THE LATEST NEWS
Fishing Evolved
2016 – a new year on the water and a highly anticipated new hard bait has entered the market. Berkley hard baits have arrived, after four years of intense research and development with input from legendary lure designer and crank bait guru David Fritts. Touting a line up consisting of 11 lures to fit just about any situation one could encounter on the water, the new Berkley hard bait series will be a game changer in tournaments across the country.
Testing by a team of America’s top fishermen (Berkley test team included David Fritts, Justin Lucas, Josh Bertrand, Gary Cline and Scott Suggs) on some of the toughest lakes across the country resulted in “better actions, better finishes and more bites at a suggested retail of $6.95-$7.95” per bait, making Berkley hard baits effective and affordable.
Here at Bass East, we are excited to be a part of this product launch and will be bringing you in-depth reviews of each bait over the next few months.
Find all the new offerings from Berkley here.
FLW Tour Pro Gerald Spohrer’s 2016 Ride
Here is a look at the boat FLW Tour Pro Gerald Spohrer will be running in 2016. Find out how the rigged it and why he did it the way he did.Be sure and follow Gerald on his Facebook page.
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Southern Open Recap with Sam George and Alton Jones Jr
The first Bassmaster Southern Open is in the books, Sam George and Alton Jones Jr. check in after the event.
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Shane Linebeger’s 2016 Southern Open #1 Recap
Let’s just start by saying I was very excited to dodge the winter storms and head to Florida for the first stop of the 2016 Bass Pro Shops Southern Open on Lake Toho. A long drive, to what I hoped was much warmer weather, increased the desire of getting the 2016 season off to a good start.
Practice was flat out brutal. I was faced with cold, muddy water to start but knew the coming weather would warm things up and have the fish ready to bite. Although I never put together a pattern, I did junk fish enough to catch a few good fish each day.
Day 1-Since I hadn’t figured out a pattern, I opted to start flipping a Reaction Innovations Beaver. After doing that for some time I gradually went back to junk fishing. Then, I picked up a TrueSouth spinnerbait and caught my first bass of the tournament. Some time went by with no more bites so I switched to a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper (Houdini) and caught number two. Caught my third fish on a Pop-R and ended out the day. I never could really get anything going. I went back to the motel, cut on my Blue Water LED lights, and tried to figure out where I had went wrong.
Day 2 approached and I wanted to go back to the thick grass to try and redeem myself. I had rigged up a Reins 1.5 ounce Tungsten weight on 65lb. P-Line XTCB Braid the night before which included a Reaction Innovations Beaver (Blank Check) on the business end. As my number come about during blastoff, I raised the TH Marine Atlas Jack Plate and hurried that Skeeter/Yamaha rig to my first stop. This is when good things started happening. I found very precise places the fish were locating and was able to pick these areas apart by employing the Power Poles. As my Abu MGX reel performed hundreds of flips effortlessly, the Abu Veracity Rod (7’9 Heavy) would pull them straight out of the thickest grass.
Overall I would finish in 95th place, definitely not what I had anticipated. I had 4-9lbs the first day and 12-8lbs the second day for a total of 17-1lbs. Wesley Strader went on to win the tournament with a 3-day total of 50-5. Congratulations to a great fisherman and even better person!
The tournament wasn’t a total loss. I learned a few do’s & don’ts during this tournament that should help me here in the future. Also, aside from all the tackle we use, I cannot stress the importance of fishing with a clear mind which enables you to hone in on the smallest details needed to catch fish.
My next stop will be the much awaited beginning of the 2016 Elite Series on St. John’s River in March.
Good Fishing, Shane Lineberger
Follow Shane on his Facebook page.
Day 2 from the Bass University
The Bass University continued today with a star studded line up of professional anglers including Pete Gluszek, Fred Roumbanis and Shaw Grigsby. The morning topics covered areas of fishing such as fishing grass with frogs and punching, cranking for Smallmouth and an in depth look at the drop shot rig and how to adapt it to conditions. These pros gave the crowd some fantastic tips, tricks and techniques to help them hone their skills.
After a brief breakout session, where again the students could pick the brains of the teachers, the class broke and reassembled after lunch. The afternoon session was again packed with information as students were busy writing down all the key notes from each speaker. Topics included Roumbanis talking about customizing tackle, Gluszek talking hair jigs, and Grigsby talking topwater and it all tying in to a great ending with Questions and Answers.
I had the opportunity to catch up with a couple students who traveled over 4 hours from Pennsylvania to learn from the pros. Matt Gaeng and Ryan Dailey said “there is no other platform like this for learning”. The environment The Bass University has with all of their classes is “relaxed and personable” where students can “ask the pros anything that’s on their minds”. Both Matt and Ryan are trying to make their way through local events and found this class, among others by The Bass University, to be inspiring.
Not only are students able to get amazing information from the pros, but also have the ability to network and chat with fellow anglers from across the region and nation. If there are no in-class sessions near you, The Bass University has the Online Training aspect where they record and post each and every speaker from every class around the USA. Coming soon, students across the board will be able to catch Bass University TV Live, inspired by Ike Live!
Check out The Bass University home page here for more information on upcoming classes and to sign up for their Online Training.
Follow me and more of my adventures with BassEast.com on my Facebook page.
Tight Lines! Doug Cameron