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“What They Said” Beaver Lake Day 1
Day 1 from the FLW Tour stop at Beaver Lake is in the books, if you missed the live weigh in on FLW Outdoors here are a few of the best quotes from the stage and a few comments from us. With just under a six pound gap between the top spot and 50th place don’t count anyone out.
Quote of the day…” It’s Beaver Lake so anything can happen.”
Dion Hibdon (on fishing boat docks): “Yeah well absolutely there is a couple of them out there and I swung at both of them. Don’t laugh at that I tried them all.” The Hibdons are dock masters.
Jason Christie (14-7 day one) “I don’t wanna say I know how this lake acts. It will burn ya, It’s Beaver. might come in with two fish tomorrow. Jason is the defending Beaver Lake Champion.
David Dudley “I had two mules on today, one of them got me out in a deep tree and the other clotheslined me at the boat. At one time I was one for seven today.” Dudley will probably clothesline the fish tomorrow, he is one tough dude.
Wesley Strader (picking a area) “I drew a line at the mouth of a creek and I said I’m not leavin it. I stayed there all morning, I cranked till my fingers were raw.” Draw another line Wesley. He is in 15th place.
Scott Suggs (tough day 1) “Tomorrow I gotta try and turn this thing around.” Scott had 7-7 today.
Andy Morgan “I really had not caught them much in practice. I just went out there and went fishing, I kinda just fished the conditions.” Andy is the defending FLW AOY.
Casey Ashly (on his practice) “Today I just started practice again so I guess that’s what I’m going to do tomorrow.” Casey weighed in 14-14 today.
Travis Fox (fishing on his home lake): I feel like I’ve got 30lbs in there I am so excited.” Fox had a bunch of friends and fans at the weigh in. Fox weighed in 14-01 today.
Cody Myer (thoughts on the wind) “Ready for the wind to stop blowing” After weighing in 13-13 today, does he really want the wind to stop?
Luke Clausen (tough fishing) “It was a grind out there.” Tough conditions mean no one is out of it.
Bryan Thrift (Day 1 leader): “Today was a pretty decent day, I don’t think I have ever caught this many decent fish on Beaver Lake.” Thrift said he had one of his big fish break off in the net. It was a gift from the lord.
Beaver Lake is known to be one of the toughest stops on the tour, the conditions are sure to change. These are some of the best anglers in the world and someone will figure them out.
Murphy’s Law – Crankbait Color Selection
With a myriad of color choices for the tournament angler to choose from, one can understand why so many find themselves second-guessing the color selection when tournament day arrives. This is a particularly daunting task for the new tournament angler, who is also dealing with water coverage, boat handling, and time management, and keeping things simple can go a long way to building success on the water.
Crank baits are primary search baits across the country, able to cover vast amounts of water while targeting not only feeding fish, but eliciting a reaction bite from stubborn fish as well. For this reason every angler should have one tied on and on the deck come tournament day.
Matching crank bait diving depth to the area you are fishing is essential, and the only rule is: make sure you are contacting the bottom. Bouncing the bait off structure causes the bait to have erratic “jumps” as it is reeled back to the boat, which often trigger bass to react violently by slamming the bait.
The question then becomes: what color do I throw? Take a stroll down any retail fishing outlet, and you will find literally hundreds of color variations and options, and if you are like me, you have more than a few (my wife might read this so I wont post an exact number) of baits still in the box, never having seen the water. I admit it, I am a bit of a gear guy, an advertiser’s dream client, and when I see something shiny and new, I cant resist! However, in order to save time and money, here is the skinny on colors that will work in 99% of the country.
You need only three: 1) natural, 2) some type of chartreuse with a darker back, and 3) red. That’s it. Finito. Done. You only need three depths too: 1) shallow (0-6 ft), 2) Mid (6-10), and 3) Deep (10-18). Yes, I know that there are Extra Deep cranks now, but that’s a bit of a different animal, and worthy of its own discussion.
With these three colors, the decision on which to throw is now determined by the water clarity. In clearer water, throw the natural (shad) bait and the chartreuse with darker back. In dirtier water, throw the red or the chartreuse with darker back. Easy peasy. If one isn’t getting fish to bite, switch to another – You may switch back and forth throughout the tournament day as you hit area of varying water clarity, but the basic three will work. Once you begin to have success, you can start to narrow down which colors work better on your body of water and when, while expanding your color selection, but it wont deviate from much from the basic three.
My crankbaits of choice are the Ima Shaker and Squarebill for shallow water applications, Ima Pinjack 200 for mid-depth, and the Ima Beast Hunter for deeper water. I choose the Ima line because its manufactured with top quality components (Owner treble hooks), and I don’t have to change anything on it to know it will fish perfectly right out of the box. With innovative paint schemes, Ima baits provide a look that many fish haven’t seen before, which translates into more strikes.
(Author’s selection: Ima Pinkjack 200 in shad, brown back/chartreuse, and citrus shad; Ima Squarebill in chartreuse shad, hot craw, and Lowen’s Hush Hush)
I use the Denali Rods Rosewood Medium Heavy Crankbait rod and a Daiwa Tatula 6.3:1 reel when cranking, spooled with 10# Toray Super-hard Premium Plus Fluorocarbon line. It’s imperative to use fluorocarbon when cranking, as the lower visibility and high durability of the line when bouncing the bait off structure results in more fish in your live well. The flexible crankbait specific rod from Denali softens the shock of the fish pulling on the end of your line, while allowing for long accurate casts with a lot of feel.
Try the basic three color theory, and start spending more time catching fish, and less time choosing tackle.
(Auther’s rods: Denali Rosewood MH Crankbait Rod, Daiwa Tatula 100 reel, Ima Pinjack 200 in hot craw, and Ima Shaker in Chartreuse Hortin)
Get more great tips from Chris on his web site and follow him on his Facebook page.
You can find all the mentioned tackle here.
Livingston Lures Signs Multi-Year Major League Fishing Sponsorship Deal
TULSA, Okla. (April 10, 2013) – Major League Fishing announced today that Livingston Lures – a maker of exceptional, technologically advanced baits – has signed a multi-year contract to sponsor the league’s Cup and Select events.
“This is a strong commitment from a company within the fishing industry, and we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Livingston Lures to Major League Fishing now and in the future,” said Major League Fishing General Manager Jim Wilburn. “We have a product in Major League Fishing that is growing stronger in the marketplace every day, and Livingston Lures is a growing company with a great future. This is an excellent partnership.”
Major League Fishing, a partnership between Outdoor Channel and 24 of the world’s best anglers, features made-for-television bass fishing events and utilizes what is considered the most innovative format in competitive fishing. Among those 24 Major League Fishing anglers, four are popular and accomplished Livingston Lures anglers: Jeff Kriet, Byron Velvick, Randy Howell and Brent Chapman.
Major League Fishing is featuring two events this year. The first, the General Tire Summit Cup, recently completed is airing on Outdoor Channel, America’s Leader In Outdoor TV. The second event, the Shell Rotella Challenge Cup, is being broadcast throughout the second quarter 2014.
To learn more about Major League Fishing broadcasts, please visit: http://www.majorleaguefishing.com/news_details.aspx?id=7068#sthash.4dnpmdLj.dpuf
The San Antonio, Texas-based Livingston Lures’ success has stemmed from the development of a proprietary internal sound chamber that emits a combination of sounds designed to attract fish and trigger aggressive, reactionary strikes. When making contact with water, Livingston Lures baits emit the sound of a distressed baitfish.
“Major League Fishing has captured the imagination of fishing fans across the country. The show presents competitive fishing in a creative, fresh way,” said Livingston Lures CEO Fred Battah. “At Livingston Lures, we’re taking an innovative approach to our sector of the fishing world and a partnership with Major League Fishing seems natural.”
Major League Fishing’s made-for-television events utilize a format that allows anglers to weigh all the “scorable bass” that they catch. The bass are immediately weighed after they are caught then released back into the water. Anglers know where they rank in the standings at all times via real-time leader boards in their boats. The competitors are not allowed to practice before events.
About Livingston Lures
Livingston Lures has built a reputation among top freshwater and saltwater anglers for premium quality baits that “flat-out catch fish.” These hard plastic lures are designed to call the fish and meet the highest standards for swimming action with quality construction. Every Livingston Lures’ bait features Electronic Baitfish Sound (EBS) technology. Livingston Lures prides itself in providing the highest technologically advanced products to the angler at affordable prices. www.LivingstonLures.com
About Jack Link’s Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing is a partnership of 24 of the world’s most talented, influential professional bass anglers and Outdoor Channel. Jack Link’s is the organization’s title sponsor. For more information, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com. Follow us on Facebook.
About Outdoor Channel
Taking viewers across America and around the world on unparalleled adventures since 1993, Outdoor Channel is America’s Leader In Outdoor TV. Dedicated to the outdoor lifestyle and conservation, the independent cable network is a division of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, LLC and provides a complete spectrum of riveting hunting, fishing, shooting and adventure entertainment. Outdoor Channel is received by 39.1 million U.S. households – the largest outdoor TV footprint in the country – and is available in more than 50 countries internationally. Outdoor Channel can be viewed in HD and is accessible by broadband and mobile platforms. For program times and other information, visit www.outdoorchannel.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook, and download our iPhone and iPad app.
DUO Realis signs FLW Pro Casey Martin
DUO Realis, one of the Japan`s top lure companies, is proud to announce signing of Casey Martin, one of FLW`s breakthrough stars of season 2013.
Casey has seen tremendous success on FLW Tour his rookie season as a pro in 2013 leading him to the one of the most dominating wins in the FLW Tour history at Lake Chickamauga. Casey finished with a four-day weight total of 103 pounds, 3 ounces, giving him the second-largest total tournament weight in the history of the Walmart FLW Tour.
Casey Martin: “I am thrilled to align with an international company like DUO Realis, a company, which is heavily focused on designing baits under the motto of “Nippon Quality” – a truly vertical approach of keeping everything in-house based on commitment to the highest quality. “
“Actually, I am very familiar with DUO’s product line and instantly saw their direction was meant specifically for the tournament angler. Last year, I was introduced to the Japanese finesse technique called Spybaiting which blew my mind. DUO designed the Spinbait 80 specifically for that technique and it flat out works!”
“It is an honor to be working with company such high R&D standards. From the lure internal componentry to the amazing actions of their jerkbaits, you can tell this company leads in innovation”, said Casey.
“Casey is proven new talent with an established work ethic, which we at DUO like to see. One thing that impressed us was Casey’s immediate understanding of our advanced lures and thirst to learn about our technology”, said Martin Bakos, DUO’s International sales manager.
You can follow Casey Martin at www.caseymartinfishing.com , https://www.facebook.com/casey.martin.9847 or read his blogs from his upcoming season at FLWOutdoors.com.
About DUO Realis:
Headed by one of the world’s best Japanese lure designers, Masahiro Adachi, DUO is a company of impeccable quality, incredible innovation, and a mindset of forward thinking. Adachi’s dedication is obvious in every one of his creations. Mr. Adachi established DUO Japan in 1995, with a philosophy to provide “a total package” in premium baits, paying special attention to detail, sacrificing nothing in quality, form, function, and value, while giving the angler a complete experience.
The highlight of DUO`s line is the Realis brand, which was built specifically for the needs of bass anglers. Each of the baits are tournament ready straight from the package featuring realistic design, flawless finishes and tuning to perfection. In order to built the strongest line of bass products, next year, no less that 10 new items are scheduled to be debuted continuing with the strategy of offering a complete line of baits for all kinds of situations.
Realis and other fine DUO products can be seen at www.duo-inc.co.jp/en and for mass merchant inquiries, please contact martin@duo-inc.co.jp.
LC 1.5DRS / Brent Ehrler
Lucky Craft USA Pro Brent Ehrler explains how to fish the LC 1.5DRS. Deep Rattle Sound or DRS refers to a single knocker internal rattle. Using a single knocker in the bait makes a “click-click-click” sound instead of the “sh-sh-sh” sound made by BB style rattles. More and more professional anglers are turning to the single rattle style baits. Team Lucky Craft member Brent Ehrler uses DRS, “I love the LC DRS baits. For me it’s a much more effective rattle than the standard BB rattles. With years of trial and error, visually seeing fish react to different baits has taught me that the single knock baits catch more big fish.”
Get all your Lucky Craft here.