Skeet Reese, 2007 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year, has received one of five nominations for the Best Outdoor Athlete ESPY. He will be hanging out in Los Angeles with some of the world’s best athletes on July 20th.
When Skeet was asked how he felt about the nomination he said, “Every time one of us anglers gets nominated or win, it says that we are finally getting recognition as professional athletes and we deserve that”. Skeet will be up against: dog musher Lance Mackey, marathon swimmer Skip Storch, mountain climber Scott Smiley, and mountain climber Dav Hahn. To vote for Skeet or one of the other nominees, click here.
As of current, here is the roster of anglers who have qualified for the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup to be held August 14-17 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina. The roster will be completed once the FLW Tour pro are added concluding their final event on the Detroit River this weekend. To see the current Tour Standings and find out who is on the bubble click here.
BASS Elite Series pro, Kelly Jordan explains his summer strategies for locating big bass in Part 1 of a Bassmaster series. To read the story click here.
Currently, Kaotik Lures is looking for both Pro-Staff and Field-Staff Team Members
The Missouri based company has been providing tough, hand crafted quality lures since 2006. In that couple of years the company has grown at a rate that owner Jason Nightingale had never imagined. “It has been a great ride so far”, Jason said, “I have been fortunate enough to pick up the help of some great Pro-Staff members along the way who’s goal has been the same as mine and that is to help grow Kaotik Lures”.
Jason has seen the benefit of having a successful Pro-Staff & Field Staff first hand and said, “I want Kaotik to continue to grow and I feel like the best way to accomplish that is to continue looking for more Pro-Staff and Field Staff team members who share Kaotik’s enthusiasm for fishing and the outdoors”.
Kaotik also has a newly appointed Pro-Staff Director, Tank Mosley. “What I am looking for are anglers who believe in Kaotik Lures”, Tank said, “That is most important”. Tank will be selecting both Pro-Staff & Field-Staff positions based on an evaluation of your resume. “Your resume doesn’t have to be the best one out there. All I am looking for is something that shows me you are a goal oriented person with the desire to become a part of the Kaotik Lures Team.”
If you are interested in submitting for a Pro-Staff or Field-Staff position than send an e-mail to Tank Mosley at: Teamdiamondstrike1@yahoo.com
In the meantime make sure that you continue to visit the Kaotik Lures website at: http://www.shakerbait.com/ to fill up your tackle box.
“It’s been long and it’s been hard”, said Kevin Wirth after being asked about his 14 year dry spell by BASS emcee Keith Allen. Wirth, the former Kentucky Derby jockey, won the Tennessee Triumph on Old Hickory Lake with a 4 day total of 55-10 lbs after leading all 4 days of the event. The victory was good for a $100,000 payday.
The emotional Wirth was soon all smiles after confirming that this win has made his struggles all worht it. His fish were caught this week with a buzz bait and shallow flipping baby brush hogs. After many pundits and pros considered Wirth the man to beat down on Kentucky Lake, he showed his versatility by making up for what he thought was a finish he could have improved on in Kentucky. I’m sure if you ask anyone of the Elite Series anglers if they mind that this event was rescheduled from the flooded Mississippi River to Old Hickory, Wirth would surely be the first one to give a thumbs up approval.
A couple of other notes from the event:
-Bill Lowen secured his best BASS finish with a 2nd place finish.
-Rick Clunn has now had back to back weeks where he has slipped after going into the final day sitting in 2nd. Still Clunn has gone from 69th in the AOY points standings to back in Bassmaster Classic qualifying contention.
-Mart Stone made his 1st top 12 cut since the forming of the new Elite Series in 2006.
-Michael Iaconelli made just his 2nd top 12 cut of the year.
-Kevin VanDam still holds his AOY points lead, but his 32nd place finish allowed Todd Faircloth to close the gap with a 10th place finish.
Anyone reading this post should already know what I am wondering. Did Jason Quinn cut his hair or am I just not seeing it. The “Capt Jack Sparrow” (Pirates of the Caribbean) of the BASS Elite Series has long been known and easily identifiable by fans for his big looped earrings and his long haired pony tail. I wonder if he lost a bet. Take a look at the before and after photos and tell me what you think.
Last week on Kentucky This week on Old Hickory
*photos credited: ESPN/BASS
KJ & I backstage at the Elite Series Capitol Clash on the Potomac River.
Few of us still throw spoons as a primary tool and even more of us had forgotten that they were in our tackle box. That was until Kelly Jordan re-opened our eyes last year on the TV show, Ultimate Match Fishing when he used his convented Joe Spaits Spoon to quickly fill the box within minutes. If that’s not proof enough, try the century mark (100 lbs.) with a 10 fish limit over two days on Lake Fork. That’s what KJ did with the same spoon. I think he has earned himself the title ‘Spoonman’!
Pete Robbins wrote an article about KJ and the history of how the spoon came about to be a KJ staple. To read the story, click here.
It’s not to often that I am able to just enjoy a day on the water without trying to focus on figuring out a pattern for a tournament but that’s exactly what I did this past weekend. I loaded up the Stratos and my wife and I headed out to the Potomac River to enjoy a day on the water. Prior to loading up the boat, I was sorting some tackle to put together for our outing and decided to make things simple. I knew what kind of pattern the bass where in on the river and knew exactly what would make our day a smack fest. I rigged up only one rod for myself and tied on a Jig X that I had received from Vetical Lures to field test.
When I first opened the lure, the first thing I noticed was the unique patented line tie system that the Jig X has become known for. Before tying the jig on, I visited the Vertical Lures website to research the proper way to attach the jig to my line. Once I figured it out, it was a breeze. The other thing I noticed was the Teflon insert inside the jig head to help protect the line from fray. I was planning on putting this lure in some extremely heavy grass. The grass alone can be brutal on your line, so having the Teflon insert helps take car of my line at it’s weakest point being the knot.
The other two reasons I wanted to try out the Jig X in the heavy Potomac River grass was because of it’s hook and double rattle feature. Anytime you are setting the hook in heavy or matted grass, you need to have a big strong hook. The Jig X comes standard with a heavy gauge Mustad Ultra Point hook which is bent specifically for the Jig X to accompany their unique head design and improve hook-up ratio. The double rattle holder feature which I had mentioned was also going to help in the thick vegetation by allowing the bass to key in and find the bait.
One last thing I want to mention is the trailer that I outfitted on the Jig X for my outing. I used the Vertical Lures Chunk X with the Chunk X Sling system. The reason I chose to use this was because of the way that it holds the trailer in palce and keeps it from turning or sliding down the shank of the hook. Something else to note is that the Chunk X with it’s Sling system can be used with just about any jig.
My color of choice was Cayuga Craw tipped with a Bayou Craw trailer. I also chose to use only a single rattle on the jig. The water was pretty flat so I wanted something a little more subtle while maintaining the ability to draw in any nearby bass.
My wife and I hit the water at around 6 am. We were to our first spot by 6:30. To help eliminate alot of details and make a long story short, between the two of us we boated an upward of 15 bass within the first hour of the morning. My biggest 5 alone were around 14 lbs which was anchored by a 5 lb plus kicker. Again, I exclusively threw the Vertical Lures Jig X on a 7′6 heavy/fast action American Eagle XE Rod with 20 lb. Vicious Fluorocarbon line.
We spent a few more hours on the water until around 10 o’clock and the action never slowed. The bass I was hooking were absolutley eating the bait. The Chunk X trailer’s salty soft flavor gave the bass an extra incentive to grab ahold and not let go. The weedless design of the jig head also made it easy to pitch in and out of the cover without snagging a jig full of grass. It definitely helped ease my day of fishing by eliminating any frustrations and made our day that much better. The Jig X has definitely earned a spot in my tackle box. To check out the Vertical Lures Jig X along with their complete line-up baits and accessories, visit www.verticallures.com .
Here are just a few pics from the day on the water:
There are many people doing incredible things in the fishing industry. Many of which deserve recognition, but are done through contributions by anglers who expect no return for their efforts. One of those people is BASS Elite Series pro, Elton Luce Jr. who is a 40+ yr. veteran in the fishing industry. Elton currently has a son serving in the armed forces and a veteran of the Iraq war. With that being said, he and his family know a thing or two about sacrifice and the costs it comes with.
Elton has teamed with the Armed Forces Foundation in Washington D.C. to help aid soldiers and their families with critical situations that may arise as a result from their duty to our country. The AFF also helps form special outdoor outings and activities such as fishing events which Elton has also personally given his support to. “Seeing the joy on the faces of the soldiers as they compete against each other and catch fish, (some for the very first time!), is a blessing I will never forget”, Elton says about his participation. Elton also donates portions of his winnings to help the AFF with their efforts.
While Elton isn’t the only angler who helps support the AFF and their special events, he has helped bring national attention to the AFF and their goals. Even though there is usually a certain level of respect given to anglers at Elton’s level by other anglers because of their skill and ability to catch fish, things like this make it easy and demand respect from fellow anglers alike. Elton has surely brought about a favorable image for the fishing industry and himself as well. For that, Elton Luce Jr. has earned the Getting Reel Award! There are no plaques or awards, but it’s Getting Reel’s way of saying Thanks.
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