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2019 James Gang Bass Open - RED CEDAR LAKE recap!!!

6/11/2019

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DOUGLAS S. & HIS PARTNER STAN MILLER ARE READY TO GET THE 2019 JAMES GANG BASS OPEN STARTED

19 BOATS, 38 ANGLERS, (7 CHILDREN) TAKE ON THE CHAIN OF BALSAM, RED CEDAR, & HEMLOCK LAKES IN OUR 5th MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING EVENT

38 ANGLERS ON TEAMS OF 2 ARE FISHING FOR THIS TROPHY IN A MLF FORMAT CATCH-AND-RELEASE TOURNAMENT

In our fifth Major League Fishing event that we had organized, we chose to return for redemption on the body of water in which it started - RED CEDAR LAKE, WI. In a typical spring, the smallmouth bass are spawned out around Memorial Weekend, and the largemouth are on their beds at that time. In 2017 when we scheduled our event on Saturday of Memorial weekend, we had an unusually cold spring and the water temperatures were way below average. This led to a delayed spawn and a very tough bite for our field of 13 anglers in our only single-angler, non-team events. I knew how "willing to bite" the bass on the Red Cedar chain typically are around post-spawn, so we knew we needed to give it another shot in 2019. When choosing a date, we chose to go later to guarantee a post-spawn bite. What is extremely crazy is that the spawn was even later this year than in 2017, but as fish were finishing up the spawn or even abandoning their beds in this event, there was no doubt that they were feeding across the chain and that this event was going to be extremely competitive.

CHILD 12 & UNDER PARTICIPANT, CHAMPION, & KIDS BIG BASS TROPHIES
DESIGNED BY 10-YR OLD JAMES GANG CEO ALEX JAMES

FOLLOWING A MAJOR TOURNAMENT..........

JUNE 8 CWBA LAUNCH - PHOTO BY JASON LANGOSCH

There was some concern about how well the bite would be, as the Central Wisconsin Bass Anglers (CWBA) held a tournament on June 8th, the previous day to our event. The talk was that the weigh in was incredible, as anglers brought in limits of extremely impressive smallmouth compared to years past, and typical CWBA winning weights for this chain was lucky to even earn you a 6th place check. The winning team of Pat Schlapper & Wade Rickey weighed in an average of basically 4 lbs per fish! With a 40-boat 80 angler field that excelled in their tournament, the pressure would make one to believe that our MLF event could be majorly affected. But we found out by the end of the day, that it would not be the case as this body of water was ON FIRE! If you would like more information about the CWBA, click on the button below. They are ran by Craig Kloth of Medford, WI, and it is an outstanding tournament with a great group of guys competing in it!

CLICK HERE FOR CWBA INFO

CWBA ANGLER AND JAMES GANG SPONSORED SCOTT WILCZEK WITH A LIMIT OF GORGEOUS RED CEDAR LAKE SMALLMOUTH, GOOD FOR 18# AND A CHECK

6 AM "LINES IN"

5 YR OLD HENRIK S. & HIS PARTNER NEIL SANDFORD ARE READY TO START THE EVENT

The anglers arrived at Cedar Lake county park to launch between 4:30 AM - 5:45 AM. When they received their PIN cards and conversed on any confusion with the unique format, they were free to open up their throttle for a drive-around and claim their starting spot. They were not allowed to start casting until 6 AM. As the tournament director, I drove my vehicle to the launch, handed out the PIN cards and backup scorecards, and then drove to our camper on Balsam Lake, where "Papa Steve" was waiting on his boat lift to fire up the trolling motor and begin casting. We began fishing around Balsam lake around 6:15 am with no sight of bass present and no bites. We chose an early start time in hopes of a hot topwater bite early morning, and during our pre-fish there was no slime or algae present in our starting area. We rigged up with treble hooked topwaters, and found that the conditions changed drastically from the previous week, as the wind blew slimy debris all over our starting area, killing the action of our lures. We had to adjust, and I went to a Flappin' Jig vibrating jig and a slow sinking senko-style worm. As we covered hot areas of the past, there wasn't anything positive happening. The amount of muck present made it appear to be non-spawning areas. I felt that we were covering areas too fast with my vibrating jig approach, and I really wanted to walk-the-dog. Since treble hooked walking baits were a no-go, I switched up to a presentation my little boy came up with last year that worked well for largemouth - a beaver bait on a weighted VMC hook. With this lure I was able to walk the dog and have a weedless setup. I used a green pumpkin/chartreuse setup to mimic baby bluegills, craws, or frogs. As we entered the channel to the main lake - I felt a bite. With a fast hook set, we had a 13" bass ready to weigh.

MY FIRST OF 6 BASS I WEIGHED - 1 LB 2 OZ

FEEDING FRENZY!

5 YEAR OLD HENRIK S. WITH A 3 LB 5 OZ GIANT SMALLMOUTH EARLY IN THE DAY

As I entered my first catch in Scoretracker Live, we were shocked to see 5 year old Henrik & his partner Neil Sandford already in the lead with 12 lbs! The young angler already had a 3 lb 5 oz smallmouth on the board and was off to a record-setting pace of weight. Our previous record of the 4 past events was 37 lbs on Rice Lake in 2018 by Doug Helmuth & Zach Nelson. Half the field was already on the board, and as I boated 2 more bass in the channel, our position on the leaderboard was all over the place. We would bump up to 9th, then after even the smallest dry spell of 10 minutes, we would already lose 5 places. It was crazy, intense, and a blast. We had largemouth bass charging hard all over after our beaver bait, and unfortunately northern pike were keying in on it as well. We came out of the channel with about 10 strikes on the lure, and we ended up boating 4 bass and 11 northern pike. By the time we entered the main lake, we had once again moved back up to around 9th place, and we were entering an area that I felt we could find some 2-3 pounders as all of our fish were around 1 lb 2 oz in the channel. We made our run around the bay and had no sign of life, besides a beat up 2.5 pounder i grabbed from the top of the lake that looked very ill. The fish slipped out of my hands but I don't think cheating by noodling dying bass would count (or even help) in this fast-action event (joking!) As we finished the bay, we dropped towards the bottom of the standings once again, but we knew our presentation was hot. We just needed to find the right location to put it to work and catch them as the bass were viciously attacking it in the channel. A final look on Scoretracker live, and 8 year old Beau D. weighed in a 3 lb 3 oz smallmouth, to propel him and his partner to the top of the leaderboard, neck and neck with Neil & Henrik. This was going to be a heavyweight shootout as the fish numbers were just steadily increasing.

8 YR OLD BEAU D. WEIGHS IN HIS BIGGEST SMALLMOUTH EVER - 3 LBS 3 OZ AND FINDS THE TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD ABOUT EVEN WITH TEAM SANDFORD

SMALLMOUTH BITE FOUND TO BE SLOW, SUCCESSFUL ANGLERS SWITCHED TO LARGEMOUTH

8 YEAR OLD GAVIN D. PUTS HIS TEAM ON THE BOARD WITH ONE OF HIS 4 BASS HE HOOKED AND BOATED HIMSELF FOR TEAM DUNCAN

As many of the experienced anglers started their days in pursuit after the quality smallmouth in Red Cedar that it is known for (and were caught the previous day) a few were landed and then the anglers watched themselves fall right down the scoreboard as they failed to find bites. Some stayed committed for a short time, but the very experienced anglers knew that they had to adjust or lose this event, so many of them made the switch to largemouth. Even though the smallmouths were hard to convince to bite after the big CWBA event, a few anglers such as Team Eichinger the Team Small were able to coax a few into biting. Mat & Crystal started off the day with a steady start on Balsam Lake, keeping themselves a little above us in the same area. While we were catching small largemouth in a channel tight to shore, Mat & Crystal were focusing on gravel points and cover with reaction baits. After being stuck at 5 pounds for a while and falling down the standings, Mat & Crystal made an adjustment and went to some community holes on Red Cedar fishing some of the extremely pressured areas from the previous day. They found success as both of them were able to catch a few here and there throughout the day, starting out with this beautiful 17.5" smallmouth bass!

JAMES GANG PRO STAFFER MAT EICHINGER WITH A 3 LB 3 OZ RED CEDAR BASS

As we monitored Scoretracker Live, we assumed the high numbers of 1 pound class fish were people hammering smallmouths, as this chain is known for quality largemouth, not as much for 1 pounders. So we stuck with our plan and continued fishing Balsam Lake. My dad kept with the beaver bait presentation and I pulled out my trusty James Gang Bass Jerker, my #1 all time lure for this lake. Unfortunately, the action was dead. I was not getting any bites or follow ups. I then switched over to a slow sinking worm as we fished cover with finesse. My dad threw a beautiful cast tight to a laydown tree trunk near deep water, and he had a great bass bite. I had a good look close to the boat as he opens his mouth and the lure flies out, hook still "texposed" in the plastic. Unfortunately this was more than likely a 3 lb largemouth, no doubt at least 2.5 lbs minimum. It would have shot us up several places at the time but probably would not have overtaken Henrik's big bass at the time. We shook it off and continued to cover water. My dad landed about a 1lb 2 oz largemouth but then we once again failed to find action. We then had to make a move and run a different shoreline, and were amazed that the usually reliable deep wood cover was not producing at all on this day. We did our best to "fish the moment" and not worry about history as with the live updates it was very obvious the fish were biting and the other teams were on high concentrations of them.

12 YR OLD DOUGLAS S. & HIS PARTNER STAN MILLER ARE FINDING THINGS STARTING TO CLICK AS THEY MOUNT A COMEBACK THROUGH THE LATE MORNING AND ARE NEAR THE LEADERS IN A HIGH NUMBERS BATTLE OF BASS-CATCHING

ELK MOUND HIGH SCHOOL ANGLERS JAMES JAVANOVICH & BLAKE ROSENTHAL ARE IN THE BATTLE DURING THE FIRST HALF LINGERING AROUND THIRD PLACE IN A BAY LOADED WITH LARGEMOUTH BASS AFTER THEY STRUGGLED WITH SMALLMOUTH

LANCE & DEB SPITLER REGISTER A DECENT BASS IN THEIR FIRST MLF TOURNAMENT

THE FIELD SEPARATES MID-DAY

A clear shift occurs in the standings around 10 am. Several teams that were keeping with the flow of catches suddenly ran out of productive locations and were not able to recover. Other teams made a few location changes and found flurries throughout the day. And then the top teams made several changes and decisions and continuously boated bass throughout the event and remained consistent during the mid-day all the way to the end. As we continued to struggle to find biting fish locations, I visually saw a largemouth follow up my lure in a shallow spawn-type area between shore and weed cover. I threw back past the fish once more time, walked the dog and watched it smoke my lure. I set the hook and we registered bass #6 as we rose back up to 9th place of 19 teams. This was our biggest one yet, unfortunately just 2 oz more than the others had been.

JAMES GANG PRO STAFFER ANDREW DRAPER JUMPS PAST US WITH HIS PARTNER TIM LEHR WITH MULTIPLE FISH CATCHES MID-MORNING TO MID-DAY

ANDREW DRAPER'S TEAMMATE TIM LEHR HAS HELPED HIM JUMP
UP TO 9 LBS 1 OZ WITH THEIR 6TH BASS

Jon Small & his wife Shannon started off with the slow smallmouth bite ,as did several others, so at 11 am they switched up to largemouth bass. This was a great move as they were able to get steady bites for about an hour before they ran out of prime location of feeding bass. They jumped up in the standings during this hot hour and slowly fell back in the afternoon. Once we went a long period on Balsam fishless, my dad and I tried a few spawning type areas looking for gravel and smallmouth bass. We came upon one 2 lb quality bass on its bed and I was able to get a strike on the first cast with the beaver bait but missed the hookset as it immediately blew out the bait. Things were getting very frustrating as most of the field was completely off of Balsam and the Scoretracker was on fire. We knew we had to make a move to Red Cedar and cover some areas for big largemouth or rock reefs and points for smallmouth bass.

MATT PROSEK & JEREMY MOLDRUM HAD A GREAT SHOWING WITH 14 BASS WEIGHED IN ON SCORETRACKER LIVE

CORY JASKIERNY & RYAN VREELAND WEIGHED 5 FISH FOR 8 LBS 8 OZ

FINAL DECISIONS & AN INCREDIBLE SHOOTOUT

AFTER MULTIPLE DISMAL PRACTICE TRIPS, JESSE GOSS & SHAWN MALISON HAVE ABSOLUTELY FOUND THE MONEY SPOT IN THE RED CEDAR MLF EVENT

AARON KNUTSON & HIS 13 YR OLD PARTNER GABE FOUND SOME SMALLMOUTH BASS SIGHT FISHING NEAR THE END OF THE DAY ON BALSAM LAKE AS THEY PASSED 3 TEAMS ON SCORETRACKER LATE IN THE DAY

We presented multiple lures in a bay of Red Cedar and were able to attempt some sight-fishing, with multiple follow-ups but no solid commitment in clear water. At one point I saw a nice 3 lb largemouth, so I cast past it and right when my lure hit its general area I hooked up. I was pumped as I thought it could challenge the big bass. Unfortunately a different fish moved in for my lure out of nowhere as I boated our 12th smelly northern pike of the day. As he flopped on the boat deck, the pike puked out about a 3" yellow perch, so apparently he was hungry eating our lures with a mouthful of bait. We hit some well-known points on Red Cedar and fell to near the bottom of the scoreboard as time was getting late. We focused then on a big fish bite as the lead was way out our our hands. 3 teams were battling each other in the final 2 hours, including Stan Miller & 12 year old Douglas, Chad Ducummon & 8 year old Beau, and Neil Sandford with 5 year old Henrik, who had held onto the tournament big bass lead most of the day. As the Scoretracker bounced back and forth between these three teams, we decided to head back to Balsam, look for a big bass bite, and prepare to load the boat with the trophies and prizes. Out of nowhere, Matthew Timmers and Tiffany Haines, who fished similar patterns in the morning as us, made a move to a channel loaded with largemouth bass, and shot up the scoreboard from the bottom half with around 20 lbs of bass just in the final hour! Aaron K. & his partner Gabe (13 years old) spent most of the day struggling on Red Cedar Lake, so they made a late-day move to Balsam Lake, where they were able to pull a few smallmouth bass off their beds sight fishing. They were way behind in the standings as it was too late for a giant comeback, but they had a blast and were able to blow past the bottom three teams and lock into 16th place in the final hours. Luke & Tyler Krumenauer, our 3rd place team from the 2018 Rice Lake event, found a solid pattern very late in Hemlock Lake, and ran out of time to mount a comeback that they needed to land in the top 5. The brothers ended up catching 13 bass and lost a few more at the boat, as they weighed 15 lbs 10 oz, good for 12th place.

LUKE & TYLER KRUMENAUER DITCHED THEIR EARLY SMALLMOUTH AFTER CATCHING THIS LAST ONE AND FOUND STEADY ACTION ON HEMLOCK, BUT WAY TOO LATE IN THE DAY!

MATTHEW TIMMERS & TIFFANY HAINES FOLLOWED A SPECIFIC WATER TEMP PATTERN FROM BALSAM LAKE AND CARRIED IT OVER TO HEMLOCK LAKE AND WEIGHED 20 LBS OF BASS IN THE FINAL HOUR! HERE IS A QUALITY BASS TIFFANY FOUND PRE-FISHING.

8 YR OLD GAVIN D. BOATS 4 FISH HIMSELF AND HELPS HIS PARTNER (JAMES GANG PRO STAFFER JAZ DUNCAN) GAIN GROUND ON MAT & CRYSTAL IN THE FINAL HOURS WITH OVER 18 POUNDS OF BASS!

12 YR OLD DOUGLAS S, IN HIS FOURTH JAMES GANG MLF EVENT, IS FISHING "LIGHTS OUT" WITH HIS PARTNER STAN MILLER IN THE FINAL HALF OF SUNDAY'S EVENT

ALL THE FANCIEST ELECTRONICS, BOATS, OR EQUIPMENT IS NO MATCH AGAINST A CRAFTED VETERAN ANGLER LIKE STAN MILLER, WHO MADE THE CORRECT ADJUSTMENTS AND KEPT DOUGLAS BUSY WITH NON-STOP FINAL HOUR WEIGHT ENTRIES ON A EXPLOSIVE TOP-WATER BITE IN HEMLOCK LAKE

DOUGLAS & STAN STOLE THE SHOW IN THE FINAL HOUR AS TEAMS SANDFORD & DUCUMMON TRIED RUNNING THEM DOWN.

"Lines out" was scheduled for 1:50PM, and the payouts were scheduled at 2 PM at the ramp. In the final hours, Malison & Goss, Timmers & Haines, and the top 3 teams all lit it up. Unfortunately the bites died off fast for several others, but a few were able to find some last-minute heroics and move up a few spots before the end of the tournament. Jon & Shannon Small, who started on smallmouths and went to largemouths, found their 2nd pattern die so they returned back to smallmouths and boated a few more late in the day. Then the Elk Mound High School team of James Javanovich & Blake Rosenthal found money in the final minutes on a last fish that bumped them up to 6th place in their first-ever MLF event. The Elk Mound duo weighed in 21 lbs on 14 bass. As 5th place was the final payout, they saw their cash prize stolen by the incredible hour put on by Matthew Timmers & Tiffany Haines, as they finished with 32 lbs on 25 Bass!

ONE LAST BASS IN THE FINAL MINUTES MOVED ELK MOUND ANGLERS JAVANOVICH & ROSENTHAL TO 6TH PLACE IN THEIR FIRST MLF EVENT

JON & SHANNON SMALL WEIGHED A FEW SMALLMOUTH IN THE FINAL HOURS

LINES OUT! WE HAVE A WINNER!!

We met up with the anglers after 2 PM for the payouts, and we couldn't have been happier with the outcome. The top 3 teams in the event had children on them, and we verified with Neil Sandford that 5 year old Henrik S. did end up holding off the field with the biggest bass! Now what is really special about this is that we have gone to a unique Kids 12 & under Big Bass award, separate from the overall adult "Daily Lunker" award for the tournament big bass. Here this little boy won BOTH awards as his 3 lb 5 oz smallmouth was the heaviest bass weighed out of our new record 280 BASS! Our previous record was 112 bass weighed in an event. Henrik was so proud as he accepted his IKE FOUNDATION HAT, a gift pack from JB'S FISH SAUCE, a Kids Big Bass Trophy, his "Daily Lunker" big bass plaque, and in the end he also helped his partner take third place, so his three cash prizes equaled $300!!!! Chad Ducummon & 8 year old Beau slipped ahead of Team Sandford by oz in the final moments, and Stan with young superstar angler Douglas held off the field with non-stop topwater action for the victory! Stan & Douglas managed to weigh 56 lbs of bass with 37 fish, and said they lost around 8 more fish in the final hour (in addition to the crazy amount they did catch!) Shawn Malison & Jesse Goss put out an incredible performance as well, as all 4 of the top teams ALL beat the all-time weight record of 37 lbs of fish weighed!! Malison & Goss weighed in 45 lbs of bass on 34 fish! Great job by the top 5 teams as they all continued to catch fish under pressure in the final hour!

5 YR OLD HENRIK S. - WINNER OF BIG BASS & 3RD PLACE IN STANDINGS $300 CASH

FIFTH PLACE

MATTHEW TIMMERS & CRYSTAL HAINES $60 CASH

FOURTH PLACE

SHAWN MALISON & JESSE GOSS $80 CASH

THIRD PLACE, "DAILY LUNKER" & KID'S BIG BASS

NEIL SANDFORD & HENRIK S. (5 YRS OLD) $100 CASH / TROPHY / PLAQUE / IKE FOUNDATION HAT / JB'S FISH SAUCE PRIZE PACK

SECOND PLACE

CHAD DUCUMMON & BEAU D. (8 YRS OLD) $140 CASH

2019 JAMES GANG OPEN CHAMPIONS

STAN MILLER & DOUGLAS S. (12 YRS OLD) $484 CASH & TROPHIES

RECORD-BREAKING CHAMPIONS STAN MILLER & DOUGLAS S. (56 LBS 7 OZ)

RESULTS / IKE FOUNDATION & FISHER'S OF KIDS

THANK YOU ANGLERS FOR DONATING $2 PER ENTRY FEE TO THESE FINE ORGANIZATIONS! This money will be used to provide fishing tackle to children in need and in big cities to hook them on positive activities as they are introduced to the outdoors.

Thank you Mike & Becky Iaconelli, Carol Muracco & the entire IKE FOUNDATION team for providing for a great cause and for allowing Alex represent what you do as we help spread the word of your great charity.

www.theikefoundation.org

Thank you Samantha Gay for letting us be affiliated with your work at FISHER'S OF KIDS ANGLERS ACADEMY and in raising money to provide for the children of your area as they are introduced to the outdoors.

www.fishersofkidsanglersacademy.org

Thank you James Block for supporting our events and providing us with your quality products and gift packs at JB'S FISH SAUCE attractants

www.jbsfishsauce.com

2019 JAMES GANG BASS OPEN - RED CEDAR LAKE
OFFICIAL RESULTS

Place/Weight/Big Fish/Total Bass/Winnings
1. Douglas (12) / Stanley Miller 56-7/3-4/37/$484
2. Beau (8) / Chad Ducommun 47-5/3-3/27/$140
3. Henrik (5) / Neil Sandford 47-2/3-5/24/$300(BIG BASS)
4. Shawn Malison / Jesse Goss 45-15/2-2/34/$80
5. Matthew Timmers / Tiffany Haines 32-9/2-2/25/$60
6. James Javanovich / Blake Rosenthal 21-2/2-12/14
7.Matt Prosek / Jeremy Moldrum 20-13/1-15/14
8. Mathew D Eichinger / Crystal Smart 19-8/3-3/11
9. Brent Forsman / Matthew (12) 19-4/2-15/12
10. Jaz Duncan / Gavin (8) 18-9/2-2/15
11. Jonathon Howell / Danielle Peterson 16-7/2-5/13
12. Luke & Tyler Krumenauer 15-10/2-0/13
13. Jon Small / Shannon Small 15-7/2-2/12
14. Andrew Draper / Tim Lehr 9-1/1-14/6
15. Cory Jaskierny / Ryan Vreeland 8-8/3-0/5
16. Gabe (13) / Aaron Knutson 7-3/1-15/5
17. Steve Piontek / Jesse (41) 6-12/1-4/6
18.Porter (7) / Kurt Nelson 5-9/1-13/4
19. Lance Spitler / Deb Spitler 3-2/1-10/3

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BASS FISHING NEAR ITS ANNUAL PRIME, MLF RED CEDAR ENTRY FEES DUE/SPOTS OPEN, WI RIVERBANK RALLY ANGLERS ON THE BOARD....

5/25/2019

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SMALL CRAFT OUTFITTERS KAYAK GUIDE CHANG LOR WITH AN 18" BASS ON A JAMES GANG BOOTYKICKER 5" SWIMBAIT (RANDY'S GILL)

WARM WATER = HOT BASS FISHING!

JAMES GANG PRO STAFFERS MAT EICHINGER & KEVIN ROGALSKI HAD FUN AT THE CWBA OPEN IN BIRCHWOOD, BUT THE BITE WAS SO HOT IT TOOK 18# TO GET INTO THE TOP EIGHT PLACES!!

CWBA BEGINS ITS SEASON WITH ITS FIRST EVENT BLAST-OFF OF 2019

DON'T BE FOOLED. MR. ROGALSKI'S SMILE IS ONE OF HATRED WHEN HE HOOKS INTO A STINKY NORTHERN PIKE

MARTINEK FOUND SOME TOPWATER HAPPINESS

JAMES GANG PRO STAFFER KEVIN MARTINEK FOUND SOME TOPWATER SUCCESS IN HEAVY WIND AND STRONG CURRENTS DURING THE LATE-MAY PRE-SPAWN

BASS NINJA ROUNDHOUSE SPINNER WORKS IN HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND FLOODED WOOD COVER

THE KIDS KEEP OUTFISHING EVERYONE!!

KAEDEN B. HELPED HIS MOM & DAD CATCH 25 FISH IN A FEW HOURS

KALEB G. STILL KICKIN BOOTY WITH HIS JAMES GANG BOOTYKICKERS IN LOUISIANA

ALAYNA H. USES HER WEAPONS FROM MIKE IACONELLI AS SHE CATCHES BASS AND MAKES SURE TO "NEVER GIVE UP" ON LAKE CHETAC

THE EICHINGERS PARTIED IN STYLE IN BIRCHWOOD AFTER A SUCCESSFUL OUTING

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR JUNE 9 RED CEDAR MLF

OUR 5TH MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING EVENT WILL BE JUNE 9, 2019 ON RED CEDAR LAKE, WI. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 28 REGISTERED AND PAID ANGLERS FOR OUR 2-PERSON TEAM TOURNAMENT. IF YOU AND AN ANGLER ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING, WE HAVE A FEW SPOTS AVAILABLE. ENTRY FEES DUE THIS FRIDAY, MAY 31, NO EXCEPTIONS. FOR MORE INFO AND FOR ONLINE PAYMENT, CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW!!

RED CEDAR MLF

ANGLERS WILL RECEIVE THESE SWEET TROPHIES!!

GOOD LUCK FISHING FROM ALEX & HIS GANG!!!

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WI OPENER ON FIRE!

5/5/2019

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KAEDEN B. CATCHES A BEAUTIFUL 17.5" SMALLMOUTH BASS DURING THE WISCONSIN OPENER

PRO STAFFER JAZ DUNCAN LIGHTS IT UP IN WASHBURN COUNTY

FLW BFL ANGLER JAZ DUNCAN WITH HIS HEAVIEST LARGEMOUTH BASS OF THE DAY AT 4 lbs 12 oz WITH A 20" LENGTH. JAZ LANDED 14 BASS, THE MAJORITY OF THEM AT A SOLID WEIGHT OF 2.5LBS OR BETTER. JAZ USED A JAMES GANG BASS NINJA SPINNERBAIT AND A WHITE SWIM JIG

JAZ DUNCAN WITH ABOUT AN "AVERAGE" BASS FOR THE DAY AROUND 2.5+ LBS AT 16.5" TOTAL LENGTH

THUMBS DOWN FROM ALEX FOR BEATING US!

SMALLCRAFT OUTFITTERS GETTING IT DONE WITH JAMES GANG LURES & FEEL FREE KAYAKS

SCO OUTFITTER KAYAK GUIDE CHANG LOR WITH ONE OF SEVERAL BASS CAUGHT ON JAMES GANG BOOTYKICKER SWIMBAITS & LOVERTAIL 2 INLINE SPINNERS

JUST ANOTHER JAMES GANG LOVERTAIL 2 HOG FOR SCO GUIDE TYLER THEIDE. THIS HAS CONSISTENTLY BEEN HIS TOP PRODUCER IN EARLY SEASON WATER TEMPS

BOOK A TRIP WITH
www.smallcraftoutfitters.com!

TAKE A KID FISHING!!!

www.theikefoundation.org

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WI Bass Opener ONE WEEK AWAY!!!!! Riverbank action is starting / SWIMJIGS & LOVERTAILS ON SALE IN MAY!

4/26/2019

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10 YR OLD JAMES GANG FISHING CEO, LURE DESIGNER, AND TOURNAMENT ANGLER ALEX JAMES JUMPS INTO 3RD PLACE OF 33 ANGLERS WITH THIS 15.5" REDHORSE ON THE CHIPPEWA RIVER IN LATE APRIL

LOVERTAIL 2 & NEST INVADER SWIMJIGS ALL ON SALE THROUGHOUT MAY 2019!!!

EARLY PRE-SPAWN FLOOD FISHING IS HERE!

SMALL CRAFT OUTFITTERS HITS THE CHIPPEWA RIVER BACKWATERS LOOKING FOR PRE-SPAWN BASS IN FLOODED CONDITIONS

With only one week to go before the start of the Wisconsin Bass fishing season on inland lakes, anglers are hitting the rivers for rough fish and backwater bass, and boaters are pulling their boats out of storage units and getting their outboards tuned in for the season. The kayak boys at Small Craft Outfitters are already hitting the river and are excited for the peak of pre-spawn to arrive within a week in some of their favorite sloughs on the Chippewa River and Mississippi River. This time of the year is when a few 5 pound or bigger trophy female bass make themselves present for the SCO guides. If you would like to learn how to fish early spring conditions with these outstanding guides on Feel Free kayaks, visit www.smallcraftoutfitters.com and book a trip. Tell them the James Gang sent you!

Click here for small craft outfitters info

SMALLCRAFT OUTFITTERS GUIDE TYLER THEIDE WITH AN 18.75" BASS CAUGHT ON A JAMES GANG LOVERTAIL 2 IN "BULL BLUEGILL"

HEAVY RAIN = FLOOD CONDITIONS

JAMES GANG PRO STAFFER KEVIN MARTINEK CASTS INTO A FLOODED FOREST AND CANARY GRASS

Pro Staffer Kevin Martinek join myself in 42 degree water and floodwaters that rose 6' above average into deer bedding areas in Western Wisconsin Easter weekend. Our main goal was to test out Alex's new 1987 Force outboard. Due to a loose fuel line fitting, the outboard ran terrible and out trolling motor battery was heavily drained while battling the windy conditions. It felt great to enjoy a nice, sunny morning, and also to get some early season scouting in. We did manage to find a bite from possibly a largemouth bass on a 4" plastic jerkshad in a flooded area of canary grass near a "NO TRESPASSING" sign in the middle of open water. I set the hook and failed to deliver on the bite, but it was fun getting the feel of my first pickup of the year. We brought the Crawfish Bandit boat back home and were able to get it running perfectly after addressing the fuel fitting issue and making some throttle linkage adjustments under the motor cover. Now that the 1976 Lund is back in solid running condition, we plan on doing lots of camping and fishing this year with our awesome boat! Alex decided that the prop should be painted red and also that the motor should be re-painted gloss black. New "35" Force decals are on order that brings you right back to 1987 in a hurry with their digital alarm clock font. Exciting times await us!

ALEX'S CRAWFISH BANDIT DURING OUTBOARD INSTALL

YOUNG ANGLER CONSISTENTLY CATCHING BASS IN LOUISIANA

GOOD BUDDY TO THE JAMES GANG, KALEB G, JUST CAN'T STOP CATCHING HUGE BASS IN LOUISIANA

RIVER FISHING PICKING UP

RYAN VREELAND REGISTERS HIS FIRST RIVERBANK RALLY ENTRY - 20" SUCKER

With the warming rivers, the rough fish (and out of season sturgeons) are becoming more active and commonly jumping in the local area. With the flood conditions, it can be tough finding a place to fish without too strong of a current to present your bait. Three of our Riverbank Rally anglers have struck early, including some impressive redhorse. Ryan Vreeland entered the contest Tuesday with a nice 20" redhorse. He followed it up this weekend with a 22" white sucker. Trevor Meeks had taken an early lead with a very large 23" redhorse on the Chippewa River on the same day. His fishing buddy and James Gang pro staffer John Beaudette was too busy accidentally catching some very impressive lake sturgeon while in pursuit of suckers and carp. I don't think John minded landing 3 hard-fighting prehistoric fish that all were over 45" long, including a 50+" beauty. Sturgeons are not legal, even for catch & release, so John had to immediately release the fish. If he can manage to win one of the 5 species Riverbank Rally contests, he will be ready to go after some sturgeon that count during the legal C&R championship contest in September. Congrats boys on a fun start and for getting out and enjoying the beautiful weather burning stress and having fun!

JOHN BEAUDETTE POSES WITH A 50+" LAKE STURGEON WHILE HE IMMEDIATELY RELEASES IT (WITH A SMILE!)

WHILE TREVOR & RYAN REGISTER FISH, UNCLE JESSE WASTES TIME KISSING BABIES

JESSE JAMES OUTDONE AGAIN BY HIS BUDDIES IN THE WI RIVERBANK RALLY, AS HIS ONLY FISH WAS A BABY LAKE STURGEON AROUND 12" IN LENGTH AND OUT OF SEASON

JAMES GANG BASS JERKER & BOOTYKICKER APRIL SALE ENDING SOON...

BASS JERKERS ON SALE THROUGH THE MONTH OF APRIL!!!!

5" Bootykicker Swimbaits in multiple colors on sale only one last week! Stock up for trophy bass!!!

HAVE A GREAT OPENER AND SEND US YOUR FISH PICS ON OUR PREMIUM, HAND-CRAFTED LURES!!!!

CONGRATS STEVE P. OF LOUISIANA WITH A BOOTYKICKER BASS IN THE COLOR "KALEB'S MAGIC"

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2019 RIVERBANK RALLY HAS STARTED!!

4/6/2019

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33 ANGLERS, 5 ROUGH FISH SPECIES,

AND NO BOATS!!!!

One of our highly-respected pro-staffers (John Beaudette) and I were sitting at work one day in the late spring of 2018 eating some fried chicken. John got sick of me rambling on all day about bass tournaments non-stop. He then made the comment that "real anglers" fish the riverbanks and don't need boats. I told him I had to agree since I had a blast in my younger days fishing the shores of the Chippewa River for rough fish. John proposed an idea to organize a multi-species riverbank tournament that lasts all summer long, something that can run without anglers meeting, no time limits or long drives to a launch or weigh-in. I mentioned this to a few catfish anglers and they were very interested. Of course it was too late in the year to start the tournament in June of 2018, so he made sure to remind me in the brutal dead of winter in 2019. I put together a list of ideas and rules, sent out the plan on social media, and we had 33 anglers pay up a very small entry fee to get this fun tournament started. This morning at MIDNIGHT, the 2019 Riverbank Rally had STARTED!

BASIC RULES/PAYOUTS

The rules are pretty simple in this all-summer event. Basically we are having 5 different tournaments in one, looking for the longest of each species to win. These 5 species are the following:

-sucker/redhorse
-common carp
-channel, flathead, blue catfish
-smallmouth buffalo
-freshwater drum (sheepshead)

The anglers have from April 6-August 30 to catch and photo the longest fish of these categories and submit them to us. To prevent the use of fish pics from years past, each photo must contain a special code that was generated this week. The anglers are using the "honor system" for the all-summer tournaments and the cash winnings will be very low. The winner of each of these categories will win a trophy and double their entry fee in cash. All 5 winners will advance to the final championship round - a longest sturgeon contest on the Chippewa River in Eau Claire on September 7. All fish in the final round will be measured by Jesse Piontek while monitored by the competitors on the bank. The top 3 anglers on the championship round will win the remaining pot. Below pictured is the required code to be displayed in all entry pictures of fish (written on paper, cardstock, note cards, cardboard, etc:)

AND HERE ARE THE PAYOUTS:

$2 PER ANGLER WILL BE DONATED TO BECKY&MIKE IACONELLI'S THE IKE FOUNDATION, AND SAMANTHA GAY'S FISHERS OF KIDS ANGLER ACADEMY!

These organizations get kids involved in fishing and the outdoors and provide tackle to children that don't have access or the funding to achieve these on their own. We are extremely proud to say that out of the 33 anglers in this event, 4 of them are children!

SCOREBOARD

We will have an active scoreboard displayed all summer long with frequent updates. At all times the current leader will be displayed so we will know who is in front and in position to make the championship round. The scoreboard is accessible by clicking the button below:

CLICK HERE FOR RIVERBANK RALLY SCOREBOARD

THANK YOU TO ALL 33 ANGLERS THAT ARE JOINING US FOR THIS FUN COMPETITION! BEST OF LUCK AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP! A LINK TO THE FINAL RULES ARE AT THE BUTTON BELOW:

RIVERBANK RALLY INFO & RULES

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SPRING IS HERE! BOOTYKICKER + BASS JERKER BLOWOUT SALE! ALL-SUMMER WI RIVERBANK RALLY ROUGH FISH TOURNAMENT ENTRY FEES DUE! BASSMASTER CLASSIC RECAP......

3/23/2019

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BOOTYKICKER + BASS JERKER BLOWOUT SALE!!

As a celebration to the beginning of spring and the upcoming bass season in Wisconsin and the rest of the Midwest region, James Gang Fishing Company (in cahoots with LETHAL BAITS SOFT PLASTICS of KENTUCKY) is running an incredible bargain on our BOOTYKICKER 5" swimbaits and our BASS JERKER 3.25" + 4" Suspending jerkbaits for the entire month of April! These all will be special ordered in these custom colors, so there will be a short waiting time (2-3 weeks) for Randy to take our orders, pour them, and ship them from Kentucky to Wisconsin. Our top selling color BOOTYKICKERS will be offered at special rock-bottom sales prices only one time this year in the following colors:

DONKEY MELON CANDY (#1 Seller in 2019)

Designed by James Gang Pro Staffer KEVIN ROGALSKI, This is our #1 selling color so far since its release in late 2018, and has resulted in multiple bass in the 5-6 lb club in Wisconsin!! This color is absolutely beautiful in person and drives bass wild under the correct conditions and presentations.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER DONKEY MELON CANDY

UNCLE DALE'S ALTOONA PERCH

ALTOONA PERCH was a realistic color design by Jesse James intended to imitate the local yellow perch in the Eau Claire river system, especially the Lake Altoona breed. Alex's Great Uncle Dale Simmons (self proclaimed "the greatest fisherman in the world") has landed trophy perch in these water systems for decades. Local anglers Trevor Meeks and James Gang Pro Staffer and professional Kayak Guide Chang Lor have found some beautiful largemouth and northern pike that were willing to eat these up. In perch-forage waters with trophy smallmouth bass, this color will be a go-to on the sand flats where perch are eaten like "filet mignon."

CLICK HERE TO ORDER ALTOONA PERCH

RANDY'S GILL

This color was designed by the talented Randy Henderson of Lethal Baits Soft Plastics. Randy had been making multiple lures in this color, including "senko" style, creature baits, tubes, and much more. This is our #1 selling color of 2018 and is known for catching fish in clear or stained conditions. Buy a 10 pack of these then check out LETHAL BAITS SOFT PLASTICS on Facebook and look at Randy's unbelievable quality plastics for sale and then you will understand why we hired the BEST to pour these plastics for James Gang Fishing Company!

CLICK HERE FOR RANDY'S GILL

DOUG'S DOCK SKIPPER

PINK ON TOP, SILVER ON BOTTOM, Douglas's fish catcher will catch them in clear or stained water. Put this on a 5/0 VMC HD Swimbait hook and go skip some docks and trees!!!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER DOUG'S DOCK SKIPPER PINK/SILVER

ALEX'S GOLD RUSH(NEW FOR 2019)

NEW FOR 2019!! This color was designed by James Gang CEO, lure designer, and tournament angler Alex James to mimic the unique coloration of our smallmouth bass in the Flambeau River systems. Our smallmouth bass, from the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, to Big Falls, Thornapple, Holcombe, Cornell, Old Abe Lake, and Lake Wissota have a unique root beer/orange coloration that looks like artwork in person. This color of BOOTYKICKER is a perfect match, and Alex decided to have Randy inject COFFEE scent into these fine kickers, to "wake the fish up" when they are in a negative feeding pattern. If you fish root beer colored river systems and reservoirs full of smallmouth, get yourself a 10 pack of these and get fishing!!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER GOLD RUSH

BASS JERKER SUSPENDING JERKBAITS
3.25" & 4"

BASS JERKERS for Bass, Walleye & Pike!

As the spring weather (FINALLY) warms up, we are now able to begin our custom paint jobs in 2019. We have two custom colors available in 2019, called "BLOODY CISCO" (OUR #1 FISH CATCHER OF ALL-TIME) and our 2018 prototype success story, "GOLDEN SHINER." In addition to our 2 very successful custom colors, we also have the following colors available upon request: GHOST MINNOW, GHOST SHAD, SMALLMOUTH, GINRIN SWIRL, & YELLOW PERCH. The BASS JERKER suspending jerkbait has oversized & upgraded quality VMC blood red treble hooks that create a perfect neutral bouyancy or a very slow natural fall, depending on water temperature. We add a premium hand-tied feather to the rear treble for added attraction that drives fish crazy. The BASS JERKER is an extremely erratic jerkbait, comparable to the $17 Lucky Craft Pointer at a much lower price. Retail is $10 so take advantage of this one-time $6 sale as it will not be this low any other time this year!! We highly recommend using JB'S FISH SAUCE ON THESE LURES!! These are reaction lures commonly used in tough conditions.

"BLOODY CISCO"
3.25" or 4"

CLICK HERE TO ORDER BASS JERKER SPECIFY COLOR & SIZE AT CHECKOUT

"GOLDEN SHINER"
3.25" or 4"

CLICK HERE TO ORDER GOLDEN SHINER SPECIFY COLOR & SIZE AT CHECKOUT

SPECIAL ORDER FACTORY PAINT COLORS
3.25" ONLY

GHOST SHAD

GHOST MINNOW

SMALLMOUTH

GINRIN SWIRL

YELLOW PERCH

CLICK HERE TO ORDER 3.25" BASS JERKER SELECT COLOR AT CHECKOUT

BASSMASTER CLASSIC 2019 RECAP

The 2019 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville, TN was extremely entertaining and a ton of fun! Congrats to OTT DEFOE for winning the World Championship in front of a crowd of 20,000 at the University of Tennessee! It was an incredible experience to be there hanging out with my heroes off the water and watch history unfold as the past heroes of the sport retire from the BASSMASTERS circuit and a younger generation of studs move their way up to the Elites and fight their way into future Bassmaster Classics. To read all about my adventures and see some awesome pictures from Knoxville and Nashville, click on the link below:

CLICK HERE TO READ OUR BASSMASTER CLASSIC BLOG

WESTERN WI RIVERBANK RALLY
ENTRY FEES DUE APRIL 5th!

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE ENTRY FEE PAYMENT

Our 2019 River Bank Rally tournament begins April 6th, 2019! Therefore our $10 (per angler) entry fee is DUE April 5th, no exceptions. We will accept money orders, personal checks or on-line payments from credit or check cards. We currently have 65 anglers registered to compete, and have room for up to 35 more. If you are interested in our 5-species rough fish tournament, please click on the button below. RSVP registration is available at the link.

CLICK HERE FOR RIVERBANK RALLY INFO

THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING US AND GOOD LUCK ON THE WATER! REMEMBER TO SEND US YOUR FISH PICTURES WHEN CATCHING THEM ON OUR PREMIUM HAND-CRAFTED LURES!!!!

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Attending the Incredible 2019 Bassmaster Classic

3/19/2019

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Bassmaster Live Broadcast with Tommy Sanders, Mark Menendez, & Mark Zona

2019 Bassmaster Classic
Knoxville, TN

Knoxville Convention Center, Site of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic Expo

WOW! WHAT A TRIP!

The 2019 Bassmasters Classic took place March 15-17 in Knoxville, TN on the Tennessee River. As several well-known veterans were competing in their final Classic this year, this Classic was expected to have a huge turn-out and be very entertaining. Many of the Elite anglers retired from the series in 2018 and were qualified into this one based on their AOY points from the previous season. Some of these big names include Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Mike Iaconelli, Gerald "G-Man" Swindle and many more long-time veterans that have won millions in the Bassmasters over the past few decades. Being from Wisconsin I was pretty excited when they announced a Classic was going to be held somewhat close, not in the Deep South states. This made for a short travel for what was going to be my first ever Bassmaster Classic that I would attend. During the Bassmaster Classic practice period, many anglers reported huge catches of large smallmouth bass, but in this river system they had a minimum size limit of 18" where the largemouth only needed to be 14". This made it very interesting as the quality smallmouth to win were there but would be very hard to complete a limit every day. At the same time the anglers targeting only largemouth bass would also be taking a risk as a 5-fish limit would not have near as high of a weight at weigh in. Local angler Ott DeFoe told the Bassmaster Live crew before the tournament that he felt a mixed bag of legal largemouth and a few giant smallmouth combined would be the way an angler would find himself a victory. As I monitored all of the Classic media hype all week, and the practice reports, I grew more and more excited for the upcoming flight down to Tennessee to watch my heroes weigh in at the world championship of professional bass fishing.

Saturday March 16, 2019

Taking off from MSP International Airport traveling to Nashville BNA at sunset

FLIGHT TIME

In the first week in December I was monitoring flight prices to Knoxville. Before I was able to book a flight, all of the rental cars in Knoxville we spoken for, as the Classic was drawing in a huge crowd this year. I checked around and my only other option was a flight to Nashville instead, 2.5 hours away from Knoxville. But at a $238 round-trip price, it was hard to complain about. The rental car at Alamo was very cheap, as well as the hotels in Knoxville about 15 miles from the Bassmaster event area. Just for fun, I re-checked flight prices on Wednesday of the Classic week, it rose to $498 round-trip. And by Friday it was at $1008!!! My flight was on time, and 1 hour and 50 minutes later, I was in Nashville, TN at the airport and ready to drive late at night to Knoxville!

BNA International Airport (Nashville, TN)

DRIVING TO KNOXVILLE, THEN OFF TO BED!

The drive to Knoxville went quite well, the traffic in Nashville was great and the late night arrival helped keep the traffic down a lot on I-40 heading East. As I headed that way, I noticed signs to several famous lakes on the way, Percy Priest Dam, Dale Hollow, Watt's Bar, etc. I knew I was in the middle of bass fishing country where legends like Bill Dance and Billy Westmorland rocked the fishing world when I was a kid. As I got closer and closer to Knoxville, I was getting more and more excited. The day that I was attending was the FINAL DAY of the world championship! Also our favorite angler Mike Iaconelli, who happens to also sponsor my son Alex with THE IKE FOUNDATION, was in and out of the lead all day on Saturday. He was in position to win his 2nd world championship going into the final day and I couldn't believe I would be there to watch the weigh-in if it happened. I arrived at my hotel and was in bed at 2:45 am. The morning launch was at 7:30am and at that point I would try and rest up so I would feel great for the expo and the weigh-in. I really wanted to see the launch but I knew that the lack of sleep would be very hard on me. I went to bed with intentions of sleeping in. Then at 5 am I woke up WIDE AWAKE and knew what I needed to do........

SUNDAY MARCH 17, 2019

BASSMASTER CLASSIC FINAL LAUNCH AT VOLUNTEER LANDING IN KNOXVILLE, TN

BASSMASTER CLASSIC FINAL LAUNCH

The Launch or "Blast-off" at the Bassmasters is always a fun deal. The fans show up super early, similar to an NFL tail-gating party, to get fired up and cheer for their favorite anglers. What's really cool is that Dave Mercer (does this guy ever sleep?) shows up and emcees the early morning take-off, even though he works all day with ESPN2 updates and the long and energetic weigh-in! Its really neat to show up at the launch and have Mercer there getting the crowd fired up. I arrived at the scene hours early as I was so excited for this event, and there was already a large group of fans present. I heard that there were estimated 5500+ fans a day at the launch alone! The bridges in Knoxville looked incredible in the dark as the fast current rolled on by. The anglers families were there to cheer for their guy and give them good luck hugs as they started their day. ESPN2 was there interviewing Mike Iaconelli, Kevin VanDam, Jacob Wheeler, Chris Zaldain, and of course Ott DeFoe as they were all fan favorites and in contention to win this thing. I was very fortunate to receive an invite to support Team Mercury on the Caliente Team fishing boat. We had a blast on the water watching the opening ceromony as sponsored anglers in our boat were wearing outfits that looked like Mercury Outboards.

BASSMASTER CLASSIC FINAL "BLAST-OFF" AT VOLUNTEER LANDING
IACONELLI, AVENA, LANE, FEIDER, VANDAM, & PALANIUK HEAD OUT

EARLY MORNING RISERS ARE READY FOR THE ANGLERS TO SHOW UP

OTT DEFOE IS INTRODUCED AND BEGINS HIS QUEST FOR A CLASSIC TROPHY

TEAM MERCURY PROFESSIONAL GUIDE DALE STROSCHEIN ON THE SPONSOR BOAT

JACOB WHEELER & MIKE IACONELLI HEAD OUT TO TRY AND BEAT THE FIELD

The 39' MERCURY TEAM BOAT THINKS NOTHING OF THE 250 HP BASSMASTER BOATS- INTRODUCING 1600 HORSEPOWER (4x400!!!)

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY BEGINS, SO DOES THE EXPO....

THE DOORS TO THE EXPO OPENED AT 10 AM AT THE KCC BUILDING

As the anglers put in their first few hours of fishing, the doors opened up the the Bassmaster Classic Expo to the fans, a free admission trade show event with three levels of booths sponsors and products, as well as a huge remote show in the World's Fair Park. This event drew in the biggest names in all of bass fishing, as legends and current TV personalities make it to this show on an annual basis. People like Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker make it to this expo. Well known people such as the inspiring Clay Dyer, top FLW pros and MLF pros also show up as they work for their sponsors and promote their products. Unfortunately the Bassmaster Classic competitors that failed to make the final top-25 cut are also at this show which is a tough thing to do when they know they were there to compete and win. But for the fans its great to meet this people and interact with them. And of course, during the expo there is live filming by ESPN2 and Bassmaster LIVE streaming going on. A few rows over, Bass University and Ike Live are filming with guests all weekend long. And also The Ike Foundation has a booth with kids activities and charity work getting kids involved in fishing and the outdoors. The Bassmaster Live set is very neat, as Tommy Sanders, Davy Hite, and Mark Zona interview anglers and analyze the event live while watching their live stream on the water. Also Ronnie Moore and Mike Suchan fill in the crew with important information such as Bass Trakk updates on recent catches relayed from the on-boat marshal and recent video that the videographers captured on the water. Not to mention, the ACTUAL Bassmaster Classic trophy is there for all the fans to look at in person!

TOMMY SANDERS & DAVY HITE BRING MARK MENENDEZ ON TO ANALYZE THE LATEST UPDATES ON THE WATER

MARK ZONA, HOST OF BASSMASTERS & ZONA'S AWESOME FISHING SHOW, IS THE REAL LIFE BILL "DOOGIE"
Just Kidding Z-Train

THE IKE LIVE CREW AT THE EXPO, BRIAN "THE CARPENTER" PETE "THE DEAN" GLUSZEK of BASSUTV, & ERIC "THE INTERN LEWINSKY" GUARINO

(TOP ROW) JOSH BERTRAND, THE JOHNSTON BROS, MATT LEE
(BOTTOM ROW) ANTHONY GAGLIARDI, SCOTT SUGGS, CLAY DYER, MATT HERREN, BASSMASTER NATION FEMALE ANGLER SAMANTHA GAY

FLW SUPERSTAR ANDY MORGAN, BASSMASTER ELITE HUNTER SHRYOCK, BASSMASTER LEGEND HANK PARKER

MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING SUPERSTAR AND FUNNYMAN JAMES "JMFW" WATSON (WORLDWIDE)

2019 BASSMASTER CLASSIC FINAL WEIGH-IN

20,000 BASSMASTER FANS WAIT TO ENTER THE FINAL WEIGH-IN

The big moment has arrived. Being so busy at the Expo meeting people and chatting, I never had much of a chance to see what was happening live on the water. The few times I was curious I just went over by the Bassmaster Live filming and saw that Ott DeFoe, Jesse Wiggins, and Mike Iaconelli all were fishing very well, with Ott & Ike catching big bass at the end. It appeared that Ott may have pulled off the victory but its never official until the bass are weighed on the scales, as most fish weights are estimated when the marshals enter them on BASSTRAKK. All 3 of these anglers are great people off the water, and I am so happy that Iaconelli finished off this event so strong. I picked my seat and was fortunate to be able to sit anywhere I wanted, so I chose a front row seat at an angle that I could see the stage very well. Also I wanted access to get up to the fence and shake hands with the winner during their victory lap. Before the Classic final weigh in, Bassmasters weighed in the College Series Championship as well for a bonus!

THE BASSMASTER COLLEGE SERIES WEIGH IN ALSO TOOK PLACE

One by one, angler after angler were hauled to the stage in their boats. It seemed like almost all of them had a giant bass or two to lift out of the livewell for the crowd to see. As it got down the the Super Six, Jesse Wiggins was running with the lead. Mike Iaconelli came onstage with some great fish but fell short of Wiggins by a small amount. Ike had an awesome tournament and a great positive attitude on stage. And like always, no one gets the crowd fired up like him. He broke the tournament rules by throwing his jersey into the crowd then going for a stage-dive onto the fans crowd-surfing. It was a great moment for a fan to be there and see. The crowd went nuts for Iaconelli and he brought the entertainment that he is always known for. Jacob Wheeler weighed in after a fantastic weekend, and took the lead as he knocked Wiggins down to 3rd. The final angler was Ott DeFoe, and as he held up his two big fish, it looked pretty clear who the champion would be. Wheeler and DeFoe stood side by side as Ott beat Wheeler by nearly 4 pounds. The crowd went wild as the local boy Ott DeFoe became the world champion of bass fishing! His prize is $300,000 and a 37 lb trophy. His daughter went on the microphone and told the crowd that she wanted him to win because "he is the best daddy in the world" as she, Ott and pretty much the whole crowd started crying. Watching the trophy presentation live was a great sight to see as the confetti fell on Ott while he was hoisting up his classic trophy.

AWESOME PHOTO BY JAMES OVERSTREET OF BASSMASTER MEDIA

PHOTO BY: ERIC "the intern" GUARINA OF IKE LIVE

PHOTOS BY: JAMES OVERSTREET BASSMASTER MEDIA/BASSMASTER.COM

TIME TO CELEBRATE!!

MIKE IACONELLI HOSTED THE IKE LIVE AFTER PARTY FOLLOWING OTT DEFOE'S VICTORY

When the show was over, Mike & Becky Iaconelli & the entire IKE LIVE crew hosted a Bassmaster Classic "After Party" to celebrate Ott DeFoe's Championship and so the fans could interact with the pro anglers off the water. This party was really cool, as all kinds of famous anglers showed up. Even Ott came through the party for a few minutes with his family, bear hugging his trophy, as we all cheered and gave him a standing ovation. It was awesome seeing his huge grin as we cheered him on in the hotel lounge area. There were so many awesome people there that showed up, including Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, James Watson, Scott Martin, Brent Ehrler, Aaron Martens, Chad Pipkens, Brandon Palaniuk, Wesley Strader, Brett Hite, Dave Mercer, and many more. We had a blast joking around together and everyone seemed to have a good time. I thanked Mike & Becky for all that they do for the fans and for the Ike Foundation and of course Mike had to give out a "man hug" in return. Here are a few pictures of the Ike Live After Party with the guys before I went back to the hotel to venture my way towards Nashville for my return flight:

AND WHEN YOU PARTY "WORLDWIDE" IT GETS SERIOUS

RETURN TRIP TO NASHVILLE

Well, since I had to fly out of Nashville Monday evening, I figured I better leave Knoxville at 6 am and enjoy some sights of Music City. The first stop I made was at the Grand Ole Opry. I bought a backstage daytime tour pass to see the behind the scenes and learn some history about this place. It was a really neat 50 minute tour of a place where many famous events took place. We looked at where the artists enter, their dressing rooms, the "Green Room," behind the stage, the sound studio in which "HEE HAW" was filmed, and then we got to stand on the stage and be photoed by a professional. Being solo on this trip made me look a little ridiculous on stage in a photo, but whatever. At least I stood on the wooden circle that Elvis played on.

ON STAGE AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY

A LITTLE NASHVILLE FREE TIME BEFORE THE FLIGHT HOME.......

OPRY MILLS BASS PRO SHOPS IN NASHVILLE, TN

When I knew I had a few hours to burn in the area of Nashville, TN, I thought of three things that I must do. The first thing I HAD to do was find an excellent blackened catfish plate for lunch. That was done by going to Scoreboard Bar & Grill in Nashville. It was the best catfish I ever had and the wait staff was awesome, as expected being in the southern half of the country where people seem to show a little more respect and hospitality.

BLACKENED CATFISH, CORN BREAD, AND BAKED BEANS
SCOREBOARD BAR & GRILL, NASHVILLE

Number 2 must have accomplishment in Nashville. This one is obvious: climb into the General Lee and take some pictures!

COOTER'S PLACE HAS CARS FROM THE SHOW AND A MUSEUM/GIFT SHOP
NASHVILLE, TN

I WONDER WHAT #3 WOULD BE???? HMMMMMMMM????

J. PERCY PRIEST DAM, TENNESSEE

When you live in Wisconsin, where you have 2 feet of ice and 2 more feet of snow on top of the ice, you would have to be CRAZY to not throw a few casts from the bank TROY LINDNER style in beautiful 58 degree sunny weather. This is the first open water I have seen since November, so I was not going to pass up on this chance. Percy Priest Lake and Dam have several free access shoreline opportunities. The lake is beautiful, with chunk rock shores, decent structure drops near the shore, and pretty clear water. The word on the busy shoreline is that the crappies are the deal there. Only one bass angler was looking for stripers, smallmouth, or largemouth around the banks. But there were about 19 other anglers, all in pursuit of crappies. They all stated that the fishing was red hot pre-frontal last week and shut right down with this post-frontal beautiful weather we were currently having. That didn't stop me from buying a 3-day non-resident license and the goods I needed from Bass Pro Shops to build some Alex Piontek-designed James Gang BABY SQUID baits and a LOVERTAIL 2 right on the bank. I built my lures and hiked around for a few hours covering a lot of great looking water. I discussed my plans the previous night at the Ike Live party with Pete Gluszek, and he told me to focus on the current edges under the dam. I spent quite a while on the lake, then committed to Pete's idea under the dam in the current. Unfortunately I didn't find anything to bite, but I managed to spend a few hours in the perfect weather and enjoyed my final hours in Tennessee. I gave away my lures to a cool guy from Mississippi as TSA won't allow them to pass through security. It was a great trip that I will never forget, and I am so appreciative of the professional bass fishing world. Thank you Zona, Watson, Swindles, Iaconellis, Ehrler, The Ike Live Crew, Dale & Karyn, KVD, Scruggs, Matt Lee, Snowden, Scott Martin, Aaron Martens, John Murray, The Johnston Bros, Bertrand, Hunter Shryock, & Andy Morgan for being so awesome to me this weekend!

J. PERCY PRIEST LAKE, TN

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Central WI Sports Show (Wausau, WI) LURE GIVEAWAY & 2019 Riverbank Rally / Major League Fishing Events

1/23/2019

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2019 CENTRAL WI SPORT SHOW LURE GIVEAWAY

During February 15-17, we will be doing a drawing for the lures (pictured above) in celebration of our 3rd trade show. All people that sign up for the James Gang newsletter subscription from now to Feb 17 will be eligible for the random drawing. Included in the package is a Firetiger 3/8 oz LIGHTWIRE SPINNERBAIT, a BEE WHACKER weedless inline buzzbait, 2 packs of Lethal Baits Soft Plastics tube baits, a Chartreuse Baitfish LOVERTAIL 2, a Peacock FLAPPIN' JIG TROKAR, and a sample of JB'S FISH SAUCE in Anise scent. Also included will be a copy of our new 45 page "How-To" manual on using our premium, hand-crafted lures.

NEW DOUBLE DUNK DOCK SKIPPER COLORS

DOUBLE DUNK DOCK SKIPPER IN "WATER CRAW"

DOUBLE DUNK DOCK SKIPPER IN "MISSISSIPPI MAYHEM"

500# Stainless Steel Wire, STAINLESS HD Split Rings, 6/0 Swinging FLIPPING HOOK, let's go

SKIP SOME FROGS!!!!

2019 RIVERBANK RALLY

New for our 2019 events is an-summer, multi species riverbank fishing tournament. Entry fee is only $10 per angler! We will have 5 categories of fish to compete for, including:

-suckers/redhorse
-carp
-smallmouth buffalo
-freshwater drum (sheepshead)
-catfish (channel/blue/flathead)

The winner of each species category will win a trophy and $20. More importantly, they will be qualified to the 5-angler championship September 7, in Eau Claire, WI from 4am-12 noon. These 5 anglers will battle it out for the longest lake sturgeon. The winner will receive the trophy and the winnings, smaller payouts will be awarded to 2nd and 3rd place as well. $2 per entry fee will be donated to THE IKE FOUNDATION & FISHER'S OF KIDS ANGLER ACADEMY to help support getting children into the outdoors and fishing. We would like to thank Becky & Mike Iaconelli & their group for not only supporting Alex's fishing adventures, but also for donating so much time and charity money to this great cause. Also a shoutout to Samantha Gay for her great charity that has done outstanding work in getting kids not only into fishing, but even youth & high school tournaments as well. We have a link below for more information on our Riverbank Rally event, which also has RSVP for registration, as well as links to these great charities that we are involved in. We have a max of 100 anglers that can compete in this event, and in the first week we already registered 34 anglers! Sign up right away at the RSVP on the link if you would like to join in on the fun!!

CLICK HERE FOR RIVERBANK RALLY INFO

2019 MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING EVENTS

We will be holding our 3rd annual 2019 James Gang Bass Invitational in June on Red Cedar Lake near Birchwood, WI this year. This was the location of our first-ever event. We believe we will get some revenge on this chain of lakes after the super tough bite the first time around, as this chain usually is a lake full of opportunities for quantities of bass caught. Entry fee will be $30 per angler, and is a 2-person team event, encouraging kids 12 and under to participate. This will be our first ever true "OPENS" event as we are looking to fill the field with 20 boats. For more information, please click the link button below:

CLICK HERE FOR RED CEDAR MLF INFO

ICE FISHING REPORT

THE PROFESSIONAL FISHER "UNDIES UNDERSON" OF UW-STOUT WITH A LAKE OF THE WOODS WALLEYE IN JANUARY

The 2018-2019 ice fishing season has remained strong ever since early-ice. Reports of fish quantities have been reported all over the region by avid ice anglers as well as guides. We have been fortunate with above-average temperatures from mid-December to mid-January, with many days bringing low barometers and high fish activity. As the arctic blast rolls through in late January, the conditions will be tough as the bite will slow down dramatically. Try to get out before the snow fronts come in and your chances of a good day will usually improve! UW-STOUT anglers Kai & Zach had a good time fishing on Lake Of The Woods, as well as local angler Russell Nemitz, as he landed his biggest yellow perch to date, a 13.75" fish weighing 1 lbs 2 oz. Great job boys and way to have fun celebrating winter properly by dominating the outdoors!!

LOCAL ANGLER RUSSELL NEMITZ WITH A 1 LB 2 OZ LAKE OF THE WOODS PERCH

UW-STOUT ANGLER ZACH HANSEN CATCHES SOME DINNER TO HELP WASH DOWN HIS 2000 CANS OF COCA COLA

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Lure Drawing Winner, NEW Alex's Fishing Show, NEW HD Skipping Buzzbait, NEW Lovertail 2 Colors, Ice Fishing Report

1/8/2019

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WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

Congratulations to Nick Sprague of WI for winning our Holiday Lure random drawing giveaway! Nick won 4 lures (+1 surprise bonus BEE WHACKER WEEDLESS BUZZBAIT) along with the first copy of our new "How-To" manual. We are looking forward to Nick lighting up the lakes with his new lures from JAMES GANG FISHING COMPANY!

EPISODE #8 - 2018 Alex's Fishing Show!

Pro Staffer Kevin Martinek was in the lead after 2 days of filming the Alex Fishing Show. Douglas S. had a fantastic day skipping our bubble gum finesse worm under docks and almost pulled off a victory over Kevin & Alex. Great job, Douglas!! And to his little brother Nathan for whooping me & Alex that day as well. Will Kevin keep ahead of Alex and the others in the final episode of 2018, as Troy Lindner runs the banks of the Chippewa River and kayak guides Tyler Theide & Chang Lor of Small Craft Outfitters take Alex out on a guided trip challenge? Stay tuned to the next blog to find out....

NEW Double Dunk Dock Skipper

We were able to design a new lure over the winter break from open water fishing. As much as we love our well-built BEE WHACKER buzzbait, its plastic quad wing buzz could be damaged when risking an attempt to skip aluminum docks or around boulders. We created a new, HD metal double in-line buzzbait with a smooth flat body for skipping docks. This Double Dunk Dock Skipper has a weighted body for decent casting range, and will skip quite well for a solid distance. Our Kalin's Sizmic Toad trailer not only skipped well, it also kicked quite nicely during the retrieve. The metal on metal buzz system creates a unique sound that is incredible to hear. Also the counter-rotating blades spin opposite of each other, maximizing spray and commotion. This lure will be a fish catcher in 2019, and we highly recommend spraying some JB's Fish Sauce new frog mist on it, or apply it in the frog gel version. This lure is already listed in our online store and is ready to ship as we are stocking a small inventory of them for the Wausau Show in February. Check out the video below as I was able to skip this buzzbait even in horrible wind conditions yesterday on the river.

LOVERTAIL 2 Now Available In "Trout" & "Mississippi Mayhem"

Alex's Lovertail 2, our all-time highest selling lure design, and known "kicker" catcher, is available in 2 new colors for 2019. "Trout" features a painted blade imitating the rainbow trout forage. This could be a great option on a cloudy day, in trout waters, or in stained water. "Mississippi Mayhem" will be great in stained waters, in rivers, and anywhere that bluegill roam. The black and blue combo was put together for the anglers that chase bass on the Mississippi river, as their most well-known color pattern.

LOCAL ICE FISHING REPORTS

JAMES GANG PRO STAFF MEMBER KEVIN MARTINEK WITH A 17.25" SMALLMOUTH BASS CAUGHT ON A SUMNER BROS FLIRTY GIRTY

This ice fishing has been fantastic! Report after report is that the panfish bite has been consistently red-hot all season, and people are having luck running into solid bass, walleye, and northern pike as well. The few trips that our gang has taken has been very successful as we have been able to catch and fry several meals of delicious panfish. The Gullickson's Beavertail has been trailing all of my jigs for 2 seasons now, and simply catches fish just as well as live bait. I have treated all my Flirty Girty and Acme Tungstens this season with JB'S Fish Sauce in "Black Magic" and it has produced very well, much like the "Crawfish" scent did one year ago. The balm stick on a lanyard is the slick way to go when dealing with ice fishing.Click on the button below for more info on JB'S FISH SAUCE:

CLICK HERE FOR JB'S FISH SAUCE INFO

LOCAL EXPERT ANGLER TRAVIS KRUGER ADDS TO OUR PILE OF EATER-SIZE BLUEGILLS & CRAPPIES. KRUGER RECENTLY RELEASED 2 CRAPPIES AROUND 15"!!

KEVIN MARTINEK WITH 2 QUALITY BLACK CRAPPIES IN CHIPPEWA COUNTY, WI

HAVE A SAFE AND SUCCESSFUL SEASON ON THE ICE AS THE JAMES GANG PREPARES FOR THE CENTRAL WISCONSIN SPORTS SHOW IN WAUSAU!!

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Holiday Lure GIVEAWAY Contest, Early Winter=Earlier Ice Fishing, New "How-to" Manuals, 2019 Wausau Show

12/11/2018

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"BELOW-AVERAGE" LATE FALL TEMPERATURES BROUGHT ON EARLY ICE IN 2019

JAMES GANG LURE GIVEAWAY CONTEST

WINNER WILL RECEIVE A LOVERTAIL 2, BEE WHACKER, 2x 3/8 oz THIN-WIRE SPINNERBAITS, AND A COPY OF OUR NEW JAMES GANG "HOW-TO" MANUAL

During the remainder of the Christmas season, James Gang Fishing Company will be running a lure-giveaway contest. No purchase is necessary. All that we are asking to do is to sign up for our Newsletter (usually bi-weekly during the open water fishing season) with your email address. You can opt out at anytime. When we complete a new fishing report and lure update blog, we will immediately send a copy to your email. A random winner will be selected and the package should ship around Dec 29, 2018.

Each person who signs up with receive a free PDF e-book of our new "How-To" manuals for using our premium, hand-crafted fishing lures.

Our NEW James Gang Fishing Company "HOW-TO" Fishing Manuals

Alex and I recently designed and wrote a 45 page "HOW-TO" manual that instructs anglers on how to use our lures. This was inspired by the extreme customer service and the sheet of tips that lure manufacturers commonly provided in the 1900s-1950s. We have a chapter devoted individually to six of our lures, including:

-LOVERTAIL 2 Weedless Inline Spinner
-BEE WHACKER Inline Buzzbait
-DUNKIN' FROG Inline Buzz Frog
-NEST INVADER Weedless Skirted Swim Jig
-BASS JERKER Suspending Jerkbait
-BOOTYKICKER Paddletail Swimbait

This manual is available in paperback version for only $3.58 on Amazon.com, or $1 as an e-book. If you are interested in the e-book version FREE, simply sign up for our newsletter and we will email a PDF copy to you!!

JAMES GANG FISHING COMPANY WILL BE AT THE 2019 CENTRAL WI SPORTS SHOW IN WAUSAU!!!

Alex & the gang are excited to announce that we will be selling lures at our trade show booth in Wausau WI in 2019 at the Central Wisconsin Sport Show. We plan on bringing a decent inventory of wire-bodied musky lures, inline spinners, buzzbaits, buzzfrogs, a few jerkbaits, and our soft plastic swimbaits, and skirted swimjigs. We will be giving away a FREE paperback copy of our new "how-To" manual to each paying customer until supplies last ($3.58 value.) The show will take place Feb 15-17 in Rothschild, WI at the Cedar Creek mall. Entry fees will be $8 for adults, children 12 and under are FREE. Show hours are as follows:

FRI FEB 15 - 3PM-8PM
SAT FEB 16 - 9AM-6PM
SUN Feb 17 - 10AM-4PM

ST PAUL ICE SHOW/LOCAL ICE REPORTS

HALL OF FAME ANGLER GUIDE DALE STROSCHEIN OF STURGEON BAY WITH JAMES GANG PRO STAFFER DOC GILLES AT THE 2018 ST PAUL ICE FISHING SHOW

With the below average temperatures of October & November in Wisconsin, the ice fishing season came on very early and very fast. As lakes froze over in NW Wisconsin in mid-November, fearless anglers began fishing and catching on small ponds and bays. on just a few inches of ice (we recommend staying home until the ice reaches a minimum of 5"!) With the beginning of the ice fishing season brings the annual Ice Fishing Show in St Paul, MN. At this giant expo, several big name anglers appear to work trade show booths for their sponsors, conduct seminars on fishing tactics through the ice, and demonstrate how to use new equipment and ice fishing clothing to save yourself in the case that an angler would break through thin ice. From brand new ice augers, to flashers, to shacks, to tip-ups, to rods, to jigs, the St. Paul River Centre was jam-packed with equipment and anglers! Big names that appeared for this event included Dale Stroschein of Wacky Walleye Guide Service and frequent guest of the John Gillespie Waters & Woods Show, Josh Teigen of Iron River, WI, also from John Gillespie Waters & Woods show, Pro Walleye Anglers Gary Parsons & Keith Kavajecz, famous ice guide Brian "Bro" Brosdahl, Dave Genz, Jason Mitchell, Tony Roach, with representatives from Frabill, Clam, Eskimo, Strikemaster, Beaver Dam, Acme Tackle, Aqua Vu, Marcum, Vexilar, and many more. We had a blast chatting with some of the big names in ice fishing over 4 hours as well as the fellow anglers in the crowd.

Jason, Matt, & Josh took pictures with us!

JOSH, TONY & GARY

DOC GILLES, WALLEYE PRO KEITH KAVAJACZ, & JESSE JAMES

DALE STROSCHEIN & JESSE JAMES

LOCAL ICE IS THICKENING & THE GILLS ARE CONTINUING TO BITE!

8 OF 15 BLUEGILLS KEPT FOR A MEAL IN EARLY DECEMBER ON 8" OF QUALITY ICE

The reports for northern Wisconsin have been very positive, as the ice continues to thicken and the fish continue to bite. I managed to get out last week for just a small window of time, and managed to trick 15 bluegills into biting, keeping 6 solid ones and 2 smaller ones for a meal. After failing to get bit on a larger chartreuse jig, I downsized to a 3mm golden Acme tungsten jig, and used a Gullickson's Beavertail sliced in half to similate a silver wiggler. I treated the jig hook with JB's Fish Sauce in "crawfish" scent, which left an oil trail all the way up to the top of the hole! It was a difficult bite, as you had to alternate from aggressive to ultra-finesse constantly to get a fish to commit. It seemed to have been picking up as I had to head out for the day. My biggest 2 were measured at 8.25" in length, but had a lot of meat on them for their size! The bluegills were cooked using the James Gang recipe (found on this website), and they were absolutely delicious! If you find yourself on a pile of fish that are afraid to commit, downsize, use subtle colors, and slap some JB's Fish Sauce on your jig. I recommend using Gullickson's beaver tails over live bait as they never molt and they last you all season long when sealed properly. They are also more durable than live bait.

HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A SAFE ICE FISHING SEASON FROM JAMES GANG FISHING COMPANY!!

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