Great Equipment
When I began fishing club tournaments on
local waters I learned just how important it is to use quality equipment. I quickly
noticed that the winners didn’t complain about their equipment. Now that I
have been competing on the professional level I’ve found that the absolutely best
equipment leads to successful tournaments.
Ranger's boat designs are known for their spacious
comfort and generous storage for necessary equipment. New for all of
the 2003 Comanche models is a long list of standard features. A first for
bass boats is keyless ignition. A security code is punched in and then the
outboard can be started with the push-button. It can be started once or
for any number of hours after punching in the code. This will be a time
saver to tournament fishermen. Another first for bass boats is the Soft
Ride System seat cushioning. The seats are built on a spring system
somewhat similar to a mattress. Talk about comfortable!!!! No surprise that
customers rate Ranger boats number one according to J.D. Powers &
Associates.
The Ranger 519SVX Comanche is my choice because of its
wide decks and ease of maneuverability. It's a dream to operate and
own. It's deck height and gunnel height are perfect for my favorite
technique - flipping. The 19' length of the 519SVX is perfect for
most reservoir, lake, and river fishing - although I'd definitely consider a
larger model if I regularly fished giant bodies of water such as the Great
Lakes. I always order the half-deck "flipping"
extension to maximize the boat's raised deck space and storage. My boat
also has the optional recessed trolling motor foot pedal. This allows me
to operate the trolling motor with both feet at the same height. This
saves a lot of strain on my back. Ranger has so many options to make your
fishing more comfortable that it's best to visit a knowledgeable dealer.
I have chosen to power my Ranger's with the Yamaha
outboards. The HPDI motor is known throughout the industry for its high
performance and reliability. American consumers have rated Yamaha's
outboards above any other brand due to their reliability, according to the most
recent JD Powers & Associates survey. That reliability is due to
extensive research and development of the HPDI system. I am excited to be
attending Yamaha University for two weeks in the fall where I will learn the
full marine product line and where I will be trained on V6 HPDI outboards.
The
Berkley
range of fishing lines can certainly fit anybody’s fishing style.
With different tournament situations I find myself using several
different types of line in varying sizes. My
favorite and the most versatile is IronSilk monofilament, which is ideally
suited for most heavy-cover bass fishing situations.
Its combination of flexibility and abrasion-resistance makes it perfect
for hopping and jigs or worms through docks, brushpiles, rocks, and anywhere
else that bass call home. I flip
jigs, worms, and anything else on IronSilk – usually 25# in the low visibility
green color. I have used the 25 and
30# low visibility green color in the clearest of water successfully – if
there was heavy cover. But for
lighter cover in clear water I prefer the Vanish line because of its incredible
sensitivity and virtual invisibility. For
best results tie the Vanish line with a Palomar knot and draw
the knot up slowly. For fast
lure presentations where I want a controlled stretch I choose the Big Game line.
It’s ideal for buzzbaits, lipless crankbaits (like the Rattl’r), and
burning shallow crankbaits or spinnerbaits.
No wonder it’s the first choice for saltwater fishermen.
If you haven’t tried Carolina-rigging with FireLine then you don’t
know what you’re missing. I use a
leader of IronSilk, Trilene XT, or Vanish (depending on water clarity) and use
20 or 30# FireLine as the main line. You
will enjoy the maximum feel of the bottom composition, any nearby cover, and
even the smallest fish will feel huge! It’s
that sensitive.
I’ve tried a lot of soft plastic baits for flipping up bass in heavy
cover and have found one bait that simply does it all.
The 5” Power Hawg is the largest creature-type bait I’ve ever seen.
Don’t let the 5” description deceive you; it is a big bulky bait.
I use the bait in its full size if I am targeting quality fish averaging
three pounds or more. I’ve had
poor results in hooking fish when flipping tubes and have found the 5 Power Hawg
to be the solution for this too. I
pinch off the first ½” and the last ¾” of the body and then remove the
side legs – leaving only the two flappers.
What’s left is now the same length and profile of flipping tubes except
that it’s solid. The solid bait
has a great hook up ratio with virtually any worm hook and the additional weight
makes flipping, pitching, and casting easier.
Often I’ll only partly modify the bait to suit the conditions.
When conditions really get tough or the fish just aren’t very big I
depend on the 7” Power Worm or 4” Power Finesse Worm to catch my limit.
Sometimes this seems to be the only way to catch them during the fall
turnover period.
The Frenzy line of hardbaits was developed by studying the largemouth
bass kept in huge aquariums. Prototypes
of various shapes, sizes, and most importantly, different vibration patterns
were evaluated in the aquariums with the bass.
Bass clearly respond to different vibration patterns in various water
temperatures and visibility ranges. The
most successful prototypes were developed into the current Frenzy products.
My favorite is the 3/8 ounce Medium Frenzy Diver, which dives about 8-10’
on 10# line. It is extremely easy to
cast and comes through cover fairly well.
Fish love it ! ! ! It has
caught fish virtually everywhere that I’ve been in the last year.
Also the 7/8 ounce Deep Frenzy Mag Diver is capable of diving an honest
18’ on a long cast with 10# line. I
once caught 17 pounds of bass in five consecutive casts using the Mag Diver.
I have used Lowrance depthfinders for over 15 years and believe that they are
simply the best. I carefully chose the equipment that I am currently using
and have found that I always use a 1240A in-dash flasher for safety
when running high speeds. The LMS-240 combination sonar and GPS unit
has both fantastic depthfinder and mapping options. This user friendly
unit is completely waterproof and conveniently fits in the Ranger's
console. I also down-load maps from the MapCreate CD's and have found
that almost an entire tournament season's maps will fit on a 16MB Multi-Media
Card. On the trolling motor I utilize the X-51 which fits in the front
panel of the Ranger 519SVX.
When
I’m looking for the biggest bass I’ll always seek out the densest vegetation
or thickest cover. This is where the Minn Kota Maxxum trolling motor truly
excels. The composite shaft with spring-loaded bracket are built tough enough to
absorb shock from any direction. The motor operates efficiently on 24 volts by
using the Maximizer circuitry, which was invented by Minn Kota. Minn Kota
trolling motors are simply the most powerful and rugged trolling motors
available.
Having the correct propeller on the boat is absolutely vital to
achieving the top performance from the boat and motor. The friendly staff at Bay
Propeller, in Chesapeake, VA, have a thorough knowledge of the art and
science of propeller selection. Outfitted with computer-based propeller
analysis, they can repair any damaged propeller back to it’s original
condition, or customize it to suit your specific needs.
