All posts by hellabass

Fishing with your eyes

March 1, 2006 hellabass

It baffles me the number of guys I know that still fish without sunglasses and/or caps/visors. If you ask me its just plain stupid not to protect your eyes when fishing! It’s the only set you have and probably the only set of eyes you will ever have and I depend pretty heavily on my eyesight. Not too mention, polarized sunglasses will help you catch more fish.

Protection:

I have been hit in the face with a lure several times, either by a fellow angler or me jerking on a lure that springs free and fires at my face. Two of those times my glasses deflected lures that otherwise would have hit me in the eye, and I definitely would have needed corrective eye surgery with people akin to https://sharpe-vision.com/. The other factor of protection is UV rays, it is important to protect your eyes from over exposure to Ultraviolet Rays from the sun and a good pair of sunglasses will protect your eyes in both instances. Good glasses will also protect your eyes when you are blasting to your honey hole on tournament day, how many times have you had to run in the rain or on a morning when there were a lot of bugs hovering on the water.

Catchin’ More Fish:

I know people will argue that they rarely have water clear enough to see bass where they usually fish and that the spawn is short, so why bother with sunglasses. Sunglasses more often help you observe structure, holes in grass, baitfish and other things that either help you cast where the bass should be or help clue you into what the bass are doing. If bass are holding open pockets in a grass flat and I can see the holes better than you because of my glasses, I will wear you out that day in the boat if we are together.

What to Buy:

Rule of thumb, buy the best glasses you can afford and make sure they fit your face. You can have a $200 pair of sunglasses, but if they are uncomfortable, you will not wear them and you will lose then because you keep taking them off. That’s why it’s important that you find the best style of glasses that fit your face, such as these Low Bridge Glasses (check out here for information) so the likelihood of them falling off your face will be greatly reduced. You’ll be thankful that you did. I am a big fan of Costa Del Mar glasses and I see the value of investing in good glasses. I use to wear $10-20 sunglasses and after wearing high end glasses, I really believe you get what you pay for. With my old glasses, I would be tired after a day on the water in the bright sun, eyes would feel strained, and they would be bloodshot. I can now fish all day and my eyes feel great and I have more energy to drive home after a long day, rather than fighting to keep my eyes on the road. The reason is because cheaper glasses have lower quality lenses that have inconsistencies in the lens that cause your eyes to constantly readjust and refocus to compensate and that is terrible for your eyes. A good set of wrap around glasses that fit your face not only reduce glare of the water but cut down on wind that dries out your eyes in the wind or when you are hauling down the water. You can find a great selection of glasses at Basspro.com

So invest in your eyes and some new sunglasses, buy what you can afford, but do not sacrifice comfort and fit. You will be glad you did!

Rather be Fishing…

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

BASS Tour

Luke Clausen Keeps his Eye on the Prize & Ike is Dead Last!

February 26, 2006 hellabass

The 2006 Bassmasters Classic turned out to be the record breaker ESPN/BASS hoped when it made the decision for the tournament to be held on Toho in the spring. On the flip side, I am not sure anyone besides Luke himself, thought he would be the big winner. See Final Standings
Luke caught all but one if his fish on Mann’s HardNose Worm

Luke Clausen joins an elite group of David Fritts, David Hite, Dion Hibdon & George Cochran as the only anglers to notch a FLW Championship & a Bassmasters Classic Championship. That is just flat out impressive. He is by far the youngest to achieve that, at 27, he was the youngest competitor in this year’s Classic. See full story.

So, where is next year’s classic going to be?

Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

Tips and Techniques

Trailer Hooks: Are you being stubborn or foolish?

February 4, 2006 hellabass

If you are fishing and there is anything on the line, you should have a trailer hook on your buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. It is more important with buzzbaits, spinnerbaits are a little more situational. Whether its bragging rights with your fishing buddy, a tournament or you are on a lake that has big fish potential, there are very few instances that trailer hooks are not a good idea.

I have found very few instances that the cover did not allow me to use a trailer hook, when rigged correctly, they cause very few problems. About the only time I do not fish a trailer hook, is when I am prefishing for a tournament. In those instances its better to just see the fish and not hook it, saving it for the tournament. In some cases, if you use a red hook or feather hook, you can actually increase the appeal of the bait with your trailer hooks. Even when the bass are really getting on the your buzzbait and getting the main hook, the trailer hook is a nice insurance policy as you winch your fish out of the cover.

If you do not believe me, how about this. Secret Weapon Lures sells Spinnerbaits & Buzzbaits; they feel it is imprtant enough that they include a sharp Mustad trailer hook in the package with every Buzzbait.

I love fishing, but I really love catching fish! So take the time, put the trailer hook on and start landing more fish!

Rather be fishing…
Rich
www.richlindgren.com

Tips and Techniques

A Co-Angler’s Secret Weapon

January 15, 2006 hellabass

A Co-Angler’s Secret Weapon

If you fish a lot of tournaments as a co-angler, you are probably always looking for ways to get an edge on your competition. Especially when top prize for the co-angler in some of these tournaments is a new boat!

Whether you are in a draw style tournament or you sign up as a co-angler, fishing as a non-boater can be a very challenging situation. Among the many challenges, probably the biggest challenge what tackle should pack? You cannot bring everything, because there is not room and its bad non-boater etiquette to clutter up the boat and it can make for a difficult fishing day for both anglers. Sometimes your partner will clue you in on what you will be doing or what he/she may be catching them on, but often times partner’s are protective of their patterns and will not tell you anything until after you are on the water for take-off. If even if you are well informed, everyone knows things change on the lake on a day to day basis.

How many times have you been out on the water as a non-boater and found yourself needing something you decided not to bring so you could save space? There is one thing I found that can tip the tackle scales in your favor. What if I told you, it is possible to carry nearly every spinnerbait combination possible in a tackle box that is equal to medium sized hook box? You would say, yeah right! Well its true, thanks to the innovation of Secret Weapon Lures. They have developed a unique spinnerbait system that allows you to carry a handful of spinnerbait heads, extra skirts and wide array of blades all in one small box. You can make blade and skirt changes in just seconds as water conditions dictate. And on top of all that, these spinnerbaits flat out catch bass. They have a true running head design and that creates a spinnerbait that never rolls and it even slow rolls great. Check out these great baits at www.secretweaponlures.com

So now that you can fit all your favorite spinnerbaits in a small box, just think of all the other stuff you can fit in your tackle bag….. Find your Secret Weapon Starter Kits and ProPacks here!

Tight Lines,

Rich Lindgren