BASS announced Tuesday that the 2010 Bassmaster Classic will return in February to Lay Lake in Shelby County, AL, site of three previous Classic competitions - 1996, 2002 and 2007.

Fifty-one Classic qualifiers will hit the Coosa River impoundment Feb. 19-21 for the 2010 Classic title. As previously announced, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in downtown Birmingham, AL, will be the site of the daily weigh-ins and accompanying 2010 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo. This weekend BASS firmed up the location for the morning festivities at Beeswax Creek Boat Ramp, 537 Beeswax Park Road, near the town of Columbiana, AL.

“Shelby County is excited about the opportunity to showcase our natural resources and attract an international audience as we host our fourth Bassmaster Classic,” said Shelby County Manager Alex Dudchock. “Lay Lake continues to be a destination for anglers and water recreation enthusiasts, and Shelby County will continue to promote tourism through these types of events in our local, regional and state economy.”

Alabama is no stranger to the biggest event in the sport. The state has hosted 10 Classic events, including three contested on Lay Lake. The most recent, in 2007, is famous for being the first to be won by a home-state pro: Bassmaster Elite Series pro Boyd Duckett of Demopolis. He laid to rest the myth of “home-state jinx” when he won with 48 pounds, 10 ounces of Lay Lakebass.

Duckett bested fellow Elite pro Skeet Reese of Auburn, CA, by just 6 ounces.

Reese, who landed his first Classic title less than a month ago at the Red River in Louisiana, said another Classic on Lay Lake could be his chance to extract about 6 ounces’ worth of revenge.

“Another Classic on Lay Lake is great news. I will get the opportunity to go back to Lay Lake and try to win. Finishing second to Boyd in 2007 was a little tough to swallow,” he said half-jokingly.

“I feel a Classic on Lay also will be an opportunity for me to repeat as champion, and I’m excited about going back there.”

With the defending champion’s automatic qualification for 2010, right now Reese is the only angler with a secured berth - the other 50 will qualify through various BASS tournament circuits.

“Birmingham is excited to host the 40th Bassmaster Classic and we anticipate another fantastic event,” said Mike Gunn, vice president, Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This is our seventh time hosting this prestigious, major sporting event.”

More info www.Bassmaster.com 

In my mind, the best way to shorten the learning curve of bass fishing is to join your local bass club. It’s also probably the most cost effective way as well. Below you will find my 7 reasons why.

1. You can only learn so much by reading articles and going to seminars. You need an outlet to practice and try the things you learn. Reading about techniques in a magazine does not mean a heck of a lot until you can try them and build some confidence on the water using your new lures or techniques. A bass club is a good way to get onto some lakes, especially if you do not have a boat. You can learn fishing from shore, but some things you need to get out on a boat to practice.

2.So let’s say you have a boat and you can get on the water when ever you wish. There is only so much you can learn fishing by yourself. Fishing with partners or buddies can really accelerate the learning curve, especially if you are fishing with someone who has a lot of experience.  Every club has a couple of guys that have been around for a decade or two.  Often times in a bass club, you fish with a different guy every tournament; think how much you could learn in 6-8 tournaments over a summer, especially if you practice with your partner as well. Think of the old adage, “Iron Sharpens Iron”

3. Why not money or pay tournaments? Its good way to learn, but it also can be a very expensive lesson. If you enter tournaments as a boater, you can really take some lumps and at a couple hundred dollars per entry, its not that cost effective. Pro-am or draw tournaments are a good option, but you are still better off getting the basics down in club competition which the dues may only cost $50-$150 for the whole season which could be 8-10 tournaments. Besides in a Pro-Am you may draw a boater that does not care to teach or help you learn and really just wants to catch his fish, hard to blame him, he likely has alot of money invested as well.

4. Most of the members in a bass club have similar goals to yours. Learn more about bass fishing and have fun while doing it. Sounds simple, but its very true. They are very open to sharing their knowledge, because they were probably in your shoes when they joined a bass club. You will meet people you will fish with the rest of your life.

5. Thinking about buying a boat? Join a club as a non-boater for one summer first. Ride and fish out of 6-8 different boat brands and models during the year. You will quickly find out what you like and dislike about these boats and you will be better educated when you hit the spring boat shows the following year.

6.Don’t just take my word for it. Many well known pros started in bass clubs and worked their way up the ranks through federation tournaments. Mike , Kevin VanDam & Denny Brauer are just a few.  Heard of these guys?

7. There are clubs for everyone. There are clubs that fish for fun, clubs that fish for money, clubs for couples, and clubs that have JR. clubs for kids.

So go out and contact your local bass clubs, you will not regret it. Usually it is pretty easy to find bass clubs in your area if you search the Internet or contact the State Bass federation in your state. You will find out a lot of information and links to good bass site with club listings at www.gopherbass.com & www.MNBFN.org

Rich

Jumper Cables – Jumper cables have saved my day many a times as well as some other people I have run into.  Its even saved a few tournament days.  Sure you can always switch your cables over to the trolling batteries, but when you only have a minute or two to spare to get back for weigh-in, jumper cables save a ton of time.  Buoys - I know many a guys pass on buoys for GPS, but on windy days there is nothing like a buoy for a reference point, especially in these Boater/Non-Boater tournaments where co-anglers are not allowed to run the boat, so if you are trying to hold on a deep hard bottom spot in the wind, its nice just to be able to motor back to that spot and start fishing, instead of trying to feel your way around for it again and again.  Basspro.com carries a great selection of buoys.

Extra Life Preserver – Its nice to have for those impromptu evening fishing trips with a buddy or coworker.  You hate not to take someone because you only have one life jacket.  Also, you can make someone’s day at the tournament take-off when they forgot theirs and you can lend them one.  Old-Fashioned Ice Fishing Depth Finders – This is for fish health!  If you are not familiar with this item, it is basically a .5 – 1oz lead weight molded to a gator clip.  I use these to clip on to the pectoral fin of a fish in my livewell that is starting to turn on its side.  The basic premise, is that the fish does not have to fight and waste energy to stay upright and it recovers easier and you do not kill the fish and save on dead fish penalties at the scale.  Try it, really works great!

 Rope - Handy for tying up to docks, bridges & trees.  Also good to have when you need a tow or try to tow another boat back to safety. Small Anchor – An anchor can make life easy on a windy day and you have a real tight group of fish.  Plus, I really like for sight fishing.  Once you locate a nice fish, back just far enough away so you can see what you are doing and gently hold the boat with the anchor.  Less trolling motor noise, more bites!  It also can be safety tool if you lose motor power, you can sometimes anchor up instead of letting your boat blow into rocks or get pulled down stream.

Toilet Paper – When nature calls there is not always a restroom available and often boat ramp facilities are often out of this key supply.  Enough said….  Cable Ties – I find these are handy for batteries that come loose out of trays, for re-securing transducers and many other things in the boat.  Almost as handy as duct tape. Multi-Tool– It’s a great single tool that can make those wiring repairs, loose screws and bolts.  Rather than a toolbox, this tool can do most everything and take up a lot less room.  You really cannot go wrong with a quality tool like the Leatherman Wave or Gerber 600 Fisherman. Quality Side Cutters– Great way to remove really deep hooks from fish and can often save a fish that otherwise might go belly up in your livewell.  Its also handy for cutting hooks that are buried into your hand or skin.  Also can aid in cutting wires and other things your multi-tool may not tackle.

Hopefully you find these tips useful and makes your future fishing trips safer and more productive.Rich
www.richlindgren.com
basstournament.blogspot.com

Lake Amistad - Have fished it twice and caught my biggest bass to date from there, 8-3.
  My dad has also caught a 13.2lbs bass from its clear depths.  Awesome lake, might be at a plateau now.

My dad’s 13lbr

Lake Guntersville - Have not been there yet, but I am targeting next spring.  Where else can you toss rattletraps and catch - 6 lbs plus fish on a consistent basis, I have watched to many “Big Mommas” caught on TV not to get there some day.

Lake Champlain- Have not been there, too busy fishing in MN to get there so far.  A perfect blend of green & brown bass, not going to catch any giants, but great numbers of 4 lbs plus fish to be had.  June seems like the perfect month to head there for a smallmouth & bucketmouth combo platter bonanza.

Great Lakes- I did sneak out on Chequamegon Bay (Lake Superior) one afternoon, caught several 3-4 lbs fish in a few hours, just enough to really wet the appetite.  The kicker is that part of the great lakes is not even that great for bass fishing comparatively to Erie, Michigan & Huron.  I would lump St. Clair & the Detroit River into this mix as well.  Too much water to fish them all, you should try one of these at some point.  Probably the best pure Smallmouth waters in the world and on windy days you can harass some largemouth in the boat harbors.  I am fishing a Federation Nation Northern divisional there this August on Lake Michigan, should be awesome.

Santee Cooper- Need to get here still as well.  There have been a lot of huge weights out of this chain.  Seeing & reading about Preston Clark, Zell Rowland, Kelly Jordan and others in/on Bassmasters makes this just too tempting.  Looks like there is everything from great structure fishing to sight fishing available.

Lake Minnetonka- Been there a bunch, probably should fish more, its right in my backyard.  Still in the top 5 of all time for total catch in Bassmasters events.  Takes 5 fish - 20lbs plus bags to win out there on a consistent basis and Largemouth up to 8 lbs are possible.  There is also a nice population of smallmouth, they do not get a lot of pub, but they are nice change of pace.   This lake has every kind of cover you could want, there is truly something for every angler on this chain of interconnected bays & lakes. 

Two 5lb Tonka Bass of Mine from this Summer

Clear Lake, Ca- WEST SIDE!  That’s for Byron Velvick & his swimbaits.  California’s largest natural lake and its full of huge greenies!  Tons of ways to catch them, almost always takes a huge sack to win tournaments out there.   When I see the lake on TV, it looks a lot like lakes that I fish in MN.  Just another place I need to get to.

California Delta - Have not been…   All I have to say is 10# plus bass on frogs, enough said.  Probably the best big fish tidal fishery in the world.

Lake Falcon- Paul Elias & Terry Scroggins showed us what dreams are made of on the final day of last year’s Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Falcon, UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Elias Falcon Giant

Mexico- Guerrero, Mateos, El Salto, Baccarac…..  It does not matter where, they are all tremendous and are probably just a matter or some trout stocking away from kicking out a world record.  If I had only known El Salto was so close to Mazatlan when I was on spring break

Honorable Mentions: Choke Canyon, Lake Fork, Pickwick, Columbia River, Toho, Big O, Lake Allen Henry, San Diego area lakes, Potomac…..

I think its pretty clear, its hard to get down to a Top 10 or even 25.  So many places, so little time.  Good thing I am still young.  This list could easily be my life goal list at the same time.  Do you agree, disagree, got better ideas?  Let me know.

Tight Lines,
Rich
www.richlindgren.com

 
I think several guys were on fish to win this event, but it seems that Skeet just made the right decisions and for the most part must have fished pretty clean and landed his bites.  The early reports are he used two main baits, the new Crazy Legs Chigger craw and the Lucky Craft Redemption Spinnerbait.  These baits seem very fitting, since a chigger crawwas Skeet’s demise when Boyd Duckett used it to knock him to second on Lay Lake and Skeet designed the Redemption Spinnerbait for Lucky Craft and that is exactly what he got, REDEMPTION!!!  It will also be interesting if other anglers start sporting Skeet’s new hair style….  Maybe since he could spend less time on his hair and more time preparing tackle or sleeping and that is what fueled his win…….  Either way, it could be a good omen for Randy Howell!!!


Mike Iaconelli is a great angler, but I think our ear drums will appreciate him not winning  

As I review the final standings, the most interesting thing I noticed is that not a single angler was able to break 20lbs on more then one day.  The weighs were really kind of up and down for all the anglers, I think that is just the nature of the Red RIver to some degree.  I believe the guys weights who varied less were the ones that made the better adjustments in either area or presentation or both.  COngrats to Federation Nation champ Brian Schmidt for his 6th place finish, awesome job!!!

Couple interesting things, Kelly Jordan left his primary area early today with a few small fish, later in the day Alton Jones slipped in and caught 20lbs, so if KJ would have stuck it out or came back earlier, it could have been a different story.   Also Jami Fralick was sharing an area with Snowden, the first two days, Fralick caught the big bag, today Snowden had the big bag and would have won it for Fralick, tough to say what would have happened if they didn’t have to share.

Seemed like pad stems and wood were big keys.  Soft plastics, Spinnerbaits, jigs and a few crankbait fish.  Like Kenyon Hill said, it is very much Meat & Potato fishing.

Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com
Better luck to the anglers that just missed a Classic Crown in 2 weeks at Lake Amistad.

Here are a few simple tips that I find keep my line limp and fishable:
1.  Manually engage your bail with your hand, don’t engage reel with the handle.   This makes a world of difference, the action of the bail turning as it closes twists the line.  Its not really any inconvenience once you are in the habit.
2.  Buy good line and try to use choose a limper line, select a line rated more for casting then abrasion resistance, like Berkley XL instead of XT.
3.  When fishing soft plastics, keep your worms & craws as straight as possible on the hook, if you see your lure violently spinning as you reel your lure in for the next cast, that will cause your line to twist up and knot in no time.
4.  When spooling up your reel, intermittently spray in some KVD line conditioner, this works great for me.  You can find it at Basspro.com.
5.  If your line is twisted, try running out your line behind the boat.  As you are fast idling to your next fishing hole, let your line out with no lure or weight along the side of the boat.  Let enough line for a couple long casts out and let it drag for 30-60 seconds.  Reel it back in, it should be good as new!
6. When using a drop shot or other rig that often causes twisting, try tying a barrel swivel up you line a ways, then a section of line to your hook or bait.
7. Check out the new technology that many spinning reels have these days like the Shimano Propulsion Line Management System and Aero Wrap II system, which increases casting & reduces the likeliness of wind knots.I hope you find this is helpful, if you have a tip of your own, leave a comment. Tight Lines,
Rich Lindgren

Days are changing and it seems like you are at a serious disadvantage if you use one fishing line for everything you do.  For years I would just switch from brand or weight of monofilament to another.  Now there are 3 main stays when it comes to choosing fishing line and none of them are the answer for every situation or technique.  I am going to breakdown why I choose Mono, Braid and Fluorocarbon and for what situations.  Braided Line (Super Lines) – This is a fairly broad category in itself.  There are many types and brands of braided lines, and the all have there differences and advantages/disadvantages.  For the most part, I am not a big fan of braided line, it just feels uncomfortable for me and its probably mostly a confidence thing.  I think it stems form the fact that I like to feel a fish when I fish soft plastics, I do not set on the first tap.  Thus when I lift to feel or weigh the fish with my rod tip, braid has no stretch, so the fish feels me faster and I feel more fish drop my bait.  I mainly use braid for slop fishing (frogs& spoons etc.) and heavy flipping.  So far I like Power Pro Braided Line and P-Line Spectrex IV Braided Line for my super line fishing. There are many anglers that use braid for just about everything, I am not one of them.  One thing braid does, is increases sensitivity on a tight line, but has zero sensitivity on a slack line.  It’s a great option for newer anglers; it helps them feel bites and contours.  It also makes up for bad hook sets and less then average rods. Monofilament & Copolymers – This was my mainstay when I first started fishing.  I used Silver Thread AN40 for everything; it was a very good line.  I still use mono for many things.  I like a heavy mono for some flop and heavy cover situations.  I like the feel and the way it loads up, almost like a bungee cord when you set into a big fish.  For the most part, I use a ton of Cajun Red Line line, its red, tough as nails and very affordable.   Heavy mono is what I use for some of my dock fishing.  I pair 20lb Cajun Line with a 7ft baitcasting rod.  The heavy line and baitcasting rod give me a lot of power to horse fish out from under docks & piers.  It also seems to help me skip,  that stiffer heavier line almost pushed the bait back under the dock, lighter lines tend to sink into the water quicker and reduce distance on skipping for me.  Mono is a must for topwaters as well, it floats so it helps the action.  I also you some mono for jerkbaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits based on how the depth I am fishing.  If I shallow cranking, I will likely use mono because I feel it helps the bait rebound of cover and structure.  If I am fishing these baits where more depth is desired, I probably will go with Fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon – I have been using fluorocarbon based fishing lines for a few years and I find myself using them more and more.  I started out with P-Line Floroclear Line , which is a copolymer line coated in fluorocarbon.  I really liked this line in 10lb & 12lb, for crankbaits & jerkbaits.  I feel like I get a little more depth to the sinking properties and I get a better feel from my baits.  The low stretch also gives better action to my Husky Jerks & Pointers.  It has been good for spinnerbaits, lipless cranks and other deep water applications.  I tried using it in heavier sizes for fishing around cover and I started to break off on hook sets.  I never have problems with Cajun line in the same situations.  Now that I have went with a true quality fluorocarbon like Vicious or Seaguar it has solved these problems.  I also really like fluorocarbon for finesse fishing with jig worms, Shakey Heads , Mojo Rigs and drop shotting.  Fluorocarbon has the best sensitivity on slack or semi-slack line. I hope this helps you make better decisions when you are faced with ever expanding option of the fishing line wall at your local sporting goods stores.

Tight Lines,
Rich

The only real difference between a Stupid Tube and a normal tube jig, is the way you rig it.  The stupid tube still used a tube jig head or similar jig head, but you kind of rig in a hybrid between a Texas rig, normal tube rig and a shakey head!  Below are picture diagrams of how to rig your own “Stupid Tube”.  The reason the stupid tube rig is so deadly, you get a similar erratic fall and action as an exposed tube jig, but its virtually weedless and still gets great hook ups on fish!

Start out with your favorite 3-4″ Tube, and either a tube jig head, shakey head jig or even a ball head jig.  The jig shown here is a Picasso Shakedown Head and a 3-1/2″ Strike King Coffee Tube

Start by inserting the hook point into the hollow end of the tube

Run is all the way up and poke it out through the tube wall near the head, about wear a Texas rig hook would come out, about a 1/4″ from the nose of the bait.  You will find where you like it for your jig with a little practice.
Pull the hook out, so the head fits snug up in the nose of the tube & then poke the eye of your jig head out the other side of the tube, so you can tie your line there

Then bring the hook back into the tube body and out the other side like a Texas rig and then skin hook the tip of the hook back into the tube wall so it covers the point of the hook.  This keeps the hook from catching on snags & weeds, but only takes a little pressure to stick a fish!

Experiment with different jig heads, weights, hook & tube sizes to fit your needs.  This bait comes through cover and skips great.  Another big advantage over Texas rigging your tube is that Texas rigging tends to tear up tubes real bad after just a few fish.  You usually can catch a limit or more before you need to replace your tube with this rig.  So rig a handful up the night before and you should be set for the day!

Rich

Protection:
I have been hit in the face with lures several times, either by a fellow angler or myself jerking on a lure that springs free and fires at my face. Two of those times my glasses deflected lures that otherwise would have hit me in the eye. The other factor of protection is UV rays, it is important to protect your eyes from over exposure to Ultraviolet Rays from the sun, just like sunscreen for your skin. A good pair of sunglasses will protect your eyes in both instances. Good glasses will also protect your eyes when you are blasting to your honey hole on tournament day. How many times have you had to run in the rain or on a morning when there were a lot of bugs hovering on the water?

Catching More Fish:
I know people will argue that they rarely have water clear enough to see bass where they usually fish and that the spawn is short, so why bother with sunglasses. Sunglasses more often help you observe structure, holes in grass, baitfish and other things that either help you cast where the bass should be or help clue you into what the bass are doing. If bass are holding open pockets in a grass flat and your fishing partner can see the holes better than you because of his glasses, you are in for a long day of netting fish.

What to Buy:
Rule of thumb, buy the best glasses you can afford and make sure they fit your face. You can have a $200 pair of sunglasses, but if they are uncomfortable, you will not wear them and you will lose then because you keep taking them off. I am a big fan of Jkruz Eyewear and I see the value of investing in good glasses. I use to wear $10-20 sunglasses and after wearing high end glasses, I really believe you get what you pay for. With my old glasses, I would be tired after a day on the water in the bright sun, my eyes would feel strained, and they would be bloodshot. I can now fish all day and my eyes feel great and I have more energy to drive home after a long day, rather than fighting to keep my eyes on the road.  If you are looking for a good value on quality glasses, consider JKruz or Akinetix.  The reason is because most less expensive glasses have lower quality lenses that have inconsistencies in the lens that cause your eyes to constantly readjust and refocus to compensate and that is terrible for your eyes. A good set of wrap around glasses that fit your face not only reduce glare off of the water but cut down on wind that dries out your while on the water.

So invest in your eyes and some new sunglasses, buy what you can afford, but do not sacrifice comfort and fit. They only work when you are wearing them. You will be glad you did!

Tight Lines,
Rich