Displaying items by tag: Rapala https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca Fri, 29 Mar 2024 02:12:27 -0400 Joomla! - Open Source Content Management en-gb Jerkbaits Rule for Ontario’s Waters https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/jerkbaits-rule-for-ontarios-waters.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/jerkbaits-rule-for-ontarios-waters.html

For many years ... actually decades now, I have been a big fan of jerkbaits. From the start of bass season until it closes, I will always have at least one tied on and ready to go. Without doubt, my favorite is the Rapala X-Rap as it casts like a bullet and can suspend a couple of meters below the surface if you so desire.  It can be equally effective at catching a quick limit as it can at that kicker fish you need to cash a cheque. The X-Rap is the perfect search bait because even when most bass are shut down, there’s often one ornery one, perturbed enough to not let that uber tempting, injured minnow get away! And fortunately for you, bass often hang out together- so the one that gave himself away, can tell you others might be nearby and cacheable with a slower moving soft bait.

Maximizing Results With Your X-Rap:

X-Rap Bass Lure

Wil admires a nice northern Ontario smallmouth; caught from the bow of a canoe

Early in the year when water temps are below 60 F, I work this bait a lot less vigorously than when temps hover around 70 F or more. The slower, longer jerks and longer pauses when it’s cooler cater to the fish’s slower metabolism. Short yet rapid fire twitches attract the attention of hungry bass - especially smallmouth from shallow waters.  Ah ... but shallow to one angler may not seem all that shallow to another. Conversely shallow in one lake may not really be considered all that shallow in another. As a general rule though I think many anglers use these baits most often when they are in just six or seven feet of water... Big Mistake!
Here in Ontario I have no hesitation at all suggesting your X-Rap can be cast and worked effectively for bass in waters up to 15 feet deep.  This is especially true in our many clear water conditions for smallmouth where this bait shines. Additionally, once those big smallmouth begin chasing pelagic baitfish (usually by early fall) well away from shore – that suspending jerkbait can become highly effective in twice that depth  ... for suspending bass that are simply looking up to feed on those smelt, small cisco or shiners.

One key to success is making the longest cast possible. A 6.5’ Rapala Shift, medium heavy rod, matched with a Shift 35 series spinning reel and 8 lb test Suffix Floro maximizes the distance I can hurl this lure. In very rocky or heavily infested zebra mussel waters, I’ll move up to 10lb floro.  I would use a seven footer and have on occasion for even longer casts, but the downward jerks are tougher to do with the longer rod. Don’t be afraid to fish with the wind in your back either to increase your distance.

Another key element when fishing a jerkbait is to resist the urge to reel in the bait between jerks. Instead, reel just the slack line caused by pulling the bait down and forward. I also like to move my rod back after my typical two jerk cadence so that I’m not pulling the bait out of the strike zone too quickly. And ... don’t be afraid to experiment either.  Many times that two jerk cadence just won’t cut it and I’ve had to switch it up to three or four. Vary the length of that jerking motion too and you will notice an amazing difference in how that bait runs and can mimic a dying baitfish. Pay attention to what cadence the bass prefer on any given day or even time of day. It could very well be different from early morning low light conditions when they want it fast and furious compared to high noon when they want a more slow and methodical approach. In short let the fish decide and follow suit!

What About Off Colored Waters ... and Largemouth?

Bass caught on Rapala x-rap

Wil checks out a good largie; caught from the bow of a canoe

In some super muddy waters, jerkbaits are in my opinion not as effective as some other beefier artificials.  Admittedly though here in Ontario we don’t have too many of these lakes compared to our US neighbors. Even Lake Scugog is much clearer than it once was, now that zebra mussels have become well established. I find in even semi-stained waters where largemouth and smallmouth often are in the same general area, these rattling jerkbaits can be highly productive for both species. X-Raps can be worked overtop deep weeds or ripped thru sparse weedgrowth without too much trouble for largemouth as well as smallmouth. One difference I have noted however, is that largemouth seldom will want the bait worked as quickly and aggressively as their smaller mouthed cousins.

Does Lure Color matter?

This past weekend our Aurora Bassmaster club had a little club tournament on Go Home Lake.  For many the bite was quite tough, but afterwards, the small handful who threw jerkbaits appeared to do ok. I caught my share on a 4” white (Glass Ghost) color X-Rap but my limit was small and I placed out of the money.  Brad Jamieson threw the same sized X-Rap in hot pink however and caught bigger fish, for his first win of the season! “I recalled seeing an episode of Anglers Edge and heard Al Lindner mention how northern smallmouth love this colored X-Rap. So I switched from a perch colored one to the pretty pink bait ... and it did the trick,” he said.  At a club tournament earlier in the season the same color also made a big difference for me on Lake St John when I switched to this color to help me place 2nd.

Bass

Brad Jamieson is a hot young stick with the Aurora Bassmasters who won his first tournament of the season as a non boater thanks to his trusty X-Rap

However ... Despite personal color preferences I must admit that when, where and how a lure is used, far out way the importance of what color you choose to throw.  As noted however, I have seen color become that last deciding factor to make a real difference.  Sometimes it just means bass become better hooked when you tweak with colors so this can make the difference between landing or loosing fish. Other times, color can simply help fish see your lure better and if they’re actively feeding – that can get them chasing it down from greater distances instead of staying put!

There are more color varieties of X-Raps than you can shake a flippin stick at but I keep my preferred list fairly simple:
Clown color = this chartreuse/white and red bait is chosen in real dingy water or if quite windy or stormy;
Hot Pink = semi stained or tannic colored waters or if it’s an overcast dreary day;
Glass Ghost, Olive Green, Silver, Gold = clear waters, wherever pelagic baitfish exist;
Perch and Yellow Perch = whenever perch are a forage source for bass.

Wil Wegman huge bass

Wil at the bow of his bass boat with a big ol’ Simcoe smallmouth and the X-Rap that fooled the ol’ girl

Regardless of your color choices, next time you hit the water for bass, be sure to tie on a jerkbait and begin covering water ... cast after cast after cast could very well equal bass after bass after bass!

]]>
Open water Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:38:24 -0400
Pike Season Opener in Southern Ontario https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/pike-season-opener-in-southern-ontario.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/pike-season-opener-in-southern-ontario.html

The Greater Toronto Area is home to many species of sought after gamefish. Within the Lake Ontario waterfront portion of Canada's most populated region, trout and salmon reign supreme among elite anglers - thanks in no small part to the influx of over one million of these salmonids that are stocked annually by MNR. Rivers from the Ganaraska in the east to the Credit and Bronte in the west offer these anglers remarkable fishing opportunities. Further north well outside of the GTA ... rivers such as the Nottawasaga, Saugeen and Syndenham also produce. This spring has been no exception ... especially with delayed rainbow runs that provided remarkable fishing opportunities even on the regular trout opener (last Saturday in April) for fishing enthusiasts.

Ah ... but what about all the waterbodies in-between like the lakes that don't have those adipose finned fish ... what big, hard fighting fish can us everyday anglers fish for now that the trout opener is behind us?

Wil Wegman

Wil with a typical Lake Simcoe pike caught on one of his favorite pike lures - The Rapala X Rap

Well just like throughout most of northern Ontario, the southern parts of our vast province hold some remarkable pike waters. Lakes such as Canal, Balsam, Simcoe, Couchiching, Sparrow, St John, Gloucester, Island and Belwood are just some examples of where great pike fishing is available within easy reach of GTA anglers. In fact, they are all within a couple of hours of Toronto Outdoors Store.* Even more exciting is that the traditional opener ... the 2nd Saturday in May, marks the start of the spring pike season - one of the most exciting times of the whole year to chase these toothy waterwolves and the store not only has the bait and tackle to hook you up, but the expertise and latest scoop to offer you invaluable one-on-one advice when you visit the store.

Our 2nd Saturday in May Opener for many anglers marks the first time in six months that their boats have hit the water or their lines have been cast. SPRING IS HERE! So let's go pike fishing and here are some tips that will help you catch more of these top gamefish this spring.

Where to Go? Consider the spawn!

Northern Pike are one of the hardest-fighting fish that roam all of these waters. Whether it's the largest of these lakes (Simcoe) or the smallest (Island in Orangeville) these lakes all have something in common. Once the ice leaves the main lake, mature pike head for shallow back bays that have channels, rivers or even just ditches for them to swim up and spawn. By early May they are usually finished and although they may not have eaten much while busy reproducing - they sure are hungry by the time they get back to the lake or river mouth come opening day and on into the rest of the open water season.

Once pike leave their spawning haunts, they take up temporary residence at adjacent 'open-lake' areas. This is a transition period - one when they don't really eat - to one where they feed voraciously to compensate for energy reserves depleted during the rigorous spawn. This special shallow water bite can last for week's on-end depending on how rapidly the spring progresses. In 2014, the prolonged winter and ... to date, slow cold spring, seems to have delayed this process ... meaning that most pike should still be quite shallow on the opener and likely for several weeks thereafter.

Anglers should look for those shallow back bays with channels ... and pay special attention to those bays on northern shores facing south that have dark muck bottoms that can absorb the suns heat. These warm quicker and can out-produce other sites during late springs 10 to 1. Additionally- if you can locate any potential pike forage ... such as large minnows, perch, sunfish or suckers ... then consider that area as a potential primo spring pike territory.

Toronto Outdoors Store is located at 11B Gordon Mackey Rd in North York. When you exit Black Creek at Jane St, turn left. Go north on Jane, pass the KFC and when you get to the car wash, turn left again. We will be on your left hand side before you get to Leons. Anglers can easily stop in to pick up fresh bait or the hottest lure on their way fishing ... bright and early as store hours cater to the keen angler. Mondays are the only day they open 'late' - at 8 am. But Tuesday-Thursday its a 6am opener and Friday-Sunday its 5am. Once you're done, you can conveniently jump on the 400 as soon as you make a right from Gordon Mackay Rd.

Pike

Wil's buddy Bob Kendal when they fished a pike tournament in Cooks Bay; Lake Simcoe

When to Go? Consider the Weather!

Spring pike are like a lot of patrons to the Toronto Outdoor Store! Both pike and people are happy an incredibly long, cold winter is behind us and spring is here but when a cold front returns it reminds us of winter and we become downright miserable. We both begin to sulk - slow to move and downright ornery. Cold, wet, windy spring weather typically results in tough pike fishing especially if warmer weather preceded it. Warm, stable weather patterns on the other hand can force these water wolves into a feeding frenzy. Even if we just get two or three days of nice warm weather following days of cool and miserable weather - it can do the trick. And, you don't really need sunny blue skies with that warm weather either. Some of my best spring pike days have been during a light, warm drizzle! All things considered however, I still contend that the best time to go fishing ... is any time you can make the time!

What to Look For? Consider the Weeds!

Although cooler than normal water temps because of less sunny warm bright days this spring will undoubtedly slow new weedgrowth production - still look for that crisp newly emerging aquatic plant growth. Many plants that pike love - especially cabbage are just starting to develop in the spring and can be pike magnets. New green weeds provide oxygen for a host of microorganisms that attract forage fish, which in turn solicit interest from hungry northerns. Brown/dead weeds from last year on the other hand can still be around but they consume oxygen.

With that in mind- if I'm in an area with lots of brown leftover weeds from last year ... I skedaddle outta there in a hurry. Finding an area that has a mixture of weed types - like green coontail, native hydrilla and cabbage is a real bonus for the spring pike hunter.

As mentioned, pike search out warmer water and so too should anglers seeking them. We can't always assume those northern shores are the warmest though - so having a water temperature reading is key. Most high quality sonar units like the Lowrance HD unit I use have temperature displays that constantly monitor surface temp. My eyes are fixed on that display continually as I anticipate even a couple of degrees of warmer water during my travels.

How To Catch Them: Consider their Activity Level!

As a general guideline when pike are active in the spring they can be caught with hard baits worked with erratic movements that simulate injured or dying baitfish. For me, nothing beats throwing Rapala X Raps or Husky Jerks for these hungry northerns as they roam shallow waters on the prowl for an easy meal. The biggest mistake however that I see anglers make in the spring ... is that they work the bait just like they would in summer. During those warm water periods, snapping that bait back to the boat vigorously is not only warranted- but often required to trigger a strike. During the spring however pulling that suspending jerkbait down and then letting it slowly rise or hang in a neutral semi-buoyant position is the ticket.

Another very effective lure that is far more popular in the north than in the southern part of Ontario ... is the lowly in-line spinner. I learned this lesson the hard way when I first began to fish many of the popular pike tournaments in the north. Here local sticks would never consider anything less than a couple of rods rigged with their favorite in line spinner. This is where I first learned how productive Blue Fox Spinners really are up there and I soon discovered firsthand just how productive they can be down here in certain situations. Today ... many southern tournament pros are secretly covering up their Blue Fox spinners - hoping other competitors don't catch on that this simple 'northern lure' is their ticket to success down here as well.

Now, when pike are not active ... they need to be coaxed into striking and this means your presentations should slow down. For artificials think soft baits - whether you opt for the reel thing and use a live minnow, chub or sucker - or elect instead to toss a soft plastic Storm Pro Paddle Tail or their Wild Eye Pro Curly Tail bait. Both of these artificials come with a unique jig head that maximizes the real-life action of the baits that pike can find irresistible. The five inch Trigger X Minnows are especially productive in clear, shallow water when pike are finicky as they can perfectly imitate a dying minnow.

Of course there are still traditionalists who swear by live bait for spring northerns and it's no surprise many good anglers have so much confidence in using the 'real thing'. Unfortunately, finding 'the right' real thing can be almost as challenging as finding those larger toothy northerns we are hunting down. Well - fret no longer my angling friends ... because thanks to the Toronto Outdoor Store there is now a steady supply of pike minnows in the 4-6, 6-8 and 8-10 inch size categories available.
Regardless of the pike's activity level or what you are casting to catch them, many southern Ontario lakes have the added challenge of coping with ultra clear water conditions thanks to zebra mussels. Clear water makes sight oriented predators like pike very weary of poor presentations. Fishing with your line too close to the boat can spook them; using a big wire leader can make them turn away and throwing your shadow overtop the spot you are casting to sends them scurrying away like big teething babies.

To adjust to these challenges ... make ultra-long casts or if you prefer to troll keep your baits well back from the boat. Instead of the wire leaders that may be fine in 'off-colored' waterbodies - use fluorocarbon leaders. I prefer 30 lb Suffix Wind-On Leaders which are invisible underwater yet strong and tough enough to keep most pike from cutting through.

Wil Pike

Wil with a typical Lake Simcoe pike caught on one of his favorite pike lures - The Rapala X Rap

Why Fish Spring Northerns? Consider the Fun Factor!

Yah ... spring pike fishing here in southern Ontario is just plain downright fun! After a long winter of staring down an ice hole it's a welcome relief to be able to get the boat out again and begin casting. Pike action isn't always fast and furious but when they do strike - there is no mistaking it. Their strength and power is remarkable - not just when you're battling them on the end of your line, but also when you get them near the boat! Be ready - for that last minute burst of energy; many big pike are lost at this very moment! Use a good sized landing net such as the Frabil crankbait net (that won't tangle your lures) and have long nosed pliers or hook extractors handy as well as jaw spreaders to make hook removal easy on you and the fish.

Pike have a limit of six with a Sport Licence and two with a Conservation Licence throughout southern Ontario. Although I release the vast majority I catch throughout the year, pike caught from fresh, clean and still-cold waters in springtime can be exceptionally fine eating if properly prepared. They do have a series of Y bones - that need to be removed, but the white flesh is firm and flaky and some actually prefer it to walleye. Of course those extra large pike are so much more fun to catch than they are good to eat- so releasing those can be an important personal contribution to sustain the future of our great pike fisheries.

Who Fishes Spring Northerns? Consider Yourself Invited!

The lakes mentioned within easy driving distance of Toronto Outdoor Store have some great spring pike fishing. Monster northerns in the 25-30 pound class may be few and far between but these lakes do have good populations of 4-10 pound fish and in some, a good shot at one over 15 pounds. Anyone who appreciates a strong fighting fish will enjoy fishing pike ... so consider this your invitation to visit the Toronto Outdoor Store, pick up some great pike tackle or bait and give pike a try this spring!

-30 -

Wil Wegman is a multi-award winning outdoor writer and tournament angler from southern Ontario. He first began fishing pike tournaments shortly after he became hooked on bass tournaments ... and that was back in 1986! His fishing articles have been published in magazines like Outdoor Canada, Ontario Out of Doors, Real Fishing, Just Fishing, Bassmaster and BASS TIMES. He is the Hooked on Fishing columnist for Lake Simcoe Living Magazine and freelances for many other newspaper and media publications. He's the former editor of BassMan Magazine and volunteered as Conservation Director for the Ontario BASS Nation from 1995-2010. In 2013 he was Angler of the Year for his Aurora Bassmasters Club. Wil can be reached thru his Focus on Fishing site at www.wilwegman.com.

SPECIAL SIDEBAR:

The TORONTO OUTDOOR STORE is providing its valued customers with some outstanding specials on Saturday May 3rd and Sunday May 4th 2014. Rapala lures ... like those Rapala X Raps that Wil mentions in his pike article. We got em at a blow out price of just $20 for 4! At that price you'll want to stock up not only for pike lures but bass and walleye as well. Interested in fishing a pike or bass tournament? You'll want a digital weigh scale and culling system and the blowout price of $9.99 (reg $39.99) will be impossible to beat. SPECIAL - GRAB BAGS FREE TO THE FIRST 50 CUSTOMERS ON BOTH DAYS! FREE WORMS TO THE FIRST THOUSAND CUSTOMERS! LINE WINDING CLINIC, PENNY A YARD - THIS WEEKEND ONLY. For these and other great deals be sure to check out our spring flyer here

]]>
Open water Sat, 03 May 2014 13:13:59 -0400
Perching for MS 2014 Results - Over 460 people Ice Fish to End MS https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/press-release/perching-for-ms-2014-results-over-460-people-ice-fish-to-end-ms.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/press-release/perching-for-ms-2014-results-over-460-people-ice-fish-to-end-ms.html Perching for MS 2014 Results - Over 460 people Ice Fish  to End MS
Over 460 people Ice Fish to End MS

March 1, 2014 - Sibbald Point Provincial Park

In only its 4th year, Perchin For MS has become a major event to take note of. On March 1, 2014 the 4th Annual Perchin for MS Ice Fishing event took place at Sibbald Point Provincial Park in the Town of Georgina celebrating another great success.  Dubbed Lake Simcoe's Premier Ice Fishing Event by the fishers themselves, this event has become the place to be in the fishing community. This year saw over 460 competitors coming out for a day of fun and to fish for a cause, a cause near and dear to Doug Poirier the founder of the event.  

Doug himself suffers from MS and can't thank his friends, family and supporters enough.  The amazing support of the sponsors, volunteers, local community and that of the fishing community as a whole in Ontario really stands out at such an event.  People of all ages and walks of life come out to take part and make a difference.  This year's fishing was slower than usual…but still saw some great weights. 

Teams took to the ice at 8am and fished until 1pm.  Once all teams were weighed in…The winners of this year's Jack Link's Jackpot 1st place were once again TEAM ICE FISH consisting of Roman Runo and Janusz Kawalec with a weight of 7.16 lbs for 10 perch.   2nd place went to Team Ram Rod  - Rob Spragg and Jesse Burdin with a very close weight of 7.085lbs and 3rd place went to the Slab Slayers - Chris Liddle and Chuck Hopkins with a weight of 6.63lbs. 
The big fish award went to the Perch Commanders - Jesse King and Mike Parma with a jumbo perch weighing 1.33lbs.  This perch was 14.5" long with a girth of 9.75".  The guys will get a replica of the fish from Advanced Taxidermy and a trip to Chaudiere lodge.

The Humminbird Mystery weight this year was only hit by one team.  The Fat Joe Jiggers won themselves to brand new fish finders from Humminbird. 

The Rapala Mystery 36 prize which consisted of a $1000 prize pack from Rapala went to Team Get the Net, while team Rev 'N' Hank  took a great photo of themselves using their rapala gear to win the Rapala Show Us Your Gear Prize also a prize pack work $1000.

The HT "Anything's Possible" prize went to the last team to weigh in fish this year.  Showing that it doesn't always mean you have to be first to still win some amazing prizes.  Brian and Olivia McLeod walked away each with a Polar Ice Power Auger. 

It's not all about the prizes though.  The main focus is on MS -  Multiple Sclerosis.  This event not only is to raise money for MS, but is to also raise awareness.  Doug Poirier was diagnosed in late 2009 with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.  Doug's MS unfortunately has continued to get worse and he now is using a walker most of the time.  It hasn't stopped him though.  Doug continues to keep the fight going and to try and show others that life doesn't stop just because you have a disability.  "That is what this tournament is all about" - says Poirier. 

To date Perchin for MS has raised over $31 000.00 towards helping people with MS and finding a cure!  At this time…preliminary count indicates this year's event will add close to $15 000 more to that number.

Top 10

Place Team Number Team Name Weight (lbs)
1 121 Ice Fish 7.16
2 143 Team Ram Rod 7.085
3 180 Slab Slayers 6.63
4 103 Team Big Will Lee 6.28
5 20 Team BONK 6.185
6 37 721IRONWORKERS 5.95
7 181 Fish On 5.93
8 131 Team Gerard 5.81
9 98 Niagara Buck Boys 5.695
10 13 Thunder Perching 5.53

If you would still like to make a donation to this event…please visit www.perchinforms.com

Media:    
For more information please contact Doug Poirier at 289-231-2132 or perchin4ms@hotmail.com

]]>
admin@fishinglakesimcoe.ca (Administrator) Press Release Thu, 06 Mar 2014 00:38:39 -0500
Opening Bass Season 2013 https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/opening-bass-season-2013.html https://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/open-water/opening-bass-season-2013.html

Well bass season in 2013 began the 3rd week in June for many anglers who fish in Eastern Ontario but the traditional 4th Saturday opener held firm for Lake Simcoe and the rest of FMZ 16. Still it was an early start thanks to five Saturdays in June. It would not be surprising then to still find smallmouth bass on nests in Southern Ontario's largest inland lake. My pre fish on opening day however didn't point out any nesting bass pattern. Why? Because, the windy conditions and rough waters reduced visibility beneath the surface so I didn't know if the 7-9 foot pattern with drop shot included catching bedding bass or if they were just cruisers.  What pre fish did teach me however was that drop shot ruled and 7-9 feet was key for most bass.

The Casey Cup is held out of Orillia on opening weekend every year and attracts some of the finest anglers in Ontario. Almost all of the 84 teams who fished it headed for the trophy smallmouth waters of Lake Simcoe but last year partner Gerry Heels and I caught our 22 pounds in Couchiching … a personal best for both of us from that lake. This year however the spot that provided us those big bronzebacks was void of fish … so we headed to Simcoe early.  Our first couple of spots here didn't produce so thanks to the beautifully flat calm conditions we sped down to the south end of the lake where I had found the big smallmouth the day before.

As we arrive, we see one boat in the same general area … and it's none other than friend and fellow Aurora Bassmaster Barry Graves. Barry is one of the top winning tournament anglers in the province and I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw that he was already culling! We still didn't have a fish in the boat! It was obvious that the fish I caught yesterday were bedding bass as we could now begin to see the odd one that Barry hadn't got to yet.  Although I couldn't shake a fish off yesterday … today they just wouldn't stay hooked and I lost three in a row before I finally got one in the boat!

Our method didn't really involve casting to fish on beds but simulating the technique I used yesterday … slowly dragging a drop shot. I switched between an X Zone Slammer and a small 4 inch Trigger X Flutter Worm.  Thanks to the continuing calm conditions, we were fortunate to make another long move; this time to the far east side of the lake.  With just one bass in the well and more than half the day shot, we had to get our act together and fast!  Fortunately this new spot paid off and we were able to fill our limit.  Drop shotting was the way to go for all but one of our fish.  That last one- a nice five pounder came from a 5 inch Trigger X Flutter Worm that I had cast out and just left to soak. 

That spot was rather unique in that it had ridges of low lying stone that were no more than 10 feet wide but about 50 feet long. With the calm, clear conditions it was easy to see those subtle rocky ridges but that's where the bass were cruising so I knew sooner or later a bass would see that Flutter Worm and wouldn‘t be able to resist.  We weighed in 18 pounds and change which we knew would cut the mustard in this tournament. An incredible 58 teams weighed in more than 20 pound sacks, Barry had 27 and change for 5th and Joe Muszynski and Scott Murison won it with an awesome 29.55 lbs sack!

The next day I had planned off and was back pre fishing for our small club tournament on Lake Eugenia with Herb Quan. I've know Herb for more than 25 years; he actually was one of my first students in the bass fishing courses I used to teach at Seneca College. He's won my amBASSadors Cup before as well- a bi-annual tourney I used to hold for the students and is still one of the finest non-boaters I know. Anyway, we covered a lot of water on Eugenia that day, including plenty of the lake that neither of us had ever fished before. We had seven other Aurora Bassmasters attend this little pre-fishing event, so we decided to have a little fun tourney in the afternoon … no fishing docks …. one bass per boat limit … $10 bucks per head …. Biggest bass wins the pot!

I used part of the time to check out some new shorelines - where some potentially productive docks would be for the next day … but for the most part we fished the main lake.  Thanks to a stiff breeze, the conditions were ideal for spinnerbaits and my trusty ½ ounce Terminator whacked a pile of 1 ½ pounders. We enjoyed our best success on the edges of shale to sparse weed. Here a defined edge could be seen from a distance and working a spinnerbait along the edge often produced a smallmouth or largemouth bass.  The only real problem was that the bass weren't of the winning caliber - so I became more and more convinced I should concentrate my efforts on docks the next day when the real tournament began. As we weighed in- my biggest bass was 1.99 lbs and that of Des Barnes was an even 2.00 lbs … foiled by buddy Des!

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a great supper thanks to Rick Lewis who had a bunch of Pork Loin Roasts all marinated that he cooked on the club's BBQ. Combined with a great Cesar Salad and couple of cold beers and we were ready for the tournament early the next morning. Before we launched Des had a pleasant surprise for us and right near the launch he arrived early to make everyone (22 anglers) fresh Mexican Breakfast Burritos! Holy Moly what a treat that was Senor Desmond! A great way to start off another great day on the water!

My non boater for the day was Len Graves - father of Barry who both joined our club last year. It was the first time we had been paired together but we hit it off right away. At the point where we started- two other competitor boats all converged at once but after awhile I went down the shore and began to fish docks.  It took about ½ an hour before my first bite … but it was a swing and a miss! My second fish picked it up and I set hard … and although it was on for a couple of seconds it too came off. Finally on my third fish, I allowed it to swim a touch longer before setting hook - and that was the ticket to land one nice plum largie in the four pound range.

I continued down the shoreline skipping my unweighted Trigger X Flutter Worm rigged wacky style on a G-Lock Gamakatsu Worm Hook. That bait was rigged on a medium heavy Rapala Shift spinning rod and reel, with 10 lb test Suffix 832 braid and an 8 lb Suffix Floro leader. The color of the Flutter Worm was    green pumpkin with purple flake and I would cast it into every nook and cranny I could get it into below docks, boathouses and around boats.  A bass would come here and there and by 9:30 I was fortunate enough to have my limit. I kept on plugging and it became quite clear that docks with pontoon boats and especially those big pontoons themselves … were magical.  At one point Len was actually calling me out with each new pontoon boat and ready with the net before I even made my cast back to the bass' lair!

 Throughout the course of the day we fished docks about 80 % of the time and I was able to cull here and there fairly regularly. I tried a couple of other colored Trigger X baits and got bit on them as well. I even picked up another very well known brand and made an attempt to skip it under a dock- but the bait just didn't have the weight of the Trigger X to skip as far back under the dock.  When not dock fishing, we did the open water deal with spinnerbaits and got fish that way as well.

Perhaps the highlight of the day came near the end when I skipped my bait under a pontoon boat. Only problem was the bait skipped overtop the gas line of the outboard first so the bait was left dangling just below the water's surface on the other side. Almost in slow motion I could see a nice 3lb largie come up and grab the bait … so I dropped it just a touch then gingerly set the hook. The thrashing began but try as I might I couldn't get the bass under or over the obstacle- so I quickly moved in with my electric, reached down and grabbed the nice bass. This made up for the ones I lost first thing in the morning!

At weigh-in there weren't too many good sacks but Paul Godino had a decent one at 12.15 lbs. His big fish came in at an even 4.00.  Then it was my turn and my weight of 15.56 gave me the win and I was hoping for Big Bass as well… but alas the same result as yesterday was my destiny - a 3.99 pound largie - just shy of Paul's 4 pounder … foiled yet again!

Wil Wegman Bass 2013
Wil with two of his five bass limit

Bass Baits
This is what the bass wanted for breakfast,
lunch and dinner at Wil’s first club tournament of the season

 

]]>
Open water Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:01:19 -0400