The Angler Report » fishing

The Advantage Of Choosing A Custom Fishing Rod!

ThePrincipal — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:14:10 +0000

Choosing a custom fishing rod is a personal choice. It can be fun finding a new fishing rod, it can even work to your advantage. Fishing rods come in many sizes that suit many different applications and whatever you get, you will remember how it performed while using it. While finding fishing rods for kids and everyday anglers might be easy. The diehard bass anglers are a completely different story, so much to choose from, whew!

While “off the shelf” fishing rods are good for basically anyone and work just fine. For the avid bass tournament angler, custom rods often become an ending to a search for the perfect fishing rod. Making that personal choice! Getting something specific to the kind of fishing you really do! Sure I can catch fish with an ugly stick but, you can’t feel that “extra sensory power” of a JB custom rod if you only have an ugly stick. Just ask the college bass fishing team from North Carolina this past year, they choose custom fishing rods. The NC bass fishing team uses JB Custom fishing rods, and believe me, they know the difference between them and your average off the shelf rod for bass. The custom bass rods made by John Ballard are well worth the step up when you’re ready. (read more about the college bass win)

Get the length/action you want, get the colors you want and feel more of everything while bass fishing. You can see in the picture below some examples of this years custom line of fishing rods by JB Custom Rods. The looks of your new custom rod are just the beginning, there is so much more that goes into making just the right rod for you and it begins with your inquiry. If you ever wanted more information about a custom fishing rod, John Ballard will give you answers. His fishing rods are top notch and he can build that perfect rod just for you like he did for Guido Hibdon and many other professional bass anglers around the country.

Feel free to check them out, these fishing rods are the ticket. You can visit JB’s website right here: CustomBassRods.com for more detailed information about his line of rods, custom rod building services and contact information.

If you are interested in one of his 2009 line of custom fishing rods, you can also view and purchase them online here: Cast Away Fishing Supply.

Some Rage Tail Fun – Fans Fishing RageTail Baits.

ThePrincipal — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:13:26 +0000

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

ThePrincipal — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:46:20 +0000

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.

Just yesterday, I ran across two magazines with interesting reading worth mentioning. I’m sure there is plenty other great things I missed elsewhere but, these two articles are our focus today. One thing is for sure; when I page through a magazine and find reference to or an article about a bait I use, I’m ecstatic about it. In-Fisherman and Bassin’ both had great issues this month and the two articles that were great to see in print.

Feb. 2009 In-Fisherman article by Gord Pyzer. Giant Gators Galore! page 53

Seeing the Scrounger get referenced to in this article was great. It’s just more proof the Scrounger works, this I have known and talked about for two years now. If the Scrounger can produce so well for Gord Pyzer for these giant Pike on his trip to Kesagami Lake, imagine what it could do in your hands. Gord has aslo supplied photos of big lake trout caught using the Scrounger months before through the wintertime ice.

The Scrounger Jig makes swimbaits extra special. The action of the jig alone is enough but, when you add your favorite swimbait, it’s magic in the making. These giants and this article are just scratching the surface of what this lure can do.

Quite a few guides report increased crappie and Striper using the scrounger jig. I personally have used a scrounger and caught Lm/Sm bass, crappie, pickerel, perch and sunfish and have seen pictures of catfish caught using scroungers. They even work for saltwater species of fish. Add your plastic bait and go fish it once, the most interchangeable, universal or versatile jighead on the market by far. The bait can be what ever you make it; skirts, hair and any kind of plastic can be added as a trailer to build a bait that works for you, for any species of fish.

What kind of fish do you catch using a Scrounger?

Feb. 2009 Bassin’ Special Issue “Bass Baits”. 50 Best New Baits page 21

The article references 50 new baits to be on the lookout for this year. There sure is some great new baits listed in this article and I respect their opinion but, I can think of a few other lures that could have been mentioned or substituted. There is only one product listed that I currently use and I only see a handful of lures that look to be a significant improvement over something already available to anglers. The one product listed that stands out for me is the Ragetail Anaconda.

The Rage Tail Anaconda was released last fall and to describe it in a few words, One Excellent Worm! The Anaconda in either a 7″ & 10″ length is available in enough colors to trigger that bite on a lake near you. The Rage Tail lineup of baits by Strikeking has changed things across the board for plastic baits, and the Anaconda is just one of them. Be sure to give them a look, the Rage Tail lineup may have just what your looking for.

Do any of the baits listed in the article make a difference to you? Do you think they missed something?

Best Soft Plastic Bass Baits – Top Tackle 2008

ThePrincipal — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:10:56 +0000

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.

Case Plastics: www.caseplastics.com

Case Plastics has an amazing amount of soft plastic baits to choose from that are affordable, durable and catch both smallmouth and largemouth bass. The Case Magic Stick, Jacks Worm & my wife’s favorite the Hellgrammite have landed more than their share of fish this year. Each of these baits will land LM and SM bass on a regular basis and save you plenty of funds for your next outing with the baitmonkey. I never leave home without my supply of Case Plastics.

Picture Description: Jacks Worm on a jig head – wacky rigged Magic Stick – Case Hellgrammite on a Parasite Stand-Up Jig

JDC Baits: www.jdcbaits.com

JDC Baits offers bass anglers a great selection of affordable and durable soft plastics also. The JDC line up of soft plastics are very unique in that most will only be found under the JDC name. The RockCraw is one of the most realistic craws on the market for bass and responsible for most of my early season LM Bass. It is available in multiple sizes, casts like a bullet and flat-out catches fish. JDC Baits “Creek Chub” is a simple bait that worked extremely well for me this season for smallmouth when rigged on a jig head. This same bait will make a great drop shot bait for those that like drop shotting. JDC’s most recent release is the BLR Bomber; a 10″ soft plastic “senko” type bait which I just love throwing. The BLR Bomber landed my new personal best LM bass this season and always seems to get a bigger bass in my hands. Let us not forget the JDC Skip n Pop, the only soft plastic topwater popper that I know of. The ability to fish a T/Rigged popper through pads without hanging up with a load of treble hooks is something many of us are just not accustomed too, and it’s great! Each of these baits landed plenty of fish this season and have become a staple in my ever growing selection of soft plastic tackle. I never leave home without a selection of these JDC Baits products.

Picture Description: Creek Chub on a Parasite Stand-Up Jig – Texas rigged Skip n Pop – Rock Craw rigged on a Title Shot jig head

Rage Tail Baits: www.ragetail.com

What more can I say, this company took me buy surprise! Every one of their patented Rage Tail baits are unique and has landed loads of fish for my wife and I. The patented tail design has a way about it that just plain works and works well. The rage shad, rage toad, rage craw and rage chunk were my first exploration with this companies baits and each falls into the “amazing” category for me. The Rage Tail line of soft plastics have re-defined action, vibration and the movement with each of their soft plastic baits. The topwater fun to be had with the rage tail shad and toad can’t be duplicated and far exceeds my origianl expectations. The rage chunk is a great jig trailer and also makes a great finesse bait when rigged on a jighead while the craw steps it up on a T/rig. With the recent release of the all new Rage Tail Anaconda (7″ & 10″ worm), Rage Lobster (6″ craw), Rage Lizard and the Rage Spacemonkey (creature bait), the ragetail lineup of baits almost seems complete. We have been lucky enough to aquire many of these new baits and have great luck with them over the last couple months. Rage Tail baits are a steady producer and will always have a place in my pack on every outing to fish.

Picture Description: (Above) Rage Tail Shad, Rage Craw, Rage Chunk & Rage Toad
(Below) Rage Tail Anaconda, Rage Lizard, Rage Lobster & Rage Tail Spacemonkey

Reaction Strike Swimbaits: www.reactionstrike.com

I had to jump on this band wagon this year and see what the swimbait craze is all about. Finding a paddletail swimbait these days isn’t very hard. Finding just the right swimbait in the size and color your after is a different story. A friend suggested Reaction Strike swimbaits to me and let me tell you, they have just what I was looking for. Reaction Strike has plenty of colors and sizes to suit all the paddletail applications I have considered. This is still a new area of soft plastic exploration for me but, if you look in my bag, you will find a decent selection of these baits for when the need arises.

Picture Description: The Fathead, Jr. shown in 3″, 3.5″, 4″…. also available in 5″, 6″ and 8″ lengths

I hope you enjoyed my list of proven soft plastic baits. Feel free to comment or add a few of your new favorite soft plastic baits used this past year. You can add a comment below or visit the forum to dicuss it more here: Top Soft Plastic Tackle 2008

Online Bass Tournament Progress

ThePrincipal — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:27:33 +0000

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

Bass, Senkos & The Fishing Games Anglers Play!

ThePrincipal — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:15:01 +0000

If you’re anything like me, you wake up every morning thinking about fishing for bass, and the fishing games to play with a senko for both the largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Bass fishing has become a major part of my life, fishing tackle, fishing lures and anything that will be a productive part of bass fishing is always on my mind.

One of my favorite fishing lures is the senko or, I should say senko type bait. The baits I buy are not Gary Yamamoto and you won’t find them at Bass Pro Shop either. I fish a selection of Case Plastics Magic Sticks and more recently have been introduced to another company called Alluring Baits while on a guide trip for smallmouth bass. Alluring Baits has a version of the senko called the Salty Trick Stick which also works great, is more durable and much friendlier to your wallet than a package of Yamamoto Senkos.

Surfing the internet for information about bass fishing, bass lures and senkos to be more specific, you will see all kinds of debates about senkos, brands, which is better, fall rate and so on. It’s all a fishing game imo, every angler has their opinion and many of them love to express it. I’m willing to bet that the highest percentage of bass fisherman will say a Yamamoto senko is best, why, because everyone and their brother tells them that and some high paid professional gets paid to say it too. As an everyday angler, I beg to differ, I used Yamamoto at one time and yes they caught fish but, they don’t even begin to hold up, good for one fish if you’re lucky. I got tired of changing my senko after a fish hit my senko, by the time the day was done; I could have easily used 3 or 4 bags of Yamamoto senkos at what, $6.00 per bag. That’s $18.00 – $24.00 bucks for changing baits all day when I could have used half the amount of baits from a competitors brand like Case Plastics or Alluring Baits, caught just as many fish, and they are a whole lot cheaper to begin with. What would you rather have; 40 4″ Yamamoto senkos for $24.00 or 150 4″ Salty Trick Sticks for $24.00? This is a no-brainer folks, we are talking about a huge savings and your fishing can be just as productive, despite what your pro-bass buddy tells you. Fact is, if any of those above anglers spent as much time throwing a competitive brand, they could have confidence in other brands also. Don’t get hung up of what everyone thinks, try things for your self and see. Fishing will be allot more fun when it costs you half as much on tackle for the day on the water. If you really want to add to the savings, use the Parasite Clip while T/rigging a senko and never stop to fix that bait again. That package of Parasite Clips will actually make you money when each bag of senko baits lasts 3 times as long.

When selecting fishing a senko, there are a few things to consider, color, size, and fall rate, this is another part of the fishing games anglers play. Yes, they each matter but, if you concentrate on color first, the rest can easily be handled without having to use a Yamamoto senko. For instance: The hook brand, the hook size, even the wire size and riging methods like wacky rigging can all contribute or be substituted to change the fall rate and action of a senko. For those that have a swimming pool, you have the perfect place to play around and see just exactly what happens with different hooks and rigging methods. Once you know what that bait is going to do in the water, you can better adapt to the conditions and make adjustments while on the water. Fishing a senko can be loads of fun and doesn’t have to cost allot.

Easy Reference Links:

First Keeper LM Bass 2008

ThePrincipal — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:02:01 +0000

The start of 2008 has been a tough one for me. Me and Mrs.M have been out quite a few times in short stints with little or no action at all. Last week was hopefully the begining of my fish catching season.

We headed out on Hidden Lake for awhile.
Wind was blowing hard and temps for the day ran between 35-40 degrees in the morning. I threw jigs, tubes, sus jerkbaits and finally managed to pick up my first keeper LM of 2008 on a crankbait with a stop-n-go retrieve, thrown on a JB Custom “Huntin’ Stick” rod. First LM to be boated with this new JB Custom rod and man it was sweet to finally get that out of the way.

This was actually me second LM of the season so far. A day or two earlier, I managed a dink.Mrs.M threw all kinds of things also and managed this pickeral on her megabass crank.

Cold Water Fishing – In Search Of Smallmouth Bass

ThePrincipal — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:01:56 +0000

This past weekend had brought some warmer temps to the northeast region of the country and it was time for some probing of our local creek. My wife and I headed out Sat. afternoon to take advantage of the temps, our target: Smallmouth Bass, the place: Broadhead Creek. I will admit, the Broadhead Creek is known as a trout fishery but, there are some areas that natually hold real nice smallmouth. Being somewhat close to the river, I figured we may have a chance.

Equiped with our usual selection of soft-plastics, we started along the creek looking for what may be some good smallie water. We weren’t far from the river, they have to be here somewhere I thought. The water was high and fast with a decent stain from the recent rain that fell in our area but, we are here and we need to at least try.

I began with a tube fighting the current looking for any pocket that may hold a smallie or two. Needless to say, either I was not finding the right pockets, or the fish just were not hungry for my offering. I tried a few different plastics and even threw some hair jigs for awhile, just no luck on the end of my rod that day.

Meanwhile, in the same deeper section I started in, my wife is throwing her usual Case Magic Stik on a lead head. I can’t explain it but, she has the knack for finding fish. She didn’t catch a smallmouth but instead, manages to land a Brown Trout about 19″, on a Magic Stik no less. This is her first ever Trout and she lips it!

I have a confession to make: I am not what you call a trout angler, I do go once in awhile for some fun with a spinner, and have never tried to lip one, I just grab the fiesty trout. Aparently, trout have teeth and I find this out as she is yelling at me, “THIS HAS TEETH, HURRY UP WITH THAT PICTURE” and I struggle to get just one more picture of such a fine fish before her thumb is too torn up.

It wasn’t a day full of smallmouth action but, it sure was nice to see her catch and lip her first ever trout, and a nice brown on a bass bait, has to be a first for me to witness and another great memory.

If your getting a bad case of cabin fever, take some time and explore some moving water, you may find something you haven’t found or caught before.

The Angler Report » fishing

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