2010 Bassmaster Opens Schedule

Bassmaster just released their schedule for the 2010 Bassmaster Opens. The Southern Opens are going to start off on my new "home lake", Lake Okeechobee. I really like the schedule for the Southern Division as they are all fairly close to home. We'll see how many of these I'll get to fish. You can read about all of the venues at Bassmaster.com

"As in 2009, the Opens will feature an all-cash payout for pros. The payout will be based on 175 boats and will adjust to the actual field size. Pros will compete for more than $175,000 in cash, with the winner receiving $45,000. Co-anglers will continue to compete at the Open level for more than $70,000 in cash and merchandise, including the top prize of a boat/motor package valued at $34,000." Bassmaster.com

Southern Opens
Jan. 14-16 - Lake Okeechobee - Okeechobee, FL
May 13-15 - Smith Lake - Jasper, AL
Oct, 7-9 - Lake Seminole - Bainbridge, GA

Central Opens
April 8-10 - Lake Amistad - Del Rio, TX
June 3-5 - Red River - Shreveport, LA
Oct, 21-23 - Lake Texoma -Denison, TX

Northern Opens
July 22-24 - Lake Champlain - Plattsburgh, NY
Aug. 19-21 - Detroit River - Detroit, MI
Sept. 16-18 - Chesapeake Bay - Cecil County, MD

The Best Flipping Hook on the Market

A few days ago I talked about choosing a flipping weight. Now that you have some picked out it's time to get that big hook. I started using the Reaction Innovations B.M.F. (Bad Mother Flippin') hook last year and loved it. It's perfect: a strong Gamakastu sharp hook with a welded eye to keep that braided line from slipping out on hooksets. The problem is that this bait is impossible to find and looks as if Reaction Innovations has stopped making it.

Recently a California based company Pay Check Baits, which also makes a sweet punching skirt came out with the Punch Hooks, which seem to be exactly like my favorite BMF hooks. Alot of people like to use the snell knot to increase their hookup percentage, but I have been doing fine with a palomar. I also like to use the shrink wrap tube that you heat in place on the hook shank. It seems to hold my baits perfectly everytime.

A Cool New Jig Trailer - The Tailgate Special

One of my favorite ways to fish a jig is to swim it. I really like the Lethal Weapon II swim jigs in a 1/4 oz size. It seems to work really well everywhere I fish, but I am always experimenting with different trailer sizes and colors. Culprit just came out with a new trailer called the Tail Gate Special, a "convertible trailer". You can put the whole trailer on the jig, or pinch off the top section of the trailer and fish just the chunk part of it. It has a real subtle action and looks great in the water.

Choosing a Flippin' Weight

Since I moved to Florida I have been exposed to a whole new world of bass fishing. I still love the finesse techniques I relied on when I was living on the West Coast. Drop-shotting, shaky heads, and the wacky rig are great, but now I find myself fishing more with the "big stick". Flipping and pitching are great ways to catch bass anytime grass is around. I have learned more and more about it every time I go out, but one question I always ask is: "What weight should I be using?". They come in many styles, colors, and weights and all of them have a time and place. Due to the big size of these weights, tungsten is the only way to go in my opinion. Here are some of my favorites:

(L to R: 1oz Lake Fork Screw-in, 1.5oz Tru-Tungsten Flippin, 1.5oz Bitter's Flippin, 3/4 oz Tru-Tungsten, and 3/4 oz BPS)

I did a quick interview with Bobby Lane in July and he said it is important to mix up your weight sizes and colors when flipping. Sometimes the bass will react better to a shiny weight, and sometimes it will turn them off. That's why I like to use a mix of different colors. Another thing to vary is the size of the weights. Flipping is really just a reaction technique, a weight that falls too fast might not get bit, and too slow of a fall also might not work. Try different weight sizes until you find what the bass want.

Another Great Snag Proof Frog Modification

About a month ago I posted a cool modification to a Snag Proof frog that Dan Barker did, he added feathers and a little flash to an already great bait. This afternoon my buddy Kevin sent me a picture of his latest creation. He took the extra large legs from a Frogzilla and attached it to a Bleedin' Frog. The result is awesome! This bait is called the Guad-Zilla frog. I think it looks great and will add alot of action to a smaller profile bait. If you have any cool modifications to frogs, let me know and I'll post it here. Send them to tylerbrinks@yahoo.com and if I post it, I'll send you something from Snag Proof.

Bass Fishing Goes Hollywood!

On October 17, a Hollywood premier will take place. Big deal..right? But this movie is going to be about bass fishing!

"Director Jamie Howard brings bass fishing to the big screen for the first time with Bass: The Movie – a road trip through California in search of fishing secrets and a world record. The self proclaimed Bass Happening will feature the film as its axis and include boats, gear, fishing pros, speakers and prize drawings. In a state known for many things but bass fishing, this unusual journey within a few miles of the Pacific Ocean, pits fly rod fisherman and conventional rod fisherman on the same boat to share approaches and cultures side by side." www.howardfilms.com

I remember seeing a few clips of this on ESPN earlier this year. Bobby Barrack (Bobby's Perfect Frog) goes head to head with a fly fisherman on the California Delta. I can't wait to see who wins, but I have a feeling that the frog will prevail. I can't wait to see this movie when it comes out on DVD on October 31st. The trailer can be seen here. You can check out more about the film at: www.HowardFilms.com

Mark Davis the Co-Angler?

I read something interesting thing this morning, Elite Series Pro Mark Davis is fishing the California Delta FLW Series as a co-angler! This makes sense for him since the Elite Series heads there next March and he will be able to learn where the locals go. And who did he draw on Day 1? Ish Monroe, fellow Elite angler. This should be interesting to see who catches the most from this boat. I'm sure it must be pretty intimidating to have a three time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and Classic Champion fishing behind you.

FISHBUZZ.TV

As you should know by now...I like fishing. I am always looking for more info on bass fishing and spend hours checking out new websites and reading as much as I can about new products, techniques and whatever else I can find. A few months ago I met the guys at www.fishbuzz.tv. They have a great site with lots of short, informative videos about all types of fishing. It's like the You Tube of fishing. Check it out. I'm sure you will find something that catches your attention.

Reflections From a Co-Angler

A day after my BFL tournament I have come to realize a few things. Even though I didn't finish as well as I wanted to yesterday it was still a great learning experience. Often when people fish as co-anglers in events they are so focused on winning and doing well that they forget to learn. I was humbled yesterday with one small keeper, but the knowledge I learned was worth more than the first place prize.

It would have been easy for me to think that my boater was just "back seating" me, making it hard for me to fish. But really I was being schooled on boat positioning, bait presentation and gear for flipping. Tournaments on the Kissimmee Chain are almost always won by flipping, and until now I have never seen how the good fisherman do well here.

Next year I hope to be fishing from the front of the boat and you can bet I will have a flippin' stick in hand during these events. How else can you catch such big fish so consistently in Florida?

If I can offer one piece of advice for co-anglers, it would be to fish hard and learn!

BFL Kissimmee River

I just got back from the final BFL Everglades Division event on the Kissimmee River. I was 22nd in points heading into the event so the pressure was pretty much off for qualifying for next months regional on Lake Seminole; catch a fish and your in. I have come really close to getting a check on this chain, of lakes but always seem to come up a little short. This weekend I finally did it.

Day 1 started off great. I drew a boater who said he was on alot of fish. He told me in the morning that if I don't get a limit, I "should think about taking up golf ". That made me feel pretty confident about his areas, but also put a little pressure on me. Golf is just not the same as bass fishing. We launched at 7 and by 8 we both had limits. Phewww...no drivers and putters for me. We were carolina riggging the edges of cattails and the fish were everywhere you casted. I had a four small keepers to go with a 4 pounder. I ended up culling a several times throughout the day and was feeling pretty good. At the end of the day we started flipping and I lost a 4+ lb fish. That one really hurt. I ended the day with 11 pounds even and finished the day in 5th place. That meant I got to fish another day.

My day 2 partner had a good Day 1 and caught all his fish flipping kissimmee grass. He told me at the meeting "I hope you like flippin, because that's what were gonna be doing all day tommorow". That filled me with a mix of thoughts. One, it was going to be hard fishing behind someone like that all day, and also that I would have a great chance for some big fish and a win.

Day 2 started off slow for me. My partner caught an 8 pounder right away and then caught one every hour or so to finish with around 17 pounds. I struggled all day and finally caught a keeper around noon. I was happy to catch that fish and at least secure a visit to the stage at Wal-Mart.

I ended up dropping down to 11th place, but still got a check. I also moved up into 16th place for the final points standings. Fishing as a co-angler is a great experience. I fished the same body of water two days in a row, and yet we did something totally different each day. You learn so much from these guys. Can't wait for Lake Seminole!

BFL This Saturday

Saturday is the fifth and final BFL event of the year for the Everglades Division. I am currently in 22nd place in points on the co-angler side. I need to maintain this position and stay in the Top 40 in order to qualify for the regionals next month on Lake Seminole.

I am really excited to get back up to the Kissimmee River. Three weeks ago when I fished the Florida Federation Nation event the fish were biting really good. I need to catch a few fish to stay in position, but I really want to win this one! I'll post my story after the event.

More New Colors for the Bobby's Perfect Frog

Recently Snag Proof came out with three news colors for the tried and true Bobby's Perfect Frog. I posted the pics of the Florida Bass color last month. Here are the other newest additions: KC Dragonfly and Tule Perch.

How many times have you been fishing and seen those bright blue dragonflies dancing over the water just waiting to be hit by a bass? I can remember one time in on a Northern Idaho lake where bass were just destroying these dragonflies as they flew over the lily pads. I caught fish after fish on frogs. They would hit them as soon as they hit the water. This is the color for those situations.

The other new color is called Tule Perch. It was designed by anglers fishing the California Delta, the mecca of frog fishing. It was meant to mimic a small baitfish called the Tule Perch native to this area. It's a pretty interesting fish, actually it's the only freshwater surf perch. Don't worry if you don't live in California, this bait will still work anywhere in the world.

Check out these new colors next time your in you favorite bait shop. Frog season is just getting good!

World Record Largemouth Submitted to the IGFA

sThe huge bass caught by Manabu Kurita in Japan in July was submitted to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) yesterday. It was submitted at a weight of 22lbs 4oz which is a tie with the current record caught by George Perry in 1932. The "holy grail" of bass fishing records has stood for so long. I hope the IGFA allows this fish to be the current record since details of the original record are sketchy and no photos were taken of the legendary fish. This one seems much more legit in my opinion. It could take up to a month for the IGFA to decide what to do with the record. You can read the entire press release here.

It has always been said that the record fish would be worth millions to the lucky angler. It's too bad Manubu caught it on a live bluegill. It would have been much better if he caught it on a lure, but it is a fish of a lifetime.

Fisherman: Beware of Bananas

I went fishing today at Lake June here in Florida for a Fort Myers Bass Club Tournament. The day started off great. I caught four fish in the first hour on a flick shake and things were looking promising for the day. They were just small keepers, but it always makes you feel better when you have four fish in the livewell before the sun is up and shining. I continued to fish hard, looking for that fifth keeper.

I started fishing towards some more docks when my partner for the day asked if I wanted anything from the cooler. He was getting ready to eat his breakfast. I didn't pay any attention to him at first but then looked back and saw him eating...a banana. "You are really eating a banana in the boat???" I asked. Apparently he has never heard the biggest superstition in fishing. Bananas and fishing do not mix. It's bad luck. I would have rather walked under a ladder, holding a black cat in my arms than have a banana in the boat while fishing. I figured that maybe this was just a superstition and that everything would be OK and kept casting. A few minutes later I noticed the banana peel sitting in the bottom of the boat in plain view....like it was staring at me.

Well...I never did catch my fifth keeper. And to make things worse, the cranking battery died on the boat thirty minutes after the banana incident. The battery could not be jump started, and we spent the rest of the day drifting across the lake in a windy thunderstorm.

I always believed in the superstition, but from now on I will never fish in a boat that has a banana aboard. Beware of bananas!

Skeet Overtakes the Lead for the TTBOAY

roThe BASS Elite postseason officially started today, with the Top 12 Anglers fishing Lake Jordan in Alabama. Skeet Reese finished fifth today, two places ahead of KVD. Tommy Biffle finished first today and jumped way up in the standings. The points breakdown is pretty interesting and should make things exciting tomorrow and next weekend for the finals. Here are the unofficial updated standings and previous standings in parenthesis:

Current Championship Week Standings:
1. Skeet Reese -- 236 (2)
2. Kevin VanDam -- 230 (1)
3. Tommy Biffle -- 230 (7)
4. Mike Iaconelli -- 220 (11)
5. Cliff Pace -- 217 (10)
6. Alton Jones -- 211 (3)
7. Gerald Swindle -- 210 (12)
8. Randy Howell -- 208 (6)
9.Mark Menendez -- 200.5 (8)
9.Todd Faircloth -- 200.5 (5)
11. Gary Klein -- 195 (9)
12. Kelly Jordon -- 192 (4)

Point Distribution for Each Day:
1st -- 50
2nd -- 45
3rd -- 40
4th -- 36
5th -- 32
6th -- 28
7th -- 25
8th -- 22
9th -- 19
10th -- 16
11th -- 13
12th -- 10

Tanya Tyler interviews Gary Klein

The Bassmaster Elite Series is gearing up for it's first ever postseason to determine the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year. One of the "Top 12" is Gary Klein, a bass fishing legend and two time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year. Tanya interviewed him a few years ago and got some great tips from him and also found out his views of the changing sport. Check it out.

The New Shimano Core 50MG

A few years ago when I was working at Cabela's in Post Falls, Idaho I fell in love with the Shimano Core magnesium baitcast reel. It's light, powerful, and looks awesome. This year at ICAST, Shimano came out with a new version of the reel, the smaller 50MG. I love my small Curados and Chronarch 51MG because you can easily palm the reel and still get the power you need.

This reel is awesome and features everything you could ever want in a reel. It weighs just 5.5 oz, and compared to the recently lightened Curado E, that weighs 7.6 oz, this thing is like a feather. Match it up with a Shimano Cumara rod and it feels like nothing in your hands.

Sure you pay for it, at $369.99, but I think it will be well worth it once I can save up enough money....or win enough, to get one.

The Return of The Two Tour Pro?

A few years ago it seemed like the main professional bass fishing tours, The Bassmaster Elite Series and the FLW Tour were against each other. The tournament schedules started to suspiciously mirror each other, with overlapping dates and spread out locations. This forced the pros to pick one side or the other. It looks like that has finally changed.

The schedules came out this summer and there was just one conflicting date, the Bassmaster Smith Mountain event and the FLW's Chickamauga event in April. FLW just announced today that they moved the event back a week and switched venues . This definitely opens the door for some pro's to fish both trails.

It was interesting how Hackney and Ike, both Elite pros, placed 1st and 2nd in the recent FLW Forrest Wood Cup. Now we might get the chance to see a whole year of "Elites" fishing against FLW's finest.

Who would you like to see fishing the FLW Tour? How about the return of Aaron Martens, KVD, Dean Rojas, Tommy Biffle, Takahiro Omori, Gary Klein..even Mr. Rick Clunn. All of them have shined on both tours. It will be interesting to see who comes back to FLW.

Labor Day Weekend Fishing

It's been a few days since I posted since Tanya and I took a nice long weekend trip to Savannah, GA. Since we were so close to South Carolina, we decided to head up there with one mission...to catch a bass. My goal is to catch a bass in every state and Canada, and since Alaska has no bass..that leaves 50 places to try to catch a bass. I accomplished my one more part of my challenge with a little bass in a pond. I can now cross South Carolina off the list!

You can see my updated map below and see I have some work to do to get this done. Maybe I can get some help out there? Hope you all had a great long weekend!

The WONBASS U.S. Open

This week WONBASS is holding their annual U.S. Open on Lake Mead near Las Vegas, NV. Day Two just wrapped up and Gary Dobyns looks like he is running away with the event with close to a six pound lead over Clifford Pirch...six pounds on Lake Mead is like 20 pounds on Guntersville. This place is tough.

I grew up fishing Lake Mead and this is where I started fishing bass tournaments. This tournament always means alot to me and I follow it every year. I fished it twice, once in 2000 and again in 2002 and I always loved how much of a challenge this tournament is. For one, it is the middle of the Summer in the Nevada desert. The temperature can easily reach 115 degrees. This makes the event even more challenging on the fisherman and can make you lose focus in a hot minute. The second thing that makes this tournament so interesting is that the lake is very hard to fish, and the weights are usually very low. The intrigue of this event draws many top names to fish. This year several Elite series pros are fishing the event; Aaron Martens, Dean Rojas, John Murray, Byron Velvick, Morizu Shimizu, and the legend...Mr. Rick Clunn. Even some FLW Tour Pros like Clifford Pirch and Gabe Bolivar are also fishing. Add to this all of the locals and western icons like Gary Dobyns, Rich Tauber, Mike Folkestad, Justin Kerr and you have a stacked field.

My first Open was in 2000 when I was a just starting my senior year in high school. On the first day, I caught one of the five biggest fish of the day on a crankbait and took home $2000 for one single fish. They still give out five prizes each of the three days. It is a great tradition, and means even someone who is out of the event on the last day still has something to shoot for. This picture is old, but you can see me standing with legend Dave Gliebe and FLW Tour Pro Gabe Bolivar. What a great memory.

I was talking to fellow blogger, Tami Curtis last week as she was prefishing for the event and I wished I was there. I can't wait to fish this event as a pro and see if I can pass the test.