Monday, March 21, 2016

FLW Tour 2016 Lake Hartwell Top-10 Baits

John Cox Wins FLW Hartwell

John Cox Lake Hartwell FLW Tour John "What's a Depth Finder" Cox of Florida won the second event of the 2016 FLW Tour held on Lake Hartwell over the weekend. Cox, who famously fished the 2015 season without electronic graphs on his boat, utilized another backwater - as he did when he won on the Red River - to capture the win with a final day weight of 16lbs 2oz that pushed his total weight to 67lbs 6oz and edge 2nd place angler Clark Wendlandt by just 7oz. Running his aluminum boat as he has for much of his time on the FLW Tour, Cox was able to access the pond by floating over a very shallow sandbar that blocks the pond from the main river.

Cox's Arsenal:

For the first three days, Cox utilized wacky-rigged, green pumpkin and watermelon colored worms including 5" Yamamoto Senkos and Zoom Trick Worms that he skipped under docks where fish were most likely spawning. He employed a 2 power spinning rod with 10lb braid tied to a 10lb fluorocarbon leader. On the final day, Cox transitioned to a black/blue Z-Man Chatterbait and a Strike King Rage Menace to catch all of the fish inside his little backwater area.

FLW Hartwell Top-10 Baits

FLW Hartwell 2016 Top 10 Baits You're going to see a lot of that. That, pictured above, being a wacky rigged Senko or, more generally speaking, a stickbait. Most of the top-10 used some form of a wacky rigged soft plastic stickbait to haul in their catch this week. In fact the top 7 anglers all used it as some piece of their gameplan, but obviously the baits they chose to employ varied. Let's take a look at some of the anglers' choices:

2nd Place - Clark Wendlandt

Clark Wendlandt 2nd Place Lake Hartwell Clark Wendlandt elected to fish a few soft plastic baits during the event including a Strike King Flipping Tube for bedding bass. When he wasn't directly looking at the fish, he opted for a wacky rigged Strike King Ocho or Strike King Shim-E-Stick.

3rd Place - Jamie Horton

Jamie Horton 3rd Place Lake Hartwell FLW Tour Former BASS Elite Series angler Jamie Horton utilized the relatively new Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket rigged with the same wacky style used by a majority of the anglers.

4th Place - Jeff Gustafson

Jeff Gustafson FLW Tour Lake Hartwell Canadian Jeff Gustafson primarily fished a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko, but also mixed in a Jackall Dowzvido 90SP jerkbait in a matte pearl white color.

10th Place - Powell Kemp

Powell Kemp FLW Lake Hartwell 2016 One of the few pros in the top-10 not throwing a wacky-rig, Powell Kemp of North Carolina, fished a Zoom Lizard, Zoom UV Speed Craw and ball head jig with a Netbait Paca Chunk trailer in a matching color. Check out the full rundown of baits on FLWFishing.com

Thursday, March 10, 2016

New Shimano Curado 70 Reels In Stock

New Shimano Curado 70 Reels

When the situation calls for pitching, flipping, or casting light lures, anglers are now offered the a compact size in the new Shimano Curado 70 reels, available in both right- and left-hand retrieve and two gear ratios. The line-up includes the Curado 70HG and left-hand 71HG with 7.2:1 gear ratios, and the even faster retrieve Curado 70XG and 71XG, each with 8.2:1 gear ratios. All four reels feature a compact, lightweight durable Hagane body design, weighing it at 6.5-ounces for all-day, in-hand fishing comfort.

New Shimano Curado 70 Reels

The Curado 70 reels are equipped with Shimano’s innovative SVS Infinity braking system to provide easy-to-manage, consistent spool control and brake force. SVS Infinity controls spool speed especially when using lighter lures, plus the external adjustment knob allows quick, precise adjustments when conditions change or switching baits.

Through Shimano’s Stabile Spool Design (S3D) that includes a thin wall aluminum spool to provide better balance, anglers will notice less spool vibration. Add in five S-ARB anti-rust ball bearings, and a one-way roller bearing for absolutely no handle backplay, plus Shimano’s X-Ship for even more smoothness and durability, and anglers can expect enhanced casting performance for longer casts – a welcome benefit when using lighter lures.

With the choice of two gear ratios, anglers can reel in 28-inches of line with 7.2:1 HG models, and 32-inches with the higher speed 8.2:1 XG reels. And speaking of line, the Curado 70 reels will handle from 105 yards of 10-pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line and up to 70 yards of 14-pound test. When used with standard PowerPro braid, the reels will hold 115 yards of 20-pound and up to 80 yards of 40-pound test.

A long standard among both bass and inshore anglers, Shimano’s Curado reels “are just so extremely versatile for all kinds of bass catching techniques,” said noted angler Mark Zona. “Having had the opportunity to field-test the new Curado 70 reels, they are ideal for quick, accurate casts, or when you need to downsize your lure and still want to work lots of water.”

You can find the New Shimano Curado 70 Reels at Monster Fishing Tackle before any other retailer.

Monday, March 7, 2016

2016 Bassmaster Classic Recap

All about the Classic

Edwin Evers Wins 2016 Bassmaster Classic
Talk about a comeback! Edwin Evers saved the best for last and absolutely crushed the field bringing in a final day limit of 29lbs 3oz en route to capturing the 2016 Bassmaster Classic crown. The event, held in Oklahoman Evers' backyard, was predicted to be an absolute slugfest, but turned out to be a tale of tough fishing conditions and low weights for all of the anglers, even Evers who nearly blew his shot at the classic when he only managed four fish on day one of the tournament.

At a glance, Evers' 10lb margin of victory makes his win look easy, but that was absolutely not the case. Heading in to the final day, and even halfway through the morning, it appeared as if another local, Jason Christie, would lay claim to the win, however, a flurry by Evers and some unsolicited information changed things rather quickly. After two days of fishing, Christie held a lead of 5lbs 11oz over his nearest pursuer and greater 6lbs over eventual winner Evers. All week Christie had made it clear he was not one of the many anglers who desired windy conditions, plainly stating it to anyone that would listen and on the final day, that's exactly what he got. Sustained winds and a large gallery of spectators almost certainly gave him trouble, but it might have been another incident that will go down in history as a deciding factor when fans look back on this classic.

After Evers had already boxed a significant portion of his monstrous bag, Christie came upon some shoreline spectators who told him he was down. When Christie commented he was probably 4lbs back, the spectator said, "no, Evers has 25lbs." Watching this unfold on Bassmaster Live, you could clearly see that Christie was rattled. As he spun his boat he inadvertently bumped boats with another spectator before starting to question what he had just heard. Prior to this information being given, Christie had clearly stated he had absolutely no desire to know what anyone else had as it might change his fishing style, the style which he had ridden all week to a sizable lead. Once those thoughts crept into his head, he felt the need to confirm this information, but he couldn't get his phone to see the Basstrakk weights. [Just to be clear, this is entirely legal on the final day of BASS Elite Series events - it's a new allowance, but it is completely acceptable.] From that point on, he fished far more rapidly than he had all week long. He jumped spots quickly, fished faster and kept a dialogue going about the incident for a short while after.

Back to Evers

2016 Bassmaster Classic Edwin Evers
  • Day 1: 13lbs 12oz (4 fish)
  • Day 2: 17lbs 8oz
  • Day 3: 29lbs 3oz
  • Total: 60lbs 7oz
Evers had to battle to even stay in the event after a first day that saw nothing go as planned. He scrambled and managed to only catch four bass. According to Evers, it was fortunate he even managed those four as he said it was an absolutely brutal day of fishing. Day two he went into full on survival mode using a flipping stick and a spinnerbait to catch a really good bag of fish weighing 17 1/2lbs. Evers acknowledged this wasn't part of his plan going into the event and fished in this manner simply to stay in the event, he really didn't know if he could remain close enough to Christie to have a legitimate chance at winning, but that was the only way he could find to catch fish. On the final day, with the winds blowing hard, he went way up the Elk River to an area he caught a few big fish in practice. It didn't take him long to change the game completely, boating several fish over 4lbs by 10am and putting lots of distance between him and Day 2 leader Christie.
Megabass Flap Slap Edwin Evers
On the first day of the event, Evers used a Megabass Flap Slap to catch all of his fish. On the second day, evers changed up and flipped a Zoom Z-hog and tossed a white spinnerbait. The final day he turned to a 5/16oz homemade flat rubber jig which he pitched to wood far up the Elk River to fish that were using the laydowns and staging areas for the upcoming spawn.

2nd Place - Jason Christie

  • Day 1: 20bs 14oz
  • Day 2: 16lbs 11oz
  • Day 3: 12lbs 9oz (4 fish)
  • Total: 50lbs 2oz
While it ended up being a home-state angler who won the classic by a huge margin, it wasn't the angler most people thought would do it. After two days of fishing and a 5 1/2lb lead over 2nd, it appeared Grand Lake stick Jason Christie was going to blow this tournament out. Eight hours of fishing and an improbable bag were all that separated Christie from winning the sport's biggest title. Christie caught them really well on the first two days despite having a floatilla of spectators that often hindered his ability to fish his desired locations.
Jason Chrsitie Bassmaster Classic 2016
Each of the first two days of the tournament, Christie managed 8 bites fishing the shoreline with a 1oz Booyah Spinnerbait paired with a shad style swimbait trailer that resembled a Keitech 3.8" Swing Impact Fat. He fished the spinnerbait right up against the shore and worked it as slowly as he could given the weight of the lure. Despite most of the anglers fishing a spinnerbait during the event, Christie's choice was made somewhat unique given the size of the bait. He used a 1oz while most competitors fished a 3/8 - 1/2oz model. He believed the added size caused the inactive bass to make a decision, either eat the thing or get out of its way.

3rd Place - Aaron Martens

  • Day 1: 13bs 8oz
  • Day 2: 16lbs 13oz
  • Day 3: 16lbs 0oz (4 fish)
  • Total: 46lbs 5oz
Given his inconsistent practice, Aaron Martens wasn't quite sure what to expect come tournament day, but he did have a lot of confidence he could figure it out and make a run at the classic title. His practice consisted of a day without a single bite, another day with 2 bites and finally a day with over 40 bites. The 40 bite day came on the last day of practice and provided him with the strategy he would use for the entire tournament - he was going to shallow crank, and by shallow we mean inches to only 3 feet of water where the fish had pushed up and were feeding.
Aaron MArtens Bassmaster classic Baits
Like Evers, Martens had a tough opening day of the Classic managing just 13 1/2lbs. The frustration of the low weight was compounded by the fact he managed nearly 20 bites during day and hooked only 7 fish. Once the day was over, he immediately started changing out all of his Gamakatsu G-Finesse Treble Hooks for a larger size on all of the front hooks of his crankbaits. His next two days were much better in terms of hook-up ratio and his weighs reflected that improvement bagging nearly 3lbs more on each of the last two days of the tournament.
Luhr Jensen Speed Trap Aaron Martens
During the event, Martens used a Luhr Jensen Speed Trap in the Texas Shad Crystal, Bone Orange Belly and Brown Mud Crawfish for all of his cranking. He used his namesake Enigma Aaron's Edge Rods and Shimano Metanium Reels with 12lb Sunline Shooter Fluorocarbon.

4th Place - Bill Lowen

  • Day 1: 16bs 9oz
  • Day 2: 13lbs 15oz
  • Day 3: 15lbs 3oz
  • Total: 45lbs 11oz
Bill Lowen found ways to stick around the top-5 throughout the event with consistent bags of fish that never really catapulted him up the leaderboard or set him far behind either. Lowen fished very shallow all tournament using jigs and soft plastic tubes which he more or less crawled over the tops of rocks in water from 0 - 4ft of depth where bass were hanging out, but not aggressively feeding.
Bill Lowen 2016 Bassmaster Classic
During the tournament, Lowen used a whole hodgepodge of lures including a Tightlines UV Bill Lowen Tube, a 3/8oz black/blue flipping jig with a Tightlines UV Bubba Craw trailer, a selection of spinnerbaits and on the final day he even threw a buzzbait a bit.

5th Place - Randy Howell

  • Day 1: 17bs 6oz
  • Day 2: 11lbs 13oz
  • Day 3: 16lbs 7oz
  • Total: 45lbs 10oz
Randy Howell Bassmaster Classic 2016
Randy Howell nearly stumbled into the fish that would have propelled him to his second Bassmaster Classic victory. All week long Howell fished the Elk River and on day 2, despite his low weight, he actually started to figure out that the bass in the Elk were position around the isolated pieces of wood in the middle of the river; the structure Evers would fish day three to catch his monster bag. Howell was a serious player in the classic and had it not been for a poor day 2 and Evers show stopping day 3, he would almost certainly have played a bigger part in the storyline.
During the tournament, Howell primarily used a Livingston Lures Howeller Dream Master Classic Crankbait, a white spinnerbait and occasionally a Livingston Lures Jerkmaster 121 jerkbait.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

New Rapala Shadow Rap Shad

When the Bassmaster Classic was last held on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Mike Iaconelli led after Day 1 and Brandon Palaniuk finished runner-up. Returning to that waterbody with a new Rapala bait has both anglers envisioning a slightly different outcome. Enter the new Rapala Shadow Rap Shad, a slow rising shad profile jerkbait.

 “Last time we were there, a jerkbait played a huge role in my second-place finish,” says Palaniuk, a six-time Classic qualifier. “So going back with the Shadow Rap Shad in my arsenal – a bait I didn’t have before, and something the fish have never seen – could be a huge key factor in trying to win this thing.” Iaconelli is optimistic also about his Classic chances with a Shadow Rap Shad. “I haven’t been this excited about a brand-new bait for a long time,” says Ike, the 2003 Classic Champion and 17-time qualifier. “Hands down, it’s going to be a player this year.” Shadow Rap Shad Jerkbait Iaconelli, Palaniuk and fellow Rapala pro Ott DeFoe all appreciate the Shadow Rap Shad advantage they’ll enjoy in the Classic, which will be contested March 4-6.

 “Knowing that I’m one of the very few guys who’s got it this year is going to let me fish with confidence,” says DeFoe, a five-time Classic qualifier and the 2011 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year. “Fishing something different will help me catch more and bigger bass. With the action it’s got, man I just totally expect this thing to be a big hit there at Grand Lake this year.”

 Similar to the original Shadow Rap, released at last year’s Classic, the Shadow Rap Shad is taller in profile than its predecessor, but not as long. And, rather than slowly sinking on the pause — as an original Shadow Rap does — a Shadow Rap Shad slowly rises when stopped, slightly wobbling and perfectly mimicking an injured shad.

 “That’s something no other bait out there does,” Iaconelli says. “It mimics the forage so perfectly that it is going to put tons of fish in the boat for you.”

 A game-changing, all-season jerkbait, the Shadow Rap Shad triggers fish in three ways — on the kick, on the wobbling slow rise, and with a snap back to life. Featuring a shad-style body with textured scales, it comes in models that target two different depth ranges — 3-to-4 feet and 5-to-6 feet. The latter is called the Shadow Rap Shad Deep. Both measure 3-1/2 inches, weigh 3/8 of an ounce, and come armed with two sticky-sharp No. 6 VMC black-nickel, thin-wire, round-bend hooks.
“It’s a little bit wider than the original Shadow Rap, a little bit shorter, a little bit fatter and has a two-hook design rather than a three-hook design,” Palaniuk explains. Shadow Rap Shad Deep Both models of the new Shadow Rap Shad are available in all 14 original Shadow Rap color patterns, as well as 10 new patterns:

Crush – Dark brown back, light brown “frosted” sides
Elite Blue – Dark blue-gray back, light gray-white “frosted” sides, light orange belly
Haymaker – Olive green back, light olive-white “frosted” sides, light orange gill plates
Olive Drab – Dark olive back and head, light green-white “frosted” sides, light yellow gill plates
Purple Haze – Dark purple back and head, light purple-white “frosted” sides, pink gill plates
Gone – Dark purple back, light yellow sides, darker yellow/orange head
Halloween – Black back, pewter sides, full orange belly
Imposter – Light orange back and head, light yellow sides, white belly
Molten Copper – Black back, dark copper sides and head, light copper belly
Tropic Ice – Black back, metallic blue sides, metallic green head, light yellow gill plates

The Rapala Shadow Rap Shad, and Shadow Rap Deep are now available at Monster Fishing Tackle.