Build a shelf and fishing manufacturers will fill them with every color shape and size imaginable. Trouble is…do they catch fish or fishermen?
The hottest “lure” in bass fishing today is the Alabama Rig. A compilation of five wires with snaps for bait attachment. Great idea, but storage is a mess. Not anymore! Virginia fishing buddies Bill Haire and Chris Craft have teamed up to create the B&C RIG CYLINDER. The clear cylinder has snug fitting removable caps to allow the “rig” to be pushed through one end and removed from the other, making storage a snap! The guys also say you can store keys and other small items and it will float! Orders at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Multi tools are handy, but one designed for fishermen from a company known for quality multi tools like Gerber is worth landing. Flik FISH multi-plier has workable and usable fishing tools! Pliers of course for hook removal, squeezing split shot or crushing barbs, but scissors that cut fishing line, including tough braided lines. You’d expect those, but a hook sharpener and “burr” remover make their point, keeping hooks sharp and ready for hooking into the big one. As you would expect, there are a bunch of other “implements” that lock into place, making them functional. One hand operation and it includes a nylon sheath. Gerbergear.com
Line selection isn’t simple any more. There are three line types:
mono, fluorocarbon, or braided. Each reel could contain differing line test, depending on the technique being applied. Keeping track isn’t easy, nor is it easy to tell by looking what is spooled. LR Innovations’ Line-Rite ROD TAGS take the guesswork out of line identification. Color-coded and numbered, RED (monofilament), BLUE (fluorocarbon) and GREEN stickers can be applied to visible areas for instant identification. This company also makes adhesive labels for tackle organization. Finding what you want when you want it puts more fish in the boat. Until now, labeling industry-standard 3700 Plano tackle storage boxes was done with either a marker or a label-making machine. Line-Rite TACKLE TAGS identify 38 types of lures for instant identification. Line-rite.com
Professional bass fishermen are known for endorsing fishing lures, or even designing a signature bait. Not often though does the pro angler design, manufacture and market his own product. BoatUS Angler BASSMASTER Elite Series pro angler John Crews has a lot of experience in lure design resulting in his SPRO Little John crankbaits. Now he’s taken to soft plastic designs, MISSILE baits. In this highly competitive marketplace, Crews has the edge. Years of fishing with different soft plastics, he has created his ideal baits in several lure classes. Other pros like Ish Monroe are endorsing his designs. As of now, his new and improved baits are a pitching bait (D BOMB), twin tail trailer (TWIN TURBO), twin tailed worm (TOMAHAWK 8.75) and a unique drop shot lure (DROP CLAW). missilebaits.com
And in this corner, weighing in at 5.9 ounces is one of the lightest fishing reels ever built! The Quantum EXO (exoskeletal design) might appear to be missing a few parts, but a strategically etched out design and a combo of aluminum and a lightweight composite combine for a frame stronger than others in the industry. The super free spool is perfect for long casts and rock solid hook sets along with smooth retrieve for all-day fishing. Size, weight and guts make this a reel for the serious angler. quantumfishing.com
A small item with a big grip is the 6th Sense Peg-X Stopper. These rubber “stops” will peg the heaviest weights for mat fishing and the smallest on 6-pound test for finesse fishing. Easy to install and they stay put! 6thSenseLures.com
But, as you pull out the plastic to pay for your new stuff, remember,
three axioms that come to mind…fishing lures don’t catch
fish…fishermen catch fish…fishing lures catch fishermen. With every new
season, come a new “gadget or gizmo” and an angler eager to own one.
As my wife says, “fish until you drop!”
Potomac River Bassing in March
March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a school of largemouth bass!
The beginning of the month fishes slow! It’s a late winter pattern with Silver Buddy lures, slowly worked Punisher Hair jigs, and with clear water Lucky Craft Pointers and Bevy Shad lures. Water temperatures are climbing into the upper 40s! Small soft plastics and light 6-pound test Gamma copolymer line are key. Other choices are Mann’s Stingray grub, 3-inch avocado rigged on a ¼ ounce ball head jig. Cast green-pumpkin Mizmo tubes with insert heads. Allow it to sit and glide. Watch line and set the hook while reeling and pulling. A good soaking of Jack’s Juice attractant helps to encourage fish to hold on longer!
By the end of the month longer days and warmer weather allows water to get into the mid 50s! This opens the tackle box for spinnerbaits and other crankbaits. Line is key here too! Grass is beginning to emerge and lipless crankbaits like Lucky Craft LVR D-7 in Mad Craw patterns must be slowly crawled on gravel banks or snapped out of grass. GAMMA Fluorocarbon 12-14 pound test allows sensitivity to feel gravel, and low stretch snaps lures out of emerging grass! The rod for this technique is a composite Quantum KVD cranking rod. It has the flex to allow fish to take in baits, but also backbone to set the hook.
Also, larger 3/8-ounce Punisher Hair jigs with small craw trailers and Mann’s Stone jigs are good to pitch to grass and to vertical cover, as fish are moving into the shallow flats near deep water.
I change sunglasses this time of the year from gray lenses to HCL Maui Jims to cut glare enabling me to locate submerged grass and cover.
Capt. Steve Chaconne, Potomac bass fishing guide, BoatUS “Ask the Expert” http://my.boatus.com/askexperts/bassfishing/
Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. Book trips/purchase gift certificates: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
| Next > |
|---|
