Rattletrap Ramblings

Oh man, it’s starting to get really hot out there here in Central Florida and it’s about that time of the year when the jig bite really turns on around here. I just started experimenting with jigs last summer but I’m convinced it’s a summer time big fish bait here in Florida especially if you’re fishing around a lot of bluegill.

My first experience with the jig didn’t involve flippin, instead I swam a 1/4 oz around patchy hydrilla and kissimmee grass. I mean you get some hellacious bites with thing and I’ve been hooked ever since my friend Pete showed me how to fish this thing. The best way to describe the technique is equal parts twitching and reeling at the same time.

I throw the swim jig on 50 lb Sufix 832, Shimano Chronarch D7, and 7′ heavy action Kistler Helium II LTX.

The only color I’ll throw around here is black/blue and brown/blue. My favorite brands for swimming jigs is the Strike King KVD Heavy Cover Swim Jig and the Yank’em Fathead Jigs. The KVD jig comes with a stout hook, rattles, and a nice trailer keeper. The Yank’em Fathead Jigs are hand tied, come with a nice hook, and also has a nice trailer keeper but minus the rattles.

It seems like there’s also kinds of choices for trailers. Mag speedworms, swim senkos, skinny dippers, and grubs all work good but my favorite is the Baby T by Ketchum Lures hand poured by friend Pete Saraf. They are extra soft because they’re hand poured and I think has a bit more action than most plastics on the market.

I’m tellin ya once you start catching big bass on a swimming jig, you start obsessing over it.

The old timers around here have been telling me about flippin a jig for years, but I started trying it last summer and I’m totally convinced that it’s the bait of choice if you’re looking for a big bite in Florida when it’s scorching hot out.

I started flipping a black/blue Denny Brauer jig and a Rattleback jig in 1/2 oz and I’ve caught tons of giant fish on them. The Denny Brauer jigs has a stout hook, loud rattles, and a nice trailer keeper. The head comes with a nice eye details which gives off some flash on a sunny day. The Rattleback jig also has nice rattles, stout hook, and nice keeper but it comes with a rubber skirt instead of silicone. I’ve heard arguments that rubber has more action and if you drop it into a sink full of water you’ll notice how the skirt blooms out like an onion giving it a more bulky appeal with some very subtle quivers that I’m sure those big mama’s can’t resist.

One problem I’ve been having is bending the hooks out and then discovered the Hack Attack jig which comes with the stoutest hook out there and the widest gap between the hook point and the line tie. It’s an awesome jig and I really like the Okeechobee Craw color along with the standard black/blue.

Since I’m mainly fishing the jig in hot water, trailers with a lot of action seems do better. My favorites are the Paca Chunk and Chigger Craw in matching colors.

I’m still learning a lot about jig fishing but man is it fun. Besides, I’ve been reading in those bass mags for years how jigs are so awesome but now I know what they mean. I’m finally catching fish the textbook way. I’ve been watching Bill Dance catch fish with a jig and pig for years on TV and finally know why he likes them so much. Now only if I can find some flooded willows loaded with bass around here. I might have to go out of town for that kind of fishing.

The Shimano Curado E has been on sale in a lot of places lately for less than $140. My first inkling was to get a few at a really good price, but then I started thinking maybe they’re coming out with a new Curado.

A little research revealed this picture of Dave Mercer on Facebook with a shimano reel that I haven’t seen before paired with possibly a new split grip Crucial or Compre.

The boards that I’ve visited seems to think there will be a new Curado and Chronarch introduced at this year’s ICAST in July with them sharing the same body design like they did with the Bantam Curado and the Curado D series. They’re also supposedly introducing a new reel line to fit between the Core and the Curado.

My favorite reel at the moment is the Chronarch D which I’ve plucked off ebay at various times for just above $200 which is a heck of a lot more appealing than the $300 retail price. It’s basically a more solid Core. It’s a bit heavier, but 7.5 oz isn’t that heavy anyway. The slight amount of extra weight is a welcome tradeoff for a more solid feel.

I just wish they put the wider paddle handles found on the Curado E on the Chronarch D. From the looks of this picture, it looks like the wider paddles are coming on the new reels.

I’ve been wishing they came out with a 6:2:1 model with aluminum frame and sideplates and it looks like they might come out with one that’s called something else.

Currently, the only 6:2:1 models are the Core which is super expensive and the JDM Metanium MG which is even more expensive. I just don’t like the feel of the Citica E. I’ve been considering the Daiwa Zillion which has a real solid feel but it’s heavy like the Revo.

There’s also a new magnesium Revo supposedly coming out as well called the MGX and weighs only 5.4 oz. It also features a shallower spool for casting light line and lures.

I own some Revo’s and a lot of Shimano reels. The Chronarch D is my favorite and may be able pick some more up at a great price when these new reels come out. I just wish a 6:2:1 version existed in the US market.

The Revo’s have a real solid feel but too heavy for my taste and don’t throw as good as a Shimano. I’ll probably phase them out eventually.

The Diawa’s are awesome reels but the Zillion is too heavy and I can’t afford the Pixy or Steez.

I’m sure there’s gonna be lots of big news this year at ICAST and my wallet will probably be hurting once I find out about all the new toys.

I’m putting my 2008 Triton 18X2 Non Skid for sale so I can get my new rig. It’s got a 150 Optimax with warranty til 2013, non skid deck instead of carpet, a Lowrance 28C HD & X-135, jack plate, 70 lb digital Motorguide trolling motor, galvanized trailer, swing tongue, bigger than group 31 batteries for trolling motor, Keelguard, 3rd livewell for bait, and more.

It’s been garage kept and in impeccable condition.

Asking Price: $21,000
Click HERE to Contact Me.

Sorry I haven’t post in a while, but like many of us, we’ve had to focus more on earning a living than fishing lately. It doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about fishing all the time though.

One of the thoughts that occurred to me recently is that we all try too hard to make sense of what’s going on with bass. I mean really, there’s a lot of theories on bass behavior but there’s also a lot of gaps in those theories as well. There’s a lot of instances where you have to just go fishing and hope to hit one in the head to find’em.

I’m no scientist, but I know that bass don’t do what they’re supposed to do a lot of times. There’s a few things that always hold true like focusing on isolated cover, bass like stable weather, they spawn shallow, etc., but there’s a whole lot of stuff those theories can’t come close to explaining.

The only one who seems to have it figured out is Kevin Van Dam and I’ve read his book numerous times. Heck, even his book can’t explain everything.

I know bass like steep banks during the winter, get skittish when the water falls, love areas with hydrilla and a shell bar, and so on but I get a kick when someone talks to me about what the fish are doing like it’s some indisputable fact backed by empirical evidence. Heck, even the established theories get proven wrong all the time.

Galileo was thought be foremost expert on the shape of the Earth until Columbus proved his dumb ass wrong.

I took an economics theory class in college and the most important thing I learned in it had nothing to do with economics. I think the professor was a bit of a former hippy. His saying was “onward through the fog”. I wonder what kind of fog he was talking about to this day but I’ve got a pretty good idea.

Anyway, he said the point of his class was to teach us how decide for ourselves which theories in economics or theories we’ll hear about various subjects in the future are correct or incorrect. Along with insights from Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes, the class provided me a structured way for me analyze intellectual contentions.

I guess I’m a skeptic at heart so I’m highly critical of any theories I hear on bass behavior. I hear a lot of theories from bass fisherman, bass magazines, and so called experts on bass behavior and I’m like I’ll believe it when I see it. I want empirical evidence that a lot of these guys can’t provide.

Just because they publish it in the Bassmaster Mag, it doesn’t mean it’s true.

My journey through the bass fishing fog is still a bit unclear with moments of clarity.

My hope is that the clearer moments will become more frequent.

My 2011 Kistler Micro Magnesium TS came in the mail the other day and boy what a rod. I love this thing. The first thing I noticed was the light weight and crispness of the rod. They came equipped with Fuji Tangle Free Micro K Guides.

I’ve got the 7′ medium heavy Micro Mag paired up with a Curado E50 and 15 lb Seaguar Abraz X and the 7′ extra heavy Micro Mag with a Curado 200 E7 and 65 lb Sufix 832 braid.

Both balance real well with these reels and look awesome with the green Curado.

I read the TackleTour review on these rods and they’re right, when you try a rod with conventional guides and then try the Micro Mag it’s like putting on tennis shoes after wearing leather soled dress shoes all day. It really is that big of a difference.

The rod is a lot more sensitive since there’s less mass on the blank itself and there’s a crispness that’s hard to explain with words.

Of course, the Kistler blank is good already. I love the soft tip actions on all Kistler blanks, even on the extra heavy “Broom Stick”. You’ll realize the importance of the soft tip action when you rip hooks out of a fish’s mouth or lose a fish by the boat.

Probably my favorite feature of the Micro Mag is the guides itself. They’re tangle free meaning no more of that dreaded line wrap around the guides and tip. You’ll notice the micro guides are angled upward and the tip has an anti grabbing frame to avoid those annoying tangles. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been frustrated from the line wrapping around the guides. Finally, those days are over.

The 7′ medium heavy will be used for senkos, flukes, and 1/8 weenie worms. I’ll probably get another one spooled with mono for heavy topwaters like Super Spooks.

The 7′ extra heavy is only a frog rod (i.e. Spro frogs, horny toads, mag speedworm, etc.). You could use it to flip with, but I love my 7’6″ Kistler Z Bone which is always on my deck no matter where I go.

These things are freakin awesome and will be getting another medium, medium heavy, and heavy in the near future. My new boat fund is taking a little step backwards but well worth it.

The one tip I can give you if you decide to buy a Micro Mag is that all Kistlers run a little light except for the extra heavy which could be used as a weapon if I decided not to fish with it anymore, so pay close attention to lure ratings. For example, my old Shimano Crucial medium heavy had a lure rating of 1/4 -1 which is the same lure rating on a heavy Kistler.

I fished the Weekend Series tournament out of Camp Mack this past Saturday and finished 3rd with a little over 16 pounds. I had those by 10 AM, and started looking for beds. I came across one about 12 pounds and decided I was gonna catch that joker but to no avail after 3 hours.

I probably should’ve abandoned ship after an hour but this fish was big big.

I have no idea what the water temperature was since I never put on my sonar, but I think it was in the 70′s.

All of the fish I caught were off beds, but I caught them blind casting a speed worm on my heavy Helium LTX and a skinny dipper on my 7’6″ heavy Helium LTA.

They were bedding in about 3 to 4 feet of water and difficult to see unless it was dead still and sunny.

I’ve been working my butt off trying to save for a new boat this year and only put in a day and half of practice. The wind was so bad the few days prior to the tournament that I only found 2 areas still with clean water.

I got a little worried when a lot of guys told me they were catching fish in those areas with muddy water, but my experience in Florida is to go somewhere else if it’s muddy. I ran the whole lake and only found 2 areas without mud.

The day of the tournament, the winds were calm and finally started noticing more and more beds on the grass line instead of the pads. I caught an 8.5 pounder off the grass and my co angler caught one about the same size off the grass just before noon.

You never know about these things, but I’m thinkin I should’ve gotten the flippin stick out and probe for likely beds in the grass instead of getting stuck on one fish.

All in all, it was just nice getting away from work and being on the lake. More and more, I’m starting to believe there is such a thing as too much practice and the best way to prepare for a tournament is to fish the 2 days prior to the tournament so you fish the current conditions better.

I fished the Bassmaster Weekend Series event on the Harris Chain this weekend and weighed in just under 9 pounds with 3 fish. I planned on pre fishing all of Friday, but my trolling motor stopped working at about 11 and that was it for practice. I spent the rest of the day finding someone to fix my trolling motor.

I’m not making any excuses. I’ve been spending some time out on the Harris Chain and had plenty of places to go.

I thought the tournament would be won sight fishing, but for some reason the bedding fish were in a foul mood. They were locked on, but wouldn’t touch anything I threw in there. I could knock them in the head and they weren’t moving. I’d just get a look back and end up in a staring contest.

At about noon, I decided to abandon ship and just go fishing.

I guess I have commitment problems. I told myself you’ve got to be willing to zero when you go sight fishing, but I bailed halfway through the day.

I think I made the right decision, but I’m disappointed I didn’t stick to my game plan.

My biggest weakness is that I like to run too many spots. Part of it is that my mind is racing all the time. I gotta figure out how to put the off switch on and just go fishing.

I’ve been catching 2o lbs in each of the 3 tournaments out on Harris the past month, but each time I’ve fished in a different spot and fished a different way.

Did I mention I didn’t cash a check in any of those tournaments? It’s been taking 30 to 35 lbs, but it only took 19 pounds to win this tournament.

Watching the Classic this week makes me want to improve even more. The way some of the guys get kind of jittery and stutter about what’s going on is what I live for. I love feeling that nervous energy. I think it means it matters to you.

Call me a geek, but I get goosebumps when I watch those interviews. Ahhh… maybe someday I’ll know what it’s like fishing the Classic.

I’ll probably need to fix my commitment problems before it happens.

I’ve been pre fishing the Harris Chain the past few weeks and have fished the Sunday tournament out of Buzzard Beach a few times as well as the Xtreme tournament.

In each of those tournaments, I’ve been catching around 20 pounds and never even coming close to winning anything. The winners have been pulling in 30 to 35 pounds each time.

I mean really, you should be able to get your entry fee back at the very least with 20 pounds but not during spawning season on Harris.

I used to think sight fishing was the way to get such a big weight, but now I’m not so sure anymore.

I talked to the guy who pulled in 37 pounds for the Xtreme and he said he wasn’t looking at any of them. I’m almost thinkin those type of bedding fish are easier to catch on the Harris Chain since there’s only so many places you can sight fish out there and those places get a lot of pressure. It seems like the fishing pressure and weather patterns trump the moon phase on this chain.

I’m fishing the BWS out of Hickory Point this weekend and will be targeting bedding fish but probably won’t be looking at them unless I’ve got at least 20 pounds.

My strategy will probably be fishing pads with trick worms and rattletraps. Maybe, I can find some main lake spawners in the grass. Hopefully I’ll guess right this time.

I had a make a run to Bass Pro this week and as always, walked out of there with something I really didn’t need.

This time, it was the Koppers Live Target Frog. I can’t believe you can get so much detail in a lure for $10. It’s another one of those that may never see the water.

It looks so good, I may just frame it. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

Even the texture on the side is like a real frog. Don’t ask me how I know this, but I guess I’ve picked up a frog or two in my lifetime.

There’s probably no need for so much detail since I think bass just see a silhouette when they look at hollow body frogs anyway, but it’s one beautiful item to add to my collection. I mostly use black or white frogs, so this one will have to settle for looking good in my frog box.

Just noticed this video by Randall Tharp on the FLW site explaining when to use the frog, skinny dipper, and speedworm, basically all you need to know when fishing in Florida besides flippin and sight fishing.

Randall Tharp is also starting to post some neat videos on his personal site as well.

I’ve always had a suspicion that the speedworm is best out the three in areas with dead pad stems and hydrilla, but now I’m a little more sure about this scenario. The speedworm is also deadly around pads that are still alive and eel grass. I’ve also experimented with an 1/8 and 3/16 weight, but maybe I should use the 3/16 more often. Also, I’ve always thrown it on 15 lb mono but now more apt to throw it on 50 lb braid.

The skinny dipper is more suited for heavy cover and thrown on 65 lb braid according to the video.

I used to love throwing buzzing style frog baits but have gotten away from it a little bit. It used to have a permanent place on my deck but lately the other two styles have won over. After seeing this video, I’ll probably use it a little bit more in areas with sparse cover and throw it on 50 lb braid to get a little more casting distance.

He also point out in this video, that he uses a 6 power flippin stick with a soft tip for all these baits and says rods with too stiff a tip will rip the hooks out of the fish’s mouth when using braid. Of course, my favorite flippin stick with these characteristics is the Kistler Z Bone. The 6 power extra heavy Z Bone has a lot of backbone, it’s rated up to 6 ounces, yet has a very soft tip. It’s also light as most medium heavy rods and man is it sensitive.