b5 Media has chosen to do away with some of their sports channels. Unfortunately, one of those sports channels are GettingReel.com. With that being said, this will be my final post as I sign off. Thank You for the many of you who tuned in to share your views and thoughts on our great sport of fishing. I wish you all the best of luck and hope to one day see you on the water.
There are a whole bunch of lakes and reservoirs in our country that are becoming aged. What this means is that most of the hard ledges and bottom contours have silted or eroded away. A lot of the cover that was prevalent in the form of stumps and standing trees have even fallen or decomposed. This is just part of the natural aging process for most any body of water. This is one reason why water grasses in my opinion is so important. The offer many of the same things that other types of cover offer, plus it replenishes every year and keeps a lake fertile year round.
Options to help maintain bottom or deep cover in a body of water that has become aged involve conservation efforts on both the part of governing conservation departments, bass clubs, and individual anglers. These efforts involve sinking structures (pallets, Christmas trees, etc.) or planting and transplanting water grasses (hydrilla, mil-foil, hyacinth, etc.). For those of you who have small ponds, private lakes, or community areas, here is a video link along with a picture of a structure I have made in the past to help you get an idea of what I am talking about.
Something to remember is that not all structures are effective. There is a lot to placing structures in a body of water. With that being said, don’t just take any of your old junk and dump it in the water in hope of creating a fish habitat. Make sure you put some time, effort, planning, and research into your structure and place it in high percentage areas where bass will use it. Also be sure to check with your state, county, or other local governing conservation body to ensure that you are permitted to in fact sink structure habitats into public bodies of water.
Video -
Some of you may remember the old, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous TV show where viewers got to take a look into the life of some of America’s wealthiest. If you are a different generation, than you may know of shows like MTV Cribs. Well much like those shows, there are online segments available to view for fishing fans. Bass Zone has been doing an In The House series throughout 2008 that allows viewers and fans a behind the scenes look into some of today’s hottest anglers. We get to check out their rides, boats, houses, and most important of all…..their tackle rooms. Tell me these guys don’t have hoards of tackle. Many of them have a better selection in their garage than our local tackle shop.
These are not informative segments that break down tips and tactics, but it is a refreshing look at some of the anglers off of the water. Check them out at http://www.basszone.com/2008inthehouse/main.htm
The general consensus on the schedule is that it’s strong. This year, in my opinion, the FLW Tour failed to produce the same level of excitement that was/is being offered up by the BASS Elite Series schedule. Next year may be different. I’m really excited to see what kind of results Guntersville gives up in February and Table Rock (my home lake growing up) in March. Should be exciting!
2009 Schedule:
Feb. 12-15: Lake Guntersville, Huntsville, Ala.
March 12-15: Table Rock Lake, Branson, Mo.
April 23-26: Lake Norman, Charlotte, N.C.
May 14-17: Beaver Lake, Rogers, Ark.
June 11-14: Kentucky/Barkley lakes, Benton, Ky.
Aug. 9-12: Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
There are very few elements that would make me get off of the water but one of those few is definitely a water spout. What’s a water spout? Think of an on the water tornado. Several popped up in the vicinity of around 20 or so boats just off of Lake Erie’s Van Buren Point. Hopefully this doesn’t happen around any of the Elite Series anglers this week during practice or competition.
To check out pictures of the spout click here.
Congratulations to BASS Elite Series angler and Evan Williams Pro, Russ Lane and his new bride Jill (Fowler) Lane. They were wed on July 21 during a sunset ceremony on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. The two met at an Evan Williams publicity event.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/news/story?page=b_BTL_3_05_08
I just wanted to share with you all my new tournament jersey. I received it yesterday on the 3 week mark as promised. It is a sublimated jersey like many of the new Elite and FLW Tour Pros are wearing. I had Gemini Sports Marketing make it and I tell you, I am nothing but extremely happy with how easy the process was. The jersey looks fantastic. These pictures don’t do it justice.
FRONT
BACK
There is no possible way that I can, or would even attempt to list all of the news that came out of this year’s ICAST. Possibly, the biggest splash was made by BASS when they released their Elite Series schedules for ‘09 & ‘10. On top of that they turned around the following day and announced that co-anglers will not be back for the ‘09 season and on. Do not ask me to comment on that. Besides, there have been enough comments thrown around by everybody else at this point that it has gotten obscene in some cases.
Aside from that, you can visit just about any of the major fishing sites who attended the event and get some great photos and news straight out of the event. While I am not going to comment on all of the new products that were introduced, I do have a short list of a few I am extremely excited about.
1. Quantum’s new PT Series of bait casters. I have already posted some information on these new reels here. Two things have me excited about the new reels. One is the reduction in weight. Second is the fact that they will be offering a larger assortment of left handed models.
2. American Eagle Rods has a new rod that is set to hit. I don’t have as much information as I’d like to have on the new rods, but i am being told that AER has a new rod that is using a different blank that is just as sensitive as the ones they use now, but is much lighter in weight. AER had released this year their RoumbaStix Series, which is a Roumbanis signature series rod. You can check that rod out at www.Elitebass.com . I will post more news on the new AER rods once received.
3. Vicious has come out with a new braided line. This news was no secret. Vicious had been vocal through various forums and video releases prior to ICAST about their new braid. You can expect a full product review on this line once I receive it, and I promise that I will be first in whatever line I can get it. You can check out a video on the product by clicking here. You can also get an idea of what the sizes will be available and retail prices by clicking here.
4. Spro has also released a new “4 inch BBZ shad. I have really gotten on board the swimbait train and this bait looks like it will be a great addition to my arsenal. It’s size will be a great fit to “match the hatch” for many of the east coast fisheries local to me. I would be more than happy to throw 8-12 inch wooden swimbaits, but unfortunately the bites on the east coast would be much more rare than what the west coast bubbas experience. You can check out some info on the BBZ “4 by clicking here.
What a showing ICAST 2008 made! Talks around the boards have said that Orlando will be host to ICAST ‘09, sorry Vegas.
Shouldn’t we all take this same kind of care with our equipment? I don’t know, that’s getting pretty obsesisive. Regardless, there is no denying that Charlie Hartley is a stand-up guy and one of the nicest in this sport. If I was ever in the market, I think it would be safe to say that many of us would feel comfortable buying a truck or boat off of Charlie. We all know it’s well taken care of!
Recreational boaters to include bass boaters, can breath a deep sigh of relief. Congress has voted and passed the Clean Boating Act of 2008. With that being said, they also upheld to exclude recreational boaters from federal and state permitting requirements under the Clean Boating Act designed for land based industrial facilities and ocean going ships.
If you remember when I first commented on this last year, the issue was being pushed heavily by the EPA to help restore and keep out waters clean of nuisances that are brought into many of our inland waters via bilge and ballast tanks from foreign waters. The bill will now go to President Bush who is an advocate of the outdoors.
Read the NMMA release here.
All Poker Addicts
BCS Frenzy
College Fast Break
Dejuiced
Every Morning Quarterback
Girls Dig Sports
Gossip On Sports
Green Posse
Hockey Beat
Hoops Fantasy
Jab and Grapple
Knuckle Curve
Light the Torch
NBA Obsessed
Rackets And Balls
Real Muscle Online
Sneaks 'N Gear
Squib Kick
The Fantasy Kickoff
The Footie
Thoroughbred Fever
Recent Comments