5/9/2012

Wow, the past few months have really been busy.  Trying to sort tackle, respool reels, get the boat ready, and all that kind of fun stuff, not to mention the Bass Expo, the Maple Lake clean up, and trying to lobby for the recent DNR bill.  Luckily, I've been able to get out a couple of times this spring down on Pool 2 of the Mississippi and wet some lines. It's hard to believe it's already the Minnesota fishing opener this Saturday and I hope to get out and go "largemouth pike" fishing since the bass season doesn't open for a couple more weeks.  The Maple Lake clean up and MN Bass Expo were successful for the Renegade Bassers. We represented our sponsors well, especially Culprit (http://www.culprit.com/), Leena Lures (http://www.leenalures.com/), and Outkast Tackle (http://www.outkasttackle.com/) and we managed to gain another member as well (welcome to the club Andy). I was hoping things would slow down a little bit last month, but between family responsibilities and club responsibilities, I haven't had a chance to get ahead.  Heck, I just finally sent in my GreenHorn Bass Tour application (hopefully Ryan and I can kick some butt) and our first club tournament is less than a month away.  Well, so long for now, hopefully we'll see you on the water.

Darin.

4/14/12

I was able to get out with some guys from the Renegade Bassers on Saturday. We went down to pool 2 on the Mississippi. We had four boats out with 7 people and got started around 8am.  After a quick run down river, Ryan and I began working a channel we had found the last time we fished the river. We began pitching jigs and I quickly caught a small keeper.  We continued working the area and managed to catch a few more large mouths and small mouths over the next couple hours.  Most were in the 12-14" range with 1 15" over 2lbs. We decided to move on and see if there was anything up around the corner, but didn't find anything but water that was too shallow to get the boat through comfortably.  After working our way back to the main river, we decided to run back up to an area that we had seen earlier. A short way in to the channel, Ryan caught a nice 17" 3-1/2lb large mouth and twenty feet later I caught a nice 16" 2-1/2lb large mouth on a Culprit Stinger.We worked that channel until we ran out of time and had to head back home.  Ryan and I finished with 11 fish for the day (a mixture of large mouths and small mouths).  We ran into the other boats as we were finishing up at the landing. One had caught 4 fish, another did about what we did with 11 fish, and the last boat had a great day with over 25 fish, but Ryan's 17" large mouth was big bass for the day. Good job guys!!!

Renegade Bassers Lake Clean Up 4/7/12

As many of you know, I'm a member of the Renegade Bassers.  Last Saturday, we held a lake clean up project at Maple Lake.  I'd like to say thanks to everyone that helped out, as we had a great turnout.  Here are some details from that day.

Renegade Bassers Maple Lake Clean Up

As part of the Renegade Bassers commitment to improving our environment, we have joined with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and their “Adopt A River” program.  As part of this program, on Saturday, April 7^th the Renegade Bassers held a lake access clean up on Maple Lake in Wright County.  There were 14 people from the Renegade Bassers and our families that attended the clean up.  We broke into two teams to tackle the clean up at both accesses on the lake. Between the Lion’s Park access and the east (north) access, in just a few hours, the club was able to collect a copier machine, a patio chair, 6 tires, 14 bags of garbage and a small pile of lumber.  The total amount was estimated to be over 400 pounds of garbage and debris that were polluting the water and lands around the accesses.  To continue with our commitment to the environment, the Renegade Bassers will be doing smaller clean ups at each of our club tournaments throughout the year

To learn more about the Minnesota DNR’s “Adopt a River” program,

please go to www.dnr.state.mn.us/adoptriver



March 31, 2012

I went fishing on the Mississippi River down by St Paul Park last Saturday with some friends from the bass club.  We had three boats and a new club member, Ryan, was in my boat with me.  Neither of us had fished this section of the river before, so we were excited to give it a try.  We got on the water around 8am and headed down river.  We found a large shallow flat with a channel along side of it and began by throwing rattle traps and crank baits. We worked that for quite a while but didn't find anything.  We continued working down river and got into some backwater areas. Ryan caught a small largemouth on a jig and I followed with a couple more small ones. We continued working down river but didn't have much luck.  We went back to where we caught the small ones and proceeded to catch a few more.  We moved up river a bit and caught a couple more.  We got a call from one of the other boats when they caught a 4.14 lb largemouth in the same area we were working earlier.  We worked back through that same area and managed to find a couple smallmouths and some more largemouths.  We spent most of the afternoon in that area pitching jigs and stick worms.  We ended around 4:30pm with about 15-20 fish caught for the day. Nothing as big as the other boat, our largest was about 3 lbs and most were around 2 lbs or smaller. Definitely a good day fishing considering it was March and the weather was 20 degrees colder than forecasted.

 

MN Bass Expo

Our bass club - the Renegade Bassers - will be at the MN Bass Expo in Blaine on April 20-22.   Over 110 vendors will be there. Come and check it out and be sure to stop by and say "hi."

MN Bass Expo
 

Friday 4 pm – 8 pm

Saturday 10 am – 6 pm

Sunday 10 am – 4 pm

Adults $10 per day - $20 for all 3 days

Seniors $8 per day - $16 for all 3 days

Students $6 per day - $12 for all 3 days

12 and under Free

FREE parking!

for more information visit

http://www.nscsports.org/ 

Come and see:

Bass fishing celebrities

Bass fishing techniques and seminars

How to use your electronics and side imaging

Metro and state guide services

Youth programs

Kid’s casting contest with prizes

Environmental education

Latest 2012 products & equipment

Register on site for 2012 tournaments

2012 Bass Boats and equipment

Used Boat Coral – sell your used boat for FREE!

Kid’.s corner fish camp

Donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

The Raptors of Minnesota

MN BASS EXPO

National Sports Center, Blaine, MN

RB Coon Lake - September 2011

The final Renegade Bassers tournament for 2011 was on Coon Lake in September. I went out and prefished the day before for a couple of hours and only managed to find one nice bass up shallow. As I was heading in I saw Guy and his son heading out to do a little prefishing, too. I was glad to see that since I was fishing with Guy during the tournament.  Guy was able to find only one area on that had some fish so we started there in the morning. I started off throwing a texas-rigged tube and about an hour in I hooked into a nice 3lber. We fished the area for awhile longer, but couldn't manage to find anymore. Since I had found a really nice 4+lber the day before in shallow, we decided to try some shallow areas.  We spent the next few hours throwing senko's and jigs but couldn't find any keepers. We passed John as we were changing spots and he mentioned that he had some luck throwing a crankbait so we tried that for a while to no avail. We went back to the area where I caught my fish, but couldn't scrounge up any more there either. We starting working shallow again and Guy was able to catch a 3lber on a swim jig just before the end of the tournament. It was a really tough day for us and we each only had 1 keeper all day. We weren't the only ones that struggled though. There were four guys that only turned in one fish. Guy finished with a 3.24lber for 13th place,mine was 3.27lbs for 12th place, and Mark just beat me with a 3.28 for 11th. Chris won the tournament with a 5 fish limit weighing 16.13lbs. Nice work Chris.

RB Pokegama - August 2011

The Renegade Bassers fourth and fifth tournaments were on Lake Pokegama up by Grand Rapids. They were a back to back Saturday/Sunday tournament. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get up to do any pre-fishing. I fished with Daryl on Saturday and Nick on Sunday and thankfully they both went up Friday morning to see what they could find.   Daryl had a pretty good plan for us for Saturday morning that included deep and shallow areas so we could target largemouths and smallmouths. We started out a little deeper and I began throwing a spinnerbait to cover some water quick. That wasn't working so I decided to slow things down and began throwing a texas-rigged tube. We tried a deeper weedline for an hour or so and after no action, we decided to move. We moved in shallow and Daryl started boating some nice keepers. I managed to put one in off of a spinnerbait and we finished that area and moved to a shallow flat. We were both throwing spinnerbaits and tubes, and Daryl managed to catch a smallie and we then moved on to work a point and a couple of islands. Fish were pretty sporadic so we decided to go back and hit the first shallow area again. Daryl managed to fill out his limit and make some good culls. I was throwing a weightless stick worm and managed to catch a few more. We  went back through that same area and I took control of the boat while Daryl was retying and I managed to fill out my limit. We decided to go out and try the deep weedline, point, and islands again, and we caught a few more, but they weren't a lot of help. We worked those areas pretty good. We decided that since we had done so well shallow, we should try some untested shallow areas. We managed to hook a few more and make a couple of upgrades. All in all it was a pretty good day. Daryl managed to take first place with a 17.32 lb bag and the big fish for the day at 5.14 lbs. I finished in 14th place with a 6.63 lb bag. Good job Daryl.

On Sunday, Nick and I started off in a bay that he had found some fish in on Saturday. We worked that area for an hour or so and while Nick managed to find one bass in there, all I could find were pike. From there we headed down to another bay and tried some topwaters. We put a few more in while working spooks and pop-r's. We moved on and I managed to pull a nice 2.5 lber out from next to a dock on a stick worm. We worked some pads but didn't manage to find any in there. We moved to a point and Nick was working his jig and I was throwing a spinnerbait or texas-rigged beaver, but we didn't find anything there but a few pike. We moved to another area and started throwing topwaters and spinnerbaits and Nick managed to catch a few more and fill out his limit. We scratched our heads for a few minutes, because we hadn't put together much of a pattern yet. We moved down to a shallow area throwing jigs, flukes, and stick worms and managed to catch a couple more. Then suddenly, Nick managed to find a school of 1-2 lbers. We worked this school for a while and Nick let me finish out my limit. After my fifth fish, we decided to move on and try from some bigger ones. A small rainshower passed through and we donned our rain gear. We decided to run and gun a little bit and managed to find a few more that helped. A couple of hours before weigh-in the sun came back out and we kept trying new areas. Nick finished in 7th place with a bag weighing 12.08 lbs. I finished in 12th with 8.72 lbs. Daryl came in with a 15.98 lb bag for another first place finish. Great job Daryl.

I must say thanks to Daryl and Nick, because without their help, I wouldn't have been able to fill out my limit both days. I really had a great time on Pokegama and can't wait to go back again. This is definitely one of my favorite lakes in MN. If you haven't fished it, definitely give it a shot.

RB Whitefish Chain July 2011

The second and third tournaments of the Renegade Bassers season were back to back out of towners on the Whitefish Chain in northern Minnesota.  Most of the guys headed up Friday morning to do a little prefishing. Unfortunately I had work to get done so I could only take a half day off and headed up after noon with my friend Nick. We headed straight to Whitefish and got his boat in around 3pm. We started working some pads right by where we put in and didn't have much success.  Just as we were getting ready to move, Nick managed to hook a couple keepers. We pulled out of there and idled over to a deep weedline. Nick was throwing a jig and I was using a texas-rigged beaver and we managed to scrounge up a couple more, but nothing of any size. We jumped around a couple more spots, but never found anything impressive. We decided to make a long run and about halfway across the lake the lower unit went out. Never a good thing, especially when you're running 45mph across the lake.  Dead in the water we dropped the trolling motor and started the long ride back. Luckily we were able to get a hold of one of the other guys in the club and he managed to pull us back in. Thanks Chris.  Saturday was our first tournament and I was fishing with Jason. As this was my first time on Whitefish, I had to rely on Jason and his spots for most of the day. We started off and the wind was blowing 25mph - not a good time to be on the main lake. Unfortunately, that was our best spot to start that day. We both were throwing jigs on a deep point but didn't have any luck. We probably should have known better since we could hardly control the boat. After fighting the wind for an hour, we decided to find something a bit more protected. We started working a shoreline throwing spinnerbaits and buzzbaits and I managed a couple of small keepers there. Jason also got a couple there.  After working that area for quite a bit we moved over to a deep weedline and Jason managed a couple more there. We were really struggling so we decided to move and hit some pads and thick mats. We punched and frogged the rest of the day and Jason managed to put together a limit for 6.25lbs to finish 12th. I was having a hell of a time hooking up with fish in the pads and lost a few.  I finished the day with 2 fish for 3.3lbs. Congrats to Chris who won that day with 5 fish totalling 11.69 pounds.

The second day (Sunday) we started at the Cross Lake side of the chain and I was fishing with Ozzy.  I was excited because Ozzy put  a limit over 11lbs the day before for third place. After a long run to start the day we began by throwing some topwaters. Ozzy was able to put 3 in the well fairly quickly. We made a small run.  I was throwing spinnerbaits and chatterbaits catching pike, but couldn't find any bass. Ozzy was able to find another one, but that was about it. We made a long run to a spot Ozzy knew well, and he managaed to fill out his limit. I struggled all day and had caught only one little 6" bass by this point. I started getting pretty frustrated and started to lose the battle mentally. Unfortunately, I left my confidence baits and started throwing everything but the kitchen sink trying to find something that would work for me. We moved a couple more times and I finally managed to hook a keeper, but lost it right at the boat. Unfortunately, that was the only keeper I hooked into all day. Ozzy managed to cull his way up to a limit of 8.72lbs which got him 6th place. I unfortunately ended with a big fat zero for 14th place. Congrats to Chris who won again on day 2 with a total of 12.91lbs. While this day was definitely my most disappointing of the year, it wasn't a complete loss as I did learn something. You've got to stay cool and keep your wits about yourself. If I would have stuck with my confidence baits and maybe asked some questions the results may have been different. I've also learned more techniques this past year. So, I'd definitely like to go back to Whitefish with my new knowledge and try it again.

January 2012

Managed to get out fishing on Saturday. It wasn't as warm as the last time, but it was still pretty nice out. Nick and I got out about 12:30 and on his first cast Nick had a nice smallie. As I glanced over to watch Nick pull in his fish, I noticed my bobber quickly disappeared, unfortunately I hadn't been paying close attention, and missed it. We were both pretty stoked though and thought we were in for a good day. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. We both struggled for a while so Nick moved further upstream. He managed to catch a few more ending with five for the day.

I hadn't gotten another bite and was getting pretty frustrated so, since no one was downstream from me, I just opened my bail and let my bait drift. About 75 yards down, my bobber plunged under the water so I flipped the bail and set the hook hard. It felt like I just set the hook into a stump. After pulling hard, I was finally able to get my line to start coming back upstream. As I was reeling hard against the current my mind started to race about what could be on the other end of my PowerPro braid. It felt heavy and was pulling hard and pictures of a monster smallie or big pike started running through my mind. I was ribcage deep in the water so I figured I'd better move in a bit shallower. I kept reeling and walking at the same time trying not to stumble on the rocks and fall on my ass in the water. I finally got to knee depth water and finished reeling in. My bobber was only 5 feet away but I still couldn't see the fish. I moved a little shallower, got a glimpse of the fish, and started laughing. The guy fishing next to me looks over and says "catfish huh." To which I replied, "yeah it is." He looks back over at me with a big smile on his face and said" thought it was a smallie didn't ya." Yeah, I did" I said and we both had a good laugh. It ended up being a 24" channel cat (about 6-8lbs). Honestly, I think it was the first catfish I've ever caught.

About an hour after that, Nick was out of bait and took off and many of the other fishermen left too. I moved upstream a little bit determined not to leave until I caught at least one smallie. Finally, almost an hour later, my feet and hands almost numb, I got a bite. The whole time I was reeling it in I was saying "please be a smallie, please be a smallie." I knew I had to get going and needed to get warmed up so as I reeled it up and finally saw the fish I was pretty happy. It wasn't a big one, but at least it was a smallie.

After I struggled to get the hook out, I knew I was done for the day. It was a grind of a day, but at least I was out fishing.

Smallie Fishing December 2011

I can't believe how nice the weather has been here in MN. Christmas was such a busy time for us this year with our 10 month old daughter. So, when my buddy Nick called to see it I wanted to get out fishing one more time in 2011, I said "hell ya, let's go." It was nice to find some open water and catch a few smallies. It was only the second time I've been able to fish like this with Nick (last time was February 2011 and I didn't own a pair of waders then). The last time we tried this, I was stuck casting from shore and had to endure watching him catch a dozen nice smalllies out in his waders before I finally said "screw it" and went home. So, I talked my wife into getting me a pair of waders (thanks, babe) for Christmas. By the time I got out there, Nick had been fishing for a few hours with quite a few caught already. I was only able to fish for a couple of hours and I only caught one, lost one, and missed two. They weren't biting like gangbusters while I was there, but Nick was able to catch three or four (and miss a few more). Even though fishing wasn't great, I was glad to get out on (or I guess I should say "in") the water for a couple of hours. If it stays nice, I hope to get out again this winter before everything freezes up.