2013 Walmart FLW Lake Chickamauga Day 3: Casey Martin has 10 pound Lead over Michael Neal

By Brent Carlton
FLW Press Release

DAYTON, Tenn. – Casey Martin made the drive from Guntersville, Ala., to Dayton, Tenn., with one goal in mind for the final Walmart FLW Tour qualifier of the season – make the Forrest Wood Cup. It was a tall task as the rookie pro sat in 54th place in the standings and would need to make the top-10 cutoff. Now that he’s done that, Martin has set his sights higher – this time on the $125,000 first-place purse.

Consistency has allow Casey Martin to pull
away from the pack.
(Photo: FLW)

Despite a very slow morning on his best spot, Martin stuck it out and adjusted. Earlier in the week Martin shared this very spot with Mark Rose, JT Kenney and Anthony Gagliardi. One would assume without the other three it would be game on. Not so.
“I almost left,” said Martin. “Then I idled around one more time to see if they were still on the graph and they were.”
Martin finally trigged the school with a drop-shot, Roboworm (green pumpkin) and 10-pound Seguar Invizx line, something he hasn’t used all week. During the opening round the fish were crushing his Picasso School-E Rig, 3/4-ounce Omega football jig and Strike King 10XD crankbait. Today, four of his five weigh fish came on the drop-shot, the other on the School-E Rig.

2013 Walmart FLW Lake Chickamauga Day 2: Morgan Wins AOY and Martins Take Lead with Giant Bass

By Brett Carlson

FLW Press Release

DAYTON, Tenn. – One of the most consistent anglers in bass fishing finally clinched the prestigious Angler of the Year title as Andy Morgan put in a workmanlike effort on Lake Chickamauga, his home water, to seal the deal. Meanwhile, a Walmart FLW Tour rookie desperately seeking to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup jumped into the lead at the halfway point in the tournament.

The hometown crowd got exactly what they wanted Friday. Not only did Morgan clinch AOY, but the other two prominent locals, Michael Neal and Wesley Strader, caught 20-pound plus stringers and sit near the top of the leaderboard.

Andy Morgan wins Angler of the Year
in his home State.
(Photos: FLW)

For Morgan, the AOY win was special, but not surprising. For the better part of a decade the Dayton, Tenn., pro has threatened for AOY, but with no true smallmouth fishery and the season ending in east Tennessee, this was Morgan’s year.

“You called it earlier in the year, my chances at winning without a smallmouth lake on the schedule were so much greater,” Morgan said. “But after Beaver Lake, where I took 68th, I thought I had no chance, no chance. Usually there is one person who goes all year without a slip-up.”

Morgan gained some ground on Keystone Light pro Brent Ehrler at Lake Eufaula and then surged into the lead at Grand Lake. On his home pond, he never looked back – fishing mainly deep brush and stumpy ledges.

“I took it slow, one cast at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time. How sweet it is to win it right here in the hills and hollers of Dayton.”

While the AOY race is over, Morgan isn’t done fishing as he made the top-20 cutoff in 14th place.

Martin surges into the lead

Coming into the final qualifier of the year in 54th place, Casey Martin knew he’d have to catch to make the Forrest Wood Cup in his rookie season as a pro. While he’s extremely comfortable fishing deep patterns in the summertime, not even Martin expected a start like this. After catching 22-15 on day one, the New Market, Ala., pro caught 27 pounds on day two, the heaviest limit of the tournament thus far. Martin’s 49-15 gives him a 7-pound, 9-ounce lead at the halfway point in the tournament.

“It was crazy,” said the pro leader, who shared water with Mark Rose, JT Kenney and Anthony Gagliardi. “On my third cast this morning I caught one and then it was one after another. I left that spot with about 17 pounds and culled once on my next stop. Then I visited a place I caught two big ones yesterday and I caught a 6 and that 7-11. I spent a total of six minutes there and I left. And as far as I know, nobody is fishing it.”

Martin wins the battle of fishing a community hole then
lands 2 monsters to take the lead. 

The 7-11 was the 3M ScotchBlue Big Bass of the day. While his other areas have bigger fish, Martin likes to start on the crowded ledge, which shouldn’t be crowded tomorrow as none of the other three made the top-20 cut.

“That first spot is a mega school. Having a limit there before I go hop around really puts me at ease.”

Martin said he’s catching his fish on a Picasso School-E Rig, a 3/4-ounce Omega football jig (Ozark special color) and a Strike King 10XD (sexy blueback herring color). The School E-Rig produced the early flurry and accounted for three of his five weigh fish.

2013 Walmart FLW Lake Chickamauga Day1: Haynes Leads Off-Shore Bite.

By Brett Carlton
FLW Press Release

DAYTON, Tenn. – Day one of the Walmart FLW Tour finale on Lake Chickamauga was supposed to be filled with drama. Instead, Eufaula champion Randy Haynes returned to the deep ledges and quickly reasserted his dominance while Andy Morgan took a major step towards claiming his first Angler of the Year title.

Haynes lead a huge pack of anglers
mining the off-shore bite.
(Photo: FLW)

While Haynes struggled at Grand Lake, it turned out to be a shallow-water flipping tournament. Now that he’s back offshore, Haynes is back in his comfort zone.
“I caught around a dozen keepers today, all largemouths,” said Haynes, who is quickly garnering a reputation as one of the best deep sticks in the sport. “A lot of them were pretty small, though. The smallest fish that I weighed in today was 3 pounds, which was kind of disappointing considering I had three over 5 (pounds).”
Haynes said that he was fishing 10 different schools, rotating throughout the day. While he visited Chickamauga for a few days of prepractice, he doesn’t have any water all to himself.
“I think that the areas that I am fishing are all pretty obvious,” Haynes added. “It’s real crowded out there. I was boat No. 50 this morning but several of the places I wanted to start on were already covered up.”

2013 CSFL Casey Cup Winners Joey Muszynski and Scott Mursion Winning Ways

by Luigi De Rose

Joey (right) and Scott landed one of the heaviest 5 bass limits
in Canadian tournaments.
(Photo: CSFL)

Anytime anglers reach greatest, we want to know about it. Here is a brief review of how Joey and Scott smashed the Casey Cup record with a 5 smallmouth bass limit of 29.55 lbs.

IBASSIN: 
Great job! So, how do you catch 29 pounds of smallmouth?

Joey: 
The spring was behind and we targeted both spawning and pre spawn fish . We had beds marked out in different areas that we would catch but we also sight fished for cruisers that were coming up during the event.  

IBASSIN: 
Explain your bait selection.

Joey: 
Most of the damage was done dropshotting and tubing with Jackall crosstail shads a prototype Set the Hook bait called the DSS80 and Set the Hook tubes. 

IBASSIN:
Was made the difference in you doing so well?

Joey:
Powerpro Super slick 8 braid with sunline fluoro leader played a huge role also enabling us to make long accurate casts to avoid getting the boat too close and spooking fish in the clear shallow water.  

Big Fish Mix Up

By Luigi De Rose

I made a mistake in identifying the Top Bass Sturgeon Lake Big Bass winner. This proud angler is Shawn Skinner. He and Graig Arvay finished in 20th place with 13.20 lbs anchored by this 6.02 brute. Sorry for the mix up guys.

Jarrod Dean and Gerard Cocks Win First Top Bass Tournament of 2013!

By Luigi De Rose & Jeff English

Jarrod Dean show one to the crowd. This brute was the day's second largest
caught. This 5.67 lb largemouth helped propel his team to victory.
(Photos: Jeff English)

Top Bass Fishing Series is entering its 20th Anniversary and it's first tournament of the year was a huge hit. Top Bass had 85 teams who battled it out on Sturgeon Lake located in the town of Bobcaygeon Ontario but no one out fought the team of Dean and Cocks on Saturday, June 22. Super star team Jarrod Dean and Gerard Cocks took the trophy with 20.80lbs narrowly edging out Steve Wisniewski and Scott Tunney who landed 20.50lbs.

Even with this 6.02 lb bass, it wasn't enough to grab the lead for
Steve Wisniewski and Scott Tunney. 

Top 10

3rd Bob Switzer & Greg Roth 18.01 lbs

4th Jim Bullock & Martin Campbell 17.38 lbs

5th Stewart Evans and Jesse Evans 16.98 lbs

6th Dave Earl & Terry Jones 16.56 lbe

7th Jason Greentree & Brian Bremner 16.46 lbs

8th Spiro Agouros & Peter Worosz 15.86 lbs

9th Peter Garnier & Rob Lafleur 16.26 lbs

10th Jimmy Looi & Alex Chu 15.25 lbs

Muszynski and Mursion Smash Lake Simcoe's Casey Cup with Record Catch!

By Luigi De Rose
Joey Muszynski and Scott Mursion Smash Lake Simcoe's Casey Cup with record catch! The Casey Cup is better known as the “King of the Smallmouth” tournament and Scott and Joey proved who is KING.  Amazingly, these two landed a 5 bass limit totalling 29.55 lbs.

Unfortunately, not too much information on the fishing details of this event. This annual event has most anglers tight lipped on the best techniques. This year the anglers caught them stronger than ever. Joey and Scott have done well as individuals and most recently as a team especially on Simcoe. Joey along with Mark Moran currently holds the Canadian record for heaviest tournament weight. That record catch came from Lake Simcoe but in the autumn.

Considering the 5th position needed to have 27lbs is shocking. For decades, the old Canadian tournament record was 26 pounds for a 6 fish limit. Lake Simcoe has always been known to harbour giant smallmouth but this event confirms that Lake Simcoe is the world’s best smallmouth lake. It also might have confirmed that Muszunski and Mursion are conceivably the two best smallmouth anglers on the planet.

Here are the Standings: 

Position Angler Co-Angler Weight Penalty Big Fish Points AC HP
1 JOEY MUSZYNSKI SCOTT MURSION 29.55 200 84 225
Tie 2&3 CHRIS VANDERMEER JEFF SLUTE 27.55 199 83 250
Tie 2&3 BRIAN GARDY MIKE BLEWITT 27.55 199 83 225
4 CORY JOHNSTON CHRIS JOHNSTON 27.15 197 81 250
5 BARRY GRAVES JASON GOUGH 27.1 196 80 250
6 PAUL CLIMPSON CAL CLIMPSON 26.5 195 79 250
7 DAVE ROCHETTE GARRETT GREEN 26.15 194 78 250
8 JOHN CHARTERS DALLAS CHARTERS 25.95 193 77 250
9 DEREK STRUB MIKE DESFORGE 25.85 192 76 250
10 JOHN MACDONALD STEVE HAWKINS 25.7 191 75 250
11 DAN RISORTO JP DEROSE 25.6 190 74 225
12 STEVE DELYEA MATTHEW BRANTON 25.4 189 73 150
13 KELLY MATTHEWS STEVE CHIASSON 25.3 188 72 225
14 STUART ELLIS EUGENE G 24.95 187 71 225
15 MARC KELLY BRUCE SCULLY 24.95 187 71 225
16 JAMES PALUCH SHAWN MCKAY 24.85 185 69 90
17 FRED KERR OLEG LAPIDUS 24.8 184 68 140
18 BOB IZUMI DARREN IZUMI 24.65 183 67 250
19 KIRK SULLIVAN LINDA ROYAL 24.5 182 66 225
20 RYAN JOHNSON CALLUM JOHNSON 24.5 182 66 225

Tommy Biffle Wins with Smallmouth at the 2013 Elite Mississippi River Tournament!

By Deb Johnson
BASS Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Tommy Biffle was watching the clock. With 45 minutes left in the final round, Biffle knew it was time to give up on the special smallmouth spot he’d been milking during the entire four-day Diet Mountain Dew Mississippi River Rumble presented by Power-Pole.

Aaron 2nd and winner Tommy
battled for the lead all tournament.
(Photos: BASS)

Thirty years of pro bass fishing tells you to when to make a move.

“If you sit there and hope they come and they don’t come, you have do something,” said Biffle, 55, of Wagoner, Okla.

Going into Sunday’s final round, Biffle was 7 ounces in back of leader Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala. Biffle wanted the win, and especially the Bassmaster Classic berth that comes with an Elite trophy.

He abandoned the spot that had kept him in contention all week, and ran to a similar place he knew of nearby, with hard current between two islands. It hadn’t produced much before, but Sunday it paid off quickly.

“First throw, I caught a big one, second throw I caught a big one,” he said. He built his weight to 16 pounds, 13 ounces.

Tommy Biffle Wins the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Mississippi River!

More details to follow!

2013 Bassmaster Elite Mississippi River Day 3: Martens Ounces Ahead of Biffle

By Deb Johnson

BASS Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Seven ounces.

After three days of competition, Aaron Martens was just 7 ounces from victory in last year’s Bassmaster Elite Series event on the Mississippi River.

Now Martens gets to play out a similar scenario on the same river, and he’s going for big bass in the same spot that put him in contention in 2012. And, oddly enough, once again 7 ounces plays into his game.

Aaron with his trademark spinning gear.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

But now the advantage is his. On Saturday, Martens put himself 7 ounces in front of his nearest challenger in the Diet Mountain Dew Mississippi River Rumble presented by Power-Pole.

Martens of Leeds, Ala., amassed a 47-pound, 12-ounce total for the Rumble’s third-day lead.

Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., was the angler trailing Martens by 7 ounces. The day’s largest five-bass sack of 17-5 put Biffle in second place with a total of 47-5. In third place was John Crews of Salem, Va., with 42-14 — 4 pounds, 14 ounces behind the leader, or the size of one fat Mississippi River bass.

2013 Bassmaster Elite Mississippi River Day 2: Palaniuk DQ From Leader to Out!

By Deb Johnson
Bass Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. — The Day Two weight of Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, has been disqualified in the Bassmaster Elite Series event on the Mississippi River out of La Crosse, Wis.

Palaniuk had been the leader for the first two days of the event.

Culling rule between different States catches Brandon.
Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Friday evening after the day’s results had been published, an official, written protest presented to B.A.S.S. officials stated that Palaniuk may have been culling in Minnesota waters. Minnesota law prohibits culling from a limit of bass in state waters, or any culling in Wisconsin-Minnesota border waters.

The fishery for the event includes Pools 7, 8 and 9 of the Mississippi River, including all rivers, creeks and canals connecting to the Mississippi River.

“We discussed the protest with Brandon Palaniuk, and we determined that he did in fact cull from a five-fish limit while he was in Minnesota,” said Chris Bowes, B.A.S.S. senior tournament manager. “We recognize that he did not realize he was in Minnesota waters, and his error was completely inadvertent. In dealing with a river system like the Mississippi and its numerous channels, it’s easy to become confused about the state lines on the water.”

2013 Bassmaster Elite Mississippi River Day 1: Palaniuk Pounds Them

By Deb Johnson
BASS Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. — For some reason, said Brandon Palaniuk, he felt the bass were going to bite for him Thursday, the kickoff of the Diet Mountain Dew Mississippi River Rumble presented by Power-Pole.

Palaniuk, the first of 99 Bassmaster Elite Series pros to come to the scales, had just weighed what later proved to be the largest bag of the day: 18 pounds, 4 ounces.

Brandon mixed up his presentation and locations
on the diverse river.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS))

“I caught a few big ones in practice, but never felt I was on anything solid,” said the pro from Rathdrum, Idaho. “I don’t know how to explain that, other than I had confidence that the bass I was after were going to bite today.”

On Wednesday, the eve of the four-day event, he had described his practice as “not very good.”

But the magic happened for Palaniuk, who at 25 already has a 2012 Elite win on his record as well as the 2010 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship title. He secured a 2-pound, 4-ounce lead over Kevin Hawk of Guntersville, Ala., in second place with 16-0.

The Albright Knot: Fluorocarbon to Braid

By Luigi De Rose

Here is the video I made for Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine. It explains how-to tie an Albright knot with Fluorocarbon to Braided fishing line. This is a great way to connect Fluorocarbon leaders to braid when using jerkbaits, topwaters, cranks or finesse baits.

3 Soft Stickbait Rigs You Must Know!

By Luigi De Rose

In this month's issue of Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine is my most recent column. The article is called,  3 Soft Stickbait Presentation Every Angler Should Know.  Also, have a look in The Opener section at my article on 3 Knots of Fluorocarbon. A few other must read articles from this issue are: For the Record: The 65 Pound Muskie Question & The Ultimate Wild Game BBQ.

Fun from Saturday

By Luigi De Rose

Nothing is sweeter than opening day. It felt especially rewarding to be out a week earlier. Judging from the crowds, everyone took advantage of a day out on the lake. Here is a quick clip of my best of the day. Skipped a Yamamoto Senko right into his mouth.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day. A special thanks to mine for starting me off so young.

Jackall's Boil Trigger 100

Post Spawn bass are suckers for topwaters poppers. Plus, who doesn't love topwater fishing? So, if you're after a new popper or just appreciate good quality, then you need a few Jackall Boil Trigger 100s. Jackall is well known for its fine craftsmanship and this popper is no different. One truly unique feature is that this bait is jointed. Jointed lures have always shined but never really seen much play in topwater fishing. Expect easy popping action at slow and fast retrieves. The jointed body will provide sexy swimming action.

Photo features Baby Bass colour pattern.

Camrea at the Ready!

By Luigi De Rose

With every advancing season, anglers ready their tackle. At IBASSIN.com we are no different but we are getting more than our lures in order. This summer, IBASSIN will be hitting the water better equipped than ever before. Expect great quality videos with more inventive camera angles and sharper quality courtesy of my new camera arm.  Originally developed for Kayak anglers by RAM mounts, this set up should be a winner at retrieving the action as it happens, especially when teamed with my GoPro.

Good luck this weekend and expect some cool news to start leaking out from ICAST. I'm already got some juice from Live Target, Mustad hooks and Yum. Make sure to check in everyday!

Scatter Rap Challenge

2013 Walmart FLW Day 4: Christine is Crowned the Winner!

by Gary Mortenson

FLW  Press Release

Jason controlled this tournament from Day1. He
made the victory look ease.
(Photo: FLW)

GROVE, Okla. – Simply put, Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., owned Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees this week. After leading the fifth FLW Tour event of the 2013 season for the first three days, Christie turned on the afterburners on day four, landing the biggest stringer of the day at 19 pounds, 13 ounces en route to a rather comfortable 5-pound, 5-ounce margin of victory. As a result of Christie’s four-day catch of 78 pounds, 1 ounce, the Oklahoma native took home the top prize of $125,000.

To say that Christie is on a roll would be an understatement to be sure. In the last four FLW Tour events, he’s won two (Beaver Lake in April and Grand Lake today) and placed fourth in another (Lewis Smith Lake in March). Throw in come-from-behind win at the BASSmaster Elite Series event at Bull Shoals this past April and it suddenly appears as if Christie is unstoppable.

But while Christie has tasted victory before, winning on his home turf seemed to provide him with a great sense of satisfaction – if not a little bit of relief – as he was able to perform at the highest of levels in front of his friends, family and hometown crowd.

“This is the biggest crowd I’ve seen all year,” said Christie. “A lot of these people are my friends and I’ve fished against a lot of them over the years as well. This lake taught me how to fish. It’s just a special place for me. I had a great week. And the way I was catching them today, it brought back memories. It was definitely a special week.”

Christie, who is part Native American, also took some time to pay tribute to his heritage.

Jason Christine Wins 2013 Walmart FLW Grand Lake!

Jason Christine wins Grand Lake. Leading wire to wire, this Oklahoma local and fan favourite dominated with a total of 78-01lbs. This is Jason's second win on the 2013 FLW circuit. He also claimed a victory earlier this year on the BASSMASTER Elite circuit. Jason is undeniably the hottest bass angler in the world.

More to come..

2013 Walmart FLW Grand Lake Day 3: Jason Christie Still Controlling Grand!

Gary Mortenson
FLW Press Release

GROVE, Okla. – For the first time all tournament, Rayovac team pro Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., didn’t catch the biggest stringer of the day. But then again, it didn’t much matter. Not only did Christie’s total, three-day stringer weighing 58 pounds, 4 ounces, keep him in the overall lead for a third consecutive day, but he actually upped his margin over his next closest competitor to 3 pounds, 8 ounces.

“This lake is pretty special to me,” Christie said. “It’s a lake that really taught me how to fish. I’ve been trying to get FLW to come here for six years because it is one of the best lakes in the country. When you’re in a bass tournament, all you want to do is have a legitimate chance to win on the final day. And I’ve given myself that chance. So yes, I’m where I want to be.”

Christie said that he didn’t change up much for today’s competition even though the bite appeared to be tougher for the field. He’s continuing to run three different patterns predominately siding with flipping techniques. He said he’s still employing combinations of Yum Wooly Bugs and Booyah spinnerbaits as well.

2013 Walmart FLW Grand Lake Day 2: Jason Christie Still Leads!

by Gary Mortenson
FLW Press Release 

GROVE, Okla. – For the most part, the changing landscape of the FLW Tour event on Grand Lake has been a sight to behold. Water levels have shifted somewhat dramatically, starting off nearly 4 feet above normal pool and then receding steadily with each passing day. The muddied up waters that greeted anglers upon their arrival have slowly given way to more gin-clear conditions throughout significant portions of the lake. Throw in the fact that anglers witnessed sunny and calm conditions today, in stark contrast to the overcast skies and medium winds on day one, and it’s obvious that anglers have had much to process throughout this tournament.

Jason's first of the day. The high water has kept many
bass in the flooded shoreline cover.
(Photos: FLW)

However, given all of the significant changes anglers have had to battle through this week, the one constant appears to be the standing atop the leaderboard. For a second day in a row, pre-tournament favorite and Rayovac team pro Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., has dominated the headlines. Bolstered by a total, two-day catch of 40 pounds, 10 ounces, Christie took a 5-ounce lead after yesterday’s competition and inflated it to nearly 3 full pounds after Friday’s weigh-in.

And although Christie – who considers Grand Lake to be his hometown water – had attempted to argue at the start of the tournament that the conditions left him with no local advantage, the results say otherwise. Christie is clearly on top of his game. And he’s now obviously the man to beat.

“Twenty pounds a day, I’ll take it,” said Christie. “I’m where I wanted to be.”

While weights were down across the board in Friday’s competition, including Christie who recorded nearly 2 pounds less than yesterday’s catch, the Oklahoma pro still managed to haul in the day’s biggest stringer in either division with a whopping 18-pound, 14-ounce stringer.

“I have three different patterns going on in three different sections of the lake,” said Christie. “And I’m using all three patterns each day. I have about 1,000 places on this pond, but it has to be the right deal. A stretch that was good today might not be good tomorrow. The water levels are starting to stabilize and there’s still plenty of fish. But you have to be in the right place at the right time. Believe it or not, I’ve never fished a four-day tournament here and I’m learning just like everyone else.”

While Christie lost two nice fish today, he basically chalked it up to the way he’s fishing.

2013 Walmart FLW Grand Lake Day 1: Christie and Houston Land One & Two!

by Gary Mortenson
FLW Press Release

GROVE, Okla. – Heading into the first day of FLW Tour competition this week, the big story was the overwhelmingly muddy conditions of Grand Lake and how it would affect the field’s ability to find clean water in an attempt to land bountiful stringers. However, by the time day-one weigh-in had concluded, the big news was focused squarely on the personalities that dominated the leaderboard.

Jason has been on a hot streak! This could his third win this year.
(Photo: FLW)

Standing in first place was Rayovac team pro Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., who parlayed a total catch of 21 pounds, 12 ounces into the overall lead. But sliding into second place, a mere 5 ounces behind Christie, was none other than larger-than-life television personality and fishing legend Jimmy Houston of Cookson, Okla.

The all-Oklahoma one-two punch proved, not surprisingly, to offer up a series of distinct contrasts to the delight of bass-fishing fans everywhere.

Giant Pre-Spawn Smallies Part 2

By Luigi De Rose

The Great Lakes has a long and well deserved reputation for producing world class smallmouth bass. May and June are exceptionally good on the Great Lakes. Lake Erie and Ontario gain the greatest recognition but Lake Michigan is also an amazing place.

Check out this monster!

Not much info on this one. It was posted on Minn Kota's Facebook page by Mark Courts. It was caught by Mark in Sturgeon Bay, WI. It truly is a fish of a lifetime and a great representative of the beasts that can be caught during this time period. 

Giant Pre-Spawn Smallmouth

By Luigi De Rose

May and June can be the best time to catch your personal best smallmouth. If you live in the north or willing to travel, now is the time to hunt big smallmouth bass. Several northern states and provinces have an early season. So, it is time to pack up the boat and fish. Here are two brutes that are prime examples of what to expect this time of year.

Eighteen year old Patrick Zajdel, from Burlington, Ontario, recently made the trek to New York State to take advantage of their early bass season. It was well worth the drive considering he boated his largest smallie ever!



At 6 pounds 9 ounces, this will be a difficult record
for Patrick to beat anytime soon.  

Here are the stats:

Lure: Jackall Squad Minnow 95 Jerkbait

Colour: Chartreuse Shad

Depth: 3 feet

Contour: Sand Flat

Rod: Shimano Crucial 6'10M Spinning Jerkbait Rod

Reel: Shimano Saros 2500

Line: Power Pro 15lb Super 8 Slick

Patrick is a young kid who knows his fishing. Learn more about him at:
http://patrickzajdelfishing.com/

Brute smallmouth # 2 will be revealed tomorrow! See you then.

Welcome JUNE!

By Luigi De Rose

Hello June! June is like meeting an old fishing friend. A flood of fond memories washes over you and the hope for many new adventures.  For anglers in the north, June is a very welcome sight. Boats are in the water, reels are spooled and hopefully the rust from a long winter is knocked off.  This June we have a lot to be thankful for.

For Ontario anglers, Fishing Zones 17, 18 and 20 will have bass season one week earlier this year. So, mark on your calendar the 3rd Saturday in June and the new opening day. Most of you have been frothing, just like me, at the hopes of wetting a line earlier than normal. If your favourite bass spot isn't in one of these zones, you'll have to wait another whole week before heading out. Double check on-line for any changes to the regulations. Any of the fishing stores I've visited in the last few months have not received the 2013 Ontario Fishing Regulations summary. Avoid any head aches and give it a read.

 

What is happening with IBASSIN in June and July?

Well, a lot of things are happening. More videos will be up-loaded here and featured on our YOUTUBE channel. Have a look if you haven't in a while. I am testing a new tank for lure demos and working on short fishing segments for when you need a quick fix.

Another cool thing is my Skeeter Bass Boat will be outfitted with a Minn Kota Talon. Finally called up Minn Kota and got one. Even got a new Humminbird as the one I have on the dash is slowly becoming obsolete.  I am looking forward to using the Talon as I mine the docks and pads this June. Cannot wait to try the newest GPS either and see if I can find some isolated smallmouth.

One of the most exciting things to happen in June is reading all the press releases coming in advance of ICAST, the world's biggest fishing show. I will be heading to Vegas and this year I will be trying to make our FACEBOOK page more interactive and exciting. ICAST is the best place to catch all the new cutting edge products and rub elbows with the pros and media people. If you have not liked us on FACEBOOK please do so you don't miss the flood of photos and videos.

I will be pestering all the booths at ICAST for free swag to offer you as a payoff for a LIKE on Facebook. Free stuff always get me running and hopefully I will snag a whole assortment of great stuff. I'll be trying like hell to get as many autographed gifts from all the biggest and best anglers from BASS and FLW. 

This is just a quick snap shot of what we have for our loyal viewers in June and early July. Come back soon for more up-dates.