Lurenet Fishing Resource Articles

Fishing Articles provides information on anything you want to know about fishing. This page is full of current and archived articles that can provide information and entertainment on the world of angling.

2004

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2008

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2010

September

Follow Lurenet.com on Facebook for the Inside Scoop

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Facebook users are getting the inside scoop on special sales, products and news by following Lurenet.com's page. Company administrators often post when a new product is added to the Internet Specials section, or when products are being marked down for quick sale. We're also starting a program in which certain lures that are being discontinued will be announced on the facebook page, along with a toll-free phone number to call or order.Another new feature coming soon to Lurenet.com is the Friday Special. Following on the success of our one-day Friday sale last month, the lovely Lacey Leatherwood, the manager of our little site, decided to mark down certain items every Friday. These items will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Friday. Each Friday Facebook followers will learn about these super-specials, along with a direct link to that product. Join Facebook and search for Lurenet.com, then become a fan and hit "Like." In addition to the inside scoop on sales, you'll also receive industry information, news on lures and tackle, fishing tips and lots of great pictures of big fish caught on our lures. Plus, I like to give away free lures, and hold easy, weekly contests that can put great free lures in your hands.

August

Spinnerbaits Catch Giant Walleyes

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I don’t know much about walleye fishing. I caught one last month at the Upper Mississippi River while I was smallmouth bass fishing with a YUM Houdini Shad. Watched it zoom out of a patch of grassbed and smash it. But I do know enough to leave the spinnerbaits at home. Those are definitely bass lures. I know that much. But Rob Rowland doesn’t know that. In fact, he and his teammate have collected some big checks recently using spinnerbaits to catch giant, tournament-winning walleyes. And after a little checking, it turns out that a lot of folks know the effectiveness of these bass lures for walleye. Why didn’t anyone tell me?

Matt Likes The Mighty Bug

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BASS Elite Pro Matt Reed is excited about the new F2 Mighty Bug. He should be, he’s landed multiple big bass on the Mighty Bug in the last week, and used the bait to weigh in bass in major tournaments. Here are his top three tips for fishing the F2 Mighty Bug. 1. “I like the mid- and small-sized Mighty Bug on a Carolina rig,” he said. “It displaces a lot of water and has great action. If the fish are used to the old creature baits they seem to react well to this new action, and the F2 attractant prompts the bass to hold on longer for more and better hooksets.”

Wolak's Renewed Enthusiasm

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YUM pro Dave Wolak qualified for the Bassmaster Classic by virtue of his 23rd ranking, and maybe that’s got something to do with the way he’s fishing lately. He won the Northern Open on Lake Champlain a couple weeks back, and placed 13th in the PAA event on Lake Norman. In fact, he’s cashed a check in both PAA events this year. He even qualified with his neighbor for the Angler’s Choice Championship on Smith Mountain at the end of September. He admits he’s fishing more relaxed, and with the heat of qualifying for the Classic over, Wolak found that the desire to win returned with a passion. “I really wanted to win one,” he said of the Champlain event. “The novelty of a win wears off over time and it had been a couple years since I’d won an event. Champlain. It was a special event because I’d grown up there and fished it a lot. We’re so points-oriented, making sure our cumulative average is good, that we’re afraid to take chances and go into it to win.”

The Magic of the Houdini Worm

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By Spence Petros In recent years I’ve become a drop-shotting fanatic. While guiding and fun fishing, thousands of bass have crossed the gunnels of my boat while using this deadly technique. And while having used just about every style, shape, and texture of drop-shotting lure, none has preformed as well as the 4 3/4 inch Yum Houdini Worm. Why do I prefer the Houdini worm? Let me list some of the reasons. For starters, it’s salted and scented with Yum, the special fish attractant that’s in all the soft plastic Yum lures. This is an added bonus when fishing on windy days, in deeper water, or if you’re trying to teach the technique to drop-shotting “rookies”. The bass simply hold on to the worm longer, making strike detection easier. The texture of the Houdini worm is perfect. They are soft enough to give you the teasing, quivering action that temps bass into biting, yet they have enough “back-bone” that when you rig them Texas style several bass or more can usually be caught on one worm. A number of the other scented worms are so soft that they easily get tore up or ripped off. I had some of these overly soft baits shift positions on a hard cast when rigged self-weedless, plus they seem to attract peskier panfish.

July

Double Largemouth On Sunday

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Norman Freebeck of Florence, Ala., considers the bone-colored Bomber Long A his secret weapon when fishing near the (undisclosed) dam along the Tennessee River, and the lure outperformed his expectations on Sunday, July 18, when a single cast netted not one but two chunky largemouth bass. Doubles (two fish on a single lure) aren’t completely unheard-of, but Norm’s double weighed almost 10 pounds. “I was fishing with my 6-year-old daughter, Holland, when I got the hit near the dam,” Freebeck said. “Up there, the Long A will catch all kinds of fish including largemouth, smallmouth, drum, stripers and even gar.” He said when the fish struck he knew he had something substantial but wasn’t fighting like any fish he’d caught on this particular waterway, which he requested remain undisclosed.

New YUM F2 Salleemander

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YUM Soft Plastics’ new F2 Salleemander features swimming action never before seen from a soft plastic lizard, and because it’s infused with F2 attractant it continuously releases the most potent attractant on the market. With four swimming-action legs and a knob at the end of the tail that creates a realistic swimming action to the entire lizard, the Salleemander pushes tremendous water displacement. The 6-inch Salleemander is perfect for Carolina rigs and Texas rigs, but also catches bass weightless worked over grass. Attract. Enrage. Engage. YUM F2, or Ferocity Squared, is a highly concentrated natural formula clinically tested by the Mississippi State University under the strictest scientific conditions. The result is documented proof that bass prefer YUM F2 by 30 percent over the leading attractant. Additional advantages include its ability to be infused in traditional soft plastics in any shape, as well as long-lasting effectiveness and continuous dispersal of scent (no need to “refresh” every six casts!).

New YUM F2 Shakealicious Shaky Head Worm

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YUM Soft Plastics’ new F2 Shakealicious shaky head worm features a ring of short undulating tentacles at the head and a slender, tapered body that moves with the slightest twitch. The body of the new F2 Shakealicious is ringed to produce more water displacement and come in all of the best color patterns. Created to be used as a shaky head worm, this soft plastic can also be used in any finesse worm situation or rigging. It also can be rigged backward on a shaky head so the ring of undulating tentacles get right in a bass’s face.

YUM F2 Attractant Spray Puts More Fish In The Boat

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YUM Soft Plastics announces the introduction of F2, independently tested to be 30 percent more effective than the leading attractant. This all-natural attractant comes in handy, clean 8-ounce pump spray bottles that cover the lure with scent without defiling your boat or hands. Attract. Enrage. Engage. F2, or Ferocity Squared, is a highly concentrated formula clinically tested by the Mississippi State University under the strictest scientific conditions. A “run” was built with sides, top and bottom, which eliminated every outside factor, then prior to each scientific test, the water was flushed from the run and fresh water added. A tiny slot was opened to drop in on a line a small piece of plastic soaked in F2 or the competitor’s brand. The bass in the run actually ate this piece of plastic 30 percent more times than the competitor’s.

YUM F2 Mighty Bug For Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass

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YUM Soft Plastics’ new F2 Mighty Bug is a versatile creature bait infused with the most-potent attractant on the market. The Mighty Bug features six active appendages and a tri-segmented body to produce more water displacement than any other creature bait. Four small kicking legs and two longer claw-like swimming appendages create panicked action with the slightest twitch. The segmented body causes it to undulate on the swim. Combine these fish-attracting features with the most-effective attractant and you’ve got a winner.

YUM F2 Wooly Bully -- Your New Flippin' Go-To

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YUM Soft Plastics’ new Wooly Bullee is a flipper’s dream bait. At almost 4-inches in length it presents a substantial profile while the narrow width provides erratic glide and the ridged surface and frantically flailing claws create tremendous water displacement and action. To top it off, the Wooly Bullee is infused with new YUM F2 attractant, the most potent on the market. Attract. Enrage. Engage. YUM F2, or Ferocity Squared, is a highly concentrated natural formula clinically tested by the Mississippi State University under the strictest scientific conditions. The result is documented proof that bass prefer YUM F2 by 30 percent over the leading attractant. Additional advantages include its ability to be infused in traditional soft plastics in any shape, as well as long-lasting effectiveness and continuous dispersal of scent (no need to “refresh” every six casts!).

Sneak Peak at PRADCO - Fishing's New Products for 2011

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By Lawrence TaylorThe International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) is the American Sportfishing Association convention when almost every fishing company announces new products for the following year. Here is a sneak preview of what’s new for PRADCO – Fishing for 2011 and you can save the airfare to Las Vegas, not to mention slot machine money, backjack losses, hangovers, cab rides, yech! (Be aware that some of these products will not be available at sporting goods stores or lurenet.com until later in the year.) New Products for 2011 from Bomber Crankbaits, YUM Soft Plastics, XCalibur Hi-Tek Tackle, Cotton Cordell and Rebel Lures include: F2 Attractant & F2 Infused LuresF2 Woolee BulleeF2 Mighty BugF2 SalleemanderF2 ShakealiciousF2 in existing lines such as Dingers, Money Craws, Tubes and moreBomber 4A Real CrawBomber Herky Jerky Jr.Cotton Cordell Wally StingerRebel Tracdown MinnowsXCalibur Xr50 Real CrawXCalibur Xr50 Real GillXCalibur Square Lip Shallow Diver The DetailsThe biggest news of 2011 is YUM F2. This all-natural attractant was independently tested by Mississippi State University to be 30 percent more effective than...

Swimmin' On The Fourth Of July

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Story and Photos by Lawrence Taylor BASS Elite pro Terry Big Show Scroggins knelt and lipped a chunky 4-pounder, the fourth good fish he had brought to the boat in the past few minutes. He unhooked the Booyah Bed Bug jig and carefully released the fish back into the 85-degree waters of Oklahoma’s Lake Fort Gibson. (Pictured: Pro Terry Big Show Scroggins lands a bass that fell to his swimming jig.) “I found the winning pattern,” he said. “It was just a few days late.” Scroggins referred to the last regular season Elite tournament, which had changed venues at the last moment, giving the pros only a half-day of practice on a lake many had never seen. He was fishing shallow rocky flats with the brown jig and a matching YUM Muy Twintail Grub trailer, but he was swimming it with a medium-speed retrieve rather than bumping bottom in slow motion.

June

How and Where to Catch Big Bass On the Booyah Pigskin Jig

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By Jay Angel Fishing for big bass is a little different than fishing for whatever will bite. Using the Booyah Pigskin jig coupled with the 3.5-inch long Yum Chunk has dramatically increased the average size of bass I catch. The 3/8-ounce Pigskin jig’s skirt is composed of two different types of rubber. This makes the jig pulsate differently in the water than other jigs. This pulsation not only gives the lure a huge profile, but it also gives the appearance that the jig is “breathing.” This big skirt requires a large Chunk in order to clear the rubber. I prefer a 3.5-inch long Yum Chunk trailer. This soft-plastic trailer looks like the pincers of a crawfish. After you place the Chunk onto the jig, you should look at the rig – you’ll have better luck if you can clearly see the Chunk. If the rubber skirt is hiding the trailer, take a pair of scissors and trim the rubber up some. Don’t cut off too much of the skirt; just enough so you can clearly see the pincers.

Campfire Tales With Glenn Wheeler

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Telling tales around the campfire is one of the great joys of life. Outdoor writer and photographer Glenn Wheeler is one of the best campfire storytellers in the country and will occassionally bring one of his tales to www.lurenet.com . Here's his first installment of Campfire Tales With Glenn Wheeler.By Glenn Wheeler Have I ever told you about the time I learned how NOT to bathe in the woods? I haven’t? Well pull up a chair this is good. A few years back, me and Stu and Cifford were in deer camp back in the hills. It was early muzzleloader season, so the weather was still a little balmy. By a little balmy I mean 80 degrees with 127 percent Ozarks humidity. It was one of those deer seasons when you had to be careful if you killed anything, beyond the self-defense murder of half-bushel of ticks and mosquitoes.

Parker Wins Triton Owners Tourney With Fat Free Shad

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By Lawrence Taylor Tennessean Ben Parker did what many of us fantasize about – quitting his regular job and chasing the dream of professional bass fishing. On March 27, 2008, I wrote the first story here at lurenet.com about it. He said he’d talked it out with his wife. No kids yet to consider. She gave him her blessing. “It’s now or never,” she said. They agreed that Parker would give it two years. If he hadn’t made promising progress during that time he’d trailer the boat, put on a tie and go back to work as an investment broker. A lot of water flows under a bridge in two years. He spent the first months in his boat from daylight to dark, learning. Tournaments. Some wins; a lot of high placements; a lot of expenses. A lot of fishing – studying his Humminbird until his eyes crossed.

5 Questions For BASS Elite Pro Dave Wolak

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This week BASS Elite Pro Dave Wolak steps up to the plate to answer lurenet.com's five questions. When did you decide you wanted to become a pro fisherman?I started competing when I was 15. I always fished, but that first bass tournament really hooked me. I was always competitive and playing sports and I enjoyed the competition. I realized when I was in college fishing regional events that I wanted to make it my career. What has been your biggest win or high-placement in a tournament?The 2006 Bassmaster America, and it was at a critical time in my career. I'd just had a baby and I hadn't won anything at the time. This was a unique event -- a 6 hole course -- and I adapted to the day and different parts of the lake and won. I had to adapt to situations. It was a lot of things coming together at once and it gave me confidence. It was just 12 days after my son was born and I just kindof winged it and just fished. I'd never been on that water and I made decisions on what the water dictated. I learned that it's not about getting information or preconceived notions.

May

Parker Takes Tennessee State Championship, Carr Lets Victory Slip Through His Fingers

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Kentucky Lake guide and Booyah/YUM bass fishing pro Ben Parker won the 2010 BASS Federation Tennessee State Championship on Pickwick last weekend throwing two lures that are mainstays on his home lake, the Booyah Pigskin Jig and a Bomber Fat Free Shad BD7 deep-diving crankbait. (Ben Parker, right, accepts the BASS Federation Tennessee State Championship plaque.) Another Booyah/YUM-sponsored pro, Teddy Carr, felt victory slip through his fingers as his kicker fish came unbuttoned at the boat and swam back into the depths of Virginia’s Lake Anna during the BASS Weekend Series event. “I had the dang thing in my hands,” he said, “but let a 4-pound hussy get away.” Carr still took third in the tournament, despite his slippery fingers. Parker fished the BASS Federation event as part of the Reelfoot Lake Bass Club, which finished second overall. Parker’s individual victory in the event qualifies him to fish in the BASS Federation Regional tournament next spring. When most anglers arrived at Pickwick the lake was 3 feet over summer pool, and most of the field focused their practice time flipping shallow cover or working mainlake points. By the tournament start, however, the lake had dropped two of those feet.

April

The Spittin', Chuggin', Dog-Walking Pencil Popper

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By Brad Wiegmann Only one lure sounds like the chugging, spitting, dog-walking Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper. That action and sound attracts stripers and big bass from long distances resulting in heart pounding vicious strikes; however, there is more to fishing a pencil popper than just casting it out and walking it. You have to know when to fish it and where. After you know when and where, you should fine-tune your presentation with size and color pattern to maximize your catch-rate. Pencil poppers come in a variety of sizes and color patterns. While the pencil popper has been a standard topwater bait for coastal anglers for years, inland striper and bass anglers have quietly become quite found of them. The tail-weighted Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper allows for ultra long cast and creates a chugging, spitting action when using the walk-the-dog retrieve.

Catching What Bites -- Three Lures That Worked Thursday and Friday

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Sometimes you’ve just got to go fishing. No stress, no worries and no requirements – just go catch what bites. Outdoor writer Kenny Keiser, guide/writer Brad Wiegmann and I did just that Thursday and Friday on Arkansas’ Beaver Lake, and three lures claimed the lion’s share of the fish. The XCalibur Xt3 Twitch Bait, the square-lipped Fat Free Shallow and the classic 3-inch Muy Grub were the key lures. Beaver Lake is known for plenty of largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, and for crappie and big white bass, hybrids and stripers, as well as catfish. The three anglers enjoying the sun on Beaver Thursday and Friday wanted to simply catch fish, so selected lures that would appeal to the species most likely to bite – bass, white bass and crappie. For the largemouth and spotted bass, we also flipped and pitched YUM Wooly Bugs and Big Show Craws. Beaver Lake features 28,370 acres of water and 487 miles of shoreline nestled high in the Ozark Mountains. Right now the redbuds and dogwoods are in bloom and those shorelines are beautiful. We fished the area where the White River and the War Eagle join in the upper portion of Beaver and the water was stained.

Kentucky Lake Bass Heating Up Right Now!

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The south winds are back, bringing rain and warmth to the waters of one of the best bass lakes in the country, Kentucky Lake. Kentucky and its brother Barkley are turning on big time, according to guide Ben Parker. “This week I saw water temperatures in the 60s and it’s making the bass frisky,” Parker said. “Water levels are just below summer pool, so the bush-flippin’ is getting very close, and the big fish are already shallow.” Parker is on the lake almost every day with a guide trip or one of his special educational electronics trips. He specializes in teaching anglers how to best use their electronics, especially training with side scanning units. During recent guide trips, it’s been the XCalibur Xr50 that’s been the go-to bait.

How To Catch The Biggest Bass of Your Life Part 3, The Details

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(In this feature article series we cover focusing your bass-fishing efforts on giant bass. Here we cover some of the details that must be perfect to maximize your one chance at a double-digit bass.) By Lawrence TaylorOne chance. Most times that’s all you get at a giant bass -- one chance. Now think about all of the things that can go wrong when a 10-pound bass takes your lure.

March

How To Catch The Biggest Bass Of Your Life Part 2: Where & When

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(In this feature article series we cover focusing your bass-fishing efforts on giant bass. Part 1 covered lures and technique, and this one discusses where and when to put those lures in front of a double-digit bass.) By Lawrence TaylorFocusing your fishing on giant bass means upsizing your lures and gear, paying close attention to details and fishing where and when the opportunities are greatest. Your chances of catching a really big bass are best during spring, if for no other reason than that’s when they’re at their heaviest. A big bass can lose a pound or more of weight after spawning, and even more weight in fall in waters with less-than-optimal populations of baitfish and other food. They’re also more accessible to anglers in the springtime, and normally in good health after feeding on baitfish such as shad all winter. In its simplest form, bass spend summers and winters on or near the main lake and travel up creek arms and shallow protected flats during spring to spawn, and again in fall as they follow baitfish. Much of this travel is done along channel edges.

How To Catch The Biggest Bass of Your Life Part 1: Lure Tips and Considerations

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(In this series of articles we will focus on catching giant bass. It requires changing your gear and lures as well as your attitude. Fishing where the big ones live, at times when they’re feeding also are important factors. Part 1 focuses on lures, line and technique.) By Lawrence TaylorWant to land a double-digit bass? You can fish the same way you’ve always fished and you might luck into one, but if your quest is to catch the biggest bass in the lake, you’ll need to change your tactics. Southern California anglers employ giant swimbaits and big jigs to catch goliath bass. Even though on average there are more bass over 10 pounds in warm climates with long growing seasons like that in Southern California and Texas, Arkansas resident Mitch Looper says that these SoCal techniques and lure types work anywhere big bass lurk. In most places there are just fewer big bass to catch, making the devil in the details a very important fellow.By his own admission, Looper is fishing for the biggest fish in the lake. With many double-digit bass to his credit, including one weighing 14.8 pounds (14.12 when he first caught it!), and many years of experience focusing on giant bass, Looper has it down to a science. To make it more impressive, these fish were all caught from smaller “city” lakes, public waters many of us pass as we’re headed to larger water.

A Bass Pro Leaks The "Big Secret"

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By Lawrence Taylor Do bass pros have a secret they keep to themselves? Is it a lure? It’s got to be a hidden honey hole. Maybe a hush-hush mix of chemicals they spray on their baits or some high-tech electronic doohickey that makes bass go nuts? Do they bury a dead cat in the graveyard under a full moon? Oklahoman Jason Christie fishes the FLW and PAA tours among others and has cashed some pretty big checks since he quit coaching high school basketball. He quickly rose through the ranks and continues to be a top contender at any tournament, and now offers guide trips to budding or current bass tournament anglers (and just regular guys who want to improve their fishing). His School of Bass isn’t just a normal “go out and catch bass” deal, though. It’s an educational experience that lets the client in on the “secrets of the pros.”

Gaston's Media Days with Frank Saksa and the Xs4 Stick Bait

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“You know, that’s three years in a row that a twitch bait caught the picture fish,” said outdoor writer Jeff Samsel. It’s true, another big brown trout became a photo model for several outdoor photographers as a result of the deft retrieve of one type of lure. “I kid you not,” said photographer Glenn Wheeler, “I said ‘Frank, we need a picture fish,’ and he picked up his rod and zip, bang and in two casts it was done.’” (so, obviously, credit Glenn on the photo, and that's his friend Greg Harris in the background. Frank Saksa holds the big brown trout.) For three years in a row the XCalibur Xt3 or big brother Xs4 caught the baddest brown trout during Gaston’s annual Media Days. And all three times big fish of the week was caught by the same man, as well as lure type. The man is Frank Saksa, a lifelong fisherman who has guided at Gaston’s for 18 years.

Destination: Gaston's Resort -- Bass Fishing For Trout!

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By Lawrence TaylorOne of my favorite fishing trips of the year is coming up next week – the Gaston’s Resort Media Days event on Arkansas’ White River. The White is one of the top trout waters in the country and we’ll be coming in at the tail-end of the brown trout spawning run. Big brown females will be working their way back from the dam and this year, I’m hoping my son gets to tangle with one. Brown trout see some spawning success at the White, and stocker rainbow trout are stocked periodically to ensure there are plenty of fish to be caught. Last year at the event my son, Hunter, then just 5-years-old, caught his first and second trout of his life. Both were stocker rainbows and great fish, but we had to wake him up to catch them.

Guntersville Good Even When It's Bad

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By Lawrence Taylor It was a good idea two months prior. Add a few days to the front end of the Bassmaster Classic to fish one of my favorite lakes, Alabama’s Lake Guntersville. There are other lakes in the country as productive, such as Kentucky Lake, but not many. Early spring plus Guntersville equals bass, normally positioned where they ought to be, and ready to eat what you’re throwing. What I didn’t consider was that Global Warming would produce a winter the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. (Note to the Climate Changers – it’s gonna get hot this summer. You probably want to make a movie or something.) So, there I stood looking off my balcony at Lake Guntersville State Park at what should have been a beautiful view of the lake. Unfortunately the snow obscured the view, and I could barely make out the water a couple hundred yards away. Whenever a fishing story starts going over things like the accommodations, the fishing lacked the excitement to carry the article to its end. If I was to ever get trapped inside a state park, however, Lake Guntersville State Park is the one I’d choose. Beautiful rooms, a great restaurant and fantastic views are all available right there.(Pictured: Top -- Early morning view from Guntersville State Park. Bottom -- A couple hours later with snow obscurring the lake.)

FLW Pro Kyle Mabrey Talks Fishing With Jerks

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By Brad Wiegmann This is going to be our little secret. Professional angler and FLW Tour Pro Kyle Mabrey from McCalla, Ala., told me that this time of year, most of the time he ends up fishing with jerks. Yep, that is what he told me. Straight out jerks. You would think that he would leave the jerks next door, in the driveway, at the gas station, at the ramp, anywhere but in his boat, but no way. “I don’t know what it is about this time of year,” Mabrey said, “They just seem to come out of the woodwork. I will leave some jerks at home, then stop at a bait shop and ‘bang!’ I will have three or four jerks in my boat before I get to the ramp. I even tried fishing out of someone else’s boat and the jerks still show up.” Early springtime seems to be the worst, reported Mabrey; they just seem to hang around, suspended, waiting. “Hey, you do know I am talking about jerkbaits don’t you?” Mabrey asked.

February

The Red Warrior Versus The Black Warrior

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By Lawrence Taylor Kyle Mabrey’s shock of red hair makes him stand out in a crowd. His fishing abilities set him apart from other anglers. I’ve fished with him on several occasions and was very excited to get to fish with him on one of his home waters, the Black Warrior River in central Alabama. This river is known for its giant spotted bass. It’s one of those areas where you can realistically expect to catch a 5-pound-plus spot. And that’s exactly what Mabrey did…on his second cast. (Pictured: Kyle Mabrey with two of the biggest spotted bass caught during a mid-winter day on Alabama's Black Warrior River.)

Congratulations to Kevin VanDam on Another Classic Win

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Jeff Kriet jumped from the hot seat to see Kevin VanDam weigh the biggest sack of the tournament and take home another Classic trophy Sunday evening. Three days of the highest-level fishing and industry expo ended in a shower of confetti. (Pictured: YUM winners from the final day of the 2010 Bassmaster Classic.)Practice was below freezing but the pros take it as is. You could tell the people who had been around a while. They were the ones who didn’t look shocked when VanDam brought in 19-pounds, 8-ounces the first day.

Last Day of Classic Features Pros and Plenty of Free YUM!

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Birmingham, Ala. -- Today’s events at the Lurenet booth at the Bassmaster Classic featured plenty of pros, lots of excitement and a bunch of free YUM soft plastics for attendees. Lurenet’s booth (actually the PRADCO Fishing booth, number 2642) is the official booth of Booyah Bait Company, YUM, XCalibur, Heddon, Smithwick, Cotton Cordell and more. Today kicked off with fishing legend Bill Dance signing autographs and talking fishing with the crowd. Dance remains one of the most popular anglers in the industry and always draws a crowd. (Pictured: Pro staff manager Robin London hugs Bill Dance at the Lurenet booth at the Bassmaster Classic)

5,000 Flipstahs Given Away in Day-And-A-Half!

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Birmingham, Ala. – It only took a day-and-a-half for Booyah Bait Company to make history with the largest product donation in Bassmaster Classic history. Booyah donated 5,000 Flipstah Flippin’ and Pitchin’ games valued at $49.99 each, for a total of $250,000 to attendees at the Classic Expo. “We gave away about 4,000 the first day,” said Andy Carroll, director of marketing for Booyah. “The rest went by noon on Saturday. It is a great feeling to help make one of the biggest events in bass fishing even better.”

Anglers Getting Free Flipstahs Now!

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Birmingham, Ala. -- Like bass to a school of shad, attendees at the 2010 Bassmasters Classic made a bee-line to the Booyah/XCalibur/YUM booth to pick up their free Flipstah Flippin' and Pitchin' game valued at $49.99. Booyah Bait Company is donating 5,000 of the games to attendees of the festival, the largest donation in the history of the Classic, estimated at $250,000!

Booyah to Give Away 5,000 Flipstahs at Bassmasters Classic

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Booyah Bait Company announced today that the company will give away 5,000 Flipstah Flippin’ and Pitchin’ Games to attendees at the Bassmasters Classic. The Bassmasters Classic is the Super Bowl of bass fishing and the biggest spectacle in the sport, and Booyah is doing its part by giving away the Flipstah, valued at $49.99, one per family. This constitutes the largest donation of product in Classic history, $250,000 in product. All attendee’s need to do is provide his or her valid email address to booth and factory staff at the festival. That’s it. The email address will be added to the www.lurenet.com data base, and those consumers get early notice of special sales or events at the website, which is home for all of PRADCO Fishing’s family of fishing companies that include Booyah, YUM, Bomber, Rebel, Heddon, XCalibur and more.

Lurenet.com at the Bassmaster's Classic

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The Bassmaster’s Classic is the pinnacle of bass fishing pitting the best of the best against each other in an event worthy of being dubbed the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing. It’s special to all competitive bass fishermen, but it’s the biggest event of the year to those of us at Lurenet. Our sponsored anglers who qualified for the Classic this year are Terry Scroggins, first-time qualifier Terry Butcher, and the always consistent, always dangerous Alton Jones. Jones says the inclement weather expected during the Classic plays into his hands. He’s one of the toughest competitors when the weather turns sour, and he’s been suspiciously absent from the predicted top finishers by the pundits. Jones, a sincere Christian of the highest standards, is still a very competitive man. Don’t be surprised if this doesn’t serve as “bulletin board” material that motivates him into his usual fish-catching machine.

Inshore Lures of Choice? Heddon Spooks!

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By Brad WiegmannIt’s been said that catching fish on topwater lures is the ultimate fishing thrill. If so, then fishing the flats is the ultimate extreme -- the X-Games of topwater fishing. Flats like the those located around Tampa Bay in Florida have an abundance of redfish, snook, tarpon, and sea trout all willing to smash a topwater lure with vengeance. In fact, it’s not that unusual for an angler to catch an inshore slam, which is a sea trout, redfish and snook all in one day. It becomes an addiction. Jason Stock, who lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., is a professional angler, fishing guide and expert at backwater fishing for any species of fish swimming in Tampa Bay or coastal waters. Stock owns and operates Jm Snooky Kayak Charters out of the Tampa Bay area. His two favorite topwater lures for fishing the flats for tarpon, redfish, sea trout or snook are the Rattlin’ and One Knocker Spooks by Heddon Lures. Color seems to matter depending on the weather. On cloudy days, a darker color pattern is better, and on sunny days a more transparent color produces more fish. Stock’s favorite overall color pattern is the Z-Shad followed by Bone, Chrome, and Silver Mullet.

Soft Plastic Assortments On Sale Now!

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Remember those tackle shops with the long tables covered with Tupperware containers full of all types of soft plastics? There are probably a few still around. You get a plastic baggie and slowly circle the table taking a few green pumpkin tubes from over here and some black curltail worms from other there. Pay by the pound. And that smell of plastic in the air. We caught fish on those cheap plastics, but they normally weren’t too durable. And that multi-legged scorpion-looking critter looked cool in the store but just laid there in the water. And did I mention the smell? There certainly wasn’t any LPT in that plastic. Lurenet’s 45-Pack Soft Plastic Assortment gives you a variety of soft plastics in proven styles and shapes from the best names in the industry, YUM, Mad Man and Riverside. They’re also durable and infused with scent and salt. To top it off, you get them at $.89 a package.

New Muskie Lure Available Now In The United States!

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Muskie lures are a lot like the anglers who throw them, tough, durable and dependable when there’s something big on the line. The strong lures survive and the weak are quickly exposed to the tight-knit muskie fishing fraternity. It’s time to add another lure to “strong” category. It’s already proven itself to pike anglers in other countries, and now it’s ready to take on North America. “The Bomber Herky Jerky was specifically designed to catch pike in Europe,” said Bomber General Manager Bruce Stanton. “This style of bait has become increasingly popular for European fishermen, particularly in Scandinavia. Pike is a highly sought-after gamefish in Sweden and Finland.” Bomber utilized several top guides in Sweden to fine-tune the finished product, which is constructed out of super-tough polycarbonate plastic.

January

Heddon Vamp-Spook Returns For Limited Engagement

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By Lawrence TaylorI’m a sucker for 1940s and ‘50s era art depicting hunting and fishing, so when I was asked to announce the availability of some new “old” lures I took the opportunity to look at some old Heddon catalogs. Those old black-and-white photos of guys holding big stringers of big bass may not be politically correct today, but they sure take me to a different place in time. The accompanying photo of a page in the 1940 Heddon catalog is a good example. Pictured is Florida gentleman holding a 17-pound bass caught on a Heddon Vamp-Spook. How many steaks do you think that big mama made? You can bet that fish fed the masses well. The Vamp-Spook was a classic big-bass and muskie bait back in the day and are available for a limited time here at lurenet.com in the Internet Specials area. Molded after a pike minnow, the Vamp-Spook came in several versions including a topwater, a subsurface crankbait and even in jointed form.

Attention!!! Quarter-Ounce One Knocker (Xrk25) Available Now!

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Anglers have clamored for it for three years, and it’s finally here. The quarter-ounce version of the superstar of the lipless crankbait category, the One Knocker, is available now in all of the best color patterns. The XRK25 One Knocker takes the loud, unique “thunk” produced by a single tungsten-lead rattle into a size not available before now. The addition of the XRK25 completes an elite lineup that includes the XRK100 (1-ounce), 75 (3/4-ounce) and 50 (half-ounce) One Knockers.

More Than 5,000 Smallies Caught on Teeny Wee Crawfish

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By Bill Schultz In 1992 I bought my first Rebel Teeny Wee Crawfish to fish for bluegills in a local pond. To this day I remember my first cast with this little fish-catching magnet. I caught two bluegills on that single cast, and knew I had a winner. In 1994 I first gave it a try for stream smallies and it’s been my “go to” ever since. I’ve fished this lure for smallmouths as much as anyone in the country, and since then I’ve caught and released more than 12,000 smallies, with more than 8,000 coming from less than 300 river trips. Conservatively, I’ve caught more than 5,000 smallmouth bass on the Rebel Teeny Wee-Crawfish!

Ladies and Gentlemen, The King Of Pop!

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By Brad Wiegmann Everyone knows who the king of pop is, right? If you answered Michael Jackson you can just moon walk your sorry tail away from the computer. The real king of pop is Bassmaster Elite Series Professional Angler and sixteen time Bassmaster Classic Championship qualifier Zell Rowland. Rowland started fishing with the original Pop-R years ago when he was only 20 years old. The Pop-R was small and made a different sound than any bait back then. Of course, bass fishing was different back in those days. It was not unusual for many of the professional anglers to sleep in their vehicles to save money for entry fees. “I remember one cold night before a tournament, I was sleeping in my sleeping bag in my station wagon and I woke up because I heard this banging noise from the vehicle beside me; so, I went over and found Rick Clunn was inside banging on the window because the doors were frozen shut and he couldn’t get out!” Rowland continued, “I had to go get some hot water to get him out of the vehicle.”

Booyah Gold Club Enrollment Ends Jan. 22

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Like all good things, your opportunity to become a member in the Booyah Gold Club is about to come to an end. Memberships will be accepted for only 7 more days. The enrollment period ends at midnight Friday, Jan. 22. The Booyah Gold Club is not a credit card – it’s a program that allows members to purchase any lure at www.lurenet.com at half price, up to $2,500 or the duration of one year. Only the Internet Specials (which already are available at substantial savings) are exempt from Gold Club pricing. Lurenet.com is the homepage for Booyah Bait Company, YUM, Bomber, Rebel and many more quality fishing companies, and all of those lures are available to Gold Club members for half-price.

Cold-Water Bass Fishing Tips From The Pros

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Even though much of the country is in the grips of the coldest winter in decades (Thanks Global Warming!), not everyone is faced with frozen lakes. And even if you are, we’ll eventually thaw and bass will still be there waiting for you. Here are a few tips from professional anglers on catching cold-water bass. Alton Jones, 2008 Bassmaster Classic Champion“One of my favorite cold-water techniques is using an XCalibur XR75 Rattle Bait and running it over the top of submerged vegetation. The key is to ‘tick’ the tops of the grass with your bait. Basically, if I’m feeling grass I’ll speed up the lure. If I’m not feeling grass I slow down. If it bogs down in the grass I tear it free with a quick snap of the rod tip. Use 20-pound test line because this technique catches BIG bass!”

MORE Bass Fishing For Trout Tips

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By Lawrence Taylor Ron Wong is a bass fisherman and outdoor writer from Memphis who keeps his bass gear wet all year long. It may not be a bass at the end of his line, though, especially during winter. He ascribes to the “bass fishing for trout” philosophy and continues to pound the water no matter the temperature. I met Wong at Lindsey’s Resort on the Little Red River here in Arkansas on a blustery day last February while he was bass fishing for trout. He had boated several big brown trout that morning, so I asked him the usual fisherman questions.