had about a eight pound limit half way through the day. I had my eye on a row of docks all day for no particular reason, but stuck with the weedline for fear of missing the big fish bite if it occurred. Finally I realized my instinct was telling me to fish the docks and I told my partner we were moving. On the second dock I stuck a fish under the boat lift which turned out to be over 5lbs, bumping our weight to over 12 lbs getting us a 7th place check and another for big bass. Had I not listened to my instinct, we probably would have ended up in the middle of the pack.
Since hearing Clunns theory my mental approach to fishing has changed. By being more aware of my instinct I make better decisions, I try to not overthink and if my gut is telling me something - I listen!

New stuff

2010-05-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

I still have not made it on the water yet but at least I think I am ready now. I had to put new tires on the trailer and replace my deep cycle batteries. I also purchased a few other items, here are some pics.

My new Kistler Rods Z-bone 7'6" heavy.

Quantum Accurist PT AC100HPT burner for the Z-bone

8ft Power-Pole pro series

Skeet Reese

2010-05-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

There is no one hotter in professional bass fishing right now than Skeet Reese. Not even the mighty KVD, who seems to have fallen off the face of the Earth since his Classic win. Since Reese's Classic win in February 2009 he has amassed some pretty impressive stats - 11 top tens, 8 of which were top fives, including 2 wins. And with the exception of his 43rd place in the 2010 classic, all of his other finishes were in the twenties - still very respectable! Right now I think Reese could fall out of the boat and come out with a four pounder in his rear end.

Kistler Z-bone LE

2010-04-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

My Kistler custom Z-bone LE was waiting for me when I got home yesterday and all I can say is AWESOME! I ordered the ZBLE-5h-76 with split marble cork grip & micro guides. This rod is all I thought it would be. Light as a feather, great feel and balance, and finished flawlessly. Cant wait to get on the water with it!

Getting Ready

2010-04-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

The new Kistler Z-bone rod is ordered, the Mister Twister order is in and I got some new finesse jigs from Flaminn lures. I'll be ordering new tournament jerseys within the next couple of days, going shopping this weekend for line, hooks etc, checking into having a Power Pole installed and getting the boat ready. My first tournament is in two weeks - I better get moving!

Kistler build your own rod!

2010-03-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Kistler Rods new build your own Z-bone rod program is up and running. I ordered mine a few days ago and it was very simple. Just go to www.kistlerrods.com and click on build your own rod, from there you will be guided step by step through the building process. Choose your rod length, handle length, action, grip, etc. You will also be given choices like standard or split grip handle or the LE handle which includes a balancing kit, standard guides or Micro guides, standard or spiral guide wrap, and even thread color. Give it a try and own a truly one of a kind Kistler rod.

FLW Red River cancellation

2010-02-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

Seems to be quite a debate stirring about whether FLW Outdoors should have cancelled the Red River tournament this week. A large contingent of FLW Pros approached tournament officials before the pre-tournament meeting and voiced their opinions over safety concerns, prompting FLW to cancel the event.
Rivers can be dangerous and accidents can happen under good conditions. Reports are that the river is high, current is fast and the water temp is cold, add in some unusually cold air temps, floating debris, underwater obstructions and over one hundred 70 mph bass boats and you have an accident waiting to happen.
These same conditions also make for some incredibly tough fishing. FLW anglers have been reporting on Facebook all week that fishing is bad with very few bites, some stating they had not had a bite all week. Of course there were some anglers who were against the cancellation because they had fish going or were confident enough in their abilities that they could earn a check, some just wanted to fish because that's what they do.
Safety should always come first, not only for the anglers but also for the co-anglers who are at the mercy of their Pro partner for the day. I do believe though that FLW should have a contingency plan in place for occasions like this. Last year BASS made a last minute change to a different venue for the WBT Championship after they deemed conditions dangerous on the Red River, proving it can be done. These anglers have too much time and money invested to just toss the tournament out leaving no way to recoup their losses.
In my opinion, FLW made the right decision based on angler safety. I do have to wonder though, had those anglers not approached tournament officials with their concerns, would the tournament still have been cancelled? Also, if those same anglers were catching fish, would the prevailing conditions have been an issue?

2010 Bassmaster Classic

2010-02-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Here are my picks to win the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, held on Alabama's Lay Lake February 19-21.

1. Tommy Biffle - One of my all time heroes, lives or dies with the flippin stick. On somewhat of a hot streak finishing 2nd & 3rd in the two Elite post-season tournaments. He will find fish in skinny water that other anglers miss. A gut feeling.

2. Gerald Swindle - Has turned things around and fished well all year. Fishing what could be considered his home lake, he's looking for revenge after his DQ at the last Lay Lake Classic. His first Bassmaster win could very well be this years Classic.

3. Gary Klein - Always the sentimental favorite. Fishing his 28th Classic, Gary wants the Classic title bad, the only thing missing from his already impressive resume.

Of course there is also KVD and Skeet Reese, but it goes without saying they are a threat anytime, anywhere.

2009-12-22T13:36:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to all!

Sport shows

2009-12-22T10:00:00.001-08:00

The 2010 Sportshow season is right around the corner. Time to stock up on FlaMinn Lures Spinnerbaits & Jigs. Look for the FlaMinn Lures booth at the following shows. I will be working some days at the MPLS, St. Paul and St. Cloud shows, stop by and say hello.

Minnesota Sportsmens Show
Jan 13 - 17
St. Paul Rivercenter, St. Paul, MN.

St. Cloud Sportsmens Show
Feb 12 - 14
St. Cloud Civic Center, St. Cloud, MN.

Northwest Sports Show
March 24 - 28
Minneapolis Convention Center, MPLS. MN.

Sporting Collectible Show
April 17 - 18
Perham Area Community Center, Perham MN.

Polk County Sportsmens Show
April 24 - 25
Polk County fairgrounds, St. Croix Falls WI.

FlaMinn Lures will also be at various other sportshows in the upper midwest, check their website for more information. http://www.flaminnlures.com/

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

BP Bass Derby pics

2009-11-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

5lbs 10 ozs

5 lbs

2009 Bass Derby

2009-11-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Bass Pundit Bass Derby is in the books and unfortunately, I fell short of my goal. I ended up finishing in second place with 25.27 lbs.
Congratulations to Jason Holmer (Minnesota Bass Fishing Blog) for being this years Champ with 28.92 lbs. Jason got into some big fish, including a 7 pounder, which gave him a lead that no one could overcome. Great job!
Thanks Dave for putting it all together.
Now, all I can do is look forward to next years derby, and wait for my 2nd place check - I hear it's in the mail!

Kistler news!

2009-11-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

Great news! Follow this link http://www.kistlerrods.com/KistlerDoesTheRightThing to see whats going on at Kistler Rods. Guide upgrades for previously purchased rods, Gary Loomis designed blanks, micro guides, new total custom rod program and the new Zbone rod are all in store for 2010.

Youth Services Bureau tournament

2009-10-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

This years Sunrise Bassmasters fundraising tournament for Youth Services Bureau was changed to Big Marine lake, due to the low water at North/South Center.
My brother Scott and I decided not to pre-fish because I have one spot that normally produces big fish and didn't want to hook any. We figured if the big fish were not going, we could still catch fish there along with an occasional good one.
The morning started partly cloudy and cool with a good 15 mph South wind, with a forecast for strong N/NW winds in the afternoon.
After blasting off boat #6 we arrived at our spot and started casting our jigworms. After a few casts, I set the hook into our first keeper, a 16+. A few casts later I caught a 15 incher. It took a while but then Scott caught our 3rd fish - a 13 incher.
The bite was very slow and the strong wind was making it difficult to fish, but a while later a 14 incher made it into the livewell. We continued fishing the spot for about another hour but had no more bites, so we decided to start working around the area, hoping they would be grouped up somewhere nearby.
Around 11:00, and still only four fish, we decided to flip some reeds in hopes of filling our limit, then maybe going back to our original spot and try for bigger fish.
The reeds were almost impossible to fish due to the wind, but after getting around to the protected side, I managed to catch our fifth fish - a 14 incher.
The reeds did not produce any more bites, so we ran to a spot where Scott had won a club tournament previously. Scott managed to cull one, but that was it.
We had about two hours left and opted to kill them on our best spot where we managed a few culls but nothing big.
While waiting for weigh in, we heard a couple of teams talking that had about 15lbs each. We considered dumping our fish thinking our 8lbs wouldn't get us anywhere, but decided to weigh anyway. Turns out our 8.34lbs was good for 5th place and another check!

Derby culls

2009-09-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

I made it a point to get back out to "Hawg Heaven" on Friday and managed to make a couple of culls for the Bass Pundit Bass Derby.
I was joined my my friend and fellow bass fisherman Sammy Lewis who was as anxious as me to return to the lake.
We started flipping a set of reeds that held a lot of fish on my last visit, but nothing big. My first fish of the day was only a 16 incher, but the next one was a healthy 19 incher that went 4-4 on my scale, giving me a slight cull. I continued catching catching fish most of the morning but nothing big, but after a while the bite just stopped.
I decided to try something different and went to some off shore structure. On about my fifth cast I felt a solid thump, and after a hard fought battle Sammy lipped a bass that weighed 5-10. We continued working the area but didn't get any more bites.
While trolling to the next piece of structure, Sammy noticed bait fish surfacing and started throwing a spinnerbait at them and quickly boated two 14 inchers.
On the next spot, after making a few casts, I felt my lure climb over some brush and then get whacked. I set the hook into the fish but it had me wrapped, after see-sawing a couple times the fish pulled out of the brush and Sammy again lipped another big fish - 5lbs even.
We continued to run this pattern all over the lake but had no other bites.
I was getting close to calling it a day, but on the way in we decided to hit the same reed bed we started on and it was on fire. Lots of fish but all small. After about an hour we headed in.
This gives me three good culls and should move me up in the Derby.

Bass Derby update

2009-09-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't get out fishing as much as I hoped last week, but I did manage to get out a couple times and make one cull that should move me up to third place in the Derby.

On Thursday I went to Rush lake and spent the day flipping reeds. I had a pretty good day of fishing, lots of 14 - 15 inch fish with an occasional 18+, including a fat 19 incher which culled an 18 incher in the Derby.

On Sunday, my brother Scott went with me to a lake that I heard guys were catching six to seven pound bass. We had another great day catching lots of fish, again flipping reeds, but the biggest were only in the 16 inch range.

Unfortunately for me, Jason Holmer was fishing a tournament the same day on the same lake and he whacked the big ones - one over 7lbs, one over 6 lbs and a couple that were close to 6 lbs, giving him a commanding lead in the Derby.

I may be fishing for second place at this point but I am still going to give it my best.

Bass Pundit Bass Derby

2009-09-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

The tournaments are winding down for the season and with only a few opens left to compete in later this fall I have shifted my focus to winning the Bass Pundit Bass Derby.
As of now I am sitting in 3rd place with 22. 07lbs, a little over 2 lbs out of first. I have all next week off work and my plan is to hit some of my favorite big fish lakes and try to do some culling. My creel includes two fish over 5lbs, but I still have three fish in the 18 inch range. If I can cull the 18's for some 19-20 inchers I think I could have a pretty good shot at winning the title.
Look for a report in a week or so.

Bubba's Bass Bonanza - Rush Lake

2009-08-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

Rush lake had not been kind to me the last two years, and the couple times I was there this year, the spots that normally put out big fish were not going. My partner Shawn and I decided to fish the tournament anyway, because you just never know - I'm glad we did.
We arrived at the West access about 6 am to a very cool 44 degrees with light Northwest winds. After a short meeting, and drawing boat #5, we launched the boat and discussed our strategy. Since we did not pre-fish, we decided to stick with what worked in the past - flipping reeds. When our number was called we ran straight to one our best reed beds. It didn't take long and my Kistler HE76XHC was swinging a 16 incher in the boat, a couple minutes later Shawn caught a 14 incher. Next we ran to what used to be our best spot and I quickly caught a 17+, a short while later Shawn boated another 17+. We worked back through the same reed bed and I picked up another 17+, which now gave us a limit, then Shawn caught a 17 that culled the 14. The action was not fast & furious, but almost every bite was a good one
About 11 o'clock, the bite had really slowed, so we thought we would let the area rest and fish a nearby row of docks that have produced some big fish in the past. On the last dock I caught a 15 incher which didn't help, then in a small patch of reeds next to the docks, Shawn stuck another 15 incher.
We then fished another small patch of reeds that is known to give up a lunker now and then, but no success this time.
At this point, thinking we had about 14 lbs, we knew we had a shot at a good finish. We decided that since almost every bite on our best spot was a 17 incher, we would kill the last two hours there and try to get a couple of good culls.
We continued catching fish, but everything was in the 14-15 inch range, so we headed in with what we had and hoped for the best.
I was very surprised when our fish were put on the scale - 15.13lbs, good for first place and a check for $1000.00. I really didn't think we had over 14lbs but Rush lake fish are fat! Second place was about 14lbs and third was 12+.
Thanks to Bubba for running a good tournament, check out his circuit if you're looking for more tournaments to fish.

FTO Forest Lake update

2009-08-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

FTO Outdoors finally posted the Forest Lake results and final standings for the year. Turns out we took 7th place in the tournament, giving us a top ten finish in each of the three tournaments in the series. Also, after some initial confusion in the year end final standings, we ended up in 4th place overall, good for a free entry into a FTO tournament next year.
Congratulations to the team of Whiting & Wood for winning the points title.

FTO Outdoors - Forest Lake

2009-08-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

The final stop of the Full Throttle Outdoors Z Series was on Forest Lake July 25th. We were sitting in fourth place going into this one and mathematically we were still in the points race, but being 15 points out of first, the odds were against us. Still, we hoped for a good finish to move us up maybe a couple more places and make the money.
We decided to start on a reed bed that normally holds good fish. Scott was flipping a MG Lures Rhino Craw and I was flipping a Mister Twister B-A-Hawg, both of us using Kisler HE76xhc flippin rods. After about an hour and a half the wind started blowing pretty good and with only a 12 & 13 incher in the livewell, we abandoned the reeds and ran to some docks. Scott continued flippin the craw but I switched to a Texas rigged black neon Comida with a 1/8 oz weight tied to a Kistler Helium 2 69 mh. After a few fishless docks I finally stuck a 17 incher, a couple docks later a 14 incher, then a 15 incher went into the boat. We now had a limit and figured out what kind of docks were holding fish, but we still had lots of culling to do.
We ran to the next set of docks that fit the pattern and pretty quickly culled the 12 with a 14 incher, then Scott stuck a 14 incher which culled the 13. Next I caught a 16 that culled our smallest 14. On the next row of docks I caught a 15 that got rid of another 14 and caught some smaller fish that didn't help.
At this point we had a decent bag but still had a 14 incher in the well. We figured it would take about 12 pounds to make the money and we needed to upgrade to have a chance. With about 45 minutes until weigh in we had enough time to run another row of docks, but ultimately never caught another fish that would help.
The winning weight for the tournament was a little over 14lbs, second was 13 lbs and 3rd was 12 lbs, the last money spot and 5th place was 11.03lbs and our weight was 10.63lbs, just missing the money.
As of yet we still don't know what place we finished because FTO Outdoors does not post the weights at the tournament and they are very slow at posting the results on their website.

FlaMinn Lures

2009-07-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have been using Flaminn Lures flippin jigs and spinnerbaits for about five years now and I truly believe they are the best on the market. FlaMinn Lures is a small company based in Audubon Minnesota, that still takes pride in the product they build. The spinnerbaits are made with all quality components like ball bearing swivels and silver or gold plated blades. The Ultimate Flippin Jig is also top notch quality, made with Mustad hooks and a hard epoxy finish that lasts. They also carry buzzbaits, mushroom head jigs and crankbaits. They have a great color and size selection and Dave may even custom make something to your specs.

FlaMinn lures is running a Web special through Labor day, get a free spinnerbait or Ultimate Flipping Jig with any order over $50.00, get 2 free with any order over $100.00.

Check out their website at http://www.flaminnlures.com/

FTO Outdoors - Green Lake, Chisago

2009-06-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Arriving at the ramp Friday morning to pre-fish, all the dock talk was about how tough the fishing on Green Lake was, and that some guys were not even going to fish the tournament. After pre-fishing Friday, I was not convinced it was tough. All my spots had fish going and they were biting good.
Tournament morning started out 65 degrees, sunny and calm. We decided to start on a small point that seemed to have the best concentration of fish on it. After a couple of casts, my brother Scott hooked up with a 15 incher. A while later I caught a 13 incher and a short time after that a 12 incher went in the livewell. The bite slowed a bit but we managed to put another 14 in the well. After some time, and only a few shorts, we decided it was not worth sitting any longer on small fish, so we moved to a weedline that I had done well on the last few years. We were rewarded with a fish over 17 inches that filled our limit and another around 14", which culled the 12 incher.
A couple hours went by and the bite had all but stopped. Around 12:30, knowing we had no chance of making the money with the 9 lbs we had, it was time to make a change. We opted to run a stretch of docks that I had my eye on all day.
We fished the first dock with no takers, but while moving to the second dock we saw a 3 pounder swim under it. After fishing the dock thoroughly I moved around and skipped under the boat lift, my line tightened and I set the hook on what I thought was the 3 pounder. As I pulled the fish from under the lift I was amazed to see a giant on the end of my line, and the 3 pounder was swimming with it! After a heart pounding battle, Scott scooped up the 5 pounder. When the high fives were done we realized we were culling a 13 incher with a 5 lber and added about 4 pounds to our weight. We then circled back and continued fishing the same dock & lift, hoping to catch the 3 lber that was still there. After no success we moved to the next dock and again saw bass swimming under the dock - but this time there were three, about 3 lbs each. We worked this dock like no other, but after no bites we continued down the row of docks, excited knowing the kind of fish we were around. After finishing the docks with no more fish, and about 20 minutes before weigh in, we ran back and started over, hoping to catch the 3lbers we saw. We were unable to cull any more and ran out of time. We were still excited about the 5 lber but not thrilled with our total weight since historically it takes over 16 lbs to make the money.
At the weigh in it was apparent the dock talk was not all bull, lots of small limits were making their way across the scales. We weighed in with 12.72lbs good for 7th place and a check, and big bass for the day at 5.25lbs. Overall the weights were down, there were a couple 18lb bags, a few 15 lb and a few 13 lb with our bag taking the last money spot.
This finish should move us up in the standings to about 4th place with one event to go.

ABA - Big Marine

2009-06-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

After all the success I had on Big Marine last year I was really looking forward to this years tournament. My only concern was since the tournament is in June instead of August, the big fish might not be on my best spot yet.

I had been on vacation all week and did not plan on pre-fishing but decided to go out Saturday anyway. I went directly to my best spot and on my first cast caught a 3 pounder, I made another cast and got bit again. At this point I was convinced the big ones were there, so I spent the next couple of hours checking some other spots that normally have lots of fish on them, but not the size. They all had fish on them and they were biting well, so I called it a day and left to prepare for the next day.

Tournament morning it seemed as though everything was going my way, beautiful 55 degree morning, light winds, no rain in the forecast, my fish were there and I even drew boat number one!

I arrived at my spot and made my first cast with a jigworm tied to my Kistler HE70MS, put down the trolling motor and when I picked up my jig, a fish was on, a 14 incher went into the livewell. On my next cast another 14 incher, then a 15, then a 13, then another 14. Five casts and five fish, only not the size I planned on. My next cast produced another 13 incher which I released, then I caught a 14 1/2 which culled the 13. In 25 minutes I caught a limit and culled, but then it shut off. I continued to fish the spot for a couple more hours hoping the big fish would turn on, but it never happened. I had two other waypoints in the same general area so I decided to move around a bit and hopefully cull up. I fished the other two spots with no success and decided to spend more time on the original spot. About noon, without another bite, it was time to hit some other spots I knew of. After about a hour and a half and several spots later, and still no more bites, I opted to kill the rest of the day on my best spot. About 2:30 I finally got another bite and culled a slimmer 14 with a fatter one, adding maybe an ounce or two to my weight. At this point my only hope was that everyone was having as tough a day as I was and hopefully I had enough to make the money.
Turns out it was a tough day for everyone, it took only about 11 pounds to win and a few bags in the 10 pound range finished out the money spots. I finished with 7.82 pounds although I'm not sure what place I ended up in because there were a few bags between 7 and 8 pounds.

FTO Outdoors - Balsam Lake, 5/16/09

2009-05-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

The Balsam Lake tournament did not go as well as I hoped, but to be honest, it went better than I expected. I always seem to struggle at Balsam when the weather is unstable, and the massive cold front that blew through Friday night had me worried. Fortunately, our first fish clued us into a pattern that worked throughout the day.
When we prefished a week earlier, the weather had been stable and we found water temps in the upper 50's in the bays and lots of fish cruising typical spring shallows. We figured the fish would stay shallow and the spawn would start soon, so we decided to mark the areas that held the best fish and figure out how to catch them. After trying several different lures and catching some fish, we determined a weightless Texas rigged Mister Twister Comida in watermelon candy with the tip dyed chartreuse was the most productive presentation.
We hit the water again on Friday, the day before the tournament. After verifying the fish were still in the same areas and the same lure would work, we decided to check out a couple of my deep spots, both held fish but the quality was not there. So our game plan was set, we just had to decide where to start.
Tournament day arrived and we were greeted with 38 degree air temps, 15 - 20 mph NW winds gusting to close to 30 mph, and water temps that had fallen to 50 degrees. We decided to start in a small protected bay that had docks & weeds and held some good fish, but being boat #26 we weren't sure how many other boats would be there. Our number was called and after a blustery ride we were pleasantly surprised to find only one other boat in the bay, and they we anchored, which left us plenty of room to move around.
The first thing we noticed was no fish cruising like the previous day, so we knew we had to really slow down. I was skipping the Comida under docks & lifts with my Kistler 6'9" Helium 2, while my brother Scott was fishing the surrounding areas. On the third dock I stuck our first fish - a 15.5 incher, which told me the fish were still there. We continued around the bay and after a few more docks I caught a 17.5 under a boat lift. We now had a pattern - protected bays with docks & weeds. Next we ran to another protected bay and after fishing quite a few docks I finally hooked up with our 3rd fish - a 16 incher. We were now pretty confident we would have a limit since there was plenty of time left. We continued fishing the bay without any more bites and then ran to the next protected area. Again, after fishing a few more docks I caught our 4th fish, just a little over 14 inches but a keeper. By now we only had a couple hours left and had run out of protected spots, so we ran back to our starting spot and fished the docks over again without any bites. We then ran back to our second spot and again no fish. Now with only about 45 minutes left, we decided to end the day in the bay by the park and refish those docks. With only a few minutes left before check in, on the last dock in the row, I felt a bite and my line tighten up, I set the hook only to be broken off by what I am sure would have been keeper number 5.
We never did catch our 5th fish and ended up with 4 fish for 8.82 pounds, good for 10th place, but only missing the money by 3/4 of a pound.

Finally ready

2009-05-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

The reels are cleaned and spooled up with fresh line, the new LMS520c is mounted on the bow, the trailer bearings are repacked and the motor is tuned up. Finally, I am ready to go fishing! I'm planning on going to Balsam lake Friday with my brother Scott to do a little scouting for the Full Throttle Outdoors tournament next Saturday. I'm not sure what to expect, but from what I have heard the fishing has been tough. I'm guessing the bass will be pre-spawn so I'll spend some time looking around, checking water temps and looking for new weed growth, and hopefully catch a few fish in the process.

Bass fishing blogs

2009-04-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

I had a little time today so I thought I would post a blog roll on my sidebar to return the favor to some of my fellow bloggers who follow mine. Of special note are the Bass Pundits blog and Rich Lindgrens Bassin Blog, these are the guys who started the bass fishing blog revolution in Minnesota. The Bass Pundit is a former Viking Bassmaster club member that I was fortunate enough to fish with a few times. I have not had the privilege to meet Rich Lindgren, although I'm sure our paths have crossed at a few tournaments, and I do look forward to meeting him someday. Both are great sites, loaded with info and worth following.

A&J Towing LLC

2009-03-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have not had much time to blog lately because about a month ago my brother and I started a towing company - A&J Towing LLC. Between keeping my full time job, getting set up and working out all the kinks for A&J Towing, it just didn't leave any extra time.

We are based in Coon Rapids, MN. but service the entire Minneapolis, St. Paul & surrounding areas. If any one needs a tow, jump start, tire change, or lockout, give us a call. Mention you saw this blog and get 10% off.

A&J Towing LLC

24hrs/7 days wk

763-592-9697

Northwest Sportshow

2009-03-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Northwest Sportshow starts Thursday March 12th and runs through Sunday the 15th at the Minneapolis convention center. I am not sure if I will be working there this year, but if I do, I will be at the FlaMinn Lures booth #925, stop by and say hello. Be sure to check out the FlaMinn Lures Ultimate flippin jigs and spinnerbaits - the quality is outstanding! If I am not there tell Dave or Judy I sent you.

Skeet Reese - Classic Champ!

2009-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

Congratulation to Skeet Reese - Bassmaster Classic Champion!

Skeet has proven he is one of the most consistent & versatile anglers on tour. With his Classic win, a few tournament wins and an Angler Of The Year title to his credit, he is setting himself up to be one of the true legends of bass fishing.

Bassmaster Classic

2009-02-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

Here are my picks to win the Bassmaster Classic, in no particular order.

Kevin VanDam - Obvious threat, any where, any time.

Greg Hackney - Somewhat of a local, the fishery fits his style.

Scott Rook - Knows how to win on river systems, may quietly sneak up on everyone.

Elite tournament

2009-02-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

Normally, I like to keep my opinions to myself, but after reading an article on BassFan, I must vent.

Seems some morons in Virginia have organized a tournament to coincide with the Bassmaster Elite tournament on Smith Mountain Lake in April 2009. Stemming from their disapproval of the elimination of co-anglers by BASS, they are billing it as “beat the elites”. Sounds like they will mirror the Elite format with cuts, keep the take off site a secret, and even offer a $1000.00 bonus to any competitor whose four day total weight beats the pros. They claim this is their chance to prove they are as good as the pros.

First, all these guys are trying to do is feed their own egos and interfere with the Elite tournament pros. Sure, some of them will beat the pros, but being locals, some of them should. Also, we all know there will be numerous confrontations over fishing spots, which will lead to bad publicity, adding another black eye to the sport of competitive bass fishing.

Second, if indeed this is over the elimination of co-anglers, get over it! BASS is a business, they listened to the pros and did what they thought was in the best interest of the sport, and I agree with their decision.

The way I see it, nothing good will come from this tournament!

Mister Twister Comida

2009-01-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

The air temperature was crisp like most spring mornings, the cool water of the shallow bay I was fishing was quickly being warmed by the rising June sun. With each degree of warmth there was an increase in activity by the cold blooded creatures inhabiting the small bay. After making a long cast with a weightless Mister Twister Comida and letting it sink slowly to the bottom, I saw my line move indicating a strike from a hungry largemouth bass, I quickly set the hook and reeled in a chunky three pounder.
The soft plastic stickbait quickly made a name for itself because of its ability to catch bass in many situations. As the name implies, this stick shaped bait has no appendages of any kind and is available in various lengths, it can be fished shallow or deep, and rigged many ways, but the stickbait really shines when fished weightless in shallow water due to its enticing wobble as it sinks.
My favorite soft plastic stickbait is the Mister Twister Comida. The Comida is 5 inches in length and available in many colors, my favorites being pumpkin pepper for clear water situations, Christmas tree for stained water, and black with red flake for dark water. Rigged Texas style with no weight, this bait is deadly on spring largemouth.
Generally in spring, the water is clear, so I will use a natural color like pumpkin pepper or watermelon seed. A 3/0 wide gap hook, 17 lb fluorocarbon line and a Kistler HE2 6'9" medium heavy completes my setup.
After searching for and locating typical spring largemouth haunts, like sandy shorelines or inside weedlines, start by making a long cast to your target and let the bait sink to the bottom. Because the Comida has the ability to attract bass while sinking, pay special attention for a strike during this time, which may be indicated by either line movement or a telltale tap. If no bite is detected on the fall let the Comida rest motionless for a few seconds, give it a couple of short hops and let it sink again, if still no takers, reel in and cast to another spot repeating the sequence until a bass is caught. When a fish does strike, be sure to make note of whether the bass hit on the fall, while hopping the Comida, or while motionless, and try to duplicate that presentation to continue catching bass.
Another of my favorite techniques is to Texas rig a Comida with a 1/8 ounce bullet weight and skip it under docks. This technique can be very productive year round. Try to skip to the shadiest or most inaccessible areas as possible as these are the places the lunkers tend to hang out. Fish the Comida exactly as previously mentioned except heavier line may be needed to get the fish out as quickly as possible before it tangles around the dock pilings.
You can also Texas rig the Comida with a ¼ ounce bullet sinker and fish it on deep weedlines or pitch it to holes in the milfoil, Carolina rig it on the deep rock piles, wacky rig it or use a mushroom-head jig and fish with the hook exposed.
Spring, summer or fall, under any condition, you can always find a way to catch bass on the Mister Twister Comida.

2009 tournament schedule

2009-01-08T09:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a little reminder from the Bass Pundit, I thought I would post my tournament schedule for 2009.
One item of note, I found out there will be no Fishers of Men East division in 2009. It appears former FOM Director Mark Shutz has started a new tournament circuit called Full Throttle Fishing. He started with a walleye circuit in 2008 and has expanded with a bass circuit for 2009 consisting of two divisions with three tournaments each. My understanding is the points Champions from each division win a free entry into the Frankies 2 day tournament. Full Throttle Fishing seems structured very similar to FOM with a Friday night pre-tournament meeting, meal and guest speaker. I plan to fish the FTF circuit this year although I am not thrilled about the Friday night meetings, I would rather be home getting tackle ready and charging my batteries.
I also plan to fish the ABA again this year. These are very well run tournaments and a great group of guys.

ABA - 6/14 Big Marine
6/28 No/So Center
7/12 Waconia
7/26 Coon
8/9 Forest
8/23 Clearwater
9/19-20 White Bear & Big Marine

Full Throttle Fishing - 5/16 Balsam
6/20 Rush
7/25 Forest

Fishers of Men West - 5/30 Clearwater
8/29 Horseshoe

Viking Invitational - 10/4 Minnetonka

Sunrise YSB - 9/19? No/So Center

Thank You

2008-12-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

Now that I am done fishing for the year, I haven't had much to blog about, so I thought I would just thank those that helped me have another successful year tournament fishing.

FlaMinn Lures - Dave and Judy, owners of FlaMinn lures, are two of the nicest people you could ever meet, they work endlessly and put their heart & soul into the best jigs and spinnerbaits made - Thank you.

Kistler Custom Fishing Rods - I have been on the Kistler pro-staff for about 5 years now and I truly believe they make the finest rod available - Thank you.

Mepps/Mister Twister - The Mister Twister Comida has won lots of money for me - Thank you.

To my tournament partners, Shawn, Scott, and my best partner Triston - Thanks for great days on the water.

Last and most important, my wife, Monica. Her support of my tournament fishing is incredible, she always thinks I am going to win, and when I don't, she says I will next time. Without her support none of my success would be possible - Thank you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Big Marine - open tournament 10-19-08

2008-10-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

When a friend informed me of a little open tournament on Big Marine it was a no brainer, I called my brother Scott and told him we were fishing.
We did not pre-fish but I knew I could count on the same area I exploited all year for one more tournament. I wasn't sure if the fish would still be on the spot, but if not, they would be close by.
Tournament morning was in the mid forties with a steady 15mph South wind. We arrived at the spot to find it very windy, cold and difficult to hold, but knowing the quality of fish residing there made me determined to tough it out.
After the first half hour without any bites we were wondering if the fish were there or were our lures just not getting to them because of the wind, so we decided to start moving around. Finally Scott connected with a couple of 14 inchers and a while later I caught a 13. We kept moving and the next fish was a 17 incher. A few minutes later Scott hooked up with a 16, which gave us our limit.
By now we had narrowed the area down to 3 separate spots which had good green weeds that were deeper than the weedline, we decided to just rotate through those spots.
About 11 am the wind started to lay down which allowed us to really slow down and pick apart the weed beds. Scott caught another 16 which culled the 13, then I stuck a 18.5 which culled one of the 14's. Next we caught a 15.5 and culled the other 14. We continued catching fish but nothing that would help.
With about 30 minutes to go I stuck what felt like a good fish - turned out to be a 16 incher which culled out a 15.5. We knew we had a good bag now so we fished a few more minutes and headed in.
We ended up with 14.29 for 1st place and big bass at 3.50 lbs. A fellow blogger Carl Spade (carlsfishingblog.blogspot.com) took second with about 10 lbs. There were a couple of 8 lb bags but most of the guys did not even weigh in.
Another great day on Big Marine, not a huge payday but a win is a win.

Sunrise YSB & Viking Invitational

2008-10-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks I fished a couple of open tournaments. There is not much to tell and the outcomes were similar so I thought I would blog about them together.

First was the Sunrise Bassmasters YSB tournament held on North & South Center, this is a annual fundraiser where a portion of the entry fee is donated to the Lakes Area Youth Services Bureau. I did not have a chance to pre-fish since I was on vacation the week prior but my Brother Scott was able to get out and locate some fish holding in pads. Along with a couple of rock spots I have, a plan was set. We started on some pads on South Center that I have done well in the past but had no takers. We then fished the pads by Hazleton and caught a 15 incher on a buzzbait. Next we ran some dock with no bites. We then decided the shallow bite was not happening so we checked both of my rock spots and again no bites. We then ran to North Center to some more pads and managed to catch two more keepers fairly quick on A 3/8 oz FlaMinn Lures jig. We stuck with pads & docks the rest of the day and ended up with no more keepers. With only three fish for our efforts we didn't bother to weigh in.

Next was the Viking Invitational on Lake Minnetonka, another fundraiser, run by the Viking Bassmasters. All contestants are required to bring non-perishable food items which are donated to a local food shelf.
Once again I did not have time to pre-fish, but being the time of year it is, my partner Shawn and I thought we could throw spinnerbaits and jigs around docks, weeds and pads all day, cover lots of water and come up with a limit of nice fish. We started in Black lake where we caught a 12 incher on a dock, next I caught a 14 incher on another dock in West arm. We then went a long time without a bite. Around three o'clock I ran to a weedline spot I know in Spring Park bay and fished for about fifteen minutes with no bites. With only about fifteen minutes until weigh in we ran some docks nearby and caught a 16 incher but by now we were out of time. Again with only three fish it was not worth running all the way back to Excelsior bay so we loaded the boat and headed home.

These two tournaments were very humbling for me. I had a very successful year fishing the ABA, my confidence was high and I thought I knew the tournament waters well enough to do well. I fished hard and stayed positive each day, but after bombing twice I am reminded the importance of pre-fishing.

ABA - day 2

2008-09-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

I was a lot more confidant going into Big Marine than I was in Coon, but I was still bummed after my poor day one performance. I figured I had blown any chance for a good finish, but a fellow angler told me that a lot of guys who do well on day one seem to bomb on day two. Based on my previous high finishes on Big Marine, this gave me some hope of making a good comeback. I was going to put yesterday behind me, fish hard and try to make it back into the top five.

Day two started cloudy, foggy & humid with rain and possible storms predicted for the day. Since it had always been sunny during the previous tournaments, I was a little concerned that the fish on my spot would scatter. Also, after drawing boat #21 I was worried someone would get to the spot before me, knowing a lot of guys has seen me sitting there all day.

While waiting for take off, I decided I was going to the spot regardless if anyone was there or not. It is a small area and odds are no one would find the exact spot anyway, if someone was there I would get as close as possible and do my best.

Finally my number was called and I was off. Arriving at the spot, I was relieved to find no one on it. I grabbed my Kistler Helium 7 foot medium with a FlaMinn Lures 1/8 oz mushroom head and a 4" worm, lined up the boat and made my first cast.

Normally I would start catching fish immediately, but I went the first 1/2 hour with no bites. I started thinking I may be right and the fish scattered, so I started moving around and finally caught a 15 incher. I thought I had located the school but I didn't catch another fish there, so I kept working around the area. After working my way back to the original spot I finally connected with the school. First a 14 incher, I threw back and stuck a 16, then another 16. Then, on my next cast, I felt the bite, set the hook and broke off. I quickly retied and started casting again but the broken off fish seemed to shut down the school.

An hour went by without another bite, it was now raining, I was cold and frustrated and only had four fish. I was starting to wonder if I was going to catch my fifth fish when finally I hooked into one, after a nerve wracking battle I put a nice 17 incher in the livewell. Now I was excited, I had a limit and a very good start to another big bag, with plenty of time left to cull.

A short time later I hooked into what felt like another good fish. After carefully playing the fish to the boat I scooped up a fat 18 incher, which culled the 14 from earlier. The next fish felt better than any of the others, after a long battle I netted a 19 incher. This fish culled the 15 incher and put me around 15 - 16 lbs. At this point I could hardly believe it! 16 pounds is a monster bag for Big Marine, and I was thinking about culling 16 inch fish to increase my weight, knowing it was very possible.

Over the next couple hours I caught a few fish that didn't help, but with about a half hour left, I set the hook into another good fish, a 16+ that culled my smallest 16 incher. I was sure I had over 16 pounds now and didn't want to take any chances, so with about twenty minutes to go I wrapped up and headed in.

After all the boats were in I went up to watch the weigh in since it would be a while before I weighed. I heard lots of grumbling about tough fishing and small fish, which made me feel pretty good. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, lots of 5-7 pound bags and lots of 2&3 fish bags. When boats 16 - 21 were called to weigh, I bagged my fish and proudly walked to the scale. My big fish was 4.35 and my total weight for the day was 16.26lbs. I released my fish and watched the remainder of the weigh in with the closest bag to mine being in the 11lb range. When the weigh in was over I knew I had big fish for the day and made up some ground, but I had no idea where I was going to end up in the tournament or year end standings.

I waited with anticipation as the totals were calculated, and when it was all over I walked away with big bass for day two, 5th place for the tournament with a total weight of 21.54lbs, and 3rd place in the year end standings for a total of 825.00.

Although I was happy with the way I finished, it was somewhat bittersweet knowing if I had done better on Coon I would have placed even higher.

ABA two day, Coon/BigMarine 9/6-9/7/08

2008-09-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

I was a little nervous going into the two day tournament, I was sitting in 4th place overall with the top 5 at year end getting a check, in addition to any tournament money.
I wasn't worried about Big Marine because I knew my spot would still hold up, but after two days of prefishing Coon I had not put together a viable pattern. I knew I would need 10-12 pounds on Coon to be in contention for the second day, but at this point I was concerned about even getting a limit.
Tournament morning was a cool 50 degrees with a 10-15 mph West wind. I drew boat #4 and while waiting for take off I still wasn't sure where I wanted to start. My instinct was telling me to go to docks, but I had caught a couple of good fish and shook off a few others in the reeds by the beach, so I decided to start there. My number was called and I headed for the reeds. After take off was complete I realized I had the reeds to myself. My plan was to fish slow and spend a few hours there feeling confidant I could get a few fish. After two hours with no bites it was time to move.
I ran to a deep weed spot I found in practice and fished it for about 15 minutes - no bites. I then headed over to the west side to some pads I had previously done well on. The wind was blowing on them which usually makes them even better. After a while I finally hooked up with a 16 incher, which was a good start. I then worked the docks in the same area picking up a 14 incher. I went back to the same pads and worked them again but with no more bites. Next I went to a small bay with pads & docks and flipped a creature bait around, while working my way out I managed to pick up another 14 incher on a dock.
Having now convinced myself I should have listened to my instincts, I decided I would spend the rest of the day flipping docks. I stayed on the west side and fished all the docks I could without any bites. I then ran back to the east side to find bass boats lined up on the docks. Thinking it would be useless to fish behind all the other boats, I ran back to the reed bed hoping the bite had picked up. I worked the reedbed again with nothing to show for my efforts.
I had about an hour to go and I only needed two more fish for my limit, at this point I didn't even care if they were 12 inchers. I went back to some docks which now didn't have as many boats fishing them. I ran into one of the other guys who told me he only had three fish also and he had heard it was very tough for most of the guys. I spent the rest of the time committed to the docks, fishing them slowly and methodically but by now they were beat to death.
I weighed in with three fish for about 5 1/2 pounds. Turned out it was pretty tough for most, although a few guys seem to always find them. The leader after day one had over 21lbs, then a few 14lb bags then weights dropped from there. There was no way I was going to win now, so I just hoped I could get a good bag on Big Marine and stay in the top five for the year.

FOM Legacy, Big Marine 8/30/08

2008-09-10T13:24:00.001-07:00

I fished a Legacy tournament on the Horseshoe Chain last year with my then six year old grandson Triston. We both had a great time and took 7th place with about 11.5 lbs. But Triston was a little disappointed that he did not catch a bass. Although I let him reel in the bass I hooked, it just wasn't the same.
I was determined to make sure he caught bass this time and Big Marine was the perfect lake. I knew the fish would still be on the same spot - a deep coontail patch - as in the ABA tournament I won a couple weeks ago, so I rigged up a rod with a slip bobber and a FlaMinn Lures Ultimate mushroom jig and a 4" worm. Now Triston could fish the coontail but not get hung up too much. I would be fishing the same setup but without the slip bobber.
Tournament morning started out cool with a light Southwest breeze. Triston was as anxious as me to get to our spot and start fishing. Our number was finally called and we were off, arriving to our spot to find we had it to ourselves. I showed Triston how to fish the slip bobber rig and then we started fishing. I immediately hooked up with a keeper which Triston netted expertly. On the next cast I got bit again and told Triston to get the net, but he said he couldn't because he also had one on, so I grabbed the net and scooped up both fish - a couple of nice 16 inchers. The bite continued and we had a limit and made several culls in less than an hour. When Triston wasn't catching fish I would let him crank mine in. We were having a great time and very excited about the possibility of a high finish.
About 11am the bite had slowed and Triston started getting a little bored. I knew we could catch more fish if we stayed, but I decided to go to a different spot just to relieve the boredom.
At the next spot I caught a 15 incher on my first cast which culled a smaller fish, then Triston caught a 12 incher which didn't help, and some smaller fish - but at least he was catching them.
It was getting close to weigh in so I thought we would give my best spot one more try. We motored back and started fishing, within a few minutes I hooked up with a chunky 17 incher which made a good cull and really got us excited. It was now time to head in and hope we did well.
We were one of the first few boats to weigh and had 11.21lbs. We were in first place for a while until another team weighed 11.26, then another weighed 13lbs. Finally there were no more to weigh. Triston was very excited when I told him we took 3rd place and we would win plaques and money. I was also excited, and very proud of him since he contributed to the catch this time and earned his awards.

ABA, Big Marine, 8/17/08

2008-08-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Big Marine is one of those lakes where I always catch fish but can never break the 10 pound mark, this time would be different.
I did not want to make the same mistake I made on Clearwater by sticking with flipping all day, but I did not want to miss anything either so I planned on prefishing shallow and deep.
My brother Scott went pre-fishing with me since he had won a club tournament with over 12 pounds two weeks earlier on a deep spot. We first went to his winning spot where all we caught were 13 - 14 inch fish, we tried shallower and deeper but didn't catch anything bigger.
Scott said nothing was going in the reeds during his tournament but I wanted to check them anyway so we gave them a try with only two small fish for our efforts. I was looking at a map for other areas to check when I happened to remember a deep spot I found a few years ago, it only had small fish at that time but it would be another spot to go to. I ran to the spot, lined up the boat and made a cast, I immediatly hooked up with a 12 inch fish, then Scott landed a nice 16 incher. I threw back and quickly caught another 16 incher. At this point I knew what I was going to do during the tournament. I was going to sit on that spot all day if I had to since I had no bigger fish to go to anyway. I figured if I could catch 12+ pounds I should make the money and move near the top of the standings.
Tournament morning was a cool 55 degrees with a light Southwest breeze with stronger winds predicted for the afternoon. I drew boat 16 out of 32 and waited anxiously for the 7AM take off, hoping no one else had found the same spot. I arrived at my spot to find another angler very close to it, but he was casting a crankbait and moving away. I grabbed my Kistler Helium 7' Medium spin rod, moved up to the right depth and made my first cast and got bit right away, I threw out a buoy and reeled in a 13 incher. I put the fish in the livewell and quickly made another cast - another bite, this time a 15 incher. My next cast produced a fat 16 incher, a few minutes later - another 16 incher. By now I was pretty excited and took a minute to re-tie and compose myself. After a couple more casts - a 17 incher. It had only been 30 minutes and I already had a good limit - and the fish were still biting!
By 8am I had culled the 13 and the 15 and everything in the livewell now was over 16 inches. The bite slowed a bit but I was still catching fish and making culls once in a while. By about 10AM the boats that were fishing in the same general area had left, this gave me an opportunity to roam a little without someone moving in on my spot.
I was still gitting bit occasionally, but nothing that would help. At this point I knew I had between 12 and 13 pounds but I needed that one big kicker. I was starting to think I should move and go hog hunting, but decided I would stay all day and hope for the best.
About 1PM, about 30 yards away from my buoy, I caught a very fat 18 incher - which culled my lightest 16 incher and added probably a pound to my weight. Now I knew I had a pretty good chance of winning and was very anxious for the weigh-in.
By 2:30 the wind had come up pretty good and the skiers were out in full force. It was getting hard to hold on the spot and I was getting worried about my starting battery being dead from running the livewells and aerators all day. I decided I would head in early in case I had to jump start my battery. Fortunatly my motor started ok and I took my time going in. I made it in with time to spare, tied up and waited for weigh-in to start.
Since we weigh in by boat number and I was boat 16, I was able to watch some of the bags coming in. There was one 13 pound bag but most were in the 7-8 pound range. Finally it was my turn. While bagging my fish I realized I probably had better than the 13 pounds I originally thought. I weighed in with 14.04 which held up for 1st place and a 635.00 check.
This finish moved me up to 4th place in the standings with only the 2 day District Championship to go. The good thing is one of the 2 days is on Big Marine again!

ABA, Clearwater Lake, 8/10/08

2008-08-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to flip reeds - almost to a fault! Case in point - Clearwater lake. I have never been confidant with the deep bite on Clearwater, mainly because I don't spend much time fishing deep with so many reeds available.
This lake is full of reeds but I have found that some are more consistent than others.
Pre-fishing, I discovered the bass were holding on the points of reedbeds. I was not getting a lot of bites, but when I did they were 15 - 16 inches and one that was close to 18.
Tournament day I was faced with cold front conditions, cool and 10-15 mph East winds. I knew fishing would be tough so I planned on fishing for five good bites, based on pre-fishing I figured I could come out with about 12 pounds and I would have a shot at the money.
I started on the reed bed that I felt held the biggest fish, pitching a Texas rigged black neon B-A-Hawg with my Kistler HE76XHC flippin stick. I worked all the way around slowly with no bites. After moving to my next spot I quickly caught a 12 incher, I worked the same area a while longer with no more bites so I continued around the reedbed. When I reached the other side I hooked up with a 14 incher, but no more. On the next reed bed I caught two more 14 inchers. I still needed one more for a limit but I knew I had a lot of culling to do so I was hoping the bite would pick up. I ran to an area that had a lot of reed beds close together, planning to fish one in particular, but someone was already there so I moved to the next closest one even though I had never fished it before. At this point I was going to fish every reed bed I could whether I had fished it before or not. It didn't take long before I felt a bite, after a bit of a battle a 3lber was in the livewell. A good way to finish a limit but I still needed to do some culling to have a chance. After two hours working around all the reedbeds in the area and losing a couple of small fish I finally hooked up with another 14 incher that would cull the 12 incher. It was now about 1:30 and I had around 9lbs, I decided to go back through the areas I had already caught fish in hoping the bite had picked up - it didn't.
With about an hour to go I ran to a small bay that the entrance was lined with reeds and had some docks that held fish in a previous tournament. I didn't get any bites in the reeds and the docks were so shallow & weedy I couldn't skip a lure under them, I did manage to get two 12 inchers on a frog but that was it.
I ended up weighing in 9.95 lbs for 21st place. Sounds like the guys that fished deep caught fish all day and weighed any where from 10 to 13 pounds. The winner had about 16 lbs but I never heard what he was doing.
And so the story goes - I love flipping reeds - almost to a fault. This time it costed me a good finish. Half way through the day I should have realized the reed bite was just not happening and I should have taken a chance on something else, I had nothing to lose at that point.

FOM, Forest Lake, 8/2/08

2008-08-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

I decided not to pre-fish Forest Lake since I had a good finish the previous week in a ABA tournament there. I planned to fish shallow again since the deep guys didn't seem to do very well. I felt I could have done better last week if I could have been first to my starting spot so I wanted to start there again. Since FOM raffles off boat 1 & 2, my partner Shawn bought 20 raffle tickets and won boat #1 for us guaranteeing we would be the first boat there.
Tournament morning started out cool and very foggy but the fog started lifting about five minutes before takeoff. We quickly made it to our first spot and anxiously started pitching the reeds knowing the quality of fish holding there. We spent quite a bit of time fishing slow and hoping for the big bites, but after a couple of hours and only three small keepers in the well we decided it was time to move and come back later. On our next reed bed we were able to fill our limit including a 16 incher and cull a couple of 13 inchers. Next we went into the small lake to some docks, one of which usually holds a three pounder, but didn't catch anything bigger than 12 inches. We then ran to another reed bed and caught another 16 incher culling our last 13 incher. With a couple hours left we went back to one of the better reed beds and continued catching fish but nothing that would help. We then decided we would spend our last hour on our starting spot and again hope for a big bite. With about 10 minutes left before heading in, Shawn got bit about ten feet back into the reeds and got hung up. Not wanting to lose the fish and not knowing what size it was I ran the boat right into the reeds and was able to get the net under the 15 inch bass, this gave us about a 1/2 lb cull which put our final weight for the day at 11.83 and 12th place. Not as high of a finish as I hoped for but we just didn't get the big bites we needed.
This was the final Fishers of Men tournament of the year, Congratulations to Jeff Allen & Ryan Otto for winning the points Championship.

ABA, Forest lake, 7/27/08

2008-08-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

I always try to spend some time looking for new spots pre-fishing on lakes I am familiar with, if I don't find anything, I rely on my old spots. This was the case on Forest Lake. I didn't find anything worthwhile new and only found small fish on my deep spots. I did catch some 15 - 16 inchers shallow so I decided I was going to fish shallow all day.

The morning talk was all about how no one had anything going but small fish, which got me excited since I did pretty well pre-fishing.

My plan was to hope for a good boat draw and start on a reed bed that I knew was holding good fish, get a decent limit quick, then go hog hunting the rest of the day. I drew boat number 14 and watched as many boats went past my spot - until boat 12 ran right to it. I thought about going to it anyway but I figured most guys just pitch around fast and leave, so I went to an area close by to keep an eye on it while I fished. The area was a mix of reeds & pads which I did not get a bite in, but I did manage a 13 incher off a dock in the same area. I saw the reed bed was finally open so I ran to it and started pitching, alternating between a black/blue 3/8 oz FlaMinn Lures jig with a Mister Twister Craw Chunk trailer and a Mister Twister B-A-Hawg. I was quickly rewarded with a chunky 16 incher, a few pitches later another fish - which got hung up in the reeds, after getting a net under it and into the boat, I found it was an 18 incher. I retied and started pitching again and quickly caught my 4th fish - a fat 14.5 incher. I continued around the reed bed with no more bites so I turned and went back through it again, I worked the area for a while and decided to leave and come back later. My next stop was another reed bed. About my 2nd pitch I hooked up with another 16 incher. I now had a limit of about 11 pounds. With about 3 hours left to fish I knew I had a chance of winning if I could cull my smaller fish with more 16 inch plus fish. I again retied and started pitching and soon had another 14.5, which culled my 13 from earlier and gave me about 12 pounds. I continued fishing reeds all day, catching fish but culling only a little at a time. I had about an hour until weigh-in and opted to finish the day at my starting area. I fished hard knowing I was close to winning but never got the big bites I needed.

I weighed in with 12.27 pounds - good for 4th place and another check. The winner had 13.01. Overall I fished a good tournament, made good decisions, and cashed a check, but I was disappointed that I was so close to winning.

ABA, Coon Lake

2008-07-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

I felt confidant going into Coon lake based on pre-fishing and past experience. I pre-fished all the deep spots I know with no success so I planned on fishing shallow all day.
I was going to start on the West lake but after drawing boat #33 out of 36 and seeing most of the boats go that way, I decided to start in the reeds by the beach since only one other boat went there. I fished for about fifteen minutes with no bites, all the while thinking I should have stuck with my plan. I headed for the west lake to some docks with a small pad field at the end that were good pre-fishing. I was using my favorite Mister Twister Comida and skipping under and between the docks, there were lots of sunfish on beds so I new the bass would be nearby. Between the second and third dock I caught my first fish - a 3 1/2, good way to start the day. On the next dock I got bit, set the hook and pulled the fish from under the dock - another 3lber, unfortunately it just pulled off. I checked my hook and told myself OK, that happens once in a while and I resumed fishing. I had no more strikes until I got to the pads where I caught a 12 incher. I continued fishing the pads without another bite so I decided to go back through the same set of docks hoping the 3lber would bite again - not! Next I ran to a similar area and saw a 2lber behind a boat lift, I got it to bite once but missed it, I finally gave up and figured I would come back to it if I had to. I was going to run to another set of reeds when I had one of those gut feelings about a row of docks, so I decided to fish them instead. Always listen to your instincts! I had my limit including another 3lber and was culling in no time - even with a couple break-offs. At this point, the docks were on fire and I knew I was only going to fish docks for the rest of the day. On the next set I continued catching fish and upgrading. Then it happened again -another 3 lber popped after pulling it from under a dock, this time it rattled me, I knew it could hurt me. I took a minute to settle down then continued to fish docks the rest of the day. The action slowed a bit with only smaller fish that would not help me. I weighed in with 12.15 lbs good for 12th place. Not bad, but the two 3lbers I lost would have added a couple pounds and probably put me in the money.

Extreme Bass, Rush Lake

2008-07-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Rush Lake is normally money in the bank for me. I have won three tournaments on Rush and have finished in the money several more - not this time! It was the toughest fishing I have ever had on Rush. I have a couple of spots that normally produce big fish for me all summer, which I had checked on my two pre-fishing trips - nothing! My hope was they just were not there yet but would be at tournament time a week later.
Tournament day the wind was blowing 20-30 mph which created a couple of problems, my spots were basically unfishable and the lake fished very small since a good portion of the field tried to fish out of the wind.
Our first spot already had two boats on it when we arrived so we didn't spend much time there - no fish, we then ran to some docks on the East lake that we saw good fish cruising the shallows - nothing. We decided to make an attempt to fish my best spot even though the wind was pounding it, after about fifteen minutes we gave up - it was impossible - still no fish. We then spent some time running to docks & reeds that were somewhat out of the wind, the problem was every where we went someone was already there. We fished these areas the best we could without stepping on any ones toes and fortunately landed our first keeper - a 15 incher which clued us in a little. The fish blew up on a frog on the inside edge of a small patch of pads but missed it, I threw in a Comida and the fish hit immediately, I threw right back in and caught another 12 incher.
Now we had a pattern to work with! By now it was about 12:30 and only 2 fish. I had one more area on West Rush we hadn't been to yet that was similar to our pattern, and it was out of the wind! We were surprised when we got there to find no one there, what a relief. We immediately started casting frogs and I hooked up with a 3lber right away. This fish clued us in even more, it came from an isolated clump of weeds near shore. The fishing almost seemed easy after that, we continued to catch fish from every isolated clump of weeds or pads in that area and were culling by 1:30.
We ended up with about 12 1/2 pounds for the day and somewhere in the middle of the pack. This was a bad day for me on Rush Lake, but I did learn I need to be more versatile and take what the lake is giving me.

Green Lake, Fishers of Men East

2008-06-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I had been looking forward to fishing the Fishers of Men Green lake (Chisago Co.) tournament since we had made the money the last two years with almost 18 pounds each time. Unfortunatly, the fishing was not quite the same this year due to the cold spring. We managed to catch fish but they were very scattered, unlike years past where we found good fish bunched up. Since the take off was very close to our best spot we decided to start on a spot on Lindbergs point where we found some good fish holding during pre-fishing, then head to our good spot after take off had settled down. Almost immediatly we connected with a small keeper and then another of about 14 inches. After about a half hour with no more bites it was time to move to our best spot. We arrived to find another team sitting near the spot, not on it but close enough to keep us off, so we just put the trolling motor down and started fishing the weed line in the same area. This area always holds good post spawners, you just have to move around until you find them. We were throwing worms and jigs into the weeds and within 10 minutes we connected. My partner Shawn caught a 3 lber and I almost at the same time caught one about 4 lbs, then on the next cast Shawn caught another 14 incher. We had a limit but knew we had a lot of culling to do, fortunatly it was only 7am and there was plenty of time left. We continued to work the weedline when Shawn connected with another good fish close to 4 lbs, we threw out a buoy and fished the spot and I caught another about 2.5lbs, along with a few that did not help. By now we realized we would catch a couple of good fish then they would get smaller, we would pick up the buoy and move on until we caught another fish. We repeated this pattern until about 11 oclock and ultimately culled up to about 14 lbs, but the bites had all but stopped. We ran back to Lindbergs point and fished about a half hour with no bites, then went to a row of docks where we went fishless again. At this time we had about 2 hours left and with not much confidence in any other spots, we decided to go back to our best area and kill the day there. The wind was pounding on the spot now and it was hard to hold, but we thought it would keep the bass active. We managed to catch more fish and upgrade to about 15 lbs but that was all. We weighed in with 15.15 lbs, a respectable bag but not enough for the money. There were two bags over 18lbs, a few in the 17 lb range, and several in the 16lb range. We ended up in 12th place out of 49 teams for the day and just missed the money which ended at 9th place.

ABA NO/SO Center tournament

2008-06-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

I fished my first ABA tournament this past Sunday and to be honest, it went better than expected. I had just got back from a week in Canada so I had no time to pre-fish but I have fished North/South Center many times over the years and have done very well this time of year, so I was somewhat comfortable going into it. The morning started sunny but cool with 10-15 mph wind out of the west. My plan was to start on a rock spot that the bass move to after the spawn, and then hit docks and other shallow areas after that, but unfortunately I drew boat #28 and the spot was taken by the time I got there. I decided to go to a shoreline on South Center that I knew had all the components I was looking for, docks, inside weedline, bluegill beds and out of the wind. I started out using a weightless Mister Twister Comida in Watermelon Candy with the tail end dipped in Chartreuse Spike it. I was skipping under docks and fishing the inside weedline in between. It didn't take long to catch my first fish, a fat 13 incher from the second dock, then a 12 incher from the inside weedline, another 13 from a dock and my 4th fish was a 18 incher from the next dock. At the end of the dock row was some lilypads which I caught my 5th fish - a 15 incher. It was now about 8:45 and I had a limit that I figured weighed about 8 pounds from my first spot, not bad but I figured I needed about 12 pounds to make the money. Having figured out what the fish were doing, I went to a couple of other similar spots on South Center but the bite was slowing down and I was only able to cull the 12 incher with a 13. Next I went to North Center to a similar area and culled out one of the 13's for another 15, I spent a lot of time in this area and continued to catch fish but all in the 13 inch range, I was able to cull but only ounces. With not much time left I ran to a spot on the North end of North Center, again catching fish but nothing that would help. At the weigh in it sounded like it was a tough day for a lot of the anglers. I ended up having around 9 pounds which surprisingly was good for 5th place and a check! The winner had around 11 pounds, which was a low winning weight by No/So Center standards. Overall it was a good day, the fishing was ok,I didn't miss or lose any fish, and I took home a check. Not bad for no pre-fishing!

Annual Canadian fishing trip

2008-06-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

This years trip was very special for me as my seven year old grandson, Triston, went with my wife and I. Triston really enjoys fishing and is pretty good for a seven year old, he has even fished a Fishers of Men Legacy bass tournament with me. We left Saturday June 7th about 7 am, picked up Triston along the way, and hit the highway. After a long drive and spending almost 2 hours at the border we finally arrived at the resort about 5 pm. We stay At Lebrons Long Bay Resort in Sioux Narrows, Ontario, and have been going there for over 20 years. After checking in and unloading we still had a few hours of sunlight left. Since it was a beautiful evening we decided to launch the boat and go fishing. We didn't have a lot of time so we opted to stay close and went to one of our usual walleye spots. Fishing was a little slow so after catching 1 walleye and a few smallmouth we called it a day. Sunday was another beautiful day but the fishing was really slow, ice out was about 2 weeks late and it had been a cool spring so the water was still in the 50's. Over the next couple of days we got rain, wind and cooler temps, we checked more of our walleye spots but only managed 1 walleye, more smallmouth and a few small northerns which Triston caught on a spinner bait. The fishing was nowhere near as good as usual.
On Wednesday we went into a small bay to get out of the wind and let Triston cast a spinner bait for northerns. After reaching the back of the bay we noticed warmer water temps, a lot of minnows and more activity than we had seen all week. I started casting a jig & leech while Monica and Triston were using slip bobbers with leeches. Finally, walleyes! Although it was still a little slow we did manage to catch our limits, nothing big, but nice eaters. Thursday we had another nice sunny day, we headed to the same spot and started catching walleyes again. At one point, Tristons bobber went down and he started fighting the fish, it was pulling hard but he finally got it near the boat. Just as it came to the surface the hook popped out and the fish was gone, we all saw it was a huge walleye, at least 24 inches. We just stood there in shock! Trison had talked all week about catching a fish big enough to mount and we watched it swim away. Although not a true trophy, for his first big fish I would have had it mounted for him. We continued catching walleyes throughout the day and that evening had our last meal of fish as we were leaving Friday morning. Although the fishing and the weather could have been better, we all had a great time. Triston was a real trooper all week, never complaining about anything or getting bored, he baited his own hooks, netted our fish and took his own fish of the hook, also his casting got better every day. On the way home Triston reminded me that before our trip he told me "Grandpa, this is going to be the funnest time you ever had in Canada", how right he was!

Great day!

2008-06-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

For the first time this year the weather was going to cooperate so I decided I had to go fishing last Sunday. Since I did not have a tournament and just wanted to hammer some fish, I decided on Chisago Lake. I had not been to Chisago for a few years but I knew it's potential from past experience. I was joined by my tournament partner Shawn and his brother Jason. We arrived at the lake about seven a.m. to sunshine, 60 degrees and no wind. Seeing the flat calm water I knew we were in for a good day! After launching, we headed straight to Schlimmers slough and started just inside the entrance where I have done well in the past this time of year. The water temp was about 60 degrees with not a lot of activity, so we all started throwing Comidas, Mister Twisters version of a stick bait, in various colors and fishing slow. I was using watermelon candy with the tail end dipped in chartreuse Spike it. I have had a lot of success with this combo from spring through early summer due to the fact the colors resemble a sunfish. We had a few pick ups right away but missed the fish, I think they were just picking up the tail end and we were pulling it away from them. We continued working slowly around the bay and as the water warmed the fishing got better. After a couple hours the water temp had already climbed to about 65 degrees and we were starting to see more fish. At this point it didn't seem to matter what color Comida we threw, the fish were aggressive and would hit. We also saw some lone fish sitting on beds which I'm sure were the males, I'm just not sure if they were waiting for females or guarding the nest, although I didn't see any fry. I did manage to catch a few from the beds, I would cast past it then reel in and drop the comida on the bed and the bass would nail it. By the time we had worked all the way around the the bay it was about one pm and we lost count around fifty fish, some dinks but most were in the 15 - 18 inch range. The best areas seemed to be where the flat ran out further from shore. We left Schlimmers slough and ran to a small bay on the south end which also usually produces. Same deal, we worked our way around slowly and caught many more in the 15 - 17 inch range, in this bay the green lily pads were the ticket, they seemed to hold the most fish. About four pm I had enough, I was aching from catching so many bass. I'm guessing between all three of us we probably caught more than 75 fish. The weather was great, the fishing was great, we could not have asked a better day!

Balsam Lake tournament

2008-05-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning started out cool & breezy with northwest winds dropping water temps five degrees overnight. We decided to start in a popular small sheltered bay that we know holds fish and we shook off bites in there during prefishing. Since we drew boat number 14 we figured we had a good shot at being one of the first few boats in there. We arrived at the spot to find we were the second boat there, but the other guys were fishing fast probably just looking for spawners. I started fishing Mister Twister Comidas with my new Kistler Helium 2 LTX 6"9"mh and 4" lizards on my 7' medium Helium LTA. Starting just inside the mouth of the bay we continued all the way around without a bite, we then fished the starting area one more time and decided to leave and come back later in the day after the water warmed up. Next we ran to East Balsam to fish an inside weedline we knew of. By this time the wind was much stronger and after about a half hour of being pounded and only a few small dinks it was time to move. We then fished a couple of other shallow areas that we have done well in the past and continued the small dink trend with no keepers, we saw 14 and 15 inch fish but they were very skittish and would just disappear. At this point, thinking the water may have warmed up some, we went back to the bay we started in, again no bites but this time we at least saw some activity. By now it was getting down to crunch time, so after some thought we went to an area we already fished, but figured it had the best potential since we did see lots of keepers cruising. We were going to live or die on this spot in the final hour, the water was warming and our hope was we could wade through enough dinks to catch some keepers. Weigh in was at 2:30 and at 2:00 it started to rain, with no fish in the box and what we had going we gave in and headed to the boat ramp. I later found out a little over 11 pounds won the tournament, which is low compared to past tournaments - usually its 15 - 16 pounds. The team that won were fishing from a jon boat and at the end of the day when we were at the boat ramp we saw him coming out of the mill pond. This is the second time the winner has come from there. Looking back, I think we fished memories and hopes too much and didn't recognize what the fish were really doing!

Balsam lake prefishing

2008-05-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Balsam lake Friday morning to do some prefishing for Saturdays tournament. The day started out a beautiful 50 degrees and sunny with a light breeze. We decided to start out in some shallow bays that have produced in the past. Our plan was to locate fish and determine what stage of the spawn they were in. Water temps in the bays were 58-59 but warmed to 61-62 later in the day. Although the bass were not on the beds yet we saw plenty of fish cruising around with lots of them being keepers. For the most part we were throwing Mister Twister Comidas and 4" Pumpkin Lizards, having fun catching the dinks and shaking off lots of better bites, but we did try some topwater & spinner baits. We also checked out some of our deeper spots that were near spawning areas with no success, but we know the potential so we didn't write them off. At the end of the day we knew it would be a tough tournament but we felt confident we could catch a limit by making long casts ahead of the boat to catch the cruisers and hopefully make the money.

First tournament of the year

2008-05-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Finally it seems the weather is going to cooperate this weekend for my first Fishers of Men tournament on Balsam Lake. This lake can be hit or miss for me as I have made the money two out of four times. Seems like if the weather has been stable for a few days preceding the tournament my partner and I do well, but if the weather has been unusually cold we seem to struggle. The other problem is usually the bass are on the beds and I have never mastered the art of sight fishing, we can see fish but can't catch them so we just end up trying to grind out a limit any way we can. Patience is a big key but it's hard to be patient when you are limited by time and you can't get a fish to bite! This tournament is always won by guys sight fishing so I guess I better learn to do it. I'll report next week how it turned out.

River bass

2008-04-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

I went down to Wabasha on Friday to do some bass fishing on the Mississippi. Accompanied by my tournament partner Shawn, we launched at the park in Wabasha and headed South on the river to check out some shallow backwater areas near the dam I found on the map. It was 45 degrees and raining, the current was very strong and the water temp was only 41 degrees - talk about miserable conditions! It was a cold wet ride, and not being familiar with that section of the river, we sat down in safe water and idled towards the shallow bay we wanted to fish. Suddenly the water got very shallow and we weren't even close to entering the bay, concerned about damaging my boat and having a hard time seeing due to my glasses being wet, we decided it would be best to leave & check out other areas we knew a little better. We went back up river and fished some cuts we knew, after about 4 hours of pitching jigs, casting spinnerbaits and crankbaits we did not have one bite and decided to call it a day. Maybe we'll try again next week.

BassFan contests

2008-04-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

I just found out I was one of the winners in Bassfans monthly contest. For those that don't know about it, first you have to join the Bassfan Army (free lifetime membership) then all you have to do is watch for the contest in the dock talk section of Bassfans web site. Usually they ask to name how many sizes or colors are available in a particular manufacturers lure lineup. Just go to the manufactures website, count the colors, sizes, etc. and email Bassfan the correct answer, then they draw the winners from the correct entries. I guess I'll be getting an assortment of plastics from Zipper Worm for the latest contest. This is actually the second time I have won a Bassfan contest, they also have a contingency program where if you win a qualifying tournament using any of their sponsors products and submit the proper form, you will be entered in a monthly drawing. Last year after winning a Fishers of Men tournament on Rush lake, I submitted the form and ended up winning! A couple weeks later I received a large box filled with a Plano Flipsider tackle box, numerous crankbaits & plastics, Vicious & Berkley fishing line, a Minnkota trolling motor prop, a bunch of misc items, a Abu Garcia 4600c and a Fenwick 6'6" med heavy rod - all totally free! I would recommend everyone get signed up and enter.

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