Mike Williams & Duane Jacobs Win 2017 CSFL Classic XXI

Stoney Lake's Winning Pattern

By Luigi De Rose

Duane and Mike are all smiles after the win!
(Photo: CSFL)

The 2018 CSFL Classic returned to the rugged shores of Stoney Lake in North Kawartha, Ontario on September 8 to 10^th. The dynamic duo from Curve Lake, Mike Williams and Duane Jacobs were crowned champions again one year after their first Classic win. Williams and Jacobs bested the 78 team field with a three day total of 40-85lbs. Father and son team Stuart and Jesse Evans missed the win by a razor’s edge with 40-4lbs. Third was captured by Cesare Ruscio and Mike Quesnelle who sacked 39-7lbs.

IBASSIN.com chatted with the newly crowned champs for a rundown on how they secured back-to-back Classic wins on Stoney Lake.

Pre-fishing

“We never practice on Stony Lake!” insists Duane Jacobs. “We have a ton of experience on that lake but most importantly we have experience during this time of year.” Early September is a tricky time of year for bass. Cool mornings and warm afternoons confuse bass and frustrate tournament anglers even more. “The conditions were fairly similar to last year when we won but this year we focused on largemouth and skipped trying for smallmouth until the last day were we landed two.”

Tournament

Friday, the first day of competition, was lack luster at best with a limit of only 12.3lbs.  Saturday’s 15.6lbs limit was a big improvement.  That propelled them into 4^th place and qualified them to fish on championship Sunday as part of  “Top 12”. “The trick to succeeding on Stoney Lake is to stay consistent. The guys who have a big bass will have a great day but if you don’t get that big one you’ll likely only have a 6 or 7 pound limit.” Assures Jacobs. “Over the first two days, we discovered that our largemouth spots were producing much better in the afternoon so we targeted our best spots during that prime time period.”  Sunday had Mike and Duane tried to

Carrot Stix 2.0

Customer service driving force in branding of new Carrot Stix.

By Luigi De Rose

At the recent 2016 ICAST SHOW a distinct booth, a distinctively orange booth seemed busier than most. The blazed orange of Carrot Stix rods gained constant attention throughout the show and warranted a closer look. Aware of success years back, I was curious of their new gear. 

In 2007, Carrot Stix launched their Carrot Orange rods and won an unprecedented 3 ICAST Best of Show categories. At the time, these rods were ground breaking with the introduction of Nano-technology, micro guides and feather light weight. Within a few years the rod company was in trouble then disappeared. In 2014, the company was bought and they were back into the fishing game.

Interested in more information, I sat down with Matt Ki, VP of Operations for Carrot Stix.

IBASSIN:

Hi Matt, thanks for taking the time to tell us more about Carrot Stix.

MATT:

No problem. The booth is a bit quieter now. Yeah, Carrot Stix has 6 lines of spinning and casting rods plus several saltwater and specialty rods along with our brand new 2 speed spinning reel and casting reel. We’re really excited about the 2 speed spinning reel. We’re getting a lot of positive feedback. 

IBASSIN:

Please tell me more about the company? Is it under new ownership?

MATT:

In 2014 it was bought and relaunched. We are steadily building back the business. The past owners left the company in bad shape.

IBASSIN:

Yeah, Carrot Stix was popular then it died out. What happened?

MATT:

The problem was poor warranties and customer service. The real problem was that the factory they used cheated. Instead of hand winding the guides they used a machine which probably wrapped too forcefully creating a weak spot on the blank. So, they shipped out a bad batch of rods without knowing the problem existed.  It seemed that all the rods were breaking between the 2^nd and 3^rd guide. Instead of honouring their products, they were worrying about all the money they were losing by replacing the broken rods. It tarnished the brand. 

2016 FLW CUP: Interview with Chris Johnston FLW Rookie of the Year PART 2

The family connection.

By Luigi De Rose 

PART 2

Chris (L) and Cory Johnston & girlfriends.

We continue our chat with Chris Johnston, 2016 FLW Tour Rookie of the Year, as he journeys back to Canada from an 8^th place showing at the recent FLW CUP on Wheeler Lake.  We also get Lynn Johnston, the father, to discuss his sons’ exceptional year on tour.   

IBASSIN: Chirs, you said that your dad is in the truck? Lynn Johnston, do you have anything to say about how well Chris and Cory have done this season?

Lynn:  I’m thrilled at how well both did this season. Cory and Chris finished well all year and the Rookie of the Year title is well deserved.

IBASSIN: Are you surprised at how well they did? There are so many top anglers on FLW Tour that failed to make the CUP their first year.

Lynn: No, I am not shocked at all with the boys’ success. Cory has fished competitively with me and then Chris since he was 14years old.  The way these young guys are so intense and how well they use their gear especially their Garmin electronics is remarkable. The work ethic is incredible. They’ll find a rock in the middle of Lake Ontario and then go back and catch 2 fish off of it. In the old days, I was just trying to get back to shore safely on that big water. They’re totally confident in fishing.

IBASSIN: I guess you helped train them.

Lynn: I guess but they have always had great skill and a desire to fish. Cory has been fishing since he was 4 years old and Chris started tournament fishing when he was 10. These kids could out flip and pitch men when they were just 10 years old. I would take them for a full day of pre-fishing and they would keep fishing at the dock while I was putting all the gear away. I would have to plead to them to get into the truck so we could go home.  They both love fishing that much.

Chris: Luigi, my dad had a great tournament career of his own. He won many tournaments with us and other anglers so he showed us what it took and the techniques we needed to learn. We didn’t need 4 or 5 years of tournaments under our belts to start cashing cheques. So, my dad really helped in that respect.

2016 FLW CUP: Interview with Chris Johnston FLW Rookie of the Year

Hometown legend in the making.

By Luigi De Rose 

As the scales settled on the FLW CUP on Wheeler Lake, Alabama on August 7^th, the 2016 Walmart Tour season came to a close.  John Cox was declared champion but there is another champion who was bolting back home to continue his bass tournament season in Canada. Chris Johnston, of Peterborough, Ontario had concluded his rookie season on tour. We caught up with him to discuss his fantastic season and his 8^th place finish at the FLW CUP. 

Chris Johnston 2016 FLW TOUR Rookie of the Year. (Photo: FLW)

IBASSIN: Thanks for taking the time out to chat. 

Chris: No problem we are just about 40 minutes from the Canadian border.

IBASSIN: You had an amazing FLW CUP! Let’s talk a bit about it the championship and how you fished. 

Chris: I am surprised that I did so well. I had a very poor practice. I was expecting to flip trees to get the better bites and I did get a few fish but it was random. The first couple of practice days I could get about 5 to 6 bass a day. I was worried that I couldn’t get a limit each day. The deep bite wasn’t there. I got nothing out deep.

On the third practice day, I found a point that had some schoolers but many of the fish were very small. Some were only a few inches long but there were a few 2 pounders mixed in. So, I determined that I would get a few schoolers each morning then try for the flipping fish.

What I discovered was that the schooling bite got better throughout the day. That is something you shouldn’t figure out during an event but in practice so I got a bit lucky. On Day 1 of the tournament I determine that bite was stronger than what I imagined it would be. 

IBASSIN: FLW had pictures of you with some big smallmouth. Did you catch them mixed in with the small schoolers?

2014 Classic Post Game with Kevin Hawk.

Find out how local knowledge helped win this Classic

By Luigi De Rose

Pre-Classic Interview Part 1

Pre-Classic Interview Part 2

Photo: Darren Jacobsen BASS

Well, it has been a week since BASS crowned Randy Howell as its new king. A lot has been penned on Randy’s intuition and the baits he and others used to best the bass at Lake Guntersville. IBASSIN is taking an unique approach to our post-game coverage. We contacted Kevin Hawk, 2010 FLW Cup Champ, Elite angler and Lake Guntersville guide for his perspective on the outcome of the 2014 Classic. We wanted him to reflect on his pre-Classic interviews with the events that occurred throughout the three day event.

We connected with Kevin while he was in Ohio preparing of a future seminar.

IBASSIN:

Thanks for taking the time to do post Classic commentary. One thing I was impressed with was how accurate you were on picking the areas that a majority of anglers fished in the Classic. You stated that Seibold and Alred’s were the place to be. 

Hawk:

The lower end is traditionally a great place to fish for bigger bass. The mentality is to win the Classic. This desire to win makes it so different than other tournaments. Anglers really focus on big bass and Guntersville is full of giants, so Classic anglers need to focus on winning more than just catching bass. It is a winner takes all tournament, so anglers really go for it.

Remember, most of the field has fished Guntersville before so they are aware of the more productive locations.  Many probably did well in practice and knew that big fish lived in the Seibold and Alred’s areas.

IBASSIN:

Tharp, Evers and Mueller didn’t stick to the lower section. They all produced larger bags than most of the field. Are you surprised?

2014 Bassmaster Classic Coverage: How to Fish Lake Guntersville Now! PART 2

An in-depth analysis of Lake Guntersville and fishing the Classic
By Luigi De Rose

Kevin has been guiding on Guntersville for the
past 3 years. (Photos: BASS/Kevin Hunt)

With the Bassmaster Classic a day away, we wanted to know more about fishing Lake Guntersville in late February. Elite Angler and 2010 FLW CUP CHAMP Kevin Hawk shares his knowledge of his home lake.  

IBASSIN:

There is a saying, “You cannot win the Classic on the first day but you can lose it.”  Can the Classic be lost on the first day?

Hawk: It is really hard to catch up here. If you have a 10 to 15lb limit, you’re not going to go out and catch a 40lb limit the next day to catch up to the leaders. You need to be consistent all three days and have a really good bag one of those days. A really good day on Guntersville would be a 30lb day backed up with mid-twenty catches. 

I think 70 to 75lbs of bass will win the Classic this year.

IBASSIN:

Guntersville being so large, will anglers have a lot of crowding from other contestants?

Hawk:

There might be multiple guys fishing the same areas but it would be much different if the bass were way in the backs of creeks or dead–end coves. The bass should be in the middle or the outside areas of the creeks.  These areas are much larger so fisherman will have more room to fish. The top leaders will do their damage in a short time. They will hit the right cover at the correct time and catch several of them in a hurry. The trick is to hit the right window of opportunity. 

IBASSIN:

Who are your Top 3 picks for this Classic?

Hawk:

My Top 3 picks are:

1^st Jordan Lee. He is young guy and a friend who knows Guntersville very well. He is a tremendous angler.

2^nd Aaron Martens. He is such a strong angler.

3^rd. Dean Rojas. Dean is another very strong angler. 

IBASSIN:

Thanks for giving IBASSIN your perspective on fishing Guntersville. 

Hawk:

You’re welcome.

2014 Bassmaster Classic Coverage: How to Fish Lake Guntersville Now!

An in-depth interview with Elite angler and FLW CUP Champ Kevin Hawk on fishing the Classic Waters.

By Luigi De Rose

IBASSIN wanted to give greater understanding on how the pros will fish Lake Guntersville, the host of the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. This famed reservoir on the Tennessee River has a long history with BASS. Numerous events have been held on Guntersville, even Rick Clunn’s first Classic win in 1976. Almost all past tournaments occurred in late spring or autumn not the frigid late winter period greeting the Classic contestants this year.  With 69 000 acres of fishable waters and 71 miles long it is clearly Alabama’s largest water body.  There are no shortage of choices for the Classic anglers.

Photo: Jim Leary/ Kevin Hawk.

We contacted BASS Elite angler and 2010 FLW Cup Champ Kevin Hawk for his knowledge and insight on this week’s Classic. A resident of Guntersville, Kevin has guided on the lake for 3 years and provides great perspective.

IBASSIN:

What are the traditional patterns for Guntersville at this time of year?

Hawk:

Moving baits are the key. Lipless crankbaits and slowly worked jerkbaits are best. It is all weather dependent. Many are familiar with all the grass that canopies in the summer on this lake. This time of year, it is still a factor but the weeds have died off.  Anglers will be looking for grass, even brown grass, in the 4 to 7 foot depth range.  Single swimbaits might produce very well but the water needs to warm up. Jigs will also account for fish but moving baits will be the way to go.

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)

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.  

2013 BASSMASTER CLASSIC Interview PART 2: Cliff Pace's Classic Winning Strategies

Cliff Pace working on a limit.
(Photo: James Overstreet, BASS)

By Luigi De Rose

Part two of the interview with Cliff Pace, recently crowned 2013 BASSMASTER CLASSIC Champion, we chatted more on tackle, fishing conditions and strategy.  Cliff had laser beam focus throughout the entire three day tournament. He adjusted exceptionally well considering the weather fluctuated from freezing air temps with snow to balmy.  Cliff led the entire tournament and landed two of the heaviest creels of the Classic. By the commencement of the final day, Pace held a six pound lead. Most considered the tournament his to lose.  
(click here for PART ONE of the interview)

IBASSIN

Take the readers through Day 1 and 2.

Cliff Pace

Both days the strategy was almost the same but the bass bit differently on each day. The mornings were cold so I started deep. The deeper areas were best in the morning. My shallower areas got progressively better in the afternoon. That’s when the jerk bait bite was better. I feel those areas improved because the shad moved up in the water column later in the day. That made a difference how I targeted the bass.

The Chronarch proved itself all week.

First thing, I used was a 1/2oz V& M football jig. The jig was dressed with a V& M Twin Tail trailer. I would dye the pumpkin trailer orange to make it more appealing.  It was best for the deeper spots. The bass were holding off the main lake, mostly secondary points in the 10 to 25 foot range. They just were not in one specific depth. I had to determine where they were throughout each day. Usually, I would stick to the jig until 10am.

For the jig, I used a Shimano 7’ 2” Crucial rod in heavy power teamed with a Shimano 200 E Chronarch reel spooled with 15lb test Hi-Seas Fluorocarbon line.

IBASSIN

What type of structure did you focus on?

Cliff Pace

Let me explain what I mean. On the secondary points, there were flatter sections with one deep sloping spot.  The deeper areas, steeper sections, were right on the end of the point. It would fall into much deeper water than the surrounding area. The sections off either side of the point had a gradual taper. These sections were shallower than right off the point. The bass would reposition around each of these areas throughout the tournament day.

2013 BASSMASTER CLASSIC Interview: Cliff Pace the Man & Angler

By Luigi De Rose

A week after Cliff Pace was crowned the BASSMASTER CLASSIC champion, IBASSIN.com had an opportunity to chat with him. In an attempt to learn more about the mild mannered pro from Mississippi, this portion of the interview focuses on Cliff Pace the person and angler and the effects of winning the Classic.

Cliff Pace Wins.
(Photos: BASS)

At 32 years of age, Pace has three BASS wins to his credit. Both of his prior victories occurred at Central BASS Opens. The Classic win on Grand Lake was his first Tour victory on the Elite circuit.  He has 4 second place finishes, two during the 2012 season, and has earned just over $1.2 million with BASS. Many people close to Cliff feel that the Classic was a breakout tournament and expect many great achievements from him in the near future.

IBASSIN

First of all, congratulations on the Classic win.  Many past winners have stated that, “the Classic will change your life.” It’s been a week, how much has changed?

Cliff Pace

Thanks! Winning has not really changed much of anything. It’s added to my life. My schedule is very busy.  Winning has given opportunities. Opportunities for my friends, family and sponsors to enjoy the Classic win. It has given me a great chance to appreciate all of them (sponsors, friends and family) and let them celebrate the win and given them a chance to shine.

IBASSIN

How has the response been of you winning?

Cliff Pace

I have had hundreds of emails, calls and people congratulating me. So many people have mentioned how proud they were of me for being me. I am not the kind of guy to go crazy and throw my shoes into the crowd during the Classic. I am not that kind of person.

IBASSIN

At the Classic, during the press conference you said that deep, rocky lakes were foreign to you when you first started out. Being from Mississippi, where 5 feet is deep, is this win, outside the fact that it is the Classic, more special?