KAYAK WARS FISHING TOURNAMENT RESULTS for 2016!

I am excited to announce that I placed First in the NORTH CENTRAL REGION FRESHWATER KAYAK WARS FISHING TOURNAMENT for 2016! 

Our Team KBL Club Took second place in the North Central Region as well!

Kayak wars is the world's largest multi-species kayak tournament. Individuals and Teams of five catch a huge variety of species in a gauntlet of competitions every year from February 27 to December 18. Every species caught has to be a certain size and is given a point value. Team members submit their catches over the season and the team with the most combined points wins! 

To win kayak wars it takes a huge amount of angling knowledge of many species and the determination to find the fish that will give you and your team the points it needs.  A major key to success is knowing where point size fish are in your area and being able to capitalize on those opportunities. A fish that counts for points is not a small specimen for that species.

The amount of combined hours competing on the water is just staggering as this is not your one or two-day species specific tourney. It is basically a year month after month of snow, cold, wind, sun, heat, waves, illness, rain, ice, sore muscles, cuts, bug bites and darkness. However, with this tournament comes great freedom. The freedom to fish when, where and what you fish for. It works on any schedule and family commitments. The one-time fee fits any budget. Anyone can be a tournament fisherman with Kayak Wars and fish with their own goals at their own pace.

First I want to thank my team for fishing so hard and putting up with my obsession. Joshua Bennett, Tony Lam, Titus Dominguez, and Scott Shaw.

I also need to thank my sponsors!!

Thank you - Pivot Head - Your glasses let me record lifelong memories of my fishing success and failures. I will be able to share my videos and passion with anyone at anytime.

Thank you - Mythic Gear - Your drysuits kept me safe when my kayak cracked through thin ice in the spring and filled with snow in fall.

Thank you - Beardhead - Your fun hats and beards kept my face warm in harsh cold winds.

Thank you - Gillz Wear - Your shirts and masks kept me cool, breathed and protected me from the sun in hot sweltering days of summer. They also kept bug hatches out of my nose and ears!

Thank You - K-1 Baits -  Your baits and flavorings kept me on my main target fish. They were responsible for bigger and higher hook ups this season.

Thank you - Crabby Bass Lures - The plastics you made to my specs helped me catch up when I was behind on all those dark early mornings before work this summer.

Thank you - Dave's Tangle Free - Your weights worked flawlessly as promised and helped with not 1 or 2 or even 3, but 4 species.

Thank you - Notch - Your hats steadily kept the sun out of my eyes. They also kept me at ease on the calm days sight fishing bass and carp.

Below are some stats and tournament related images.

Pondboy's DuPage Guide Service Has Great Time Ice fishing

 I received a message from an old high school friend John M (DuPage Angler Member) and he let me know that his nephew, an avid fisherman had never been ice fishing before.

I called DA Member Dark Star (Jason) to give me a hand. My shelter will only hold two cold anglers at one time. His Frabillshelter and ice fishing skills would be a big help.

This ice fishing season has been sort of hit or miss and only a few honey holes have been regular producers. We picked a lake we call Star Trek because this lake has been a constant producer the whole season despite temps or time of day. My client John wanted crappies but I had to be honest with him that that they had been inconstant, but the lake I would bring him to had some beautiful gills.

DS and I arrived on the lake at O’dark thirty and started searching for fish after digging out his vehicle from a snow drift, which sucked, because I snapped my shovel digging him out.

Our first area in the middle of the lake, we were counting on being loaded with fish, was a blank wasteland so we drilled and parked on a sharp break that went from 4 FT to 10 FT very quickly. Both of our fish finders lit up like Christmas trees so the choice was an easy one.

Our clients arrived, got stuck in the snow as well, and then we started at it. My client’s nephew fished with me and John with DS. The young kid really seemed to like fishing with the Fish TV. Well lets face it, TV fishing is just pretty damn cool! The catching started fast and furious and I could not even set a rod up for myself the first hour as the young gun pulled fish in on almost every drop.

AuroraLures Magic Maggies caught quite a few gills and bass! A couple came on dead stick rods, and the rest jigs, waxies and spikes. The red spikes out produced their natural counter parts two to one. This winter, the red spikes have been working better everywhere we go.

The frigid morning started cold in the teens, but as soon as the sun rose it warmed up nicely and we now had perfect conditions. Layers and gloves came off and everyone was fishing in comfort. Thank God man, Finally no sub-zero crap to fight with!

The bite slowed but the fish would constantly come through about every ten minutes or so. As a matter of fact, anytime I would mention moving a few more would be caught and it became a running joke. DS and I switched partners because our techniques are very different. I was in a ShappellS3000 with a nice floor coupled with a Lowrance 4x color elite along with the Fish TV. Dark Star was in a brand new Frabbill with nice bucket seats coupled with a flasher color video combo.

John and I traded stories and threw the bullshit around about high school and common friends it was a GREAT time!

If you want to learn to ice fish and have a similar experience to this one please contact Pondboy’s DuPage Fishing Guide Service. I would love to hang out and fish with you! You can fish and create an AnglingAdventure of your own!!about high schoolaab have been regular producers. We pick a lake we c

Sub Zero Ice Fishing in the Suburban Midwest

Sub Zero Ice Fishing in the Suburban Midwest

WOW cold enough for you? Here in the Chicago area we are no strangers to cold weather or winter or really good beef sandwiches.  Jason Darkstar and I both took the day off for fishing. What an awesome plan for a Monday in January right? There was only one problem, it decided to be well below zero with booger freezing wind chills. With schools cancelled and life at a stand still it was decided we would venture out in the afternoon.

I had a ton of layers on as I got out of the van, I was not pleased with the constant 20 mph winds burning my eyes because that was the only thing I had uncovered.  Another DA member Crankin King showed up to fish with us and helped me fight my shelter as I screwed in my new Eskimo ice anchors, which I must say after using some of the earliest designs of anchors, work awesome.

Once DS and I were barricaded in our shelters the fish started coming in at a steady pace. Nice fat gills and bass, some on jigs and Maggies and others on dead sticks with minnows.

Funny things happen in this kind of cold. We Midwest guys are used to cold temps, but in the Chicago area double digit below zero temps and high winds are not the norm. The first thing I noticed was the iron bear claw ice cleats I have had for years have a tendency to loosen and fall off. After drilling my holes I look down at my boots and cleats and they are completely encased in ice! I didn’t have to worry about them falling off!  I had a lantern and a heater running. When I stood up there was no frost from my breath however as I bent down for anything I smoked like a steam engine. My ice holes steamed like mini hot tubs (that’s new I thought). Ice formed on my lines as if I was not even in a shelter. I switched rods and five minutes later went back to the rod I had before, the spikes were frozen solid. As the sun set my propane tank and lantern were starting to ice up on any exposed metal. IT WAS TIME TO GO!!! Pulling my sled back to my van the cold air burned my lungs and I had to stop twice to get my breath and heart rate down when in most cases I would not need to stop to rest and would have gotten to my vehicle in half the time.

Did I catch fish, hell yeah! Should I have been out there, hell no! Will I do it again some day when the feel of the cold has faded in my mind, probably?

Quick Trip "a dance with Maggie"

Jc Crappies and I were able to get out for a short time before the frigid temps of 2014 struck. It was right after a big snow and getting to many of our spots was just not going happen without the roads being better. We pick a very small pond behind a large building that helped block the wind. This lake is like a box of chocolates we never know what we are going to get. Sometimes it is bonanza sometimes bust.

Jc lowered his knew camera down and we sent Magic Maggie down to do her work. Slowly his screen filled with fish! They were not aggressive besides a couple fish that surprised us. We had to get Maggie to dance and entice these fat boys to go. Then we started hitting the gills not crazy but consistently until or time ran out.

It was a blast we both had different tungsten jigs with Magic Maggies from Aurora Lure Company. They worked great when it slowed I would pair the Maggie with a spike. This really helps your bait last if you are using the live stuff. I also used a couple Swedish Pimples and Big Eye spoons tipped with a Maggie and or a spike. These baits are pretty cool and I am sure you will hear more about them.

Below is a promo for the Maggie with just a little bit of footage from that day.

Great Start to the Ice Season – Jackpot Bluegills

This Ice Season Started for us early! A good old fashion winter, who would have thought it after last year’s warm short season. Looking for safe ice was our first concern. We drove north because we heard of safe ice up at the top of the county. Every small pond Sooner Bass (Ted) and I stopped at my spud bar went through( this is a heavy bar use to test ice before you walk on it). Surprisingly, it was the large ponds or small lakes that had safe ice. I believe it was the lakes with wide open areas where the frigid winds aided the ice creation.

 We had checked several places all unsafe. When we were about to give up Sooner who said hey it cannot hurt lets check this bigger pond I fished once a while ago. This lake is surrounded by cat tails and is sort of hidden as well as old. When the spud bar could not break through we ran to the car to get our stuff. It was about 7pm and dark. Right away we started nailing huge gills! The small ones would be considered ok at many of the ponds we fish! The night bite ice fishing historically has not been good to me so this was awesome.

Since this was the only safe ice, I and other DuPageAngler.com Members returned a few times. Beard Heads on and every time produced something. I even took my daughter in seven degrees. The heater was blasting as she caught 17 gills and loved using the Fish TV. Five trips I fished with JC Crappies (Chusum), Dark Star (Jason), Crankin King (Scott), Brim (bob), and Fluke (Alan) all hardcore DuPage Anglers. All had their Beard Heads on and we were all staying warm.

We used many techniques. Straight lining, floats n jigs, floats n minnows, Little Atom plastics and our new weapon, Magic Maggies from Aurora Lure Company. The Maggies are awesome, if you put one in your hand next to a real wax worm there is not much difference except one is trying to get out. These come in red and white and caught a ton of fish. We are field testing these now and are excited at the early results. I will revisit these plastic baits once Aurora Lure Company has them on sale.

Getting out more then a couple times in December was awesome. Catch and releasing a pile of full grown bluegills was the star on top of the angling tree. I am looking forward to the rest of this season.

Late Fall Live Bait Walleyes

 Every year in the Midwest there is this awkward time between open water and ice. Many anglers put the rods away and park on the couch.

Fish can be caught during this time, especially walleyes. Around the dams of the Fox River each fall are walleyes. The best approach is having an industrial pair of neoprene and getting out there with them. If  the conditions are right they can also be caught from shore.

We started fishing in the dark to make sure we had the top shore spots. I would have preferred to wade however it is time to retire my old Hodgemens. This pair is more Shoe Goo then neoprene at this point and it is always a gamble if they are going to leak each time out.

Since it was in the teens when we arrived a layered dress approach was needed. I had 3 bottom layers four top layers, two pairs of gloves, hand warmers, and of course a Beard Head.

We used our live bait drift rigs. These rigs consist of a Raven float, Raven shot or similar, Raven specialist hooks.(octopus hooks size four or six) The rod I used was a Bass Pro Shop 8.5ft Float and Fly rod paired with a Shimano Reel. For more details on this rig  click here.

HeadHead

We managed to catch about 15 fish between us. That sure beat sitting on the couch. The walleyes were small but we had continuous action for a couple hours. When you find yourself stuck in angler’s purgatory grab your longest spinning rod some quality floats and some live bait and get yourself some late fall live bait walleyes.

Frozen Kayak Fishing

November Yakin'