Daily Pro Site-ING
Lake Murray 2nd Place Co-Angler Sondra Rankin

In other Female Bass Pro News: Melinda Mize is headed into service, probably in Iraq. Melinda had a very good 2nd day at Lake Murray and finished 14th.

Thinking Smallies!
Thinking Summer! AGGGGGHHHHHH!

I'm gonna go out and try and Ice Bass, wish me luck, I'll need it.
UPDATE with Pictures at BP's Fishing Log Blog

Happy Birthday to my Brother Steve!

Daily BP reading assignment:
Daily Bassdozer Article: Reminiscing about the End of a Season By Russ Bassdozer
Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide Article: Are You Ready by By Bill Wilcox

Vote For the BP as a Bass Fishing BLOG ("Gotta be a 10+ easy!")

Voting is easy! Click, Rate, [ Back] to BP

Daily Pro Site-ING
The loveable California FLW Pro Art Berry

They're calling KJ King Kong Kelly Jordan find out why.

The Posse with a mediocre start to the 2006 Fantasy Bass Fishing Season. Details

Cool Runnings is all I've got's to say. Yeah if I had a zillion dollars or was a pro angler.

BASS/ESPN Fantasy Bass Fishing registration. The Classic is coming soon.

Damn Gill Nets

Gill nets are one of my pet peeves because they're prevalent in almost every body of water over here and they're decimating the local fish populations. And the really sad part is that the people who put these gill nets out aren't interested in fish like bass or bluegill so many times, instead of throwing them back in the water, they throw the unwanted fish up on shore to die. More than once, I've walked the shore of a lake only to come across hundreds of dead bluegill that were thrown on the shore by these gill net "fishermen."...

Report with Picture from the Lost Nomad (Korea)

All about Fishing Lures at the Ohio Bass Fishing Blog

In asking anybody for anything, one must be crazy! I don't know you, you don't know me. Why should I even give you the time of day? I swear the amount of begging one must do, I wonder if there are any other professions where the talent has to do the solicitations. Where the angler is the complete team,all other sports are multi person companies.

From UltimateBass.com blog on the difficulty that the average Bass Pro has in building sponsorships. Read it all.

You Go Fisher Lady:

An Oklahoma cattle rancher who volunteered in the search-and-rescue efforts after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, has signed up to fish the 2006 Mercury Marine Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Triton.

Kitsy Cunningham of Eufaula, 48, said the tour provides her an outlet to release the stress of working search and rescue. “I am forever grateful to BASS for starting the WBT. It’s the best thing that has happened to women anglers.”...

Full at Lady Bass Angler News

Speaking of Lady Bass Anglers, does anyone else find this Cyberchick to be a bit disturbing. (Takes a while to load on dial up, but worth the wait. When she's done talking have her follow the cursor, STRANGE!)

Daily BP reading assignment:
Daily Bassdozer Article: The Cold Season
by North Alabama Guide Troy Jens
Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide Article: Winter Technique By Dan O'Sullivan

Daily Pro Site-ING

It has to be $200,000 FLW Chevy Open winner Anthony Gagliardi.

“I promised my first-graders I’d buy them all ice cream if he won.”

– Kristin Gagliardi, on her plans for her husband’s $200,000 paycheck.
Send him congratulations here.

Things that make you go hmmm:

So would this mean that a 70 MPH bass boat would bea able to go 70 MPH in syrup as well? If the propeller couldn't turn it's full RPM because of the viscosity of the liquid which it had to displace, would it still be capable of the same top speeds?

See what brought this quandry about at Ezods

More on that Shark caught Ice Fishing at Muskoka Outdoors Blog

Now lets see which of these make the cut, if any:
10k Snooker Update: Leads to At the Snook Hole. both in
Curly's Fishing Blog Update same as Buc's Fishing Report.
fisherofmen Update: Already had it
Bear and Shadows Litterbox in Space Update: It's in Bass Fishing Blogs
David Churbuck/'s Reel-time Flog Update: It's in.
Blitherings of an Idiot Update: is really called Canoe, Hunt, Fish, and Fly by Otter. It's in
Utah Outdoors Update: Is Utah Outdoors Radio It's in
I'm looking for more fishing blogs if you were wondering and these are the results

Lookie what I got in the mail today:

The Bassmaster 2006 Pro Guide which looks to be a primer for the 2006 BASS/ESPN Tour season, especially the classic. I've been shying away from reading the Bassmaster magazines I've been getting, but you can bet this one will be read for it's fantasy bass fishing implications. BTW-ESPN/BASS Fantasy Bass Fishing IS NOW OPEN!

Daily Pro Site-ING:

Brennen Bosley FLW pro going into Day 4 leading the Lake Murray FLW Tour Stop. He only leads Anthony Gagliardi by 2 lbs on a lake with monster bags. Who's gonna win it. Find out as the BP live blogs it.

LiveBlogging Lake Murray Final Weigh In:
They are doing angler intro's focusing of coarse on Bosley and Gagliardi who were also 1&2 at a FLW Kentucky Lake event, which Gagliardi won. Brennen Bosley was appropriately fishing out of the Banana Boat

Weigh in Started with Matt Herren elimined 16-6 for a total of 18-11.
Terry Seagraves eliminated with total of 7-5
Katsu eliminated with 12-12
Dave Smith is up, needs 12-5 to catch Bosley 5 fish limit that went 10-2 total 18-13 eliminated
Next up Jeremiah Kindy who needs 12-2 to bass Bosley, weighs 4 fish for 12-15, takes the lead.
Next up Clifford Pirch who needs 11-11 to take the lead from Kindy, Pirch weighs 5 for 10-15 so Kindy still leads, 21-1 Pirch eliminated
Next up is David Wolack of Warrior Run PA, he needs 9-1 to take the lead from Kindy
Wolack weighs in 4 fish for 9-2 so he takes the lead
Next up is Tim Carroll who is 7-3 out of the lead, he weighs 2 fish for 9-2 takes lead
Next up is Gagliardi, he needs 5-7 weighs 2 fish for 9-3
Next up is Brennen Bosley who needs 7-5, weighs in 2 that go 7-5 to retake lead
Next up is Kindy who needs 6-8, No more fish, eliminated
Next up is Wolak who needs 6-7, last fish is 3-3, eliminated
Next up is Carroll who needs 3-14, weighs in 3rd fish 6-5
Next up Gagliardi needs 2-5, weighs in 3rd fish for 5-6
Next up is Bosley needs 5-6 to retake, needs 3&4th fish for 9-7
Next up is Carroll needs 7-1 with 2 fish left, weighs in 8-9 fish to take lead
Next up is Gagliardi, needs 5-12 with 2 fish remaining, weighs 6-13 to take the lead
All anglers have 1 fish left, Gags leads
Next up is Bosley with last fish needs 2-12, weighs in last fish for 8-1 for 45-12 leads Gag's by 5-7. Broke FLW 2 day record.
Next Carroll needs 6-8, last fish weighs in 6-6, so he is eliminated
Last up is Gagliardi who needs 5-6 to take the lead and $200,000, weighs in 6-14. GAGLIARDI WINS and sets new FLW record with 2 day total of 47-4.

Note Tim Carroll weighed in 30-15 to set a new FLW 1 day record, that's a 6lb average and his 45-10 is the 3rd best FLW 2day weight ever.

Way to go Gagliardi!

FLW Lake Murray Wrap Up
BassFan Lake Murray Final Day

Breaking News: BASS/ESPN Fantasy Bass Fishing registration is NOW OPEN.

Daily Pro Site-ING=
Andre Moore the CEO of Reaction Innovations the somewhat controversial lure company. He just finished 47th at Lake Murray and will be someone to watch in the 2006 BassMasters Classic. His website is worth a look, it has pictures of Kim Bain.

OverHeard at Lake Murray Day 1:“I have no money. Just trophy.” – Okeechobee winner Shinichi Fukae, after TV host Keith Lebowitz asked him if his wife Miyuki kept his $100,000 earnings to herself.

Chatterbait Madness on Ebay

It ain't so!, The Bass Hole Blog (Korea) is back but hibernating.

Hellabass on Trailer Hooks.

“I had to learn how to bass fish just to date him, so when I first signed up to fish professionally six years ago, he didn’t take me seriously. Now, he’s saying, ‘Go for it!’” - Cindy Hill, 50, Smyrna,Tennessee

HOW I TOLD MY HUSBAND I WAS FISHING THE WOMEN’S BASSMASTER TOUR

Lake Murray FLW News: Bosley takes lead Gagliardi stays in 2nd at Lake Murray Update: BassFan Murray Story is in.

Rick Clunn talks about his involvement in the Bass Man documentary film and his perspective on the struggles with spirituality on the tournament trail.

Listen Here The BP has thoughts at Bass Pundit Preach

Chuck Norris roundhouse spin kicks into Fishing Jones.

Daily BP reading assignment:
Daily Bassdozer Article: Bass on the Ledge by North Alabama Guide Troy JensDaily Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide Article: Slow Down for Winter by Jay Yelas

Daily Pro Site-ING=
U2 steal the spotlight at Grammy awards This is fine with me. (U2 is the BP's favorite band after all; I am listening to Rock Album of the Year, "How to Dismantle...", right now.

Daily Pro Site-ING (Bass Pro)=

David Fritts the consummate and probably ultimate crankbait fisherman. On Day 1 he came in tied for 10th at Lake Murray.Update: The wheels come off Fritts on Day 2. Full Bassfan Day 2 Lake Murray round up.

FBF Lake Murray Day 2 Update: The Thrill is gone as Fritts, Nixon, Walker, and Davis all stumble. Boo Hoo! Catch the Full Posse Day 2 round up.

Favorite Fish: Pete at Fishing Jones votes Pike.

Why? My blog will never be as good as Moldy Chum AND why I fish for fish smaller than me.

Daily BP reading assignment:
Daily Bassdozer Article: Turn Christmas Trees into Brush Piles By Paul Crawford
Daily Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide Article: Cold Water Lunkers by By Dean Stroman

Daily Pro Site-ING=

FLW Pro Anthony Gagliardi who I switched at the last minute for Larry Nixon at the Wheeler Lake FLW on a tip from BassFan. Will that move pay or Gag's get the home lake jinx, only time will tell. He has a solid website with message board. I took the time to register and sent him a message.

FYI-Gag's is currently #7 in the Bass Fan World rankings.

Update: The Pro Site-ING is like the opposite of the S.I. curse. Gagliardi sacks 26-14 and is in second place, his Co-Angler caught 18 or 19lbs. Unless a major choke he's in the cut.

I have the Posse's line up's for Wheeler up at the FBF HQ. I believe we can and will do better than the mediocre showing at Okeechobee where the eggs were in too few baskets and JT Kenney cracked a miserable score. I've learned my lesson and diversified the Posse.

However we must remember that Day 1 don't mean jack squat. I just want anglers in the top 100 on day 1. It's day 2 that they are playing for keeps.

Update: Bp's Obro Hot on Day 1 with the BPboys in hot pursuit.

Another Fishing Blog to Check Out: Grin Fish

Daily BP reading assignment:
Daily Bassdozer Article: Modifying Jerkbaits Over the WinterBy Russ Bassdozer
Daily Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide Article: Cold, Clear Water by Doug Yeargain

Daily Pro Site-ING=

Matt Johnson
Espn Online article featuring Matt: Don't icefish without jigs & spoons By Tom Behrens. So Matt isn't really a Bass Pro but he's a good guy and great fisherman. I wonder if I'll see him this year on the lakes or not. Among other things Matt is the commissioner of the Ultimate Panfish League.

4 Gamers

This is a fishing game that you can download and that will give you hours of fun, so why not become a real true angler with this very addictive game...

Fishing Game Download via Marks Fishing Blog

Daily BP reading assignment:

Daily Bassdozer Article: Bass Fishing in Winter by Charles Stuart
Daily Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide Article:Choosing Winter Lures by Joseph Raines

A couple of sites for the ladies Lady Bass Angler and FisherGirl

Death of a Blog???? Say it ain't so!

Bish on Myth:

... the anecdotal evidence is overwheming that fish often start feeding more aggressively as barometric pressure drops, this being true in both fresh and salt water. But the myth given to explain this behaviour is just that, a myth. It may be a myth that has in fact hindered us from exploring this aspect of fishes' behaviour more fully, and more accurately.

Moldy Chum has lots of good stuff on today's docket:
A Fish Called Allah
Tied to Tradition
Fishing with a Disco Ball Part Deux
Ask Ian?
Fly-fishing with flair

Don't foget that the $5000 FLW Fishing Challenge deadline for Lake Murray is Midnight.

Win Trip With Dean Rojas from Spro

News for Co-Anglers via BassFan

Co-anglers who fish the Stren Series have a new prize to shoot for this year. Evinrude and Stren will offer the new "Ultimate Fishing Package" contingency award to the co-angler who amasses the most points this season, regardless of division. The package includes a fully rigged Ranger boat powered by an Evinrude E-TEC engine and a $1,000 tackle package from Stren.

To participate, co-anglers who advance past the cut must wear an
Evinrude/Stren shirt and cap onstage. They must also fish with Stren line.

According to FLW Outdoors, the co-angler who earns the most points at the conclusion of the season will win the award package. Points may not be added from one division to another. Largest 1-day weight will settle ties.

Frogger:
Dean Rojas
Gary Dobyns

Daily Pro Site-ING=
Gotta give the Kid Props again.
Photo: FLWOutdoors.com
John Billheimer Jr
BassFan story of the Havasu Western Stren Here

Daily Bassdozer Article: Winter Bass: Stifle the Action for Ice Colds

Kids getting in on the Classic Action! via Hella Bass R.T.B.F.B. Blog

WEATHER: No ice, no fishing. via Fishing Jones

A new fishing blog to check out TCPalm Fishing & Boating blog. Hat Tip Fishing Jones.

Moldy Chum has a new page header.

FLW hints and tips for Lake Murray Fishing Challenge Fantasy Bass Fishing. via BP's Fantasy Bass HQ.

I have finaly gotten around to reviewing my fishing goals of 2005. Go see which goals were met and which were not even close.

Newswire for Bassin Geeks (from BassFan)
SPRO signs Dobyns

2/6/2006SPRO announced that it's signed western legend Gary Dobyns to its national pro staff.

"Gary is arguably the best West Coast bass fisherman of all time," said SPRO national sales manager Tim Norman. "His years of product development experience will be a huge benefit as SPRO continues to bring exciting new products to market. Gary has already started working on two new projects for SPRO."

Other SPRO pro-staff members are Roland Martin, Charlie Ingram, Dean Rojas, John Crews and Bill Siemantel.

BP's opinion: this is a loss for SnagProof, who Dobyns used to promote. That Bronze Eye Frog does look like a winner, but the price points (scroll down) will keep me in SnagProofs corner for now.


Check into the interview with Aaron "Spin" Martens on BassFan Radio.

Super Sunday Prediction

Even though I've been a Steeler fan for all of my life and will be rooting for them today, I'm picking Seahawks in an upset 27-17.

FYI- I've decided to make sunday's, at least this one, a light blogging day thus no Pro Site ING's or Bassdozer articles.

BP Super Bowl Post Script: Neither team played all that well and the officiating was atrocious.
Offensive Pass interference call taking away Seahawk Touchdown-Joke!
Replay saying "Big Ben" crossed the goal line with the ball- Joke!
Overall I thought the Seahawks played better and were hammered by several key blown calls of the officials.

BP's Best Commercial: Budweiser's Baby Clydesdale.

BP's Worst Commercial: So lame that I can't recall what it was even for. In the absense of remembering that one. I'll say Jessica Simpson and the Pop Bites Pizza Hut. However there were others just as lame as this one. Aleve at the Star Trek Convension and MGD in the Grocery Store being among the stinkers that I remember.

Daily Pro Site-ING=
This is 16year old pro John Billheimer Jr of California. He just made the cut and took the day 3 lead at the Havasu Western Stren.

Update: The kid wins by almost 4lbs. That's 10K + a brand new Ranger, guess the kid can fish.

Daily Bass dozer Article: Winter Bass - What They Do

BP Fishing Report: Fishers of Men Ice 1

445 is the current number of anglers ranked in the BassFan World Rankings.
445 Michael Yawgel Cromwell CT 0.063 The Worst of the best.

"This Way To The Lake"
At the Fishers of Men meeting last night our speaker was Dutch Deick of Crystal-Pierz Marine. He did an excellent job telling us about changes in the Marine/Boating industry in the last few years.

Don't forget that the Next FLW Fantasy Fishing Challenge deadline is next week.

Daily Pro Site-ING=
Veteran FLW Pro Alvin Shaw who could be a force at Lake Murray. Previous places at Murry in FLW 72nd, 32nd, 15th and he is a Carolina pro.

Note: Yesterday's Daily Pro Site Ing Aaron Coleman leads the Havasu Western Stren after Day 2.

Daily Bassdozer Article= Cold Water Rat-L-Trap Fishingby Lake Fork Guide Jim Reaneau

From humor from Ohio Bass Fishing Blog:

BUBBA’S PET FISH

Bubba was stopped by the fish and game warden in South Carolina recently with two ice chests full of fish. He was leaving a small lake well known for its fishing.

The game warden asked the man, “Do you have a license to catch those fish?”

“Naw, sir, I ain’t got none of them there licenses, no. You must understand that these here are my pet fish.”

“Pet fish?” asked the warden.

“Ya. Every night I take these here fish down to da lake and let them swim ’round for a while. Then I whistle and they jump rat back into dis here ice chest and I take dem home agin.”

“That’s a bunch of hooey! Fish can’t do that!” says the game warden.

Bubba looked at the game warden for a moment and then he said, “By golly, tats the way tis Mr. Government man, I’ll show you. It really works.”

“Okay”, said the game warden, “I’ve GOT to see this!”

Bubba poured the fish into the lake and stood and waited. After several minutes, the game warden turned to him and said, “Well?”

“Well, what?” said Bubba.

The warden said, “When are you going to call them back?”

Bubba said, “Call who back?”
“The FISH!” replied the warden.
“What fish?” answered Bubba.
Now, we in the South might not be as smart as some of dem city slickers, but we ain’t as dumb as some government employees neither….

Trout Fishing Report from Pete at Fishing Jones

My local trout stream opened for business yesterday, on a catch-and-release
basis. With today projected to be in the 40s and sunny, I took a personal day
and dug the waders out of the garage...

Massive shark hooked on ice-fishing jaunt hat tip Daily Bag Limit

KVD interview at BassFan today. Is it just me or does every Bass Pro hunt something in the off season?

Daily Pro Site-ING= West Coast Pro Aaron Coleman
BP Note: Never heard of the guy but at least he's a bass pro with a website.

Daily Bassdozer Article= After Ice Out by Russ Bassdozer
BP Note: I consider BassDozer Library of Articles to be a "go to" spot to read about all things bass fishing. Need to learn something, Bassdozer probably has an article about it.

1. Classic Patterns - When it comes to patterns & techniques, I probably get more from this show then all others combined.

HellaBass favorite Bass TV Show, here is his Top 10 List

Then I'm walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

Moldy Chum reports Snakeheads Walking in Memphis

BP's Agenda: Fishers of Men Club & Board Meeting Today. Gonna see about adding a group blog to the FOM website among other things.

NEWS: Apparently, the city of New York does not like the idea of people pretending to fly fish in the subways. I'm not sure why--with a little innovation and practice, you could probably entice a strike or two from the subway hamsters.

For other Fishy happenings be sure to check in regularly with Fishing Jones: News for Angling Addicts.

BP's Revenge vs. Cyberfish (many months later)


Are You O.C.F.?

Daily Pro Site-ING= "Spin" gotta love the rolling surf sound effect with gulls. I think I'm gonna take a nap.

New Stuff:
Cool Looking Baits

But will they catch fish? I bet they will. I'll probably buy a couple if I ever find some loose change in my pocket this spring.

Note: Checked in Bass Pro Shops, these baits are selling for $12.99 a piece. OUCH! Maybe I won't be buying any. Rapala Husky Jerks and X-Raps are fish catchers for half the price.

BP Newswire:BassFan changes the Bass Professional World Rankings Formula.

State Farm is no longer the title sponsor of the BassFan World Rankings

I suppose it had to be done with all the changes going on in the world of Professional Bass Fishing right now. In case you are not aware there have been many major changes made between 2005 and 2006. BassFan recognized this and has acted accordingly. Under the new ranking formula here are the Top 10 Bass Fisherman in the World by performace over the last two years.

1. Kevin VanDam 228.590
2. Greg Hackney 216.084
3. Edwin Evers 195.297
4. Michael Iaconelli 194.939
5. Takahiro Omori 193.054
6. Skeet Reese 188.520
7. Anthony Gagliardi 186.264
8. Terry Scroggins 185.585
9. Marty Stone 185.188
10. Davy Hite 184.825

Full rankings here.

Of the Top 10 I don't have websites for 6 of them. What does that say?

Site Construction- Puting together a new Side-Bar Roll called Bass Pro Site-ING which will seek to be a conprehensive as possible listing of the Web Sites of Bass Pro's. You would think that almost every bass Pro from the Major to Minor Leagues would use the web as a venue to promote themselves and their sponsors, but I would say only about 20-30% of the pro's take advantage of the WWW in any way shape or form at all, at least that I can find.

Ohh well back to work.

A Day of Rest

Yesterday, I rested instead of fishing.

Blogrolling
I did do some work on the blog however. If you will notice to the right on the side-bar I have added many a new Blogroll-O-FishNblog. One of the cool things about a blog can be it's blogroll which are links to other blogs. I would really like to keep on top of all the blogs devoted to Fishing and Bass Fishing in particular. Most of the new additions came from the blogrolls of other blogs.

It is a challenge to stay on top of this because it takes a concentrated effort to look for new blogs and than add to your template. Of coarse you also end up reading a little something from the blogs before blogrolling them which adds to the time consumption.

At this point I am disappointed that there are not more dedicated or partially dedicated Bass Fishing Blogs. Maybe they are out there and I just can't find them.

Speaking of Bassin Blogs here are some tips for Cabin Fever from Rich's Bass Tournament Fishing Blog.

For something funny goto Moldy Chum

This Day

Last night I could not sleep and my mind wandered into thinking about the Bass Pundit Blog Franchise Empire and how I have lost the plot. The model for the main BP blog was supposed to be Instapundit; quick commentary with links farmed out to the various franchise blogs. Instead of that the BP blog is catching almost everything and the franchise blogs are whithering on the vine. For instance, many of my last few posts could have been farmed out to The Fishing Log Blog via link. Getting into the habit of that, in theory, should make the whole Blog Empire run easier.

So now I'm gonna try to get on the right track and breathe some inspiration into the B.P.B.F.E..

Today there was a Slab Slowdown in my fishing.

Avid Update: I actually did a respecable job of repairing the St. Croix Avid Ice Rod that got a wee too close to the propane lantern last night. I made something like a splint from a broken graphite rod blank and super glued it in place. Worked like a charm to fix the thing. BP is happy now.

Notables from the BASS Okeechobee Southern Tour
Bobby Lane's baby brother Chis won.
Terry Scroggins was 2nd
Takahiro Omori was 20th

Currently Reading:

Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure (Paperback)
by David Martyn Lloyd-Jones Good Book.

New Franchise Blog Coming Soon!

South Korean Winter Combat Fishing via The Bass Hole

Hard Luck Slabberday

The Aitkin Jaycees Ice Fishing Contest was a bust for me. I couldn't even bring up a little perch. I had two quality bites on minnows and whiffed on both hooksets, should have let them have it longer. Pout were 3 out of the top 4 places with a walleye in 3rd. I think there was 1 tulibee in the top 10, one other walleye in the top 20 and the rest were perch, including a couple that bested a pound.

Afterward I decided to head to Sullivan and try for some slabbers. I put in at the West Access and by accident ended up working a hump for eye's. In the process of doing that I accidentally had my St. Croix Avid Ice Stick, my best ice fishing pole, get to close to the Coleman Lantern and the blank got weakened but didn't break. I think if I put some kind of splint on it that maybe it can be saved. At that point I was one frustrated dude. I did manage to get off the break and find 6 solid 10" slab crappies and missed several more on bad hookset and probably also not feeling the bite. They were biting really light. What finally tripped the trigger was a big minnow on a Custom Jigs Glow Demon beneath a glow dropper as an attracter. In my other hole I had a small minnow on a Glow Demon. I would jig the big minnow and they would inhale the small minnow and just sit with it.

Now that I've found these dudes, look out.

Silver Dollars

Today I started with an early morning excursion to Sullivan in search of Tulibee's. What a slush and water pit after last nights rain. Usually the Tulibee thing starts sometime in mid to late February but I decided to try my luck anyway. I nabbed one nice crappie, a small eye, a couple of little perch. I did miss one good fish about half way up, but don't know if it was a Tulibee and that was it from about 7-10Am. I came back and took a nap.

I got back out around 3:30 and headed out on Platte to the North of the Big Island. It was a wet ride over with water splashing up to the point that I needed the wipers on. I immediately ran into a school of little sunnies and had fun catching them while watching on the camera. I saw a lots of sunnies and perch, a crappie, pike, and bullhead all swim by but no bass. Talked to a guy who was getting pike, little crappies, 1 bass, who said someone caught a 4lb bass the day before. As it got towards dark I started fishing that guys holes and got into a bunch of small Crappies. Mucho 3 to 5 inch Silver dollars. After dark I did catch them up to 8 inches but no slabs.

I know there are big pannies in Platte, but finding them seems to be a needle in a hay stack proposition.

Tomorrow I will be at the Aitkin Jaycees
(Click to enlarge)
Trying to jig up an eye, Sumo Perch, or Tulibee. I could really use a 4 wheeler.

Ice Fishing in a Rut

It's a wierd deal when you are driving home at night after ice fishing in a driving rainstorm.

Anyway, in Ice Fishing, and fishing in general, it is best when you get into a groove. Fishing is more fun when you are catching the fish you seek and catching them in a steady and predicatable path even if that path is slow; It build's hope and confidence which makes the whole experience more enjoyable. In regular open water fishing it is generally a whole lot easier to change your luck. In Ice Fishing changing your luck is just plain time consuming hard work; You have to drill lots of holes and move a lot. Because you are confined to that little hole, it's a bad thing to get stuck in an Ice Fishing rut where you just can't scratch up that fishy your after.

I'm in a rut and have pretty much more or less been in it every ice fishing trip I've taken this winter. Sure I've caught fish, but generally not the sized one's that I am really after. Today, I tried Mille Lacs for Jumbo Perch. The system is easy enough; Drive out onto the lake in the middle of nowhere, drill a couple of holes, and see if anything shows up on the electronics. If your lucky you run into sumo sized perch, if you are unlucky you run into either nothing, non-active fish that won't bite, or a variety pack of less than sumo sized perch aka "baitstealers." Today I caught a fair number of medium sized perch and one mini-jumbo. No luck on the Sumo's.

I ended up staying too long which cost me when I made the move to Shakopee, where I tried a different spot and struck out. I decided to leave as that I was marking very little and it was raining.

Tomorrow is supposed to be warm. I think I may try getting up early to chase Tulibee on Sullivan. Maybe that's how I can get my groove back.

Look what I caught!

The World's Smallest Fish.

The Dead Sea

Today it was a balmy 42*F here in MN. I hit Shakopee just after noon. I was fishing the same general area as the last time. I was catching small sunnies one after another with no signs of Crappies anywhere, not that I moved around much. By about 2:30 I was itching to try something different. I decided to try Mille Lacs out of the Casino public access and see if I could get to Indian Point. I got most of the way out there in the tracks of other vehicles when I sorta got stuck in this one spot. I decided I better turn around there and spent 45 minutes getting stuck and unstuck while turning around.

Life would have been much easier with a partner today. My Ford Ranger Pick up is lite and 2wd so it gets stuck easily. Freeing it isn't that difficult especially if you have someone to push which makes the truck much better in those tricky spots, plus additional weight means better traction so you are less likely to bog down in the first place. Anyway I did get the truck turned around.

I thought I was in a good spot but as it turned out I was a significant distance to the North of Indian Point. In case you didn't know underwater the Point runs from the the West to the SE thus the point was running away from me. To be on the spot I wanted to try I was a good 400yards from the truck. I stuck it out and struck out only having one sniffer and that was it. I think I should have stayed right next to the truck and fished there. I was only out until 6:30 and then had to pack it up to get to a Bible Study in Garrison.

Tommorrow is supposed to be nice again and I think I will try Mille Lacs again.

Some fun for once.

Check out this spoof over at Fishing Jones (via Moldy Chum)

Blog Neglect and Updates

It may be apparent that over the coarse of the Bass Pundit's existance I have let the blog fall into some disrepair. By the Grace of God I will be slowly working to update and improve the blog.

If you will notice on the right/sidebar I have added some links
Bass Zone
ProBassAnglers.com
BassDozer (Greatest Bass Fishing "How to" Article site on the net)
HellaBass Bassin' Blog (MN)

Updated one:
Ohio Bass Fishing Blog

Deleted a couple:
The Bassholes
Kansas Bass Fishing
Bassin Blog (OH)

Hopefully I will get to the Blogroll-O-FishNblog in the near future as well as start adding to both that and the Blogroll-O-BassNblog. I also will be bringing another franchise blog online one of these days.

Spring Fever

It's only January 23rd here in MN, which means there is a lot of winter left before open water and bass season opens. AGGGGGGGGGGHH. Spring Fever hit me today full force. Up to this point I've just had the winter blah's big time with mild intermittent cases of cabin fever. But today it's official, I'm sick of winter.

ESPN Will be having Fantasy Bass Fishing in 2006

Registration will open up in early Feb. However they do have features open such as Prizes, and other stuff.

Check it out!

Camp and Shakopee

Been out fishin the last two nights.

Last night the Slab search went to Camp. A lake I've fished only once before in the winter. The action was slow then but the size was good in that previous trip. This night the fish were not into it, but I managed to force a few to bite. Got a 9" and the rest were small. Arrived about 4PM

Tonight, after much debate I decided to head to Shakopee. Arrived around 2:30. I immediately started smacking small sunnies and perch. I got a hammer handle and kept catching sunnies. Then I popped a 10" crip and thought I might be onto something as the sun went down. Managed to catch quite a few small crappies, along with more small sunnies and perch. Got 1 more keeper Crappie and kept one nice Sunny as well. I may have to try Shakopee during the week when it's warm as that I think if one could get on a school some nice fish are there to be had. The visibility was better than I expected it to be and the fish continued to bite after dark although slowly.

Finally cleaned my fish (7) and ate em for dinner

Worn out

Today the search for slabs was suspended because I was feeling worn out. Plus it was snowing at a pretty good clip and the thought of getting stuck on the ice just didn't appeal to me. We got around 6 inches which may mean I can't get out in my truck.

Update for the Posse at the Big O.

No Slabs for You

Tried a new area of Platte for Ice Fishing; North of the Big Island where there is always a host of houses. Upon arrival I was invited inside a house to see this guys set up and Aqua View. It looked like the right kind of area weed and depth wise. He has been fishing the area since December and he seemed to pretty much be a pike fisherman. We watched sunnies in the camera and he told me he had seen a bass or two and caught a couple. Said he hadn't seen a crappie.

I went back to drill a few more holes, instantly attracted a fish in and caught it. Crappie. I managed to catch several small crappies and sunnies with one pike to boot. No slabs at all. The bite shut off as it got darker. I'll probably fish the same area tommorrow, which is today.

Meanwhile in Fanatsy Bass Fishing JT Kenney laid an egg, but could come back tomorrow; After all Day 1 don't mean Jack Squat!

Slab Fever

Well I've caught it. Too bad I haven't caught any.

Today I got a little earlier start and headed across to the winter bass spot from a couple of years ago. The wind was a howlin' making things miserable as I tried to drill and get my bearings with the Aqua View. I did find some promising weed growth and a pike, so I decided to fish the area. I caught a couple of small sunnies and a perch before I got sick of it and headed out to "The Hole" about 3PM.

I arrived on the Northern tip of "The Hole" and it took about 30 minutes for anything to show up besides the snow flurries. I consistantly caught crappies off and on until about 7PM. The size range was small but all over the map, not the chips and just short of keepers like last night. I also got one pike and bullhead. I ended up keeping one 9" and one 9.75" I think I may have dropped another keeper or two; I think I had less quality bites than last night. However I have now shaken off the rust and am a crappie catching machine.

It is a disappointment that the quality of the fish just isn't there. I may try a couple of other spots before I write off Platte lake for slabbers

2006 FLW Fishing Challenge-Now Open

Here is your chance to win an easy 5 Grand. Hurry though, the first tournament deadline is today at midnight.

I can win this! Come on BP Boys!

Gonna miss Zona in the Pundit Picks.

Be sure to check the BP Fantasy Bass Fishing HQ for tips and punditry in 2006

Ice Fishin

Even though my back was bugging me yet again today, I finally made my way out to "The Hole" on Platte to try some Silver prospecting. The crappies were indeed out there but the size left a lot to be desired. I got two 9inchers and missed a few others that size; I probably should have had 6-7 keepers. Mostly they were potatoe chips or 7-8 inchers. The action was steady and with the bigger fish biting at prime time and after dark. I was fishing by about 3:30PM. Ice was 12-14 so it's good enough for driving on Platte.

If I head out tomorrow I will probably try to be a bit more mobile and look for pannies in the weeds. It sure got cold and windy out there. BRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

At the St.Paul Sportsmen's Show

At least I was this past Fri, Sat, and Sun. I was working the trout pond as a fundraiser for the Fishers of Men Club (Twin Cities). I was just installed on the Club Board again and am the Vice President, which will not be just another do nothing position. For instance, the Club President roped me in for writing next month's newsletters feature article. I'm going to write an article on the need for an Ice fishing outing next month. Ohh Boy.

I plan on starting to Ice Fish this week. The BP is in a mood to get up and do stuff. Tah Dah.

Burned out!

I cannot decide if it is on bass fishing or blogging or both. I just do not have the interest in the world of Bass Fishing or fishing in general that I had at this point last year. I think I got burned out on most things bass fishing by the end of the tournament season last year. My blogging track record seems to support this. However, I am waiting to see if FLW or Bass will have fantasy bass fishing. I will not be holding a league or be doing the Bass Pundit Championship thing either way, but I will maintain the Franchise Blog on the subject unless Bass and FLW disconinue having it.

The FLW Tour starts in a couple of weeks and BASS starts in Late Febuary. Naturally anyone interested is already follwing things at BassFan and elsewhere.

On the Family Vacation

So we headed to Florida on December 14th, a day with a winter snow advisory. Naturally we were off to a late start to begin with due too my medical appointment. Then mother misplaced her cell in the car, thought it was back home, thus causing us to waist 2 hours on the road time (1 hour back, 1 hour to get where we were.) There was also the bit about the house key which Mom already had in her bag but had thought we left. She found phone and the key while I was trying to get a key from the neighbors, cause the one we got from our neighbor Jenny was the old key and didn't fit the lock. We also got a bit crossed up in Eau Claire, WI and thus didn't even make it to Rockord IL.

Thus it took another 2 long days to make it to the McLeods. We spent the night and most of the next day at their place and then headed to the Condo at Daytona Beach Shores. The weather was cool and windy almost everyday we were there. I did a little fishing with my brother Steve on a couple of evenings. We got a bunch of bites and I got a small flounder, but that was it. Had fun eating cookies, and hanging out with the family especially niece Haley Jewel and Mom/mother to be Kim. Before I knew it Christmas had come, we (Todd, Kristen, Steve, Kim, Haley, Mom) went to the Christmas Eve service at the Drive in Church. Santa found the Christmas tree we put up in the Condo and we opened presents and then had a feast of Turkey and Ham with all the trimings and cookies we could eat. Christmas Night I went to See the movie: Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Movie Review: I'll give it an ambivilant OK. Was more for the kids than for adults. I'm hoping an extended DVD will make it a better movie for adults and kids.

We broke camp the on the morning of the 27th and headed back to the Mcleods that evening. Watched a bunch of movies at the Mcleods. On the 29th I went for an airboat ride which seriously racked my back.

We did see a 10ft Aligator and the ride was pretty cool in general. We headed to my Uncle Bill and Aunt Donna's on the 30th and spent New Years Eve and Day with them. It was nice seeing my cousin's Bryan, Alan, and Denise as well. I was too lazy to get up and go see cousin John and family. Finally we were on the road and headed home on the 2nd.

We arrived back in the cities on my Birthday and had pizza and pie with Todd, Kristen, Isabelle (who of coarse was delightful to be around in Florida) Jeff and Erin and that's it. Now I'm back in the land of snow and cold. HooRay!

I'm back!

Report on the Vay Kay to come later.

Misc Notes

Heading to Florida for Christmas today-so I may not have blog access for awhile. If not
Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Kristen!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Happy Birthday Spud!

Happy Birthday Me!



I will be adding a blog to the franchise in the new year. Oh Boy!

I did go Ice fishing on Bulldog Lake on 12/9. I got a bunch of little Crappies.

Pet Adoption

As can be seen in the sidebar, I've decided to dedicate blog space to Petfinder.com 's adopt a pet program. Thanks to the blog of The Patriette, I found out about the banner program and thought it would be a good edition to my blog. I have a soft spot in my heart for dogs whether neglected or not and thought it would also be a fitting tribute to Soren who passed away just about a year ago.

For the New Year I'm thinking about trying to help with Elkhound rescue in MN and possible other volunteer work with critters.

If you have the means and the stability of lifestyle than the right dog is about the best gift a person can give themselves and the little (or big) ball o fur.