| __________________________________________________ October 7, 2003 - Vol. 4 No. 38 __________________________________________________ FIRST PLACE PLUS TWELVE OUT OF THIRTEEN IS NOT BAD Twelve out of thirteen B.A.S.S. Federation anglers who qualified for the 2004 New Hampshire State Team used Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits. In first place as state champion was Joe Lucarelli. Joe used his Lowrance to graph bait-sized yellow perch schools. Joe vertically jigged a Yamamoto Hula grub for the smallmouth that were under and around the perch. For full story and photo, go to: JOE LUCARELLI WINS NEW HAMPSHIRE BASS FED CHAMPIONSHIP http://www.insideline.net/2003/news/bf-nh-championship.html __________________________________________________ INDEED YOU CAN JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER Yes you can judge B.A.S.S.S's new book "Top Techniques of the Bass Pros" by the cover. That's because Russ Bassdozer is on the cover (and in the photo on page 44-45 too). People often ask me. "Russ, recommend a book by the pros." Problem is the pro level progresses at wide open throttle. Lures, approaches and products pros use today? Many of these did not exist 2-3 years ago. The lure brands, equipment and advice in a book can quickly get left behind, outdated, bobbing in the no wake zone. The advice still works, but it is how yesterday's winners did things. Make no mistake. Time marches on and winners evolve or get left behind bobbing in the wake. For example, Denny Brauer is well-known for jig fishing, David Fritts for crankbaits. Follow what has been written about either of them (or any top pro) and it is clear they evolve what they do. They do it differently today versus 2, 3, or 5 years ago. Their comprehension of what they do constantly deepens and gets refined. The lures and equipment they use incrementally improves year to year, often via their own design upgrades. Fishing and excelling at it, it's an ever-expanding continuum of learning - not a routine repeat of what you did last season or the year before that. B.A.S.S.'s new book "Top Techniques of the Bass Pros" is written today, not 2, 3 or 5 years ago. I recommend you read "Top Techniques of the Bass Pros" today while it is still current, not two years from now. Twenty-eight chapters each on a single B.A.S.S. pro and a single tactic, lure or pattern which that pro has earned success. The 28 pros are: Charlie Campbell, Davy Hite, George Cochran, Rick Clunn, Kevin VanDam, Larry Nixon, Ron Shuffield, O.T. Fears, Curt Lyle, Gary Klein, Skeet Reese, Shaw Grigsby, Ken Cook, Alton Jones, Dean Rojas, Aaron Martens, Bill Dance, Mike O'Shea, Randy Howell, Robert Lee, Jay Yelas, Denny Brauer, Joe Thomas, Mike Auten, Mark Davis, Peter Thliveros, David Fritts, Don Iovino. And don't forget to check out Russ Bassdozer on the cover and on pages 44-45 too. __________________________________________________ PROVEN TIP TO ENHANCE YOUR SPINNERBAIT SUCCESS Astute readers of Bassmaster magazine may have noticed a tip from Homer Humphreys in a recent issue. Slow-rolling a spinnerbait during Classic practice, Humphreys discovered that adding a treble hook trailer stung short-biting bass. This is something I also often do with a spinnerbait, adding a treble hook - but that's only part of the story. And now for the rest of the story... The treble I add to spinnerbaits and buzzbaits is a feather teaser sweetened with feathers and reflective mylar flash tied on it to stimulate more strikes. The feathers undulate like the tail of a baitfish and provide you the benefits of a trailer bait and a trailer hook both in one add-on. If you just slip a feather teaser (either size #2 or #4) on without some sort of retainer, it will fly off the hook when you cast. To keep it in place, I slide heat shrinkable tubing over the treble eye. Carefully shrink it skin tight. Then gently hog out a hole with an ice pick just enough so the treble doesn't bind during operation. Don't make the hole too big. The tubing helps keep your feather teaser from flying off the hook when you cast. You will amaze yourself at how many bass come in only pinned on the feathers. And while some fishing spots are too snaggy or weedy for a treble trailer, these spots are in the minority. There are far more places you can sling a feather treble than you can't. So pin a sweet feather teaser to the tail of your spinner and buzz baits. It's one of Bassdozer's proven tactics to enhance your bass-catching success. View a photo of feather teasers for spinnerbaits at: FEATHER TEASER TREBLES FOR SPINNERBAITS http://www.insideline.net/articles/feather-teaser.html __________________________________________________ READERS WRITE! This just in from WEEKLY NEWS reader, TJ Fagan: Thanks for the great tips every week. Most of all, thanks for the great fishing that happens when I use the tips. As an avid, or should I say fanatical bass fishermen, I try to read, listen and learn everything I can about our great sport. Every so often, a fellow angler comes up with a tip, technique or idea that greatly impacts the way I, or we, present our offerings to the bass. This happened to me while reading the WEEKLY NEWS article by Chris Johnson about reversing the way to fish an Ika. Here's the reason. I'm a bass fishing guide in Vero Beach, Florida, located near the famed Stick Marsh and I also guide clients on leased private trophy waters. I have had the privilege to take Russ Bassdozer fishing there, so he can attest to the fantastic fishing the lease has to offer. Now, Chris Johnson's article about reversing the Ika. He writes about how most people fish the Ika so that the point of the bait is pointed toward the angler as he retrieves the bait. However, if one rigs the Ika the opposite way, so that the tentacles face the angler, then the bait will glide away from the angler. As soon as I read that, I thought of the proverbial response: "Of course, why didn't I think of that?!" BINGO! Being Florida, we have an incredible amount of aquatic vegetation. This is a two-sided sword. Bass love it, but plants like water hyacinths whose roots hang 1-2 feet below the surface, the wind can pile them up so thick in spots that it is almost impossible to present a bait far back under there where the trophy bass lurk. A live shiner is about the only thing that will swim under the canopy. Now I've found the Fat Ika will swim back under there too! Here's how it works for me. I rig a Fat Ika, 92F series, weightless, on a Gamakatsu 4/0 Superline hook with the pointy head of the Ika facing away from me. Pitch it at the weed edge or into any hole you can hit. On the cast, it is important to note that the head of the Ika must enter the water pointed in the direction you want it to go. If the bait lands slightly pointed to the left or right of your intended target, the bait will track in that direction. Feed it slack line and it will glide away from you back under the weeds at a ratio of about 1 foot backward distance to 1 foot of depth. If a floating weed canopy hangs out over fifteen feet of water, the Ika will glide an equal number of feet back under the canopy. Just allow the Ika to fall as you feed it slack line so that it will continue to track true and on target. That's important to me considering the name of my guide service is On Target Bassin'. So through a fellow fisherman's time on the water and his willingness to share it with other anglers, I have found another way to get to the big ones. I want to thank Chris Johnson for writing his article. It has helped me and my clients catch more and bigger fish. A number of my clients are major league baseball players who train in Florida camp. I can tell you they expect to catch major league bass. This new technique has allowed me and my clients to jack one out of the park instead of being shut out. Remember, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits is more than just Senkos. I too am a Senko-Maniac, but there are times to pull out some of the other weaponry GYCB provides the angler - such as the backward Fat Ika! Captain TJ Fagan On Target Bassin' Guide Service Private Trophy Waters Stick Marsh/Farm 13 Miami-Garcia Reservoir (772) 532-2854 (Cell) (772) 564-0719 (Home) bassinguytjf@hotmail.com Read Chris Johnson's article about reversing the Fat Ika at: THE BACKWARD FAT IKA http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/backward-ika.shtml __________________________________________________
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