Winner! Winner! Winner!!!

The blog FHC Outdoors is running a series of River2Sea lure contests and I won a River2Sea Larry Dahlberg WideGlide Surface, I think it's the smaller size. I would have preferred to win a Clackin' Craw or a Diver Frog, but when you have a shot to win you have to take it. To win the contest you have to be the first to answer a question. I found the answer to the question, what product did Larry Dahlberg first invent? With a Google Search.

Answer: Flashabou

Elite Series St. Johns Day 1

Note- This thread will be updated sporadically through the day. New stuff at the bottom.

Some of the best coverage will be found all day sporatically at Bass Zone.com Wide Open.
They are suppose to be on Next at 11:45AM EST
They had live play by play of Rojas getting 8lb class toad.
Next report at 1:00PM EST

Rich Lindgren at his Bassin' Insider blog with Versus has a blog on the ethics of sight fishing.

My Fantasy Teams:B.A.S.S.- Rojas, Scroggins, Schultz, Peter T, Greenblatt
Advanced Angelers.com- KVD, Scroggings, Peter T, Grigsby, B. Lane

Another good place for tournament coverage is BassFIRST.com. Now BassFIRST doesn't have updates on how the day is going, but there video's are good for pre and post tournament days.

Just watched the Day 1 morning B.A.S.S. BassCam video's. Ole Shaw doesn't think he has found the fish to win and Scroggins claims other guys have found his key areas. There is an on the water video that claims Brent Chapman landed a 10lber.

Sad News- Don Barone has reported that Steve Kennedy's Jack Russel Terrier Louie passed away on Tuesday. Louie would go nuts when Steve would be weighing his fish and you could hear him on the live feed. That just sucks!!!

Developing...

Norwegian Elkhound Fishing Video

My Norwegian Elkhound Soren was NOT this fish crazy. In fact Soren could have cared less about fish. Wasn't much for the water really except one time when I took Soren's breeder out fishing and Soren swam out to get in the boat with us.

My Biggest Fishing Train Wrecks

The week the Outdoor Blogger Network has a writing prompt titled Damaged Goods. Here is the idea:

If you have broke, damaged, or set on fire a favorite piece of outdoor gear we want to hear your story!

I have a few stories, which I will do in multiple posts.

Can you guess what this first story is about?

For about 10 years in a row from the mid-90's to the mid-2000's I made the trek down to SE WI to fish the Fall salmon run. I would go in early to mid October to fish the Root River in Racine and the Pike River in Kenosha. One of the places I fished was Lake Michigan where the Pike River flowed into the lake. Sometimes the wave action from Lake Michigan would close up the river mouth with sand; The river comes out at a beach. To get fish you need the river flowing into the lake. The first time I witnessed the phenomenon of the river being closed up by sand, I had the bright idea to try to do something about it. I went and got a 5 gallon bucket from the car and set about making a channel from the river to the lake. The idea was to get some water to start to flow, which would naturally cause erosion in the sand making a wider channel until eventually the river would be flowing into the lake, which would bring the fish in close. Well the plan worked and once I got the channel made water was soon flowing quickly from the river into the lake. I kept working to expand the channel and the flow got better and better. One time when I bent down to scoop some sand while I was in the middle the channel my cell phone popped out of the pouch on my waders. At this point the river flow was such that the cell phone was instantly swept away from me right into the lake. Just like that it was gone. I couldn't believe it. As the Z-Train would say, "train wreck."

KVD on the St. John's

BassFIRST.com got KVD on camera... KVD says it's gonna be a sight fishing deal, provided it don't blow and rain.

Someone Don't Know Fishing!!!

A spinnerbait below a big ole round bobber, Really!!???

Do You Take the Sucker Shot?

Let Big Indiana Bass introduce you to Fishing with a Purpose- The Sucker Shot Mentality.

Now I'm probably like most in that I will take a Sucker Shot when I can get it, but finding a reliable Sucker Shot isn't always easy. Things often change from year to year or the weather won't cooperate and shuts the "Sucker" right down.

Alton On St. Johns

This was just reported on Facebook by Alton Jones:

With stable weather it looks like this one may be a battle of the sight fishermen. Shaw could be very dangerous again. Kelly Jordan, Alton Jones, Dean Rojas, Grant Goldbeck are all accomplished sight fishermen. Who else?

In the Mail: Moaner Monster Bass Pack (Creature)

I recieved the Moaner Monster Bass Pack Creature Edition that I won in a contest on T Brinks Fishing blog. I received a pack of Strike King Rage Tail Space Monkey's and Smoking Roosters, one jar of J.J.'s Magic Dippin' Dye with Garlic Oil, a pack of 5/0 Moaner Stroker Hooks, a pack of 4/0 Moaner Stroker Hooks, a pack of 5/0 1/4oz Weighted Moaner Stroker Hooks, 3 Moaner stickers and I got a bonus pack with 2 Moaner The Stiffy stand up shakey head jigs and 1 1/8oz Weighted Moaner Stroker Hook.

Hmm

This from the boys at Bass Zone.com and Bass Talk Live:
I guess they would know because they do have a blog, but they have kind of given up on it.

Elite Series Harris Chain Day Final Thoughts

Well the veteran legendary Florida sight fishermen Shaw Grigsby, pulled out yet another sight fishing victory in Florida. Shaw was kind of lucky because he beat Grant Goldbeck by 7-6 with Grant weighing in a full 5 fish less than Shaw. It was an increadible comeback for Grant with just 1 fish for 1lb 1oz on Day 1. Personally I was hoping Grant would somehow pull it off and he was just one toad away from doing that today. I think I along with a lot of Elite Series anglers are astounded that sight fishing was the deal in this one, especially with the winning area being shared by 3 or more boats. I guess it just goes to show how unpredictable fishing can be at times.

One thing about Shaw, I like the way his Jersey looks in the abstract and the hoodie that I am having designed is going to be quite similar in terms of the color scheme and design.

In terms of Angler of the Year race you have to believe that KVD is licking his chops. And Props to JVD in finishing 1 spot below his Uncle in 5th. If you missed the weigh in today Jonathon Van Dam was moved to tears when talking about how this was his dream come true.

My B.A.S.S. Fantasy Team was brutal in this one with 3 anglers worse than 77th Place. I faired much better in Advanced Anglers.com because I put KVD and Scroggins on that team. David Walker and Bobby Lane were major buzz kills on both. While my Fantasy Fishing teams have kind of sucked it up this year I am still ahead of the game in terms of prizes won thanks to a contests with The Bassholes.com, Chris Lane on Facebook, and TBrinks Fishing blog. Hopefully I'll pull down some Fantasy Fishing prizes yet, the season is still early.

Update: Here is a nice write up on Shaw from Wired2Fish.

Sorry!

No live blogging the weigh-in today either. I just don't have any energy.

Elite Series Harris Chain Day Final

The best place to follow the days action is at the Bassmaster.com Live Blog... and with BassTrakk.

Also don't forget Bass Zone Wide Open coverage that comes on sporadically. They are set to go live again at 1:15PMEST

Well it looks like Shaw and Grant got to the honey hole today and no other boats were there, which almost certainly means Shaw wins.

Live coverage on Bass Zone.com was pretty cool. It looks like Goldbeck needs to catch a serious kicker at this point. Both he and Grigsby are one short of a limit. On Bass Zone Grigsby had been sitting on a spot for a long time, then moved off and back again. Speculation was that if Grigsby got that fish he almost certainly shuts the door because of the way he was putting effort into it. Steven Browning also has a shot maybe but he needs a serious kicker. BassTrakk has him down by 4+ but he has his limit.

I wonder if Shaw has done everything he can to get a limit? I would think that would have been priority #1 going into the day. But then again with Goldbeck right there he probably has a pretty good idea of what he needs to do.

Oh, one thing I learned yesterday is that B.A.S.S. has stuff on Facebook in terms of tournament coverage that isn't anywhere else.

Eden Prairie 2011 MN State High School Hockey Champions

The Eden Prairie Eagles won the longest Championship Game in MN High School Hockey history. They beat Duluth East 3-2 on a bit of a lucky own goal off of a Duluth East players skate in the 3rd Overtime. A shot squirted past the goalie into the crease; A Duluth East Player then whiffed on a chance to clear the puck allowing a diving Eden Prairie Player to get his stick on the puck which shot the puck into the goal post which rebounded right into a Duluth East players skate from which the puck deflected into the goal. Definitely a fluke goal.

Congratulations Eden Prairie!!!

The Big Question Elite Series Harris Chain Day 4

Will people who are fishing tournaments tomorrow on the Harris Chain and blasting off before the B.A.S.S. guys move in on Shaw and Grants honey hole?

If that happens, it's a nightmare for Shaw and wide open for Browning and Van Dam. If not, it's probably over.

On The Wolverine Skunk

This is from the B.A.S.S. Day 3 Liveblog:

In answer to the comment below on Derek Remitz: Yes, he did fish. And as crazy as it seems, Remitz zeroed both days. He is one of those anglers who got caught in making the wrong decisions at the right time. Count him and Bobby Lane in the same boat. Lane didn't zero but on his home water he feels like he did.

Both are deeply disappointed. But both are also at the top of the game nine days out of 10. We expect to see each of them back on their games next week.

Elite Series Harris Chain Day 3

If you are like me and slept all day missing the action you can quickly go back through it because B.A.S.S. put up it's Live Blog today.

The Top 12 are;
Shaw Grigsby
Grant Goldbeck (Who has an outside chance at a stunning come back)
Browning
Golden
KVD
Chris Lane
JVD
Niggemeyer
Alton Jones
Scroggins
Clunn
Cajun Baby Crochet

Tonight I plan to catch Bass Zone Wide Open at 6:30PM Central.

Bass Parade B.A.S.S. Speculation.

Bass Parade blog put out a post entitled Something's Brewing at B.A.S.S., which is a jump head long into speculation about what might be coming from the new ownership at B.A.S.S.

Here is an excerpt:
At this point I think it’s safe to say that Jerry and Co. have something cooking that’s either going to impact how anglers qualify for and/or maintain their Elite Series status. Lane says he knows “how good it’s going to be”. So there’s already some hype attached to it as far as the anglers go.

Are we about to see the end of the Elites as we know it? Based on B.A.S.S.’ timeline of scrapping one format in favor of another, we’re about due for a repackaging. Maybe it’s some kind of new TV deal? It’s all speculation at this stage of the game, but I definitely smell smoke.

Anybody out there have any thoughts as to what all this means? What would you like to see happen? Is the Elite Series fine as is or does it need some tweaking?

In the comments some of the speculation centers around B.A.S.S. making it so the Elite anglers don't have to pony up entry fees and get a guaranteed payback.

In regards to this speculation I have some questions and thoughts.

How will anglers "not having to pay to compete" (these were the words used by a commenter) differ from the current system where the idea is for anglers to get sponsors who will pay the anglers entry fees?

Obviously the anglers and organization need sponsors to put up the money. That doesn't change. So what changes and how?

Maybe all anglers get a guaranteed minimum payback from B.A.S.S. and the anglers can make sponsor deals on top of that???

How do you get there other than with a basic redistribution of the total purse with a lot less going to the top finishers?

The way I see it you have risk and reward. The higher the reward means higher risk for individual fishermen. I don't see how you lower the risk without reducing the reward at the top. It's a zero sum game.

For it not to be a zero sum game, somehow you have to create more value for the sponsors than what already exists. It will be interesting to see if the new ownership can figure out a way to accomplish that. Maybe skillful leveraging of new media is the answer. (But then again maybe not, there are a lot of children at that table already and those hi-tech secret formula's are notoriously fickle.)

Some suggest shrinking the field is a way to increase value and that no doubt is probably true, but it seems you will still have the same basic problem where a few at the top reap great rewards while it just becomes more difficult for everybody else to reach that level. If this is the case it might prove a disincentive for people to try to "live the dream" and you end up going backwards. Then again if done right maybe the incentive to try is actually increased and everybody is happy.

And then of coarse the really big question is, what are the implications for Fantasy Bass Fishing?

Go read the Bass Parade article and throw your thoughts in the ring.

Harris Chain Day 2 Weigh In Liveblogged

(Newest Info at Top)

So Shaw is in 1st and I think Rojas is 1st out of the cut.

Derek Remitz doesn't weigh in today either, wonder what the story is?

Peter T does Shakespeare, seriously he did.

Sconni Boy Rookie Travis Manson 6-3 doesn't make the cut. Mercer does funny bit about one of these things is not like the other one. Bald Trip and Mercer with Manson's super hair.

Brandon Palanuik 11-7 with 3 fish. Apparently Brandon's sister is in the crowd, she was really loud.

Bobby Lane 3-3 this is not a good day for my fantasy team. "I think Lake Harris is the cleanest I've seen it in 5 years."

Randy Howell fell out of the boat today and yesterday he caught a little gator.

Cajun Baby- 16-5 into 8th pulls out 1 stud 7-9. "Yeah son it feels pretty good" in his cajun accent.

Hallman- 9-6 on my Fantasy Team currently in 71st with about 15 to go.

Faircloth "I went through a lot of fish to get what I got" he is on the cut bubble.

David Walker 2-14 Ouch on the Fantasy Team!

Grant Goldbeck 27-1 after 1-1 yesterday. Mercer said his kicker probably poops 1-1.

Scroggins comes up and the crowd goes nuts. "I'm totally confused."

Mark Davis takes a stroll down memory lane about the Harris Chain.

Swindle was hilarious but he talks to fast to catch "I hate lilly pads"

Chris Lane has 7-6 kicker caught later in the day. "Sight fish move up in a cold front in Florida, I've never heard of that."

Denny "I'll lick my wounds and move on to the St. Johns"

Rookie Greenblat pulls out a 10-4, it's his birthday. Caught it on 8lb test. Greenblat is from Florida and I'm almost put him on my Fantasy Team, went with Walker instead.

Alton Jones- "This is kind of a 2 day lake"

Rheem 6-6 "lost several in the last 30 minutes"

Niggemeyer pulls out two kickers, he had 19 something. "I hit everything I had" Tells story about guy cutting trees by his kicker that was on a bed. He obviously caught it anyway.

JVD 12-7 so he probably will make the 50 cut.

Ott Defoe's daughter sings "Rock Star"

Marty Robinson- Pulls out a toad had to be at least 8.

Mercer "Get on your feet for Skeet Reese." Skeet "These guys are pretty good"

Browning "I've been blessed two days in a row, I can't wait to get up in the morning"

The Squirrel "I caught more weight on this lake in two days then I have in 4 previous try's"

Shaw is Gary Klein's roomate: Mercer "we know who's buying dinner tonight" Klein "I don't know about that, he's a little tight."

Montgomery with 18-12 "You couldn't drive a nail up my butt with a sledge hammer" about only having 4 fish late in the day.

Shaw Grigsby- 29-8 for 43-15 He pulls out two monsters, weighs one for 10 even. Broke a rod on a 7lber that he got in. Caught 6 fish today. "I caught a big old pig I like it."

Kevin Wirth 5-1 crash and burn.

1st UP KVD 18-3 "This place changes a lot from day to day" "I see a few big one's behind me back there." "I'm not sight fishing"

Trip says they whacked em' today.

Elite Series Harris Chain Day 2

B.A.S.S. Web Guru Angie Thompson is riding in the boat today with Elite Rookie and Federation Nation Champion Brandon Palaniuk and from a couple of fish of his that she has posted to Facebook, it looks like Brandon is having a very good day.

You can catch sporadic live on the water coverage at Bass Zone.com Wide Open
Great Quote: "We haven't seen any alligators, let alone Bikini's"


Another place that is doing a good job of covering this tournament is the website OutdoorsFIRST.com. They have video angler interviews from this morning

Bassmaster.com BassCAM also has some video coverage from today...

Here is some on the water video of Palaniuk talking about what he is doing and what he got...

I'll Be Getting The Bassmasters by the End of the Month

From Bassmaster.comTEMECULA, Calif., and CELEBRATION, Fla. — Outdoor Channel, America's Leader in Outdoor TV, and B.A.S.S., the authority on bass fishing, today announced that the two companies have entered into an agreement that brings The Bassmasters, one of the highest-rated outdoor programs on television, to Outdoor Channel. The popular show highlighting the Bassmaster Classic and Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments will debut on Outdoor Channel beginning March 28, 2011.

Hmmmmm

Does this seem odd to anybody else?
Our guy is almost in last place, Hooray!

Winner! Winner! Jason Quinner!

Yeah Baby!!!
So what did I win? 2 Packs of Rage Tails (Smokin Roosters & Space Monkeys), 3 Packs of Moaner Hooks, and a jar of JJ's Magic dye.

Thank You to blogger Tyler Brinks of T Brinks Fishing.com and the people at Moaner Hooks

Now if I can just win one of those Loomis rods from Bass Parade blog.

My Elite Series Fantasy Squad for Harris Chain

For Advanced Anglers.com Fantasy Fishing I went with
KVD
Skeet
Scroggins
Bobby Lane
David Walker

I would switch out Scroggins for Hallman, but it's to late now.

Update: Not so good Day 1, I'm better in Advanced Anglers than B.A.S.S., Bobby Lane is killing me in both.

Here are my Anglers Day 1 Results (Day 1 don't mean Jack Squat)
Advanced Anglers
KVD 4th
Scroggins 4th
Walker 21st
Skeet 47th (Skeet is one of the best at improving his weight from one day to the next)
Bobby Lane 80th

B.A.S.S.
Chris Lane 13th
Walker 21st
Skeet 47th
B. Lane 87
Bradley Hallman 90th (I thought this was a safe pick, I switched out Rick Morris who is in 35th)

Sconni Eliter Rookie Travis Manson Video Blogs

Watch here...

Go to Travis Manson.com to learn more about him.

4th Annual Fishing with the Pro's Fundraiser for the Minnesota Fishing Museum

(Click to Enlarge)

Minnesota Fishing Museum

Weapons of Bass Destruction by Rhett Akins

This song is pretty good. "Bill Dance won't leave me the hell alone"
He even mentions bubblegum Zoom Flukes

Good Advice!

3. Examine your self-esteem. Most of us look to please others or feel good about ourselves based on our performance. Negative self-talk feeds off of both of those. The truth is this: We are all immensely valuable creatures no matter what happens while we are fishing. In fact, fishing should have no negative impact on how we feel about ourselves at all. It is meant to be fun, therefore it should be like icing on the cake of life, not life itself.
From Advanced Anglers.com blog Mental Fishing by Charles Plott post The Voices In My Head

Squirrel Tale

Not sure I believe this story coming from Jeff "The Squirrel" Kriet. Funny if true. FYI The Squirrel is sponsored by Uncle Rays Potato Chips.

From the comments:
He broke into the truck cuz someone told him there was plenty 'squirrel tail' in there. Upon finding no tail, he decided to eat the Ray's.

Winner Winner Tail Spinner!

Found out I was in a 4 way tie for the Bassmaster Classic Top 12 Contest at The Bassholes.com. I thought I did terrible, but it turns out 7 guys I picked made the Top 12. Unfortunately they were some of the lower finishing of the Top 12, so I was last in the tie breaker. I will still get some prizes. YES!!!

Tackle Warehouse has Think Tank Lures Triggerfish

I first blogged about the Think Tank Lures Triggerfish in March of 2009. It was like the lure fell off the face of the earth and it got to the point where I thought I would never here about it again. But lo and behold Tackle Warehouse has them and they only run $12.99.

Think Tank has a website.

I can almost guarantee I will have a few of these in the box come May. When does Tackle Warehouse have it's next sale?

Ha!

Hat Tip: Dead Fisher blog

Ouch!!! Tackle Tour Loses Tons of Content

Just visited Tackle Tour for the 1st time in a while and was shocked to see this:
If you are not familiar with Tackle Tour forums, they are the best forums about bass fishing tackle on the Internet. This is a shame!

Bryan Thrift Must Be Livin' Right!

From BassFan:
Thrift won the tournament with 5 minutes remaining, when he caught a 4-pound largemouth at his final stop that culled out a 12-inch spotted bass. That made a difference in his final total of approximately 3 pounds.
Thrift won by 2lbs 2ozs.

It's Official- Bass Pundit Will Be Getting A Tournament Jersey

For about a year now I have been kicking around the idea of getting myself a Bass Pundit Blog themed fishing tournament jersey. I first thought about getting one when I found out about the hoodies made by Gemini Custom Apparel. The problem was G2 Hoodie is more of a cool weather rather than warm weather gear. I wanted a hoodie I could wear in the summertime.
A little while later I discovered a company named Rayjus Outdoors offered a hoodie that would work better in warm weather. Now it just came down to whether or not I wanted to throw down around $100 to get one.
About 2 weeks ago I discovered a custom Rayjus hoodie was coming up in the Jersey for St. Jude Benefit Auction. The fact that I could get a Rayjus hoodie jersey and all the proceeds would go to a worthy charity was the clincher, I was going to bid.

Yes I won the auction!

I have a basic idea about what I want and don't want, hopefully working with Rayjus will go smoothly.

The Fisherbabe and The Pigeon Saga...

The Pigeon Saga... You will be glad you read this story.

Attention Bloggers!!!

The Professional Outdoor Media Association(POMA) is in the process of trying to put together a Outdoor Industry Blogger Directory (click this link to register your blog). The listing is free (otherwise I wouldn't be blogging about it.)

Kyped from NAFC:
POMA (www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is the premier, international, professional communicators organization in the shooting, hunting, fishing and trapping industries. Its more than 320 media members are renowned editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters, publishers and content providers. In addition, the 140-plus industry firms and organizations that are Corporate Partners share POMA's focus on serving the outdoor press corps, developing the next generation of outdoor journalists and perpetuating the traditional outdoor sports.

Now as we all know Bass Pundit is NOT written by Professional Blogger. One quick glance at this site and a 5 year old could figure that out. However, I would like to think I am slowly improving at the blogging craft. I've got a long ways to go before I am in the same league with Rich Lindgren, Big Indiana Bass, Tacticalbassin.com and the boys at Bass Parade among others who know what the heck they are doing when it comes to blogging and the Internet.

If They Will Give It To Me...

...I will take it!
This is me with my Baxter Bass Snatchers Club 6th Place in Angler of the Year plaque. Plaques go to the top 6 places because 6 guys traditionally make the State Championship team. Basically I would not have gotten 6th Place if a couple of the clubs best sticks didn't miss several tournaments a piece. I had 151 points for the year, which normally is only good enough for 9th or 10th place. It was my best year by 9 points, which means per tournament I finished almost 2 places better on average than in 2009 which was my previous best year in points.

If you go by points/place of finish it would seem I'm improving, but when it comes to the fish being caught there is another picture. Here are my 3 years in the club by number of keepers weighed, total weight caught for season, and average weight of fish weighed. Note- 6 tournaments with a 6 fish limit.

2008 36 weighed for 65.13lbs for a 1.81 fish average.
2009 32 weighed for 52.06lbs for a 1.63 fish average.
2010 33 weighed for 55.13lbs for a 1.67 fish average.

I regard my rookie year as my best year in the club fishing wise.

FLW Fantasy Fishing Moving Day

Day 2 is the big day for movement in FLW Fantasy Fishing. My line up improved almost 150 places/points, so that is some consolation with an otherwise pretty dismal line up. Here is my roster and followed by their Day 2 standing followed by their movement in the standings on Day 2.

Rose 15th +9 (My only angler in the cut)
Wendlendt 28th +4
Ehrler 40th +46
Bohannan 41st -7
Yelas 44th +44
Fukae 47th +10
Robertson 51st +23
Fox 72nd -42
Schiede 73rd +59
Gagliardi 100th +1

That is a line up as mediocre as it gets.

Interesting- Right now I sit with exactly 100 fantasy points less than I had at Okeechobee.

Swim Jigs- The California School

Matt Allen of blog Tacticalbassin.com has come up with his own methodology for the swim jig, which is quite different from what I call the Wisconsin school of swim jigs. I've heard good things about what Matt is doing. Here is his indepth video that describes what he is doing.

Not a Banner Day 1 In FLW Fantasy Bass Fishing

Thank goodness Day 1 don't mean Jack Squat or this would be really bad.

My Fantasy Team in order of 1st Day position:
Rose 24th
Fox 30th
Wendlendt 32nd
Bohanan 34th
Fukae 57th
Robertson 74th
Yelas 88th
Ehrler 86th
Gagliardi 101st
Scheide 132nd

Because weights are so poor there can be huge moves tomorrow. I can't remember if I ever have had a time in FLW Fantasy Bass Fishing where I didn't have at least 1 guy in the top 10. Today nobody in the top 20, really!

David Walker Blogging

David Walker is one of my favorites and he has a blog.

Attention Bloggers!

It looks like there is going to be a Fishing and Hunting Blogger Summit/Conference coming to a resort near me this summer. More information at Sportsman Blog.com.

For more info email Michelle Scheuermann mscheuermann@thesportsmanchannel.com or
Jim Braaten jim7226@hotmail.com

As I get more info, I will be passing it on. I am definitely interested seeing as how it is close to me.

Tribute to Patti Lou

Patti was a sweetheart, but a good guard dog too. She left us far to soon and unfortunately much of the blame for that lays on me for not feeding and exercising her as well as I should have. Moving from the lake place where she had ample space to safely run around and I could easily take the dogs for safe long walks didn't help.

Patti loved the water and swam like a fish, so much so that she wasn't a particularly good fishing companion. One memorable time I was fishing from the boat by the Grumpy Old Man Hole and she decided she wanted to visit Grumpy Old Man Willard and jumped out of the boat and swam to shore. I was not happy.

Another memorable Patti episode was when she got skunked on the Minnesota Fishing Opener in 2008. There were the many many times I put the dogs to bed. The Patti Scare incident in 2008 was also immortalized here at Bass Pundit. Another Patti scare was when she had a big fatty tumor grow on her neck; Fortunately it was not cancer and it never came back after surgery.

Patti's companionship certainly helped ease me through the unexpected loss of Soren in December of 2004. Patti was good with children and at times was jealous of the attention given to other dogs that stayed with us, but not Pete's dog Sandy. She never had any issues with our cat Smokey and those two got along quite well.

Patti was a horse of a dog that didn't know her own size. She would sometimes try and sit on my chest or shoulders as I was laying in bed. If she stepped on your foot you knew it. If she was hungry, I knew it.

Patti, you will be missed!!!

Drats

I just realized that I failed to field a team in the Bassmasters Classic for Advanced Angler.com Fantasy Bass Fishing. Not that I would have done well, fortunately you get throw aways.

Hooked In The Head!

Now there is a video I want to see. Unfortunately it doesn't live up to they hype. I wish they wouldn't have muted the video at the start.
The camera man was so close to catching something that would have gone viral easy.

Joe Thomas Launches Blog

Joe Thomas FLW Tour angler and TV Host of Ultimate Match Fishing and Stihl Reel in the Outdoors has started a blog Surviving in the Reel World

Welcome to the world of bass fishing blogging Joe!

Gotta Get With It!

FLW Beaver Lake Fantasy Roster Due Wednesday Midnight.

Tip: Clark Wendlendt will be on the roster.

"What makes a Professional Tournament Bass Angler?"

"What makes a Professional Tournament Bass Angler?" is the question asked in a post by bass fishing blogger Steve Adams. Steve has a bug stuck in his craw over the current state of affairs.

This is how he starts:
I would love to see ALL circuits that have a “Pro” category regulate who fishes as a pro! I can’t go buy a Jersey & a Baseball bat and walk on the professional Baseball field and say; “I’m a Pro”! Or ANY other professional sport for that matter! Neither should a guy be able to do that at a Bass fishing tournament event just because he has a boat and entry fee!!! They should have to QUALIFY!!!

On the Facebook page of Tami Curtis he goes so far as to say:
The EXACT problem, from a marketing perspective is that anyone can call themselves a professional. It Illegitimatizes the sport.

In his blog post Steve raises some legitimate questions in terms of the bona fides of some who don the mantle of Professional Tournament Bass Fisherman, but I think he fails to appreciate something that I understand quite clearly about this sport. The ranks of "Professional Tournament Bass Anglers" are largely made up of people that can most accurately be described as Semiprofessional Tournament Bass Anglers.

Semiprofessional is an adjective defined as "engaging in an activity for pay or gain but not as a full-time occupation." Clearly this definition fits most of the people who don the mantle of Bass Fishing Pro. All but a select few of the Professional Bass Fishing circuits are geared to the semiprofessional with maybe a few true Full-Time Professional Bass Fisherman sprinkled in the mix. Once you understand this, there is nothing illegitimate about it.

Now I think we in some sense get to the heart of Steve's, who is a Co-Angler, complaint when he says:
It really SUCKS sometimes for those of us who fish as amateurs, pay good $$ to enter, travel, multiple practice days, etc. Then get paired with someone who SHOULD NOT be fishing as a Pro!

Some Bass Pro's are obviously more dedicated and serious than others. This is a sport where money talks and if you have it you can spend it and be "Pro" competitor. The more serious and dedicated Pro's are more than happy to take the donations of those that have the money and don't take it very seriously. Co-Anglers get to play the exact same game to one extent or another but they have to deal with the variable out of their control, which is luck of the draw. I would venture to say that most Pro's take it seriously, but some are just more dedicated, skilled, and experienced than others. If you choose to be a Co-Angler you are always at the mercy of the draw, deal with it.

Update: Steve Adams left a reply to my post in his comments section.

In the key paragraph there he says:
No, I do appreciate and understand that quite clearly. You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT in your description of “Semiprofessional” and just made my case even stronger with additional clarification of “the current state of affairs”. That IS the problem! The tournaments I’m larger referring to are “Pro/Am’s”. They are not called “SemiPro/Ams”
Yes, they don't call them "SemiPro/Ams", but that is exactly what they are. The FLW Tour is probably the only example of a Pro/Am where most of the Pro's are not Semi-Pro's. The B.A.S.S. Opens and FLW Everstarts are full of Semipro's that want to make it to the true Pro Tour level, which is the Elite Series and the FLW Tour. I think the PAA qualifies as a true Pro Level Tour as well, but I'm not sure if the PAA has a "farm system."

Cool Derek Remitz Story From Five Bass

Crossing Paths with Future Pro, Derek Remitz


Note: Derek Remitz signed Jersey is up for auction in the Jersey's for St. Judes this week.

Naked Woman Over Carp- What the...

What a wierd photograph.

This had to have been taken in Europe.

Bass Closer

After today Bass Season is closed in Minnesocold in my general vicinty until May fricken 28th.

Dogfish- Open year round!

Reel Bling!

Spending to much time at Tackle Tour first awakened me to this kind of stuff. Yeah it looks nice, but how does it feel and perform. When it comes to reels I'm 100% function over form.

FYI- My favorite baitcasting reel handle that I ever used was on a Lew's low profile reel. It just felt good. I have used a couple of reel handles that I really didn't like, but I don't remember what those were.

Bass Pundit's Bait Hatin’

Bait Hatin’ is a blog post over at Bass Parade by Jason that is a rant on baits/techniques he loathes fishing. So naturally this got me to thinking about lures that I loathe. The problem is when it comes to bass fishing there really are not any lures or techniques that I despise. Yes there are things I don't use much if at all and there are things I prefer over other things, but really there is nothing that I don't enjoy fishing at least when it comes to artificials.

But there is a bait, a live bait, that doesn't do it for me. The book may say Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers but Bass Pundit doesn't love nightcrawlers. It was not always this way. As a boy I loved to go out and catch worms and use them for bait, but I grew out of that. Worms are messy and a pain in the ass. Little fish love nightcrawlers and are always stealing the bait right off the hook. Once I got over my fear of them, I discovered leeches are superior to worms; more durable, less mess.

Good Googly Moogly!!!

This might be the single biggest 5 fish limit ever.

Sustainable Fishing

This blog entry is my submission for the GreenFish and Outdoor Blogger Network Writing Prompt Giveaway

This Weeks Writing Prompt:
What does sustainable fishing mean to you?
I will answer this one from my perspective as a bass fisherman and bass fishing blogger in Minnesota. Basically we are blessed with an abundance of bass fishing opportunities in Minnesota. The key to sustainable bass fishing in this state is all about two things in my mind; Habitat and water quality. Because of the catch and release mindset of most bass fishermen and the fact that bass are regarded as lesser table fare than so many other abundant species in Minnesota bass harvest is not much of an issue.

Habitat issues in most cases have more to do with quality of a fishery in Minnesota, rather than a threat to the sustainability of a fishery. Bass are very adaptable fish. The better the habitat available the more bass thrive and the better the quality of the individual fishery. Even a fishery with poor habitat is likely to keep a sustainable population of bass because bass are hardy and prolific spawners.

Water quality is the biggest danger to the sustainability of bass fisheries in Minnesota. Probably the biggest water quality problem bass in this state face is winter oxygen depletion winter-kills. Right behind that is the leeching of fertilizers into fisheries that cause algae blooms and abundant plant growth that can create oxygen level problems for the bass. We are lucky in the fact that most lakes do to size and depth are shielded from these serious threats to bass sustainability. Many lakes that are susceptible to winter-kill now have aeration systems put in by the DNR, Sportsman's Clubs, and Lake Associations which serve to eliminate or partially mitigate against winter kill problems.

I am lucky, bass fishing, Minnesota, and sustainability go hand in hand very well.

What fishing practices do you engage in that help fisheries?
I engage in selective harvest when I fish and the truth is I don't keep a whole lot of fish mainly because I'm catch and release fishing for bass 85% of the time.

Any other thoughts you might have on this subject? Yes, but I'm tired and the deadline for this writing prompt is noon today, so I'll leave this for another time.

Prayers Please!!!

Ariel Biley of the Bass Fishing Blog Urban Fishing will be having brain surgery to remove a tumor on March 11th.

Fog, Safety, Radar, and the 2011 Bassmaster Classic

Pete Robbins at the blog Pete Weighs In has written a thoughtful post on angler safety titled Do Not Try This At Home in the wake of the fog plagued 2011 Bassmaster Classic.

Pete questions the wisdom of angler behavior in this years Classic and asks these questions:
In a nutshell, I think it boils down to two main questions, specifically: (1) Should BASS have banned the use of radar by the anglers? and (2) What obligation do the anglers have to promote safe behavior?

...The boats, wellheads, navigational buoys or whatever else might’ve been in the water showed up as blips on the screen, and they didn’t hit anything, but it still brings me back to more questions: What about the blip you don’t notice at high speeds, or what about the spectator boat that suddenly decides to move into your path?

Will it take someone dying for us to resolve this issue?

Is technology outstripping common sense?

Or, might it legitimately be worth it for some of these guys to risk their lives for a chance at a Classic victory?
Pete ends with this:
Can you imagine what would have happened had an observer been injured – critically, mortally or otherwise – in a radar-equipped boat this past weekend in New Orleans? It would have been an absolute disaster in more ways than one, destroying the goodwill of what was otherwise a great event.

If the new owners – Jerry McKinnis, Don Logan and Jim Copeland – aren’t relieved that no such tragedy occurred this past weekend or scared half to death by the chance that such an accident could occur in the future, they should be – the possibility is crystal clear, no radar required.

I encourage everyone considering these questions to go and read the whole thing.

I'll give my answers to the questions asked in order they are asked.

Should BASS have banned the use of radar by the anglers?
My gut says No, but I am not really in an informed position to know the capabilities and limitations of the radar used. I will have to defer to the experience of the pro's who said it made the long run to Venice significantly safer.

What obligation do the anglers have to promote safe behavior?
I would say both the Professional Anglers and B.A.S.S. have a very high obligation to promote safe behavior. I think this, however, begs the real question which is whether or not the angler and B.A.S.S. conduct in the 2011 Bassmaster promoted unsafe behavior. The fact is when it comes to the operation of high horsepowered, high performance bass boats I am a bit of a wuss. I don't think running one of those rocket ships down the lake faster than 40MPH is a particularly "safe" undertaking. That said driving a car at any speed, riding a bike, and even walking across the street all present various degrees of hazard. I guess my last word on this one is there is always an element that you proceed at your own risk and each individual angler and the B.A.S.S. officials made the call they thought was best. I don't think I'm in a position to second guess their choices.

What about the blip you don’t notice at high speeds, or what about the spectator boat that suddenly decides to move into your path?

Will it take someone dying for us to resolve this issue?

Is technology outstripping common sense?

Or, might it legitimately be worth it for some of these guys to risk their lives for a chance at a Classic victory?
These questions choose to go where I just didn't, which is to suggest that the behavior promoted at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic was indeed unsafe/unwise. Once again I will defer to the judgement of the participants and not second guess it.

Can you imagine what would have happened had an observer been injured – critically, mortally or otherwise – in a radar-equipped boat this past weekend in New Orleans?

Obviously if that would have happened it would have been an epic tragedy and very bad for the sport.

Let me end with this thought. The Daytona 500 was also held this past weekend. I think for those involved in the race from pit crew to drivers there was more unsafe behavior on display there than at this years Bassmaster Classic.

More Bass Bloggers Weigh In:
Chris McDonald Fishing with Was the Classic unsafe?...
T Brinks Fishing with A Foggy Situation...

Update: Chris McDonald interviewed Dave Wolak and added more to the discussion with the post Follow up to "Was the Classic Unsafe" and Dave Wolak's Take

Update: CLASSIC DAY 2 A RIDE WITH SKEET This is an article from Futurebass.com written by Skeet's Day 2 Marshal. It doesn't sound like the passenger thought what Skeet did running with the radar was particularly prudent behavior. Skeet's reaction to the run once it was over isn't particularly reassuring.

Found: The Lost Nomad (Korea)

Back in the early days of my blog two of the first bass fishing bloggers I came across were a couple of American expats living in South Korea. One blog was The Bass Hole and the other was The Lost Nomad. If you go to The Bass Hole link you will see Gar stopped blogging in June of 2006 and I think The Lost Nomad totally disappeared about a year before that.

Lo and behold yesterday by a freak accident of Google I discovered The Lost Nomad is still blogging at a group blog titled Fishing Korea and Bass Pundit is even on their blogroll. The Fishing Korea archives go back to May of 2005, which is about when The Lost Nomad disappeared.

It's cool to see that one of the bass fishing blog pioneers has been at it this whole time.

41st Bassmaster Classic Final Analysis

If a new "Greatest Angler Debate" were to be held again this year or any year hereafter I think there can be little doubt a different king of the mountain would emerge as the winner. Kevin Van Dam has now matched Rick Clunn's signature accomplishments of 4 Bassmaster Classic Titles and back to back Bassmaster Classic wins. I recently read that Clunn told KVD to hurry up and win #4, so they could race to #5. Who knows maybe Clunn has what it takes to make a run at the Classic title a few more times. After all Clunn was in the hunt for the US Open in 2010. If Clunn can make it back to the Classic, he could win. However there can be little doubt that absent unforeseen tragic circumstances Kevin Van Dam will be contending for Classic crowns as far as the eye can see.

Kevin Van Dam IS THE GREATEST PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENT BASS FISHERMAN TO EVER LIVE.

As for how KVD won this Classic it was a virtuoso performance that showed just why he is the best there has ever been. Just like last year he was among a fair host of others that located the area where the tournament would be won. Last year at Lay Lake Kevin pretty much had the winning water to himself thanks to Takahiro Omori conceding the area to Kevin after the first day. This year Kevin was sharing the exact same water with no fewer than 3 other anglers, all of whom finished in the top 10 and two of which with KVD made up the top 3. To win Kevin had to be flat out better than the other anglers and there can be no doubt that he was in winning with a 10lb plus margin of victory. What Kevin did at this Classic was truly astounding.

I think the biggest keys to Kevin's victory were his uncanny abilities to read the behavior of bass then to "trigger" the bass to strike. Kevin stated he was aware that the first days spinnerbait bite was going away by the end of the day. Kevin knew the fish were changing and so he began to experiment to find out what would work best. Strike King has to be the most fortunate fishing lure company in the history of fishing*. The fish wanted the new Strike King KVD 1.5 crankbait and Kevin figured out exactly how to fish the crankbait to trigger the strikes on Day 2. From that point Kevin stepped on the gas and never looked back. A 10lb 11oz margin people! Simply amazing!

*For the 2nd year in a row the Bassmaster Classic was won by KVD on a lure Strike King Lure Company was just bringing to market, no doubt driving initial sales through the roof and building a legacy that will make the lure a top seller for years to come.

From Bassmaster.com Kevin Van Dam Bassmaster Classic Champion

Tomorrow I will give my analysis, until then check out Big Indiana Bass on the Basstrakk system and Rich's Bassin Blog for his analysis of the win.

Bassmaster Classic Final Day Weigh In (Liveblogging)

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And press conference ends.

"I don't compete to break records...I compete to win"

KVD talks about 1st Classic win, not scouting this year, ruling out Venice, talks about hard bottom in that spot and it was a protected area. Checked it twice in practice and never got a bite until last practice day. "I made some adjustments a little quicker than some of the other guys did."

"The first day I caught em on a spinnerbait" but I saw them beginning to change even then. At first they killed it and then they started bumping it. "By the end of the first day the spinnerbait bite was really dwindling" On 2nd day switched to the Strike King 1.5 square bill Chart/black back. "I'd drop my Power Pole and fan cast"
"I fished real methodically" Threw on 5:3.1 reel. "I had to reel the bait reel slow" "I caught a pile of em' today and I threw back multiple 20lb bags." "I knew I had figured out what I needed to do today."

"The guys that are really good are very perceptive"

Talks about his new Biosonix, but it's a different company.

I missed the first few guys do to power outage.

Yes he got a smattering of applause.

I wonder if the press will give him an ovation?

Now to press conference.

And it's over with a video

"I looked at the habitat an thought it had potential...so much of that bottom is just mud...today it was lights out...I had 24lbs at 10o'clock."

Time for Hook'd Up

The boat comes out for victory lap with Sherry and the kids and he goes on victory lap.

"The last few years have been really magical for me...it's a team effort" thanks family.

"KVD slams the door on number 4, Rick Clunn is alone no more" Mercer

Clunn doesn't bring KVD the trophy, Trip does. Confetti shower.

Mercer goes from litany of KVD accomplishments.

Kevin Van Dam- Brings fish out one at a time. Looks like he's got 20+. Needs 17-6 scale reads 28-0. WOW that is 69-11 HE WINS BY 10lbs!!!

A-Mart- needs 23-7. Pulls out two kickers. 25-14 that is almost 5 less than Basstrakk. I wonder if they were rigging the basstrack today. I guess he just broke the weight record. "This has the potential to be the best fishery in the world... I want to thank the B.A.S.S. staff" Does a tribute to KVD. "It's exciting I'm leading it again" He has 59-0, so KVD needs 17-6.

Brent Chapman- Needs 18-8 gets 16-7 into 3rd. I am disappointed for Brent. "Today I just didn't catch the fish, any big one's...my water dropped 10 degrees" Mercer gives him the chance to talk about Tighlines UV,

Boyd Duckett up 3rd- Pulls out two hogs. 28-13 and into 3rd with 53-2. Big Bass is 8-15 which beats Remitz fish. "I got on these fish to late... I need one more day" Boyd says he had a back up boat, must be nice.

Palaniuk comes up 2nd- Brings out 2 kickers. 22-15 which puts him in 2nd with 55-7, Derek has 56-8, which I think breaks the Classic weight record. "I had an up and down day" Blows a fish whistle in Brian Kercherals(sp) honor, gets a standing O.

Derek Remitz up 1st- Pulls out the log donkey. 26-5 and into the lead. Kicker is 8-4. Earlier it was said to be a 10. "We all pretty much put the hurting on em' today...I couldn't even get the crankbait out of it's mouth I was shaking so bad...the only thing that hurt me was that first day."

KVD gets loudest cheers. Playing Who Dat Gonna Beat Dem Saints? The trophy is on the podium as well as the hot seat. Rook goes on Hot Seat.

Out with the lights...Having anglers come in from crowd Remitz 1st, Chapman 2nd, Palaniuk 3rd, Martens 4th, Duckett 5th, KVD last naturally.

Super 6 Hoopla starts with a video.

My streaming is starting to suck.

Time for Hook'd Up- Zona does a riff on what Louisiana has been through.

Scott Rook- Does not make the Super 6.

The Super 6 will be KVD, Martens, Remitz, Duckett, Palaniuk, Chapman.

Gary Klein- "Decisions and commitments and a lot of what if's" Yes he pumps Berkley Havoc.

Faircloth 18-3 takes the lead. 47-3total. "I got to fish longer today than the 1st two days combined...I don't think I could have competed with the guys that fished up here."

Skeet- He has special Skeet Under Armor shoes, they had a good shot of them. Yep Skeet mentions his Havoc bait the "Pit Boss". Skeet goes on a riff about how he loves the bite and "cracks their heads" Mercer also pimped Havoc baits.

Bobby Lane- Holds up a kicker. 18-2 takes over 1st. "I put my brand new Havoc Craw Patty(sp) on." Wonder if Klein mentions Havoc too?

Kevin Wirth- Thanks his family eloquently.

Cliff Pace- Only moves up to 2nd. Big tournament favorite has a disappointment. "The weather is what got me... I've traveled 750 miles by boat."

Federation Angler Dale Hightower- I think his bag was suppose to be bigger. "This has been a dream come true...I've been in the Federation for 4 years." I wonder if he fished tournaments before joining the Federation.

Paul Elias is on my fantasy team. Only 2 fish for 3-00. Not good!

Ohh oh, feed cut again. Got it back quick again.

Note- I am not blogging everyone.

Ohh oh, feed got cut. Got it back quick.

Ike- He is suppose to have a big bag.
18-9 into 1st but his bag on BassTrakk was suppose to be 20.
"All my fish were caught on a Havoc Bait" so how much was Berkley gonna pay these guys if they won on Havoc?

Dean Rojas- Pulls out a nice kicker. 18-5 Finally someone captures 1st Place today. "That big one came on the frog today...the whole limit was caught on Kermit"

Shaw Grigsby- "I ask that everyone out there take someone out fishing" Put in quite the plug for his sponsors.

Keith Combs- Holds up a kicker. Wow the live leaderboard is way ahead of the live stream. He caught 15 something.

Greg Vinson- Tells a story about the Lowrance radar helping him avoid a collision.

1st to weigh. Jeff Kriet He comes in holding a kicker. 15-15, not even enough to get into 1st or 2nd. "I took a nap and ate sandwich today" On the extended fishing time.

Berkley Havoc Cast for Cash ($100,000) Missed bad for the $100,000. Missed again for $25,000. They gave him $5000. It didn't look like he knew what he was doing with a baitcaster. He was casting backhanded.

Hmmm when the pre-game Hook'd Up was on it wasn't streaming well, but now that they have gone to Mercer, things are fine.

Well Basstrakk has this as a dead heat between A-Mart and KVD. Should be Good!!!

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