1st Cast Fishing Lures

Beef up your bass fishing with the right fishing supplies like ball bearing reels.  Ball bearings wear less than brass or graphite bushings. That means that they don’t develop the characteristic looseness or ‘wobble’ that bushings do after a year or so of heavy use. Of course, many anglers don’t put that much ‘mileage’ on their reels, so the difference isn’t that noticeable. Ball bearings are not necessarily smoother than bushings. When they are brand new, well made bushings can actually be *smoother* than ball bearings. Also, bushings require less ‘break-in’ time. That’s why a brand-new Shimano Citica can actually feel smoother than a Curado, even though the Curado has many more ball bearings.

For normal baitcaster reels, like Shimano’s, that have a 1-piece spool and axle, you have a bearing/bushing at 3 places on the spool shaft and 2 places on the crank shaft.

With the ABU-Garcia “Ultra-Cast” design (spool separate from the axle), you have 2 bearings/bushings on the spool, and 2 more on the crank shaft. Any more than that are superfluous, IMHO.

The roller bearing found in some reels is a special kind of roller bearing that only turns one way. It is what gives the reel the continuous anti-reverse feature. They put it on the crank shaft, under the handle and drag-star. As such, it takes the place of one of those locations I mentioned above.

Some reels also have a ball bearing right above the roller bearing on the same shaft. This helps to reduce the load on the roller bearing to assure that your anti-reverse doesn’t crap out at the wrong time. You’ll probably see less of this as the quality of the one-way roller bearings improves.

Ball bearings improve the life of a reel, but they are not the *most* important feature, IMHO. The features you should look for in a reel, in the order that they usually appear as the price goes up are:

• All metal, aluminum spool.
• All metal frame
• One-piece, cast aluminum frame
• Ball bearings

When do Bass usually spawn?

Bass usually spawn around a full moon after the water surface temperature has reach a sustained 63°-68°F. Because their metabolism is based on water temperature, bass will feed at lower temperatures, but generally seem to become more active when the surface temperature is above 55°F. They are very active in waters over 60°F.

Because water temperatures are affected by water clarity, location, depth and in-flowing water, you may find bass just starting to feed for the spawn on the southeast end of a lake while they may have spawned or be in the middle of the spawn in pockets on the north side of the same lake. And bass on a murky shallow water lake will probably be feeding before the bass in a deep clear water impoundment.

I had a chance to fish a power-plant lake in East Texas. Because the waters were warmed by the power plant, most of the bass actually spawned in January of the year. We were there the last week of February, the surface temperatures were from 68 to 74 degrees F, and there were beds everywhere, but only a few still had bass preparing to spawn.

If you plan your trips to lakes so you are there as they are peeking on the 60 plus degrees surface temperatures, you can actually have a month or two of pre-spawn fishing. And be sure to bring all of your best bass fishing supplies. Just be careful how you handle the old girls, and turn them loose quickly so they can finish what they are feeding for.

I have been fishing for quite a while now.  I don’t always fish in tournaments.  I sometimes get the opportunity to fish with family and friends just for fun.  I happen to be watching a show the other day on television.  Yes it was one of the fishing shows but this one I really enjoy because it tends to help people like myself with decision making.  The show is called “A day on the Lake”.  Perhaps you have seen it.  If not, I would suggest that you try and find it.  They take a pro to a lake that they haven’t fished before or haven’t fished in a long time.  Give them 7 hours to figure out a pattern and catch a limit of bass hopefully. 

What a great opportunity to see how the Pro’s do it.  I pre-fish almost every tournament that I will fish in, even the ones that are on lakes that I am familiar with.  I do this for what I think is obvious reasons.  Read the rest of this entry »

These days you have plenty of options when it comes to bass fishing tackle.  I don’t know about you but I have more than I could use on any given day (but it still doesn’t seem like enough).  The question always comes up though, what if they aren’t biting on a particular bait or color.  So as bass fisherman, we like to be prepared for anything.  To me, tackle covers the whole selection process.  This is from rods & reels to line, to lures and the net.

Are they biting on soft plastics today?  Would a Brush bug work or a Beaver Craw and what color are they looking for?

If the conditions are right, what spinner bait am I going to throw and do I need to burn it or just slow roll it down to 8 feet?  What blade should I be using?

 Maybe it is a day when the lizard bite is on or you should be throwing a Jig.

The point is that we all go through this whether we are in a tournament or just out with our family having a good time.  Bass Fishing Tackle and Bass Fishing lures can be confusing and expensive.  In todays economy, we need tackle that will perform and last.  We need quality products at a good value. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year about this time all of the catalogs start to arrive at the house and office.  It is almost like Christmas in the spring around my place.  I look forward to this time every year because I finally get to see what the new hot items are for the year.  There have been so many great items come out over the past few years.  Between the advancements in bass fishing lures and bass fishing rods, it is hard not to get excited.  I know we all have our different techniques that we have confidence in, you know, the go to bait or lure.  One of mine is the Jig.  I have in my possession a brand new jig that is hitting some markets.  Oh you won’t find this in the “big name catalogs” just yet.  But my guess is that it will be there sooner than later.  The name is the Halo Jig. 

For anyone who fishes in water that has a bunch of rock on the bottom, this is your ticket.  Wait till you see these, you will want to get them even if the jig isn’t your go to bait.  They are designed to be fished in heavy rocks and grass.  My guess is that with this design, they will do just fine in standing timber also.  Check them out, I think this is one new product that you will truly like and probably be able to hang onto longer than a normal jig in certain circumstances.  I would suggest that you get them while you can!  Click on pictures above for a better view and the opportunity to buy.

Having the proper equipment in good working order is essential to the success of any fishing trip.  We all have our own preferences when it comes to things like boats and poles and no matter what you may not anyone would tell you it wouldn’t change your mind.  One of the pieces of equipment that can be extremely important, especially in a tournament situation is your net.  I know that there are many designs, shapes, sizes and materials out on the market today.  You can spend as much or as little as you want.  I would say however that if I had a six pound-er on the line that I would want one of the best nets available with a good reach on it.  It could be the difference between first place and last place.  A few years ago, it happened to my partner and I.  If we would have had a better landing net there is the possibility that we would have finished first in the tournament.  Instead this 6 1/2 pound freight train broke off after a good fight in which we couldn’t get close enough.  I went searching and found what I now consider one of the best nets on the market for many reasons.  It folds in half saving space, it has a deep net, it opens extremely quick from the folded position and the handle is made to cradle on your arm for stability.  Believe me when I say if you are trying to land a good size fish on your own, speed and stability are very important.

 I fish night tournaments throughout the year.  I find that these are a lot of fun but they can put you to the test as far as your casting accuracy and getting those fish in the all important net that I mentioned above.  Another piece of equipment that I have acquired over the past three years is an LED Cap Light which also has a Black light in it.  Not only can these great inventions be attached to the bill of you favorite fishing cap so you don’t have a strap on your head, but they can make knot tying much easier at night also.  They can certainly help you land your catch so you are not stabbing at total darkness and knocking the fish off.  Plus they are helpful in seeing what you are getting ready to cast to so you can spend time fishing instead of getting your lure out of a tree or off of someones dock.

In my last post I mentioned that we were about ready for spring weather and pre-spawn fishing.  Well I may have spoke too soon.  As a tournament fisherman it is sometimes very difficult to play with the hand that mother nature has dealt you.  A great example would be this past weekend.  I had two tournaments.  The first was a club tournament and the second was an open tournament with 60 to 70 boats in it.  There were some very talented fishermen in both, they were held at the same lake with the take off points less than 5 miles apart.  This particular lake is considered to be one of the best bass fisheries around.  The first tournament was held on Saturday.  Take of 7 am, air temp 15 degree’s with the high predicted to be 34, water temp 38 to 39 degree’s.  My point is that for most, it wouldn’t have been considered ideal fishing conditions for that matter fishing at all probably wouldn’t have been considered at all by most.  As tournament fishermen it is what we do.  We deal with mother nature and her ways all the time.  I had to dip my pole into the water before every cast and during every retrieve to get the ice out of my eyelets.

My partner and I had pre-fished the previous weekend and a day before the Saturday tournament.  Admittedly as I said in last post, we were having a pretty difficult time putting together a pattern.  Well, it took until midday before we put it together.  Our weapons of choice were the jig with a trailer like the beaver craw in a watermelon green color with flecks plus the old stand by jerk bait.  The jig was the ticket!  We came in 2nd.  Not bad for a day like that. 

Tournament #2, one day later.  Much nicer day to start.  It was 20 degree’s warmer the wind had stopped howling from the north and it was suppose to be in the 40’s for a high.  Some cloud cover but the sun did show up around 11am.  My point is that we were all geared up for a great day of fishing since it should have better conditions.  The one constant was that the water temperature hadn’t changed.  As the day progressed, we couldn’t buy a bite!  We did everything that we had done the day before plus some.  We added new locations to our target area’s but had no luck.  I even started throwing a trick stick to imitate a dying shad with it’s slow sinking action!  Still nothing.  In the end we didn’t get a bite all day.   Some people would look at this as a total failure.  I really don’t think of it that way.  We are all going to have days when we just can’t put it together.  Look at the big names on the pro circuits, even they have these days.  I believe that the conditions really threw a monkey wrench into our day.  There were many more teams that didn’t weigh a fish in than did.  The real goal is to learn from each trip on the water, and we did accomplish that goal.  I think that there are too many times that we see some of the TV personalities fishing away and catching a 5 or 6 pound bass on just about every catch.  Or better yet, you are watching one of the pro tournaments and just about all you see are the catches.  Many of us get conditioned to think that all we have to do is put the fishing lures in the water and we will limit out.  You have to be able to adapt to the conditions as well as be flexible with your plan.

In the midwest we are almost to one of my favorite times of the year.  Spring, which brings with it my favorite times to bass fish, pre-spawn, spawn and post spawn.  There are many techniques that can and should be used during these periods.  The one that I am going to talk about now is Carolina Rigging.  My bait of choice is a 6 inch pro style lizard.  If you have the good fortune of finding the spot where the bass are staging for the spawn, you can be in for one of the best days of your fishing life.  Bass can’t stand lizards and will do just about anything to get rid of them.  Just make sure you don’t miss the hook set.  I have found that the sweeping hook set works best for me.  I will also reel down and take slack out of the line if there is any.  You can’t wait too long though or they will be gone.  I use a Carolina Keeper while fishing this rig.  I know it may not be traditional but it works and if I break off, it doesn’t take as long to re-rig and get back in the water.  The other bait that I like to throw on a Carolina rig is a 5 inch Brush Bug in Green Pumpkin.  Either one of these baits can and will work given the right situation.  Depending on the water clarity, I will use 12 pound fluorocarbon line for clear water.  It is low stretch and virtually invisible.

Whats your favorite technique this time of year?

Just what do you consider a good day on the water?  Is it measured in the amount of fish you bring in?  Or can it be a day when you don’t get a bite but you finally get the opportunity to get on the water and enjoy the company of your fishing partner while the weather is nice?  I bring this up since that is exactly what happened to me this past weekend.  It has been quite a while since we have been able get out on the water due to weather conditions.  Saturday is what I would consider a good day on the water.  Temperatures were in the 60’s, partly cloudy with just a little wind (in the morning).  Water temp was around 39.

We set out to set what kind of a pattern we could put together for an upcoming tournament.  Of course we tried jerk baits in many different sizes and colors with no success.  Then we worked on Jigs and Trick Stick methods. 

There are those days when you can go through all of the bass fishing tackle you have and still not get a bite.  This happened to be one of those days.  We were probably rushing a little and the water may have been a little too cold but the bottom line is that we didn’t produce a pattern and that happens to all of us at one time or another for any number of reasons.

After putting the boat back on the trailer and storing it, the one thing that coming back up in our discussion was that even though we weren’t able to produce any fish or a pattern, we really did have a Good day on the Water because we were doing something we love to do and the weather was great!