Numa Sport Optics... on the boat or in the blind

(Numa Sparta Frame Polar Smoke Lens Mirrored)

As a guy who has spent the better part of my adult life wearing glasses, i have a harder time then most getting my hands on a good pair of sunglasses.  There are so many restrictions on what can and cannot be done with a prescription I end up settling on something that wont break the bank, instead of the product i really need or want. But not this time, not only did Numa easily fit my prescription into the frame I wanted, but they applied many of the frame enhancements that make Numa the forerunner (in my mind) in outdoorsman quality sunglasses.

Numa Sport Optics are newer on the scene (2007) but are quickly gaining a reputation for great looking glasses that take some serious abuse. These glasses are built to withstand the everyday environment and the daily grind, fisherman, hunters, military and police put them through. Not many glasses available today can boast what Numa boasts.. 

If thats not enough, one of the best perks I have seen is the 3 lens pack that comes standard with all Numa glasses (non prescription orders only). How many glasses companies to you know that offer you three lenses with your glasses? A polarized smoke, a high contrast and a clear,  you are now set for all weather and lighting conditions.. gone are the days of buying and carrying multiple frames. With a quick snap you can change Numa lenses with ease.  

These glasses were created for you and me, they are made for the boat, the blind or on the trail. Dont get me wrong they look great, but they main thing here is that they will hold up all day long day in and day out. They have the outdoorsman in mind right from the start.. we were not an after thought like with many other companies... dont believe me, check out the below video

(Numa Glasses getting run over by a Truck!)

Take if from me, I have owned glasses from sports companies (Nike) and other leaders in the market (Oakley) and these are a superior product...

Bend, Smash, stretch, wear.. now thats a sunglass slogan I can get behind!

2011 Bass Season Comes to a Close!

Today is a sad day, Dec 15ht marks the official end of the 2011 Bass Season (in Ontario) , An although Im in mourning I though what better way to celebrate the season that was by  spend some time reminiscing on some of the highlights of this season.

The focus here is mostly on new products and baits, not necessarily products new in 2011 (although some will be) but more products new to me, lucky finds that made my season better and improved my skills on the water

Lets start off with some of my favorites from the 2011 Season.

Yum Money Craw:

yes this bait has been on the market for a few seasons now, but it was something I continually overlooked. Early this year I decided to give one a test drive and I have never looked back. The money craw is a stellar flipping bait that easily slides into thick cover, and once out of the cover can be swam or hopped back to the boat. Some of the most violent strikes I received on this bait came as I was swimming it.

Colour recommendation: give the red shad color a try, this was my go to flipping bait in 2011

Live  Target Hollow Bodied & Hard Body Frogs: 

So if you have been reading this blog for any length of time you know it is mistitled as "BassJunky" and really should read "FrogJunky" and if 2011 was not the year of the frog then I just don't know what to tell you. It seemed like every major manufacture came out with new and improved Frogs. None better then the Live Target Hollow bodied and hard body (walking) frogs. These two baits not only carry with them the high quality and standards laid out by Live target in their family of baits, but they also improved upon some of current flaws as i see them on many other brands of Frog

The hollow body frog is a fairly light weight and soft shelled frog. It can still cast a mile and has one of the better hook-up ratios of any frog i use. The soft body is the best feature of this frog, far more collapsible then the Spro frog (the industry leader). With size and color options constantly growing the Live Target frog will be a force to rekon with for years to come

recommendation: Give the 55t in Green/Yellow a shot, this is the middle sized frog and mine got hammered so hard this season I had to put it into retirement.

As for the walker frog, this is a great top-water bait for beginners and pros alike. It walks with ease and is great to throw over and around timber. I wish I got to use mine more, but my tournament partner had his on so often i never really got the chance to break mine in. I don't think it ever left his rod all reason long.

Dobyns Rods:

Last but not least Dobyns rods are the biggest new addition to my arsenal, and I think that have made me a better angler over the course of the season. With so many rods to choose from it is hard for me to narrow down a couple to focus on. But as a frog fisherman, I would be crazy not to touch on two rods that really improved my game in 2011

Champion 735c, this rod is a great all around rod and excels in many techniques, one of which is buzzing frogs. Whether I had a mans hard nose, a gene larew triple leg or a Stanley Ribbet the 735c was always up to the challenge. The rod tip is perfect for placing this soft plastic baits into holes and the backbone has the strength to horse the nastiest of largies out of the cover.

The Champ Extreme 795 was my rod of choice for Hollow bodies. This feather lite rod is built like a tree trunk, no rod in my arsenal has the strength of the 795. I originally bought this rod as a flipping stick, but quickly saw the potential as frog rod.

I had a blast in the 2011 bass fishing season. I got to attend some seminars by some of Canadas best bass anglers, I got to test and try out some top quality new products, and I joined the Dobyns Pro Staff team. If I accomplish half of this in 2012 then it will be another stellar year.. until that time, bring on the ice!

Video of the Week: Drop shotting with Electronics

Well Dobyns Prostaffer Paul Meuller is at it again, here is yet another quality video on a technique that has proven its worth in over the past few years. In this video Paul takes the time to show you the value of using your electronics while drop shotting.. take a peek

3rd Annual Radio World Seminar.. Keeping Ice Anglers Sane since 2009

A few buddies and I took in the 3rd annual Ice fishing seminar hosted by Radio World. This is our second time taking in the seminar, we attended the 1st annual event back in 2009 and were excited to see how much it has grown.

The first event was a crowded room of 19 anglers, and this year the crowded room was stretched to fit 90+ anglers. A diverse group of veterans and rookies listened to some off Ontario's best ice anglers as they talked about baits, rods, lines, electronics and lakes. As usual this event was free to all those attending and there was a ton of great draw prizes to be had.

These seminars help get anglers in touch with some of the sports best, as well as many of the leading manufacturers. Humminbird, Lowrance and Marcum all had reps in house to answer any questions the anglers had. As usual there are always some surprise guests and Pete Bowman and Angelo Viola from the "Fish'n Canada" Tv show popped in to hand out some goodies and spend some one on one time with this group of ice fishing enthusiasts.

This years guest speakers included... (below info provided by Radio World blog)

Barry Graves.. has been a professional tournament angler for over 10 years. He lives in Keswick, Ontario which is right on the south end of Lake Simcoe and home to some of the best mulitspecies fishing in Ontario. Barry is one of the best respected anglers in the industry and proves his skill as he competes on the CSFL tournament trails and other various bass tournaments.
Here is a short list of Barry’s most recent tournament accomplishments.

2009 Bass Pro Shops Open Champion
2009 Casey Cup Champion
2004 Bassmania Classic Champion
3 Time CSFL Team of the Year winner

Jeff Chisholm was born and raised in the Bay of Quinte area. He is an avid year round angler with a special interest in hardwater walleye fishing. Jeff enjoys the challenges of ice angling and discovering ways to make each outing successful. Creativity, innovation, and the latest technology are integral to Jeff’s approach. Jeff is co-host of the fishing radio show Hooked For Life and is also on the Rapala Canada, Humminbird, and Navionics Pro-Staff team.


Big Jim.. There certainly are not enough characters in this blog for an exhaustive list of everything “Big Jim” has done in is career which is approaching 30 years. He started his career as a bass tournament angler and seminar speaker. He is a two time bass Canadian Classic Champion and has 28 tournament wins to his credit. He founded what is now the country’s oldest and largest free fishing publication – Just Fishing with “Big” Jim McLaughlin. Some of the top names in fishing have been featured in Just Fishing like Al Linder, Dave Genz, and Ted Takasaki just to name a few.

Wil Wegman is a regular competitor on CSFL’s Bassmania Trail, he is also an accomplished ice angler. Wil was a member of Canada’s National Team at the World Ice Fishing Championships in 1991. He taught ice fishing courses at Seneca College from 1986 to 2006 and presents seminars on ice fishing across Ontario. Wil has several top ten finishes in the Canadian Ice Fishing Championship and won the 2006 Perch Trap Attack on Lake Simcoe. Most recently on March 12, 2011, Wil and his son Izaak placed 1^st in the MS Perch Tournament on Lake Simcoe that saw over 75 teams compete.
Wil is an award winning freelance writer with many ice fishing articles published in various magazines as: Ontario out of Doors, Outdoor Canada, Real Fishing, Big Jim’s Just Fishing and In Fisherman.

This was an all day event starting just after 9:30 am and running until close to 3pm. After the seminar was over many anglers hung around to take advantage of some of the crazy deals that Radio World offered on many ice fishing devices. As mentioned above the surprise guests this year were Pete Bowman and Angelo Viola from Fish'n Canada. They took some time to discuss ice safety and sign some caps for all those in attendance. I think Angelo summed up the day and the event well, when he proclaimed it was great to be in an environment where ice anglers, retailers and manufactures all get together the better their knowledge and grow the sport (im paraphrasing here!).

I have to agree with Angelo, what other retailer do you know that will give up his day and part of his store to provide a free seminar to all those willing to attend. Lunch and coffee was provided and draws for radio world gift certificates kept the day moving. The day ended with a draw from a new Fabill portable hut.

With no ice in the foreseeable future, this keep me sane on a weekend in which i traditionally see first ice. I know I speak for 90 others when I say thank you to Jack and the Radio World crew.. see ya in 2012

My Bass Fishing Christmas List 2011

With Christmas fast approaching, there is no better way to put a bug in my wife's ear about the goodies I would like to find under the tree , then posting a blog (yeah as if my wife reads my blog)

Anyways, as a guy known to have everything there is still a few things I have on my 2011 Christmas list.. i bet a few on them are on yours as well..


Dobyns Coalition  Rods:

you'd think as a guy who currently has about ten Dobyns rods, i would be looking for something else under the tree, but nope, I can always use another Dobyns rod and with the release of the Coalitions series Im looking for a little camo under the tree this year. (for those new to Dobyns rod, I'd recommend giving the 735c a test drive)

Live Target Field Mouse:

as a frog fisherman you think it would be a little blasphemous to start throwing a "field mouse", but hey i already added a bird to my frog fishing arsenal earlier this season so why stop there. And can you really go wrong with Live target baits. There collection of frogs both hollow and hard bodies were some of the best baits I tied on my line this year. I dont think my wide has the heart to buy a mouse like fishing lure, so i dont expect to unwrap one of these beauties this Holiday.

Daiwa T3 Ballistic Reel:

This is another jump in tradition, Im a pretty hard core Shimano guy when it comes to fishing reels. But I have seen some very good reviews on Daiwa T3 Ballistic reel, and im a huge fan of the look and feel of this reel ( thing damn near looks like the bat mobile). The  t-wing design is an interesting spin on a standard baitcaster system and since Shimano continues to mess with a good thing (curado series) It's time to test the market. I have held this reel in my hand and take my word for it, this reel is light weigh and built tuff. Im also drawn to the exterior brake adjustments, the internal system is such a pain to use, this quick on the go adjustment is perfect for on the water.. and under the tree

Triton Mike Bull Shad:

A technique that I have not spent muck time learning is swim baits, and even more so.. big swim baits. The Triton Mike Bull shad is in a league of it's own, a high quality bait that makes fish angry, the Bull shad calls in big bass and they not only hit it, they want to swallow these things whole. Watching video after video of big bass smashing these baits put them at the top of my wish list this Christmas.

Sworming Hornet Alabama Rig:

whats Christmas without the odd gag gift? well to me there is no better gag gift then the sworming hornet Alabama rig, where did these things come from anyways? I think I would rather receive a singing bass (or should I say "another singing bass"). Im sorry I know there are some guys out there catching fish on these rigs, and maybe I will be eating my words down the road. But for now Im going to leave this bait on the stores shelve.

Stocking Stuffers:

whats Christmas without a stocking? here are a few things I would like to find in my stocking on Christmas morning

The Reel Glove - what better way to keep my new T3 Ballistic in mint condition, this is another quality product from the Rod Glove

VMC Spinshot Dropshot Hook - I enjoy throwing a drop shot rig, and this hook looks like it will help keep things running smooth when casting and dragging. Definitely want to give these a shot.

KVD Spinnerbait Slide Chart - there is no more talented spinner bait fisherman then KVD, and even though this thing looks oddly like my wife's Weight Watchers point guide, I still would like to give it a try. Hell it cant hurt my spinner bait technique.


Happy holidays and I hope you find what your looking for under the tree this year.

Test Drive a Dobyns, drive away in a Ranger

Now, I would be very surprised if you have not heard about this draw yet, but even if you have, I thought I would take a minute to give you a reminder that the deadline is fast approaching... For those of you who dont know check out the below link for more information

http://www.dobynsrods.com/contestrules.pdf

ELIGIBILITY: THIS DRAWING IS OPEN TO ANYONE THAT PURCHASES A DOBYNS ROD OR PARTICIPATES IN A DOBYNS ROD DEMO PROGRAM THROUGH A PARTICIPATING DEALER BETWEEN NOVEMBER 15, 2010 AND DECEMBER 31, 2011.

HOW TO ENTER: TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DRAWING RECEIVE AN ENTRY FORM FROM A DOBYNS ROD DEALER WITH THE PURCHASE OF A DOBYNS ROD OR WITH PARTICIPATION IN A DOBYNS ROD DEMO PROGRAM.NTRY FORMS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 12, 2012.

Dont forget: Deadline for entries is January 12th 2012

The Jaw Jacker Vs. The Automatic Fisherman

A few seasons back I was given what I thought to be a useless fishing gadget. The Automatic fisherman is exactly what it sounds like, a device that sets the hook for the angler while ice fishing.. needless to say i tucked it away in my fishing room (yes I have a fishing room, two actually) where gadgets go o die. But about a year after i purchased it, i decided that it would be good to take with me and use a  rod holder while dead sticking for splake. After missing a few bites I caved in and set up the automatic fisherman (forever after dubbed AF) and.. BAM, the next splake to hit my line, the AF fired and it was fish on.. from that day on I have been hooked (and so have many Splake).

This season while I was introduced to a new Vs. of the AF, this one has some slight modifications and is called The Jaw Jacker. Both of these devices have their place on the ice, let me explain to you the difference between the two, and the pro's and con's

The Automatic Fisherman

I have to start off with the original, as stated above the AF has been in my arsenal for a few seasons now, it is a quick to set up unit, with a hairpin trigger and enough weight to keep it on the ice even in the windy conditions.

The AF is made of a high density plastic and is rated for weather up to -90. It takes a beating on the ice and holds up to being dropped, kicked and knocked around inside you sled.

A metal arm extends out from the front of the AF and has a small metal peg that can be adjusted to set the sensitivity of you unit. I use my AF mostly for perch and splake so I have it set pretty light.

The biggest "con" to the AF unit is the abi\use it can cause to top guide of your rod. The AF trigger sits inside that top guide and can bend and put unwanted pressure on the guide.

You also need to watch your face, a very sensitive set up can be "fired off" by the slightest bump, and a rod whip to the face is not fun in the cold.

When setting up you AF there are two items that I do differently then instructed. First off there is a piece of orange/red tape that the Instructions ask you to wrap around the rod tip to act as a "flag" not sure now usefull this is other then ruining a good a rod. The second thing i change is the bobber. The AF instructions ask you to string a bobber between the first and second guides on your rod. This bobber hangs down and allows the fish to take some line prior to triggering the AF, i dont use this bobber as I felt i was missing fish, and if I wanted to use the rod without the AF I had to retie and restring my rod.. thats a pain.

Overall the AF is a good purchase,  I recommend saving yourself some cash and buying the unit without an enclosed rod. for more info check out the AF website here...

The Jaw Jacker

Alright now for the new kid on the block. I heard some chatter on the legendary ice fishing website http://www.iceshanty.com/ about a device similar to the AF called "the Jaw Jacker" being curious I clicked the link and watched all the videos and was sold pretty much on the spot.

The Jaw Jacker (JJ) brings some unique twists to the table not seen on the AF. First off the JJ is full adjustable, not only can you adjust where int he hole you want your line to drop, but you can also adjust the angle in which your rod sits. Pull a couple pins and "ta-da" your ready to go

 JJ is also rod friendly, it comes with some heavy nylon loops that and be strung through the side of your guides to lessen the abuse the actual guide takes when used with metal on metal pressure.(P.S these can be used with the AF as well)

I will admit I do find these attachments a bit cumbersome, but i much prefer them to the direct contact of the AF. I may look around and do some testing on other options I can find in my local hardware store.

The JJ also has a unique trigger. A small shark fin shaped piece of plastic that the nylon loop slides onto. Like the AF you slide you line into the holder and when the fish bites the lever drops releasing the loop and in turn the rod tip. The team at JJ will be the first to admit that have had a few issues with he trigger when it gets wet (in slushy conditions) it can freeze up, and they recommend spraying some windshield de-icer. I appreciated the heads up and can appreciate a company that says "were not perfect" and then offers some help

The biggest and only real concern I have with the JJ is the weight. This thing is light and not made of a hard plastic like the AF. I have yet to have it on the ice, but i don't believe it will hold up to much abuse if dropped in extremely cold weather (hoping to be proved wrong). One real nice feature of the JJ is that it is full collapsible, it stores easier and smaller then the AF and will fit into most rod lockers for easy transport.

to learn more about the Jaw Jacker click here... 

 When all is said and done you can really go wrong with either of these units. I know I will be carrying both of them with me while on the ice this year and let their performance decide who ultimately wins the battler between the Automatic Fisherman and the Jaw Jacker

(Jaw Jacker & Automatic Fisherman)