Rich's Bassin' Blog

Spring Fever Sale at BassTackleDepot.com

2010-02-09T03:34:00Z

Depending on where you live, it may not feel like spring right now, but the Bassmaters Classic is just around the corner and that means the fishing season is about to kick off. So to celebrate this, Bass Tackle Depot is having a 20% off store wide sale so that you can save big on the stuff you need to stock up for the season.

Hurry, you only have until Wednesday night to get your order placed!
My plan is to grab some 5" Tru-Life Shads and some Gambler Hangover Skirts. And who knows maybe a new Curado 300E and a rod if I decide to part with some of my projected tax return....

Red River FLW Fantasy Fishing Lineup

2010-02-08T03:20:00Z

Reports from the Red River are of high, muddy and cold water, which usually means tough fishing. Expect many anglers to struggle, but some will find the right kind of water and you will likely still see some hefty pre-spawn sacks. So as of now, here is my Fantasy lineup for the Red River.

RIch's Red River Roster		Adjust Team		Tour Stats
	Selected Anglers	Winner	Winning Weight	Tournaments Fished	Earnings	Missed Cuts	Avg Finish	Top 3	Top 10's	Top 25's	Wins
	DAVID WALKER			92	$ 547,509	72	52	0	17	33	0
	MARK ROSE			68	$ 519,200	59	66	3	8	15	0
	ROB KILBY			86	$ 513,150	76	55	3	7	23	0
	ISHAMA MONROE			13	$ 71,000	13	80	0	0	2	0
	EDWIN EVERS	X	67lbs 7oz	-	-	-	0	-	-	-	-
	DAVID DUDLEY			90	$ 1,348,100	73	45	7	16	35	2
	GREG PUGH			54	$ 376,500	45	67	0	8	13	0
	JASON CHRISTIE			13	$ 99,500	10	78	0	3	3	0
	RANDALL THARP			6	$ 26,000	6	67	0	0	1	0
	ANDY MORGAN			93	$ 768,354	78	48	3	13	31	1

To find out the details and logic behind my lineup, listen to the following podcast in which host Greg Huff and I break down our Fantasy Fishing picks, plus we interview FLW Champion angler Luke Clausen on the 2nd half of the show which you can listen to here or on iTunes.

Still time to join my league and win free prizes for the Red River and all the events!

ESPN Fantasy Bass Fishing is Open for 2010

2010-02-07T03:28:00Z

It's open, check it out here - http://games.espn.go.com/bass/en/group?groupID=394

First thing you will notice, is they changed the format, no more salary cap, you just pick anglers from each of 3 category levels: A, B, & C. It's all based on the points anglers earn towards AOY, so the only bonus points you will get is for days led in tournament. Looks like a lot of autographed jerseys in the prize pool this year.

Here is the info to join my Bassin' Blog League and win some prizes!

Rich's Bassin' Blog

Group Type: Public
Group Creator: RichLindgren.com
Group Motto: "Win Free Prizes Here!!!"

Ger your lineup in the for the Lay Lake Bassmasters Classic before you forget.

New Fantasy Bass Fishing Radio Show

2010-02-05T21:42:00Z

This Saturday @ 7:30am will be the 2nd airing of Twin City Limits radio show on 950am KTNF in the Minneapolis market; host Greg Huff & I are interviewing Luke Clausen this week. This radio show is all about bass fishing and fantasy fishing. If you live in the area and can check it out, please do so. You can also stream it on the 950AM website, it says you need to be from MN, but all you need is a MN Zip Code, try this one 55421.

Also the last episode and future episodes are on iTunes and also on PodBean, follow the links to add it to your iTunes list or download to your MP3 players, iPhones or whatever else you cool kids download things on these days.

The first couple episodes are Fantasy Fishing intensive breaking down the Red River and Lay Lake, we get into picks, strategies and much more. As the weather warms, we will cover the local bass fishing scene in Minnesota as well. Please post comments with your feedback!

Also, if anyone is going, I will see you at the Skeeter Bass Center open house tomorrow!

Loose Threads

2010-02-04T19:50:00Z

Nothing too exciting but here are a couple things I have been meaning to blog about:

I helped collaborate on this Swim Jigs 101 article.

This video and article about winter smallmouth fishing posted a couple weeks ago.

My dad has been sending me some of his better catches from Lake Falcon, here is his biggest of the season so far, sounds like the bite is really picking up! His batteries were dead in the scale, he is thinking it was close to 10lbs!

Still waiting for ESPN and Bassmaster to open their Fantasy Fishing league for this season. Other then that, I have not been fishing since December, but I got a trip planned for the last weekend in February!

IMA Emailer - January 20010

2010-01-30T17:53:00Z

Welcome to the IMA Emailer -- January 2010 Issue

The IMA EMAILER brings you news from IMA pro staff members across the USA and worldwide. Find all your Ima baits at BassTackleDepot.com

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are now firmly in the rearview mirror and the 2010 fishing season is rapidly beginning to occupy most of our thoughts. South Carolina pro Michael Murphy is a little different, however. When it comes to describing his latest pet project, the Ima Flit 100 jerkbait, he's still got Turkey Day from two months ago on his mind.

"Sometimes big fish want a snack and not a meal," he said. "Think about Thanksgiving. You've just eaten a big meal and you're completely stuffed, but you go by the table and you see some desserts. Which are you going to grab, a cookie or a big piece of pumpkin pie?"

His point is that the overstuffed gluttons among us can't resist, but on those occasions when there's only a little room left to fill it's the bite-sized morsel that's going to get us every time. Big bass are the same way. They want to eat all the time, but sometimes it's the little temptations that are deadliest. This is the primary reason why the engineers at Ima made the decision to add a 100-sized bait to the wildly successful Flit 120. Together, they're a dynamite combination for your jerkbaiting needs -- like a sharp left jab and a brutal right hook -- ready to put fish in your livewell under almost any conditions.

While the 120 outperforms its competition and can be used it an exceptionally wide range of circumstances, Murphy said that its little brother adds to its versatility. He wouldn't want to be without either one in the boat at any time.

"Here's the lowdown," he explained. "The 120 is a typical, popular three-hook design. It's made for fishing on the highways the fish use, the migration routes and channel swings."

But on lakes like Guntersville, where the grass flats top out four feet under the surface, at times the Flit 120 is too much. If you need a shallower diving model, or the forage is small, "this bait makes a lot of sense," Murphy concluded.

So other than when you want a shallower diver, when is the Flit 100 your top choice? Murphy flips the question around on you -- When don't you want it on the deck? -- he always has both models of Flit ready in the rod locker. With the smaller bait, the key factors are smaller prey size and less aggressive fish. The size and species of the dominant forage is a constantly changing variable throughout the year -- you can be in the right place, but if you're off by an inch or so in "matching the hatch" you can miss the boat. Too big and you'll miss out, but the reverse is true, too -- baits that are too small sometimes won't get the attention of even the most ravenous fish. Thus the need for two different Flits, even though they're similar in other ways.

"It's designed to move the same as the 120, but on a smaller scale," Murphy said about the Flit 100. "The walk is not as severe. It only has half the twitch and it doesn't have as much sound because there aren't as many BBs and they're in two chambers instead of three. It's a softer, less intrusive version of the same bait. It's the same kind of ping, but at times when the fish are skittish, it's possible to get too much sound."

While many anglers think of jerkbaits as tools for cold weather leading into the spawn, Murphy says that given the right circumstances, they can be killers 12 months out of the year. After all, the thin minnow profile is undeniably tempting to bass from coast to coast and around the world.

"I just feel comfortable throwing it all year long," he said. For example, while other anglers used "texposed" soft jerkbaits at an FLW Series tournament on Clarks Hill this past fall, Murphy avoided the frustrations caused by missed strikes by substituting the new Flit. "You can fish it in many more ways than other jerkbaits," he added. "A lot of times with a jerkbait they'll just slap the tail end of it. With this lure, if they even graze it, they're hooked."

The number one gripe of hard and soft jerkbait fishermen everywhere is bass that follow but don't strike. One moment, you have a water-borne missile that's making a charge for your lure, the next minute she's sinking back into the depths. In designing the Flit, Murphy and the entire Ima team took this into consideration.

"You can make it do a 180 and persuade that strike to happen," Murphy said.

Around docks on lakes like perennial FLW Tour stop Lake Norman, Murphy said the fish get so accustomed to following other lures like flukes and paddletail swimbaits, that it often takes something different to get them to strike. "They're educated. After someone fishes the dock you have to leave them alone for an hour and come back. You have to trigger the strike, but if they swipe at it one time, you'll get them hooked up. For that reason, it's great for going behind people."

While the 100 doesn't dive more than about five feet deep, like its big brother it's deadly over deep, clear water. On lakes like Champlain (on the Vermont/New York border) or Murray (near his South Carolina home), Murphy uses the flit to call up big largemouths and smallmouths out of extremely deep water. Let forage size and the depth at which the fish are suspended be your keys in determining which Flit to throw.

"On Murray I've caught them over 30 feet of water," he said. "You'll have a rockpile at the end of a long point so the bottom comes up to 25 feet with 10 or 12 foot clarity. They'll suspend between the structure and the surface and you can catch more fish with the Flit than you can by fishing underneath the fish."

It's also deadly in the coldest part of the year. While others toil away in a deer stand or a duck blind, Murphy can often be found as the lone figure on the lake, mopping up bass as if they've never seen a lure. Right now is when you need to be out there, he said. "It's winter and turnover is done but we haven't had a big shad die-off. The bait is in the coves where the fish have them corralled. They're about three-inches long, mainly the young of the year. On lakes like Old Hickory, they're so thick you can almost walk across the water on the shad. Crankbaits, poppers and spooks don't match the hatch. Not only does the Flit 100 match the hatch, but you can walk it back and forth six or seven times in a three foot pull." It's that type of torture that often pulls in the biggest fish of the year. The strikes are sometimes subtle -- just a "tick" or a slow swimming away -- but when you rear back the fight is on.

Look for an announcement from Murphy in the not-too-distant future of a signature jerkbait rod. We can't give away the details yet, but it's going to be a perfect tool for the Flit, part of a system he's developed for maximizing the bait's effectiveness. While we can't tell you who is going to make it, we'll give you the lowdown on the specs so you can use the right rod from your current arsenal.

"It's 6'10" with a real limber tip," he said. "I call it a medium-heavy, but it's not a typical medium-heavy. It's similar to a crankbait rod with a softer tip and a lot of backbone. It's somewhere between a medium and a medium-heavy. The problem is that if you go into the store, no two medium-heavies (from different manufacturers) are the same. You want to make sure it's on the lighter side, not the heavier side, so you can make extremely long casts."

"I've played around with a lot of different lines," he continued. "I prefer fluorocarbon, 8 lb. test with the Flit 100 and 10 lb. test with the 120. You can also use mono if you don't want it do dive as deep."

Just remember, this is hawg time, and the bite-sized morsel called the Flit 100 may look like a snack, but you should expect to get some big bites mixed in with the numbers. So don't pull too hard on that light line. Keep the fish away from the cover, but baby them once they're in open water. The sharp hooks will hold and you'll really have something to be thankful for. And with New Years Resolutions in place, even a fish on a diet can occasionally afford to splurge on a snack-sized bait.

For more information about the Flit and the entire line of Ima lures, go to BassTackleDepot.com

Join my FLW Fantasy Bass Fishing Group & Win Free Prizes

2010-01-28T02:11:00Z

Last year was a pretty good success, we had almost 200 participants join my group and I gave out great prizes from Tru-Tungsten and Secret Weapon Lures. Look for more and bigger prizes this year. I will give out prizes to the highest finishers in my group that do not win FLW sanctioned prizes.
So here is what you do to join my leauge:
Got to FantasyFishing.com and enter league # 11590 and Password: bassin

It's just that easy, if you are feeling like you need an edge to win my or FLW's cash prizes, check out Player's Advantage! Last year, members won prizes at 4X the rate.

Look forward to you all joining and telling your friends, check out the Fantasy Bass Fishing Corner to see many of last year's winners and prizes. Plus check back, each week I share my line-up and tips for picking your anglers!

Along a similar note, I am collaborating on a new bass fishing show, it will be airing this Saturday at 7:30am CST on 950am in the Minneapolis market, you can also catch a live stream on the 950AM website as well segments will be available on iTunes, I will get you details on that when they post.

FLW Fantasy Fishing starts Monday

2010-01-21T22:44:00Z

With all the controversy over the sale of Genmar, I kind of wondered if FLW Fantasy Fishing would see big changes or possibly be gone all together. Fortunately it is not gone, but there are some major changes. Payouts have been decreased by about 95% when it comes to cash payouts this year over last year. Don't get me wrong, they are still paying out some great prizes for a free game!

Winners each week can earn $5,000 and overall winner can win $50,000, plus many other prizes including Cabela's gift cards and a trip to El Salto!

I always thought that it seemed insane the money that they were giving away, guess somethings are too good to last! See full press release here.

Either way, I will be hosting a league again where I will give away prizes for each event and for the season. Check back early next week for sign up information.
Sign up today!

New World Record Bass Recognized

2010-01-08T19:31:00Z

Today it was officially announced that the IGFA accepted and approved Manabu Kurita's application for his 22lb 4.97 oz largemouth bass caught from Lake Biwa last year. It is 1 ounce heavier then George Perry's long standing 77 year old record. The IGFA unfortunately considers it a tie unless you surpass by more then 2 ounces. See article on Bassmaster.com and Update from BassFan.com

Photo Courtesy of IGFA
Forme, I personally recognize Kurita's fish as the new worldrecord. Personally I do not believe Perry's fish was that big and anounce is an ounce in my book. I have lost too many tournaments by lessthen an ounce, it counts! Congrats Mr. Kurita!!!

Regardless, what an amazing fish!

2010 Bassmasters Elite Series Field Announced

2010-01-07T22:22:00Z

BASS announced Thursday the field for the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series,the most visible and prestigious tournament trail in fishing. The fieldof 95 of the world's top anglers will visit 8 fisheries during the Elite Series regular season and will compete to advance to the Bassmaster Elite Series post-season.

Thedecorated field accounts for 15 Bassmaster Classic titles, 19 ToyotaTundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year trophies and more than 200 BASSvictories. The Elite circuit will kick off in a little more than 2 months withthe March 11-14th Duel in the Delta on the California Delta out ofStockton, CA

"Once again, the Elite Series, through itsdifficult set of qualifying standards, has produced a collection of themost talented anglers in the sport," said Jamie Wilkinson, BASS seniordirector of events and business development.

Complete alphabetical list of qualifying anglers and their hometowns below.

2010 Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers

1. Casey Ashley, Donalds, SC
2. Scott Ashmore, Broken Arrow, OK
3. Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, OK
4. Denny Brauer, Camdenton, MO
5. Brent Broderick, Oregonia, OH
6. Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, AR
7. Mark Burgess, Norton, MA
8. Terry Butcher, Talala, OK.
9. Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, KS
10. Rick Clunn, Ava, MO
11. Jeff Connella, Bentley, LA
12. John Crews, Salem, VA
13. Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, LA
14. Mark Davis, Mount Ida, AK
15. Boyd Duckett, Demopolis, AL
16. Guy Eaker, Cherryville, NC
17. Paul Elias, Laurel, MS
18. Edwin Evers, Talala, OK
19. Todd Faircloth, Jasper, TX
20. Jami Fralick, Martin, SD
21. Vince Fulks, Purcell, OK
22. Grant Goldbeck, Boerne, TX
23. Pat Golden, High Point, NC
24. Matt Greenblatt, Tequesta, FL
25. Chad Griffin, Cresson, TX
26. Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, FL
27. Wade Grooms, Bonneau Beach, SC
28. Greg Hackney, Gonzales, LA
29. Bradley Hallman, Norman, OK
30. Charlie Hartley, Grove City, OH
31. Byron "B.J." Haseotes, Centerville, MA
32. Matt Herren, Trussville, AL
33. Kenyon Hill, Norman, OK
34. Davy Hite, Ninety Six, SC
35. Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, AL
36. Randy Howell, Springville, AL
37. Michael Iaconelli, Pittsgrove, NJ
38. Alton Jones, Woodway, TX
39. Kelly Jordon, Mineola, TX
40. Steve Kennedy, Auburn, AL
41. Kotaro Kiriyama, Moody, AL
42. Gary Klein, Weatherford, TX
43. Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, OK
44. Bobby Lane, Lakeland, FL
45. Chris Lane, Guntersville, AL
46. Russ Lane, Prattville, AL
47. Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, CA
48. Bill Lowen, North Bend, OH
49. Aaron Martens, Leeds, AL
50. Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, AK
51. Mike McClelland, Bella Vista, AK
52. Mark Menendez, Paducah, KY
53. Yusuke Miyazaki, Forney, TX
54. Ish Monroe, Hughson, CA
55. Rick Morris, Lake Gaston, VA
56. John Murray, Phoenix, AZ
57. Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, NC
58. James Niggemeyer, Van, TX
59. Takahiro Omori, Emory, TX
60. Cliff Pace, Petal, MS
61. Keith Poche, Troy, AL
62. Pete Ponds, Madison, MS
63. Jason Quinn, York, SC
64. Matt Reed, Madisonville, TX
65. Clark Reehm, Russellville, AK
66. Skeet Reese, Auburn, CA
67. Derek Remitz, Grant, AL
68. Marty Robinson, Lyman, SC
69. Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, AZ
70. Scott Rook, Little Rock, AK
71. Fred Roumbanis, Bixby, OK
72. Zell Rowland, Austin, TX
73. Bradley Roy, Lancaster, KY
74. Bernie Schultz, Gainesville, FL
75. Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, FL
76. Morizo Shimizu, Suita, Japan
77. Kevin Short, Mayflower, AK
78. David Smith, Edmond, OK
79. Brian Snowden, Reeds Spring, MO
80. Matthew Sphar, Attica, NY
81. Jeremy Starks, Charleston, WV
82. Marty Stone, Fayetteville, NC
83. Gerald Swindle, Warrior, AL
84. Peter Thliveros, St. Augustine, FL
85. Dennis Tietje, Roanoke, LA
86. J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, GA
87. Mark Tucker, Saint Louis, MO
88. Mark Tyler, Vian, OK
89. Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, MI
90. Byron Velvick, Del Rio, TX
91. Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, AL
92. Dustin Wilks, Rocky Mount, NC
93. Jason Williamson, Wagener, SC
94. Kevin Wirth, Crestwood, KY
95. Dave Wolak, Wake Forest, NC

The field is starting a little smaller then last year with 10 anglers that competed in a full season not returning for 2010 and 2 more then dropped out mid-season. Plus there are 7 new anglers coming from the 2009 Opens. There is most likely potential of someone not on this list winning the Classic and being invited to fish making it 96 anglers in 2010.

My Top 10 Bass Baits of the past Decade

2010-01-02T02:26:00Z

I recently did a piece for the Versus Network about my top bass baits of 2009, so to do one better, I am presenting you my top baits of the 2000's. There is a little overlap, but this is a larger list as well. Here are my top producing baits of the last 10 years.

1. Lake Fork Ring Frys (Both Sizes) - Primarily the larger size weightless skipped under docks and around shallow vegetation, and the smaller one on a mojo rig for scattered deep grass and rocky river banks.
2. Rapala DT-6 (Especially Parrot Color) - Best crankbait for extracting bass from typical MN weedlines
3. Baby Brush Hog - Paired with a 3/16oz Tru-Tungsten sinker and flip it around anything you see.
4. 3/8oz Tru-Tungsten Jig - If you read this blog, I need to say no more.
5. Yellow Magic Popper - A must have for the Mississippi River.
6. Reaction Innovations Vixen (Discontinued) - I think it kicks but against spooks or sammys.
7. Rat-L-Trap - This is probably in every anglers top 10.
8. Secret Weapon Lure Quickstrike Spinnerbait - Most versatile spinnerbait around, fueled huge comeback in 2007 Weekend Series Nat'l Championship.
9. Lake Fork Tackle Fork Craws (on a mojo rig) - Great anytime you are around smallmouth.
10. 7" PowerWorm (primarily for jig worms) - Simple and super productive on weedlines.

I am sure many of these baits will catch me plenty of fish in 2010 and probably even be baits that carry me through the next decade any beyond. Happy New Years all!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T18:28:00Z

Merry Christmas and hope you all have a safe and very wonderful Holidays!

Mid-December Bass Fishing Potpourri

2009-12-16T03:07:00Z

I realized I am running out of time to put together a big long list of posts for Gift Ideas for the Bass Fishing Maniacs out there like I have in the past. I hope to get out and do some smallmouth fishing this Friday if weather cooperates. So let's get started, I got some fun stuff of mine that I am selling on ebay, reels, tackle, line, tournament shirt, etc.

Also check out the nice sale at Akinetix.com right now, they got some great choices of affordable polarized sunglasses that are very good quality, and some great moisture wicking gear for all seasons of fishing.

Tru-Tungsten 5" Tru-Life Shad Swimbaits have finally hit the shelves, these look to be a great balance of big fish potential and still catching good numbers, I will have a handful of these bad boys for spring, Fo Sho! Also check out the new TT Flea Flicker for all your wacky worm jigging needs!

Swimbait Above is the 5 inch Shad in "Big Sexy"
Also relatively new to the bass fishing scene, are punch skirts. Basically you are adding flair to your normal heavy Tungsten flipping rig by adding a specialized skirt between your flipping weight and your favorite flipping plastic craw or creature. So you get the appearance of a jig, but without the bulk to impede penetration into the thick stuff and weedguards that sometimes foul hooksets.

Check back for more ideas soon!

Lake Champlain & Overall Fantasy Fishing Group Winner!

2009-12-15T03:28:00Z

This post is long over due and I should have got the prizes out sooner to these winners, because of my delay, I tried to sweeten the pot for both of them.

Congratulations to Al Godette for winning the last regular season event on Champlain! Al has won:
Secret Weapon Lures Sidearm Spinnerbait & Discount Code, Tru-Tungsten Finesse worms.

And finally, our overall group winner.......
Lorie Key
For Lorie's efforts:
Secret Weapon Lures Sidearm Spinnerbait, SWL Buzzbait & Discount Code, Tru-Tungsten Finesse worms.

There will be another league for 2010, more & bigger prizes, delivered in a timely manner as well!!
Best regards,
The Commissioner
RichLindgren.com
Rich's Bassin' Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

IMA Emailer - November 2009

2009-11-30T16:55:00Z

Welcome to the IMA Emailer -- November 2009 Issue - The IMA EMAILER brings you news from IMA pro staff members across the USA and worldwide. Find all your Ima baits at BassTackleDepot.com

"Speak softly and carry a big stick." --President Teddy Roosevelt

Randy Pringle is taking the advice of President Roosevelt to heart. Well, half of it anyway. He's keeping the big stick at the ready this fall -- the Ima Big Stik topwater bait, to be precise -- but it's tough to keep the California guide and fishing educator quiet. He's so excited to finally have the big lure just the way he wants it that he's singing its praises to anyone who will listen.

His enthusiasm is contagious, and it's particularly heightened because this is a lure that he's dreamed of for no less than eight years. "That's when I really started getting involved in the big stripers on the California Delta," he recalled. "I realized that all of the plugs out there were one-dimensional."

In other words, some would spit but they wouldn't walk. Some walked well but didn't push any water. Some were noisy, some were quiet. Others had good paint jobs, but they weren't durable. He wanted a one-stop shopping experience, so when the folks from Ima came and asked him if he had any ideas for new lures, he was ready to sketch it out.

First and foremost, Pringle wanted a bait that would appeal to big fish. He seems to have found the right one -- it's deadly on saltwater species, peacock bass, stripers (he's caught them up to 25 pounds on the Big Stik) and of course monster largemouths (his biggest so far was a 13 pound plus specimen from the Delta). That required thru-wire construction. Other manufacturers had tried to make a thru-wire topwater like this one, but the construction compromised the action. He also knew it would have to have top-notch split rings and treble hooks right out of the box.

With guide clients, many of them novices, slinging big baits around his boat, Pringle knew that it would quickly get crowded if each angler had to have both a noisy and a silent version at the ready, so the design team came up with a lure that allows him to have both in one package. "I wanted the loudest plug on the market, so we divided it into eight sections and put in 15 BB's and two or three big knockers," he said. "But it can still be quiet if you want it to be subtle. If you had one big long chamber, they'd all move no matter how you retrieved the lure, but by dividing it into eight chambers when you make a smaller motion left or right not all of the BB's move."

Perhaps most importantly, the lure combines the best characteristics of a walking bait and a popper into one easy-to-work topwater. "A lot of other lures had a pointed nose, which gave them a tendency to dive," he stated. "Others move back and forth but they wouldn't splash water. But the Big Stik shoots water three feet in front of it like a popper. It's also real simple to walk."

He varies his tackle depending on the mood of the fish and the retrieve he needs to create as a result of their mood.

"You can fish it on braid and it will go right to left in a drastic pendulum motion," Pringle explained. "You hit it hard and take your rod back up quickly and it will stay within a one foot radius. With mono, it has a tendency to travel. It slides across the water because of the stiffness and memory of the line." So if you want to create more flash in a confined space, braid is best. Pringle prefers Spiderwire Stealth because it doesn't have as much coating on it as other braids, therefore making the line limper. When he wants it to scoot quickly across the water, he prefers 20 pound test Trilene Big Game monofilament.

Regardless of which line he chooses, he wants a heavy backboned rod with a fast tip. "The lure weighs 1.7 ounces but when a fish eats it you need some give to hook him," Pringle said. He typically uses a Fenwick Elite Tech flipping stick, although he said a swimbait rod will work well too. "It needs that tip so they can suck in the bait. You can't use a baseball bat like a muskie rod." He pairs his rod up with a Abu-Garcia Revo Toro, which has ample line capacity so that "you don't have to worry about going to the bottom of the spool."

The other aspect of the Big Stik that Pringle raved about are the 10 color schemes that Ima has developed, combining Japanese artistry with a template of American baitfish. "They're all eye candy," he said. "Unlike some other lures where it looks like a kid painted it with his crayons." While all 10 patterns have a place, he said that five general categories should cover most situations. The first is called "Trash Fish." "I've fished from coast to coast and any lake across the country has them. They're little brown fish with spots and they typically look beat up. That's a no-brainer." Second is perch, another coast-to-coast staple. Next he'd add a shad pattern, which can emulate threadfin shad, gizzard shad, herring or any one of a multitude of other baitfish. If you live in California, a trout replica is a must. And if you fish in saltwater, a red-headed lure is a must as well.

One adjustment he makes, particularly when fishing for largemouths, is to use the factory version with a feather on the tail. "They're hand-wrapped," he said. "It slows down the bait, so when you don't want that drastic side-to-side action, that's the way to go."

You may be thinking right now that you don't fish in saltwater, you'll never go to the Amazon, and that there are few if any ten-pounders in your local lake. Even if that's the case, Pringle said that the Big Stik should be your go-to lure right now, as fish fatten up for winter.

"Bass can eat something half their size," he said. "Right now they need a food source and that means bluegill or big shad, so you can throw this anywhere you're likely to run into a two to five pound fish."

What are you waiting for? Tie on a Big Stik. Speaking softly is optional, but when the first trophy slams it, you'll probably be every bit as revved up as Randy Pringle.

We recently caught up with Ima staffer and noted river rat Bill Lowen, who filled us in on yet another way to generate bites with the Ima Shaker flat-sided crankbait. He calls it "shaking the Shaker" and it's deadly when you need to eke out a few extra bites.

"During the retrieve, I'm just constantly twitching the rod tip," Lowen said. "Usually I go to it in the spring and fall when the bite is kind of funky."

"It's kind of like it's deflecting off of a piece of wood," he continued, even though you may be fishing the lure in open water.

He shakes the Shaker on a 7-foot medium-heavy All Pro cranking rod and uses 12 to 15 pound test Trilene 100% fluorocarbon. The line's low stretch is critical, he said, as it keeps you in touch with what the bait is doing.

Why does this work with the Shaker and not the other high-end baits produced around his Ohio home?

"Those other ones have a tendency to blow out when you do it," Lowen said. "They want to come up to the surface. The Shaker stays down really well." While it simulates deflections in open water, he'll also use this retrieve around targets, and added that it works well regardless of whether you're reeling quickly or slowly.

It's not a cure-all, and it doesn't always work, but when the bite gets tough experiment with it, and a slow day can quickly become a productive one.

Until next time, keep on throwing the Big Stik and the Shaker!