By Luigi De Rose
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Simon and Melanie with one hell of a big trophy! (Photo: Derek Strub) |
IBASSIN
You stated the smallmouth were in a state of transition. What was your most productive depth?
Simon
We found the best areas were 28 to 32 feet of water. The
bass were right on that break line. The Humminbird Side Imaging would pick up
the bass and if we drifted over the break, you could see the bass on the depth
finder.
The side imaging was really important for keeping on the
break lines. Those bass were right on that line and we had to follow it
closely.
IBASSIN
You explained that the weather made fishing difficult. Did
you fish are variety of places or just stay in one area?
Simon
We just fished one place that we knew very well. Actually,
we didn’t get a chance to pre-practice for this tournament. We had booked the
week off but couldn’t get away. That is what made the win so surprising because
we didn’t get to practice at all.
IBASSIN
What were the best techniques?
Simon
Tubes were the only bait working. We tried a few other things but tubes are what worked. We did
try drop shotting for some suspended bass but they never bit. We casted far
from the boat and slowly popped the tube back. All the tubes were rigged on 1/2oz jigheads.
The area we fished had no bait. We didn’t mark any bait and
we only marked a few suspended bass. Most of the bass were right on the bottom.
We think they were just inactive.
IBASSIN
What gear were you using? Please be specific and don’t worry
about plugging any sponsors.
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The Stradic Ci4 reel has become very common to serious bass anglers. They Simon loves how well balanced it is with the Cumara rods. and |
The tube set up was all Shimano. The rod was a 7’6” Cumara
medium action-spinning rod. The
reel was a Shimano 2500 Stradic Ci4. We spooled up with 5lb test Power Pro braid and then a
12lb test XPS Fluorocarbon leader. That long rod was really helpful at casting
great distances and getting that bait away from boat.
IBASSIN
Why are you using 5lb test braided line? Why so light?
Simon
I know, 5lb test is really light but it makes a difference.
The thin line has less drag on the water and help the bait sink. We have never
broken the braid on any bass. Our largest smallmouth on that 5lb test Power Pro
has been about 7lbs plus we have landed numerous drum in the 15 pound range.
IBASSIN
I have been meaning to ask this question for a while. I have
noticed that you have a Minn Kota Terrova Trolling motor. Why are you using that
style of motor?
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The Terrova offers many features ideal for fishing deep water. It also is matched to many Humminbird units. |
I switched to the Terrova because is has the I-PILOT feature.
One of the neatest features is the spot lock. It works with GPS to hold you on a
specific spot. If you drift off the mark, the motor will kick in and bring you
right back to that spot. Recently, I have the I-PILOT Link feature which links to
the Humminbird unit so you can share the GPS on your unit. You can use the link
to create a route for the trolling motor to follow. We didn’t really create a
route during the open but for open water that Terrova is really great. The motor
has 101lbs of trust so it easily kept us in place.
IBASSIN
I guess that covers it. Very glad that we got a chance to chat
and congratulations again on a great win.
Simon
Thanks Luigi!
Simon and Melanie Frost are super people. Simon has been on several television shows and featured in many magazine articles. His deep water smallmouth skills are very well known and respected.
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