Northern Open Days 2 and 3

So much for immediate blogging updates. Things got a little side tracked in Sandusky on day two with a cancellation due to wind conditions, and in turn, so did this blog.



My travel partners Paul Schwinghammer and Justin Teske and I woke to the alarm clock on day two after what could only be described as a desperately needed night of sleep after the pounding we took on day 1. As we dressed and gathered our gear for day 2, knowing full well that the wind was supposed to be a bear, Paul got a call from his pro partner informing us that the day had been canceled. After confirming with a few other anglers, we put our gear away and climbed back into bed. I'd like to say that we were disappointed, but I don't know that any of us were ready for another day that was going to be even rougher than the first. During our phone calls we also learned that there was potential for a small craft advisory on Saturday as well. If that was the case, the entire field was going to be limited to the Sandusky Bay. With this change in plans, the final day was announced as a full field, much to my delight after weighing in no fish on day one.

We took day to to get things ready for day 3, but also found some time to fool around at the local putt-putt and go kart park. How do you beat two rounds of putt-putt and four rids on the fast track karts for $20? We hooked up with Jason Dudek and Jason Basset and acted like teenagers for a few hours. I was also thrilled to get to see an old friend from college over supper. It's always great to see a good friend after 12 years. Gotta love Facebook!

Day 3 dawned with mild winds, and no small craft advisory for the lake, so off we headed to give Lake Erie another try. Justin drew another partner who was going to focus on largemouth, much to his dismay. Paul drew a partner who was going to go for both large and smallmouth, which was fine with Paul, however, Paul was a little scared to head onto Lake Erie in his partner's 18 foot aluminum Tracker boat with a 90 horse motor! I met with my partner who had caught two fish on day 1, but was sure we were going to get on some fish on day three since he was going to be able to make the long hour and a half run to an area that he has always caught big fish.

I was surprised to learn that my partner knew Kotaro Kiryama pretty well, and that over supper the night before had discussed following Koto to his spot. Koto had made a three hour run to Canadian waters and brought in over 20 pounds on day one. He was looking for someone to make the run with him in case he had boat issues. He was willing to share his spot in return for the favor. What surprised me even more than that was that my partner turned down the offer. Now don't get me wrong, my partner Jim, was a great guy, but I had to question that decision. He told me not to worry, he had a great spot to go to.

We ran for over an hour through the residual rolls from the day before. In spots those rollers were easily over 6 and 8 feet! If you haven't experienced riding rolling water like that I have to tell you it is really incredible. A touch scarey at times, but really pretty amazing.

To make a long story short, I fished another entire day in a boat that caught exactly zero bass. I did manage four rock bass, which was less than thrilling. Paul eeked out one average smallie, and Justin brought in two nice smallmouth, with the biggest weighing just shy of 4 pounds.

If you haven't followed the actually tournament, Johnathan Van Dam (yes, that Van Dam...Kevin's nephew) bested the field by two pounds for his first Bassmaster win. I have a feeling that ten years from know I will be telling people I watched him hoist his first trophy in person.

Over all it was a really cool experience. Unfortunately the luck of the draw was not on my side, but I had a great time. I saw some of the biggest smallmouth I have ever seen, with the largest weighing 7 pounds 1 ounce! Rubbing elbows with some of the Elite series anglers was a pretty neat deal, and learning how to navigate water like Lake Erie was a definite addition to my tool kit. I'm already thinking about how I can fit another Open in my schedule for next year. I hear they are going to launch from the Detroit River...

Thanks to everyone for your well wishing!

Keep you lines wet!

Happy fishing

Bassmaster Northern Open Day 1

After my first day of fishing on Lake Erie I have a new appreciate for the terms "Big Water" and "Rough Water". Erie is a different beast all together. Today the winds probably topped out around 7-10 mph, but that didn't stop the rollers from getting four feet tall, and much to my surprise, it didn't really slow down the blast off all that much either.

We launched 18th into the teeth of the wind. Those first few minutes were a rush of thoughts like: "Why did I sign up for this?" "Is my pro partner mentally stable?" and "how much of this can my back, neck, and kidneys take before I black out?" My knuckles gripped the rail of that Bass Cat I rode in until they turned a color of white I did not know existed. I honestly have no idea how long of a ride we took to get to our first spot because the combination of pain and the fear of losing my life.

My pro partner told me yesterday that he had a couple of spots that he had caught some fish off of, but after that we were going to be shooting from the hip. Unfortunately, the first couple of spots didn't show any signs of fish at all, which sent us on a wild goose chase around the lake for eight hours. A chase that yielded exactly zero fish for our boat.

My travel partners did a bit better than myself. Justin Teske boated on fish that went 2 pounds 7 ounces, while Paul Schwinghammer brought in a five fish limit that went 11 pounds 6 ounces. Both Justin and Paul fished grass beds for largemouth, not at all what they thought they'd be doing on Lake Erie when we signed up for this tournament.

Tomorrow's forecast is looking to be a bit warmer than today with winds 5-10 mph. Hopefully we'll put a few more fish in the boat. Shoot...I'd take just one at this point!

Bassmater Open Pretournament Day

Well, here we are in the booming metropolis of Sandusky, Ohio prepping for the first day of the Bassmaster Northern Open event on Lake Erie. After a 13 hour drive from Delano, MN we spent the day re-spooling line, tying on baits, and going to the pre-tournament meeting.

The weather was pretty calm today and the lake looked almost glassy as the afternoon waned. Sounds like we're gong to be looking at the same type of weather for tomorrow.

After the meeting I was paired with Kyle Willings from Kentucky. He really seems like a nice guy, and more importantly, we seems to be on some fish. Paul Schwinghammer is paired with Billy Ray, and Justin Teske is paired with Paul Pagnato of Virginia. After meeting their pro partners Justin and Paul both learned that they will be targeting largemouth to start the day in an effort to limit before going back to the big water to go after the smallies. As I write this both of those two are frantically trying to re-tie the lines with frogs, spinnerbaits, and senkos. They both also seem to be a bit disappointed not to be gong after those big Lake Erie smallies out of the gate.

From the sounds of things, this area of Erie has not been kicking out many smallies this past week. The bites have bee few and fare between, but when they bite, they are big fish. A few people mentioned that the smallmouth population has been affected by the surge in the goby population. It seems the gobies like to make meals out of smallmouth eggs during the spring spawn. So while those famous gobies have fattened up the existing fish, they are taking a toll on the fishey's ability to maintain itself.

So it's off to bed for an early start. I take off 18th, Justin 20th, and Paul goes 31st. Hopefully all three of us will find a limit, which by all accounts leading into this event, should find us in good standing at the end of day one.

Sometimes Things Just Go Right

Sometimes Things Just Go Right

Every angler has had those days when they sit down in their boat, stare at the water, and think, "I've thrown everything in my box at 'em and they just won't go." Other times it doesn't matter what you throw, they're biting.



Then there are the tournament anglers who spend days upon days prefishing for events, chasing fish around the lake, jumping from spot to spot, desperately trying to find a pattern to the fish's collective madness. Carefully dissecting a lake in a effort to pin point the magic combination of bait and spots. Ask any tournament angler and they'll tell you about two or three times that it's worked out for them for every twenty it hasn't.

My year has been spent trying to figure out water, mainly Lake Minnetonka, for the many tournaments that are held on that lake. Frustration steadily built over the summer as a great spring and a fast start, turned in to a dismal summer and a slow bite. As I posted previously, I found myself getting down on myself, and more importantly, I was starting to lose the fun factor. Don't get me wrong, I still loved getting out each and every time, but I seemed to press too hard on tournament days, and I saw my attitude on the water steadily take a turn for the worse.

About a month ago I pulled up to Minnetonka on a non-tournament morning, stared at the water and decided that it was the last time I was fishing that lake for the rest of the year unless I was competing. I turned my focus instead to fishing bodies of water that had potential for big bass in search of a seven pounder. In my life I have come close to that hollowed seven pound barrier, landing two fish that weighed 6.9 pounds and one that went 6.7, but I had never seen the scale tip seven. I made catching a seven pound fish my goal for the rest of this year.



When Angler Insider starting posting the details about their annual "Piggy Classic" tournament, which my partner Nate Reed and I had won the previous year, I signed up with Nate to defend our title. A title I was not so sure we would have success defending since I had not even seen the Lake we were fishing, let alone fished it all season long. Based on past experiences, I knew the potential of the lake, and with that in mind we hit the water blindly on tournament morning.

Our day started slowly with only one fish in the livewell after almost two hours, and that fish was caught by Nate. I found a nice five pound class fish along a reed line, and then something happened. We made a move to an area of the lake that neither of us had fished much, but had fished enough to know what sort of structure was available. We weaved our way through stumps and started working the structure. Nate was throwing a spinnerbait, and I kept plugging away with my jig, working each piece of wood I found with multiple pitches.

After working our way about halfway through the bay I saw a particularly nice looking piece of wood sticking out of the water. After pitching to it eight or ten times, I checked my line for nicks and stubbornly pitched one last time to that piece of wood. Tick! I felt that familiar feeling that any jig fisherman anxiously waits for on each cast. I reared back and set on the fish and shouted "Get the net, this feels like a good one!" Through the green stained water and floating algae I got a glimpse of what turned out to be the largest bass I have ever caught, seven pounds!

Using that fish as an example, we patterned the rest of our day. We ran from wood to wood, pitching repeatedly until we were convinced that no fish was near it. Not only did we catch fish, but they were the right bites! It seemed like each time Nate netted another jig fish we just looked at each other and laughed.



At the end of the day we had bagged an eight fish limit of 37.15 pounds. Good for first place, and a successful defense of our title, besting second place by exactly 15 pounds! What a day on the water, and what a fun way to head down the stretch into fall.

Until next time...

Happy Fishing!

Sticking With It When Things Get Tough

Sticking With It When Things Get Tough

Well, it's been some time since my last post. The reasons are many. I've been incredibly busy with work and running my insurance business. My daughter is now 18 months old, so I've been caught up with all of the amazing things that come with that age, which has been an absolutely incredible experience. Lastly, it's been a real tough year, and one that will be looked back on as a very trying and grueling test.

Things started pretty well this year with some great showings on the Denny's Super 30 circuit. I learned a tremendous amount about fishing Lake Minnetonka in the spring, and met some really great fishermen in the process. For the most part I had fish going, and while I found myself placing consistently just out of the money, I was putting up a good effort and felt good about how things were going.

Then came July...

I don't know if it's the weather that we've had this year, the lack of time I've had on the water, or both, but starting in July I really started to struggle both on the water, and with my confidence going into events. I'd find great fish in the days leading up to tournaments, only to find that they had moved once the gun sounded. Prefishing days were spent finding 4 pound fish on most spots I tried, then they would inexplicably vanish. I found myself more frustrated than I have ever been with a rod in hand and I started to question whether this frustration was worth it.

Having had some time away from things and some time to reflect on the season, I have come to the simple conclusion that: "it could be worse". Is it worth getting so frustrated in the boat? Aren't I just fishing? Sure there's some money at stake, and sure there's some pride involved with how I stack up against my competition, but at the end of the day should I get mad, or just tip my cap to everyone else and say "good game, I'll get you next time"?

I think the answer is obvious.

I guess my point in all of this is that what I have learned so far this year, and hope to instill on everyone who may read this post is this: Fishing is fun, so let it be fun.

So get out there and practice. Learn your craft. Strive to be the best that you can with the skills that you have. Don't get bent out of shape if you get beat, or if someone "whacked 'em" on a day that you struggled. Pick yourself up by the boot straps and go back out determined to figure the fish out. Learn what you can from anglers who are willing to teach, and always be ready to learn what might be smacking you in the face.

Special thanks to everyone who has reminded me to get back on here and start writing again. I means a lot to know that people not only have read this blog, but that some people actually enjoy it!

Until next time...

Happy Fishing!

Pelican Lake in Orr, MN is on Fire!!

I'll just start by saying this: If you have a chance to get up to Pelican in Orr, get in the car and start heading up there as soon as humanly possible! For those who don't know anything about this lake, it is a trophy bass fishing haven. The lake has a slot that requires all bass from 13" - 20" go immediately back to the water, with a one fish limit over 20". Paul Schwinghammer and I have been making an annual trek up to Pelican for the past 12 years and have seen the fish steadily improve in numbers and/or size over that time.



Every year the lake presents itself differently when we get there. Being such a tremendous springtime lake, the patterns depend heavily on how long winter was able to hang on. We generally get up that way early to mid June and we have seen everything from pre to post spawn for both largemouth and smallmouth. Every so often the stars align and make for a truely special trip. This was one of those years.



We got to Orr at 5:00 AM on Thursday, June 11th. The air temp was 29 degrees with the water temp a chilly 51. We hit the water searching for a mixed of large and smallmouth by throwing cranks around the rocky island shores. After a nice three pound largie on the fourth cast we hit a bit of a lull before spotting a nice smallie sitting on what appeared to be a bed. We spent the next three days targeting bedding smallies as well and pre spawn largemouth.



Smallies were hitting anything that came near their beds Thursday, but became a bit more difficult to coax as the air temps rose into the high seventies and the water temps hit the high fifties. We had the most success with tubes and drop shots rigged with small worm profiled baits.

Largemouth were staging just off the rocks where there were sparse weeds. Once we locked into the largemouth we got our best fish on Strike King coffee tube jigs, Paul's custom jig & pig combos, and Berkley Crazy Legs Chigger Craw Powerbaits.

Special thanks to Joe and Jan from Deer Lodge Resort for another great stay!

Early Spring Cleaning

Early Spring Cleaning

I know, I know, we're still deep in the heart of winter here in the Great White North, but I have heard rumors of the days getting longer, of a gradual overall warming of the temperatures, and the inevitable melting of the ice off our favorite lakes. It's hard to believe those whispers when the forecast seems unendingly cold, but if memory serves me correctly, the rumors are true!



Spring means many things. It's a transformation from one season to the next. It's the rebirth of apparent dead grasses and trees. It's a symbol of a fresh start; a new beginning. It's also the gun shot at the starting line of the open water fishing season. With that in mind, shouldn't we all be making sure that our equipment is fresh and ready to go rather than wasting what precious little time we have on the open water tinkering with it?

There are a myriad of things that one can do in an effort to get ready for the coming season. The following is an example of my off season check list as a pleasure fisherman, and as a sponsored tournament angler. These things help me prepare for the season both mentally and technically.

Get in Gear!

Everyone knows that if you don't change the oil in your car, it will eventually break down. If you don't clean the leaves out of your gutters, they will eventually clog. What many anglers over look each year is paying that same attention to their gear. Your rods and reel are tools that, if overlooked, will eventually play a not-so-great role in that "One that got away" story.

I make sure that I always have some Quantum reel oil and Quantum Hot Sauce on hand. Each of my reels gets a fresh dressing of lube on the gears. Hot Sauce is a unique lubricant in that its special formulation molecularly bonds to the base metal in your gears. It is also a very low viscosity, which allows for freer rotation of the moving parts of the reel. This means that you better keep some on hand in your boat as well since it will break down a little quicker than some of the competition's lubes. The trade-off is definitely worth it. Hot Sauce's unique formulation also ensures that it stays put on the wear surface and does not migrate into other parts of your reel.

Rod care is important as well. Never create too much tension on your rods by winding the line too tight. Over time this can cause warping of the graphite. Do you best to keep your rods stored in an upright position, or at least fully supported if horizontal. This will also prevent warping. Take a few minutes and clean each rod off with a damp cloth. This will remove any potentially harmful algae or chemical build up on the rod's surface. The last thing I like to do is grab a fine grit sandpaper and smooth out the cork handles a bit. This step will make remove and nicks or scrapes, and will quickly make your handles look like new!

Tackle your Tackle

Tackle maintenance is probably the most overlooked element of fishing preparation, but when you stop to think about it, it seems like the most obvious. Be honest, when was the last time you sharpened the hooks on that crank bait that you throw all of the time? What about the spinnerbait that caught you your biggest bass last season?

It seems like a simple cause and effect relationship: Fish bites bait, hook grabs fish, angler lands fish. If the second part of that relationship breaks down, you are going to have some very frustrating days on the water. A sharping file only costs a few dollars, and while tedious, is very worthwhile process. Grab a box of your favorite crank baits and sit down in front of the television for a good college basketball game, or heck watch Opera if that's your thing, just take those baits out and sharpen each hook. How will you know that they are sharp enough? My test is simple, place the hook that you are sharpening on your thumbnail, if it grabs the surface without applying pressure, you are all set (Disclaimer: don't jab the hook into your thumbnail. If you do that hard enough you are going to swear that every hook in your box is plenty sharp!) Pay special attention to crank baits, especially jerkbaits, since they have smaller hooks than other single hook baits.

The last step in my tackle prep work is getting organized. I have become somewhat of a freak about this because I have seen how much time it can save on the water. I like to use the Falcon 700 series organizers for my hard baits. These boxes are a little more expensive than some, but they have a low profile and really do a great job of keeping crankbaits and other lures from getting tangled. Anyone who has spent ten minutes untangling treble hooks to get at their favorite plug knows what I'm talking about. I also recommend their line of spinnerbait and buzzbait boxes.

For soft plastics I use a two-pronged approach. First, I keep my go-to plastics and any plastics that I know I will being using readily available in my boat using the Easy View Tackle System. This system is easy to install and frees up a lot of storage space in the boat. It's also provides quick-grab availability of your favorite plastics. For those plastics that I don't need readily available, I like to organize them into plastic freezer bags by type. I may have one each for sticks baits, tubes, worms, drop shot baits, creature baits, jig trailers, etc. This allows me to quickly find what I'm looking for without having to dig through a large bag filled with all sorts of baits.

Do Your Research

There's always something new or newly hot each year that every angler is after, and every manufacturer is rushing to get on shelves. A few years back it was the Chatterbait, last year it was swimbaits. While those items are always good to know about, I tend to do what I can to learn about how the technology and current products are advancing and/or improving. What sort of new reels or new reel models are hitting the market? What about rods? Terminal tackle? The web can be a great resource for this. I like to check out Tackle Warehouse as spring approaches to see what new products they are promoting. Bassmaster Magazine does a good job of covering new products during the down months as well.

One critical type of research for an angler, especially one who fishes tournaments, is lake research. Sit down with your current maps, or find your tournament lakes online. The Minnesota DNR website does a great job of providing useful info on what types of fish can be found in a lake, and provides basic maps of most lakes. For the lakes that don't have the detail that you are looking for, see if you can order maps online. Find those contour lines that you missed in the past. Mark some places on your map to drop your camera down on once the ice melts.

The web can also be a great tool for researching past results on lakes that you will be competing on in the coming season. You can see how a lake fished at certain times of the year, what sort of weights it has taken to win on a lakes, and sometimes, a full report on weather condition, etc. By looking back over the past few years you can get a good feel for what it is going to take to finish high in each tournament, and maybe even what sort of tricks the winning angler or anglers used. As you get closer to the tournaments, you can always check out forums and local reports online, and a quick call to the local bait shop can get you the latest info.

Check in with Your Sponsors

This may not apply to everyone out there, but it is a very important, yet often over looked maintenance piece. Each year I prepare a letter for my sponsors and either mail, or email it to them. In that letter I outline my progress and activities from the previous years as well as my plans for the coming season. I also make sure to thank them for their support and offer my services. Not only do I receive great feedback from my sponsors, but I hear repeatedly how much they appreciate me keeping in touch and wish that more of the other anglers that they sponsor would do the same.

I also make sure to send a thank you card to any financial sponsors, and offer to take them fishing sometime. You may be surprised how much of an impact that may have on your continued financial backing. I have one sponsor in particular who has never taken me up on my offers to go fishing, but told me this past winter that it is one of the reasons he continues to support me. He also swears that one day he'll have enough time to take me up on my offers, and I hope he does!

As I've mentioned in the past, your sponsorships are a privilege and should be treated as such. Be sure to keep that in mind and act accordingly. As a tournament angler, this may be one of the most important "tune-ups" that you do all off season!

Hurry up and Wait

Once you have everything shined up, sharpened, and greased, it's time to wait it out. Soon enough that lake you drive past on the way to work those frigid mornings will start showing signs of life. The small pools of water will start to form on the ice, the rough surface appearance, the dull grayish look as it thins, and finally the open water. The process of preparation will have helped you pass those long winter months, and will have not only your hooks, but your mind sharpened as well. Hopefully your labors will land that fish you have caught over and over in your mind while attending to your off season duties!