2011 Rice Lake Bass Season Recap

The 2011 fishing season has come and gone, and already, I am looking ahead to the opening of bass season in 2012. I had my best year ever on the waters of Rice Lake. I caught more fish and they were also bigger in size. Once again my most successful bait this season was the XZone SLAMMER. This bait is hands down the best drop shoting plastic on the market. Not only is it an effective bait for bass, but I also caught perch, crappie and walleye with it. Once again I'd like to urge everyone to conserve our waterways and practice CPR, catch, photo, release. All these fish were released and maybe I will be fortunate enough to catch one of them during the 2012 season.

Post Labour Day

Fall is one of the best times of the year to go bass fishing for several reasons.

Firstly, the water temps are dropping which means more oxygen and more active fish which in turn will increase the digestive system making the bass feed more frequently.

Secondly, bass more often than not, school together so if you catch one there are usually others there as well.

Finally, at this time of year, bass will strike just about anything that you throw at them although there are certain patterns that work better than others. Bass will eat natural forage in any given body of water so color patterns and size of baits should mimic the natural forage. I hit the water at 4:30 pm on Saturday afternoon and wasn't sure what to expect as all my fishing has been early in the morning over the summer. I have never been out this late once this year. I fished until around 7pm and the action wasn't furious but had fun nonetheless.

I got to my first spot and came up empty. Moved to spot number two and quickly hooked into a PB largie but beside the boat the line snapped, man was it a tank. For the most part most fish were small, 2-3 lbs.

I managed a couple of walleye on the low end of the slot, then manged a decent one drop shoting a Fat Slammer.
All fish were caught a bit deeper then normal, 11-14 FOW. Heres hoping for a productive fall fishing season.

Labour Day 2011

I looked back at pics from last years Labour Day long weekend and the first thing I noticed was that the weather was very similar, overcast, rain and wind. The second thing I noticed was that I only have a pic of one small bass from that entire weekend. Either I didn't fish, or in a year I have become a better angler, whatever the case when I compare it to this weekend, it was much better then last years.

As the colder weather approaches and as we get deeper into fall, the action should start to heat up. Heres hoping for a furious fall fishing season on Rice Lake.

More Rice Lake Bassin'

Another summer weekend has come and gone and once again I made the most of my limited time on the water.

As fall approaches, I value every hour on the water. This weekend there were a few large bass to be had and numerous smaller sized ones. Oddly enough, the smaller bass came on Saturday in warm, sunny conditions and the larger ones were bagged on Sunday in difficult, overcast and blustery 30 km/hr winds.

My bait of choice should come as no shock to those of you that read my blog, yes it was a Slammer. The Slammer continues to produce both quantity and quality in all types of weather conditions and certainly does not disappoint.

With the Labour Day Weekend almost here, I am keeping my fingers crossed for both weather and big bass. Hope everyone stays safe on the water this coming long weekend.

X Factors

When you combine the hottest drop shot bait on the market with a favourable moon phase, you get great results. The two X Factors I am speaking of are the XZone Lures Slammer and a full moon. With the full moon occurring on Saturday night I thought today might present some better odds as the moon was going to be at 100% that evening. As all avid anglers know, the window surrounding the full moon can present a great time to be on the water fishing. Now add in the XZone Slammer and you have the recipe for lots of fish catching power. Saturday the weather was absolutely amazing. It was sunny, hot and humid. I hit the water at around 6 am and fished one spot for a little over 3 hours as the action was so intense. Caught close to 20 fish in one spot. Managed to bring many fish to the boat and lost a few other big ones as they spit the hook boat side.

The Slammer was once again bringing quantity and quality to the boat. The key was color though. Certain colours definitely produced better then others and I found myself switching back and forth several times. Fish were caught in less then 10 FOW. It was also critical to keep moving around. Worked the area hard with the trolling motor and the hard work payed off.

What made this weekend more rewarding was the fact a large tournament was taking place on Rice Lake and they say it is over fished and pressured. Just goes to show that a little local knowledge and patience can yield some quality fish.

Water Level Causes Slow Bite

With recent flooding in the area, the water level in Rice Lake went up quite drastically a couple of weeks back as the locks were opened and water poured in. Needless to say, this old dog got taught a few new tricks as the bite was extremely slow. The rising water levels moved the bass shallower into cover and onto structure. Spots that held bass in previous weeks were not producing. I now know to move shallower as the water level rises and deeper as the water level falls. Shallow water bass become less spooky and more aggressive as the water level rises and deep water bass become much more scattered and less aggressive as the water level rises. The opposite holds true as the water level drops. The only thing that remained the same was the fact that the only bait working were Slammers. As the bite slowed, I had to try other baits like Senkos, Cranks, Topwater and Tubes, yet none of these were producing fish. Understanding water levels is an important factor in helping an angler catch bass as conditions change.I am now going to put a marker at the waters edge that way I can quickly notice how the water level changed in relation to the marker. You learn something new every day.

Hot Weather Bass

With the current hot spell we are under, water temps are starting to get into the 80's and the smallmouth bass are moving to deeper structure. They can become difficult to catch at this point in the season but it may be worth the effort to fish for them and limits of large smallies can reward the persistent and patient angler.

Yesterday I hit the water for a couple of hours and a large number of smallies were found in deeper water. The water temperature at 6 am was already over the 80 degree mark. After 2 hours I easily reached my limit and was culling smaller sized fish. My bait of choice was an XZone Slammer. These baits continue to amaze me. I tried a new color for the first time yesterday and this color worked great. In addition to about 20 bass I managed 3 walleye and a handful of panfish.

Smashing The Bass With XZone Lures

I first got some of these baits at the end of 2009 and I fished them in the fall with limited success as dropshoting was a new technique to me. As I have fished these baits more and more over the last couple of years, I have become very comfortably with finesse fishing the drop shot rig. All I can say about XZone Lures is that they are simple amazing. I used to have favourite go to baits but they quickly become extinct. The Slammer has an incredible fish catching power that no other bait can even come close to. When I pick up a rod rigged with a Slammer, I have 100% confidence that with a bit of patience I will be able to put a good number of decent sized fish in the boat. Since the opener the above statement has proven to be 100% accurate. The action has been quite hot and the bite has not slowed down at all even with a few cold fronts going through. The bass seem to be up shallow and water temperatures are optimum for metabolism. As the water temperature rises into the 80's in the dog days of summer, the bass will move to deeper water and suspend and then I predict the drop shot Slammer rig will absolutely kill them. Looking forward to a prosperous 2011 season thanks to XZone Lures and the Slammer.

Bass Opener

The long awaited Bass Opener occured this past weekend and I was able to get out for a few hours early on Sunday morning. I wanted to make the most of my limited time on the water and all I can say is that the action was fast and furious. I managed to catch a dozen bass in just over 2 hours and lost a couple of absolute monsters. All fish came between 9-14 FOW just outside weedlines. All fish were caught on XZone Slammers.

SLAMMERS

When you are looking for a soft plastic that produces Smallies, not only in numbers but also in size, I recommend using Slammers made by Mark Kulik of Strikezone Tournament Baits. These baits are hand poured and salt impregnated. They come in a variety of colours and mimmick everthing from minnows to gobies and leeches.

One thing I can say with confidence is that SLAMMERS work like no other bait. With some patience, these baits put quality fish in your livewell . If you have never tried theses baits, I highly recommend them. They have produced Smallies like no other bait I have ever tried. Colour seems to be key. Here are a few caught summer of 2010.

New for 2011 this year, Mark has added to his product line and added Mini Slammers, Leeches, Shiver Shads and Swammers, a swimbait version of the Slammer. He now also has baits out in bubblegum colour which works great when using Senkos for Largies. Can't wait to try the bubblegum colour Slammers out on the Smallies as soft water season is approaching fast.

Strikezone Tours

I ended the 2010 fishing season on a high. A few days prior to the 2010 bass season closing, I got the chance of a lifetime to get out with Mark Kulik, owner of Strikezone Tournament Baits, to hunt some Lake Simcoe Smallies. Every once in a while in life, people ask you to desrcibe an event with one word, but I truly can't as there would be way to many to sum up this once in a lifetime experience, it really was priceless.

I was excited leading up to our outing as Mark told me he has never been skunked before and he said he didn't plan on starting on our outing. This excited me as there have been numerous times I have gone out on Rice and been skunked so knowing that we were going to catch fish made me more excited. He also said we would probably catch between 20 and 30 Smallies so I was like a kid waiting for Santa the night before Christmas.

I met Mark at the launch and right away we started chatting about what we were in for. We screamed across the lake at an incredible rate of speed and it was exciting, as I have never been in a bass boat before. It wasn't until later on that I realized it wasn't all fun and games as I was getting a dermabrasion in the face as it snowed a few times during our outing and the snowy ice pellets felt like getting needles in the face but boy was it worth it.

As for Mark, all I can say is that he is an incredible angler and a great person. He is down to earth and he obviously is someone that gives back to a sport that has made him grow. He was a great teacher and told me many things that I hope will improve my fishing ability next season and for many years to come. Learning little tricks, subtleties and general fishing practices from him was priceless.

Soon after we got to our first spot we put our lines in and it was only a few minutes after that, that I hooked into the first fish of the day. A solid way to start. As soon as the fight was on, I knew it was a good one and when I finally got it to the boat and Mark put the net on it, I was all smiles as I saw it.

The rest of the day was simply amazing. We hads spells were we caught 2 or 3 or 4 fish then it was quiet for a short time and then it picked up and we caught a few again and so on and so on. During the day I was dropshotting Slammers and also some of Marks new baits that are due to be out for next year. All I can say about these new baits is that they work. They put big fish and numbers in the boat, enough said.

I was also lucky enough to use Marks gear for the day. I am a Shimano guy and I know some of you are probably rolling your eyes, so to try out his St. Croix rods was a real treat. I was also lucky enough to use some of his brand new SIMAX rods that he is now sponsored by and they are really great. I found them to be very sensitive and extremely lightweight.

It was a great day and I lost track of how many fish we caught but I would say easily between 25 and 30. They averaged around 4.5 lbs and the biggest ones came in just over 6 lbs, a new PB for me. It truly was a day I will never forget. Most of them came between 15-40 FOW.

In conclusion I would once again like to thank Mark for an unforgetable day and I would also like to thank Tai and Kawartha Anglers for everything they have given me.

Advanced Taxidermy

I got the long awaited phone call on Monday afternoon to tell me that my fish mount was finally completed. Naturally I was very excited to see how it turned out and I couldn't wait to pick it up the following day.

Having been to Advanced Taxidermy only once before to drop my order off and having seen their booths a few times at various shows, I knew they did great work but I was still very excited and anxious to see how mine turned out.

All I can say is WOW! When I got my first look at it, it was better then expected. The picture does not do it justice. It truly is a work of art and a masterpiece and it brings back great memories of me catching it last summer on Rice Lake. If you are considering a mount, either replica or skin, then look nowhere else besides Advanced Taxidermy. Thanks to James and the crew for their dedication and fine craftsmanship.

www.advancedtaxidermy.com

Closing Time

Pike season is quickly coming to a close in Zone 20 on the 31st of March and I want to get in as much time on the

water as possible. I decided to head out today and try a different spot as my normal honey hole has not produced of late. This is probably due to the tremendous amounts of rain we have received in the last couple of weeks.

This new spot looked very promising as it has lots of rocks among some
shallow areas which look great for the upcoming spawn. There are also
some emerging weeds that are visible.

With the full moon coming up in a couple of days I thought today might
present some better odds as the moon was at 95% (Waxing Gibbous). As
all avid anglers know, the window surrounding the full moon can
present a great time to be on the water fishing.

I started throwing a Rapala HJ-12 in the Firetiger color and after
about an hour with absolutely nothing to show for, I decided to change
lures. At this point I cut my line and tied on a Suspending Rattling
Wobbler in a Yellow/Pearl Ayu color. This lure is made by Fish Master
Lures, http://www.fishmasterlures.net After tying it on and making my
very first cast, I started my retrieve using various jerks followed by
long pauses. I immediately hooked into a small pike that was brought
in rather quickly due to its small size. It was a 21" pike that
probably weighed around 2 lbs. Hard to imagine that I would hook into
a pike on my very first cast after making a lure change but it does
happen. There are a few things that I like better about the SRW over the Rapala HJ. Firstly, it has more weight to it so it

suspends deeper in the water column. Secondly, it makes more noise due to the multiple tungsten rattle weights inside the
chamber, thus attracting fish better. Finally, I just love the
Gamakatsu Blood-Red treble hooks. Overall this lure is awesome.

Although it was a pretty cold day on the water I still managed to
catch one pike in a little over an hour, and while 21" may be
considered small for a pike, I thought I would put it into perspective
for myself. This is the same size as the smallmouth bass I caught this
summer on Rice Lake. If these two fish were next to one another, they
would have had the identical length and one would have dwarfed the
other. It was now that I realized just how big that smallie was
because I had something I could actually compare it to.

Night Time Fun

One thing I really enjoyed a lot as a young kid was night fishing for bass off of a dock. As I was growing, I guess it was more important to get some shut eye instead of fishing. Now that I am taking up fishing in much more serious manner, it has once again, become one of my favorite things to do. The reason I enjoy night fishing so much is because it always turns out to be very exciting and productive. That was especially true this past summer.

When you fish during the day, bass can see all your moves and as a fisherman you need to be as natural as possible and be quiet and stealthy. This means we need to be invisible by using a trolling motor or an anchor instead of stirring up the water. Bass can see the action of your lures and the colours that you have chosen.

At night bass feel secure under the cover of darkness. Night fishing hides our mistakes and makes it easier to trick them with our devious ways. At night they don’t see but they are willing to accept baits even if they don’t look or feel natural. Their color vision goes down at night and you need to make the strongest presentation to them. The best color at night is black because it’s presents the darkest, most contrasting effect, and a silhouette so to speak. Another factor to watch out for at night is the current moon phase.

Even when the stars and moon are out there is still enough light to see what you are doing. After you have done it long enough, you will realize that when you reel your lure in and you raise your rod tip up and hold it up to the sky, you can see how far your bait is hanging off the end of your rod, and whether or not you are all tangled up. Believe me that has happened many times.

This past summer all the above factors worked out quite nicely for me on Rice Lake. The first case was at the beginning of August of 2009, less than 2 days after the full moon (96% Waning Gibbous).

The second case was in early October of 2009, less than 2 days before the full moon (97% Waxing Gibbous). Both of these smallmouth bass were caught using a Jitterbug surface lure. There is something about fishing in the dead calm of night and listening to the distinctive gurgling sounds the Jitterbug makes as it paddles across the surface, just waiting for a splash and explosion from an unsuspecting fish. My best luck has been around midnight at this time of year. By that time of night the water has settled down and is completely calm and the fish have started to feed. On both occasions I remember feeling a thump and you felt weight on the end of the line and you crank back and set the hook and enjoy the fight and memory of a lifetime.

Night fishing for bass will be something I continue to do for many years to come.