Cold Weather Boat Maintenance

I am no mechanic but I know how to break thing very well. The last thing I wish to do is damage my boat; I love that thing. Well, it is getting cold and the possibility of a good frost is not far away. Actually, some of you who live north of me had snow!

Here is a video that has a few great tips on protecting your boat.

Enjoy.

Feathered Hooks for Jerkbaits

Last week, I explained how the feathered hook make all the difference on finicky smallmouth. I was planning on tying up a batch myself but didin't find the time. I popped by the local tackle shop and saw these hanging on the rack. Not having the time, patience or feathers I bought them. The Mustad treble has white with a hint of chartreuse. It also offered a red treble which was all the rage a few years back. The VMC came all white, red or in the VMC Sureset treble. I stuck to the standard treble in white. If you're as lazy as myself, stop by your local store and pick a few up.

Jerkbait Secrets for Fall Smallmouth

October triggers a switch from largemouth to smallmouth for anglers in the north. This held true last weekend. I honoured my donated fishing trip for two from last year's Ontario Chinese Angler Association's Christmas dinner.  We planned on heading to a well-known smallmouth lake to work jigs on the bottom. I double checked with a few fishing buddies and they confirmed what I expected; it wasn't cold enough and the fishing was poor. With that news, I headed north to a deep, shield lake  rich with smallmouth.

With three of us in the boat, I wanted to ensure my two guests were into fish.  We, particularly myself, alternated between a variety of lures but nothing worked like the jerkbait. By mid-day, all three of us were casting minnow plugs and jerking them back to the boat.

A few interesting things occurred that day. I stuck to the deeper water and limited myself to smaller sized plugs in the 3" to 4" range. My three best were a X-rap, Duel and OSP. Mine were regular baits without any doctoring. I primarily used gaudy coloured or silver baits because I like the flash. Plus it is easy to follow thm and react when a bass follows it.

Bass Pro Shop Open on Lake Simcoe

The Aurora Bassmasters, host of Canada’s premier one day bass fishing tournament are pleased to announce the addition of another sponsor to the 2012 event slated for October 20 out of Orillia Ontario. Last week we welcomed Mustang Survival and Maple Lodge Farms as returning sponsors. This week we are pleased that Humminbird is back as well.

Registration Announcement:

We are are encouraging anglers to download the application (from www.simcoeopen.com or www.aurorabass.com) . Once complete, mail, courier, or deliver to the Customer Service desk at Bass Pro Shops in Vaughan, along with the $400 entry fee payment on or before the official registration deadline of October 13th . As an added incentive, for all those already registered and for those who register before October 3rd, you will be entered into the draw for team numbers, which will be held at the store on October 4th. From there all anglers will be notified thru email of their confirmed entry and they will know their starting team number. 


Other Important Considerations:
• - The host hotel is the Highway Man Inn; preferred rates are available if booked before October 3rd. Please let them know you are booking for the Lake Simcoe Open 
• - Registration night will start at 5pm in the Simcoe Room of this hotel. The meeting will take place at 6:15pm and we hope to be finished shortly after 7pm. 
• - As per other years, paybacks of over 100% with a full field are expected
Please stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks. 

By:Wil Wegman
Media Relations/2012 BPS Lake Simcoe Open
Aurora BassmastersT 

Bryan Thrift Wins 2012 Toyota Texas Bass Classic

Just in!
Bryan Thrift wins!
Here is the standings.

Pro Advice on Flipping

By I.M. Bradley

Any angler can go randomly flipping around grass or cover and catch a few bass. That should not surprise anyone, but why just settle for a few fish when you can catch more and better bass. The key to better flipping comes from knowing when to fish a quick-sinking lure or a slow-falling lure, and what to do after the lure settles to the bottom.

FLW Tour and B.A.S.S. professional angler Jason Christie always thinks flipping first when approaching a tournament. He’s so good at it, he even has a new signature series flipping rod coming out.

Christie has made his living fishing shallow.

Catching better bass for Christie comes down to how fast the lure falls, or “rate of fall.”

“For me, I pick the lure and weight by the water clarity,” he said. “The clearer the water; the faster I want the lure to fall.” 

Christie says that when fishing impoundments with gin clear water, like Beaver Lake and Table Rock, he wants a fast falling lure anytime the water temperature is more than 70 degrees. When water temperature gets very cold, however, he’ll begin considering a slower-sinking jig for his flipping.

The technique of flipping is done on a short line. With the reel in free spool and thumb holding the spool motionless, the angler takes the jig in his off hand (the one not holding the rod) and swings the rod to pendulum the bait toward a target in the cover, while removing the tension his thumb has been applying to the spool. The result is that the lure hits the target as quietly as possible, right in the face of the bass. Bass then strike the lure out of a feeding response or reaction strike. Christie believes that more than 75 percent of the strikes he gets while flipping are reaction strikes.

Tommy Biffle Joins River2Sea

River2Sea continues to make waves in the industry with the expansion of their product line, and now they are increasing the size of those waves with the addition of a true bass fishing legend to their pro staff. River2Sea is proud to announce the addition of Tommy Biffle, from Wagoner, Okla. to their pro staff. Biffle has a reputation for being a staunch competitor who has the ability to dig heavyweight bass from the thickest cover with his Flippin' Stick and heavy line. The combination of Biffle and his weapons has resulted in a career full of hall of fame worthy credentials.