Spring Time Trophy Pickerel

23.5" aggressive pickerel

School is out for spring break and that means I have even more time to do some bass fishing.  The weather for my first day on break lined up for a perfect spring day, so I loaded up the Cuda 14, and went to the Suffolk Lakes.  I wanted to try some new spots, so I geared up for a long paddle and left at sunrise.

I absolutely love my new Kokatat Gortex  Full-Zip Jacket

I got to my first spot, and after only a few cast, my chatterbait was inhaled by a solid fish.  I wasn't sure what it was at first, but after a glimpse of a missile-like body I could tell it was a giant pickerel.  I carefully brought the fish to the boat, and landed the beast.  This was the biggest pickerel I have ever seen.  The fish measured out to 24.75in and and was really fat.  I snapped some pictures and went back to fishing.

24.75" Citation Pickerel

I kept with my plan and hit all of the spots I had found in previous research, and all of them produced fish. I caught several more big pickerel with the smallest being 23in.  Most of the bass I caught were small males, but I picked up a few thick pre-spawn females.  My biggest bass of the day, came on a 6in hard-plastic swimbait slow-rolled over a secondary point.

Chunky Bass on a square-bill

Another good Pre-spawn largemouth 

Near the end of the day, I had one more flat the fish.  I pitched a lipless crankbait up near a stump and started burning it back.  I saw a flash and my rod was nearly jerked out of my hand.  I saw another massive pickerel break the surface, and it had inhaled my bait.  I carefully fought the fish, and landed it.  This fish was a little smaller than the first pickerel, but still a giant.  This one was 24.5in and was really fat.  I took some pics, and released the beast.

Last fish of the day, 24.5in pickerel 

It was an awesome day on the water, and almost everything I threw produced fish.  The baits that seem to work the best were square-bill crankbaits, chatterbaits, and swimbaits.  

Adjusting to Changing Conditions...

Photo by: Rob Choi 

Some days you hit it…

The weekly temps were in the 60’s and with longer days I was looking forward to getting back on the water.  With a big front predicted to hit the area I was pretty sure Saturday could be epic.  I wasn’t the only one with that idea, my Werner and Kokatat team mate Rob Choi contacted me on Friday wondering if I wanted to join him for some bass fishing.  Rob is an awesome fisherman and it is always a good time when you are out on the water with him.  We made plans to meet on Saturday morning. 

Saturday came and it brought rain and wind but, it also brought warm temperatures in the 60’s.  I met Rob and we made our way to the lake.  Shortly after I launched I was taking a few test cast with a square-bill crankbait when I hooked up with my first fish.  I landed the small 15” bass and told Rob, “It’s going to be a good day”.  Within 15 minutes I had four bass in the yak, three hit a jig near some structure.  All of these fish were in less than five feet of water, but for some reason that didn’t register with me.  I proceeded to hit all of my deep spots with no luck and the day slowed down.  I went back to the shallow pattern looking for some action and caught a nice bass on a jig.  I switched back to my square bill, and picked up another small bass.  Rob also caught a few bass on his jig.  We kept picking away at a few fish here and there, but the action wasn’t hot.

Kokatat kept Rob and I dry all day.
Photo by: Rob Choi

   Rob decided to duck up into a small cove, and I stayed in the main lake picking at a few bass that were moving up on to flats.  A few minutes after Rob left he sent me a picture of a nice 19” bass.  I paddled over to check out what was going on when he told me he caught six bass in six casts.  While he was telling me about the action, I watched him set the hook in number seven.  I quickly pitched my square-bill into the fray and it was instantly nailed.  Rob pitched back in and also hooked up.  My bass was a good 20” fish and Rob’s fish was another nice largemouth.  We took a few pics and tried a few more casts, but the blitz was over so we moved further into the cove.  A cast later, BAM hooked up again.  They hit everything we threw; square-bills, swimbaits, jerkbaits, and soft plastics.  After about half an hour the bite stopped and we moved on, but now we were on a pattern; shallow water.  We hit every shallow flat and picked bass off each.  One spot in particular looked really good; it was a small channel that cut into a flat.  It was 7 feet deep and the perfect place for bass to stage.  The first cast produced a decent bass, then another, then another.   Rob was also hooking up.  We had stumbled up onto another school of hungry fish.  One after the other we caught bass.  Most of the fish were between 14” and 16” and were a ton of fun on my crankbait.  The bite was slowing down, when my crankbait was nailed by a good fish.  A tail walking bucketmouth broke the surface of the water.  This fish was much nicer than the others in the school.  I landed the fish and measured out to 21.” This seemed like the perfect time to call it a day. 

21" Pre-Spawn PIG
Photo by: Rob Choi

The Pre-spawn can be hit or miss, but when you do hit it's awesome.

Some days you don’t…

The following day I was greeted with tough post-front conditions.  My Dad joined me with hopes of repeating my success from the day before.  A stiff west wind made the fishing tough.  We saw plenty of bass, but getting them to bite was tough.  I picked up a few on jerkbaits, crankbaits, and jigs. 

 I went back up into the small creek that produced so many fish the day before.  I saw plenty of fish, but they were incredibly skittish, and not hungry.  While I was playing with a small bass attempting to convince him that the jig I was using was a crawfish, I saw my arch nemesis, the bowfin.  Ever since I saw my first one several years ago I’ve wanted to catch one.  I have lost bowfin in every way imaginable, from pulled hooks, to broken lines.  I pitched my jig on 6lbs test line in front of the prehistoric beast just like I have so many times before.  The fish ate my jig and the fight was on.  Bowfin don’t fight like other fish, they do a death role like a crocodile and jump like a bass.  After a sweet fight I landed this awesome fish.  It measured out to 25.5”and had some sweet colors.  Most people consider bowfin to be a junk fish, but I disagree.  They fight hard and will test your skill, unfortunately some anglers kill bowfin thinking that they are snakeheads.  There are plenty of identification guides on line to help you tell the difference.  I released the fish and went back to bass fishing.

  We kept picking at a few more bass on crankbaits and jigs.   We never found a consistent pattern, but the fish we did catch had moved back to deeper water near structure. The wind continued to make fishing difficult so we called it a day. 

Spring’s changing conditions offer great fishing opportunities, but you need to adjust to the changes.  Just because something worked on one day is no guarantee that is will work the next day 

Jerkbaits for Early Spring Largemouths

Spring is here! or at least for the time being it is and when spring comes around, its time to dust off the jerkbaits and start fishing for early pre-spawn bass.

Pickerel never pass up a jerkbait

The lakes here in tidewater Virginia have been frozen over for the last few weeks and this weekend was the first time I was able to get back onto the water.  The forecast was looking awesome, with high temps reaching 60 degrees.  I was stoked to get back on the water.  When I arrived at the lake I initially thought the bass were going to still be in a winter mode and only hit jigs fished deep, but after a couple hours of nothing, it was time for a change.

My Dad was fishing  a 45 degree bank with a Rapala Husky Jerk when he got a good hit .  It was a nice 18" bass and I knew it was time to change tactics.  I quickly switched over to a new Rapala Shadow Rap Deep in an olive green color.  I targeted  the same type of banks and picked up a few good bass as well.  My Dad tried the new Shadow Rap Shallow with even better results.  As the sun warmed the banks we kept picking at bass and we had a few pickerel mixed in.

Jerkbait fishing is a great way to catch big bass.  The tackle is simple, I like using my Ardent Apex Grand on a Med/Light rod with 12lbs florocarbon for bigger jerkbaits, and a light spinning outfit for the smaller jerkbaits.  When fishing a jerkbait, the water temperature will help you decide how fast to fish it.  When I started fishing this morning the water temp was around 40 degrees, so I was working the bait really slow.  By the end of the day, however, the water temps rose up to near 46 degrees and my retrieve was much faster.  

The Smithwick Suspending Rogue is a great bait

Product Review: Ardent Apex Grand

Ardent Apex Grand 

Over the last couple of weeks I have been using an awesome reel from Ardent.  This is the real deal when it comes to casting and smooth action.  Here are my initial thoughts on the reel, how I rigged it up, and what I think of it after use. 

Product Specs:

Ardent Apex Grand

•   7.3:1 Gear Ratio
•    Helical Aircraft Aluminum Gear
•    Dual Breaking System
•    12+1 High-Precision Ball Bearings
•     5.9 Ounces
•     Strike SystemÔ Drag System
•     Power Carbon Fiber Handle

Easy Adjust Dual Breaking System

Initial Thoughts:

When I opened the box and held the Ardent Apex Grand my first thought was that it was LIGHT.  Weighing in at 5.9oz. it is the lightest low profile bait caster that I have used.  The next thing that stood out was the large carbon fiber handle.  This handle has huge cranking abilities. 

Large Spool holds plenty of floro

Rigging the Ardent:

Since it is the winter time, I knew I would need a good crankbait/jerkbait reel.  I spooled the reel with 12lbs fluorocarbon and put it on my St. Croix 7' Medium/ Heavy crankbait rod.  The fast 7.3:1 gear ratio is perfect for jerkbait fishing and as long as I cranked slowly it was good for my crankbaits. I was pumped to get this reel out on the water. 

Photo By: Rob Choi 

Using the Ardent:

My first trip with this reel was to a small local reservoir for bass and pickerel.  I had my Ardent rigged with a Spro Little John crankbait in a Spring Craw color.  I took a few practice cast at the ramp to adjust the breaking system.  The brake system is super easy to adjust, and after only a few casts it was ready to go.  The fishing was slow that day, and I fired off a ton of cast with this reel.  I never heard a single noise, and never got tired from holding it.  I caught a few fish with it, including a chunky bass.  The drag was super smooth when I was fighting the fish.  On my next few trips I was primarily fishing jerk baits.  The quick gear ratio was perfect for picking up the slack line after each jerk.  I caught a few pickerel and small bass on the jerkbaits, and once again never had an issue.

What I Like: 

After using this reel several times and catching some good fish I can tell you that this reel really impressed me.  The thing that stood out the most was how smooth it is.  It is definately the smoothest reel in my arsenal.  I can cast crankbaits and jerkbaits a mile with this and even under sub-freezing conditions, there were no issues.  The smooth drag also impressed me.  Many crankbaits have very light-wire hooks that pull easily, so having a smooth drag is very important.  Unfortunately, due to our winter weather I was unable to test the Ardent Apex Grand in the salt.  All indications are that it will make a great redfish and speckled trout reel for topwater and jig fishing.  I do not know how well it will hold up in the salt but I plan on putting it to the test.   

Product Review: Kokatat Bahia Tour PFD

 A lot of folks will pick up a new piece of gear, use it once or twice and then write a review.  These are helpful, but I wonder how some of these products hold up over time.  About a year ago, a Kokatat Bahia Tour PFD arrived in the mail and I immediately put it to good use, so now let me tell you about this quality product, including how it has survived a year on the water.

Brand new

  

          The first thing I noticed with the Bahia Tour is that it had a lot of storage with three pockets.  Each pocket has a D-ring for tethering your stuff and there is a nice anchor point on the front left.  Reflecting material on the front and on the back shoulders is a nice safety feature.  I chose the Mango color; in general I like bright colors for all of my safety gear.  If I get in trouble I want to be easy to see and easy to find.

            When I first tried the jacket on it took a few minutes to get it adjusted to the right fit, with 8 adjustment points, it is easy to get just the right fit.  The front zipper is heavy duty and easy to use and the jacket is very comfortable.  The high back fits perfect with the seat in my Jackson kayaks.

Tricking the Bahia Tour Out

            The Bahia Tour is ready to go right off the rack, but I always add a few pieces of safety gear to my jackets.

Additional safety gear

            I always have a radio and smart phone with me on the water.   My Cobra HH350 VHF fits in the long pocket on the right side and I use a small Velcro strap to attach it to the D-ring.

My iphone lives in a life proof case in the left pocket.

            I do a lot of night fishing for striped bass and speckled trout, so I like to add an emergency light to my PFD’s.  In this case I used an ACR light I picked up at a local boating store.  The light runs on two AA batteries and was easy to attach with two Velcro straps. (If you add a light to your PFD, make sure you can reach it when you are wearing the jacket.)

An emergency cutter in the left pocket and a whistle on the zipper with an s-clip and I am ready to hit the water.

A Year Later

            Well after a year of hard use in fresh and salt water, I can report that the Bahia Tour has held up great.  Every zipper is still as smooth as the day it arrived and all the straps and buckles are still as good as new.  It is a little dirtier and it smells like fish, which is a good thing for a kayak fisherman.  I have made a few changes over the last few months.  First, I changed phones and an iphone 5 in a life proof case doesn’t fit well in the front pocket.  I’ve moved my phone to an X mount from RAM mounts on my kayak.  I have also added a Gerber River Shorty Knife to the front anchor.

One Year Old

            I am super pleased with my Bahia Tour PFD, if you are looking for a quality kayak fishing PFD that will give you years of good service, give the Kokatat Bahia Tour a try.

Down Sizing for COLD Bass

February has rolled in and it brought the cold temperatures with it.  Last Sunday I had a few hours to kill before the Super Bowl so I loaded up the SUPerFISHal for its first trip of the year and went down to one of my local lakes.  Once I got to the lake, however, most of the lake was frozen, with about a 1/4in of ice covering the surface.  I could see a patch of open water towards the sunny side of the lake so I went for it.  I was dressed head to toe in dry gear, with my Kokatat drytop and lifejacket and I was dressed in layers for warmth.  I also had a partner for safety, I never fish alone in cold conditions.  Once I launched I quickly found out that the SUPerFISHal makes for a good icebreaker, smoothly breaking through to the thawed out part of the lake.  Once I was there I quickly got to work looking for some coldwater bass and pickerel. 

The water temp was COLD, never reaching over 38 degrees.  I knew that the bass would not be very active, so I stopped throwing my crankbait, and tied on a small 1/16oz. crappie jig with a small curly tail grub.  On my first cast near an off-shore brush pile I hooked up on a good-sized pickerel.  Even with the cold weather the fish fought fairly good pulling some drag and running under the ice several times.  I landed the fish and measured it out to 21.5in. 

I kept throwing the small jig on my ultra light set up and rigged a small beetlespin on my other light spinning rig.  Both lures caught fish including a few bass up to 16in.  Since the water was so cold I had to fish both of these lures as SLOW as possible. Many times I would let the jig sit on the bottom for over 30 seconds before moving it again.  I would work the beetlespin the same way, lifting the lure 1-2 feet off the bottom, letting it sink back down, and pausing for a while before started again.

With the cold weather here for awhile, give the small stuff a try.  Remember if you do head out on the water, play it safe, dress for the conditions, and fish with a buddy. 

Here are the two baits I threw..... 

Cold Water = BIG Bass

Six weeks back my doctor told me that I wouldn't be able to fish for about a month due to a back injury.  This forced time off the water gave me an opportunity to organize my tackle and prepare for the oncoming fishing season, but I wanted to get back out there.   After another visit to the doc, I got the green light just in time for one of my favorite things….. Wintertime Bass!

My weekend started on Thursday when I presented a bass seminar at the ARC in Hampton.  There was a great turn out and I gave some insight on the tactics I use to target bass during this tough time of year.  Then on Saturday I went out and put my winter tactics to the test against some coldwater fish.

When I launched my Cuda 14 the fish finder read a water temp of 38.9 degrees. I knew that these fish would be glued to the bottom, and really sluggish.  I looked for ledges in 10-15 feet of water with some brush on them.  I hit several spots before I hooked up on my first fish, a 19.5in pickerel.  On the next cast I hooked up with a small bass.  I was throwing a finesse Carolina rig with a small straight tail worm.  After a few more cast I moved on to the next ledge. This had everything I was looking for.  It was a cut bank with a small shelf in 10 feet with some brush.  Off the shelf it dropped out to 17 feet.  I pitched my PTL stone dragger jig with matching T-rigged jig trailer.  It didn’t take long before I was hooked up on a nicer fish.  I landed a nice bass that measured 19 inches, my first good fish of 2015.  I kept fishing down the ledge alternating between a Carolina rig and a jig.  I picked up a few more small ones up to 15 inches. 

Next I decided to fish a small ledge that my dad found over the summertime.  My dad had already pulled a few small bass off of it today and had some good bites.  I threw my jig on to the top of the ledge in about 13 feet.  I started slowly dragging my jig into deeper water when it was hammered.  I gave the fish a really good hook set and the fight was on.  I knew right away that this was a GOOD fish.  It pulled some drag and stayed deep.  Once I worked the fish up towards the kayak I got my first good look at the fish.  This was a STUD! I carefully kept fighting the fish waiting for it to get tired.  I finally landed the beast and could feel the weight of it.  This fish easily weight over 8.5lbs and was probably closer to 9lbs.  It measured out to 24.5 inches and was nice and healthy.  After some pictures I released her back to the ledge and called it a day.

Since it was MLK weekend I had Monday off from school. I took the opportunity to fish a different lake.  Rain the day before muddied up the water and made for some tough fishing conditions.  I caught several small bass pitching a jig into some deeper cover. I also caught a decent 18 inch largemouth out of a shallow laydown.  I was heading back to the ramp when I stopped at one last brush pile in about 8 feet.   My dad and I already hit this spot pretty hard, but it was too fishy to pass up.  I pitched a jig up into and started slowly crawling it through the branches.  I felt a slight bump and leaned back into the fish, but nothing moved.  It felt like I had snagged a branch.  I was working my kayak over there to un-snag my jig when the branch started moving.  The fish had been wedged in the pile almost like a Tautog.  I worked the sluggish fish towards the boat and grabbed it, and once again it was another BIG fish.  It measured to be 23.5 inches and weighed around 7lbs.   

This time of year can be really hit or miss.  If you hit it right, however, it can be an awesome day.  As long as you put in some research and time the big bass will be there.