Jeremy Lin

Since the rest of the world seems to have “Linsanity” I thought it wouldn’t hurt to let it infect the TacticalBassin community a bit as well. I had the pleasure of fishing with Josh Fan and Jeremy Lin (The NBA’s newest star for those of you who may have been living under a rock) last fall. I thought the sports fans in the crowd might enjoy a quick clip from that trip. Here is Jeremy catching a nice Clearlake bass on a River2Sea Bubble Walker in the 128 size. There isn’t a lot of knowledge to be gleaned from this video but its still fun to see a guy like Jeremy getting out on the water and relaxing in the off season. Enjoy!

East Coast Advice on Swimbaits

When the fishing is going really well it’s easy to become jaded and forget how good we have it. It’s important to take the time to stop and consider just how blessed we really are. One of the best ways I can think of to get that “reality check” is to watch the reaction of someone who isn’t used to fishing our local bodies of water.
Allow me to introduce Josh Fan. I had the pleasure of fishing with Josh for several days on some of the best fisheries Northern California has to offer. Josh was here during a prime time when wakebait and topwater fishing was at its peak. While we didn’t catch any true “giants” we caught a bunch of quality fish and had a great time on a fishing adventure that neither of us will soon forget. As the trip was drawing to a close Josh took the time to sit down and share some tips that were born out of his experiences in the West.

These tips will help you regardless of where you live but if you’re fishing in the East you really need to hear what Josh is saying. He talks about the fish we were catching on a Lunker Punker and a Wake Jr. but the key is the belief in his voice about the effectiveness of these bigger baits. Josh now has a clear understanding of how powerful true big baits can be, regardless of where in the country you happen to be.

Finesse Topwater Fishing

While driving into town this morning I grabbed my water bottle off the seat of the truck and attempted to take a swig. I was caught off guard when nothing came out and it took several seconds for reality to sink in. Something about that solid block of ice staring back at me from inside the bottle got me thinking about how much I missed the warmer weather. It bothered me so much that I soon found myself flipping through old footage of flip flops, shorts, and topwaters.
I know that many of you are in the same situation. For some of you it was cold when you launched the boat last weekend, for others you wish you knew exactly where your boat is under all that snow. Either way, we’re a long way from topwater season.
Instead of tearing up and thinking about how far away the topwater bite is I suggest you get proactive and start preparing your tackle for the coming year. I’ve talked about frogs, spooks, and wakebaits in the past but I’ve never really touched on poppers. I absolutely LOVE fishing a popper on a spinning rod on a quiet morning. Year in and year out the popper comes to my rescue when the topwater bite seems to be falling apart on a tournament day.
My favorite aspect of the popper is its versatility. When the fish are aggressive you can work the bait fast and in the case of the River2Sea Bubble Walkercan even get it to walk-the-dog much the same as a spook. When the fish are moving slow you can turn to a Yellow Magic or a Rico (I’d suggest the “20th Anniversary Absolute” color) and get those critical bites during off peak times. The key to the Rico on a cold morning is to work the bait so softly that it splashes without making the “bloop bloop” sound that poppers are known for. That subtle approach consistantly gets bigger bites for me than the more aggressive retrieves.

Another great aspect of popper fishing is that unlike most other baits, the higher-end poppers come equipped with great components and are ready to fish out of the package.
The only modification I make at all is to change the front hook out for a red one when the fish aren’t fully committing to the bait. I know it sounds silly to a lot of anglers but that really can help your hook up ratio on a slow day.
I know we’re a long ways away from a wide-open topwater bite but I thought it would be nice to take a break from all this cold weather and focus on something a little less draining. I hope your dreams of big bass, small topwaters, and explosive strikes keep you company until warmer weather arrives for good.

New Year, New Goals

Well, its New Years Eve. 2011 is in the rear view mirror and 2012 is barreling toward us. Soon we’ll be fishing the spawn, chasing the summer topwater fish, and targeting fish around schools of bait in the fall. So, what is going to make 2012 different than 2011? What are YOU going to do to improve your odds of a successful fishing season? One of the keys to my success each year is consistant goal setting. Once the goals are laid out I know exactly what I am striving for and can eliminate a lot of “busy” fishing that isn’t goal oriented. Without goals I tend to get side tracked and waste a great deal of my time.

Let’s review last year’s goals and see how I did:

1) Catch a new personal best spotted bass. Its currently 5.0 so I should be able to top that no problem. The trouble is, I want a 6.5 lber. Wish me luck!

2) I’d love another personal best smallmouth. I’m currently in the 6 lb range and I would love a 7 lber, but I will honestly put this one on the back burner if I haven’t caught the spotted bass.

3) I’d like another largemouth over 15 lbs. Its been a very long time, I’ve hooked a few and completely butchered those battles. Its time I get one to the boat and fill some of the “weight range gap” between my biggest and 2nd biggest.

4) Catch a double-digit bass from at least one lake where I have not caught one before. (I’ll have to drive farther but I’ve got a few options in mind.)

5) Help at least one friend catch their first double-digit bass.

Now that you know exactly what my goals were its time for me to face the music. I didn’t have as successful a year as I would have liked. Yes, I caught some double-digit bass ( I got number 50 as a matter of fact) but not from a new lake. I did hook another 15+ lber but I waved goodbye after she buried herself in a weed bed. As I mentioned I might I let the smallmouth goal slip in order to continue pursuing the spotted bass goal. Now, that is the one place that I shined. This was the year of the spotted bass. I started the year with a personal best of 5.0 lbs and I broke it 7 times. I ended the year with a personal best 6.1 (and caught a 6.0 earlier in the same day.) Lastly, I helped two people catch double-digit bass and that was probably my favorite part of the whole year.

Now that you know how I stacked up against my goals you should feel more comfortable discussing yours. I’d love for all the members of the Tactical Bassin community to list your goals for 2012 in a comment at the bottom of this post.

Here is what I am shooting for in 2012:

1) After 3 years its time to stop putting it off and pull my guides license. Email me… we’ll go fishing.

2) Assist 5 anglers in catching their personal best, and have at least one of those be a 10+ lber.

3) Catch a 6.5 lb Spotted bass or larger (7 lbs would be good too)

4) Catch a 10 lber from a new body of water.

What are your goals and why? Whatever they may be, if you apply yourself and keep your eye on the prize you can accomplish them. It doesn’t matter if its a 20 lb largemouth in San Diego or a 3 lb largemouth in Wisconsin. Set your sites and do what it takes to meet your goals. Good luck in 2012!!!!

Now that you know exactly what my goals were its time for me to face the music. I didn't have as successful a year as I would have liked. Yes, I caught some double-digit bass ( I got number 50 as a matter of fact) but not from a new lake. I did hook another 15+ lber but I waved goodbye after she buried herself in a weed bed. As I mentioned I might I let the smallmouth goal slip in order to continue pursuing the spotted bass goal. Now, that is the one place that I shined. This was the year of the spotted bass. I started the year with a personal best of 5.0 lbs and I broke it 7 times. I ended the year with a personal best 6.1 (and caught a 6.0 earlier in the same day.) Lastly, I helped two people catch double-digit bass and that was probably my favorite part of the whole year.

Now that you know how I stacked up against my goals you should feel more comfortable discussing yours. I'd love for all the members of the Tactical Bassin community to list your goals for 2012 in a comment at the bottom of this post.

Here is what I am shooting for in 2012:

1) After 3 years its time to stop putting it off and pull my guides license. Email me... we'll go fishing.

2) Assist 5 anglers in catching their personal best, and have at least one of those be a 10+ lber.

3) Catch a 6.5 lb Spotted bass or larger (7 lbs would be good too)

4) Catch a 10 lber from a new body of water.

What are your goals and why? Whatever they may be, if you apply yourself and keep your eye on the prize you can accomplish them. It doesn't matter if its a 20 lb largemouth in San Diego or a 3 lb largemouth in Wisconsin. Set your sites and do what it takes to meet your goals. Good luck in 2012!!!!]]>