Deer Grazing

I haven't seen a lot of deer grazing over the winter in my backyard. Not sure if it's due to the mild winter we have had, or wether its due to the shrinking greenlands in our area. It seems all available greenspaces in the Durham region are being snapped up by developers for either residential or commercial purposes.

So, it was a nice treat to wake up this morning and see six deer grazing. A great way to start the morning off, but it also reminds me of crucial our greenspaces are and that we should make every effort to conserve all of mother natures resources.

SAIL & SLAMMERS A Winning Combo

I finally made it to SAIL in Oshawa yesterday to spend my $100 gift card that I have been saving since before Christmas. It was the ideal day to go shopping as the VIP event was on, and that meant no sales tax. Normally it would be difficult for some to decide what to spend it on, but for me it was a very easy desicion. I spent my gift card on $100 worth of SLAMMERS and SWAMMERS. I am now partially stocked up for the upcoming open water season.

I love the selection of XZone products that SAIL carries, far more then any other store. The only thing disappointing about them is that they are more expensive then at another store I usually purchase them at but when you are buying on a gift card, you really can't complain.

Florida Fishing Blues

I recently went to Florida with my family for a week and believe it or not, I did not fish. I myself find that hard to believe being right on the water but one week just isn't enough time to get everything in. I enjoyed doing things with my wife and daughter so it was a very enjoyable trip despite not getting any fishing in.

I did visit some local tackle shops and was fortunate enough to pick up some Alabama Rigs. I got a Yumbrella Rig made by YUM in the Foxy Lady colour and an original Mann's Alabama Rig in Pearl Black colour. Can't wait to rig them up this summer with my favourite SWAMMERS.

The Alabama Rig

The latest and hottest bait to hit the market since the SLAMMER is the Alabama Rig, or is it. The Umbrella Rig which is virtually the same thing as the Alabama Rig has been around since the early 1960's.

The entire rig without hooks weighs less than 3/8 of an ounce. There are no leaders used on the rig. When rigged correctly, the lures will not tangle and it is very easy to cast. You can catch multiple fish at once to quickly get your limit. It can be fished from top to bottom or used to find suspended fish. You can fish it fast or slow and you can use a wide range of lures with this rig to cover a lot of water to find schools of fish.



Recently FLW Pro Paul Elias won $100,500 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Guntersville presented by Mercury with a four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 102 lbs 8 ozs. He used the Alabama Rig which has since been banned by BASS for the Bassmaster Classic and its Elite Series, however it is still legal in other BASS events. For now the FLW has stated that castable umbrella rigs will be permitted in their 2012 tournaments.

While I would like to try one of these rigs out on my home waters, the MNR regulations state that only 4 hooks can be used on a fishing line therefore this rig would have to be modified in order for it to be legal.

I recently saw a video of Pro David Chong using one of these rigs in a tank and watching the fish react to this bait was quite amazing. I also saw a video of another pro catching 3 bass at the same time on this rig and all were in the 4+ lb range, quite amazing. I myself have had 2 fish on at the same time using a donkey rig, but been broken off by one fish.

The controversy will continue as some people argue that this bait is illegal since it is really 4 or 5 lures at once where others say it is perfetly legal.

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.

Product Review: Dropshot Hooks

The Drop Shot is a specialized technique that requires all the right components to make the rig work correctly. You need the right rod, line, weight, and hook. If even one of these requirements is off, you will not have the best fish catching potential.

This past season while bass fishing, I spent a lot of time experimenting with different drop shot hooks and have come to the conclusion that I definitely like one more then others. I tested the following hooks in sizes 1 and 2/0: VMC Octopus, VMC Sureset Drop Shot, Owner Wacky, Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap, Gamakatsu Split Shot/Drop Shot, Gamakatsu Octopus.

The VMC Octopus is similar to a "circle hook" and it features a short shank that is somewhat rounded and the shank extends into it's bend, though to a much lesser degree than a circle hook. Very lightweight, strong and sharp. Seemed to lose more fish when using the VMC hooks.

I found the Owner Wacky Hooks to become dull very quickly and they required hook sharpening quite often. Numerous fish were lost on these hooks due to dull hooks not holding in the mouth or jaw.

The Gamakatsu Hooks were all extremely sharp and seemed to hold all fish hooked. Can't recall losing a bass when rigged with Gammy hooks.

The Gamakatsu hooks all feature ultra sharp points that were able to stick to everything they touched. The bend behind the point holds nose hooked plastics in the perfect position ninety degrees from the line. Plastics used in this test were XZone Slammers and Fat Slammers. The point was able to penetrate the hard upper lip of bass caught and the sharp barb did not let the fish throw the hook when they were being reeled in.



The Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap Hook was designed for situations where you need a big hook but a long shank worm hook would be too much. This hook has plenty of bite for hooking big bass but the short shank design is not to obvious and does not take away from your presentation which is key when finesse fishing a drop shot rig. These small hooks definitely pack a big punch and give you the legendary Gamakatsu sharpness in a short shank package. The eye of the hook is turned slightly upward to align the needle point with the direction of the hook set. The design of this hook makes it perfect for drop shot fishing with thicker baits that require additional gap, but don’t need the added weight of a larger worm hook. The Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap Hook was the winner hands down as it had a 100% hookup to landing ratio. I highly recommend these hooks for dropshotting.

Role Model AND Mentoring

Recently I was told by a friend that their son had to do an essay for school and in this essay they mentioned me. After reading his essay, I must say that it made quite happy and emotional to learn how I have affected them in a positive manner. I would like to share his thoughts with you. Here is the portion that mentions me.

"In my life, someone who best exemplifies a good friend and role model is my friend Dirk, actually Dirk is a family friend who has always treated me more like a peer than a child. We share a love of cottaging and fishing. He is a trustworthy adult. Over the years he has never let me down and I have always felt that I can ask questions that only adults can answer and he will never judge me and answer me honestly. I know he has my best interests at heart. He invites me and my family to his home and his cottage he takes me for fishing trips and we relate to each other really well. We both have the same sense of humour and we have the same personality, which is why we probably get along so well. I know I am lucky that his family and mine are good friends.

Dirk is also respectful. Considering that he is actually my parent’s friend, he never makes me feel like I am bothering him. He takes the time to explain things to me and doesn’t speak down to me when it takes more than a few times to make me understand things. He’s not condescending, and is an adult that treats me like my age. Also he is caring. Just like in the movie, I know we have differences but our common interests in the outdoors , our sense of humour and our families have created a bond for me with someone I know has my back. Next to my dad (who is my very best friend) I know I can count on Dirk for anything."

I never realized what an impact I have made on this youngsters life and I must say I am very prod of myself and the author of this amazing essay. Cheers.

Dirk

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.

Releasing 3 Bass - 10+ lbs

After a great day on the water there is not better feeling then releasing large fish back into the lake in hopes they will be caught another day. Please practice Catch & Release.

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.