Test Drive - BassTEK Tungsten Jigs and Slings

This past weekend I got the opportunity to test drive a few jigs from a company called BassTEK. Although you may not have heard of them (yet) they are an US company owned and operated by two long time anglers. Their vision for BassTEK was to provide quality baits at prices that all anglers can afford. So far I believe they have met that goal, on top of introducing come unique new products to the industry.

This test drive will be 2 fold, starting out with a review of their skirted Jig line-up and then followed by a product I'm very excited about called the Jig Sling.. here we go

Tungsten Jigs:

BassTEK currently offers up both a flipping and a football jig in their skirted line-up. I gave both styles a serious workout this past weekend while flipping docks, timber as well as  dragging rock and gravel shoals.

Pros

Lets start off at the top shall we.. BassTEK jigs are made with Tungsten, a material that is getting used more and more in the fishing industry, and for good reason. Tungsten allows you to downsize the overall size of the jig head while still offering up the same weight. It is also a louder and more sensitive material making you feel every little bump, nick and thump.

The enamel painting used on these baits is quality, I spent a good deal of time dragging these jigs over rocks and gravel and by the end of the day the jig only shows minor signs of wear and tear

The shirts on all BassTEK jigs are 100% silicone and in my opinion are cut to the perfect length. I had no need to alter/trim either style and was able to fish them straight out of the package. I like a medium to short skirt (insert joke here) that allows my trailer to impart some additional action. Longer skirts can cover this up, and it makes me wonder why guys use a trailer at all?

BassTEK has a pretty nice colour selection available. I usually stick to one or two colours focusing on darker more natural choices, but I have to admit after seeing their Missouri craw colour, I just have to have one

Hooks on these baits are crazy sticky and I never once had a fish come un-stuck. I did from time to time  bury one in a submerged piece of wood, but at the end of the weekend the hook point was still sharp. I actually passed one BassTEK jig to my partner to use, and thought it was pretty damn funny to listen to him say "ouch" over and over as he would stick his hand while prepping to flip. It was his first time using a Jig in 10 years! but seeing the success I was having he quickly tied one on.


Cons

There is not really anything that stands out as a con. I would like to see more colour and size options, but then again as mentioned above I only fish 1-2 sizes (3 max) and a usually throw a couple standard colours, so I'm not sure this would deter me from buying in any way, we just seem to be pampered with colour choices nowadays

Jig Slings:

The jig sling has to be one of the more simple but extremely useful pieces of  fishing gear that I have come across in the past while. When I first looked at them I was confused, I though they were a jig rattle holder missing the rattles, but one quick google search later and I was saying.. "Why has nobody thought of this earlier!"

Yes the Jig Sling is in a sense a simple bait keeper, but with that said it is the best bait keeper design I've seen and used. This past weekend I caught 10 fish on my first trailer without once having to adjust it after a cast.. the 10th fish ripped one of the trailer legs/arms off so I was forced to replace it, but all in all this little piece of rubber will take a lot of the frustration out of jig fishing with soft plastics.

(Photo from the BassTEK website)

There is not much I can say about how easy it is to apply a Bass Sling to your jigs. The above photo stolen from the BassTEK website shows you just how the Sling sits on your bait after being applied. As you can see the dense rubber slides over the hook point and up over the jigs natural bait keeper, once your trailer has been added you simply grab the tab end of the sling, pull it over your hook and your done.. the sling stays firmly in place applying pressure to your bait to ensure it stays just were you want it. These Slings are not a one time use either, chunks/trailers can be changed out simply by lifting the tab and sliding the back end of the sling back over the hook. I will be loading up on Jig Slings and applying them to my jigs prior to hitting the lake.

If you want to check out a short how to video, click on this Hyper link to see it in action: BassTek Jig Sling Demo Video


to learn more about BassTEK products check out their website (HERE) and swing on over to their Facebook page (HERE)  and click "Like" to follow them and be notified when new products become available.

Where to Find:

TackleWarehouse

TackleSmith

TackleTrap

Bass Fishing in May: A 2014 Photo Journal from Lake Chautaugua NY

My 3rd annual trip to Lake Erie and Chautauqua lake was a much different experience then the previous 2 years.. with the crazy winter we just experienced the water conditions and the fish were in a very different mood upon our arrival on the first of  May. With water temps hovering around the the 45-48 degree mark the lakes were easily 5-10 degrees cooler then the past two years.

Our first stop is usually Lake Erie, either the Buffalo Harbour or Dunkirk, but the conditions were so bad that we decided to forgo Erie entirely,  cold water mixed with high winds and ice flows made it a dangerous option, and although I love to fish, I do have my limits.

When we arrived at Chautauqua we decided to fish the North end on Day 1. This saved us a good 20-30 minuted commute from our residence and since it appeared we were the only people crazy enough to be on the lake, we had the launch and water to ourselves.

Surprisingly enough after spending a good chunk of the morning in deeper water, we decided to duck into a back channel to see if any fish were coming in shallow.. sure enough my first Bass of 2014 came off this drop shot in 3 feet of water.. who'd a thunk.

 

As always when on Chautauqua we stay at a nice place called "Maple Bay Get-A-Way" on the south side of the lake. The accommodations are nice and the view is killer

Day2 we decided to stick with our shallow water success from day 1 and fished my favourite area on Chautauqua.. the docks.. The bite was on and we had 3 fish by the time we finished two rows

 

The pattern was very easy to get on, by the time we finished 4 dock sections we could cut back to fishing only the outer 3rd of the docks and focus on the font and back comers.. no middles, and if you were not bit during the fall or first hop.. bring'er back and move on

People throw around the term "cookie-cutter" fish quite frequently, as if it's a bad thing, but when the cookie-cutters are around the 3lb mark, it aint such a bad thing.. these fish are well fed

As you can see the weather was not great, we spent the entire weekend in our rain suits trying to keep as dry and warm as we could. But when the fishing is as good as it is on Chautauqua, you don't really worry about conditions. 

A great view of the BassTek jig and Jig sling that I used almost all weekend long. Great quality bait, not once did a fish come un-stuck, and the sling keep my trailer in place for the first 10 fish of the day (and then I only replaced it do to arms being ripped off) The Jig pictured is their Football Jig in the Black/Brown and Green Pumpkin (HERE)

A pic of Kenny working his jerk-bait around the Bell tower, you should have seen him jump when that Bell started ringing to mark 12 noon.. almost lost him there.

Another nice jig fish. The bit may not have been hard, but they were sure swallowing these baits

Spinner baits have always been hot on Chautauqua, but this weekend it was not exactly stellar conditions. The fishing was really slow and low, we threw spinner baits off and on each day, but only managed one spinner bait fish... it belonged to Kenny

 

When not tournament fishing I could catch this size fish all day, what a blast, and even in the cold water they had some fight to'em

 

 

Not one for posing for pics, I usually have to snap shots of Kenny when he's not looking. Here he is with one of our smaller fish, nice work Kenny 



Tell me you could pass this spot up? not me, never, no way.. I'd like to tickle each piece of timber, see who's home

 

Man these Chautauqua lake fish are pretty, nice healthy shine and fat, fat bellies. Believe it or not this guy was pushing 4lbs.. nice work Brian

Gorgeous sunrise on Sunday morning.. that's why my church is the lake

 

After giving him the gears about hooking into more fish, i got cocky and tried to snap a pic while holding it up in his face, Kenny decided to reach in and attempt to make it look like his

PS: I have to show him up when I can, he taught he how to fish (really fish) and constantly beats me on the water

I don't think there is much more I can say about this one.. best fish of the trip for me

 

 



Kenny and Rick hard at it, on one of their Smallie spots. Brian and I snuck up for a visit before moving on up the lake

 

This weekend getaway is usually all about the smallies, but with these conditions the bite was tough. I know both Rick and Brian hooked into some nice ones, but this little guy was all I could manage.. BassTek jig in the grass

A local angler walking the shoreline let us know the 1,500 Musky are stocked in Chautauqua each year, and that it was the #4 Musky lake in the US.. we shrugged and said that we had never hooked into one.. then promptly hooked into 3.. this little guy was contribution.

 

 



 

Kenny hooked into the largest Musky of the trip, it would have been about 30 inches. Not having a net big enough to land it, he sent me in with the pliers to shake him off.. needless to say he spit the hook before I got in there and Kenny ended up with it in the back of his head.. I snapped this pic after offering to help remove it

A new favorite jig trailer of mine in the Berkley Havoc Pit Chunk, what a great action it they have. You may notice that this is not the same BassTek jig I was using on day 2.. remember to re-tie or you loose the things you love.

This is a shot is from Saturday, the Walleye opener on Chautauqua, I cant image no matter the conditions that a lake of this caliber would be anywhere near as empty in Ontario.

 

Since I only fish this lake once a year, I don't mind sharing my spots in pics, in this photo there is a a reference that you will notice in similar pics from the past two years, this spot always produces... but Ill leave the wheres Waldo"ing to you

 

 

 

My fellow anglers are not as photo happy as I am, but on occasion I make them stop to commemorate the times.. nice fish Brian

 



 

Home sweet home.. see ya next year Chautauqua

Weapons of Choice for this trip:

Dobyns 734c - Daiwa Tatula - Toray Finesse Braid - BassTek FootBall Jig - Berkley Havoc Pit Chunk

Dobyns 735 Coalition - Daiwa Advantage - Toray Superhard - Gann's Jig - Berkley Havoc Pit Chunk

Dobyns Dx742 - Daiwa Lexa 2500 - Daiwa Samurai Braid/Toray Finesse Fluoro - Robo Worm

Rookie School: Topwater 101

If your a seasoned angler, a weekend warrior or a tournament jersey wearing pro, then this series of articles may not be for you.. but then again we can all use a refresher on the whats, whys, when and hows as it pertains to teaching a kid to fish.

lets start off with a pretty standard reminder..  "the main goal of objective when teaching a rookie or child to fish is to ensure they have fun". That means focusing on fair weather days, shorter trips, and of course plenty of fish.. you know, all the stuff you ignored when teaching your wife/girlfriend to fish.

Disclaimer number two, if you are teaching a  child who has not yet mastered art of worm and bobber fishing, then this may not be the time to tie on a top water bait, so be patient and enjoy the peace and quiet that goes along with watching a red/white bobber float along.

Ok, now on to some tips for teaching a rookie the art of the top water bait.

Bait Choice

Bait choice is key when learning a new technique, and although this may seem pretty easy  there are some things to take into consideration when teaching a rookie or child to use a top water bait, here are some good choices and baits to avoid:

Poppers - are a great choice for rookie top water anglers, they float, meaning they can take their time and not worry about getting hung-up on any submerged weed or timber. Poppers are also super easy to use, no technique is required, simply jerk the rod tip back or to the side, and pop away, that's all there is too it (well at this stage anyways)

There are a few things to watch out for when teaching someone to use a popper, the first is that that are often too slow for some youngsters. I don't know about you but most kids I watch fish like to cast, reel, cast, reel, cast reel and a  popper will force them to slow down, which may not hold their interest allowing them to get bored quick. The next concern may be the twin treble hooks that come on most poppers, this can be dangerous (for you and your student). If your worried about the trebles feel free to remove one, or replace both with single hooks, your hook-up ratio may lower, but your trips to the ER will be fewer

Floating Buzz'n Baits - are the perfect combination of fish catching noise and motion and also allow plenty of room for error without fowling up. Baits like the Arbogast Buzz Plug or the Rebel Buzz'n Frog both float when paused, giving your youngster the the chance to take a breather on their retrieve without having to worry about the bait sinking. In place of treble hooks most floating buzz'n baits are equipped with double frog hooks, yes they can still stick you, but the longer shanks and wider gaps make them easier to handle and remove from fish (giving you a great opportunity to also teach them  how to handle fish with out the worry of trebles)

Standard Buzz-baits are fairly easy to use, but not as child friendly as the floating versions. A Standard Buzz bait really requires patience and the ability to retrieve steadily at a certain speed to catch fish. The floating version will be easier to use, and cast (due to the added weight).

Walking Baits - I personally don't recommend selecting a walking bait as you child's first top water lure. They all require some level of patience and technique in order to fish them properly. Walking baits are intermediate level lures and your rookie should only be promoted to them once they get past the beginner baits listed above. That being said there are some walking- baits currently available that have a "swayed-back" which makes them much easier to walk than most. If you are going to start you student out with a walker, be sure to check out the Live Target Walking Frog as well as Heddon's Swayback Spook (if you can still find one) these baits are a breeze to fish will help build their confidence.

WakeBaits - Although not technically a top water bait ( i can almost feel you rolling your eyes) a wake bait is a great way to get started out  and excited about top water fishing. Wake baits like their deeper running brothers are designed with a built in wobble or action that will allow a rookie to easily retrieve the bait and get the desired action, without really any skill. Like the other baits listed above wake-baits will float on the pause and even though they will run 1-2ft below the waters surface you will still get to see and react to that great top-water blow-up.

Practise & Patience 

In sticking with our original goal of keeping your trips short, you should always ensure that when teaching a rookie angler to throw a top water bait that you focus on the time of day (and water conditions) that are best suited for top water fishing,  this may mean spending a few hours in the morning or evening tossing top water, but then putting it away as the conditions dictate. Remember the goal is not only to teach them the skills required, but also to build their confidence, so going hours without catching a fish or getting a blow-up may be great practise,  it probably won't be any fun and will do nothing for the newbies confidence level.

The last tip that I will share with you is patience, not only will you need to impart patience to your student, but you'll have to show patience yourself. Top Water fishing is fun, it's exciting and for some its pretty difficult to master, so be patient with them, and allow them to make mistakes, as long as they are having fun while doing so. When I have a rookie in the boat with me, I won't comment or offer advice on the first few missed fish, unless I'm asked. After they have missed a few I try to gauge their confidence and frustration level, if confidence is high and frustration is low, let 'em keep fishing, they will learn as they go. But if you see frustration setting in,  be sure to offer some advice (not criticism) and give them a few pointers, tips or tricks that work for you, not jargon or something you read in a magazine.

We were all rookies once and in order to grow our sport we need good coaches, teachers and students

Go Big or Go Home: Shaking the Big Bait Phobia

Some people are afraid of spiders, others are afraid of heights, but there is one crippling fear that often caused anglers to miss out on catching big fish.. and that's the fear of big baits!

Ive spoken to a Shrink and in turn I will be attempting to rid myself of this very specific phobia, the only way I know how.. throwing the biggest bad ass baits I can find. So this past off-season I spent some time seriously bulking-up.. no not personally, just to my arsenal, I  added monstrously sized swimabits, top water baits, worms,  and even frogs.. if you too are in need of some big bait medication, the following baits may just be the perfect cure

Hard SwimBait: Triton Mike Bucca's Bull Shad

ever since I toyed with the notion of going big, I have wanted to own a Bull shad swim bait, simply put they are handcrafted fully jointed perfection available in 5", 6" and 9" sizes. And remember going big does not not have to mean picking up the 9" version of this bait.. if your lake is overrun with guys using long but slender baits the wide profile of the  6" Bull Shad will really offer a unique look.

I love the almost dead or zombie like look of this bait, Bass love easy prey and the Bull Shad looks and moves like a live bait fish that has seen better days.

SPRO King Daddy

Frogs come in all shapes and sizes, but none are bigger then Spro's King Daddy, whose body alone is 3.5inches in length and its shoulders and back are wider then that of most pro wrestlers. Weighing in at 1oz and equipped with 4/0 gamakatsu hooks this frog is a force to be reckoned with.

Big fish looking for a "hungry man" sized meal will not be able to pass up the chance to hammer away at the King Daddy when walked in and over cover… be warned a frog this size will also attract the attention of many other predator fish such as pike and musky.

Zoom Mag Ol' Monster 12" Worm

10 inch worms have become the norm on many big fish lakes, so in order to make an impact you may need to go even bigger… Zoom stepped up to the plate this year in offering the 'Ron Jeremy" oops, sorry I mean the Magnum Ol' Monster and 12 inch version of the standard Ol' Monster.  Not only is this worm longer then it's now little brother, but it is also thicker/beefier. I love this worm and can't wait to throw it this coming season.

My personal best largemouth came on a 10'inch ribbon-tail worm, which in turn began the process of converting me to a large bait believer

El Grande Lures - Gila Monster

If your looking for a large bait that will slide through cover easily yet still offer you that big profile, then the Gila Monster by El Grande Lures would be a great addition to your arsenal.  Coming in at 8.75" this beast is a versatile bait that can be flipped, pitched and of course Carolina rigged. I love how the Gila Monster floats tail up, really driving fish crazy and making them want to kill it.. believe me when I say bites with this bait are truly furious

If a bait of nearly 9" in size scares you, then start out with the 5" version of the Gila Monster, then once your phobia passes and you want to catch fish with the big boys come on back to the Monster

IMA "Big Stick"

There are some pretty big top water baits hitting the water and shelves these days, but none are larger then the "Big Stick" by IMA.  This 7" walking, popping spitting beast truly lives up to it's name. The sheer size of the Big Stick makes it easily seen in deep and shallow water alike, it walks like a well-trained dog, pops like a bubble and spits up more then a new born baby. 

but to truly understand how large this bait is, all you need to do check out the bathroom scales.. yes, it really weighs 1.75 oz and is equipped with Owner 1/0 trebles, so open up your bail and let this baby fly

the big bait montra:  Fear nothing, catch everything

Custom Treble Shop Now Open!

I have been very surprised with the level of interest in the custom dressed treble hooks that I have been sharing here as well as on the BJFA Facebook page, since beginning this journey back in December I have had multiple requests to purchase some of the various patterns I have been working on, and up until this time I have been putting them off.. until now.

Today I have officially opened the Custom Treble Dress Shop (link found on the right hand side of this page)


Details:

All trebles are custom made to order, and 100% hand tied by me personally. Any interested buyers can choose from the growing list of patterns found on the BJFA Facebook page as well as in the all new Custom Treble Shop found HERE, or you can request a completely custom design to match your favourite bait.

If you would like me to create a custom treble you will be able to choose the Hook brand, size, thread colour, feather colour as well as flash. If you provide a picture of your bait I can provide feedback or suggest various colour options. As a form of reference below you will find a custom treble I created for a Rapala X-Rap Popper.

Pricing:

Standard ties on a quality hook of your choice (Gamakatsu, VMC, Mustad) will cost $3 per hook or $5 for a pair. If you provide the hooks a standard tie fee of $2 per hook will be the only cost to you.

Note: Trokar hooks are also available but will cost $5 per hook 

Currently PayPal is the only payment option available (unless your local, in which case case is acceptable)

Bass Geek Part 5 - Honing your tournament skill while playing Black Bass

BASS GEEK
noun - slang

1. An expert or enthusiast (a term of pride)
2. A person who is pre-occupied or knowledgeable about Bass Fishing
3.  A person that spends the off season playing black bass in order to keep up their skills

How to become a Bass Geek Part 4:

There are many way a Bass Geek can  spend the winter months.. aka "The off season", but is there any better way to keep up on your skills them by playing some good old Black Bass, still one of the best fishing games of all time (in my humble opinion)

Step 1:  Sure, there are fishing games for almost every video console known to man, but is there any better game then the classic Black Bass and Super black Bass from the Nintendo and Super Nintendo system.. I don't think there is.. so step one of this process is dusting off your old system or heading to your local flea market to pick one up, they are readily available and still work

tip: Knock-off systems are also available for as little as $20, they work well and should get you through the winter months


Step 2: Black Bass is a popular game, it may be hard to get your hands on a copy for a decent price, but then again that's what the Internet is for.. helping you find things

Tip: If you don't want to go through the process of digging out the old system you can probably find a nice download version of this game for you computer or other game console.. but it will kinda feel like cheating


Step 3: Once you get your hands on a copy of the game don't forget to blow in both the game and the system in order to make it work.. then it's time to go fishing


PS: If your memory is as bad as mine hope and pray that you still have a copy of the manual

PPS: Although Black Bass and Super Black Bass are the games of my childhood I would be remiss if I did not also suggest you pick up Mark Davis Fishing Master, it has to be the most realistic fishing game I have ever played, they thought of everything in this game

Daiwa Tatula - Are you an Type-R personality?

As you know I got my hands on an early release of the Daiwa Tatula last season and was completely blown away by it's performance (not to mention it's price). So in preparation of the 2014 season I placed an order adding a few more Tatulas to my arsenal, this time including the Typer-R.

If your not currently using Daiwa reels (shame on you) you may not be fully aware of what a"Type-R" reel is and even more importantly why you should own one. Short and sweet "Type-R" is a designation Daiwa gives a reel that they have made improvements to, or tuned up in order to give anglers an even higher performing reel. These changes can often come in the reels overall weight, speed offerings and at times colour changes. The Diawa Tatula Type R features all of these changes and has turned this bad ass reel into a super bad ass reel.

More speed?.. check

The Tatula Type-R is available in two speeds, a standard 6.3 and the blazing fast 8.1. The later of the two is only available in he Type-R and is one of the reasons I made the jump to. I spend a lot of my time  frog fishing and I found that there was a whole in my reel line-up that could only be filled by an 8.1 speed reel. The Tatula Type-R will not only allow me to quickly pick up line when hooking a fish in heavy cover, but it will also allow me to quickly burn back baits that have fouled out, making sure I'm able to keep my frogs in the water longer

Lighter weight?.. check

The Tatula Type-R dropped some of it's winter weigh coming in at nice 7.6oz vs. the 7.9oz  standard Tatula. This may not seem like much, but the majority of the weigh loss comes from a lighter spool. This mean that the Type -R will not only put less strain on your body but it will also allow you through lighter baits.. you know for those of you finesse guys.

Pimped out?… Check

I don't think I really even need to type anything here, all that needs to be said can be seen from the picture at the top of this article. The Type-R comes dressed in black with a slick  metallic red spool and tensioner knob. I'll be honest I loved the look of the original Tatula but these highlights make it pop and really class it up (insert whistle sound here)


These 3 updates help improve an already highly impressive reel. Dawia has really stepped up to the plate with the Tattle, building on and improving their T-Wing technology and Air rotation retrieve. To check out my test drive of the standard Tatula reel click HERE


bring on Bass season