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The Frosts Ice Over Bass Pro Shop Competition Part 2

Welcome back to IBASSIN’s exclusive interview with Simon Frost. He and his wife Melanie recently captured the 2013 Bass Pro Shop Lake Simcoe Open.

By Luigi De Rose

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.

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 

Simon

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?

The Terrova offers many features
ideal for fishing deep water. It also
is matched to many Humminbird units. 

Simon

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. 

The Frosts Ice Over Bass Pro Shop Competition Part 1

IBASSIN exclusive interview with Simon and Melanie Frost on their Bass Pro Shop Lake Simcoe Open Victory

By Luigi De Rose

Simon and Melanie Frost proudly display their winning catch.
(Photos: Yvonne Brown)

The Bass Pro Shop Lake Simcoe Open can be considered this country’s premier one-day bass tournament. Lake Simcoe, an hour north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is arguably the best smallmouth bass fishery in the world. This lake is ground zero for Canadian bass fishing history. Host to countless tournaments, Lake Simcoe holds the Canadian bass tournament limit record with just over 31 pounds for 5 bass and the heaviest tournament bass ever caught. Coincidentally that 8.05lb smallmouth and the heaviest creel occurred on the same day but by two different fishing teams.

IBASSIN had the honour to chat with Simon Frost, one part of his husband and wife dynamic duo, about their victory.

IBASSIN

Congratulations on the win!

Simon

Thanks!

IBASSIN

So, what are you going to do with all that money?

Simon

Melanie says we have to fix the roof.

IBASSIN

What!? That must be one expensive roof. How much did you win?

Simon

The grad prize was $13 000 plus another $2000 for the Minn Kota and Humminbird contingency prizes. Yeah, it is a nice pay cheque.

IBASSIN

Explain to the readers the fishing conditions on Saturday, October 19, 2013.

Simon

It was terrible. It was wet, windy and cold. During that day it really cooled off and we were cold. The strong wind came from the southwest and created 2 – 3 foot waves at take off. But on the way back, there were 5- 6-foot waves. It took us an hour and a half to get back to the ramp.

The Bass Pro Shop Lake Simcoe Open actually occurs on two lakes, Lake Simcoe and its neighbour Lake Couchiching. The tournament weigh in and ramp is in the town of Orillia on the shores of Lake Couchiching. Typically, anglers journey into Lake Simcoe to find the larger smallmouth bass.

IBASSIN

How were the fishing conditions?

Simon

The fishing conditions were not great and different than in past years. Lake Simcoe hadn’t turned over yet and that mixed up the bass. Typically, the water temp for this event is around 52 to 53 F but we found the water temp about 60F from top to bottom. What this does is spread the fish out. The bass seemed to still be in late summer patterns instead of fall ones. You need to have the colder water temps to get the big weights.

IBASSIN

Not trying to diminish your achievement but your 22.85 lbs winning weight is very low compared to past Opens.

Simon

Yeah, we were shocked how poor the weights were when we arrived back at the ramp. We were hoping for a top 10 finish.  Our best weight at the Open was 27lbs and that got us 9^th place that year. Having 22lbs and winning was shocking.

It’s a bit of a funny story. We were one of the first to arrive at the ramp. The tournament organizers ask all teams who think they have over 20lbs to wait and do a drive by weigh-in. So we put the boat on the trailer and waited. Team after team walked passed us to the stage. Finally, two other teams met up with us and waited. We got to talking and Derek Strub suggested we go last because we might have the largest bag of bass. So we waited even more. We ended up being the last boat.

Giving the crowd something to cheer!

IBASSIN

How did that winning moment feel?

Simon

It was unreal. Total shock at first and then we were just amazed that we won.

Come back for part 2 with IBASSIN and Simon Frost as he explains their technique and strategy to figuring out the smallmouth. 

Exclusive IBASSIN Interview with Simon and Melanie Frost on their Lake Simcoe Bass Pro Shop Open Win

Come back soon for the exclusive IBASSIN interview with Melanie and Simon
on their recent win.
(Photo: Derek Strub)

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