Bassassins

Thanks guys - glad you enjoyed!!!

That is crazy! A fun little story for sure... We have seen big bass hitting overly aggressive smaller bass we a reeling in. Must have something to do with the increased heart rate and the panic that makes it seem like an easy meal???

In spring I was the winner of the Ontario’s Highlands ”Take Your Best Shot” GoPro contest where I was awarded a little adventure in the highlands. A pretty easy decision for me as I chose to do the fishing adventure that was offered to Limerick Lake Lodge. With Bass on an adventure of his own this week and the fact it was a trip that involved three nights in a cabin I figured my fiancee was the best person to bring along. As part of the adventure we had two days with a boat and I was really looking forward to taking Mel fishing for her first “big mouth” bass. I made sure to correct her when she told other people what she was catching, I promise. Day one started out a little windy but that sun was amazing! It didn’t take long for me to figure out the best way to keep the little 14 footer on some fish was to hit a little bay that was sheltered from the gusts. Fishing was a little slow, if we had a bucket of worms it would have been a blast with the pan fish but we were hunting for largies. Then it happens! Mel throws a perfect cast into the tree edge, has a bigger splash at her frog and her first largemouth bass. Didn’t take long until she was taking me to school with that frog – like a pro already…. I decided that I had better show up or this was going to be quite the embarrassing first day for me on the water…. so I put the Sick Stick to work – I had discussed this technique with a bunch of you in a recent forum post about weight or no weight. I had gotten a lot of really good feedback about specific set ups that had worked for everyone – thank you. With the wind up moving the boat around and fishing a bit deeper structure I was fishing the Sick Stick on a size 1 red circle hook with a small round split shot above the hook. I found it allowed the weight to sink a little faster and the fact it was a round split shot instead of with wings it didn’t caused any snags – was able to land this nicer largie off a sunken tree branch in about 8FOW. Mel was done with her frog and wanted to play with some sticks as well, her confidence started to get to her a little, didn’t even wait for the net on this one. As the bass started to finally pick up the storm was rolling in overhead. There were one too many rumbles in the sky for my new fishing partner so back to the boat house we go. Unfortunately that storm not only put a damper on our first day but flipped a switch for the weather and we woke to 11C and 25km/h winds. So day two had a short outing before lunch that didn’t produce a thing – wasn’t a total loss as we strapped the gear down, burned some gas and played around a little in the waves. A relaxing afternoon and a late lunch put us back on the water for an incredible evening, things were about the same weather wise until around 6:30pm when the wind just stopped. It was super special sharing one of our favorite fishing moments with Mel; no wind, calm water, sun setting, lots of wildlife making noise…. those moments just at sunrise or just at sunset that are unforgettable for most anglers – couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Simply beautiful….. OH YEAH!!! I also landed this just before we called it a night … WHAT AN EXCLAMATION MARK!!! One of our last passes of the trip, off a small clump of logs. I honestly thought I set my hook into one of the branches….. very happy when it started to fight back!!! Funniest conversation besides the big mouth / large mouth conversation day one was definitely the one we had when this fish hit. Rob – FISH! BIG FISH! Mel – where is the gopro? should I get to gopro? Rob – the net, GET the net! Mel – what about the gopro? Rob – Screw the gopro we need to land this one! Mel – Ohhh ok! A great assist on the net job I do have to say…. The night ended with another beautiful sunset, the starting of another fire and another day to laugh about before bed…. We want to thank Ontario’s Highlands for the contest and sending us on this trip. Also George and the gang at Limerick Lake Lodge were incredible, if you are ever in Gilmour, Ontario (near Bancroft) or are looking for a great fishing adventure off the beaten path that promises some great bass action – this is definitely a place to consider. The boat launch is super close to the lodging and camping. The shacks are very clean, fully equipped with bbq, fire pit, AC, wifi, kitchen – what more could you ask for? Mel and I had a great few days and a well needed vacation away from the big city. Please keep your eyes out for our “Take Your Best Shot” contest video that will be available middle of August. Thanks for reading – tight lines. Smooth

That post made for an entertaining lunch hour ... Great report! Comical thread!

Looks like some good eating there Dave... Congratulations!

Three weeks off that would be incredible - we get excited for two days in a row lol can't wait to see the epic report three weeks will produce!!! Excited to read that - best of luck

So fuss or no fuss ... We are over it and watch our wording on this forum I guess. Back to fishing. A question: Does anyone ever use a weight on your wacky rig? If so how/what? (And by what I don't need a brand lol ... Too soon? lol) The two of us were having this discussion yesterday out on Big Rideau - if you want a fishing report for yesterday here it is. IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE - That is all! Not our best I know..... My photo of the sun isn't uploading sorry...

Well it is great to hear the other side of things... thanks those that are enjoying our reports. We are new writing with actual sponsors so it is a bit of a learning curve. Obviously we will have to find a happy medium but we will figure it out soon enough. Thanks again guys..... interesting to hear both sides and peoples opinion on the topic. Hopefully we can get back with another report soon - BIG RIDEAU tomorrow for the full day.

Tanks boys WOW! Good on you to pick it up so fast. Look forward to many more of these reports

Apparently the point of my article is being lost in the fact that I mentioned a company we are Pro Staff for. Very sorry if we have "spammed" people by contributing to this site. I have edited the article to not list any company and will continue to write a seperate report for this forum if readers have a problem. Tight Lines to all... Smooth!

Insane Bunk - must have been so special to involve you daughter in this one. Every report is the trip of a life time for most.... The fish you catch would be the fish of a life time for most... You just keep doing it over and over and over again. Thank you for sharing this and every other journey with us - we are all very lucky to have an adventurer like you on this forum to inspire us all. Much respect! Rob and Rob

Haha - not ruined Lew - thank you for looking at the fish too we totally understand about the non-stop plugging or the "everything" is caught on the same awesome _____ ... we just give credit where credit is due. Somedays it works out that X worked but if Y worked better sponsered or not you only get the truth from us. OH and by the way those were KAMAKAZI size 1 red circle hooks used too if anyone cared ;) hahahaha tight lines Lew

Hey Lew - totally understand what you are saying. We have used lots of their plastics before joining their team but never this specific one. I did/do mention their name but the point is expanding to new techniques and having success - yes WE had success with this company but there are a tone of sticks out there. So feel free to find what works for you! I was just happy to be out, learning a new technique and having success. Sorry if this came off as spam... Part of their team but still pay $$$ for our plastics and just as excited when we get a new package at the door Smooth

Yesterday in Ottawa was a record high for heat and part of this insane streak of hot weather. Fishing has been tough and finding the time to get out has been even tougher in the last two weeks. A fresh new order at my door last night was all the motivation I need because inside were some new weapons. New to the wacky rig really I hadn't "understood" its effectiveness until fishing with Chad and John a couple of weeks back. Both used it quite a lot and in various circumstances. I decided that I don't really need to understand it, all I need to know is that both guys were having not only success but more hook ups and bigger fish in two totally different outings. As you can expect I soaked in all the knowledge I could and order some of the stick baits in various colours. The excitement to try them out was all the motivation I needed to throw the waders on and head down to the Rideau. Which, for all those that fish the urban jungle of Ottawa, is VERY low after this weekend and finally safer to wade. Keep safe and check for yourself but I am hoping that "normal" summer depths are here to stay. Once I hit the water I only had a little over an hour but it was productive. Lots of little fish around the bolders in 3-4FOW but was suprised when I found this one on a very shallow flat... And this one hiding up under a tree... VERY happy that I got out and VERY happy with the wacky rig! This is another example of the importance of fishing with others, being open to new tactics and always willing to improve as an angler. First test run but excited to see what my new weapons will do in the coming weeks. Tight Lines.. Smooth

Thanks everyone!

Not a fishing report but something we are super excited about! We had the opportunity to write an article for Fishing-Headquarters Magazine on wading for river smallmouth. Check out the whole magazine but make sure to catch page 49 - we really hope you enjoy the read. http://issuu.com/aragas/docs/fishing-headquarters-issue14 Tight Lines!

Thanks everyone - the one joy of being in retail and a chef ... week days off but hooky is always fun too if you have to. That is crazy... we post them with tinypic.com as IMG files. This is the first time I have heard this...

With Bass still stuck at work I hooked up with John D on the JDB for some St. Lawrence River action. Obviously the stories of this water system had me pumped for the possibility of a new PB! Zero sleep, early morning pick up - sounds like the start of an epic adventure to me. We were on the water Wednesday around 6am and conditions were incredible; low wind, overcast and mild weather. Leaving the ramp we hit our first spot without even getting on the big motor so we can consider this off the dock I guess. About 10 casts in, John already with 2 small bass in the boat, I was bouncing a tube across bottom in 25fow when I just feel weight at the end of my line. Keeping tension on I inform John that I had snagged up on something but it seemed to be moving a bit. Our short conversation of whether or not I was stuck was interrupted by a minute long line screech which determined I was in fact not snagged. This beauty of a pike came to the boat and I start the day with this beast, a new PB pike for me at a thick 37inches, on a tube - thank you St. Lawrence. We blasted off from there and fished a cane system we noticed another boat on down river. Fishing 6fow my tube quickly produced my first bass, it wasn't anything big which seemed to be the trend on this stretch. Fish after fish but all clones between 1-2 pounds.... Moving on. Our next location was again a shallow cane system but this time with some pads. John had success here in the past for both largies and smallies so expectations were high. Unfortunately the clones had followed us all the way down river, crazy! So with those small guys and another pike we knew something was up, the big ones obviously weren't in shallow. At this point we had boated a dozen fish but not the big ones we were hunting. John got on the electronics and found us a deep hump to target next. Great decision for the captain who landed this spawned out female - a huge fish that would be incredible to see again in fall. The hump produced a couple more fish but the bite seemed to slow off as the sun finally broke through the clouds. We ripped off back towards the first location in hopes of hitting some shallow water again now that the sun was out. Easily the best decision of the day - turning a good morning of over 20 fish into an unforgettable day on the water with over 40 fish in the JDB. John picked up the biggest of the day with this massive bass early in our approach to the flats... When released she thought she was ok to "hide" on bottom in 8fow, not in the St. Lawrence, I still can't get over just how clear it was. John had me beat on size all day but I won't complain about fish like this. The last couple of hours in this trip was amazing, the type of fishing days we dream of. Fish after fish, some size, lots of action and for me it really got the "monkey off my back". The start of the bass season hasn't been the nicest to me. I have been getting on fish but not what I have been looking for in quality or quantity. Feeling like an athlete in a slump that needed a change I resorted to shaving my beard, wearing my underwear inside out and even carrying around a lucky lure in my pocket. Let's hope we are done with that. My biggest came as an exclamation point at the end of AN AWESOME DAY... Thank you John for getting me out in the JDB and putting us on some fish, its always a pleasure but this day was something special. My first experience with the St. Lawrence was amazing and I can't wait for the next time. Bye for now... Tight Lines! Smooth

With Bass stuck pulling double after double at the restaurant, my other fishing buddies hitting the tournament on Sunday and my gang of friends heading to sandbanks for the long weekend. I finally hit up an invitation from Chad McNamara of http://www.ottawafishingguide.com to tackle his home stretch of the Ottawa River. Although I was all alone for the weekend I found the energy to get very excited about this outing. It may be because he posted a 6.1lbs largie last week or because I knew the weather was finally going to cooperate and I would finally get some sun. We launched to a very sun kissed view... ripping across a calm, partied out stretch of the river. STOP! NOW this is a random occurrence that we needed to slow down for - we didn't know if he needed a hand but he calmly turned away from us as we approached him in the water. I think we were more affected by the interaction... still astonished when we got off the water!!! Did anyone else know that squirrels will swim across rivers? We got to our first spot and noticed a lot of surface action - I was able to pick up the first smallie of the day and kick the skunk early on the popper - GREAT start and lets keep at it. Chad soon after nailed this beauty LMB that got the juices flowing all around and had us very excited for the way the day was starting out. Unfortunately with the weather we had gotten yesterday, and the day before, the water color was called all kinds of warm beverages from tea the dark coffee. Eliminating a bunch of the spots that Chad had success in the weeks before. We were able to hunt down a lot of bass and a few pike but didn't run into the size we were looking for. Blow up after blow up - strike after strike ... I can say the weather was amazing, the company was great and the fish kept us busy. With a couple of more solid fish before the day ended I was able to call this a successful Canada Day fishing adventure - happy to get out with Chad for the first time... very knowledgeable fisherman that I look forward to getting on the water with again. Although we are always hunting for the HOGS! A day like today where you can enjoy the sun and catch some fishing is greatly appreciated - especially after the random weather we have had this spring. Happy Canada Day to everyone ... back to work for me tomorrow. Tight Lines! Smooth

Yeah - we were both a little jumpy when she would change directions.... but all and all calm, cool and collected. More nervous that the light gear wouldn't hold up.... HAHAHA A bigger one... don't know if that will ever happy but you never know what is lurking in the shallows

The weather has been all over the place this summer and that has been moving the water levels up and down in some of our favourite fishing spots. Today we were finally able to hit our home stretch for some bass and ended up with this HUGE surprise in the shallows of the Rideau. She must have been hungry to hit Basstards soft plastic but we won't complain. PB for the Bassassins at 47" and a fish we won't soon forget. Check out the amazing video because anything I write won't give it justice. A quick little CPR .... ENJOY! .... couple of pictures to build the excitement!!!

With our buddy getting back from vacation we were finally able to have our first outing on the JohnD-Boat. A quick afternoon trip out of Petrie was the plan - few small eyes, pike and a couple of cool cats came to the boat - SUCCESS!!! Bass-tard had the hot hand - Rob just had to ensure the day was a BIG success. Just the first of many adventures coming on the JDB. Tight lines...

Thanks boys - more to come we promise!!!

Thanks so much all of you - really glad you enjoyed it. Bunk we are so PUMPED for the boat.... going to be a different approach for sure.

It was a wild and perfect day, little sleep 'cause your brain will keep you up all night thinking about all the fun things you'll do tomorrow. 4am, rise and shine, grab our gear and out we role. The 30 minute drive to the beloved Miss flies by in anticipation, not just because its Pike and Walleye opener, but also due to the generous donation of CEO Sean White from Militant Outdoors. The Bassassins have themselves a boat but not just any kind of boat. Its the perfect vessel, refurbished to shine again in her full glory, swift as the wind and quiet as a mouse we embark the banks of the river. The mist still lingers over the glass like waters, one pull and the engine purrs like a kitten, dashing forward towards our hunting grounds. Pike opener was long awaited and the whole expedition reeked of success, the first cranks cut through the air with a thin whistle. It doesn't take long for first contact. Andre drew first blood, no monster but the skunk is off. We continue the morning picking pike and walleye from the shallow weedy bays. Shallow cranks, big spinner baits and bright coloured spoons are the key to stir up a morning ruckus. We like to ring the alarm clock as its breakfast in bed for the toothy critters. Carefully watching out for schools of bait fish under distress, we quietly hit and run the shorelines. Every spot seems to produce fish and keeps us occupied but we were still waiting on the big one. As noon approaches and the early morning feeding frenzy unfolds in to full blown lunch feast the pike get more aggressive. Up sizing the bait with a faster presentation doesn't seem to scare off the little ones. As I release another teen age esox, Smooth is on to something. A big wake follows the shallow crank but misses it by a second. Cast again, same general direction, the Xcallibur hits the water, followed by a mad smash, he's on! He simply couldn't resist! Nice fat male, looked like he just had a bull frog for lunch. Well over 2 dozen toothy gators make it too the boat, Andre hits the jackpot with a nice old bruiser of a perch that hammered one of the custom made large spoons. Greedy bugger! Time to leave the water comes way too soon, Smooth and I manage a few back to backs on the way to the peer. Sometimes its not about breaking records but a day full of constant action is always welcome in our books! Hell it still beats sitting on the couch getting fat! Next on the menu are monster eyes, more pike and the illusive gar! Tight lines