Some Rage Tail Fun - Fans Fishing RageTail Baits.
Some Rage Tail Fun - Fans Fishing RageTail Baits.
I put together a collection of pictures and short video clips of RageTail fans doing what they do best, FISH. With some backround music that seemed to fit well by nickleback, this is a must see fishing short! Be sure and leave a comment if you like the video or any other comments you may have are also welcomed.
** Thumbs up to ho_shi for uploading this to yahoo.
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4403594/11811307
Tackle Makes News
Sometimes writing about a certain given subject isn’t so easy. Everything seems to all to often, lead into another thing without so much more is a random thought entering my brain. Lets take for instance the thought of fishing related magazine articles; there sure is allot to choose from.
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Best Terminal Tackle 2008
2008 has been a great year for terminal tackle advancement and innovation. While I haven’t fished with every new product out there, I have been bass fishing with a few things that I really like. I personally don’t jump into all the hype of a product unless that fishing product can save me money in the long run or catch more fish. My line-up of terminal tackle is much the same as last year with the exception of a couple additions to my tackle arsenal.
Best Soft Plastic Bass Baits - Top Tackle 2008
Best Soft Plastics Bass Baits 2008
2008 has been a great year for new soft plastics for bass fisherman. It seems that every where we turn or search, there is a new soft plastic bait for bass that gets our attention. So many baits to choose from and so little time to use them, which do we try?
With the selection of so many soft plastics on the market these days, it pays to find a few companies with products we can each depend on. I have found that I only need a few different products to catch fish on a semi-regular basis even though, the “baitmonkey” is always lurking on my shoulder waiting for something new to appear. I took a little time to reflect on this past year and put together a list of the soft plastics I used this year for LM & SM Bass that really hit the spot, caught plenty of fish and basically did what they are supposed to do, CATCH FISH! The products listed below are in no particular order; each of them works equally well under advertised applications and deserve consideration in my list. When I head out fishing; you will always find a selection of the baits below in my back pack.
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ESPN News - Elite Series Co-Anglers - Shattered Dreams
It appears that ESPN has decided to eliminate co-anglers from the Elite Series in 2009 and shatter the dreams many bass fisherman across the country. Just days since the news was released, tension is rising among B.A.S.S. members, co-anglers and visitors to the ESPN Outdoors website. If this is news to you, you can read the ESPN Blog and all the angler comments here: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/news/story?id=3492085
I just have to wonder, how many more nails can be put in the coffin of B.A.S.S. before ESPN is done tearing down the “grass roots” values B.A.S.S. was built upon by Ray Scott so long ago. I would imagine even Ray thinks some of these changes are ridiculous at times. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t understand the Elite angler position. Elite Anglers are fishing as a job, they face hurdles everyday out there; they have hopes of cashing a check, earning points and staying in the upper tiers of the bass fishing spot light. Who could blame them, they worked hard to get there and they earned their place as an Elite.
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Rage Tail Shad by Strike King - Great Bass Bait
Just about a year ago, Strike King introduced the Rage Tail series of soft plastic baits at ICAST 2007. The buzz was on about this new design for sure and now I understand why. The “Rage Tail” design is not your average curly tail, floppy legs or paddles found on most baits these days but rather, a commotion just waiting to happen on the water. The exclusive “Rage” series tail displaces more water than any competitors product for sure. The introduction of a Rage Tail Shad, Rage Tail Craw, Rage Tail Toad and Rage Tail Chunk is a great addition to the Strike King line of products.
Now, almost a year later, my wife and I decided it was time to give the Rage Tail Shad a try. We saw a fishing show about them months ago and they sure caught fish on the show. It sure didn’t take long before fish were exploding on this bait for us but, like most topwater baits, explosions and hookups are two completely different things. It was really enjoyable for me to watch my wife get a taste of a topwater bite which seemed to come easy with the Rage Shad. She explained to me that the Rage Tail Shad had her three favorite qualities wrapped up in one bait, and I quote.
The Rage Tail Shad can be fished weightless. It is very affordable to purchase and most importantly is, this bait is a very durable soft plastic bait capable of catching multiple fish. Mrs.Matstone
In the last three days fishing the Rage Tail Shad, we have had countless fish blow up on it making each day an exciting day at the lake. We caught fish each day we fished with it in various weather conditions. Mrs. M fished the same Rage Shad for two days before a fish decided to eat half of the tail and force her to change it. These baits hold up really well for a soft plastic bait but, this is not your average soft plastic bait either.
The Rage Tail Shad gets my two thumbs up since fishing. I’m now looking forward to trying the others in the “Rage” series of baits. The Rage Tail Chunk should be a great jig trailer and I have no doubts it will displace more water and be a great addition to my tackle arsenal. The Rage Tail Craw should be a great bait to T/Rig and work across the bottom or flip into heavy cover. As for the Rage Tail Toad, I know this frog will make the commotion I look for when frog fishing in slop or lily pads.
You can read more about this great bait at RageTail.com. Rage Tail also has a very informative message board to ask questions or add feedback which can be found here: http://www.ragetail.com/ragetalk/index.php?board=1.0
Deep Water Smallmouth Angling - Fish “Fizzing” Alternatives
With the ever increasing amount of fishing pressure anglers face out fishing these days. It’s no wonder many anglers are turning to deep water tactics like the drop shot to catch more and/or bigger fish. Targeting deep water smallmouth bass can have its hurdles but, a little preparation can save the day. Sometimes when anglers catch fish deep and bring them to the top too quickly, those fish may be over inflated or seem bloated. This happens when the fish can’t equalize the pressure in such a short time and its air bladder fills with air, causing the fish to often times go belly up. When this happens, the fish has little chance of survival without direct interaction from us, the anglers.
Until more recently, “Fizzing” was about the only way to help the fish and give it a chance of survival. This consists or using a needle to puncture the fish’s air bladder, releasing that excess air. While this may seem like an easy answer for most, the idea of sticking a fish with a needle has its drawbacks. Without proper knowledge of the procedure; you stand to puncture a vital organ, spread disease or just create another problem. Read more about “Fizzing here: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/columns/story?page=b_col_bt_1106_fizzing_procedure
A few months ago, The Flip Clip was introduced to the angling market. Finally, an easy alterative to fizzing a fish that is much faster and much easier for the average angler. The Flip Clip is something an angler can attach to a fish in distress before adding it to their live well.
What it does: The Flip Clip attaches to the anal fin of the fish forcing the fish to remain in a swimming position and below water level where it can breathe. This also allows the fish a chance to re-acclimate to the pressure and disperse that extra air on its own while in your live well. This is a huge break through for the tournament angler and is clearly the fastest answer to the problem of fizzing. You can read more about this product at: http://www.flipclipfishing.com
If you’re an angler that fishes deep water and runs into the need to fizz a fish, this product is something you should see.
JDC Baits “Bomber” Lands 6lb/10oz Bass In PA - New Personal Best!
It has been less than two weeks since I first tossed my new BLR Bomber made by JDC Baits. This crazy new soft plastic “senko” type bait is 10″ long and flat out catches fish big and small! My first day out with a bomber was a big success with the exception of a broken rod. (Read More About It Here)
My Second day fishing the Bomber was another successful day with the CPR of one fish and another lost.
My third day out was a life long memory in the making! The combination of a JDC Baits BLR Bomber and Some CB’s Hawg Sauce “shad” gel landed my new personal best largemouth bass after 20 years.
I can only begin to describe just how excited I was to finally best my personal best LM.
Returning to the place where my JB custom bass rod got broken is a moment of stupidity, I searched for the elusive fish which caused me to act in such a way. My Bomber was tattered and torn, it was now 2 inches shorter than it started but, the Parasite Clip kept it in place and allowed me to continue using this huge bait without a problem.
Imagine that, three trips to the water fishing for hours with the same bait. The Parasite Clip can make any bait last longer.
Tossing the Bomber to every hole and point in and around the weedbeds, the “round 1″ search for a big bass was looking very bleak, to say the least. I quickly realized that I never added any CB’s Hawg Sauce gel to mask my smell and up my odds. I quick dig in the bag and the addition of CB’s “Shad” gel and “round 2″ was on. I began working all those points and holes in the weeds again and to my surprise, it took just a few casts and the fight was on. I knew I had something big on the line but, I never dreamed it was to be my new personal best LM Bass. I was holding a 6lb/10oz largemouth bass in my hands after more than 20 years thanks to two great products, the JDC Baits “BLR Bomber” and CB’s Hawg Sauce “Shad Gel“. As you can only imagine, the smile didn’t leave my face for the rest of the night and quickly returns with the thought of my recent catch. I have a couple pictures below to share.
Sideways:
Lengthwise:
If you are interested in any of these products, here are a few easy links to get you there.
JDC Baits BLR Bomber: http://www.jdcbaits.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=49&osCsid=6809da239730d74e4b60976c52896f8c
CB’s Hawg Sauce (Shad Gel): http://www.cbshawgsauce.com/order.htm
Parasite Clips: http://www.parasiteweights.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=28
Online Bass Tournament Progress
We are almost 1 month into the online bass tournament at the Angling Center. The competition is tight right now while the participants work towards winning one of two custom bass rods up for grabs in the contest. As it stands; the leader is bassrods from Utah with 3 great smallmouth bass towards his limit of 5 fish.
Just 6 points behind him is Terry and redbug both with 110 points. redbug has 3 nice LM Bass and Terry is the first to post a full 5 fish limit. Never fear, there is still more than a month to go in this contest and we allow participants to cull fish to get the best 5 fish limit possible.
You can read more about the contest here and see pictures of the participants catches here.
http://theanglingcenter.com/index.php/board,79.0.html
Big Bass Baits - JDC Baits Offers The BLR Bomber
JDC Baits has recently added the BLR Bomber to their line-up of big bass baits. The BLR Bomber, developed last year by Dave White from Basslurereviews is now available at the JDC Baits website.
This unique soft-plastic senko type 10″ soft stick bait is big, and is made to target big bass but, will catch average bass also.
This bait has a great action when fished texas-rigged, the fall is nice and it can easily double as a soft jerkbait with its “walk the dog” action. For all the Wacky Riggers out there, the BLR Bomber has an amazing wiggle on it’s way to the bottom and will put a meal in front of that big bass you have been targeting.
I got my first order of them yesterday and went to my favorite lake to see them up close and personal. I Texas rigged the bomber with an 11/0 Owner hook and used a large Parasite Clip to keep the bomber from sliding down the hook and threw it on a heavy action rod. If you are gonna texas rig this bait, big hooks, Parasite clips and a heavy action rod is what I suggest. Here is a picture of another average bass I caught yesterday.
JDC Baits offers this great bait in green pumpkin only for now but, with any luck, we will see a few more great fish catching colors in the coming months. For more information and to order some BLR Bombers, please visit:http://www.jdcbaits.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=49&osCsid=6809da239730d74e4b60976c52896f8c
You can order Large Parasite clips here: http://www.parasiteweights.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=28
