the bigbait journal - southernswimbait.com

THE BIGBAIT JOURNAL
SOUTHERNSWIMBAIT.COM’S NEWSLETTER
September 2010, Volume IV
The North
Country
CHAMPLAIN: A CASE STUDY
I’ve decided to take a closer look at Lake Champlain, and instead of just tournament highlights, I wanted to share
how I approached Champlain with a swimbait.
Champlain was the 3rd stop on the FLW
Largemouth, well, yelllow perch applied
Eastern Series, and a lake I was looking forward
here as well, but could be expanded to include
to fishing. Champlain was one of the better
brim, baitfish, baby bass, shad, etc. The
lakes that shows up on the schedule that could
largemouth of Champlain live in the grass, so
produce a swimbait bite. Clear water, good
weedless baits definitely came to mind.
smallmouth and largemouth, grass, and just a
Swimbait fishing requires a lot of tackle
good darn fishery. You have to be thinking of
preparation, just as conventional fishing does.
swimbaits for both the largemouth and the
The more I mature with fishing swimbaits and
smallmouth.
understanding Eastern/Southern lakes, the
Smallmouth: yellow perch. Without a
doubt, the yellow perch is what the big
smallmouth are eating. Yellow Perch is the color
better I am at preparing, and having the right
gear, colors and baits in the boat.
Champlain is BIG water. It makes
for a lot of the reaction baits, historically on
Okeechobee seem small. Its one of the
Champlain, so part of this exercise is going to
ultimate tests of equipment out there in the
walk you thru selecting swimbaits that cover
world of bass fishing. 5 foot+ waves are
top, middle, and bottom of the water column
common on Champlain, but so are 5 pound
with yellow perch style baits.
brownies and largies.
[1]
Perch Eaters
A four pound smallie coughed up
a 6 inch yellow perch. No
wonder she ate my 6” Triple
Trout.
Matching the Hatch
The Yellow Perch lives around grass, plain and simple. The perch were so thick, you could move 100 plus in a single cast. Crazy schools of
perch.
Without a doubt, the big smallmouth of Champlain eat yellow perch. They are ‘perch eaters’. So this exercise is to help you understand
the thought process of preparing for fish that eat yellow perch, and targeting smallmouth.
Surface/Upper Water Column
Covering water, and my first choice for shallow/upper water column fish: 6” Triple Trout. The 6” Triple Trout is a proven smallie slayer. No
brainer.
And my man Scott Whitmer helped me out huge, by really putting a fabulous assortment and arsenal of baits, yellow perch, pinkies, and
‘others’. Perch colored Triple Trouts are gorgeous. I moved some big schools of brownies and caught some fatties.
I buzzed high spots/reefs,
points, grass edges, dock, and bridge pilings. I wasn’t killing them on a Triple Trout, but I caught a few dandies and located some areas holding big
fish.
The 7” MS Slammer. I have had perch colored MS Slammers for years. The 7” MS Slammer is an underground wakebait for the magnum
spotted and smallmouth bass of the West.
Of course I was going to wake a 7” Slammer off the points and grass lines to see if they’d come up
and get it.
MidWater Column
To probe the suspended/offshore/mid water column, 6” top hook Huddleston, in yellow perch.
I fished a ROF 12 around grass breaks from
12-15, but also as shallow as 8 and as deep as 20. Slow rolling mostly. Stuck some absolutely studs. Had some big followers in some areas,
which ultimately helped me locate my fish for the tournament. Dennis Miller is Ken Huddleston’s operations/production guy, and kudos to Dennis
for his work in painting. His Yellow Perch is nothing short of amazing. Rigged with a #2 Owner ST-36 trap hook on the belly, attached to a #5
Owner Hyperwire split ring, the bait wasn’t weedless, but did give them a look at a full bodied bait with excellent realism and hooking potential.
Big Hammer has a 3” series of swimbait tails and heads that are killer smallmouth colors.
Notice how there are lots of options in the
chartreuse family of Big Hammer colors. The 3” Bait was fished on spinning gear. Slow rolled around bridge piling, outside grass lines in 8-15 feet
of water.
Deep/Bottom
The 5” Big Hammer with the 3/4 ounce lead head is an excellent way to get out and probe the 20-30 foot depths. I challenge you to fish a
swimbait effectively >20 feet. This is where the 5” Hammer excels. I did damage on the 3” Hammer pretty well, but the 5” Hammer bite was
elusive. Like the TN River, Champlain has some deeper ledges and rockpiles and offshore style of fishing, where its just a matter of time when a
guy can find the right fish and serve them up a 5” full bodied swimbait that can keep constant bottom contact in >20 feet of water. The 5” Hammer
is like a big football jig with regards to bottom contact, but mixes in the realism and swim of a bigbait.
Results
Ultimately, the swimbait bite on Champlain was a bit of a let down. The fish were just deep and not in a super chasing frame of mind. I did
catch fish in practice, but most importantly, used the swimbait to find the areas where the big fish were holding, where I could slow down and
probe the depths with a drop shot and really catch them. Tournament swimbait fishing is a tough game.
I wasn’t getting enough bites per day,
throwing a swimbait all day, to commit to it all tournament. I knew I might be able to get one or two good bites per day though. Which is what
happened on Day 1, 2, & 3. It was knowing which bait to throw, when. And having all the ‘right’ baits tied on, so when conditions allowed, I was in
a position to give them the best possible bigbait for that moment in time. But make no mistake, the best of Champlain swimbait fishing is still to
come. Champlain is on the 2011 schedule already!
[2]
BIG HAMMER
The Huddleston Deluxe North Country Spin
If you think Ken only knows trout, you are sorely mistaken. The 6”
Weedless trout and 6” top hook series of baits made excellent yellow
perch. Somebody who knows where they live, and is given the right
conditions is going to slay them on the 6” Weedless in the grass, or the
6” top hook slow rolled off the grass lines, ledges, and bridge pilings.
Getting Hammered
Big Hammer has an excellent
array of colors to imitate
yellow perch. The 3” Baits are
best fished on spinning gear
with 6/8# P-Line CXX Copolymer.
[3]
TRIPLE TROUT
Let me walk you down the path of
the Triple Trout for smallmouth
The Triple Trout is a lethal smallmouth bait.
I know its THE BAIT on Lake Havasu for
example. The little bit of Western smallmouth
fishing that exists, has shown the Triple Trout is
one of the ‘go-to’ baits, period.
The 4” Stubbie and 6” Standard Triple Trout
are excellent sizes and shapes for Mr. Small
Jaws. Smallies seem to react very well to the S
swim of the Triple Trout, and since you can burn
the bait, even better. Smallies seem to eat fast
moving baits, that a are a bit smaller and refined
than the bigbaits thrown at largemouth.
I worked with Scott Whitmer to get yellow
perch baits made up. The 4” Stubbie and the 6”
standard were the easy, no brainer, chunk and
wind and cover water baits to get for
Champlain. In addition, the 8” Stubbie was
included as a real bigbait, just in case the
largemouth could be found in areas where
hanging trebles could be fished. That 8”
Stubbie Triple Trout is a bigbait.
The Stubbie is more a tournament style
Triple Trout. It requires less technical skills to fish
it properly. You chunk it and wind it. Its got a
tighter wobble, more thump, but still swims an
excellent slimmed down S pattern. I’ve got
Stubbies in white and bone colors too, because
6” Triple
Trout, Yellow
Perch
The Candy
Hot Pink, I mean, it
really fits smallmouth.
They are feisty and
fickle, so you need
something that plays to
their ego.
Yellow Perch, 4&8” Stubbie
Triple Trout
White Chocolate: Bone,
great white, and bone w/
orange.
[4]
those are obvious fish catching colors, and
certainly known colors to get smallmouth
excited.
My best Triple Trout fishing on Champlain
was finding long tapering points, with deep
water nearby. The fish seemed to get up ontop
of the points in the early morning. That was
were I did my Triple Trout damage. Burning the
6” Yellow Perch over points in 6-12 feet, and
keeping the boat moving, and bouncing a
couple points in the morning. You had to run
into them. They weren’t always stacked on the
same points day to day. Be willing to change
baits, often, when you know you’re around
them. Fish the conditions. When it was calm/
glassy or slight wind, the smallies would feed
‘up’ and were catchable on baits in the upper
water column/surface. Most mornings gave us
this opportunity. I made the most of it on Day 1.
I had a 15 pound limit by 8:15am, and was able
to upgrade to 17 pounds by days end. 6” Triple
Trout and topwater baits.
Dig this, here is the best I understand what
was going on at this moment in time on
Champlain...The yellow perch push the alewifes
to the surface and feed on them. Thats when
you catch the perch eaters, feeding on the
yellow barred candy who are vulnerable while
feeding.
The Lake Champlain Largemouth
PARLEZ-VOUS FRANCAIS?
The Ticonderoga was odd. I had info from guys named Ehrler and Niggemeyer on some grass flipping stuff in the
Ti, and couldn’t find em down there. My best largemouth fishing happened North of Plattsburgh.
The Song Remains the Same
I really like grass fishing. I mean, I’m
a addicted to fishing in the grass with
swimbaits. When you find ‘em, you can
really whack ‘em. And I’m not gonna lie,
braided line and 8 foot rods and low
profile reels resonate deeply with my
tackle preferences. Weedless swimbait
fishing is on the cusp of revolution. Well,
the battle began years ago with Mickey
Ellis of 3:16 bait Company, with his
release of the Mission Fish. Then it was
paddle tail tubes, and now in my mind its
Huddleston Deluxe. The Grass Minnow is
so damn fish catching in grass its hard to
convey. I know why guys like to throw
swim jigs now so much. To me, the
weedless suite of Huddleston baits (the 6”
weedless trout, the Grass Minnow, and
the Weedless Shad) are THE BAITS for
grass fishing. The Skinny Dipper and
Swim Senko, influenced a lot my
adaptation of the weedless baits to the
grass. The Huddleston weedless suite
provides profound realism and ability to
match the subtleties of the swim of real
baitfish.
I’ve had the Grass Minnow now for
almost a year. There isn’t a lake this bait
hasn’t caught fish for me. Well, since I
have a YouTube clip of some Grass
Minnow fishing and summary of this
newsletter, I’ll just let you watch the
YouTube clip to see the Grass Minnow
fished within sight of the Canadian border.
Click HERE to view YouTube Clip of some
Champlain largemouth swimbait fish.
Yes, somedays I need to wear a
straightjacket. I apologize in advance.
This was actual tournament pre-practice,
caught a few, knew I could whack some
more, and what can I say, I launched my
boat in Vermont that morning, and chatted
up some of our French Canadian
compatriots at the gas station. It’s fun to
catch them in pre-practice every once in a
while! Ha, I’m usually too busy trying to
find ‘em, or scared to sting them too badly
in practice. I’d like to film more practice
time.
See we provide more than pictures
and text! Glad to share a little video
footage of some fishing, along with just a
summary of the Champlain swimbait
fishing we experienced.
I’m stuck on
braided line, but you can use florocarbon
for more bites. Like I say, I’m addicted to
catching grass fish on the weedless suite.
The bites usually involves large v wakes
heading at your bait, a big boil and toilet
flush, and instant connection to the fish,
drop your rod tip let her take it a moment,
slow action parabolic 8 foot pull set, wind
and extract them from their grassy
kingdoms. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Repeat. See how easy it was to get five?
[5]
Pow-Wow
The Grass Minnow and Weedless Shad
have shown they catch largemouth in
grass from The Seminole Land in
Florida to the Land of the Iroquois,
at the US/Canada border. Champlain
reminded me of the Big O at times.
THE PLAYBOOK
Alright, so lets walk thru the game plan,
playbook and results and summarize.
The goal for me was a Top 5 finish OR a
for sure. Its got to be a bad
Top 50 finish. Basically I needed to decide if I
largemouth color too. There
could win and go for it, or just make darn sure I
are perch way down in the
make $5,000 and make the Top 50 cut. I need
Ti. We fished Grass
to be ‘profitable’ so to speak is the best way I
Minnows and Shads and
can explain my business right now. Risk
clearly the largemouth ate
assessments are heavy weighed in favor of
those colors.
profitability!
Champlain was not ‘on’ like I know it can
be. Its important to keep in mind this is just a
snap shot in time, August 1-August 27, 2010.
Two weeks of pre-practice, official practice and
Research and
Homework
Game Day
Success
I asked everyone I
3 day event. A mild winter followed by an
knew about what the the big
extremely early and hot summer, caused the fish
have to be a reporter, a
fish on Champlain eat. Yellow Perch is what
to be a bit deeper in general I believe. The
detective, an interrogator,
kept coming up. I researched NY Fish and
reaction bite was just ‘off’. Spinnerbaits,
a cowboy, and an Indian if
Game and likewise with Vermont. Interesting
jerkbaits, were getting better with time, but,
you want to survive on the road
reading. Did you know that Champlain is
honestly, I think Champlain could be absolutely
and fish in places you just flat don’t know.
stocked regularly with thousands of pounds of
ugly given better conditions. This event was
landlocked salmon annually? In the 6-9” size
Aligning the Moon and Stars
won drop shotting in 30-40 feet of water. I
range! Or count how many tributaries and
caught my Day 3 limit by precision drop
places on Champlain are stocked with trout.
what you want, and having all the right rods,
shotting. I mean, I kept my bait between 18-20
I’ve never once heard anyone target the fish on
reels, lines, hooks, terminal tackle, etc to match
feet on a little break/edge and made 10,000
Champlain with a trout swimbait. Believe me, I
is rare. I can’t say I was 100% prepared, but my
pitches with a 3/8 ounce weight and watched
tried, and will re-visit. I would venture to say,
preparation for Champlain from a swimbait
my Lowrance for hours. I had 17-10, and had
the Adirondack have not seen the last of me.
perspective started 6 months prior. I had my
to use all my covert drop shotting skills and a 3”
When I say do your research and homework,
eyes on Yellow Perch baits and kept working in
Gulp Leech to get the magnums to eat. They
you have to talk to people and use your
my head the baits and possible scenarios:
were down there, but very difficult to catch and
network, but be your own person too, and use
very wise to fishing lures. I had to be precise
the Internet and just get a feel for what is in the
I mean, if that place has high teen and 20 pound
on depth, the length of drop shot leader/position
lake...what species of gamefish. That is a not
limits regularly coming from it, that could have
of bait above the bottom, and very finesse with
always easy info to extract. I don’t care if we’re
been my whole world. The Ticonderoga is a 70
a Gulp 3” leach nose hooked. Those ARE NOT
talking about a lake like Lanier or natural glacier
mile run....ONE WAY. That is 140 mile roundtrip
generally fish that you catch on swimbaits....the
Getting your swimbaits 100% aligned with
What if the Ticonderoga is really that good?
pond in the Adirondack, there is often conflicting
boat ride, in an 8-10 hour tournament day.
long way of saying it! But I did locate those fish
information about what species are in the lake
Ti was not on, at least in pre-practice, so I
using a swimbait. That is the best lesson to be
vs. what’s been stocked or introduced illegally,
scratched it. But if it had been on, my gut tells
learned from Champlain to me. For others, I
and what the website says. So triangulate it all
me the 6” Weedless trout in Yellow Perch would
hope sharing how I prepare for an event from a
is my best advice. I called the NY Fish and
show no mercy around the better fish. The Ti
swimbait perspective is enlightening too. I’m
Game pretending to be taking my kids trout
has beautiful grass, decent water clarity, and
still learning how to prepare for each lake. Its
fishing on Champlain just to see what they might
grass that is matted out at the surface and
hard work, but I’m getting better, and quite
say...”Hey, we just dumped 5,000 trout in
sparse stuff. Grass Minnow and Weedless Shad
honestly, you just simplify. I have my go to
Treadwell Bay because so and so hatchery had
of course too. I was prepared to commit to the
swimbaits: Huddleston, Triple Trout, Big
a surplus so take your kids fishing there....” OK,
Ti, but after fishing it hard for days and working
Hammer, and Slammers and go to work. Its
that was NOT the conversation, but thats what
off GOOD recent info from Brent Ehrler and
applying colors and matching the hatch that
I’m talking about. You can’t read a website or
James Niggemeyer who’d just fished the BASS
comes into play per lake and region. Yellow
talk to tournament fisherman and get everything.
Northern Open there, it was clear to me that
Perch on Champlain for the magnum smallies
Swimbait fishing really teaches me that. You
things had changed, and the Ti was too risky.
[6]
The
3” Big Hammers catch a lot of numbers
day. But Day 2 my rhythm was off, and I choose
when you get around them. I like fishing a little
to fish the smallies in the morning, then the wind
bigbait on a spinning rod. I can control depth
came up, then I was struggling and needed to
very well and catch suspended fish. The 5” Big
scratch out a limit.....vs. the risk of running 20
Hammer is heavy and a dragging/dredging bait
miles one way in wind and waves to hit a small
that you can fish down to 20-30 feet. I fish on
area that likely has already been pounded by
17# P-Line CXX Green. Calcutta 300 TE and
tournament boats. That was the problem with
Shimano Terramar Inshore Series 8 footer.
I’m
my largemouth. One or two boats could have
heading to Pickwick and Wheeler soon. If I can
ruined it already, and it was Day 2, so I had to
find fish on the ledges, the 5” Hammer will be
just accept I missed that opportunity. I should
part of that process. The Hammers were going
have run there first thing on Day 2. Not mid-day
to catch quick limit fish or help me probe the
deep swimbait bite. That was their role in my
mind in preparing for the event.
The Triple Trout, I mean, I had sick Triple
Trout preparations. The 4” Stubby were my ace
in the hole if the 6” Standard was too big or they
were getting off. I just assumed they were going
to eat the Triple Trout anywhere and everywhere.
That is how lethal that bait is and can be. Well,
like I said, the smallmouth were deep and
tended to stay near the bottom and their strike
zone was small. Unless it was calm and
glassy....then they would feed up, and chase
baits it seemed. I was prepared to throw a
Triple Trout all 3 days of the event, was my
mindset before the event. I just didn’t get the
bites unless it was dead calm and I hit the right
points and reefs at the right time. It was risky.
But I did move some GIANT smallies with the 6”
Triple Trout in a couple key areas that helped me
locate the better fish that ultimately I would
catch in the tournament on drop shots.
The Top Hook Huddleston. So, I love slow
rolling ROF 12 Huddlestons. I feel like I’m
fishing the essence of swimbait fishing at that
moment. Fishing a natural bait at its natural
depth, giving it a natural swim, and putting it
around big fish. So, when the weather got
windy or rough, I managed to get some top
hook Huddleston Smallies going in the same
areas, just a different presentation. Understand,
my areas were pretty big. Champlain is big, but
does fish small. However, my spots were pretty
decent sized, so I could fish from the bank out
when the wind came up, but hung around 12-15
feet when it was calm. You had to follow them,
and understand the conditions and how they
were feeding. My drop shot fish were eating
leeches and spitting up absurd amounts of
alewives at times. They just weren’t eating
perch. They would eat little baitfish too. My
best fish of Day 2, a 3 pounder, came on the
ROF 12 Top Hook, Yellow Perch. That fish
saved my bacon on a tough day for me. I
scrambled to catch 10 pounds. That 3 pounder
saved me from weighing in 8 pounds and being
completely out of it.
And that fish gave me the
confidence to head back there on Day 3. I had
another big follow. It was windy and grey, and
the Hudd was the call to get down them. They
feed ‘down’ in the wind and grey, more close to
the bottom.
The Slammer. The 7” Slammer will
someday be a bait I put together a heavy
on Day 2. That area attracts all the power
largemouth fisherman, and they wouldn’t have
overlooked my water.
Locating the big smallies with the
smallmouth and in the tournament was key for
me. I had areas in practice I located big fish
with the Triple Trout and Top Hook Hudd. But
even without other boats or tournament
pressure, it was one-two bites fishing an area
really hard with perfect boat position and drifts.
I got a good top hook Hudd fish on Day 2, and
that made my mind up I was going to to start
there on Day 3 and work that area. Why I left
that area on Day 2 was another mistake. I
should have stayed. That area gave me 17-10
on Day 3, and I found it on Day 2, but didn’t
work it long enough or precisely enough to
capitalize. Finished 35th place, good enough
for $5200
Fishing a Good Tournament
tournament limit or 3 on. Excellent wakebait.
My tournament was high-low-high. I
Excellent bait to probe wood, laydowns, and
started off with 17 pounds, then dropped to 10
man made structure with. You can fish it over
pounds, and came back on Day 3 with 17-10 my
grass and weedless, etc, which is how I fished it
biggest limit. I was STOKED. It was a series of
on Champlain. There is a dreadful amount of
good decisions and just fishing a good
loose grass floating on Champlain which made
tournament that best summarizes why I was so
slow moving baits on the surface very tough to
pleased. There is a lot of information to process
fish in some cases too. The Slammer was there
when fishing in tournaments. Decisions about
to explore the big wakebait bite, and the ability
all kinds of things based on all sorts of variables.
to create a bigbait deflection bite...knocking
The best guys can process info and make good
around structure and seeing what happens.
decisions based on instinct, experience or just
The Tournament
probabilities. I wonder what fishing a good
I caught exactly 2 swimbait fish. One 6”
to the end of the point, and circle back to the
Triple Trout in Yellow Perch fish and a Top Hook
bank and feel like the area was plenty rested to
ROF 12 Huddleston in Yellow Perch fish. Not
give it a second shot. Fishing in water 13-15
exactly killing it in the swimbait department.
feet, the top hook ROF 12 Hudd, fished on
Heck, I didn’t even run to my largemouth and
Calcutta TE 300, 17 pound P-Line CXX Green,
fish for my largemouth up North, that ate the
GLoomis 965 BBR, with a #2 Owner ST-36
grass minnow so well. Why? Well, understand
stinger hook attached to a #5 Owner hyperwire.
tournament fishing. I didn’t run to the
Those smallies would slide out into 18-21 feet
largemouth on Day 1 because I had 17 pounds
and knew I could use those largemouth another
[7]
tournament means to guys like: Skeete, KVD,
Brent, Niggemeyer, Tharp, Montgomery, Fukae,
Thrift, Wolak, Gagliardi.....The information
processing, but also the simplification too. I
think the best guys can clear the clutter and
simplify and just find them and know ways to
get them to eat. But finding them is key. I
found them with a swimbait and caught them on
drop shots, mostly, come tournament time.
On Day 3 I idled way north of where I was
Adirondack before dawn, going down the road,
fishing to another side of a big point. Another
doing it ‘my way’. I didn’t win, but it was great
tournament boat sort of came off his spot to
to earn a paycheck, great for my fishing, and
fend me off. He trolling motor gestured to stay
was a good shot in the arm to my fishing career.
back and away. No problem. I only saw the
The Road Less Traveled, Sorta
boat wrap and just gave the guy space and slid
back a little and kept on fishing. Well it turns out
that was Jason Ober. I didn’t know until the Top
5 got onstage and I was like, no way, that was
the guy. That was Jason Ober I saw out on the
North side of the point I was focused on. I fished
the south and central side of the point. He
owned the North side. He was there the day
before too. So, yeah, I felt like hey, I found the
I’m not so sure what I’m doing lately. I can
tell you this. I’m already preparing for 2011. I
have a lot of great fishing ahead of me still in
2010, but understand I’m working on next year
now. I want to fish the FLW Tour. That is
$40,000 in entry fees. I don’t have $40,000 in
entry fees, let alone the additional $25,000
required for travel expenses. But, I do have
some money still, and a lot of projects and
sponsor(s). And not just standard bass fishing
things I’m trying to settle down and get done. I
stuff. Bigbaits and big fish up the game, and
am working on various revenue creating models
swimbaits are clearly a huge interest to
around my fishing. My decisions right now are
everyone. Its what I do best, and what interests
going to help me afford to take the risk of fishing
me, honestly. I learned a while ago to go with
the Tour next year. At least the Opens, but I’d
gut instincts. Whatever happens, corporate
like to fish all of them. Looking forward to what
america is NOT an option!!! I’m going to
announcements FLW Outdoors gives about off
continue chasing tournament fish, but I’d really
think you can make 20 mile runs in between
limits and additional 2011 info with regards to
like to get a chance to fish a bang up schedule.
spots. That was a huge part of coming up with
the American Fishing Series, BFLs, etc. And
Put me on big fish lake after big fish lake...at the
a gameplan. The Ticonderoga was out of my
what with BASS? I assume business as usual,
right time of year. That would be fun and gives
head. The North largemouth water was still 20
so lets see the Open Schedules. Heck, I want to
us a chance to shine. There is a thought
miles one way, whereas, my best smallmouth
fish in Texas. Or what else to do in professional
process about cream rising to the top, and the
spot was 5 minutes from Plattsburgh. Call it
fishing? Believe me I’m contemplating skipping
best guys catch them when it’s tough fishing.
maturity, but Champlain was a good exercise in
the tournament scene or being very focused on
OK, I get that. But why not explore what can
knowing when NOT to throw a swimbait and just
just a few circuits, and just focusing on fishing
done to catch the biggest and baddest weights
focus on catching the fish and just focus on the
the good lakes at good times of year with the
ever caught?
ones you know are there and haven’t been hit
bigbaits. And document it all. Pretty much
already.
perpetuate the original intent of
strong as I can in the tournament world. But
Start Spreading the News
southernswimbait.com which is to perpetuate
know I’m putting in a ton of thought and time
the bigbait bite outside of the West. This
into an ongoing project that I hope will open
newsletter and my blog are testament to what
doors and show me a path for 2011. Its coming
I’d be doing outside of the tournament world.
up on Year 3 for me. I gotta put up or shut up.
fish that the tournament leader is fishing, so that
was cool. If only I’d worked the area harder on
Day 2, I might have had a chance at a really
good finish. Not that 35th was bad! I will take
it.
Managing Water
Champlain is way too big and windy to
Yes, Frank Sinatra made a guest
appearance in my truck. I’m going to offend
some of my North Country pals, but I’m a closet
Yankee Fan. I noticed quite a few Boston fans,
but whatever, in New York, when you ‘win’ you
rock Sinatra is the way I see it. I drove from
New York early in the morning, leaving the
Click HERE to watch us
on Champlain:
I’m committed to finishing up the year
And I like to think the business model side of it
is kinda tight.
MP
I think there is something to be done in
providing lots of viral marketing content for
Buying Baits from
Tacklewarehouse:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW
Huddleston Deluxe
Triple Trout
Big Hammer
MS Slammer
[8]
THE BIGBAIT JOURNAL
a southernswimbait.com
production
September 2010