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Covering Your Bass (Boat)

For those of you who do your freshwater fishing via boat, here’s an interesting article from our guest blogger Lee Hammerschmidt. Hope you enjoy it!

Covering Your Bass (Boat)

Bass Boat photo
Keep your bass boat in top condition

Congratulations! You did it!

After all that scrimping and saving (no to mention switching to cheap domestic beer), you finally purchased a bass boat to call your very own. And boy, you can’t wait to get that baby out on the water. But you still need to make one more small investment to protect that big investment… a boat cover.

As most anglers and boat owners know, a boat cover is a smart, inexpensive way to protect your boat from the elements. Rain, hail, mildew, dirt, road grime, UV rays and falling debris can all do a number on a boat. Not only will a bass boat cover keep your new vessel looking great, it will improve the resale value if you decide to upgrade in the future.

So, how do you decide which cover is right for your boat? It depends on what style of bass boat you have. Carver and Westland, two of the top boat cover manufacturers in the industry (Made in the USA!) offer options for three main styles of bass boats – Angled Transom, Jon and Pro/Wide.

Angled transom bass boat covers are designed to fit boats from popular manufacturers like Glasstream, Skeeter, and Cajun. Made of durable 8 oz. Performance Polyguard, they come in semi-custom fits up to 21 feet long and 96 inches wide, providing coverage for a trolling motor, depth finders, and pedestal seats.

Jon style bass boat covers provide coverage for a flared front bow and folded or low profile fishing seats. They are available in Performance Polyguard or Sharkskin fabric and in semi-custom fits up to 19 feet long and 92 inches wide.

Last, but not least, Pro/Wide bass boat covers provide coverage for a trolling motor, seats and windscreens up to 12 inches. Semi-custom sizes range up to 22 feet in length and 96 inches in width with fabric options of Performance Polyguard and Sharkskin.

But what about the prices? Depending on the size of your bass boat, you can pick up an angled transom for as low as $213, a Jon style for $158 and a Pro-Wide for $193 (http://www.savvyboater.com). That’s a pretty inexpensive insurance policy.

If you’re not sure what size boat cover you need, check out the popular resource guide, “Getting the Right Fit“. It’s chock full of helpful information on how to measure your boat to get a proper fitting cover.

So don’t let Ma Nature decrease the look and value of your new bass boat. With the many available options of bass boat covers, you’ll be able to stretch your boats’ lifespan to the limit, all the while you’re catching your limit. Or at least trying to.

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Lee Hammerschmidt is an outdoors blogger for Savvyboater.com, which sells boat seats, boat propellers, deicers and other boating supplies. Check out other blog posts at http://blog.savvyboater.com.

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Fishing And The Alabama Rig

Hi Folks!

It’s been far too long since I’ve even thought about freshwater fishing – even with the mild winter that we’ve been having.

So with that said, Elaine Hirsch has offered another post for your reading pleasure (looks like I may have to hire Elaine as my assistant blogger!)   😉

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Fishing and the Alabama Rig


There is a new lure making a big splash in the bass fishing world. It’s called the Alabama Rig and its based on an idea that is common to saltwater fishermen but new to those fishing in fresh waters. It is legal in many states and fishing tournaments.

The lure is loosely based on the umbrella lures used by saltwater fishermen. The lure harness looks like an umbrella skeleton. Several swim baits are attached to the arms and center wire of the lure which is designed so that the baits can be changed as necessary. Weighing in at about a half an ounce before baits are loaded means that casting this lure out repeatedly can become a tiring task.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the rig is allowed at most tournaments. However, some states already have laws on the books regulating multi-hook lures. Not all anglers are happy about this new lure, saying that it isn’t a fair way to fish. Not only that, but there is also the issue regarding the bass population, a topic which masters degree programs in fisheries concentrate on. Bass seem very attracted to this new lure, whether it is because it looks like a small school of bait fish or simply because it is designed differently. With the potential to catch five fish per unit, anglers have a better chance to get ‘the big one’.This was proven by Paul Elias in October 2011. He won $100,000 in a FLW tournament in Alabama using the Alabama Rig. His 20-bass catch weighed in at 102 pounds, all caught on the same lure.

Tennessee’s Wildlife Resources Agency issued a statement about using this type of rig in their state. According to the TWRA, “Umbrella rigs can be legally fished in Tennessee waters as long as they comply with the regulation”. Regulations depend on the size of the baits, the number of baits and the size and number of the hooks.

Just as with other innovations, only time will tell what impact the Alabama Rig will truly have on the fishing world. Some fishermen will see it as the latest and greatest addition to their fishing arsenal. Others will find it being just another deviation from the true sport of fishing.

 

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So what do you all think about this? Should it be legal or not? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.

Catch you later!

 

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Popular Freshwater Fishing Lures

Today I have a guest post that was written by Elaine Hirsch. Hope you all enjoy it!

 

Popular Freshwater Fishing Lures

Nothing beats freshwater fishing for yearlong sport. The fishing gets even better in the spring when the fish are beginning to spawn, and if you’re bogged down with work, communicating online, or your PhD program, few things make for a better break. There are many great fresh water lures you can choose from to catch the big fish. These are just three of the most popular ones:

Topwater
Early in the morning or late in the evening and the water is still, pull out this lure at your favorite lake or pond. These lures come in many varieties. Some topwater lures rattle when you jerk the line, some have spinners on the tail section that vibrate and spin when reeled in, and still others will zigzag from side to side while you reel. Whichever you choose, all of these types of lures are designed to attract fish to the surface of the water where they will hit the lure first before taking it down.

Soft Plastic Worm
Using a worm in combination with a Carolina Jig or a Texas Jig will keep the fish biting all year long. There are a variety of colors and even scents that come with this kind of lure. The reason for this is that fish are attracted to one particular color or scent more than another depending on where you’re fishing or even what time of year it is. Use a weedless hook with your worm so you can get your lure where the fish are, in the weeds and under the logs.

Diving Jig
Another popular freshwater lure is the diving lure or jig. This particular lure usually comes as a minnow or a grub and will dive down to a depth or your choosing before slowly ascending back to the surface. When you first cast this lure it will remain floating at the surface. Quickly reeling it in will cause it to suddenly dive below the surface and descend until you stop reeling, when it will rise back to the top. This very closely mimics the behavior of many fishes’ natural prey.

These lures should be good ones to start with, and are worth a try for experienced anglers who haven’t used them before. Use them to take your first steps into the sport, or to expand your repertoire of fishing techniques. Either way, happy fishing!

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The New Jersey Wild Outdoors Expo!

Our family packed up the car and headed out to the NJ Wild Outdoors Expo last Sunday (September 18th).

It wasn’t that bad of a drive, out route 70 and up rte 539 for a bit.

The event was well organized and lots of folks were there for the event. They had a huge parking area and lots of great exhibitors and displays. We walked around checking out the vendors area as well.

There was a civil war era group that had a real cannon which they set off about once an hour – shooting blanks, but boy was it loud! Scared my wife when it went off the first time.

My 8 year old son, loved watching the cannon go off!

I have pictures from the event that I’ll post later.

One thing that surprised me was my son’s interest in fly fishing. He kept talking about it on the drive there and as luck would have it, there was a fly fishing casting exhibit where you could get a quick lesson on how to cast with a fly fishing outfit.

So my son and I signed up for the class and gave it a go. He was a little confused about the reel since he’s used to casting with a spinning outfit. But after a few minutes, he pretty much had the hang of it.

I have read lots of fly fishing books in my downtime, so I understood the concept. But this was the first time I actually got to cast with a fly fishing rig. And it was fun! Lots more exercise than using a spinning rig! (not sure if that’s good or not!) 😉

The instructor was very patient and easy to understand, so the whole group did pretty good by the end of the class.

We bought some lures and some excellent food from the vendors! All in all we had a great time.

Kudos to the NJ Wild Outdoors Expo staff for a job well done on an excellent event!

Looking forward to attending next year’s event!

Catch you later!

 

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NJ Wild Outdoor Expo

Hey – what are you doing on September 17th and/or 18th?

If you don’t have any plans, I HIGHLY recommend you get your family together and go check out the “free” 2nd annual NJ Outdoor Expo!

I attended one of these events before they officially named it the “Wild Outdoor Expo” and took my wife and sons. We had a blast! Lots of fun things for everyone to do.

Check out their official flier here – 2011 Expo Flier

If you need directions – you can get them here – Directions to NJ Wild Outdoor Expo

Make sure you bring a camera – you’ll want to geet some shots of the kids in action!

If you go, come back here and post a link to your photos?

I hope to be there too.

Catch you later!

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Another Labor Day Fishing Trip!

I haven’t posted much lately – guess you may know I’ve been very busy.

I did get to go fishing with my younger son a couple times this summer and the last trip was on Labor Day!

Did we catch anything? Sure we did!

I caught a nice largemouth bass! Check it out:

Largemouth Bass Caught using the Bass Krusher Rig

I caught the bass using my “Bass Krusher Rig”! Check out how to make this on my video:

So did my young son catch anything? Sure he did! He was using real worms for bait. He caught some very large sunnies!

Here are a couple pictures:

Sunfish caught on live worm

Sunnie caught with live worm

I hope your Labor Day was filled with fun and relaxation. And I hope you got to do more fishing than I did! 😉

Catch you later!

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what are some good bass and catfish fishing tips?

I am going fishing for bass and catfish in a pond in the morning about 6 or 7. I am going to use night crawlers on the bottom and bread at the top for the catfish (4 sum reason bread always seem to work for catfish in this pond) and I am going to use top water lures like the torpedo and the popper for the bass. Any ideas or tips is really appreciated thanks.

for the bass. if you are going that early in the morning try a plastic worm or lizard near the bank. i use a tequila sunrise 7" worm by Berkley you can find them at your local wal-mart catfish try to use some liver, stink bait, hot dogs, bream, and bread like you stated i don’t know what it is that attracts them to bread but i have caught them on bread also if the person who owns the pond feeds the fish that may cause them to eat bread but i don’t know

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New Electric Motor – Environmentally Safe

I received a message from a rather anonymous poster here on my blog.

I usually don’t bother with these since most of them prove to be spam and I just delete them.

However, this one seemed a little different … so I went ahead and checked it out.

It turneed out to be an ad message about a new electric motor for boats that has just been invented. It’s called the “Walking Gander V3”.

It’s very unique and can go where other electric motors can’t – due to its unique design.

Check it out and let me know what you think?

 

 

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Some Freshwater Fishing Pictures

Well, we had a chance to go fishing again, and had a beautiful afternoon on a local lake.

I didn’t catch anything, but had a few pickerel on the line.

My son however, caught a painted turtle! He was using dough balls for bait and there were lots of turtles in the lake.

I warned him to be careful but …

Fortunately I was able to get the turtle off of the hook without harming him.

So I promised some pictures from our last fishing trip and here they are!

The first is a sunfish my son caught and the second is a roach fish.

Had a nice afternoon both times!

Hope you get some time to get out and catch some nice fish as well.

Take care and catch you later.

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First Freshwater Fishing Trip – 2011

Finally had a chance to go fishing last weekend!

First trip this year, so it was important that my 7 year old son had a successful trip!

We stocked up on some worms and took a few lures as well. Checked over the rods and reels and everything looked good!

We were ready to go. So we headed over to our local stream and began fishing. Since there is a current in the stream, I gave my son a few pointers about fishing with a bobber and live bait and letting it drift while keeping the line fairly tight. After a few casts, he had his first fish! Caught a “roach” fish.

A few worms and casts later and he had his second roach. It was late in the day so we didn’t stay real long, but it was still fun for both of us.

Yeah … Dad caught a small roach and a sunny as well.  🙂  But most of all, Dad got to spend some quality time with his son!

I’ll post some pictures of the fish next post.

Hope you all have successful fishing trips this year!

Catch you later.