Seaguar Fluorocarbon Contest!

As promised, I am going to give away a spool of Seaguar fluorocarbon.  You get your choice of AbrazX or InvizX in either 8, 12, or 20lb test.  Just let me know which one you want.  I will also be giving away a Seaguar visor, see details below for that prize.  But first, you have to win!  Here are the contest details:

Answer all three questions about Seaguar, they can be found on the Seaguar website.

#1 What year did Seaguar invent fluorocarbon line? To specify, in what year did they introduce Seaguar fluorocarbon to the Osaka Fishing Tackle Exhibition?

#2 Two part question.  What does Tatsu mean in Japanese? How is Tatsu different (Made exclusively from - - 100% Seaguar resins)?

#3 What Seaguar technology ensures that all spools are spooled smoothly onto the spool?

Once you have your answers, send them to tylerbrinks1@gmail.com.  Also hit the "Facebook Share" button for the second prize which is a Seaguar visor!  Only those who share can win that prize, and it is possible to win both.  Just make sure to include in your email that you shared and I will do a second drawing.

The deadline for entry is Wednesday, January 5th at Midnight (Eastern Time).  Winners will be selected from a draw on random.org. The winner will be announced Thursday.

Good luck!

An Interview with Michael Bennett

The past few months have been tumultuous to say the least for Michael Bennett.  In October, he was in sight of qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series until a 65th place finish at Lake Seminole moved him down to 15th on the Southern Open points list, just out of range for qualification.  Then, just last week he decided against fishing the FLW Tour as there was no guarantee that he would be given a new team sponsor deal.  Bassfan did an interview with him last week and the bass fishing world has paid attention and the forums and social media sites have been voicing their opinion on what happened.  A former Forrest Wood Cup winner with over 1.5 million in winnings will now be sitting out the 2011 FLW Tour season.  Overall the support has been in favor of Michael, and he remains positive and optimistic about his future as a professional bass fisherman.  I had the chance to talk with Michael earlier today and get his thoughts on bass fishing, his recent news and the future of bass fishing.  

Michael has been a huge supporter of FLW Outdoors since an early age.  I remember when we first met after he qualified for the 2002 BFL All-American at the age of 17 (The youngest ever pro qualifier for this championship event).  I had the opportunity to also qualify for that event as a co-angler at the age of 18, and his older brother R.J. also qualified that year at the age of 19.  It was definitely a year for the young guys from the West making the trip to Shreveport, LA.  With that said, there should be no denying his loyalty to FLW Outdoors.

TB: What are your thoughts on the whole FLW issue?

MB: It's just a weird situation.  I have been fishing FLW events since they were called Operation Bass and have been loyal to the tour for the last six years.  I feel like I have done everything they have wanted me to.  When I won the Forrest Wood cup, I felt like I hit a milestone and felt like it would make it easier to get sponsors.  Obviously I won a good amount of money, but I am looking at it from a return on investment aspect.  It's much harder when you pay your own way and it puts much more pressure on your fishing.  It was just a business decision and I understand that with the economy things are bad for everyone.  I wouldn't rule out fishing FLW again, just not for the next year.

TB: You got into the Southern Open on Toho in a few weeks and also mentioned the PAA as an option, what all do you have planned for this year?

MB: Definitely the Southern Opens to try to qualify for the Elite Series.  That's one of my goals and then to see what types of sponsor possibilities come about from that if I make it in.  The PAA is a great organization but I probably won't fish it this year.  I'm going to focus on the Opens and my new business I started.  It will definitely be a year with less fishing, which will be kind of weird for me, but it may be good for me.  For whatever reason, 2010 was tougher for me and I believe it was mental more than anything.  2010 was good for me in other ways and I'm really excited to be working with BassTackleSupply.com.  They are based right near me in Panama City and have been doing alot with the clubs and weekend guys.

TB: What are you expecting from this Toho event in a few weeks? What is your game plan?

MB: As you know, in Florida weather is everything.  I will be watching the weather every single day until the tournament starts.  I've been there before and have done pretty well, so I feel like I'm ready.  It will either be pre-spawn, a spawning deal or a situation where you have to deal with a cold front.  That's Florida fishing. If it's a spawn tournament, I doubt it will be like the year Rojas broke the record.  It might never be like that again.

TB: You did well the last time in 2008, the last time the FLW Tour made a stop at Toho: What did you do that year to place 22nd?   

MB: The first day I had around 3 pounds but had almost 17 the next.  It was post spawn last time and I kind of camped in one little area.  We had a little cold front come through so it was pretty tough on the first day.  The fish were feeding on those big golden shiners the second day and I just went back and forth in one little area.  The thing about Florida is that everyone expects huge bass and 20lb stringers, but if the weather is bad it's a struggle, and many times getting that 10-12 pounds every day is what does well.

TB: I know you count sight fishing as one of your strengths, what else do you consider a strength?

MB: Anything topwater would definitely be one of my strengths.  I also like any time we are faced with clear water.  I feel really comfortable with finesse techniques, like a senko or a small worm.  Really Florida lakes fit my style because you can fish clear water, topwater and soft plastics most of the time.

TB: Looking back a few years to when you won the FLW Tour stop on Smith Lake in Alabama.  You fished depths of up to 60 feet with a wacky-rig, that was just crazy!  What other "off the wall" type stuff has really worked for you over the years?

MB: One thing in Florida which most people don't do it to fish the offshore stuff.  I have done pretty well fishing offshore grass.  Those types of places get less pressure and are less obvious to most of the fishermen.

TB: I always try to ask pros what advice they have for someone fishing from the back of the boat.  What advice do you have for co-anglers?

MB: Number one would be to not get discouraged and to keep your bait wet.  In many situations, especially in Florida, fish are moving in and out of areas.  Keep casting around because fish might move in on a spot five minutes after it's already been fished by a pro.  For the most part, it's not a good idea to copy what the pro is doing.  Usually they are going to get the first chance at the fish and catch them if they are going to bite. Also don't be afraid to experiment with new baits. 

TB: What do you think of the changes with B.A.S.S. and FLW?

MB: Both organizations are making some changes that are positive for the sport.  It's really too soon to tell what is going to happen, but I feel like we are kind of over the hump and moving forward.

It was great talking with with Michael and I'm confident he will continue his success on whatever trail he decides to fish in the future.  Michael's Facebook Fan Page is pretty active with news from his tournaments.  If you haven't already: Become a Follower.  Also check out his website MichaelBennettFishing.com.

Approaching New Water

For those of you who regularly travel to new water, or fish tournaments that frequently bring you to unfamiliar impoundments, you are probably familiar with the overwhelming feeling of "what do I do now?" Well, to offer some consolation, there are several steps you can take to combat this all-to-familiar problem, many of which are much easier than you might anticipate.
First of all, some of the most important steps you can take to prepare for new water can be done days or weeks in advance before traveling to your new destination. I consider these steps a form of "bassin' reconnaissance", that will, if done correctly, eliminate a whole lot of unproductive water. Topographical maps, web pages, phone calls to local marinas and bait shops all make up this first step of intelligence gathering. Also, as of late, GPS and Loran numbers, however hard they may be to come by, have become a crucial ingredient in the recipe for angling success.
As a rule of thumb, the first thing I like to do before fishing a new body of water is to secure a reliable topographical map. In the event that the body of water is an impoundment, where the lake was created by flooding a river valley, I like to acquire pre- and post-flooding maps. Many valuable pieces of submerged structure, often times man made, such as buildings or road bridges and beds, can be found on the pre-flooding map, and consequently be located on the post-flooding map. If you have the time and the resources, making a transparency overlay of the pre-flood map that can be fitted over the post-flood map can make locating important submerged structure quick and efficient. This is especially useful if the lake in question lacks visible man made surface structure such as bridges and docks. Of course only a trip over the area with an attuned depth finder will guarantee the presence of the suspected structure. But having some idea of what's down there will make the approach a great deal easier.
After maps, I solemnly believe the next greatest method of info gathering is plain old-fashioned phone calls to bait shops and marinas in the vicinity of your target water. Now granted the quality of the information will vary by each situation, but from experience, I have found most marina and bait shop owners to be more than cooperative when it comes to angling inquiries. Blunt or frontal questions you might want to avoid are usually, "what are they hitting on", or "where is the hot spot this week". Rather, you should use this valuable resource to confirm the validity of information you have already gathered. Specific questions like "my map shows a large weed bed in the North East corner of the main lake, what kind of vegetation is it made up of, and have you heard of anyone bringing in anything substantial off of it?" will usually garner a more friendly and accurate response. I have learned that it's usually not what they are hitting on, but rather where. Once you have the location, the rest becomes substantially easier.
Another great way to make use of this resource is to let them help you with logistical details of your trips. Trust me when I say take the advice of the locals on where and where not to stay and eat. The same applies to directions to launch ramps and other similar local locations. I think we all may have had the nightmare experience of asking a recently immigrated 24 hour convenience store clerk directions to a nearly-impossible-to-find launch ramp at five in the morning, because in all your direction gathering you forgot the last leg from the motel to the ramp.
Finally, don't hesitate to ask about previous tournaments in the area and the statistics about them. I have formulated several plans based on the results and information I have gathered on previous tournaments. Again, provided you can maintain a friendly demeanor, the amount of info available from this source is only limited to the number of phone calls you are willing to make. They can help you get on more and better fish as well as avoid headaches come time to hit the water.
In the last few years, in the wake of the Internet tidal wave, web pages and chat rooms have made it quick and easy to gather information on nearly any body of water in the country. I feel, as it stands now, one could do a great deal of his or her research online and wind up with a fairly complete case file for either a tournament or recreational fishing excursion. Though it should be noted that while the Internet is a very powerful and convenient resource, it is not a be-all end-all of fishing planning. Depending on the body of water you are planning to fish, it is possible to have too much information to wade through, rather than not enough, which is just as dangerous and unbelievably time consuming. From experience, I have found breaking your search into smaller pieces, and entering that on a search engine will be far more efficient than simply entering in the lake name. This applies especially to larger, more nationally known bodies of water. For example, entering "Lake Fork" in a search engine to find a specific marina or launch ramp will garner countless results. But "Lake Fork Launch Ramps" will give you far less, and more accurate, results. This, of course, applies to all search aspects.
A great way to ensure this research is not done in vane, and not only for one trip, you might consider using the system of creating something of a case file for each lake you fish. By adding information as you gain it, each lake file grows. And you can refer back to it at any time, as well as continually expand it, until you have created something of a mini-encyclopedia of that lake. Of course this will take time, but as the amount of lakes grows, and you begin to fish the same waters again and again, be it recreationally or for tournament purposes, you will soon see the immense reward in doing this. I use this system. In each lake file, not only do I keep maps, photographs, and previous fishing reports, but I also keep the information on the motel where I stayed, restaurants, the directions to the launch ramp, and a host of other things that makes planning and making your trip incredibly easier. One more point, a great piece of information to keep in this file is the number to a local boat and motor repair shop. Even if you have never used it before, having it there will prevent a mad scramble to the yellow pages should something go wrong.
There are of course far more sources to gain pre-fish, and trip information than I have listed, as to list them all would be nearly impossible. Simply keep an open ear, and as in my case, you might consider carrying a small note pad with you. One would be amazed at what one can pick up just from listening up at the ramp. While it's widely known that there is certainly no substitute for time on the water, I hope this has at least shed some light on an otherwise usually ignored subject.

By: Gordon Holman

The Spotlight: Sasquatch Soft Plastics

This is the first of what I hope to be many posts that showcase and spotlight the companies and people who deserve some recognition.  I am going to focus on the people in the bass fishing community who are just like the rest of us, the ones who you'd like to spend a day on the water with.  First up is Sasquatch Soft Plastics!

Soft plastics baits are no doubt the best selling and in my opinion, the best producing, bass lures on the market.  Companies come and go and many seem to be exactly the same as the next one.  All you need to do is pour some watermelon/red flake and green pumpkin worms and you're in business.  That's not how Derek Kaalberg at Sasquatch does things.  To him, it's more than just making baits that everyone else can do.  He is about making unique and totally custom baits for each customer.  Sure, he will pour you 10 inch worms in Junebug, but the idea behind his company is that "color choices are COMPLETELY custom, meaning you have the power to choose what you want.  No exceptions!"  I ordered some of his Spooky Flukes in a secret color earlier this year and they have been awesome.  

I had the chance to talk with Derek recently and asked him a few questions about his company and how he got started.

TB: How did you start pouring soft plastic baits?

DK: Well, I used to make homemade spinnerbaits with my dad when I was younger, and I always loved it.  We even played around with fly tying, but when I started tournament fishing in 2009, it didn't take long to figure out that these guys are looking for something that is a little different to get a leg up on the competition.  So that Winter, I started looking for custom baits myself, and kept finding the same styles here and there from different custom plastic guys.  The wheels started turning and I remembered how much I loved making my own tackle.

TB: How long does it take it from thought to design to finished product?

DK: It is surprisingly fast. After I got my first set of custom molds made into aluminum injection molds, I kinda sat back and thought, "Wow, a couple months ago, these were just ideas scribbled on paper!"

Step by step, what my brother and I did was ultimately draw the designs on paper.  They were either compilations of different baits or just crazy ideas we had thought up.  

Next, we use some craft-grade modeling clay and make a scale version of the bait.  When we get it just right, we bake it in the oven to harden up the clay.

Now the work and waiting begins.  In order to get a copy of our idea into a plastic bait, we needed a simple yet effective molding process.  Simply put, Plaster of Paris.  Theres a lot more to it than that, but hey, I can't share EVERYTHING.

After the plaster molds are refined and plastics are poured and tank tested and everything seems to work and look alright, I send the clay models off to a mold maker.

TB: What are your best sellers?

DK: The best sellers would definitely have to be the 3.5" Baby Skunk Apes, the 5.25" Spooky Flukes, 4" E-Dah Craws and surprisingly to me...the 3.5" Jace Craw Jig Chunks.

TB: What are the coolest custom colors you have made?

DK: In starting this, I have had requests for so many cool colors and seeing them written on paper does it no justice at all.  It's awesome to see some of these colors come to life right in front of you and I must say, I do have some new favorites.

But the single most crazy color I have done was for Pro-Staffer Devon Gamboe who is on the Moline High School Tournament Bass Fishing Team.  Devon asked for a custom 6" Littlefoot finesse worm.  The body of the worm was watermelon/blue sapphire laminate with a blood red spade tail.  It was a very cool looking bait and kind of reminded me of a clown pattern.  Normally, I will not release a customer's custom color unless they don't mind.

The custom aspect of Sasquatch is the coolest thing for me.  To be able to provide anglers with that favorite color that had been discontinued or a color they thought up on their own is awfully rewarding.  Just the thought of anglers catching fish on baits I made is enough of a reward for me and I truly mean that!

TB: So what's next for Sasquatch?

DK: The sky is the limit.  We are still drawing up new designs and trying to get the name out there.  I think with the Pro-Staffers I have now, Sasquatch will be more recognized across the bass fishing community come next Summer.  I myself will be fishing the B.A.S.S. Weekend Series events to help promote the brand.  But as long as I love and enjoy making custom baits for myself and customers I don't really see Sasquatch Soft Plastics going anywhere but up.  The baits work for me, it's just convincing everyone else that they will work for them!

It was great talking with Derek and his enthusiasm showed.  He really cares about making great baits and making his customers happy.  If you have an idea for a color and nobody is making it, give him a call: (309)738-1322.  You will be impressed.  

• You can learn more about Sasquatch Soft Plastics by checking out their website: sasquatchsoftplastics.com

By: Tyler Brinks

Boat Lettering

I have taken the past few weeks to put together some ideas on how to promote sponsors and companies that stand behind me in my quest to achieve my fishing goals. I recently watched a short video on Wired2Fish about Denny Brauer and how he talks about the importance of a wrap and how it promotes his sponsors as a rolling advertisement. I thought this was a neat idea, did some research on a lower budget scale and got with Innecken Sign Works to do somy vinyl on my boat and truck. Now, comes the time to execute, which should be in the works very shortly. Applying sponsors or companies you truly stand behind as a source of advertisement is just one of the small things you can do for great companies you believe in, and I've had the pleasure so far with working with Sasquatch Soft Plastics, Xtreme Lure Creations, Innecken Sign Works and Inside Bass Fishing, as they will be represented on my boat and truck as it rolls down the road or is on the water. This is one of the few things I've learned to do in sponsor promotion, and in the end, you have a pretty sharp rig rolling down the road.

By: Cale Milam

New Strike King KVD 1.5/2.5 Square bill Crankbait

When you hear Strike King you might think crankbaits, Kevin Van Dam, Spinnerbaits or Denny Brauer or maybe all of the above.  Strike King is known for making the best crankbaits on the market.  They sponsor the best bass fisherman in B.A.S.S. or even the world, Kevin Van Dam.  So when the two have teamed up to make a new lure, you know it will be phenomenal.

The new KVD 1.5 and 2.5 square bill crankbaits live up to the name they have on them.  The baits come in two sizes the 1.5 is 3/8 OZ where the 2.5 is 5/8 OZ.  They both dive to 3-5 FT.  They are silent baits with no rattles in them for a stealth approach in shallow water.  Bass Pro Shops exclusively carries a rattling line of 1.5 and 2.5 baits when you want to fish dirty water with these baits.

The square bill allows the KVD 1.5 and 2.5 baits to deflect off of cover easily without fear of getting hung up.  Another great feature of the baits is that if floats.  You can real down the bait and pause it allowing the lure to float to the surface.  I used this technique with the KVD 1.5 fishing shallow rip rap, I would bounces the lure off the rocks and then pause it allowing it to float to the surface.  I would then reel it back down to the rocks and repeat the process.  The bass would devour the bait both well moving and during the pause.  The KVD 1.5 and 2.5 also work great around docks and bridge pilings.

The KVD 1.5 and 2.5 are a great in between bait for the Strike King Line up.  They fill the gap between the Series 4S and Series 4.  Yes Strike King has a crankbait for that in the Series1 but the KVD 1.5 and 2.5 are heavier baits and the profile is bigger.  This gives those larger bass something bigger to entice them.  Also the new lures have a truly square bill unlike the Series4s and Series1 that have more of a triangle bill on them.

The KVD 1.5 and 2.5 come with VMC #4 hooks on both the front and back of the baits.  This allows you to get good hook sets on those violent strikes that come from the bass you are catching.  They also both come with oval split shot rings on the nose of the bait which allows you to keep the bait running true without fear of your line causing any problems.

Over all the KVD 1.5 and 2.5 are great products.  They perform great out of the package without any modifications to them.  They come in a variety of colors and live up to the name KVD that daunts the package.  They cost $5.79 at Bass Pro Shop.  If you are looking for a little larger crankbait to fish those fallen trees, docks, rocks or bridge pilings make sure you pick some up before your next shallow water fishing trip.