I recently bought, and tried, some jointed jigheads to use with my creature baits (Strike King Rodent) and some plastic worms.  I got the Arkie U-Bolt Jighead in 1/8 and 1/4 oz., and the Arkie U-Shakey Jighead in 1/2 oz.  All I can say is "wow"!  These are cool - they let the plastic get hooked separate from the jighead, sort of like a hinge.  They can be flipped, jigged, bounced, or crawled along the bottom and give a much different and more realistic look to your lure's presentation.  I was casting out the jighead, letting it sink to the bottom, and reeling it in like a crankbait along the bottom.  I can only imagine the erratic action the Rodent must have had, and the Smallmouth I picked up seemed to agree.  I have one rod in my locker rigged like this all the time now - I'm a believer.

Wow, I certainly didn't join the fellow fishermen community to take first place or gather the most points, but it definitely is pretty cool (OK, I'll admit it, when I started getting close, I was getting pretty interested in the standings).  I hope I do the site proud, as I try to help out with tips, forums, etc. and hope that if anyone reads the reports I post they have good luck. 

Ah, yes, nothing like the first shore trip of the year.

So in about a week, I will be heading out on a nice road trip to Kenora,  Ontario to fish Lake of the Woods. I have been looking forward to this trip for quite awhile but there's one small problem (SHH!!! don't tell anyone) in the thirteen years I've been fishing I have never gone bass fishing. Partly due to the lack of bass in southern Alberta and partly due to the fact I have been raised a trout wrangler. I was hoping I could get some tips on how to catch bass and muskie.

Just a quick addendum to my last post - I've kept all of my spinning rods at 6'6" - I found the 6' length limited my casts, and I'm just as accurate with a 6'6" rod as with the shorter version.   So, the two I had assigned as 6' M are now 6'6" M.  I've tried the rigs a couple of times now and I'm happy with the results...

So, another month and I'll be thinking about vacation... 3 days in western PA to visit the in-laws, then off to Florida for two weeks.  I know, it's hot there this time of year.  But that's when momma wanted to go, and if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

Just a quick blog post, more of a question really - Does anyone know if you have to belong to a fishing club to fish in local tournaments?  Where I live, there are almost a hundred small tournaments each year, but I don't belong to a club, so I'm not sure if I'd be able to fish in them.

Someone asked me the other day how much money I had tied up in fishing tackle.  When I told them a couple hundred dollars, they didn't believe me, until I showed them.  I was just as guilty as the next guy about buying the newest gimmick or having 12 different colors in each size lure, but the fact is, I fished with about 10% of what I had, and wasted a lot of money in the process.

Over the course of the next month or so, I'm going to be testing and refining my rod, reel & line selection for a number of fishing styles and techniques.  I don't have a big budget, in fact, I'm going to work around the gear I already have (this whole season has been a work in progress).   As I become a better educated angler, I'm making smarter choices and I'm hoping to make a system that works well for me.