2006 Lurenet Fishing Articles

December

Tricks for Fooling Cold-Water Trout

Complete Article »

BIG TROUTKRILLA FISH It didn't take William "Wet Willie" Yourgulez of Bakersfield, California long to put his first supply of YUM TroutKrilla to good use. Yourgulez got the bait on Jan. 5 and caught a 15 1/2-pound rainbow trout just two days later, during his inaugural outing with the new bait. Yourgulez fishes the Buena Vista Lakes, near Bakersfield. Click here to tell us about your big fish and to send pictures! Tricks for Cold-Water Trout - One great thing about trout is that you generally don’t have to worry about water temperatures getting too cold. Trout are cold-water fish, and if the season and the water are open and you can stand the elements, some trout are probably willing to eat.

---

November

Topwater Charlie Keeps on Winning with Devil’s Horse

Complete Article »

  Topwater Charlie Keeps on Winning with Devil’s Horse Florida tournament anglers consider Charlie Orme of Ocala, Fla. a legend, and they know it’s going to be tough to win any time "Topwater Charlie" shows up at the boat ramp on tournament morning. However, Orme contends that "the lure is the legend," because Orme only fishes with one type of lure – a Chrome/Black Back/Orange Belly Smithwick Devils Horse. "I've got 300 to 400 trophies from tournaments that I've accumulated over the past 15 years or so," said Orme. "I can catch more fish on that one bait than others can with live bait."

---

October

Easy Ways to Catch More Crappie

Complete Article »

Easy Ways to Catch More Crappie Many veteran crappie fishermen consider autumn even better than spring as a time to put slab-sized crappie in the boat. Here’s a look a five specific ways that you can increase your crappie-catching success next time you hit the lake: 1) Control Your Depth Crappie often key on specific depth zones, so if you catch a couple fish 6 feet down, there’s a good chance you’ll find more at the same depth.

---

September

5 Pro Tips for Catching More Fish with YUM Dingers

Complete Article »

5 Pro Tips for Catching More Fish with YUM Dingers Texas pro angler Alton Jones knows about catching bass with YUM Dingers. After all, he introduced Dingers to the fishing world in 2003 when he won a BASS Pro Tour event at California’s Clear Lake with YUM Dingers before the these baits had been formally released. Jones, who recently qualified for his tenth Bassmaster Classic and who has earned more than a million dollars on the BASS and FLW tours, uses Dingers extensively in tournament fishing. A Dinger’s shape and fall create a lethal combination, according to Jones, and he employs Dingers in a tremendous variety of situations. Jones’ top Dinger tips, garnered from countless hours of dedicated YUM Dinger fishing, will help any angler catch more bass fish.

---

Red-Fin Produces Giant Fish

Complete Article »

Red-Fin Produces Giant Fish Cotton Cordell Red-Fins tend to produce jumbo fish wherever anglers throw them, and nowhere is that more true than in the jungle-bound lagoons of the Amazon River basin in Brazil. Red-Fins are favored baits for the region’s most sought-after sportfish – spectacular colored and explosive peacock bass; however, occasionally something even larger and more exotic latches on when you are swimming a Red-Fin in Brazil.

---

August

Sorrell Wins with Wacky-Style Drop-Dead Dinger

Complete Article »

Sorrell Wins with Wacky-Style, Drop-Dead Dinger It should be no surprise to bass fishing fans that Stokesdale, N.C. pro Rodney Sorrell used YUM Dingers to win a recent BASS Northern Tour event at Lake Champlain. Dingers have been winning tournaments all over the country ever since 2003, when Alton Jones introduced the then-new stick baits to the fishing world by topping a BASS Pro Tour field at Clear Lake. What may surprise some anglers is the way Sorrell was rigging and fishing his Dingers.

---

Walleyes Aplenty Await Anglers at Lake of the Woods

Complete Article »

Walleyes Aplenty Await Anglers at Lake of the Woods Often anglers must choose big numbers or big fish when weighing out top fishing destination options. Not so at Lake of the Woods, which straddles the Minnesota/Canada border. Walleyes absolutely abound in this massive North Country lake, and they commonly grow to heavyweight proportions. I learned this for myself in early August while fishing aboard a 30-foot charter boat run by Nick Painovich, owner of Zippel Bay Resort and a 30-year veteran captain. The action started early and continued throughout the day, and the big fish of the afternoon was a fat 30-incher, which probably weighed close to 12 pounds.

---

YUM TroutKrilla Offers Double Punch for Trout

Complete Article »

YUM TroutKrilla Offers Double Punch for Trout Having anchored just upstream of a hole that had been holding trout, Rick O’Neil opened a jar or Orange Glitter YUM TroutKrilla Pellets. "Be ready," he said, smiling, as he strung one of the bright pellets onto my No. 12 hook. "This won’t take long." We were field testing TroutKrilla, which will be available from YUM this fall, but O’Neil had tried enough of the new bait already to know what was about to happen...

---

July

Super Spot Double Delight

Complete Article »

Super Spot Double Delight Charlie Carter always expects to catch fish when he casts or trolls a Cotton Cordell Super Spot, but even Carter was surprised when he and his grandson, Ryan Forehand, caught a pair of double-digit-weight largemouths from a lake near Carter’s Oklahoma home. Forehand’s big bass, the first of the pair, tipped the scales to 11 ½ pounds. Carter’s, which came not long after, weighed an even 10 pounds. Both fish hit in the middle of the lake, where bass follow big schools of shad throughout the warm months, but they were at opposite ends of the lake.

---

Carroll Brothers Win With Ribbontails

Complete Article »

Carroll Brothers Win With Ribbontails With the influx of new lures on the market, it’s easy to overlook some of the tried and true lures that get it done day after day. That’s not the case with the Carroll brothers – Andy and Matt. This pair utilized YUM 10-inch Ribbontail Worms to turn in a runaway victory in the Skeeter / Yamaha Tour event held Sunday, June 25 at Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma. They shared the payday of the $23,000 grand prize. Using predominantly the Blue Flek color of the YUM Ribbontail, the Carrolls caught a four-fish limit weighing 17.77 pounds and won by nearly three pounds.

---

June

Lightning Strikes Twice with Devil’s Horse

Complete Article »

Lightning Strikes Twice with Devil’s Horse As if catching the biggest bass ever from Louisiana’s Black Lake weren’t enough, Ron Dyes of Marthaville, La. went and did the same thing a second time, more than 35 years after his initial record catch and with the same classic lure – a Perch-colored Smithwick Devil’s Horse. Dyes' most recent fish, which tipped the scales to a whopping 13 pounds, 5 ounces, annihilated the topwater lure on Dyes' second cast one April morning. It hit so hard that the veteran angler’s initially thought an alligator had grabbed his Devil’s Horse.

---

Mnichowski and McGill Use Samurai Shads for FLW Redfish Series Win

Complete Article »

Mnichowski and McGill Use Samurai Shads for FLW Win Andy Mnichowski and John McGill determined that they wouldn’t let distance get in the way of victory. In three days, this redfish tournament team ran 600 miles of Louisiana marsh, but the result was a first place finish in the FLW Redfish Series event out of Cocodrie and a check for $37,500. Mnichowski’s team managed a wire-to-wire win, leading the tournament all three days, and their final day catch was the biggest of the day by a decisive 8 ounces. They brought 48 pounds, 4 ounces to the scales during the event, topping the second place team by 2 ½ pounds. They also moved into fifth place for the season in the Redfish Series Western Division.

---

YUM BuzzFrog Basics & Beyond

Complete Article »

YUM BuzzFrog Basics & Beyond Warm weather prompts activity among frogs and other critters on bass lakes throughout the country, heating up some of the most exciting fishing action of the year. A YUM BuzzFrog swam across mats of grass will elicit explosive strikes during the warm months, often from heavyweight bass. A BuzzFrog, as its name suggests, calls up fish like a buzzbait but has the natural appearance of a swimming frog. Paddle-shaped feet create a big buzz anytime the bait is moving.

---

May

Gary Yexley Uses YUM Trio to Win Western Divisional

Complete Article »

Gary Yexley Uses YUM Trio to Win Western Divisional While the bite differed daily on Oregon’s Columbia River, the common denominator for Gary Yexley was that YUM baits produced the quality of smallmouth bass he needed during the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Western Divisional championship. "I believe in LPT," said Yexley, referring to Live Prey Technology, the secret ingredient in YUM that replicates enzymes put off by distressed baitfish. "I’m a jig tyer and I enjoy fishing my jigs, but I believe LPT is what gives me a distinct advantage."

---

XCalibur Zell Pop Ticket to Greers Ferry Win

Complete Article »

XCalibur Zell Pop Ticket to Greers Ferry Win As soon as Brad Smith began throwing an XCalibur Xz2 Zell Pop, he began catching bass, and within 30 minutes he had a limit in his livewell. Prior to switching to a Zell Pop, Smith didn’t catch a fish. Smith, a guide a tournament pro from Fort Smith, Ark., continued catching fish all day on a Z-Shad-colored Zell Pop and ended up taking first place in an Arkie Division BFL event at Greers Ferry Lake on May 6. Smith weighed in a 14-pound limit, topping all other anglers in the field by nearly 2 pounds.

---

April

Bombers Troll Up Salmon Action in Sweden

Complete Article »

Bombers troll up Salmon Action in Sweden When pro bass angler Tim Horton helped Bomber Lures design some new colors for the Bomber 15A a few years ago, he probably didn't have salmon fishing in mind. His colors were inspired to catch bass. Don't tell that to salmon guide Martin Sethman of Sweden. Sethman's tackle boxes of trolling plugs are loaded with Bomber 15As. Many of the slots are filled with Horton's Pro Suspending Long A colors. While guiding on Lake Varnen, Sweden's largest lake, in late April 2006, Sethman demonstrated how he uses Horton's Long As and other proven Bomber colors to troll up some exciting salmon action.

---

Big Catches Land Alton Jones in Second Place at Lake Guntersville

Complete Article »

Big Catches Put Alton Jones in Second Place at Lake Guntersville Four solid largemouth limits landed Texas pro Alton Jones in second place in the BASS Elite Series Southern Challenge at Lake Guntersville April 20-23. Jones, who led after the first and second days of the competition, missed winning the event by only 2 ounces.  Lake Guntersville bass were in all three stages of the spawn throughout the tournament, so anglers targeted the fish many different ways. Jones concentrated primarily on post-spawn bass...

---

March

XCalibur Xr50 Rattle Bait Produces Big for Tim Horton

Complete Article »

XCalibur Xr50 Rattle Bait Produces Big for Tim Horton Big limits on Days 1 & 2 and solid bags on Days 3 & 4 earned Tim Horton a ninth place finish at the Bassmaster Elite Series Lone Star Shootout at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in eastern Texas, and Horton’s key bait throughout the event was an XCalibur Xr50 Rattle Bait. Horton, who won the BASS Angler of the Year in his rookie season fishing the pro tour and who has qualified for seven consecutive Bassmaster Classics, weighed in more than 18 pounds on each of the first dwo days and more than 11 pounds on the third and fourth day....

---

Super Rogue Produces Oklahoma State-Record Smallmouth Bass

Complete Article »

Super Rogue Produces Oklahoma State-Record Smallmouth Bass "I must have jerked the right bait past the right rock at the right time," said Steve McLarty of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, recapping the presentation that produced a new Oklahoma state-record smallmouth bass on Saturday, March 4. The right bait was a Clown-colored Smithwick Suspending Super Rogue. The right rock was over a main-lake ledge in Eufaula Lake and 8 to 12 feet beneath the surface. The right time was about 9:00 a.m. during a Fishers of Men tournament.

---

Big YUM Dingers Key to Monster Catches for Alton Jones at Lake Amistad

Complete Article »

Big YUM Dingers Key to Monster Catches for Alton Jones at Amistad Alton Jones, who finished seventh in the Bassmaster Elite Series "Battle on the Border" at Lake Amistad, caught fine limits all four competition days. However, the highlight of the tournament for this Texas pro was a 29-pound, 10-ounce catch on Day 2, a day that definitely started out right. "I knew where a big one was, so I pulled up on that spot to start the day and caught an 8-15 on my first cast!" Jones said.

---

Lurenet’s Hot Bites - March 2006

Complete Article »

Lurenet’s Hot Bites - March Todd Huckabee’s rod was rigged exactly like mine, and our rod tips were nearly touching as he used the trolling motor to hold us over fish. Still, Huckabee was pulling in two or three crappie for each one of mine, so decided I needed to watch him more closely and do my best to mimic his every motion. We were dippin’, which is Huckabee’s signature long-rod technique for fishing any water that’s less than about 10 feet deep. In the most basic sense, he puts out a set length of line from his rod tip and "dips" his bait straight below...

---

Former Smithwick Owner Dies

Complete Article »

Former Smithwick Owner Dies Jack Allison Smithwick, former owner of Smithwick Lures, died February 22 in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. He was 74.  Jack A. Smithwick’s father, Jack Kenneth Smithwick, founded Smithwick Lures in 1947. Their first mass-produced lure was the Devil’s Horse, which continues to be a favorite topwater lure of bass anglers, more than 55 years after it was introduced in 1949.  Jack A. Smithwick is probably best known for naming the Smithwick Rogue, one of the top-producing spring-time bass fishing lures of all time.

---

February

Million Dollar Man - Zell Rowland

Complete Article »

Million Dollar Man - Zell Rowland Entering the 2006 Bassmaster Classic, which begins Friday, Feb. 24 on Florida’s Lake Toho, Zell Rowland of Montgomery, Texas has earned $980,665.90 from BASS tournaments. If Rowland finishes in the Top 10 at Toho – his 14th Bassmaster Classic – he’ll crack the million-dollar mark. Of course, no one aims for a "good finish" at the Bassmaster Classic. It’s an all-or-nothing deal, with no points involved, and every angler fishes to win, leaving nothing on the table. The top prize for this year's Classic is $500,000, but even that number pales...

---

Silver Thread Trout Super Tough Through the Ice

Complete Article »

Silver Thread Trout Super Tough Through the Ice John House says there’s no debate when it comes to the best line for ice fishing. A veteran hard-water angler from Elk River, MN, House tried many lines over the years before discovering Silver Thread Trout a couple of years ago. Now the issue is settled. "Nothing comes close," he said. "It performs so well in the cold, and it is extremely abrasion resistant." Created for use in cool to cold trout streams, Silver Thread Trout was engineered to perform exceptionally well in low water temperatures...

---

LURENET’S Hot Bites, February - YUM on Ice

Complete Article »

Lurenet's Hot Bites, February - YUM on Ice If a bite can be called hot when it’s 20 degrees outside, I definitely got to enjoy a hot bite recently. While ice-fishing in central Minnesota, two friends and I caught five species of fish on YUM Wooly Curltails and Vibra King Tubes. I knew that 1 ½-inch Wooly Curltails and 2-inch Vibra King Tubes had been gaining ardent fans among northwestern ice anglers and that this highly effective tactic had been gradually working its way east. Therefore, when I realized I’d be spending time on the ice, I carried a good stash of YUM "crappie baits."

---

January

Wooly Bug Produces Well on Okeechobee for YUM Pro Jimmy Mason

Complete Article »

Wooly Bug Produces Well on Okeechobee for YUM Pro Jimmy Mason OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – YUM pro Jimmy Mason of Rogersville, Ala. placed 15th in the Bassmaster Southern Tour opener on Lake Okeechobee Jan. 26-28 in a performance anchored by a 21-pound, 13-ounce first-day catch. Mason used a few different patterns, but his go-to lure for quality bass during the tournament was a black blue shadow YUM Wooly Bug. Not surprisingly, Mason is flippin’ the Wooly Bug, which many anglers are already dubbing the ultimate flippin’ bait.

---

Jerk Rogues for Trophy Trout

Complete Article »

JERK ROGUES FOR TROPHY TROUT Years ago, my uncle invited me to fish the Dream Stream section of the South Platte River. Upon arrival, he took one look in my box and laughed. "Those are way to big. Don't you have anything smaller?" Of course, I didn't, so I took a long stare into a box filled with crankbaits, jig-and-pig combos, spinnerbaits, plastic worms, and a few beaten up Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue. I'd caught just about everything that swims while fishing with Rogues.

---

Redfish Pro Anglers Fish For a Wish

Complete Article »

FISH FOR A WISH Tournament redfishing partners and fishing guides from the Florida Keys, captains Troy Mell and Jason Swensson are donating all of their 20006 earnings from the FLW Redfish Series, eastern division, to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida. Along with donating their winnings, Mell and Swensson hope to raise awareness about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

---

Samsel’s Hot Bites

Complete Article »

SAMSEL'S HOT BITES Having waited what seemed like an eternity for my Cotton Cordell C.C. Spoon to find bottom and noting the vertical nature of the surrounding terrain, I peeked curiously at the graph screen. "100," the digital numbers clearly said, but I wasn’t quite convinced. "Are we really fishing 100 feet deep?" asked my friend, a veteran mountain lake angler. "Yep," he said with a grin that suggested he had heard that question many times. "That’s how deep the walleyes are, so that’s how deep were fishing."

---