Pops and I were talking today about getting out and fishing. He was having some scheduling issues that are preventing him from getting out more than once a week for the moment.

I’m a pretty lucky guy—I live within minutes of Lake Lanier, and the Chattahoochee River. Not to mention I’m less than 2 hours away from any number of great fisheries in 5 States. All told, between my own fishing, reviewing products, and the occasional guided trip, I get to spend around 150 days per year fishing.

Not too bad, but that’s also a pretty big exception. So how about you? How often do you get to fish? I’m sure whatever your number, the answer is, “Not enough!”

For the first time ever, Bass Pro Shops wants to give you money for your old rods.

You’re probably already familiar with the Bass Pro reel trade in, which is coming up very soon.

What you may not know, is that for the first time ever, Bass Pro is also doing the same thing with rods. The dates are different than the reel trade in, which may have caused a little confusion—but we will help you clear that up right now!

The rod trade in event is going on in the US from March 2-6, and from March 16-20 in Canada. This differs from the reel trade in dates of February 24-29 US, March 9-14 in Canada.

All in all, this is a great opportunity to get yourself a new rig from top to bottom.

If you are looking for more details on this event, click here.

See ya on the water…

Over the weekend, the professional anglers who have qualified for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic decended on the Red River this weekend for some official practice.

The pros are of course playing their results pretty close to the vest, but their are a few things we as fans can take away.

First off, the river (as rivers tend to do) is completely different from the last time most of the pros fished the system. KVD said the last time he was on the river, it was calm and clear.

Right now, things are running hard, and the water is extremely dirty.

What this means, is that the river will be fishing very small. It will be difficult to pin-point large schools of fish, so it will be a matter of running and gunning—finding a few fish, catching them, and moving on to the next stop.

The next point to take away is that the water is pretty cold right now, but there will be a distinct warming trend coming up really soon.

The competitors will be looking for fish that are searching for warm water. As the trend continues, the fishing will improve for the anglers that are able to find those fish.

This is only the first official weekend of practice, so being a river system, this will surely continue to evolve and strategies will change.

We will keep an eye on it and keep coming out with updates as they are available.

See ya on the water…

We have talked about the effectiveness of using spoons to target cold weather bass. We have also talked about the differences between casting and jigging spoons. This is important for the angler in terms of choosing which spoon to use for a particular situation. The vast majority of the time, when we begin our day on the water, we are using a casting spoon.

However, when the fish are relating to the bottom and down deep, our choice moves to a jigging style spoon. One of our favorites is the subject of today’s review. The War Eagle Jiggin’ Spoon. These spoons lend themselves by their design, more to a vertical jigging presentation than casting and retrieving. Why is that you’re wondering? 

War Eagle Jigging Spoon Construction

For starters, the length to weight ratio gets these spoons down in the water column quickly. At 1/2 ounce and 1-3/4 inches or 7/8 ounce and 2 inches, you can imagine that deep depths are no problem for the War Eagle. The Jiggin’ Spoon uses high quality components and comes with a swivel attached to the line tie. This feature serves two purposes. One, it protects your line better than tying directly to the lure and secondly, helps alleviate line twist as you’re fishing with it.

Another feature that we like is the fact that while most spoons are only painted on one side of the bait, the War Eagle is painted on both sides. In our testing, this does increase strikes over some of its competitors.

Action

The action of the Jiggin’ Spoon is one that would be considered moderate to understated for a bait of this type. Again, due to its size, there isn’t a lot of surface area on the lure for the water to move around. However, it is just this subtle action down in the depths that seem to be the strength of this lure especially when the fish are in a nuetral to negative mood. How many times have you been fishing where using a lure with a lot of action results in no strikes? I can tell you for sure, it’s happened to me often. Then when you switch to another lure with almost no action and usually, you start getting bit. This is where the War Eagle shines.

We like to use these to target deep structure in cold weather by simply positioning yourself above your target. Dropping the Jiggin’ Spoon down is simple and the bait doesn’t wander of course to any great extent. Once you’ve got it down simply raise your rod tip from about 4:30 to 2 o’clock and allow the spoon to settle back down on semi-slack line. That’s it. That’s has been our most effective retrieve with the War Eagle. We continue this same jigging motion until we get bit. A work of caution here, most of our strikes come as the lure is falling so keeping some contact with your bait is crucial. You can certainly miss the less aggressive bites if you allow the bait to fall on completely slack line. I know that I have!

The War Eagle Jiggin’ Spoon usually retails for about $6 for a pack of two and are flat out built. These things will stand up to the worst your lake has to throw at them and keep coming back for more.

If you’ve never tried fishing vertical jigging spoons but you’re looking for the right product to get going, this should certainly be one that is high on your list to obtain.

War Eagle Jigging Spoon
Overall Rating
Quality spoon with attention to details

See ya’ on the water …

Want to go fishing?

Work getting in the way?

Is your bosses idea of fishing grabbing a beer and a lawn chair and chucking trout Powerbait and a bobber in the middle of summer time?

If this situation sounds even remotely familiar, I have you covered! Sure, you could just call in sick—but how many times can you really get the flu in the same year? If you are going to go the old, boring, “call in sick” method, at least go over to Web MD and get some creative ailments.

No, for the truly brave, I have three suggestions for you.

Please note: This stuff is just for fun and probably not 100% politically correct. I know that—again, it’s just for fun, so no angry emails, K?

1. Start A Religion

If you had your own religion, there is no end to all of the fun holidays you could create that would necessitate needing a day off.

Things like Basstivus, or Troutakka, or even Carpster, are all strong possibilities.

Not only are the possibilities for holidays fun, but you could even mandate a dress code of waders and Costa Del Mar glasses. You could cover your head with your favorite fishing hat every day.

Tired of calling in sick? Start that religion…

2. Fishing Addiction

Guess what? Addiction is actually covered by the Americans With Disabilities act. As long as you are seeking treatment, your job is protected.

Well, why not get treatment for your fishing addiction? In fact, the only good treatment I know of is a solid day on the water!

3. Secede And Form Your Own Country

Secession is the ultimate step!

This is where you take the step and declare your home an independent and sovereign nation. This eliminates the boss situation altogether because you become the Commander in Chief of your own little country.

No one can tell you anything now.

Next time you start having that feeling that you are going to kill someone if you can’t get out on the water, get a little more creative than just calling in sick. Try these if you like, or fire off a few of your own!

See ya on the water…

Bass Pro Shops has officially announced the dates for their annual Reel Trade In event.

The event will begin on February 24th, the same day as the Bassmaster Classic, and will run until February 29th.

In Canada, the dates are March 9th-March 14th.

If you are looking for a new reel, this is the time to get it. The way it works is pretty simple—you trade in your old reel, and you get up to $100 toward the value of a new one, which is already discounted due to the Spring Fishing Classic!

If you are having a little trouble figuring out which reel to get into, here are three of our top picks for this year…

Abu Garcia Revo MGX

This reel features a one piece X-Mag allow frame with carbon sideplates, only weighs 5.4 ounces, and has a new braking system that features 28 levels of external adjustment.

At this time, it is only available in right-hand retrieve.

Daiwa T3 Casting Reel

Zaion Carbon Frame and sideplate, weighs 6.5 ounces, employs the T-Wing casting system, and the Magforce 3D cast control system that allows 20 different fine tuning increments and 3 different modes.

Available in both right and left hand retrieve.

Quantum EXO PT

Features the new EXO Skeletal construction, weighs 5.9 ounces, low start-up inertia spool.

At this time is available in right-hand retrieve only.

Look for full reviews of each of these reels coming very soon.

====>Click Here To Visit Bass Pro For More Information On The Spring Fishing Classic And Reel Trade In Event<====

Packaging

Yes it’s still jerkbait weather around here and we have been fishing the new Spro Mcstick 95 every time we have gone. This bait is 3.75 inches long and weighs just 3/8 of an ounce. It is designed to suspend in the 3 – 5 foot range allowing the angler to target some of those shallow or suspended bass.

I realize that getting out on the water when weather conditions are less than optimal has its own challenges, but there is one advantage you aren’t fighting for space on the water! This is enough incentive for us to get out and get to it!

Spro McStick Construction And Patterns

The new Mcstick uses a proven weight transfer system that results in much longer casts than you might think considering its fairly light weight. It casts well in calm or windy conditions without exhibiting any problems or issues.

Once the bait hits the water, a few turns of the reel handle gets it down to its running depth. The Spro suspends with a slight nose down angle which seems to result in more head first takes than tail first. This may account for the hook-up ratio being so high on the Mcstick. That and the use of sticky sharp Gakatsu hooks from the factory complete a bait that is both very solid in design and execution.

We chose the Chrome Shad and Old Glory patterns for our testing and have been impressed with these patterns. The attention to detail in these baits is evident the moment you get them out of the package. The folks at Spro have a reputation for producing detailed, quality lures and the Mcstick is no exception to that rule. The components are high end as are the finishes and of course those signature Spro eyes. Yeah, this bait just looks mean!

Of course, no matter how good a lure looks, what counts is how well it performs! Does the Mcstick catch fish? Keep reading…

Fishing The Spro McStick

We have been using this bait around points, on the sides of channels as well as in shallow flats and above submerged vegetation. In short, any place that bass can suspend but have cover close for them.

We experimented with several different retrieves before we got our first strike which incidentally came as an accident. First, we tried reeling the bait down and then used a jerk, jerk pause retrieve. Then we tried getting it down, giving it more of a pull, pausing again and so on.

Next we tried a slow, steady retrieve all the way back with no pauses. Just a side note here, the Mcstick displays a very consistent, tight wiggle using this retrieve which, as the water begins to warm, should result in strikes. Furthermore, when you are using a jerking motion, this bait will dive and dance before coming to rest in its suspending position. While this did result in some strikes, the one that has produced the most fish for us, as I mentioned earlier, was an accident.

If you’re anything like me, the last thing you want to happen is to get a text while your fishing! I had just cast out, reeled down and was pausing when my phone went off. I suppose I should have ignored the phone but instead, I cradled my rod, grabbed by phone and started reading the text. I had to turn to get the screen out of direct light to see it and when I did, I got thumped. I jammed my phone back in my pocket, landed the fish, released him and answered the text. That made the light bulb go on.

Next couple of casts, I would wind the Mcstick down, pause and then sort of pull the bait to the side and slightly down repeating this process all the way in. Third cast like this, got thumped again. Yup, now we’ve got something going. Sure enough, this has proved to be the retrieve that the fish have responded to for us.

This just goes to show you that experimenting with a lure to allow the fish to dictate to you what presentation they prefer on any given day, can result in a fantastic day on the water. The angler just has to have the patience, versatility and willingness to try someting a little out of the norm.

====>Click Here For More On The Spro McStick<====

Spro Mcstick
Overall Rating
Excellent action and consistent producer

See ya’ on the water …

Little guy caught on a Spro McStick

Three Simple Tips For To Catch More Bass On Your Next Fishing Trip

It’s no secret that we love swimbaits here at MVF. In fact, the Netbait BK was selected as our bait of the year.

The reason is simple—they work, and they work well!

Nonetheless, you can always improve. In this video, I am going to show you three simple tweaks you can make to catch more bass on your next trip. I will warn you in advance—your thumb is probably going to get sore!

Swimbait Tips Video

Take a look at the short video below.

Fast Tube by Casper

Those are three very simple things you can use to make fishing with swimbaits even more effective than they already are. If you follow the tips, you will have a better hook up ratio, because of the hook modification, and you will attract more strikes because of the bait modification.

Resources Mentioned In The Video

In the video, I use the Strike King Shadalicious, and Mustad Power Lock Plus hooks.

And be sure to subscribe to our You Tube channel for more videos coming soon.

See ya on the water…

Pirk Minnow In Package

This time of year is one that can see changes day to day as far as what the fish are wanting. Of course, with cold water, spoons are always one of the baits that we will start our day with. They allow you to do several things efficiently.

First, this type of bait casts easily on both spinning and casting gear no matter the conditions. Next, you can cover a lot of water quick, fast and in a hurry with spoons. Lastly, as a search tool, they are indispensable. So today, we’re going to look at the Terminator Pirk Minnow Spoon.  

We use this particular spoon because of its smallish size. The Pirk Minnow is available in different sizes but we tend toward the least of them which is 2 inches and weighs a 1/4 ounce.

Personally I favor this size as the bait in my area is very small this time of year and the Pirk, while very limited in colors, does a good job of emulating our local forage. Furthermore, due to its light weight, it can be worked a bit slower than heavier lures while still allowing the angler to fish it fairly deep just by counting it down a little bit longer.

Fishing The Pirk Minnow

When you’re fishing spoons it’s important to know what the action is like so experimenting in shallow water with them before you start casting is always a good idea. What you want to be aware of are things like how your bait falls on slack as opposed to semi-slack line. How the bait reacts depending on how you pop your rod tip. And of course, you need to have some idea of the actual rate of descent for fishing varying conditions.

We like to throw the Pirk on casting gear using 10 pound line. With this rig, distance is very good, as well as feel for what the lure is doing. The other rigging variation that we employ when using the Pirk is to use a snap on our main line instead of tying directly to the eye on the front of the bait. This doesn’t negatively affect the action at all. It simply allows you to change baits more rapidly as well as not exposing your line to unnecessary wear.

We like to throw the Pirk around channels and the deep side of points. Anywhere you have depth changes that bass can hold in; using this bait allows you to explore those areas. You just throw it out, count it down, and then begin your retrieve.

Pirk Minnow Quick Tip

We’ve gotten most of our strikes by raising the tips of our rods about two feet and then allowing the Pirk to flutter back down on semi-slack line. This bait also has an erratic swimming action as you’re picking up line so it never stops moving when used properly.

Terminator Pirk Minnow Wrap Up

I know that this minnow wasn’t originally created to target bass. However, it does the job quite well when used for its intended purpose.

The Pirk Minnow retails for under $3, holds up very well to abuse and comes stock with a very sharp, durable hook.

Now the only question is, are you going to stay at home just because the weather isn’t optimal or are you going to go out and take a shot at something new? Here at MVF, the latter is our preference!

Terminator Perk Minnow
Overall Rating
Excellent little spoon for a variety of species

See ya’ on the water …

Here is a product that I believe is one of the coolest things you can have on your boat, or even off the dock, on your next fishing trip. If you’ve never seen the Aqua Vu TV 7, you are really in for a treat the first time you fire it up, and start taking a look around the water.

The picture you will get of what is happening below the surface of the water is, in a word, stunning.

I literally thought it was some kind of demo video loop playing by mistake the first time I saw one—it’s that brilliant.

Aqua Vu Fish TV Features

I don’t think I really need to “wow” you with a laundry list of features—because one feature stands out above them all.

The 7 inch monitor gives you an incredible insight to what is happening underneath the water. The screen is in black and white (helps with contrast), and the camera has what they call “anti-spook” lights.

These are built-in, Ultra-Red lights that enable the nighttime viewing mode. This feature worked very well in my testing. I have read a few other reviews online that said they couldn’t see much at night time.

Aqua Vu Fish TV 7 Night Viewing Mode

Let me clear up some of the concerns about the night viewing mode.

If the water is murky, muddy, and highly stained, you wouldn’t be able to see the fish with an x-ray machine!

Since this is a true under-water camera system—not sonar or radar or anything else—you have to have proper expectations before you get it on the water.

Aqua Vu Fish TV 7 Special Tip

Here is a special tip that I read about, and used to great success when a friend and I went out to a marina to do a little “off the dock” testing.

Get some spare PVC piping, and cut a notch at one end. Feed the camera cord through the piping, and secure it on the notch. What you’ve just done is created a boom for the camera.

Now, when you walk a pier, or a dock, or you want to have a look under a ledge or other structure, you can easily point the camera where you would like it to focus, and see what you need to see.

Overall, this is an excellent product that is a great addition to your boat. I think it’s equally beneficial for an angler who does a lot of fishing from shore. At less than $200, it won’t break the back to put one on!

See ya on the water…

Aqua Vu TV 7
Overall Rating
Amazing detail and very affordable price

" border="0" style="max-height:125px; max-width:125px;" />	Aqua Vu FishTV 7 Underwater Viewing System - Outdoor Electronics Price: $179.99 Manufacturer: Aqua VU
Underwater viewing system gives you a clear, detailed look at what&8217;s happening below Easy to us... Read More ...