The Bass SLAM

Whenever I watch saltwater fishing shows, they always talk about getting a "grand slam" in a fishing trip, catching four different species of fish. Last week at Lake Seminole , I caught my first Shoal Bass, a pretty rare species of bass. That day I also caught a Spotted Bass and caught some old fashioned Largemouth the day before. So how many bass species are there? There are eight of them. Bassmaster Magazine is actually holding a contest right now, challenging members to catch all eight species before July. They call it the Bass SLAM, you can read all about it here.

Unless you live in the South, this challenge would be pretty difficult to get. One of the species, the Guadalupe is only in Texas. Several others are only found in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. I would really like to catch all of these species someday, I have five already, but know I won't make it in time for the deadline on July. The writers of the article did it and you can see a cool slideshow of their trip here. They are going to feature any angler who meets the challenge in the magazine. It will be interesting to see how many people do it.

Below is a distribution map of the Bass SLAM species.

Phat Frogs are almost here!

I have been lucky enough to have some Snag Proof Phat Frogs since July and everyone keeps asking me when they can get some. Well, the wait is almost over. Tackle Warehouse has them listed as being in stock tomorrow 10/30. So get them before the first batch is gone. I will no longer have to keep my supply under lock and key. Let me tell you, these are definitely worth the wait. Fall is a great time to get in on some froggin' action in most of the country.

My favorite colors have been Papa Midnight, Chronic and Da Man (or black, green pumpkin and white). Try them out. You will love how they are unsinkable. No more squeezing the water out of your frog every four or five casts. Check out this video from AnglersChannel.com of Preston Clark whacking them on the Phat Frog. Enjoy!

BASS Federation Nation Championship - Day 1

Today was the first day of the Bassmaster Federation Nation Championship. It is being held here in Florida on the Harris Chain. This is the chance for the weekend angler to make it to the classic and fish against the pros we all watch on tv and read about in Bassmaster Magazine. I thought I would post something about these guys chasing a dream since next weekend I am fishing the Florida State Championship with the hopes of making it to the next level next year.

"The Federation Nation Championship is represented by anglers from six divisions, the Northern, Southern, Mid Atlantic, Western, Central and Eastern. The top angler from each division gets a Bassmaster Classic berth while the overall tournament winner is the Federation Nation Champion.

The Mid Atlantic divisional leader is Gerry Jooste of Harare, Zimbabwe, who sits in 15th for the tournament. The Southern leader is Brent Long of Catawba, N.C., who is in fourth, the Northern leader is Randy Wieczorek of Buffalo City, Wis., the Western leader is tournament leader Matt Massey of Lakewood, Colo., the Central leader is Tom Jessop of Delhart, Texas and the Eastern leader is Skip Sjobeck of Randolph, Vt."

Good luck guys! Maybe one of these fisherman will be the next Bryan Kerchal (the only Federation Angler to win the Classic)

FLW Outdoors Announces 2010 Circuit Schedules

FLW just released their 2010 schedule. Some of the major changes include eliminating the FLW Eastern Series. The Western FLW Series Western Division will remain, but it will feature a reduced entry fee and payout structure. They also eliminated the Western Divison for the Stren Series. For the BFL circuit, they merged four divisions, including my own Evergades Division which will now join the Gator Division and will include all of Florida. Most of these changes were expected due to the low number of participants. You can read the entire press release below.

27.Oct.2009
www.flwoutdoors.com

MINNEAPOLIS — FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading tournament fishing organization, announced its 2010 schedules and tournament details, many of which have been modified to address the challenges many anglers are facing at all levels of the sport.

“Many of our anglers have been directly affected by the current economic downturn,” said Charlie Evans, President and CEO of FLW Outdoors. “We thoroughly studied every aspect of our tournaments and carefully developed our 2010 programs to minimize the time and expense required to compete while at the same time visiting quality fisheries that will provide exciting events that anglers and fans alike will enjoy. We are confident that the adjustments we made will serve our anglers well and position the sport for continued prosperity.”

FLW Tour

The FLW Tour, whose schedule was released earlier this year and is listed below, culminates with the Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, in Atlanta.

Date, Fishery, Location
Feb. 10-13, Red River, Shreveport, La.
March 3-6, Table Rock Lake, Branson, Mo.
March 24-27, Lake Norman, Charlotte, N.C.
April 21-24, Ft. Loudoun-Tellico lakes, Knoxville, Tenn.
May 26-29, Lake Ouachita, Hot Springs, Ark.
June 23-26, Lake Guntersville, Huntsville, Ala.
Forrest Wood Cup
Aug. 5-8, Lake Lanier, Atlanta, Ga.

The FLW Tour will feature a cumulative weight format in 2010. The field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers will compete Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the top five pros advancing to Saturday. The total weight from the first three days will determine the winning co-angler Friday, and the total weight from all four days will determine the winning pro on Saturday. Weigh-ins will be held lakeside the first three days, moving to an arena in conjunction with the Tour’s popular Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Show on day four. Practice for each event has been condensed from four to three days – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – and tournament waters will go off-limits 13 days prior to practice, with registration on Tuesday.

Pro entry fees will be $4,000 per tournament and deposits have been reduced to $1,000 for each event. Pro anglers will continue to compete for a $100,000 top award in each event, with payouts of $10,000 through 50th place. Co-angler entry fees are $700 per event, and the top co-angler award in each tournament is $20,000 with payouts of $800 through 50th place.

The top 30 pros and 30 co-anglers from the 2010 season will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup. The 2010 Forrest Wood Cup champion will earn $500,000 in the Pro Division and $50,000 in the Co-angler Division, unchanged from last year. Every pro that qualifies and fishes will earn a minimum of $7,000 while every co-angler earns a minimum of $1,500.

Sponsor contingency awards are being developed with our partners and will be announced for all circuits in the near future.

The top 100 pros and top 100 co-anglers from the 2009 FLW Tour and the 2009 FLW Series, top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 Stren Series, and the boater and co-angler champion from the 2009 BFL All-American may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2, and must enter by Dec. 7 in order to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec. 7, followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 8. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 9. Deposits for all six events will be accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

FLW Series

The FLW Series will be adjusted with the Eastern Division being discontinued. The 2010 National Guard FLW Series will serve anglers in the Western United States and its schedule is below.

Date, Fishery, Location
Jan. 13-16, Lake Shasta, Shasta Lake, Calif.
May 5-8, Lake Roosevelt, Payson, Ariz.
June 9-12, California Delta, Stockton, Calif.
Sept 22-25, Lake Mead, Las Vegas, Nev.

The FLW Series field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers will compete Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the top five pros advancing to Saturday. The total weight from the first three days will determine the winning co-angler Friday, and the total weight from all four days will determine the winning pro Saturday. Practice for each event has been condensed from four to three days – Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – and tournament waters will go off-limits six days prior to practice.

Pro entry fees have been reduced to $2,000 per tournament and co-angler entry fees have been reduced to $350 per event. Anglers will compete for top awards of $50,000 in the Pro Division and $10,000 in the Co-angler Division, with awards of $5,000 and $400, respectively, extending through 50th place. The top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers at the end of the season will qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.

The top 100 pros and top 100 co-anglers from the 2009 FLW Series and the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers from the 2009 Stren Series may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2, and must enter by Dec. 15 in order to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec. 15 followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 16. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 17. Pros and co-anglers who enter all four tournaments with a counterpart by Dec. 17 will be given priority over anglers who enter less than four events. Deposits for all four events will be accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

Stren Series

The current Stren Series will consist of four divisions in 2010 – Central, Northern, Southeast and Texas – with the Western division being discontinued. Each division will consist of three tournaments and the full schedule is below.

Date, Fishery, Location
Central Division
March 18-20, Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach, Mo.
April 15-17, Lake Ouachita, Mount Ida, Ark.
May 13-15, Kentucky Lake, Gilbertsville, Ky.

Northern Division
June 3-5, Potomac River, Marbury, Md.
July 15-17, Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Sept. 9-11, Lake Erie, Erie, Pa.

Southeast Division
Feb. 25-27, Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.
April 29-May 1, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, Ala.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala.

Texas Division
Jan. 7-9, Lake Falcon, Zapata, Texas
Feb. 4-6, Sam Rayburn, Jasper, Texas
June 17-19, Toledo Bend, Manning, La.

Invitational
Nov. 4-6, Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala.

The fields will consist of 150 boats fishing Thursday and Friday and the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers advancing to Saturday. Winners will be determined by total weight from all three days. The points champion from each division will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup and a fifth Forrest Wood Cup qualifier will advance from an Invitational event that is open to the top 50 anglers from each division.

Pro entry fees remain $825 per tournament and co-angler entry fees remain $325 per tournament. Anglers will compete for top awards of $25,000 in the Pro Division and a Ranger Boat in the Co-angler Division, with awards of $800 and $350 extending through 50th place, respectively. The entry fee in the Invitational is the same as a tournament entry fee.

The top 40 pros and top 40 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 season and the top 40 boaters and top 40 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 Bass Fishing League may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2, and must enter by Dec. 10 to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec.10 followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 11. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 14. Pros and co-anglers who enter all three tournaments in a division with a counterpart by Dec. 15 will be given priority over anglers who enter less than three events. Entries are accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000 beginning Monday, Nov. 2. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

Bass Fishing League (BFL)

The Bass Fishing League continues its longstanding tradition as the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home tournaments in 2010 with 24 divisions serving weekend anglers. There will be four divisions merging: the Everglades with Gator; Empire with Northeast; Texas-Louisiana with Cowboy; and Dixie with Bama. Payouts, formats and entry fees for qualifiers and Super Tournaments remain unchanged.

The 2010 All-American presented by Chevy will be held on DeGray Lake in Hot Springs, Ark., May 27-29. This no-entry-fee tournament will pay the winning boater $100,000 and the winning co-angler $50,000. Every angler will cash a check, with the 54th place boater earning $1,500 and the 54th place co-angler earning $750.

Entries for the 2010 season will be accepted by division on the following dates: Dec. 7 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City, and Volunteer; Dec. 8 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi; Dec. 9 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Gator and Mountain; Dec. 10 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie; and Dec. 11 – Ozark, Piedmont, Savannah River, South Carolina and Shenandoah. Entries are accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

National Guard FLW College Fishing

FLW Outdoors launched National Guard FLW College Fishing in 2009 and the success has been unparalleled. The national championship for the first season will take place at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes, April 10-12, 2010.

The 2010 schedule will consist of four qualifying events and one regional tournament in each division – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western – and is below.

Date, Fishery, Location
Central Division
March 20, Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach, Mo.
April 17, Lake Ouachita, Mount Ida, Ark.
May 15, Kentucky Lake, Gilbertsville, Ky.
July 24, Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wis.
Central Regional – Indiana University
Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Lake Monroe, Bloomington, Ind.

Northern Division
March 27, Mt. Island Lake, Mount Holly, N.C.
June 5, Potomac River, Marbury, Md.
July 17, Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Sept. 11, Lake Erie, Erie, Pa.
Northern Regional – North Carolina State
Nov. 6-8 Lake Jordan Raleigh, N.C.

Southeast Division
Feb. 27, Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.
March 13, Old Hickory Lake, Gallatin, Tenn.
May 1, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, Ala.
Oct. 2, Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala.
Southeast Regional – University of South Carolina
Nov. 13-15 Lake Murray Columbia, S.C.

Texas Division
Jan. 9, Lake Falcon, Zapata, Texas
Feb. 6, Sam Rayburn, Jasper, Texas
March 6, Red River, Natchitoches, La.
June 19, Toledo Bend, Manning, La.
Texas Regional – University of Texas
Oct. 23-25, Lake Austin, Austin, Texas

Western Division
Jan. 16, Lake Shasta, Shasta Lake, Calif.
May 8, Lake Roosevelt, Payson, Ariz.
June 12, California Delta, Stockton, Calif.
Sept. 25, Lake Mead, Las Vegas, Nev.
Western Regional – Sacramento State
Oct. 16-18, Folsom Lake, Sacramento, Calif.

Full-time students at four-year institutions with a bass fishing club are eligible to compete. There is no entry fee, boats are provided and each team receives a travel allowance. Each qualifying event will accept up to 40 teams with the top five teams from each division advancing to their respective regional championship. The top five teams from each regional championship advance to the national championship. The team that takes home the national championship title qualifies for the Forrest Wood Cup.

Each team consists of two students competing for awards that are split between their bass fishing club and their respective school. Entries will be accepted online at CollegeFishing.com beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 8 a.m. Central time. For additional information, please visit CollegeFishing.com.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player's Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

BFL Regional Lake Seminole - Day 2

I was sitting in 12th place going into day two and was feeling pretty good about my chances to make the All-American again. I drew a guy from Tennessee who was in 8th place after Day 1. He caught a limit and so did his co-angler. I think they were the only pair that both caught limits on the first day. It was that tough. He was running up the Flint River to fish for Shoal Bass. I had heard about these fish before and was dying to catch one. They are basically only found in this river. I was smart and brought every jig I owned before I left Fort Myers.

We started out pretty early, in Boat 21 so we were first up there. The day before he didn't see another boat all day. But we had company right away. Five or Six boats decided to join us up there. My partner was frustrated but we kept fishing hard.

It was around 9:00 before I caught the first fish, a 14 inch Shoal Bass on a black and blue jig. I kept fishing the current, eddys and little seams in the river flow. It reminded me alot of fishing for smallmouth and walleye in Washington, just alot muddier. I caught another one about 10:30 a 2.5lb Spotted Bass! Now I was feeling good. We fished hard all day and I missed one on a jig and a small one on a drop shot. I don't know if they were keepers, but it would have been great to find out. I ended up losing about 10 jigs in those rocks and trees, but it was worth it.

I ended the day with two fish for 3lbs 11oz and dropped down to 19th overall. My boater never caught one that day, so I felt pretty good about my day. I brought home a check and caught my first Shoal Bass in one day. I can't wait to fish for them again. It was fun!

Lake Seminole BFL Regional - Practice and Day 1

Lake Seminole was just as I expected; very fun but tough fishing. A major cold front came through the week before the event and really turned the fish off. I had one day of practice and managed just two keepers, but it really gave me a good idea of what to expect for the tournament. The lake was very cool, with standing timber pretty much everywhere you look. The channel is marked and when driving the boat you better stay between the markers of you are asking for trouble. In practice, we fished an area with hydrilla everywhere. It was one of the only clear water areas in the whole lake. I started off fishing with a drop-shot on the edge of the grass and caught two small keepers right away, and that was it for the rest of the day.

On Day 1, I drew a boater from Georgia who said we would be fishing the hydrilla in 20+ feet of water. I immediately knew it would be perfect for the drop-shot. When we got to the area, he starting flipping the grass with a big weight and a brush hog. I started focusing on the scattered grass behind the boat with a 6 inch Folkestad Special Roboworm on 8lb Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon. My boater starting kidding me telling me "You can catch all the little 12 inch fish you want on that drop shot, I'm flippin' for the big ones". I just smiled and fished. My first fish bit right under the boat in a patch of hydrilla, I set the hook and it was on. It started pulling into the grass and would not come up. I finally got it out of the grass and pulled in a 4.5lb fish. I was ecstatic. I knew that Seaguar was strong, so I never paniced at all. I caught two more small keepers right away and that was it for the day. I ended up with three fish for 6lbs 8oz and was in 12th out of 155 co-anglers.

UPDATE: Bass Fishing on The Today Show

NBC delayed the airing of the segment on bass fishing, but it did air this week. It is now available online. Check it out in case you missed it.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I'm Off to Lake Seminole

I'm all packed and ready to head to Lake Seminole tomorrow morning for the BFL Regional. I will get a day and a half of practice in and then fish the tournament Thurs and Friday...and hopefully Saturday for the final day. I have never been there and I hear the fishing has been pretty tough with the cold weather. I am excited and know that I will do well if I can fish my strengths. As a co-angler, all I can ask for is draw partners that are around fish. The rest is up to me. I will post some updates each day and a full report when I get home. I can't wait!

Lake Istokpoga Club Tournament

I just finished unpacking from my club tournament today on Lake Istokpoga. I can describe it in two words..cold and windy. As I mentioned yesterday, we had a pretty big drop in temperature here in Florida. Today started off in the 50's and never got above 75. I know some of you "up north" are thinking "so what". But down here that's cold. I must have gotten used to the heat and became a wimp since I moved here from Washington. The fishing was just tough for me today.

We fished hard all day in great looking water. Lily pads, hydrilla, pepper grass, reeds and docks. We fished it all. My partner for the day caught a small keeper early in the morning and that was it. I must have had Georgia on my mind (I'm headed to Lake Seminole Tuesday), because I didn't have a fish at two o'clock. I missed a few small ones on a frog, but they just weren't eating the bait. I decided I was going to flip the last hour and finally caught one at 2:21. I felt like screaming "NEVER GIVE UP!" but decided to just keep fishing hard. My fish weighed 1.8 pounds and came on a sweet beaver. I was just happy to have one. This lake is a three fish limit, and the winner had 10.45 pounds, so he had some good quality fish. Now I can focus all my thoughts on Lake Seminole and winning that boat.

Shaky Head and Flick-It Fishing

Today I went fishing at a small canal down the street from my house. I found this cool little place when I was looking at a condo in the area. I knew it had potential but never really had the chance to fish it. It turned out to be an awesome day.

Today we had a cold front come in the area. Florida is notorious for these fronts and usually they put the bass in the negative mood, but not today. It has been in the 90's for months and today was in the mid 70's.

I really wanted to use my new Lamiglas Excel shaky head rod to see how it would perform. I was using a Buckeye Lures Spot Remover jighead with a black Gambler Giggy Snake. I caught a few small bass and then they kept getting bigger and bigger. I caught a two pounder, then a three, then a four. It was really fun and the rod worked great. Somehow I forgot to bring more shaky head worms, so I started using a Buckeye Flick-It with a Power Bait Sinkworm. I was given a sample pack of these baits but had never used them, I was impressed. The thing is really heavy and casts a mile. I ended up catching eight or nine bass in about an hour of fishing but then I ran out of worms. Next time I will bring more!

PAA and The Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC)

I am waiting to hear the results from the weigh-in for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) on Lake Conroe in Texas.

The Professional Anglers Association or PAA has been running this event for a few years and it is really turning out to be a prestigious event. They started this event in 2007 and held another last year. Both of these events were in a team format, but this year it is an individual tournament. I think the PAA is doing a great job promoting their organization, events, and members.

These extra events allow professional anglers to fish more events in the year. They are pros, they fish for a living. They need to have a full season of events to fish instead of just in the spring and winter. Good things seem to be happening with the PAA, as they just announced an agreement with Bass Pro Shops for the 2010 tournament series.

"As the Official Outdoor Retailer of the 2010 Tournament Series, Bass Pro Shops will collaborate with the PAA on marketing and promotions. Nitro and Tracker Boats will also join this partnership which will showcase America’s number-one-selling fishing boats to the bass fishing enthusiasts of the PAA." www.fishpaa.com

I look forward to seeing the 2010 schedule as I heard they will have a Pro and Co-angler format. This is another great chance to fish with some top level pros.

The Storm Wiggle Wart

I just read a great article on Wired2fish.com about the classic Storm Wiggle Wart and it brought me back to the old school days. This bait was my go to bait back in the day. I remember my first bass tournament ever in 1998. It was a Las Vegas Bass Club tournament on Lake Mead when I was 15 years old. I fished the Wiggle Wart all day and caught a bunch of fish on the Phantom Green color crankbait.

Since then alot of things have changed, but this bait still works. Storm has since been bought by Rapala and no matter what anyone says, the bait has changed. They both work, but the original is still the best. Do a search on eBay for the original Wiggle Wart and you will see that these baits are still in high demand. I know I wouldn't sell the four I have left for any amount of money.

You can read the whole article on Wired2Fish here.

Seaguar Tatsu

I have become a huge fan of fluorocarbon line in the past three years. I had been using it off and on for years, but never found a brand I liked and trusted. I used every brand imaginable and experienced poor knot strength, broken line on hooksets, and many more problems. It seems like alot of people are turned off of fluorocarbon because of one bad experience.

Since I started using Seaguar, I haven't had any problems. I like everything they make, InvizX, AbrazX, even the value priced Red Label. Now they have upped the ante with a new line called Tatsu, which means "dragon" in Japanese. This stuff is awesome. I used it over the last few fishing trips and absoultely love it. I have been using the 12 pound line for fishing soft plastics in heavy cover and haven't broken a fish off yet. I even fished a whole day without retying in practice just to see if I could do it.

"TATSU has a tough, but soft exterior, while hiding an inner strength incomparable to any other line on the planet. TATSU is a Double Structure Fluorocarbon (DSF) line. Made with two custom, 100% Seaguar Fluorocarbon resins, extruded in one solid piece, TATSU is simply the best of the very best in Seaguar lines. No other competitor can match Seaguar's proprietary extrusion process that releases the performance power of this uniquely structured line. Seaguar's strongest and softest line, TATSU is the apex of Fluorocarbon" www.seaguar.com

I only use what works, regardless of what company makes it. This stuff is sweet. I have realized that one thing you can't compromise is the line you use.

FLW on The "Today" Show October 14th

www.flwoutdoors.com

FLW Outdoors and National Guard Pro Justin Lucas will be featured this Wednesday from 7-11am on NBC's Today Show. This is a great chance for bass fishing to be featured on a mainstream national news show. Justin said he is going to get in on YouTube afterwards in case you miss it.

"The segment will feature Team National Guard pro Justin Lucas as he took Jenna Wolfe, who serves as Sunday “Today” co-anchor and as a correspondent for NBC News’ weekday “Today,” fishing on the California Delta recently.

“I was very excited to get the opportunity to take Jenna fishing and show her how fun the sport is,” said Lucas. “She had never been fishing before, so I think she had a good time and learned a lot. It was a hot day, making for some challenging conditions, but we had quite a bit of fun, and Jenna was a great sport.”

Wolfe, who joined “Today” in August 2007, and Lucas spent the day fishing, discussing how tournament fishing has grown, how anglers prepare and practice for tournaments, the younger generation’s involvement in the sport and the topic of anglers as athletes." www.flwoutdoors.com

New Colors for the Sebile Magic Swimmer

The Sebile Magic Swimmer burst into everyone's view last season on the Elite Series. Since then they have come out with a soft plastic version and continued to work all across the country. They just released some new colors and I can't wait to try them out. Tackle Warehouse just received the four new Sebile Magic Swimmer fish catching colors: Natural Bluegill, Natural Fleeing Shad, Natural Largemouth Bass and Silver Gold Back.

Tanya Tyler Interviews Anthony Gagliardi

Tanya Tyler interviews FLW Tour Superstar Anthony Gagliardi. It was recorded in 2007 but still has some great tips.

SportsTalkAndReports.com

Besides being a bass fishing fanatic, I'm also a huge sports fan. I know all of you are probably like me. Baseball playoffs are just starting, football is in full swing, so where can you read about all of these in one place? SportsTalkAndReports.com is a blogsite dedicate to all sports. Check it out!

Lamiglas Excel Bass Rods

Last week I got my first chance to fish with the new Excel Bass Rods by Lamiglas. My first "good" bass rod was a Lamiglas and I have been fishing them for years. I saw these at a tackle show a few months ago and was immediately impressed. Not only are they functional and light, but they are also priced right. They feature split grips and no foregrip. Bassin' on a budget was my immediate thought. You can buy two of these for the cost of one of my other rods (they retail for $99-109), but they don't fish like a rod in this price range.

It was hard for me to just pick two, but I ordered the XL 702S spinning rod and the XL 735C baitcast rod. The 702S is a great rod for drop shot and shaky head fishing. The 735C is designed for small swimbaits and frogs, but I spent most of the time flipping with it. It's light enough and powerful enough to fish 1 oz weights and heavy braided line. I didn't have much time to fish the spinning rod since I was fishing heavy cover most of the time. It will get some use later this fall when I head to some of the deeper, more finesse lakes for my tournaments.

I think Lamiglas definitely has a winner here and I plan to add several more to my collection.

Gambler's KO Hangover Skirt

A few months ago I heard about the new Punch Skirt made by Paycheck Baits out of California. It is a cool ringed skirt that slides on the line via a hard skirt collar. You rig it between the weight and hook. I think its a great idea, and allows for better hooksets than the traditional jig, espescially when you tie a snell knot to the hook.

As with all successful baits, it doesn't take long for competition to come out and improve on the design. One of these new baits is called the KO Hangover Skirt by Gambler. I saw this skirt in person last week on the Kissimmee Chain for the BFL Gator Division tournament. The guy who showed me the bait ended up finishing in 3rd place....obviously this thing works. It's a great idea and is another technique I have added to my flippin' arsenal.

Skinny Dippin'

I have been pretty quiet about one of my new favorite baits, but it's become so popular here in Florida that the secret is out. The Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper is a great fish catcher. I started using the bait this January and was tearing the fish up on Okeechobee. Since then I have had a chance to perfect my rigging and determine the best places to use it. I like to fish this little swimbait just under the surface. To get the best action, I like to use a tiny tungsten weight. A 1/32 oz will do in calm conditions and up to 1/8 oz when it is a little windier out. For hooks, I like to use a 5/0 Gamakatsu Extra Wide Gap. The colors all seem to work, but my favorites are Pearl Blue Shad, Penetration, and Houdini. Try whatever ones you like, they all seem to work. One thing that I think does make a difference is the line that you use. I started fishing this bait with braided line, but feel like I get more bites with a 15lb fluorocarbon, like Seaguar's AbrazX. I like to fish this bait anywhere you have grass or lily pads around. Try it out next time you wanna catch some fish.

Check Your Line

I spent some time today thinking about what went wrong yesterday. I kept replaying that big fish snapping my braided line over and over in my mind. How can a fish break 50 pound braided line? I know it was my own fault. I am very careful about retying my Seaguar fluoro and mono I use, but sometimes I guess I take braided line for granted. Sure it's strong, but it still gets that wear and tear after hard use. It's alot easier to detect with fluoro and mono, but braid should also be retied as much as possible. I guess its just a reminder for me to be extra careful and retie as much as needed.

Five Ounces

Five Ounces? Yeah that's how much I missed the cut by today. I fished the BFL Gator Division on the Kissimmee Chain and had a great time. I weighed in 8lbs 2oz, which would have made the cut two weeks ago on this same chain of lakes. I did the best I could and even culled two times in the last hour to get to that weight.

In practice I like to try alot of different things. I think this is really important when your fishing as a co-angler. I caught quite a few fish on the new Snag Proof Phat Frog in the Chronic color, that thing is sweet! I also caught them on speed worms, skinny dippers and the Accent Lures Koza Shad lipless crankbait. After yesterday, I felt pretty good about the tournament.

I drew a nice guy who said he was on some pretty good fish. I felt pretty good about my chances since he was in an area that you can throw a frog or a skinny dipper. I caught three right away on the skinny dipper and then things slowed down. I caught one here and there, but at around noon I only had about 6 pounds.

At around 2:00 I started flipping a sweet beaver. I caught two around two pounds to replace some 12 inchers. Then disaster struck with five minutes to go before we headed in....

I flipped in and felt that thunk...set the hook and it was on! All you could see was thrashing and splashing in the kissimmee grass. I looked down and my line was caught around my reel handle, looked back up and saw the huge fish getting into the grass. Then my line snapped, 65lb braided line, like it was nothing. I saw this fish and know it was at least six pounds plus. I was sick...and just sat there not knowing what to do. I guess that's fishing...

I missed the cut, but my prefish partner ended up with 21 pounds and was leading the Boater side. He gets to fish tommorow, but I don't.

BFL Gator Division - Kissimmee Chain

I'm headed back up to the Kissimmee Chain this weekend for another BFL event, this time in the Gator Division. I will be staying at my new home away from home. Camp Mack's. I had such a good time two weeks ago and came home with a check, so I decided to go back for more. I'll be leaving early tommorow and pre-fishing all day. It has been cooler here the last few days and I am excited to see if it makes the fishing better. I'll post a report when I return.