Great Lakes Angling - Boating Safety

Deadly Smallmouth?

Every year bass fisherman are drawn to the great lakes for the first time to land a trophy class Smallmouth Bass. It may be crucial to know some basic safety facts of rough water boating. I have been fishing Bass tournaments on Lake St. Clair for awhile and have learned some important things that I need to share with you, especially if you are not familiar with rough water because that water could be deadly. Use a checklist to make sure you are prepared for the worst. The list below is my personal list and is only to be used as a reference.

Safety Gear Checklist:

• Life Jackets
• Flares (Shooting and Hand held)
• Visual distress flag (for Air Rescue)
• Air Powered audible horn
• Portable Hand held Waterproof VHF Marine Radio
• Water Bailer -  if you spear a large wave and take on more water then your drains can flow to the sump of your boat you will need to manually bail water. Some experts suggest a 5 gallon bucket however that just isn't always possible in a Bass boat. Just remember you probably have a Bass weigh in bag to use in a pinch.
• Back up Bilge 750gph or more with quick connect clips with 6 ft of hose
• Anchor capable of holding your boat in rough water (heavy chain attached or Richter Anchor) and 75-100ft of rope
• Deluxe First Aid kit with body blanket(s)
• Depending on Water/Air temp, you may need to bring extra clothes, towels and yes even socks and underwear in a waterproof bag. You truly never know what mother nature will throw at you, be prepared.
• Dry storage for cell phone
• Standard boat safety gear (Fire ext., etc)

Know the wind/weather before you go and monitor it hourly or more if there is any chance of storms. Most importantly don't put yourself in a bad position. It is important when pre-fishing for a tournament on big water to have more then one area to fish. Based on the wind/weather you can properly adjust. I have learned this the hard way multiple times and it is never worth it!

Be safe and have fun fishing one of the top ranked Bass fisheries on the planet!

Thanks for Checking in!
Duane

First Thing in Spring!

What should be on the end of your rod and reel first thing this year?


In my opinion it's the ima Shaker, a shallow running crankbait designed for water less then 5' deep. This bait really produces for me in early spring when water temps are 48-55 degrees.  I suggest using a casting set up on a 6'6 -7'0 medium to medium-light crank bait rod with a 6:1 gear ratio reel on 12 pound P-Line Flourocarbon.

Designed by: BASSMASTER Elite Angler: Bill Smith and it is now available in 12 colors!

Specifications:

• Weight: 3/8oz
• Length: 70mm 2.75in
• Classification: Shallow Crankbait
• Profile: Flat sided, Thin lip
• Hook: Owner ST-36#6 (2 Hooks)

 Here are just a few of the colors offered...

121 – Hot Crawfish



104 – Chartruese Shad



148 – Double Cheeseburger



My Personal Favorite!

134 – Plemmons

A couple weeks after ice out in Michigan -  The water was very cold, yet an aggressive higher speed retrieve triggered a reaction bite in this bass.

Please check out the ima website for more information!
http://imalures.com/2009/03/ima-shaker/

Thanks for checkng in!

Duane

OPTIMUM ADDS NEW COLORS TO THEIR SWIMBAIT LINEUP!

Optimum Baits adds four new colors for 2011 to their already tremendous color offering! (5" BLT Pictured)

 BLT 536 Camo

 BLT 542 Tilapia

 

BLT 547 Sweet Tooth

BLT 544 Blueback Herring





See link for the complete color selection!

http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2009/04/swimbait-colors/


Video
Fred Roumbanis and Optimum's Matt Paino show the BLT in action!

Fred Roumbanis on the Optimum BLT 5"

Thanks for checking in!
Duane

Reins Cross Swamp worm

Hey all!

Here is a picture I took to show you a good side by side comparison of the common stick bait vs the Reins Cross Swamp worm (Std 4" & Deka 5").

We all know high pressured Bass are becoming more and more prone to Senko style baits. When the bite gets tough next year and at some point it will, give these a try!

CROSS SWAMP WORM

Japanese anglers have made their mark on the bass fishing world and their innovative bait designs keep on coming. The Rein's Cross Swamp is a finesse style bait ideal for fishing on a jig head wacky rig. The cross swamp is literally two worms shaped in an "X" and as it moves it displaces more water which is great for hoaxing in the big mammas. The design imparts an extremely erratic action when rigged in the center of the bait. The Rein's Cross Swamp is made of a soft plastic for a natural presentation, and also features a unique shrimp scent to entice more bites.


Standard: Moebi, Scuppernong, Green Pumpkin Blue, Miso Shrimp, Green Pumpkin Allstars, Prawn, Junebug, Watermelon Seed, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Red, Blue Gill, Crawfish Red, Ghost Pro Blue, Mossy Pumpkin, Watermelon Candy

Deka: Watermelon Seed, Green Pumpkin, Moebi, Scuppernong, Green Pumpkin Blue, Blue Gill, Miso Shrimp, Ghost Pro Blue, Green Pumpkin Allstars, Prawn, Junebug, Green Pumpkin Red, Watermelon Candy


Micro Cross Swamp Worm: 3" (10 per pack) *Not Pictured
Standard Cross Swamp Worm: 4" (8 per pack)
Deka Cross Swamp Worm: 5" (6 per pack)

AVAILABLE COLOR
Micro: Watermelon Seed, Green Pumpkin, Moebi, Scuppernong, Green Pumpkin Blue, Blue Gill, Miso Shrimp, Ghost Pro Blue, Green Pumpkin Allstars, Prawn

For more information please go to http://reinsfishing.com/index.html

AVAILABLE SIZES

Reins Fishing

Hey All,

I just wanted to announce my partnership with REINS Professional Grade Fishing Tackle from Japan, today!

I will be on their Pro-Staff and hope to increase awareness of their unique product portfolio to the Bass Fishing world.

Over the coming months I will share my experiences of their great soft plastics that I have used for the last couple of years, and look forward to getting more experience with their other new products in a few months!

Check out their site (below) and remember they are available @ many of the on-line retailers. If you know of any stores in your area that should stock this product just drop me an e-mail @ duane.bethke@yahoo.com,

http://reinsfishing.com/index.html

or follow their blog @

http://reinsfishing.com/blog.html

Reins, One of Japans premier tackle manufacturers is now in the USA! Innovative designs and premium quality combine to make Reins lures and tungsten sinkers a necessity for your tackle box. Our products have been winning tournaments for years and have helped Reins become one of Japans most successful tackle companies.

Thanks for checking in!

Duane

See the IMA Emailer -- November 2010 Issue

The IMA EMAILER brings you news from IMA pro staff members across the USA and worldwide.

http://app.expressemailmarketing.com/images/gallery/67284/GenericCampaigns/A11E0FF.htm

Some of my Big Bass Patterns

A recent post on Twitter got me thinking about the big bass I have caught over the years (I live in Michigan, so in my opinion Bass starting @ 4lbs - 6lbs are big)

Inland Lakes:
Past:
When I first started fishing for Bass (18 years ago) I got the majority of my largest fish swimming Jigs (purple/blue skirt w/4" blue pearl translucent double tail trailer) between 10:00am and Noon off ledges.
Present:
This year some of my larger fish we on Docks, however due to some lakes having high fishing pressure I had to look elsewhere. Where? Where no one else would really consider, where you never see other bass boats and spots (cover) where no one gets there lures...
Future:
That's the beauty of fishing, right? This is what makes the winter a little longer...

Thanks for checking in!
Duane

First "Blog"

The offseason is upon most of us Bass Fisherman, especially us in the Mid West! Now is a great time to look @ how to improve upon your Bass Tackle Arsenal!

I suggest you toy around with smaller sized swimbaits and find what color works best for your body of water..example for Lake St. Clair it is hands down the Optimum Baits BLT (Baby Line Thru) Goby (3 1/2")

http://plixi.com/p/12835460"
http://plixi.com/p/32922400"

for more information on Swimbaits check out

http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/

Thanks for checking in!
Duane