If you are anything like me you can’t stand to see your boat getting dirty. I am going to share with you some of my secrets for keeping my boat in show room fashion.

One of the most important but overlooked part of your rig is your trailer. Simple cleaning can go along way here. Try and always wipe down your trailer as soon as you get out of the water. I know this takes time and you are usually dog tired when coming off the water but give it a simple wipe down and you will not have to fight the dried up crust on it later! Make sure your trailer tires have the proper air pressure and the bearings are greased this can make for a bad trip if not properly taken care of. If your lights are dim or fading try and tighten all connections and you may have to file down some of the ground connections to give them a clean surface.

I recently came across a product that has made cleaning my boats surface a breeze. Try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This thing will shine up your rig like a new penny. I could not believe it! My Triton looks show room ready and it does not take long to make happen. All my days spending hours waxing are gone! Do not get me wrong a good wax here and there is definitely needed but let the Magic Eraser do most of your surface cleaning. I also always wipe down my boat as soon as I am out of the water. This will make things much easier on you later. If you let the water spots and scum dry on your gel-coat it can be a real pain to get off. 

Your boats carpet can really be hard to get and keep clean. If you are really picky like myself purchase a pair of shoes designated just for your boat. This will keep you from tracking mud and sand throughout your carpet. When it comes time for a good carpet scrubbing the elbow work is hard to get around. I usually spray down my carpet and scrub it with a good carpet cleaner such as the rug doctor formula and let it set for about 15 minutes then extract the water and dirt with a wet dry vacuum. Although a soil extractor works the best. Make sure you let your carpet dry out before storing or covering your boat.

These are just a few helpful tips on keeping your boat in tip top condition. If you have any helpful cleaning tips let us know by leaving us a comment at the end of this article.

Keywords:  Mr. Clean Magic Eraser  |  Triton 

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There are many baits that can be effectively used on a Carolina rig that we often forget about the old faithfuls. Many people are addicted to using straight tailed worms such as a Zoom Trick worm. I am going to introduce to you today a new straight tail worm called a Gitem’ Warlock.

The picture to the left will show on top a Gitem’ Warlock and on bottom a Zoom Trick worm. The Gitem’ Warlock has many small features that give it an edge over other plastic worms of it’s type. The Warlock has a pattern of rings on each end coming from opposite directions toward the egg sack. You can fish this bait everyway imaginable. When rigged Texas style the pattern of the rings creates less push than the back set of rings going in the opposite direction causing more action to the tail than other straight worms. The same effect is given from the bait when fished on a Carolina rig. These baits are also very soft yet extremely durable for longer lasting action.

You may have to experiment with the lengths of leader used when fishing this bait as you would other plastics. Try and use a length that will maximize the action of the bait. In today’s fishing world lake pressure is at an all time high so anything you can do that the other fisherman have neglected can put you on top. This new Gitem’ Warlock can give you the edge when fishing straight tailed worms. This is a bait with many uses and color patterns to choose from. I have an upcoming tournament and will definitely be throwing the new Gitem’ Warlock!

For more information on the Gitem’ line of baits check out www.gitembaits.com

Keywords:  Carolina Rig  |  Zoom Trick worm 

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The Pinnacle Inertia ISP10 has many great features and is very reasonable in price. This reels retails for $80.00 but here at FishingReelDealz we have it for a unbeatable low price of $69.99! Here are some of the Pinnacle Inertia’s fish catching features!

This reel has Pinnacle’s patented unlimited anti-reverse mechanism and is loaded with a nine ball bearing system! If you are looking for a smooth long casting reel this is it. This reel also incorporates a fully adjustable magnetic cast control feature for controlling the speed of your spool. This reel is also geared at a high speed of 6.2:1 making very versatile for all your fishing applications.

This reel is available in right or left hand models. I use this reel personally in tournaments and it performs very well. I am able to cast weightless stick baits such as a Gitem’ K.O. with no problem. This reel is very good for lightweight lures and is very sensitive when feeling those subtle bites. Many fisherman use this reel as a Carolina-Rig reel because of the great casting ability it has. The lightweight low profile design makes it extremely easy to use and is very comfortable to handle.

If you are looking to try a new reel this is the one! Check them out today and feel the Pinnacle difference!

For more information email mggmb@aol.com

Keywords:  Pinnacle Inertia ISP10  |  Pinnacle 

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Tube baits have been around for a long time and have been putting quality bass in the livewell for anglers all over the country. Here are five ways to fish a tube that you may not be utilizing.

1. Swim It

I have been fishing in areas where the baitfish spawn was so heavy you could almost catch them with your hands. If you are fishing where the shad spawn heavy in grass beds you may want to try this method of fishing a tube. I like to use a 1/4oz. weight to get good action from my tube when I retrieve it erratically through the grass. This imitates a baitfish that has been injured or is dying. Bass cannot stand the side to side darting action the tube has when worked through the tops of the grass beds. I like using colors that resemble the shads natural colors and matching the size is very important also. Try rigging this tube tactic on a 5/0 hook and fluorocarbon line with a 7′ medium heavy rod and Pinnacle Pro 10 reel.

2. Yo-Yo It

When bass are suspended in in or around grass you can turn your tube into a jigging bait. Try using a 1/4oz. to 1/8oz. jighead with the hook exposed. Cast it to the grass and let it sink down until you feel resistance then pop the bait free and let it fall on slack line. The bass will generally hit on the fall. If the grass you are fishing is really thick, then try a standard Texas rig with the hook rigged weedless. If you see bass suspended under baitfish schools try and use this tube trick to entice them to strike.

3. Shed Some Weight

The next time fishing pressure is high and the fluke and senko bite is nonexistent try a weightless tube around shallow cover. The action of the weightless tube will create a Zara Spook type action just below the surface and can fire up pressured fish. Try to use bigger tubes for this tactic such as a Denny Brauer flippin’ tube. Let the bait slow fall into grass pockets and weed edges, give it a few pops with your rod to give it a dying look. Gear for using this tube trick is a good stout baitcasting rod and a Pinnacle Pro Select reel. Line choice is up to you, light braid will work or a good 12lb to 14lb monofilament. If you need to add weight go with a tungsten screw in so the weight stays stationary with the head of the bait giving it increased action.

4. Change Weights

If your flipping a tube and not getting the bites you should be, try switching weights before changing to a different bait style. Tube baits have different action with different weights. Often a fast moving fall with a tube can be deadly on heavy grass bass. This you may have to experiment with during the day to really drive home what size weight you need to fish. Let the bass tell you what they want. Try different size weights before giving up on the tactic.

5. Tune It

Have you ever noticed how a flipping tube can create alot of line twist? Well, this can be fixed by simply tuning your tube the way you would a crankbait or spinnerbait. You need your tube to run true in the water. Before making a cast you need to run the tube along side the boat to make sure it is running properly without twist. Keep the knot directly in the middle of your hook to help prevent this and also make sure your tube is rigged straight. This should give it the best action. Another thing that can make your tube wobble is not having the hook aligned straight with the tube.

I hope this has given you a better look at tube fishing. There are so many baits that have multiple uses. You just need to get out there and experiment. It may pay off for you later!

Keywords:  Tube Baits  |  Pinnacle reels 

Popularity: 22% [?]

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Here is a very underutilized genre that can be deadly on big bass all over the country. Let’s discuss a few wake baits and the where and when to use them.

Wake baits have been around for over 25 years but have not gotten the recognition they deserve until lately. Bill Norman introduced the first wake bait that stayed a well keep secret of bass anglers for years until that bait got reintroduced as ” The Wake ” in 1990.  Now it seems everybody in the bait industry is trying to custom-tailor their own waking models.

What’s the appeal you ask? When you see a shad get separated from a school it makes a small wake on the surface which makes for an easy meal for bass. Wake baits come in all different sizes, shapes and colors from 1.5″ to over 6″ in length. One of the best wake baits ever produced is the Baby 1 Minus. It’s size is compact and it gives a great profile and awesome action when waked. The new Phenomenon is using big swimmbaits as wake baits. This has won alot of people money as of late and is getting attention all over the country not just out west. I am using it here in Florida to cash in on big bass and I know others that are to.

When to use wake baits? This is the most common asked question to me. Here is how I determine when it’s prime time to throw a waker. First, If you have overcast conditions you want the water to be flat, if it’s sunny you need a light ripple to have better success. To much wake negates the purpose a small subtle wake is what entices the strikes. Remember to keep it natural as possible. I also try and match the baitfish to the size and color the bass are feeding on. If the water is very clear do not use ultra flashy finishes on your baits such as chrome and blue. Try and stay with non-reflective patterns.

Here are some key locations for using wake baits. In clear lakes try points and high-bank creek channels bass will often suspend in these areas making a wake bait a great weapon. When the water is clear bass will come from deep water to attack a waker so do not be intimidated by deeper water. I also like fishing wake baits in or around standing timber. Bass will suspend here and ambush passing baitfish. My personal favorite is waking for schooling bass. This bait can trigger a feeding frenzy and quickly load your boat full od bass. When schoolers see an injured baitfish it is out of reaction that they will compete for the baitfish and become very aggressive.

Here is a very good method for you Florida anglers it’s called grass skimming. Run these wake baits over hydrilla and eel grass to get reaction strikes from bass. This is also a very popular technique on Lake Guntersville. Shallow wood cover is another great place to fish a wake bait. Spring bass can be caught using this method with a good shad colored waker. These bass can often times be very spooky so downsize your offering to get more bites. Riprap can also produce very well when throwing a wake bait. Often times bass will hug tight to rocks and a slow moving wake bait can get them to strike.

My favorite wake baits include the XCalibur Xw6 Wake Bait, Mann’s 1 Minus, Strike King King Shad and the Strike King King Kong. When throwing the smaller wakers I like a light tip 7 ft. rod and a Pinnacle Pro 10 reel spooled with 14lb. test line. This reel makes it easy to cast small lighter baits. When I bump it up and fish the big dogs such as the King Kong I use a 7′6″ rod and a Pinnacle Pro Select reel spooled with 20lb. test line. Remember to stay patient and fish these baits at a slow pace. I have had the most success just crawling it right under the surface. If you keep the baits natural action in motion you will have a high success rate!

Keywords:  Wake Baits  |  Pinnacle Pro 10 Reel 

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Here is the latest on the Harris Chain from this week.

Big Harris produced the most fish with some fishing friends of mine catching 18 bass from various boat docks. There were a few good keepers mixed in with a lot of short fish. Weather I am sure played a huge factor with the high winds and on and off rain showers. The bait of choice was a Gambler 5″ Paddle tail worm and a Black and Blue straight tail worm.

Lake Eustis also yielded 9 bass after the noon time hour and all where caught on the baits described above. Big fish are starting to come around in Central Florida with the spawn approaching. Try fishing the mouths of coves and drop-offs near bedding areas. Big females will soon move in to stage for the upcoming spawning season. This is a great time to catch a huge bass. Bass are relatively active this time of year with the cooling air and water temperatures. Fishing should only get better from here.

If you take a trip to the Harris Chain and want us to post your trip success please leave us a detailed description of your day on the water under the comments and we will post it right here on FishingReelDealz.com.

Keywords:  Florida Harris Chain Bass Fishing Reports  |  Harris Chain 

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Fall bass fishing can be a double-edged sword for many anglers the cooling weather can mean the fishing season is almost at an end for Northerners but it also sparks one of the best times of year to catch fish. Let’s look at some surefire tactics for fall.

As the days grow shorter the water temperature starts it drop and bass will then move from summer haunts to the warmer shallows to feed. This is one of the best times of year to catch fish using a baitfish pattern. Cooler water in the backs of creeks tend to draw the baitfish into huge schools with the bass in tow! This is a great place to find good numbers of bass bunched up. That is why when fishing this time of year a baitfish imitation is very good. I would stick with your spinnerbaits and topwater shad type baits. The topwater bite is usually very good during this period and action can exist throughout the day. Some of the best Fall fishing can be done around the noon time hour when baitfish gather together in very tight groups. This gives the bass an easy target.

Reservoir fall fishing can be great when bass follow bait into the backs of coves and creeks. The bass will reverse their migration route and travel along ditches or creek channels to the backs of the creeks and coves. Do not over look points and offshore structure at this time bass will still frequent these spots as the weather fluctuates. The fall transition can often times be a long process. As we discussed before baitfish are the primary food source but do no forget about crawfish and other forage. As the water cools bass will feed on what is most available.

If you fish natural lakes this can also be an explosive time to bass fish! From my experience bass seem to use the outside edges of weedlines to ambush schools of baitfish. This is a great time to throw a rat-l-trap or spinnerbait and run it parallel to the grass line. Try and locate these type weedlines closest to huge flats or spring time spawning grounds. Bass will hold on the weedlines throughout the day and often times chase baitfish onto the flats. In fall vegetation starts to die off and thus takes up more oxygen. Try and find the greenest grass or healthiest vegetation. This will attract more fish during this period. Lily pads are also a great place to fish during the fall. Try swimming a jig around the pads or even a spinnerbait if the lilly’s are spread apart.

Fall may be the best time to catch good numbers bass in rivers. They also follow the baitfish into pockets and creeks where they can ambush them more easily. Try and fish areas such as jetties, logs or stumps. Baitfish will tend to hang around structure of this sort in the fall. One of my favorite places to catch bass in the fall in rivers are bridge pilings. Baitfish will cling to the walls of the bridge making it easy for bass to get an easy meal. Fall cold fronts do not seem to have a drastic effect on bass in rivers but it may slow the bite somewhat. The best time to load up on fall bass is the warmer days following a cold front. Fish will move up shallow and chase baits alot better. Once the weather turns the water temps into the 50’s slow down and focus on brushpiles away from the current.

I hope this gives you an idea of where to locate fall bass. Fall fishing can be an amazing experience if you can find the baitfish and present the right lures. Give these tips a try and let us know how your fall fishing turns out!

Keywords:  fall fishing  |  fall bass fishing 

Popularity: 19% [?]

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Have you ever driven by a small canal and wondered if big bass where cruising those waters? Well, I can tell you I did just that not to long ago and I took the time to stop and fish it. Let’s just say if I were in a tournament I would have been cashing a pretty healthy check!

Bass fishing in canals reminds me of the streams I used to fish in West Virginia so my approach was similar. All you really want to do is try and determine where the fish are congregating. More often than not bass will group up and hold on obvious structure or shoreline cover in canals. This particular canal had an outside weedline which the bass would cruise searching for bait. For some reason when fishing canals and streams I like spinning gear better than a baitcaster and the lighter the better. My first suggestion would be to fish soft plastics in canals that have alot of grass. Try and run your bait parallel to the weedline if possible. This keeps you bait in the immediate strike zone. I prefer small weight but often times conditions call for heavier setups.

If you like a good topwater bite a canal can offer some top notch action. I recommend a Devils Horse prop bait or a Zara Spook to entice bass on top. Try and keep your topwater baits parallel to the shoreline I have noticed when baitfish in a canal are being chased they always flee to the shoreline for cover. Your color selection is pretty basic most canals have small bream or sunfish. I recommend a pattern of this nature for your topwaters. Keep it natural and simple.

If the canal you are fishing requires you to fish a little deeper then you will want to use a heavier rod for making long casts and setting the hook in deeper water. I would go with a Texas rig Zoom Trick worm for this type fishing and work it slow. Try and find underwater structure with your bait and keep good contact with the bottom. If you find deep cover work it hard the fish will usually stack up here. Try and use your natural colors here such as watermelon, black, pumpkinseed, and junebug. These colors will normally work anywhere you fish. I would also recommend fishing some reaction type baits such as a spinnerbait or rat-l-trap. This seems to work well early and late in the evenings when bass are feeding on shad in canals. Try and downsize your offerings for more success. Shad and baitfish are normally not as big in canals.

Remember to not take to much tackle and get permission if the canal is on private property. These small waters often do not look like much but can really be a awesome hot spot for monster bass. Give these techniques a try and look for those small canals next time your out for a drive. Also take a child fishing with you, a canal is perfect for an introduction to the fishing world!

Keywords:  bass fishing in canals  |  monster bass 

Popularity: 21% [?]

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We just wanted to let you all know about the new forum on FishingReelDealz.com we hope you will sign up and be apart of our fishing family. We created the forum for people like yourself who want to be involved in the outdoors 24/7. Please feel free to leave us any suggestions you may have for us under the comments link at the end of this article on what you would like to see in the forum.

We are very excited to build an outdoor family here at FishingReelDealz.com and want you to be apart of it! Together we can teach and learn about tactics that will enhance our skills as outdoorsman. We also have a section in the forum for you to post your favorite hunting and fishing pictures. 

 FishingReelDealz.com wants to offer you a chance to WIN a NEW PINNACLE REEL just for signing up and being active in the new FishingReelDealz.com Forum! Sign up in the forum today and you will automatically be entered in for the Pinnacle Reel drawing! Help us build the Ultimate Outdoor Family!

Keywords:  Pinnacle Reels  |  fishing forum 

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Choosing the correct fishing rod for the application you are fishing is critical when the moneys on the line or just when your out having fun. Let’s discuss how to choose the right fishing rods for the right circumstances.

There are many different fishing rods on the market of all different sizes, shapes and colors. I am going to talk about three that will be a must for your rod locker. First you need to determine your fishing style and type of water you are fishing. If you live in Orlando FL. you will not want to stock up on medium action spinning rods.  I recommend having a few of each so you may be able to adapt to the conditions at hand. I would first start out with three rods. First, a 7′ medium heavy spinning rod for casting finesse type baits. I like the All-Star series of rods for this application. Pinnacle and Kistler also make great rods in this department that are reasonably priced. The next rod you will want to purchase is a 7′ medium heavy casting rod. This will be your spinnerbait or reaction bait rod. You will want to choose one that fits the reel you are using, the Pinnacle Matrix rods are really good for this. Make sure the rod you choose has a soft tip and a strong backbone for fighting fish from cover. The last rod you should look to buy is a 7′6″ flipping stick. This will be your heavy duty rod for fishing heavy cover or throwing big bulky baits such as large swimbait. This rod needs to be of heavy action but quality made. You will need to feel those soft bites that you get when worm fishing. The heavy action will enable you to get fish from cover quickly and get them in the boat. Pinnacle also makes a great flipping stick. The Matrix series of rods from Pinnacle will certainly get you the quality you need.

You will also need to be aware of the line size recommended on the rod. This will give you a good idea of what type reel you need. There are a few tests to determine the quality of the rod you are looking at. The number of guides is one way of determining a good rod. The more guides it has usually means it is more quality made. I always take the rod and have my wife hold her arm straight out I place the rod under the elbow portion of her arm and lift up on the rod. This will give you a good idea of it’s action and ability to hold fish. I like to make mock casts with it also to see it’s action when casting. Make sure the rod you choose has a good solid area for reel seating. This can be a huge factor in detecting strikes.

One of the biggest mistakes anglers make is using a rod for the wrong application. Your bait presentation is determined by your rod style and how you use it. Make sure you are choosing the right fishing rods for your conditions. With all the fishing rods on the market today we have just scratched the surface of what is out there. I assure you that the three rod types we discussed today will get you well on your way to landing those lunkers if properly applied.

Check your local tackle shop today and get stocked up on the right fishing rods!

Keywords:  Pinnacle  |  fishing rods

Popularity: 23% [?]

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