THE LATEST NEWS
David Dudley: Coachin’ Corner- Are Fishermen Actors?
In this edition of David Dudley’s Coachin’Corner the three time FLW Tour Angler of the Year and Forrest Wood Cup Champion asks “are fishermen actors? You may be surprised at the answer.
Crews Control: “Eliminate It”
Elite Series pro John Crews has been testing the new Eliminator from R2 Marine Innovations. In this edition of Crews Control John shares some of the benefits of this innovative new product that solves several long standing trolling motor issues.
BASS Elite Pro Joe Sancho and Rookies Matt and Jordan Lee Joins Mike Iaconelli on Ike Live!
Pittsgrove, NJ, January 13, 2015. BASS Elite pro Joe Sancho and rookies Matt and Jordan Lee are guests of Pro Angler Mike Iaconelli and co-host Pete Gluszek on Ike Live!, Monday, January 26, 7:00 -10:00 pm ET, live-streaming at www.MikeIaconelli.com. Ike After Hours, a free-form discussion among fish heads who call or tweet Mike and the gang, follows at 10:00 – 11:00 pm ET.
In addition, Ish Monroe and Keith Poche are slated to call-in to talk about their recent altercation. The two came boat-to-boat and face-to-face at the start of the Southern Open at Lake Toho, Fla. They both landed in the water and on the front pages of the bass fishing websites. They will give their perspectives and reflections.
Note that the start time for the show is moved to 7:00 pm ET to provide time for all the guests.
Sancho completed his rookie year on the Bass Elite Pro circuit in August, after some 20 years of weekend tournament fishing—the first eleven years as a non-boater. A New York City electrician whose employer supported his 2014 Elite Series fishing schedule, Sancho is quickly learning the rigors of professional fishing.
Brothers Matt and Jordan Lee start their rookie years on the Elite Series Pro circuit this coming season. Matt, 25, earned his berth through the Southern Opens, while Jordan, 23, earned his through the Central Opens. Both men made names for themselves in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series through Auburn University. In 2012, Matt beat Jordan in head-to-head competition to qualify for the 2013 Classic. The next year, Jordan qualified for the 2014 Classic, finishing in sixth place.
Fans can receive an email reminder for the show by joining Ike’s Fish Heads Nation and can opt-in to the monthly newsletter for links to videos and periodic discount offers. They also can watch videos of previous shows at MikeIaconelli.com/Ike Live and watch or subscribe to clips on YouTube at Going Ike.
About Mike “Ike” Iaconelli
A South Philadelphia native now living in South Jersey, Mike Iaconelli fell in love with fishing at his grandfather’s side in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He began fishing in tournaments after high school, joined the pro-am circuit in 1992 and turned pro in 2000. In 2003, he won the Bassmaster Classic. To date, he has won Bassmaster Elite, Classic, and Open championships, including the Bassmaster Elite on the Delaware River in August 2014, and earned over $2 MM in prize money. He and fellow fishing champ, Pete Gluszek, run The Bass University, which offers intense 2-day fishing classes that bring avid amateurs and professional fishermen together.
Lineberger’s Southern Open #1 Recap
By Shane Lineberger: As I headed to Florida for the first stop of the 2015 Bass Pro Shops Southern Opens on Lake Toho the excitement of getting tournament season started began to build. After a long drive to much nicer weather I began the pretournament ritual of prefishing.
Upon arrival I quickly put together a pattern that I was catching some good fish on. This pattern consisted of being offshore with a rattletrap around spotty grass. Knowing that this pattern would fade I was trying to keep up with the bigger fish I had found. As we approached the starting day of the tournament the water temperature had risen approximately 10 degrees to 69 degrees and the fish were heading towards the banks in search of food and were hungry since the spawn had taken place several weeks ago. With my practice coming to a close I felt as if I had a chance for a great finish and felt comfortable with saying I could catch 12-14lbs. a day.
I followed the same game plan for both days 1 and 2 of the tournament. The first stop of each morning was a place I had found where some keeper fish were schooling. I was throwing a Pro-blue Megabass jerkbait in this area. I was using my Michael Murphy Signature Jerkbait Rod from Denali equipped with an Abu Garcia Revo Premier 7:1 reel and 10lb. fluorocarbon. This would give me a small limit and I would spend the rest of the day looking for fish that would upgrade my weight. I would target reeds and grass mats. I used a creature type bait in both scenarios.
While fishing the reeds I would use a Reins ½ Tungsten weight on 25lb. fluorocarbon with a creature bait on the business end. I used a Denali Jadewood Rod, medium/heavy action, equipped with an Abu Garcia Revo MGX 7.9-1 reel. While fishing the grass mats I had to upgrade the equipment a little for the thick vegetation. Again I used a Denali Jadewood rod but in extra heavy action equipped with the same reel. I also stepped up the line to 70lb. braid. Still using the creature bait I had to step my sinker up to a Reins 2oz. Tungsten weight just to penetrate the thick grass.
Overall I would finish in 62nd place. I had 8-2lbs. the first day and 11-15lbs. the second day for a total of 20-1lbs. The weather changed on day one with the air temperature dropping 20 degrees. I still believe my decisions were the right ones for what I had found during practice. The cold front had them in a foul mood but I was still around the right fish to finish respectfully. Unfortunately the bites I needed never happened. Looking back there is nothing I would have changed in my decision making.
Our next stop will be at the Alabama River where I will be looking for a better finish.
Sponsors
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Yamamoto and FLW Sign Larry Nixon to a Team Deal
Larry “The General” Nixon is set to run a Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits-wrapped Ranger for the 2015 Walmart FLW Tour season. The legendary angler has earned more than $1.6 million in his FLW career. This is the third year he has been sponsored by Yamamoto Baits.
“I’m really excited about it; it’s a great opportunity for me,” Nixon says of his new deal. “I love being sponsored by Gary Yamamoto. He’s someone who loves the sport as much as I do and is a great lure designer.
“The Yamamoto Senko is the bait that has won me more money over the last six or seven years than about anything else,” adds Nixon. “I’m a soft plastics guy, and it fits my style and is great to pick up in the spring of the year when I need a big bite.”
“He’s been part of the family for quite a while,” says Ron Colby with Yamamoto. “When we had the opportunity to bring Larry on board we jumped at it, and we couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be his title sponsor. With the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita this year, it would be nice to see him win the whole thing in the Yamamoto boat.”
Colby also spoke to Nixon’s ability to be an asset off the water thanks to his expertise with soft plastics.
“He’s been instrumental in designing some of the baits in the past year, especially our 6 3/4-inch Pro Senko,” Colby says. “He fishes it on a shaky head a lot and really played with it for a while and got it just right.”
Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits is also an FLW sponsor in 2015.