April 27th, 2008

Have you ever noticed how many times you spot fish on your fish finder and you fish and fish as hard as you can but your partner in the back of the boat is the only one catching fish.

Could it be that you are just a rotten fisherman or maybe you just smell bad, maybe they are using some secret bait and did not tell you? No” that’s not usually the problem, even though gas , oil, or other odors on your hands can cause these problems .

99% of the time its just a simple lack of not understanding your fish finder. Let’s say you know where there is a underwater hump or a good point that goes out into 10 feet or so into the lake. You rush to get there, and slow down before you get to it so that you can come up on it quietly, and not spook the fish.

As you approach the spot, be it with your trolling motor or a slow troll you are watching your fish finder in the front of the boat. There they are you say and in a flash you casting out in anticipation of all those fish you saw on the screen.

Your partner in the back knows you’re the captain and that there is only room for one in the front of the boat so he or she just drops their line out the back and instantly stars hauling them in. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

Well lets say your boat is a 16ft , your fish finder is on the front , but what most people forget in all the excitement is that your transducer is on the back of the boat and now you are sitting 16 feet past the fish casting into dead water.

Your transducer in 10 feet of water is also only reading a area of about 2 or 3 feet around because sonar units read like a ice cream cone upside down, the less water the smaller the cone the deeper the wider the cone and fish move around so they can be hard to find again if you disturb the area to much looking for them.

Solutions, you can buy another unit for your trolling motor, but remember in a Tournament who really care’s who catches the fish, or start fishing from the back of the boat, or you can adjust to the situation put out a marker and move off the side so that you can both catch fish and double your odds.

I hope this helps you put more fish in the boat and see you on the water soon.

Dave LaFontaine

Angling TIP #3

February 2008

Mike Desforges - Spinnerbaits

As every angler knows there is a lot of lures out there that will catch Bass and everyone must be able to use them all at different times depending on the situation.

One of these lures is a spinnerbait, and I thought you would like to hear from one of Canada’s top anglers on the spinnerbait.

Mike Desforges is well known both here in Canada and the U.S.A., as a great angler who can figure out what the Bass wont and where they are. One of Mike’s best search baits is the spinnerbait, so I asked Mike to give you some tips on using them and here is what he had to say.

Q. What do you think of a spinnerbait?

A spinnerbait is a lure that is easy to fish, catches quality fish everywhere in many different situations and is a excellent representation of a small school of baitfish.

Q. What is the best time of year to use a spinnerbait.

They work throughout the year and can be your best choice of bait at anytime but spinner baits are consistently the best bait early in the year when the majority of the Bass are shallow. They allow you to cover a lot of water fast to find feeding fish.

Q. What about color.

I like to stick to natural colors that I think imitate the bait fish. My favorite color is silver blades with a white or silver skirt. If I, am fishing stained water like on Lake Nippissing, I’ll switch to a gold blades because I think they give off more flash in that type of water. The odd time I will throw a spinnerbait that is completely chartreuse to try and provoke a reaction strike.

Q. What weight do you think is best.

My favorite weight is always a 3/4 ounce spinnerbait and the odd time I’ll go as heavy as a 1oz.. The only time I use a lighter spinnerbait is when I fish for largemouth Bass.

Q. How about blades?

Blade size is very important. I like to use a spinnerbait with two #4 willow leaf blades. The willow leaf blade gives you the most flash and creates the least amount of lift in the water. This allows you to really crank up your retrieve and still keep your bait in the water. A lot of the heavier spinnerbait.s come with big #5 or #6

Q. What seems to be the best retrieve?

Speed makes big fish stupid, so obviously I like a fast retrieve. The faster I can retrieve, the more casts I can make and the more water I can cover, which allows me to show my lure to more fish. It’s kind of a numbers game, not all the smallmouth will bite a spinnerbait but if I show it to enough of them hopefully I’ll get 5 big ones in the boat before the end of the day.

Your final thought on the spinnerbait.

I would consider the spinnerbait as one of my top 5 go to bait’s for smallmouth Bass. However you have to think of your lures as tools. You shouldn’t use a hammer to put a screw in because it is not the right tool for the job, you should think of you baits the same way , when the time is right spinnerbait,s are often the best tool to get the job done.

Good luck this year and I hope this helps you catch more fish.

Mike Desforges

Mike is sponsored by, Bass Pro Shops, Re/Max/Nitro/ Johnny Morris/Signature Series Rods and Reels/Humminbird/Minn Kota/Blue Water Optics/Navionics/Rapala and Gamakatsu.

Mike is also a newly wed and his wife says he can keep fishing because it keeps him out of the kitchen, just as long as he brings home the bacon.