Up close & personal with: The Worlds Best Bass Frog

You need to be pretty sure about your product before you name it “Worlds Best”.  So I will be honest when I came across Ken Dauberts frog named ‘Worlds Best Bass Frog” I was a little skeptical.  But being a frog loving fool I had to take the plunge and try one my self.   

Since my fingers are already hurting from the thought of typing “worlds best bass frog” over and over again, from now on we will call it the WBBF.   

WBBF’s can be found and purchased on various fishing sites, none that most of you will have heard of before today (Strike 1 against the ‘Worlds Best Claim”). I purchased my frog from http://www.reelgoodguide.com/ (they offered a special to provided an extra pack of frog hooks with my purchase)   

The frogs arrived fairly quickly and I was able to give them a up close and personal once over.  Here are my thoughts…   



Quality & Design:   

The Design of the WBBF is similar to a older frog body designs but not to anything currently on the market. It is made up of a high density foam that is soft enough that it has some give when the fish takes it in it’s mouth, but firm enough that it will hold up to some abuse (Toothy critters may cause some damage). Due to the design of the bait and material used this frog floats well and if by chance a fish (or snag) breaks you off, you should still be able to retrieve the frog.

The legs (also known as Mega foot hotlegs) are highly flexible and have some stretch to them; the material is thick enough that it should not rip while battling a fish.  They are easily exchangeable and are a much better product in person then when viewing it on the website.  (see video below)

The Hook provided is very similar to the the hook used with the banjo minnow. They have some strength and use the same rubber band style weed-guard. The biggest complaint i have heard about this frog is the hook up ratio. Hook placement is not ideal and the fish will really have to swallow this frog if you want to get a hook in it

Options & Price: 

There are a few series of WBBF, the clone is the entry level series, it comes in 6 color options and will cost you about $10 a frog.  The paint jobs on the close series are pretty good, I own both the leopard and Bull frog version. With each frog you will receive 1 hook as well as a whack of rubber bands to run the bait weedless.  In my opinion 1 hook is not enough for this bait and 2 if not 3 hooks should be included for the price being charged.  (You can buy additional hooks in 3 packs for $4).  

The Designer or replica series is a thing of beauty but comes in at $35 a frog, this is not for the faint of heart and more of a showpiece in my opinion. That being said they are extremely well done and would look great on your shelf    

Tips:  

 There are a ton of videos on line showing the WBBF in action. It seems like a pretty straightforward bait that can easily be pulled or swam back to the boat. It appears to sit well in the water and mimics a frogs body and motion. I think like other baits (the banjo minnow) a learned technique will improve your catch ratio, but don’t expect to go out there and catch fish on every cast.  

Keep in mind this is a product review of the product out of water. I have yet to fish with it, and I’m giving my opinion on the bait as I see and feel it. Like most fisherman I have fallen victim to lures that caught way more fisherman then fish them shelves… the flying Lure and banjo minnow to name a few. Only time will tell if the “Wolds best bass frog” will join these two lures in my hall shame. I beleive naming this bait the WBBF is a long shot, not only is this not the best frog on the market today, but it is not even the best from in my tackle bag… but if you are a frog Junky like me, be sure to give one a try,  at the very least they are a cool addition to your frog collection.

Yamamoto spreads the word on Dobyns Rod

For those of you not already reading "inside line" you should check it out. Yamamoto does everything right and with their Ezine that trend continues

Currently there is a great read on Dobyns rods. The article gets into Gary's back story as well as his philosophy on rod building.. balance over weight.. it is a great read and you should take a moment to review it. Im looking forward to part 2

http://www.insideline.net/index.php/equipment/628-gary-dobyns--making-the-perfect-rod-part-i.

Fear & Loathing on the Tournament Trail: Elephant Lake

Not only was this past week the season opener for Bass in Ontario, but it was also the first event in the BTTS series. As mentioned perviously this is my first season fishing an entire tournament series (6 events) and the season opener was on Elephant lake, a lake I have never wetted a line in.

My partner and I were excited about the event but held little hopes of winning, but that being said we wanted to make sure we left the lake with some weight to help keep us in the running for the team of year (highest total weight).

The weather conditions for the day were cloudy with some sunny breaks, the temps did not get above 20 degrees until well into the afternoon.

The day started early (4am) but on a high note, we drew #5 for blast off which put us in position to get to some spots we had scoped out using Google Earth.

we started the day fishing shallow weed flats, mats and some submerged timber. throwing spinnerbaits, top water and some worms, we were able to get 5 fish in the boat fairly quickly but each fish came in under 1.5lbs.  So with 5 fish in the boat we knew it was time for a change, and made the move to a back bay on the lake to fish a little bit deeper water.

The second spot produce fish immediately .. just the wrong kind of fish.. Pike where chasing our top water baits all over the place and wasting the precious time we had left. We switched up again, moving to some deeper weed-beds just off the shoreline.

The high and low point of the day came when my partner hooked into a smallmouth that looked to be pushing 4lbs.. the fish ran under the boat and made it impossible to net, after a few minutes he quickly ran back out and caught us short-lined and with one jump threw the hook. After we slammed our hats, rods and the net down, we regrouped and tried to find a twin for the fish we just lost... no such luck

Spot number three was another set of shallow but submerged timber. It produced one fish in the hour we where there, but the fish ended up being the largest in our bag at just over 2.5lbs.

As the afternoon wore on the bite slowed way down.. i dont think we had more then 2 bites from 1p on. When we called it a day we had just under 10lbs in the bag. We were happy with our production but could only think about the one that got away.

We ended up in 10th place (7th in Team of the Year Standings) not bad for a lake we have never set foot on prior to tournament day. The winning team had a nice bag of just over 17lbs, and of the nearly 30 teams 7 teams came in with 0's.. a tuff day on the water.

Next up is Weslemkoon on July 17th,. This is  a lake we are very familiar with and hope to make up some of the ground we lost this past weekend.

OPENING WEEKEND!

it is finally here, the weekend that is more important then Christmas,  New Years and all those other celebrated Holidays.. this weekend is Bass opener!

Many of us have waiting long months for this day to come, cleaning and organizing our gear, practicing our casting in the hallways and backyards. Spending money on new equipment knowing that one day we will get to use it.. this is that weekend.

I dont know about you, but I will be spending 2 glorious 10+ hour days on the water this weekend and hoping to take home some great opening weekend memories as well as some cash for my efforts.  Rain or shine I will be chasing the green and bronze all weekend long, testing out some of the new equipment i stock piled over the winter and spring.

so if this blog is quiet for a few days you will know why.. but then again why are in inside anyways.. it is opening weekend!

Police Officer Shot - a Husband, a Father & a Friend

This is a fishing blog.. and I promised myself that I would keep it a fishing blog.  But yesterday and incident occurred that rocked my families world and I had to share it

My brother in law is a Police officer in Peterborough, Ontario, he has been on the force for 7 years, he loves his job, and I can honestly say he was born to be a Police officer.  While on duty yesterday he was shot three times during a raid on drug house in a small Ontario town. He was airlifted to a major hospital in Toronto where his condition was upgraded from "critical" to "guarded". My sister was rushed to side with a Police escort and she was able to be there to support him while he endured what must have been a very painful and very scary ordeal.

I spend the afternoon waiting by the phone.. Im proud to say I have many friends that serve on various Police forces and they were kind enough to provide me with updates as the day went on. The mood lightened as I got word that he would be ok.. he was sitting up, joking and trying to laugh (hard to laugh with 3 shattered ribs).

Late last night I received final word from my family on his injuries. He has been left with some bullet fragments in his shoulder, some possible nerve damage to his hand, and three shattered ribs (as mentioned above).. but he will be ok.. and to a family man with 2 young children and a foster child.. is there anything more important then that?

The next time you pass a cop on the street or are handed a ticket, but sure to take a moment to thank them for what they do. Not many of us are willing to put our lives on the line on a daily basis.  These guys (and gals) never know what is around the next corner but still go to work every day for us.

Out of respect for Keith and my sister I will not include the photo of him on the stretcher that the press is using, they dont need to be reminded of that image.. instead I wanted to include something to show who keith is.. a police officer, a husband and a father and a friend

get well soon

The Erie Darter - not your average poor boys bait

I was recently invited on a trip to chase down some legendary smallmouth bass on the world famous Lake Erie. The trip itself was cancelled due to a work schedule conflict, but something good still came from as I found the “Erie Darter” by Poor Boys Baits. 

When the trip was first booked I did the obvious thing, jumped on the net asked some questions and did some searches. One bait pop up a lot and that’s the Erie Darter and the Darter jr. Both of these are not a traditional bait for me to fish, but I though what the hell and decided to place an order and give them a try.

These two baits are obviously family members with only 1inch separating the two in size. The Standard Erie darter comes in at 4” and the Jr. At 3”. (if you want to step it up a notch, be sure to check out the Dixie Darter coming in at a whopping 4 ¾ inches)Other than the size, they are identical from their ribbed bodies to the flat mini paddle tail. 

 Poor Boys wants to blow your mind, and when you get to their site you will be mesmerized by the 42 color options available for the darters.. In these 42 colors you still have your 2 size options and two bag qty’s...an 8 count or a 25count.  For the most part the color options stick towards the natural part of the scale. Lots of variation of pumpkin and watermelon colors. I personally like the smoke options as well as a few of the watermelon colors, they are killer smallmouth colors and produce well in the lakes in my region

The one thing that is not so great about the poor boys website is that the colors are not shown on the order screen. (I should say that not all colors are visible in the order screen) You will have to jump back and forth between he “color chart” screen and the order screen when placing your order... Your best to make your color choices first then go to the order screen.

 How to Fish them...

The Darters are highly versatile baits, and can be fished in many ways and  It fits into almost every anglers  style or technique.  If you a finesse a guy, you can break out the drop shot, the Darter Jr. Is the perfect bait for a drop shot rig, the body and tail give it a nice action when fluttered on the line.  The body of the bait is thick enough that it will hold up to multiple bites and still sti properly when twitched or paused.

 If you prefer  to flip, pitch or skip a bait, the darters body is perfectly built to fit into the tightest cover. It can be Texas rigged with out without a bullet weight, and fits perfectly onto a 3/0 EWG. (I like to throw the darter on a thin wire EWG Gammakatsu hook). The Darter skips well and will allow you to get your bait deep under the docks and pull out any monsters lurking back there.
 For the Tube or grub fisherman the darter can be rigged using your standard grub jig head and hopped , swam or dragged like a tube or grub. The tail and ribbed body give off great motion in the water, and give the darter it’s “darting” or swimming motion. The thin profile allows you to pull it thew cover with minimal snags. Like with the any finesse option lighter line is required if you want to feel what this bait is doing, I like to throw it on 10lb braid, but 6-8 mono would also do the trick

For the power fisherman, you can fish these babies on a flipping jig, just rip or bite off an inch or so, and slide the darter onto your lucky jig, the bait hugs tight to your jig and gives is a fairly slender profile. And a good flapping or waving motion on the fall, again the slight ribbing will also provide water movement.

So as you an see other then top water fishing or cranking it back to the boat, this little guy can pretty much be fished any way you choose.

The Low Down :Darters range in price from about $4.99 to approximately $12. They are available from Poor Boys baits on-line at http://www.poorboysbaits.com/catalog.cfm/darters or can be purchased from select retailers such as http://www.landbigfish.com/, obviously the other retailers will not have the selection that you can get when you order direct from Poor Boys, but they do offer easier to navigate websites.

All in all the Erie Darter and Darter Jr. Are great products, they are versatile, and can be used when targeting both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Give one a shot; I don’t think you will be disappointed 

There's a Buzz in the Air

Buzz Baits, the loudest, easiest and yet most annoying way to fish top water.   

Maybe it is just me, but the clacking and squeaking blades combined with the constant need to burn a bait back tot the boat gets to me, I don’t fish a buzz bait often enough and I’m missing out on some good fish and some exciting blow-ups.   

Buzz Baits have been around for years and have changes little (depending on who you ask). They are a simple bait, kinda the top water version of a spinner bait.  

Buzz Baits can be broken into a few categories as I see it..   

 -       Single Blade
 -       Single Blade (with clatter)
 -       Double Blade
 -       Long Shank

All four options have many things in common and a few things that set them apart. The Single blade is just that a bait with a single prop, blade or head. The Prop usually consists of 2 wings made of aluminum to give them that god-awful squeak. Buzz Bait are know to gurgle their way across the water and disturb more water then the average top water bait. 

If you want a little more noise a single blade with a clatter will up the ante by adding a clatter that works similar to the old baseball cards in your spokes trick. As the prop spins the clatter makes contact with the prop/blade and emits a clacking noise.

  For those who want to step it up even further, the double blade buzz baits give the bait more lift (less arm strain) and emit twice the squeaking and twice the water disturbance as a single blade.  

The long shank buzzbait is not as common in my area, and I personally don’t throw one. The long shank gives a fish more time to decide if he wants to pound your bait. The shank can be anywhere from 3inches long to 12inches long. When retrieving a long shank bait the body of the bait passed the through the strike zone after the blade has already passed, and works as it’s own follow-up bait.

Pros:

Buzz baits are an easy bait to work, you toss it out there and reel it back in,  there is not much technique required and most people can work one with ease. It is almost 100% weedless as the prop works similar to your boat prop and will cut or toss aside any light weed in the area.  As with any top water bait the best thing about it is the strike,  the blow-ups are fierce and after witnessing one, you will quickly be hooked on this style of fishing.  

Cons:  

A steady and fairly constant retrieve is needed to keep  buzz baits afloat.  This can be tiring if done for long periods of time and can cause arm strain. By sliding up to the double buzz, it will have more lift and allow you to slow your retrieve speed.  This will add weight to the bait and you should match your gear accordingly.  

Tips:
There are a huge number of companies that product quality Buzz Baits, and there are many options available. Look for one in your price range and give it a try.  I personal like to use Booyah Buzz Baits as well as Terminator Buzz Baits, both a re a quality product and hold up well to abuse by hungry largemouth’s

When choosing a bait Look for ones that weigh  in around 3/8 or 1/2oz  and have a flat head similar to a swim jig.  I use three colors when it comes to Buzz Baits.. White, Black and Chartreuse, funny enough those are the exact three colors I choose when spinner bait fishing, so if you are having a hard time choosing a bait, look at your favorite spinner bait color and look for something similar in a Buzz bait. As mentioned above both these baits are similar and can be throw on similar rod and reel combinations. A longer rod at the 7ft mark with a good backbone will allow you to set the hook at a good distance, a fast tip will ensure the bait is not ripped out of the fishes mouth

Buzz Baits are reaction baits, you should know fairly quickly if the buzzbait bite is on. If you don’t get any strikes or blow-ups early, it is time to move on to a new bait. I’m notorious for starting early with a buzz bait but cutting it off quick in exchange for another top water lure or a spinner bait. Similar to Spinner baits, short strikes are common I  use trailer hooks on most my buzz baits to help my hook-up ratios.

When it comes to weather conditions I throw a buzz bait in the morning or evening on calm days (pretty standard top water advice). You can throw Buzz Baits when there is chop on the water, but in my experience the chop negates the motion and sound that draws a fish to the buzz bait. The key to success with these baits is that annoying squeaking sound and the water disturbance.