Catching Big Bass In Weeds

Mike Iaconelli share how he catches big bass out of weeds.

Angling for Brook Trout in the Driftless Area of Iowa - NYTimes.com

Wow, I can't believe it. The outstanding trout fishing found in Northeast Iowa is finally recognized nationally in the New York Times. Of course this could also bring more visitors and fishermen to the area which I'm not sure I like.

Northeast Iowa is home to some of the finest trout fisheries I've ever seen. Crystal clear spring-fed streams nestled between beautiful Iowa farmland and pristine limestone cliffs. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has done a tremendous job raising trout and keeping many of the streams stocked. Click on the link below to read the article.

Angling for Brook Trout in the Driftless Area of Iowa - NYTimes.com

Fishing tournament lures NASCAR drivers - Outdoors - MiamiHerald.com

Fishing tournament lures NASCAR drivers - Outdoors - MiamiHerald.com

For NASCAR fans who love to fish -- has Darrell Gwynn got a deal for you!

For the eighth year in a row, the paralyzed former race-car driver plans to raise money for his foundation to cure paralysis by holding the Hot Rods and Reels Fishing Tournament on the infield lake at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 21. Click on the link above to learn more.

Alive Lure - New Technology For Fishing

Fishermen continue to search for new baits or lures that will attract fish. You either look for a bait that mimics a fish's real forage, or something that just looks inviting so they will take a whack at it. Bass are notorious for just attacking something that is in the water based on sound, color, or movement. Alive Lure has created a lure that looks like a large bee, and when it is in the water it buzzes and the wings move to attract attention.

I think they may have something here if you are looking for a new weapon in your tackle box arsenal. Check out the website at www.alivelure.com.

New Fishclipper Is An Outstanding New Product

I received an email the other day from Jim Brown, the inventor of the Fishclipper. He sent me one to check out and I am sold.

Just to save time, I am constantly leaving a lure connected to my line in hopes that if I'm careful nothing will happen. Invariably I'll catch it on a piece of clothing, or worse, I'll catch it on a part of my body. The new Fishclipper is a simple but ingenious invention that allows you to keep a hook or lure connected, but provides protection. You can just unclip and begin fishing. Learn more at www.fishclipper.com.

Teeg Stouffer Shares His Experience At TheToyota Texas Bass Classic

Guest post by Teeg Stouffer (pictured right), executive director of Recycled Fish.

I have one of those jobs that people who love to fish dream about. I get to talk fish, fishing and conservation of our waters – that’s my job. Seems like every fishing fanatic I know has remarked at one time or another how much fun it must be, getting to fish all the time.

Truth is, if you love to fish and want to go fishing all the time, you ought to get one of those jobs where you work three twelve hour shifts. Doesn’t matter what you’re doing, whether it’s washing dishes or fixing arterial walls in heart patients. If you want to fish a lot, you need the time to do it.

At my job as Executive Director of Recycled Fish, I spend a lot of time TALKING about fish, fishing, and conservation of fisheries … and very little time actually doing it. It’s like being a chef and creating this incredible buffet every day, and eating once every week or two.

That’s why I was so excited when I got a call saying that I’d get to fish in the Toyota Texas Bass Class Pro-Am. What’s more, I’d get to bring along one of our ambassadors.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is our biggest national sponsor at Recycled Fish, and they are also the official retail partner of the Professional Angler Association’s crowning event – the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. As such, they had a slot in the Pro-Am. They were willing to give it to me, since I was headed down there anyway to do conservation education as part of an onsite appearance for Recycled Fish in the Dick’s Sporting Goods activity area.

Recycled Fish ambassador Scott Decker flew from Ohio to Dallas, and the two of us drove the three hours down to Conroe , near Houston . We were both leaving behind chilly fall weather for a return to warm weather splendor. As we drove south, we talked about who we’d like to fish with.

“Shaw Grigsby,” I said. That was my pick, no uncertainties about it. “It will be fun no matter who we fish with, but I’d love to get Shaw.”

The morning of the Pro-Am, we were handed a pairing sheet listing the amateurs and who they were paired with. I scanned for our names, and next to them … Shaw Grigsby. Amazing.

We collected our complementary goodie bags, went and found Shaw, made introductions, and sat down to breakfast. We ate, plotted strategies for the day’s fishing (mine consisted of “do whatever Shaw says”) we heard rules, we climbed into Shaw’s rig and he drove us to the lake.

As a matter of course of my job, I have shared the same stage as Jimmy Houston and Bill Dance, I’ve been a speaker at the Bassmaster Classic for the past three years, I’ve done lots of these kinds of things. I’ve even fished with professional anglers, but never an elite – and never one who has been a lifelong hero, a legend.

It was a spine-tingling, other-worldly experience to launch in Shaw’s boat and hold it at the dock while he parked, to pull away from the launch in that wrapped Triton.

Shaw proved to be as gracious – and as talented – as you can imagine. I watched him pitch a jig alongside a boat into a dock stall where the slot was maybe a foot wide. At the end of the stall was a dock rope he’d have to pitch under, and it hung maybe a foot off the water. With a swift flick of the wrist, Shaw’s jig passed through this one-foot by one-foot box, and landed with merely a blip at the front corner of the dock stall. Perfection and precision.

But I also learned that he likes taking his cookies apart to make ‘double stuffed’ ones. He showed me firsthand how to tie his favorite fluorocarbon knot. I heard him congratulate his daughter on graduating from nursing school. We talked about alternative energy. We talked about catching fish, and the times we accidentally caught birds.

I contributed little to our team’s success that day – Decker and Shaw cleaned up, and we got our five fish. (It was a catch-weigh-release format, best five fish over 14”.) We didn’t win, but I don’t think it would have mattered if we did.

If I was a fan before, I’m a super-fan now. It has something to do with the firsthand experience of fishing with Grigsby, and something to do with who I understand him to be. The back collar of his brightly colored, logo-emblazoned dye sublimated fishing shirt says this: Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose."

Amen.