Monday, May 31, 2021

A Smallmouth Secret: The Carolina Rig



A Carolina rig is an old school technique to catch big bass. It works exceptionally well on beast smallmouth. If you encounter heavy wind, giant waves, scattered smallmouth or just cannot figure out finesse, then you need to learn how to Carolina rig. Carolina rig is a secret technique to nail smallmouth. You'll be surprised how how IBASSIN.com rigs up for smallmouth. Listen to Luigi De Rose as he goes through the set up, bait selection and when are where to fish the Carolina Rig for smallmouth.

Friday, May 28, 2021

Ott DeFoe Wins the Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats on the Harris Chain with 73-14lbs!

Shad spawn and cranking key to win. 

Ott celebrates his 2nd win of the Bass Pro Tour season.
(Photo: MLF) 

MASON PRINCE •
BASS PRO TOUR

BASS PRESS RELEASE


LEESBURG, Fla. – A couple of months ago, Ott DeFoe won the first event of the 2021 Bass Pro Tour season on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. On Wednesday, DeFoe won his second event of the season and his third overall with a dominating performance in the Championship Round of the Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats on the Harris Chain. The Tennessee pro used a barrage of scorable bass in Period 3 to pull away from the rest of the field, securing yet another Bass Pro Tour trophy and $100,000.

DeFoe’s Dominant Third Period

DeFoe began the third period on Lake Harris in a battle with Brent Chapman, Andy Montgomery and Bobby Lane for the top spot on SCORETRACKER®. He mentioned to his camera before the final period started that whoever caught the most fish in Period 3 would walk out the champion. Well, it turns out it was DeFoe after he caught more than 28 pounds in the final frame, extending his lead to 27-1 over Bobby Lane (which is an MLF record for largest margin of victory in a Bass Pro Tour event).

“I’m really just speechless right now and I give all the glory to God,” DeFoe said moments after lines out. “I really struggled my first day of this tournament on Lake Griffin and struggled so much that it made me go to Lake Harris the rest of the tournament. That decision paid off big time, obviously.”

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Boat Trailer Safety Checklist


Getting to the lake and back safety all depends on how well your trailer is maintained. Check out this list of safety tips to keep you on the road and running well season after season.

Monday, May 24, 2021

Wire to Wire 2021 Bassmaster Elite Lake Guntersville Win for Caleb Kuphall!

Canadians Chris Johnston 9th

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Kuphall's 17lb gap between second place Wes Logan. 
(Photo: BASS) 

An Elite angler’s “walk-up” music has no bearing on tournament performance, but Caleb Kuphall’s could not have been more fitting for his dominant wire-to-wire victory in the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, where he tallied a four-day total weight of 85 pounds, 14 ounces.

 

The second-year pro from Mukwonago, Wis., enters the weigh-in stage each day to the Beach Boys’ Catch a Wave. The opening verse perfectly mirrors the eye-popping Day 1 performance that gave Kuphall nearly a 6 1/2-pound lead and positioned him to ride out the slower periods and end up surging across the finish line by a huge margin.

 

Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world.”

 

“Having as much of a lead as I did, it was very nerve wracking, because you don’t want to blow it,” Kuphall said. “You’re like ‘I’ve got this lead and if I blow it, it’s a catastrophic train wreck.’ I kinda just rode that wave.”

 

Earning his first Elite trophy and becoming the first Wisconsin angler to do so, Kuphall set the bar high with a Day 1 catch of 27-10. With a windy Day 2 creating position and presentation challenges, his productivity dipped to 15-10, but Kuphall retained the top spot by a 4-9 margin.

 

Day 3 saw him getting back on track with a 23-9 limit that pushed his lead to 11 1/2 pounds. On Championship Sunday, Kuphall started slow, picked up steady momentum and sacked up the biggest bag of the final round — 19-1 — to collect a $100,000 top prize.

 

Notably, Kuphall’s 17-14 margin of victory is the second largest in Bassmaster Elite Series history (behind South Carolina pro Patrick Walter’s 29-10 margin last year at Lake Fork). Kuphall is only the 11th Elite angler to win by a double-digit margin.

 

Kuphall caught all of his bass flipping and punching shallow vegetation. In a tournament that saw competitors trying a wide range of spring tactics, he kept it simple and stuck to a fundamentally sound game plan that helped steady his nerves.

Saturday, May 22, 2021

2021 Bassmaster Elite Lake Guntersville Day 3: Caleb Kuphall Extends Big Lead!

Canadians Chris Johnston 3rd, Cory Johnston 11th & Gustafson 73rd

BASS PRESS RELEASE


Pitching grass and mats key to massive 11lb lead
for Kuphall. (Photo: BASS)

Knowing when to shift gears rewarded Caleb Kuphall with a five-bass limit of 23 pounds, 9 ounces, which helped him extend his lead in the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a three-day total weight of 66 pounds, 13 ounces.

 

Holding the top spot since Day 1, the pro from Mukwonago, Wis., set the pace with a first-round limit of 27-10 — the tournament’s biggest bag — and followed with 15-10. After the first two days found Kuphall with leads of 6-7 and 4-9, he enters Championship Sunday 11 1/2 pounds ahead of Alabama pro Wes Logan.

 

“The more the better,” Kuphall said of his numerical advantage. “If you’re going to lead, you might as well lead big, I guess. I don’t know; I’ve never been in this position before.

 

“It feels great to be in the lead, but I’m going to be nervous tonight.”

 

As he has done the past two days, Kuphall began on a large milfoil bed close to takeoff. The area yielded much of his weight on Days 1 and 2, but intense fishing pressure — from him and other anglers — has steadily decreased the area’s productivity.

 

Kuphall had been Texas-rigging a Zoom Z Hog in the California 420 color on a 4/0 extra-wide gap hook with a 3/4-ounce tungsten weight, but today he switched to a 1-ounce Dirty Jigs No Jack Punchin’ Jig with a forktail trailer.

 

“I was just trying to show them something different,” Kuphall said of his bait change. “They started taking my (Texas rig) really lightly and I was missing a couple.

 

“Generally, with that jig, if they get it, you’re gonna get them. It’s just a better hookup percentage.”

 

Around 9 a.m., Kuphall had four fish for approximately 10 1/2 pounds, so he pulled the plug and relocated to his secondary spot — a large milfoil bed near the B.B. Comer Bridge (State Route 35). Expansive cover with lots of sunfish and big gizzard shad presented a promising scenario.

 

Within 30 minutes of arriving, Kuphall experienced a flurry that started with a 6-pounder and followed with two in the 4-pound class. Adding two more quality fish later in the day, Kuphall culled all the fish he’d caught on his starting spot.

 

“I knew the big fish were there,” he said. “I just got on a good stretch and conditions were just right today.

 

“The sun was positioning the fish in those mats and the wind was so light it wasn’t affecting my ability to fish the mats. Everything just set up perfectly to go in there and do damage.”

 

On Day 2, Kuphall found the stronger wind was compacting the mats and making presentations more difficult. Also, he had to use higher trolling motor power, which likely spooked the fish. Today’s conditions allowed him to leisurely work isolated grass clumps on the mat’s perimeter.

 

“I was looking for the thickest stuff available; the thicker the better,” Kuphall said. “You’d flip in there and they’d destroy the bait as soon as it gets through.

 

“I was using a Z Hog with an ounce weight. I try to go as light as possible because I miss a lot of fish if you go too heavy on the weight.”

 

Looking ahead to Championship Sunday, Kuphall said he’ll give his first spot a chance to produce, but unless he finds a big bite, he’ll transition to his spot near the B.B. Comer Bridge much earlier.

 

“By the way my first area’s going, I’m thinking I’m going to spend a lot of time in (the second spot) tomorrow,” he said.

 

Hailing from Springville, Ala., Logan bolstered his first two limits of 14-1 and 20-12 with a third-round bag of 20-8 and tallied 55-5. Fresh off his win at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake, Logan caught all of his bass by flipping milfoil mats in the same general area where Kuphall spent most of his day.

 

Friday, May 21, 2021

2021 Bassmaster Elite Lake Guntersville Day 2: Caleb Kuphall Continues to Lead with 43-04lbs!

Canadians Chris Johnston 2nd, Cory Johnston 16th & Gustafson 73rd

BASS PRESS RELEASE


Early morning and shallow bite key to big lead. 
(Photo: BASS)

On Thursday,
Caleb Kuphall said he was concerned he’d exhausted his Day 1 hot spot, but the area still held enough quality fish to help him maintain his lead at the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a two-day total of 43 pounds, 4 ounces.

 

Sacking up a Day 1 limit of 27-10 — the tournament’s biggest bag so far — the pro from Mukwonago, Wis., carried a lead of 6-7 into Friday’s competition. Adding 15-10, Kuphall heads into Saturday’s semifinal round with a 4-9 margin over Canadian Chris Johnston.

 

Starting both days on a large milfoil bed not far from takeoff, Kuphall has done most of his work in a relatively small area within this sprawling habitat. Other boats were fishing around him, but Kuphall has dialed in a particular sweet spot.

 

“There’s a lot of pressure in that spot; today, there was another two boats in there and another one came in later on,” Kuphall said. “There’s still a lot of fish there; I got bit pretty much up until I left around 9:30. I just don’t think I can get another two days out of it.”

 

Kuphall is catching his bass on a Zoom Z-Hog in the California 420 color. He’s rigging the bait on a 4/0 extra-wide gap hook with a 3/4-ounce tungsten weight.

 

Once his starting spot fizzled, Kuphall ran about 15 minutes uplake to fish a matted milfoil bed. This area holds scattered pads, but he said the secondary habitat isn’t factoring into his game plan.

 

“You have the mat line, and what I’m fishing is out from that,” he said. “It’s a little deeper water and the isolated grass clumps are key to getting my bites. I really haven’t gotten any bites fishing the line.

 

“I’m using the Z-Hog here too, but I’m using a 1-ounce weight. If the wind blows again tomorrow, I may have to go to an ounce and a quarter or an ounce and a half.”

2021 Bassmaster Elite Lake Guntersville Day 1: Caleb Kuphall Scores Lead with 27-10lbs!

Canadians Chris Johnston 5th, Cory Johnston 10th & Gustafson 71st

BASS PRESS RELEASE


Morning flurry paves way to monster limit. 
(Photo: BASS) 

A fast start plus two afternoon upgrades yielded a five-bass limit of 27 pounds, 10 ounces for
Caleb Kuphall of Mukwonago, Wis., who leads Day 1 of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville.

 

Heading into Day 2, Kuphall holds a lead of 6-7 over veteran South Carolina pro Todd Auten.

 

According to BassTrakk’s unofficial standings, Kuphall had secured a limit of approximately 19-4 by 6:58 a.m. Registering his first keeper — a 2-12 — 24 minutes after the 5:30 takeoff, Kuphall quickly added four more keepers, including two over 5 pounds.

 

About 30 minutes after securing the day’s first limit, Kuphall upgraded to 21-12. Several hours passed without further improvement, but shortly after noon, he added a 4-8 and followed with a 5-8 just before 1 p.m.

 

Noting that he fished two different areas, Kuphall described his primary spot as a classic postspawn staging area. Located in a large spawning cove, the area he targeted provided a natural stopping point for bass on their way out toward summer habitat.

 

“It was a point with a big mat of milfoil going out to the main lake,” he said. “I got back-to-back bites — in the morning, I caught a 6- and a 5 1/2-pounder on the very next cast.

 

“I kind of had two things going today, and the first one was a supershallow deal. I caught two of my weigh-in fish in about 3 feet of water, and the rest of them came in about 6 feet.”

 

Kuphall kept his bait details guarded, but he noted that a bottom-oriented presentation tempted all of his bites. He used multiple colors, but he said the appearance is less important than the presentation.

 

“It’s a reaction bite; a fast-fall kind of deal,” he said.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Diawa LT Series of Spinning Reels with Dave Chong and IBASSIN (SMOOTH AND LIGHT)



The Diawa LT series of spinning reels were designed lighter and stronger in a more compact package. The strength of the Zaion housing is an example of the LT design concept of Light but Tough. At the heart of the reel is a machined Aluminum Alloy DIGIGEAR designed for smoothness, strength and durability. The main shaft utilizes the Magseal, which prevents water and debris intrusion. The reel is long-casting and extremely smooth.

Monday, May 17, 2021

Jason Abram Wins 2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Lake Eufaula!

Shad spawn and trees key to big win!

(Photo: MLF)

ROB NEWELL • TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT Press Release

Jason Abram came to the fourth stop of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers looking to get his season back on track. His last two finishes were sub-hundred endings at Lewis Smith and Lake Murray and he badly needed to right the ship. Coming into Lake Eufaula, his plan was to fish shallow. He did not think the tournament would be won shallow, he just wanted to fish shallow to get back to his fishing roots: an East Tennessee run-and-gun approach. Four days later, Abram stood on the Big 5 stage on the shores of Eufaula holding his second Pro Circuit trophy and a check for over $100,000.

“Over the last two tournaments, I sort of got side-tracked trying to fish deep,” Abram says. “I came here with the intention of fishing shallow to get a decent check, get some solid points and find my groove again.”

Abram found his groove all right, fishing up in the Chattahoochee River portion of Eufaula. The river reminded him of some of his lakes back home, specifically Watts Bar reservoir.

“When the shad spawn comes in at Watts Bar, we catch them by pitching a heavy white jig to bluffs formed by channel swings,” he explains. “The bluffs have cracks and crevices that create creases, seams and eddies in the current. The bass set up in those ambush points and eat shad washing in with the current.”


When Abram says “heavy,” he means a jig that is heavier than a typical shad spawn swim jig, which usually run in the ¼- or 3/8-ounce size. His jig of choice back home is a white 5/8-ounce model, handmade by a friend named Craig France. The design features a flatter head to “float” in current a little better. He trails the jig with a Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver.

“At home, those typical lighter jigs wash too much with the current,” he says. “But too heavy of a jig does not hesitate in the current long enough for the fish to hone in on it and eat it. That’s why 5/8-ounce with the wider head is perfect for that technique.”

Abram used that exact same jig to fish channel swings banks in the Chattahoochee River this week. He found enough similarity between Watts Bar and Eufaula to make his homegrown pattern work. The perfect combinations at Eufaula were channel swing banks that had some kind of wood providing shade over an eddy in the current; either in the form of an overhang tree or a piece of dead wood collecting flotsam to form a canopy over the eddy.

Abram would pitch the jig into the shaded eddy and sort of pop it through the current seam allowing the current to suck it down about 2 feet between pops. His unique retrieve provoked a reaction response from bass set up in the eddy to feed on current driven shad.

The biggest problem Abram had was finding enough of these unique current breaks to fish in a day. To solve that problem, he put his Mercury motor to use.

“I could only find about 18 or 19 small spots that fit the pattern,” Abram adds. “And they were spread out in about an 18-mile stretch of the river so I did a lot of running and gunning. It’s how I fish back home: once I know exactly what I’m looking for, I’ll run 20 miles to find a few more of them.”

Abram spent as much time running as he did fishing. He would often fish a place only three to five minutes before running to the next sweet shade spot.

“Those fish were set up to feed in those spots,” he says. “They usually bit on the first flip or two into a current seam so it didn’t take long to fish one. And I would visit some of the same spots sometimes four to five times a day.”

Abram weighed in 20 pounds, 3 ounces on day one to start the event in second place. His shady sweet spots continued to produce the next two days to the tune of 13-5 and 18-11, holding him in second place. He started Championship Sunday 1-11 behind Trevor Fitzgerald who seemed to be in control of the board with his brush pile game.

Today, Abram squeezed out another solid limit of 14-1 from his unique pattern to win with a four-day total of 66-4.

“In my wildest dreams I never thought I could win a tournament on Eufaula in mid-May fishing shallow,” Abrams says. “This lake is known for deep ledges and brush piles this time of year. But I came here to do my thing and fish the way I like to fish and it turned into a win – that’s pretty special.”

Top 10 Pros

1. Jason Abram – 66 – 04 (20) – $100,500

2. David Walker – 63 – 03 (20) – $30,500

3. Trevor Fitzgerald – 62 – 12 (19) – $25,000

4. Bobby Lane – 60 – 07 (20) – $20,000

5. Ryan Davidson – 55 – 14 (19) – $19,000

6. Mitch Crane – 55 – 06 (20) – $18,000

7. Skeet Reese – 50 – 13 (20) – $17,000

8. Dicky Newberry – 50 – 08 (20) – $16,000

9. Cole Floyd – 47 – 08 (17) – $15,000

10. Ramie Colson Jr. – 45 – 01 (17) – $14,000


Friday, May 14, 2021

2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Lake Eufaula Day 1: Bobby Lake Cracks 20-08lbs and Lead!

Shallow and deep all paying off for Top 5

ROB NEWELL • TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT

Bobby Lane lead stellar crew of anglers.
(Photo: MLF) 

Few things in professional bass fishing are as lethal as experience, confidence and momentum. And when all three are working together, you have the kind of year
Bobby Lane is having.

Lane currently leads the Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year points after two Top 10s in BPT events so far this year. In addition, he is also fifth in the Angler of the Year points in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers after three stops. Just seven days ago he finished runner-up at the BPT event on Lake Travis in Texas by a mere 2 ounces.

From Travis, Lane traveled straight to Lake Eufaula for the Grundéns Stop 4 Presented by A.R.E. of the Pro Circuit where he finds himself in the lead after Day 1.

“Recently I just can’t seem to make a bad decision,” Lane says with a smile. “Things have been going really good this year. Like today, I caught a 5 ½-pounder in a foot and half of water where I was not expecting to get bit. And I boat flipped everything and never lost one, which usually never happens.

Thursday, May 13, 2021

LandPass Bonfire Chat with IBASSIN.com: Early Ontario FMZ 20 Bass Season, Kayak fishing and Back County Bass Fishing

 


Recently, Luigi De Rose from IBASSIN.com had a chance to chat with Leith from LandPass to discuss the new early season bass fishing in FMZ 20, kayak fishing and back county bass fishing. 

Link here

LandPass is an exclusive app that brings together private landowners and hunters and anglers. In just a few clicks explorers are able to view private land, book time to hunt or fish, and experience previously inaccessible land. Landowners have the ability to securely rent out their land with ease and generate an extra source of income.

LandPass is currently only available in Canada and for iOS, but we are launching in the States and offering the Android version very soon! 


Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Wes Logan Wins 2021 Bassmaster Elite Whataburger on Neely Henry with 57-09lbs!

Local Pro Wes Logan Gets First Bassmaster Elite Series Victory At Neely Henry Lake

BASS PRESS RELEASE

(Photo: BASS)

GADSDEN, Ala. —
Wes Logan said memories came flooding back to him throughout the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake.

That’s bound to happen when you’ve fished a place since you were 5 years old.

Logan now has countless new reasons to think fondly of his home water after claiming the tournament title here on Championship Monday. The 26-year-old from Springville, only a 30-mile drive from the Gadsden City Boat Docks, caught a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 57 pounds, 9 ounces. He capped the competition with a 14-1 limit Monday, the third-heaviest of the day.

Logan earned $100,000 for the win, his first in 26 B.A.S.S. events.

The second-year Elite Series angler charged into the lead on Day 3 with a 16-15 bag that tied for the heaviest of the tournament. That made him the last man to weigh in Monday and the only one with a chance to knock Connecticut pro Paul Mueller from the hot seat.

Logan peeked silently at the scale while his bass were weighed. When his winning total flashed on screen, he let out a victorious yell and pumped his right fist over his head. Then he hugged Mueller and hoisted his first blue trophy for his home-based fans to see.

“I started tournament fishing with my dad when I was 5,” Logan said. “We’d come here, Logan Martin and Weiss … I went into practice trying to not put pressure on myself. I wanted to fish like I’d never seen the place before. I wanted to figure out a pattern.”

Having an open mind, even on water he knows so well, was critical this week. Neely Henry was a difficult read for most of the 98 anglers who started the tournament on Friday, postponed by a day because of heavy rains earlier in the week. The storms sent the water table rising and shot sediment throughout the lake. The Elites scrambled to find stable water, many relying on junk fishing to see which lures and techniques produced the best bites.

A trio of lures worked best for Logan — a 5/8-ounce Dirty Jigs Matt Herren flipping jig (black/blue skirt) with a Zoom Big Salty sapphire blue Chunk; a Dirty Jigs No Jack swim jig with a Zoom Super Speed Craw trailer; and a frog, which he used to fill his Day 3 limit.

Logan started the tournament strongly, putting 14-1 on the board Friday, good enough for ninth place. He caught 12-8 on Day 2, climbing to eighth and surviving the cut to 48. He made his move on Day 3 with the 16-5 haul, pointing to a pair of unusual catches as the turning point.

Monday, May 10, 2021

2021 Bassmaster Elite Whataburger Neely Henry Lake Day 3: Logan Leads with 43-08lbs!

 Canadians Cory Johnston 20, Gustafson 34th & Chris Johnston 36th 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Wes Logan, of Springville, Ala., is leading after Day 3 of the 2021 Whataburger 
Bassmaster Elite at
 Neely Henry Lake with a three-day total of 43 pounds, 8 ounces.
(Photo: BASS)

GADSDEN, Ala. —
Wes Logan grew up fishing this 11,200-acre Coosa River fishery, so it’s no surprise his intimate knowledge of the lake helped him climb to the top of the leaderboard on Day 3 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake.

But with the Neely Henry bass still adjusting to extremely heavy rains last week, Logan admits he’ll have to lean on every bit of his experience if he’s to win his first B.A.S.S tournament Monday.

Logan has three consecutive limits for a total weight of 43 pounds, 8 ounces. He was in eighth place after Day 2, but a 16-15 bag on Sunday tied for the tournament high and vaulted him into the pole position at Neely Henry.

Despite his know-how on Neely Henry, Logan is leery of all nine of the remaining competitors. That’s mostly because the lake has been a mystery since the extreme storms trained across the area last week. The water level soared, the lake muddied and the bass scattered to some unusual places. It was a combination that tested the Elites from the start, Logan included.

“The only thing that helps me is I know how things act when something changes here,” Logan said.

And there have been plenty of shifts on Neely Henry in the past few days. The north end of the lake had high water following the heavy rain but is now draining into its south end, which had been extremely shallow. As the water pushes through the lake, bass are moving with the heaviest flow, which Logan said convinced him to try for offshore bites on Sunday.

It’s not what he’d normally do, but this week has been different.

“I caught a 3 1/2-pounder in a place I’ve caught fish in the past, but this time it was in bright sunshine and in 6 inches of water,” he said. “That fish shouldn’t have been there. I was running by and wasn’t even going to go in there, but I went with my gut feeling. I’ll have to do that tomorrow because where I thought I could win the tournament, there’s not going to be any water in the grass anymore.”

Logan’s heaviest bass weighed 5-4, which was only 2 ounces shy of the heaviest catch on Sunday. He said he’ll look for more of that caliber bass on Day 4, feeling he’ll need the extra weight to hold off his competitors.