GPS Coordinates the Social Security Numbers of the Online Fishing world

GPS coordinates are the Social Security numbers of the Fishing world. Any online fishing organization that wants to collect GPS Location information from anglers needs to inform its user's information is secured and unusable but also be able to prove it is secure and will not be used.

Any tournament organization's director or employees with privy to such secure information would then need to be banned from fishing any online tournament they work for and any other online tournaments in that region. This is so the GPS locations they have collected cannot be used or shared with fellow employees. Why? They now have more knowledge and access to water then the customers they serve.

Anglers strive so hard to protect their spots, so GPS numbers are access to an angler's sensitive data and make no mistake this is sensitive client data. Directors and employees would have to ban themselves from their own tournaments in the same way as contest and lottery employees.

A common belief is a big percentage of anglers would no longer join tournaments with the risk of their spots at stake. These anglers might return with their dollars for live or site-specific online events. This could have an effect on an organization's bottom line over time. However with the sport growing there would be new anglers never knowing the freedom of fishing where they want and keeping their spots safe.

The online event was created to capture a new demographic and their fishing dollars with the promise of fishing when and where they like on a budget. Fishing is famously known for keeping spots secret. After all, a secret spot is secret by its very nature. There are many reasons fishermen have these secret spots. The largest consequence of a mismanaged or shared data leak followed by overpressure and harvest and the death of the spot or body of water especially in smaller waters or cities and states with poor fish management programs.

Do these organizations really want to send a message to their customers that they do not matter by giving themselves an unfair advantage, bad reputations, and not meeting the client's expectations? With so much cheating being found, organizations will have to walk a fine line with their rules and the client's experience. This is a business, and the product is client based angling experiences. Some directors have forgotten that this business is a business with clients that need to be served and the user experience as their end product. If they have a poor experience they will move on.

Not all leagues are created equal. Some are trying to keep up with the curve with participants in mind. Some fishing leagues have a lot to learn and prove in the future to hold on to angler dollars. Hopefully, there will be a place for GPS mandatory and nonmandatory tournaments in the future. This would satisfy the new high money events and the fun affordable fish your own honey hole on your own time experiences.

I am proud to announce that I have been selected to represent LithiumPros

I am proud to announce that I have been selected to represent LithiumPros in the world of kayak angling!!!

WHY LITHIUM PROS BATTERIES ROCK (The Future of Motorized Kayak Fishing)

Lithium-ion batteries are the battery of the future but they are not indestructible. Building a lithium-ion battery is one thing. Building a safe lithium-ion battery that will attain its laboratory life expectancy of 10+ years is another and requires a great deal of technical knowledge.

The focus is on building lithium-ion batteries specifically to replace lead acid batteries in several demanding applications. Their mission statement is, “Through constant innovation, provide safe, low ESR lithium ion battery packs that are easy to install and use for all types of high current applications.”

From the beginning they have had a technological edge over the competitors because of strong commitment to product testing. As has been said in NASCAR, “all the BS stops at the dyno.” The same is true for high performance batteries.

They have an in-house testing lab, employ the services of outside accredited labs, as well as outside experts to insure we bring you the best. It is a premium product you can count on with years of experience in backing it up.

https://www.lithiumpros.com/application/marine/

The Future of Trolling Power!

Summer Bass Kayak Tournament Fishing Ends with Great Results

Summer Bass Kayak Tournament Fishing Ends with Great Results

With August closing the doors on long hot sun lit days also came the end of my competitive summer bass fishing for 2017. I could not be happier with my results.

 The first of these two tournaments was the Kayak Bass Fishing August State Tournament. I finished in sixth place. This was not bad since I only fished half as much as previous months. I watched the weather closely and went to water I knew well and fished hard, very hard. There was no one pattern that did the heavy lifting this month. To be honest, I do not like to fish a single pattern if I do not have to. I have a stack of rods with me with different rigs and I like to use them all when possible. My best day came using my Ardent elite reel and Kovert Denali Rod. I was rigged with a Shur-Set Bladed Purple and black jig and a Crabby Bass Lure black/white belly frog body combo. This rig lit them up when my surface frog bite died. I managed to have a 20 fish day when I watched other fisherman come and inform me they had a tough time.(click on images to preview)

The second of the two tournaments was the KBL Trophy Bass Challenge. This was a season long tournament for the longest combined length of 5 fish. My biggest was a mammoth toad caught in my first week of competition. She was 22 inches long and was tricked into a massive strike with a Roxanne crank-bait from Aurora Lure Co. Three out of the remaining four Smashed into a Colorado bladed spinner-bait. The last destroyed a Shur-set bladed Jig and Big Hammer combo. I also lost four fish during the season that would of moved me forward, one which was heart breaking and I believe would of been my personal career best. The great beast launched itself skyward and tossed my spinner bait back at my yak. I will tell my kids how it winked at me right before it went back to the depths. I finished in second! (click on images to preview)

I fished 7 online tournaments this season so far and finished in the top ten of 6 of them!!! Below are my stats so far for this season.

I could not have been this successful with out my family and a team of great sponsors supporting me. Without whom I would not be so dialed in this season. I would like to sincerely thank all of you.

Diablo Paddle Sports
Gillz Fishing Apperal
Pivothead Glasses
Denali Rods
Ram Mounts
Frogg Toggs
Crabby Bass Lures
Shur-Set Tackle
Notchgear Hats
Mythic Gear Drysuits
Beardhead  Head Wear
Softscience Shoes
Daves Tangle Free Weights
Aurora Lures

Fishing's Magic Armor from Sun, Heat. and Invaders

Fishing's Magic Armor from Sun, Heat. and Invaders 

 I am glad to see the awareness of being prepared while fishing and being safe has taken a big stage on the angling scene. Protection from the heat and sun have always been important for your health. But the fishing world is finding that the right protection not only protects but can help you score more fish on any outing. When it comes to having the right protection there is one simple truth. If you are NOT hot, wet, and tired you fish longer. This translates in to more time on the water, more casts, more opportunities, and more landed fish, of any species! 

 Lets talk about your torso and face. T-shirts work on mild days and some vitamin D is good for you. But if your going to be out for hours you need something better. I got involved with GILLZ because I sweat like crazy and being Irish and pale my first few trips I tend to burn. i needed to cool things down. Their Tournament Shirts have built-in Cross-Breeze VentilationTM. These mesh side vents run on the inside of the sleeves and down the side of the shirt, keeping you dry and cool – even on the hottest days. I wore my GILLZ shirts on a bunch of trips in a row. One day I just grabbed one of my black guide t-shirts. Once the sun came up I could not figure out why I was so hot and sweating like a sprinkler. I realized the GILLZ shirt made a huge difference especially when the breeze came by! Man I missed those vents!!! 

 The GiLLZ mask is vented as well and has front breathing mesh! Everyone is selling buffs these days and they do protect from the sun. However I wanted more function. I am always wearing Pivothead glasses and with the other face buffs the glasses always fogged. They may look nice but they are thicker and hotter. During a bass competition I found just how good my mask was. The tourney was hot, no wind, and there was a bug hatch that day. I quickly learned to cover my nose and tuck the mask in my shirt after a few unwanted visitors invaded!!. I locked those little jerks right out. MY EYES, EAR, NOSE, and NECK were totally protected. Lastly I should mention the stain protection of the GILLZ products. I go after slimy carp and cut bait for cats for 6 hours at a time. All stains, especially the shoulders were I wipe my hands came out!! I would recommend these products for any angler. 

 Stay cool and don't let bugs in your nose.

 http://gillz-gear.com/

Swamp Kayak Carp Fishing YARPIN

Yarpin Kayak Carp Slip Rig Bottom Fishing

Kayak Cats

Kayak + Carp = Yarpin 3 Days of Great Yarpin

Kayak + Carp = Yarpin 3 Days of Great Yarpin

Usually in the spring I am bassing and bassing it hard. But with the longer winter, weird spring, and constant rains I have turned my sights to carp. I have been fishing them harder and longer then most seasons. I have introduced the art of hair rig fishing, new chumming techniques, and help from BigCarpTackle.com

After several sessions of shore fishing successfully for carp this season, DuPage Angler JC Crappies (Chunsum, co-owner of Aurora Lure Company) and I decide to try something we had never done before and that was kayaking for carp.

We picked an un-assuming muddy farm pond we have bass fished and that I had carp fished from shore once and got a few fish. Each night at dusk I would arrive at the lake and chum with corn and handfuls of boilies before fishing the next morning.

The cool thing about Yarpin is I do not have as much tackle as if I when I am bass fishing. We carried a couple rods, floats (both Raven and others), rigs, pliers, and the very important net. Armed with a pile of offerings and our Pivothead glasses we went to work.

JC Crappies(Chunsum) is awesome to fish with. We met on DuPageAngler.com and through my guide service and became fast friends. He is a fisherman, photographer, blogger, coach, pro-staffer, and a programmer. He is also a giant smartass.

Early when the fish would approach the surface into the chum line of floating bread we would only be fishing a foot down. When they backed off we went to 3 feet down. The lion’s share of fish came on a break that came from a large 2 foot deep flat into a 7 foot hole. The boilies played a larger role at this time. Although I had a half dozen flavors corn, pineapple, and strawberry worked best.

Chunsum did a great job of capturing video of this awesome carp fishing from a kayak (Yarpin). He composed this in 3 episodes please watch and enjoy. 

EIGHT SUMMER ANGLING ADVENTURES

6-26-13 Kayak fishing with Dupageangler.com member Soonerbass aka Ted Yates:

We fished a suburban pond from out yaks and just crushed the fish! Sooner scored his on top water and I landed over 20 on four-inch Berkley Power worms it was an awesome summer night and a great way to break up the workweek. I landed an 18-inch fish on this trip! More on the trip click HERE

6-30-13 Whacker pond fishing with DA member JcCrappies (aka Chunsum Choi):

We hit three ponds and we had a blast!!! We went through so many whackers we had to stop at the house of Crabby Bass Lures partner Charles S and get some more plastics!! I landed an 18 and a 17-inch fish on this trip!

7-1-13 Kayaking and bassing a local lake solo to start my vacation:

I landed over ten bass with Crabby Bass Whackers and 4 in worms! My big fish for this day was a toad that measured 21 inches!!

7-3-13 Kayaking for summer panfish:

I was able to yak a private lake and got a bunch of 10-inch crappies and 7-inch gills. I used little atom plastics and night crawlers

7-4-13 Kayaking with Dupage Anglers and our kayak wars team:

Sooner Bass, Brim, JcCrappies, and myself all met at a small lake at dawn. The top water bite was non-stop for about an hour. Many bass were caught. Once the sun popped the bite all but shut down leaving us with only a few opportunities with plastics. I had so much fun. I landed 3 big fish on this trip a 17,18, and a 20 incher.

7-5-13 Short DuPage River wading trip fishing with Wacky Bass aka Marty R.:

Wacky and I had a couple hours and got a late start. We fished a stretch of the west branch in Plainfield and were covered in sweat before we even started fishing. We drifted live bait and grubs. We caught about 10 between us, had some fun, and then decided to get out of the heat.

7-6-13 Wading the West Branch with Chunsum (aka JcCrappies) in Shorewood:

We arrived very early and started drifting crawlers and crabby helgies. The Bite was not hot and heavy but persistence paid off. We did not catch many in our tradition holes many of the fish were hugging the shores under trees. I am glad Jc noticed this or we would not of caught at least 12 of our fish. My big fish for the day was 17 inches!

7-7-13 Guide Trip Booked with DuPage Anger Member Mcalla:

Mike want to learn more about wading and with the fox up and running we hit a tributary instead. We fished from 5:30 – 10:30 dodging most of the heat. We used my drifting technique with minnows, leeches, and crawlers. Mike scored big with 25 fish, six species, and several nice fish!! www.dupageguideservice.com

Crappie, Kayaks, and Calm

My good friend Chunsum signed us up for Kayak Wars. Kayak wars takes teams of five who catch, measure, and photo their catches for points. At the end team with the most points wins. Now, none of us live in our yaks so we have a snowballs chance in hell of winning, but we at least want to have some points. Chunsum, Sooner Bass, and I decided to meet at a small lake and we were praying for just a few points each.

It was the perfect fishing morning. This day was warmer then it had been, the water was calm, and the lake invited me to enjoy the magic it holds. I had a very stressful week at work. As I have gotten older anxiety has become a resident in my head and is getting harder and harder to deal with. Only fishing can make it shut off like a magic door to a problem-less utopia.  Once in my yak and set-up I took a deep breath and my worries drifted away and were replaced with content and calm.

It did not take long for the first of 15 fish for the day to bite! I used a few different rigs. I just rotated them, trying to find what would work best. The first rod was set up with a crappie slip float and a straight minnow. The second rod had an ice jig and a Little Atom Jumbo Wedgee. The third stick had a thill float with a double rig of a tube jig and lake fork shad. The last set-up was just a float and crawler combo.

I landed several nice fish. I landed only one crappie nice enough to score points on Kayak Wars. They don’t make it easy. One cast my Thill slowly disappeared, I set the hook and what I thought was a small fish decided to quadruple in size right at the side of my yak!!! My big fish opportunity vanished as it was covered with my expletives and tears. I didn’t have a chance.

JcCrappies (Chunsum) caught plenty of fish as well and managed 2 fish for points! Ted (Sooner) met us late but ended up with about 15 fish when he finished. It was the perfect day for fishing, laughing, and relaxation.