The Wired Angler - Bass Fishing Blog, Tackle Tips and Bait Making Advice

ReelSonar: A New Direction For Fishfinders

Something that has been on my mind over the last year is fishfinders. It started with a really bad customer service experience with Lowrance, followed by the polar opposite: the best customer service ever at the Apple store. With all the new devices we have, our smart phones, iPads and computers, why are our fishfinders such a pain in the ass to learn and use in comparison?

Just about everyone has an iPhone or iPad at this point. Why not make an on-board plug-in device for your boat that you download apps for? Bingo! The possibilities are really endless. You've got a touch screen with full color and software that could be endless. You could take it off your boat at the end of the day and plug it into your laptop. Of course, on your laptop would be the sexiest programs ever, making the current fishfinder on your boat seem like a game of Super Mario Bros on your first Nintendo.

I was checking my e-mail on my iPhone and came across an e-mail from Mark from Bass Angler Magazine. I followed it back to these guys: ReelSonar On Twitter

I realy feel like this is going to be something we see in the near future. ReelSonar is taking the first step in the right direction.

They have a campaign in IndiGoGo to raise funds for their idea - here's the link: ReelSonar on IndiGoGo

Good luck guys.

The "IT" Factor

After years of fishing  we all have our favorite lures that we gravitate towards. These are lures that we may enjoy because they just happen to fit our fishing style. These may be baits that are known to catch quality  fish day in and day out. Generally these baits have years under their belts. Every once in a while a new bait will hit the market and prove itself. Above and beyond that sometimes one out of ten lures of the same type just have "IT".

I first heard this phrase a few days after a met a good friend of mine Matt Allen. I was up at Clear Lake for one of the HBC (heavyweight Bass Classic) Tournaments. I had sold Matt one of my Snack Size Trout Floaters in chartreuse shad. Matt went out and threw the bait and thought it was a piece of shit. I saw Matt later that day on the water. We were fishing right next to each other, I caught a few fish right in front of his boat using that same piece of shit bait. Matt did not say anything at the time but apparently had put the Snack Size away about 10 minutes into fishing it. I talked to Matt a day later.He told me the next morning he went out and absolutely destroyed the bass on it. After watching me fish the bait he said had been going about it all wrong. This is when I first heard the phrase, that bait has "IT". Since then the phrase has been a regular part of my regular vocabulary. Better yet the Snack Size has become a regular part of Matt's arsenal.

As a bait designer and builder I realized even if they had no word for it before."IT" is what every bait builder is looking for. It does not matter if your a guy in the garage with a box full of jig parts or a multi million dollar company. Ultimately the goal is to build a lure that has "IT"

There are many lures in history that have proved to have "IT". Take the spinner bait for example. Ive been throwing these since I was a kid and ill probably will die with a box of them in my boat. The jig is one of these baits.You would be hard pressed not to find a box or two full of them in just about every bass boat. Every once in a while a new bait will come out and just have "IT". Some examples of this, the Senko, the Sweet Beaver, 6" Basstrix, just to name a few. Why is it that every once in a while we get a bait that out performs the other ten we own just like it? What gives that one bait "IT"? Could it be the thickness of the paint, the density of the plastic? Could it be the way we worked it back to the boat that particular day? Or could that ten pounder just not resist the factor of "IT"?

There are no magic bullets in bass fishing. I do believe there is a scientific approach to the factor of "IT. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this factor. I have worked it into my bait design and prototyping and really feel there is something to "IT"

How can we use the Factor of "IT" to make ourselves better anglers? I will do some follow ups on the Factor of "IT" and hopefully help you do just that. Till then tight lines and don't forget to think about "IT".

Does the bait you have tied on have "IT"?

 

 

How to Protect Your Cork Rod Handles

Whenever I get a new cork-handled rod I always immediately seal the cork with U-40 Cork Seal. Over time, cork can get broken down from all the sweat and dirt from your hands, and it ends up looking pretty bad. The U-40 Cork seal is available from Netcraft and is only $5.00 and really easy to use.

Just after application, before drying.

I just apply a ton of it with a big horse hair brush until the cork starts to soak it up. When it will not soak any more up I wipe off some of the excess with a rag and hit it with a hair dryer. This will dry it in less than a minute. Order some now so next time you buy a new rod it will be there ready for you. I say this only because it works the best when applied to new cork. If you don't have it around when you bring your new rods home they will end up in use before being sealed.

After drying the natural color comes back.

Even after a year of hard use this cork looks great after being sealed.  

Bass Jam Video : DIY livewells from Sonoma Belly Boat Club

The Sonoma County Belly boat Club came up with a pretty ingenious way to make a live well from a cooler. More here at the Bass Jam Live Blog>

Scout Low-Water Lakes While You Still Can

We are reaching the end of summer, and it looks as if we are going to have a nice fall. Before you know it, the lakes are going to start filling up again. Now is the time to scout your favorite lakes and document cover that will be underwater again soon.

I have been photo documenting lakes for years, and now that we have digital cameras it makes it much easier to keep track of the photos.

Before I started to do this, I figured I would remember where stuff was when the lakes filled back in again. Well I was partially right, but for the most part I would have to seriously fan-cast areas before I was able to pinpoint structure to locate fish.

Photo documenting - and even GPS locating - certain structure will greatly reduce the amount of time you will spend looking for that one piece of structure you know is there. . . somewhere.

For the most part the actual documentation, is easy it is just a time consuming process. And lets face it, most of the time if you're at the lake you would rather be fishing. But taking a little time out is well worth it.

Lakes with boat access:

Lakes you take your boat out on are easy. You can simply bring a hand held GPS and stand on a piece of structure whether it be a tree, a log, a rock, or maybe a ledge off an old roadway, and just mark your location. You can make note of this and enter it into your boat GPS at a later date. You can also keep a numbered photo reference in your boat corresponding with it. You will want to take photos from different angles using visual reference points on shore that will remain high and dry when the lake is full again.

Shore fishing lakes:

For lakes you fish from shore this works great, too. Take photos of the piece of structure first. You can do this from a few angles, noting the orientation to shore, distance, etc. After this is done you want to take a photo from behind the object back towards shore. Try and find the place you think you may be fishing from when the lake is full. Use trees, rocks, telephone poles, etc., things that don't change too much if at all. Keep in mind that using more permanent objects is a better plan.

A lot of times the process of going out and doing this will burn it into your memory just a little more.

So what are you waiting for?

Put on your hiking boots, put down your fishing rods, and pick up your camera before its too late. There could be some improved catches in your future.

iPhone Apps for the Bass Angler

 

So I have been adding some new apps to my iPhone, and I thought I'd share a quick list of my favorites that are of interest to the bass fisherman:

Tools:
Google Earth - the mobile version of Google earth is a great way to get a quick aerial view of lakes or the Delta.

TideGraph - lets you see the tide pattern for any location in the the US (and Guam, for all you Guam anglers), with times for high and low tide, and rate of flow. Also shows moon phases.

EverNote -  you can save notes, take snapshots, make voice notes and store them in an organized way that you can synch back to your computer. It's the perfect place to make on-the-water notes about the day.

SpeakEasy - is a super-easy to use voice recorder. It has a built in interuption feature in cas eyou get a call in the middle of the phone. Good quality sound, too.

Fishing Calender - I just downloaded this one. it's a calender that shows tide and moon phase conditions and has a feature that lets you add your catch information

Of course, the built-in weather app is handy as well.

I also use these apps for this blog:

TwitterFon - lets you quickly check and update your Twitter account (hey - follow me on Twitter: @wiredangler)

Typepad - I can update my blog from anywhere. haven't tried this one yet - I just found it.

If you have any handy apps you use, add them in the comments

Turn of the Century Evinrude Outboard

I was going through my photos from my recent trip to Europe and found this picture from the Science Museum in London.

It is an old Evinrude - if I remember right it was dated 1912. I guess you could say that they have been at it a while. Quite the difference between this and the E-Tec

AnglerTech: YouTube for Anglers

When ESPN and the Outdoor channel let you down, and you are jonesing for your bass fix, check out the offerings online on YouTube - I was surprised at how much there was up for the bass aficionado.

The beauty of YouTube is not just the stolen clips from commercial TV, but also the classic clips you can't track down anywhere else outside of a rummage sale, but even more importantly the fact that anyone, anywhere with the barest minimum of video equipment can effectively have their own broadcast channel.

So who's using it? Pros. Guides. Bait companies showing off their latest tests. Bass fishermen of all stripes and regular guy anglers who just want to share their video from their local lake with their buddies.

Try these searches for a start:
Underwater Bass Fishing
Swimbait
Bill Dance

and especially this one. It doesn't get any better than that.

You can also try searching the name of your local lake, your favorite pro, or tournament series, and you are almost guaranteed to get results.

The best part about it is that you can make it better by adding to it yourself. It doesn't take much to make a YouTube video, and it's free and easy to use. If you do upload your own videos, let us know, and if it's cool, we'll post it here, too.

AnglerTech: NetVibes, RSS Feeders & You

Note: AnglerTech is a feature that will highlight technology assets for anglers, and will feature guest bloggers on subjects of their expertise.

How to use virtual desktops to take all the best parts of the web with you, wherever you login.

Net who? R what? It seems to be modern technology’s way to give everything a cryptic acronym, but really these are simple, easy to use technologies that are super helpful to people who tend to be on the road a lot. Like, say, anglers.

So what is it? NetVibes is a website that lets you customize a webpage, using easy, drag-and-drop modules to make up a super personalized virtual web desktop. One of the main components of NetVibes is that it is an RSS Feed Aggregator. RSS (short for “Real Simple Syndication”), is a way to get headlines from your favorite news websites or blogs all in one place.

NetVibes is only one of several virtual desktops, but I really like how easy it is to use, and some of the other components (called “widgets”) that you can add to your page. Widgets range from weather reports you can customize by city, to to-do lists, web searches or more specialized services, like eBay keyword searches.

Why is this so helpful to anglers? Well, knowing that you can read your favorite BassMaster headlines, see all of your favorite web bookmarks, or find a weather forecast for the lake you are heading to next from on the road - whether on a laptop, or at a hotel or cafe PC - adds a little touch of the modern home on the road.

This, like a lot of things on the web, is easier to understand when you see it, which is why I have set up a shared NetVibes page you can all log into and play with. If you like what you see, then you can set up your own account.

Check it out:
Go to www.netvibes.com, look for the ‘sign in’ link at the upper right
Login: bassorific@gmail.com
Password: wiredangler

Feel free to mess around, add feeds, share links, etc. I’ll pop in there from time to time and make sure that havoc has not broken completely loose.

Some special features to pay attention to:
To add new feeds or widgets, click on the “add content” link on the upper right.
To rearrange content on the page, mouse over any module, and you can drag and drop it anywhere on the page you want
A whole new page can be added at the top by clicking on the grey text that reads “New Tab”

I encourage you to add your favorite websites to the bookmarks, leave notes for fellow visitors, or add RSS feeds you may know about. Have fun.

-A. Black