The Jackall DD Squirrel 79SP

With Shimano taking over the distribution of Jackall in North America, more anglers will finally getting a first hand look at these jerk baits. The DD Squirrel is a top-quality deep diving jerk bait.  See for yourself.

DD SQUIRREL 79SP
Stats:

• length: 3.2" long (79mm)
• weight: 3/8oz (11.5g)
• deep dives to approximately 8 -10 feet
• 6 colour patterns
• weight transfer system 
• 2 ultra-sharp trebles
• made in Japan
• oval line tie 

The Squirrel with it cousin the Squadminnow 128.

more photos below

Jerk Bait Week: It's a Snap!

Jerk baits are amazing at producing flash and vibration. In order for them to be magical, you'll need to use a snap. Most jerk baits come with a split ring to allow movement but that is not enough. Many fear that in the heat of the battle, the snap will pry open. This might be true if you use some cheapy-cheap  version. Stick to a quality snap will ease your worries. We're not yanking out marlin, so there is no need to buy the thickest gauge of wire out there. Match the snap to the size of the bait. If you're casting a slender 3" bait then tie on a smaller snap and up-grade as the lure size increases.

One neat idea that many have yet to latch onto is Stringease's Fastach system. It is an easy on-off snap clip. Simply roll on the bait or reverse it to unlock it. Its quick, strong and ease, even when wearing gloves.

So, to ensure the best action from your jerk bait use a snap.

Jerk Bait Week

Tis the season to throw jerk baits. Nothing shakes off the winter blues better than a day on the water. To make sure you enjoy yourself, jerk baiting should be part of your day.  

Jackall's Sqaudminnow 128.
An excellent example of a jerk bait.

Jerk baits are long, slender minnow plugs. Usually between 3” to 6” in length, they mirror baitfish well. Cold water can limit a bass desire to feed. So, matching what bass are accustom to eating helps.  Jerk baits come in three distinct designs: floating, suspending and sinking.  Suspending and sinking model are identical to most floating models yet they’re weighted to counteract the lure’s floatation. By having the bait suspend or sink, the lure appears very injured or dying; nothing more appealing to a half frozen bass. It also casts like a bullet.

Anglers have to be in rhythm with the season. Cold water mean lethargic bass. Keep the retrieve smooth and slow. You’ll have to play into the instincts of bass but don’t go crazy. Cold-water temperatures prevent even the hungriest of predators to resist something zipping by.

Anglers need to focus on local conditions to determine what minnows the bass are hunting.  Shad tend to be the most dominant forage but not always. Regardless, jerk baits will match what bass eat. Figure out what the bass are feasting on and match the size, shape and colour. You’ll need all the advantage to score.

Quick tips for success.

• Find clear water
• Baitfish mean bass. Find them and bass will be shortly behind
• Scale down. Light line will help keep the bait deep
• Deep diving baits are your friends, so use them
• Keep an eye on warming trending

New Trigger X for 2013

TRIGGER X^® AGGRESSION

The Go-To, Trusted Choice in Soft Baits

Press Release
Trigger X^® Aggression has taken the country by storm with its robust lineup of baits, color patterns and endless applications, making Trigger X the new standard of soft bait.

            “Last year, Trigger X Aggression introduced new models and colors that were like nothing anglers have ever seen,” said Davy Hite, BassMaster Classic Champion and Trigger X pro angler. “Trigger X has outdone itself this year and raised the bar by creating out-of-this-world baits that will not only be proven winners among anglers, but tournament pros alike.”

            Designed for beyond-realistic performance, Trigger X soft baits are immersed in Ultrabite^® Pheromones, with each bait featuring a ribbed surface area that creates a softer, lifelike feel while increasing lure surface area, which allows the pheromones to disperse farther in the water than other soft baits.

photos & details 

Diawa's New Bait Finesse T3 Air Bait Casting Reel

This is the brand new T3 Air. Bait Finesse is a revolution sweeping Japan. Its pushing for super finesse casting gear. Reels are becoming so super light weight that they're able to cast line a thin as 6lb test. Drags and spools are ultra smooth and slick. Although this reel will not appear in North America any time soon, the Bait Finesse revolution will affect the gear we use for the next several years.

More Photos and Stats below

Hummingbird's New 360 Imaging Sonar

Finally get a look at Hummingbird's 360 sonar. It offers the most advanced 360 view of the water you're fishing. Jason Gramada will explain the key features of this revolutionary unit. For the first time, you'll be able to see what is in front of the boat and below it.

Minn Kota's Talon and Lonnie King at the Toronto Boat Show

Noted outdoor writer and multi-species angler Lonnie King explains the benefits of using Minn Kota's Talon. The Talon is a shallow water anchor that is so useful. Lonnie will explain why this product needs to be on your boat.

The New Ranger Z520C 45th Anniversary Edition Bass Boat with Ranger President Randy Hopper

Learn from the man himself, the President of Ranger Boats, Mr. Randy Hopper as he explains the 45th Anniversary Edition Z 520 C. This carbon boat is totally new. From the more streamlined consoles to divided livewells, this boat needs to be seen to believed.

Bassmaster Classic bound Robinson and Christie join Team Lew's

Lew's announces the addition of seasoned Bassmaster Elite Series fisherman Marty Robinson and two-time 2012 Opens' winner Jason Christie to the Team Lew's pro staff. Both anglers will be fishing Lew's reels in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic next month on Oklahoma's Grand Lake O' the Cherokees.

Robinson, from Lyman, S.C., has been competing along the Elite

Series tournament trail since 2007. He has five top 10 finishes to his credit, including a third place check from the 2012 B.A.S.S. Elite event held in June on Toledo Bend Reservoir. The 2013 Bassmaster Classic will be the second such appearance for Robinson; his first was last year's on the Red River out of the Shreveport-Bossier City, La., area.  

  

Christie, an Oklahoma angler who resides at Park Hill near Lake Tenkiller, has mostly fished FLW tournaments over the past dozen years. He's earned nearly $650,000 on that trail, including the top prize money from five BFLs on Grand Lake. He's also added another $105,000 in earnings from B.A.S.S. events, with most of that coming from his two Bassmaster Open wins last year. One of those, his July win on the Detroit River in Michigan while fishing in the Northern Open series, is what qualified him for the upcoming Bassmaster Classic. He also won the Central Open tournament on Oklahoma's Fort Gibson Lake in September. 

 Both anglers are known for their versatile fishing skills and are therefore expected to do well in fishing the cold waters of Grand

during the February timeframe. Among all Classic contenders, 

Christie likely has more experience on this particular lake than

any of the others anglers, adding even more pressure for him to do well in this event that many consider to be bass fishing's Super Bowl. 

  

New Adjustable Bracket for Minn Kota Talon

Brand new from Minn Kota is a new bracket for their shallow water anchor, the Talon. When first released their were dozens of brackets. This new bracket will work with all jack plates (side or rear mounting). There will be no need to purchase a right or left sided model. Being fully adjustable it will able to work regardless of your transom or jack plate.  If your boat doesn't have a jack plate, another mounting bracket is offered.

Here it is!

MORE PHOTOS below...

Lund Boats Quality with Lonnie King at the Toronto Boat Show 1.mov

Lund Boats at the Toronto Boat Show 2013. Learn from talented multi-species angler and outdoor writer Lonnie King about the quality of Lund Boats. He'll explain why Lund boats are so great.

Up-dated 2013 Top Bass Tournament Schedule

With recent changes to the Provincial Fishing Regulations, Top Bass has modified its schedule for the up-coming season. 

More details at www.top-bass.ca

Here are the dates and locations:

** indicates changes

Sat Jun 22 Sturgeon Lake**

Sun Jul 7 Lake Scugog**

Sat Jul 20 Rice Lake

Sun Jul 21 Rice Lake

Sun Jul 28 Balsam Lake

Sat Aug 17 Tri-Lakes

Sun Aug 18 Tri-Lakes

Sun Aug 25 Lake Seymour

Sat & Sun Sept 7 & 8 Rice Lake (Classic)



Other than the Classic on Rice Lake (Sept 7&8), these are all single day events.

New Sponsors for B1 Tournament

Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine and Thomas Marine Group Start New Association with the Berkley B1 as Official Sponsors

The Berkley B1 Canadian Bass Open announced today that Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine and Thomas Marine Group have all become official sponsors. Both Ranger Boats and Mercury Marine, longtime supporters of competitive fishing worldwide, will make their Ranger Boats and Mercury Marine brands the official boat and outboard motor of the Berkley B1 respectively. As one of the largest Mercury dealers in Canada and currently the sole retailer of Ranger Boats in Quebec, Thomas Marine Group will become the exclusive Presenting Sponsor of the event as the official Marine Services provider. The agreement is a three year deal that involves posting a brand new Ranger Z118 twin-console bass boat powered by a Mercury Marine 150HP four-stroke outboard motor as a grand prize.

Nixon and Yelas Move to Yamamoto Baits

Two More Champions Added to Illustrious Pro Staff

(Press Release from GYCB)

Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, a legendary manufacturer of high performance fishing tackle, announced today that they have added veteran bass pros Larry Nixon and Jay Yelas to an already loaded pro staff. Both anglers currently fish the FLW Tour, but each has a Bassmaster Classic victory to his credit in addition to multiple Angler of the Year titles.

“I’m proud to add Larry and Jay to my team,” said company founder Gary Yamamoto. “Both of them are not only champion anglers, but also true professionals. I look forward to their many future successes on the water and their help developing my product lineup.”

Nixon won the Bassmaster Angler of the Year title in 1980 and 1982 and earned a Classic victory on the Ohio River in 1983. He’s been to 25 Classics and 13 Forrest Wood Cups. While some of his contemporaries have elected to retire, the Arkansas pro keeps on fishing at the highest possible level – he earned his most recent tour victory on the Detroit River this past August.

“I’ve been a big fan of Gary’s for many, many years,” Nixon said. “He makes some of the greatest baits ever designed and this is a great opportunity for me.”

Yelas won the Bassmaster Angler of the Year title in 2003 and the FLW Tour Angler of the Year title in both 2002 and 2007. He also won the Bassmaster Classic in 2002, one of 16 times he qualified for the B.A.S.S. championship. Additionally, he has competed in nine Forrest Wood Cup tournaments. The west coast native moved back to Oregon in recent years and the partnership with GYCB similarly marks a return to his western roots. Like Nixon, he has been friends with Gary Yamamoto for the better part of 25 years.

FACEBOOK Winner!

Congratulations to Christina H and Carmen G. K. who were the winners of the Stringease X-Rig package. I'll be emailing for a full address.
Again, thanks for your likes and enjoy the hooks.

FACEBOOK DRAW!

Runnning out of time to win the Stringease X-Rig hook pack. Like our Facebook to enter the draw. Only two days left.

Article Alert: Lake Biwa Japan Trip in stores now!

In this month's issue of Ontario OUT OF DOORS, I've written about my adventures in Japan on Lake Biwa with master guide and tournament pro Jun Shoji.  Check it out!

Win this at Ontario OUT OF DOORS!

Visit www.ontariooutofdoors.com/armylure and enter for your chance to win a Rapala Army limited edition fishing lure.

Contest is open to Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who are over the age of majority in their province or territory. One entry per person. Contest closes January 31, 2013 at 11:59:59 PM EST with 100 lucky winners drawn on February 3, 2012.