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There is only one thing better than knowing a quality person, friend and talented Pro Fisherman, and that is when that person is on your Pro-Staff as well! Saturday, September 13th was the final day weigh-in for the Walmart FLW series at Lake Champlain and Tournament Pro and SFT Pro-staffer Pete Gluszek landed in second with a four day total of 73 lb. and 1 oz. bringing in $46,488! Pete lead the tournament the first three days, but couldn't quite hold that first spot when winner Chip Harrison brought in a monster bag of 21 lb. 6 oz. on the last day. Never the less Pete, who won a Stren Series Tournament on Lake Champlain in 2006, once again proved his ability to catch fish in changing conditions.

Most of his success came from his ability to target largemouths and smallmouths in areas that he could switch back and forth as feeding patterns changed between the two species. He knew this would be critical in keeping the bite going throughout the day as well as being able to change

One of the most important things to remember when fishing for shallow smallmouth bass is to be always be prepared with a follow-up bait. Often times I find that when using spinnerbaits or jerkbaits the bass will track your baits to the boat and turn off at the last second. This is probably one of the most exciting aspects of fishing, followed of course by a frustrating letdown.

The Real Key to Success

If you want to stop this cycle from hindering your catch, then it’s time to embrace the follow-up bait. I like to have a spinning rod rigged with light line and some type of soft plastic. I position this rod across the front of my bow up by the trolling motor. I keep it there so I can access it immediately when I see a bass tracking my baits.

Typically, I usually use a tube for this application, But had a fellow tournament angler clue me in on using the Gary Yamamoto 4” Senco so I put

Recently I had the privilege of fishing the PVA bass tour as a Boat Captain. What an extraordinary event. What makes America the greatest country on earth is it’s willingness to give and volunteer, Entire family’s with teenage kids showed up and did whatever was needed to assist with the event. This country may have finally learned from history , and is paying it’s dept of Honor to it’s veterans. Being an ex Paratrooper I can tell you it’s a calling and only ask to not be forgotten.

Rods… Why buy high end rods is the subject of this blog, and for the purpose of this article I’m talking about Flipping , pitching and spinning rods and any technique that requires you to pull the trigger.  GLoomis IMX and GLX are by far the most sensitive rods you can buy that are readily accessible, a major factor in rod purchase. My Flipping, pitching and spinning rods are very personal items. When I’m standing on point on my Z21 Ranger,

When the 08’ Elite schedule was released I gave it a look and instantly knew that if I could have my pick, the Erie event is the one I would fish. Well as luck would have it I got a call from Joe Horvath (my Skeeter rep), telling me of a slot for a co-angler in the Erie Elite about three weeks prior to the event. Joe didn’t get a chance to ask if I’d be interested, I replied, when do I leave. Having fished Erie for the last several years I knew I didn’t need to “think about”.

 A three week lead time didn’t give me a lot of time to prepare so I got right to it. First was a call to my good friend and Elite angler Rick Ash. Rick and I would practice together the day before the event. Even as a co-angler practice is important for several reasons. First and foremost it helped get me dialed in to bait choice. Second it let me get the feel for fishing deep (up to 40’) again as most of my fishing is done very shallow in heavy

Many fishermen take line for granted. Considering it’s one of the most important links in getting that fish lured, hooked, and landed this is a major mistake. So we’re going to focus in on this critical component and talk about weight, techniques, and types. Personally, I use Gamma’s Copolymer, Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon, and Power Pro lines on an everyday basis.

Line Size

The size of your line is a critical factor in your ability to lure a fish to eat your bait. Line size can also make a considerable difference in how your bait works and how deep it will run. For example, 17lb

The Potomac Pro Teams Division, presented by Sanderson Marine held their 6th tournament on Sunday, July 27th.

This was the finale’ of a back-to-back weekend double header following yesterday’s tournament.

The weekend concept has been very popular on the Oneida Pro Teams trail for years now, but proved to be considerably less popular on the Potomac. Blame it on gas prices, NASCAR, or whatever but participation was down for this event. 2009 will see all single day weekend events.

Those not on hand today missed a few exciting events. First of all, it seems like U.S. Angler’s Choice tournaments on the Potomac are gaining notoriety for weighing in big bass. That’s not too surprising given the level of competition on our trail. Secondly, anyone watching TV at home Sunday probably saw the “sever thunderstorm warning” icon on the bottom of the screen. Those of us on hand at Smallwood State Park were able to witness it first hand around

July 26 was the 5th qualifying tournament of the Potomac Pro Teams Division out of Smallwood State Park and presented by Sanderson Marine. Twenty four teams were on hand for the first of 2 weekend tournaments in this division.

The weather was favorable throughout the day with morning clouds giving way to sunny skies and hot temperatures. We were able to launch at safe light…about 6:45 ahead of another large tournament.

Each team was offered a bottle of livewell additive at morning registration to put in their water to help reduce the chance of loosing fish during the heat. In addition, each team was asked to tag their largest bass before they put it into the weigh-in bag so it would be identified quickly. This helps to get the fish back in the water quickly and keeps the weigh-in line moving. Captain Karl and I found it odd that the other popular tournament had no oxygenated tanks and did not use the available weigh-in station at the Park. They had 31 boats and

July 25 was the 4th Friday tournament this season in the TGIF Division. Beautiful weather greeted the 18 teams entered in this event and remained for most of the day.

Just because the weather is good doesn’t necessarily mean the fishing is.

The Wellwood Club in Charlestown, MD hosted this event along with Hooked-on-the-Bay, Sarge’s Bait and Tackle, and Intercoastal Marine in Baltimore.

Mike Piccolo and Charles Steiner teamed up to finish in 5th place today with a limit of 5 bass weighing 13.04 pounds. They received a 1-year subscription to Boat US.

Bruce Freeman and Randy Knopp wound up the day in 4th place and took lunker honors with a nice 4.38 largemouth. They received a plaque, 2 Optimum swimbaits courtesy of Karl’s Bassin’ Adventures and $180. Their limit weighed 14.11 pounds. Nice job!

John Hart and Ed Pribish only had 4 fish today but 3 of them were well above average. Their key to success was finding an area with

The weather was hot, the fishing was not is how many teams might sum up the 5th Chesapeake Pro Teams qualifying tournament out of Anchor Marine. 45 of the top teams in the area were on hand on a very hot and humid day trying to tease 5 big bass in hopes of winning this tournament.

Only 16 teams were able to produce limits at weigh-in on what was an overall very tough day. Only one fish over 5 pounds was caught and that’s an oddity as well for this time of year.

Current AOY leaders Alan Hench and Ryan Park had another great finish as they claimed the #5 spot today with 5 largemouth bass weighing 15.45 pounds. They pocketed $410 in prize money today and continued their stellar season . Finishing right behind them in 4th place were Chris Price and Bob Austin. Their limit weighed 15.96 pounds and earned them checks totaling $520. They are right on the heels of Alan and Ryan in the AOY race.

The 3rd place finishers today were George Short and Gary Bailey with

I had the opportunity to spend some time fishing the new bait from Sebile called the Stick Shad.  This bait is a cross between a “walk the dog” top water, and a sub-surface bait.  The bait has been known as a great bait for Redfish and Speckled trout, but freshwater use has been non-existent to say the least.  At first I wasn’t sure how the Stick Shad was going fit into my River Smallmouth arsenal. That concern was quickly forgotten, when I took it out of the pack and made a cast.

Initially, I fished the Stick Shad on 14lb Gamma Copolymer green line spooled on a Citica 200 Reel mounted on a Shimano Cumara 6’8” MH Rod.  I immediately caught fish in an area that I had just fished with a Spinnerbait, Topwater Popper and a Small Crankbait.  I then switched it to a  lighter Cumara rod (6’8” Med) and a Citica 100, spooled with Gamma Edge Flourocarbon line (10 lb).  My results where much better with the lighter