World Record Bass

This new world record bass was recently caught in Lake Biwa in Japan by 32 year old angler Manabu Kurita. The bass weighed in at 22 lbs 5 oz which beat the old record by 1 ounce. Officially it is considered a tie because officials state the rule that a fish must weigh 2 ounces more than the previous record in order to take over the title.

No matter how you look at it, it's an amazing fish. I believe that the report I saw said he used a live bluegill for this lunker. He also uses many huge 7" swimbaits for some of the other big bass he specializes in catching. I think I may have to upsize some of my own tackle and target some big boys for myself this year. Kurita reportedly also fishes with extra large softbaits such as 10" wacky rigged worms when targeting big bass.

Winter Deep Spinnerbaits

I have recently been researching ideas for effective winter bass fishing and came across using spinnerbaits fished deep. I have to admit I had not really considered this, as I usually use jigs or deep diving crankbaits this time of year.

The idea is to choose a heavy (3/4 or 1 ounce) spinnerbait with Colorado blades to sink down to the deep water that bass prefer when it is very cold. The Colorado blades are the larger, rounded blades and put off more vibration, that will help bass find the bait easier. I would also suggest using brightly colored baits in white and chartreuse to further enable lunker bass to see your bait. This can be a great addition to your arsenal of winter bass fishing.

Fishing Science

Just when I thought the Laser Lure was the utmost in scientific advances, along comes the Biopulse Lure. Being a poor working man I haven't gotten one yet, but I'm savin' my pennies.

This lure sounds amazing with a scent dispensing system, sound generator and LED system that are all supposed to attract bass by appealing to all of their senses.

There are always new fishing lures and tackle coming out, but I have to admit this one really sounds like cutting edge fishing technology and I can't wait to tie one on my line. If anybody out there has experience with this or any other lure, please feel free to leave comments about how they worked for you.

Cold Weather Fishing

If you are a hearty soul, now is a great time to catch some really big bass. You will have to have patience and the right equipment to go after bass at this time of year.
I would suggest that you use a depth finder, even a cheap one will do, because most bass will be in the deepest water of your favorite fishing hole. You will need to have an idea where these spots are and a depth finder is a must have. Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas have a large selection and like I said, even a cheapie will let you identify deep water.
Once you have an idea where to fish for those deep water largemouth bass and smallmouth bass you can use a deepdiving crankbait to probe these areas. I also like to fish with a jig and trailer bait in cold water. The jig should be fished slowly since the bass are more lethargic in colder months and the bait they normally feed on is also moving more slowly now. This will provide a more natural bait presentation.