WELCOME TO JAMES GANG FISHING CO.

WI OPENER ON FIRE!

5/5/2019

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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2018 James Gang Fall Invitational RESULTS!!!

10/16/2018

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18 Anglers, including 5 children, in a low entry fee, $360 payout MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING EVENT!!

On October 13, 2018, 8 boater teams and 2 kayak anglers took on Lake Holcombe in northwestern WI to battle for the James Gang Fall Invitational trophy and cash prizes. In an effort to promote getting kids out fishing, and to spread the intentions of THE IKE FOUNDATION, we decided to create a Big Bass Award and cash prize, strictly for the children 12 and under. The winner of the kids big bass award was to win a trophy, $90 cash, a Rapala decal, and a snapback hat from THE IKE FOUNDATION. This event had our lowest entry fee yet, at only $20 a child could join with their parent and have a chance to win the team weight trophy, the big bass trophy, and the kids big bass trophy. Also, just for showing up, we gave the kids 12 an under a participation trophy, a signed poster by Bassmaster and MLF champion Mike Iaconelli, and a Rapala Pro Staff youth t-shirt (thank you BASSU member discount!!) The kids were thrilled to receive these prizes, and I was even more thrilled to see their reactions!

FIRST PLACE TROPHY, CHILD'S BIG BASS, CHILD'S PARTICIPATION TROPHY, THE IKE FOUNDATION HAT PRIZE

10 AM = "LINES IN"

KAYAK ANGLER DEWEY LOR STARTS OFF HIS DAY WITH A QUALITY WALLEYE

The day is started as the anglers receive their PIN cards and they are then permitted to claim their starting locations. Cards were handed out beginning at 9 am. Anglers were allowed to travel anywhere within an hour to find their location, but were not allowed to cast until 10AM. Minutes into the day, Dewey Lor tried putting his teammate TouFue Moua on the board with himself, but the kayak guys knew this was a BASS tournament, and a quality WALLEYE will not count!

Since we lost our 1976 Evinrude 40 hp back in June, we had to clamp a 1969 Evinrude 6 hp in efforts to bring the 16' Lund Big Lakes back to mobility status. In 4 awful trips pre-fishing the main lake, I never had a single bass bite! Word from the other anglers was that they were biting very well in the rivers entering the flowage. So on this day, my partner Todd Steinhorst and I braved the wicked currents from the recent flooding, as well as the strong southern winds, and we went on a slow 4-6 mph voyage towards the Chippewa River. We had no idea what kind of waters we would be fishing, and we had very low confidence in what the outcome would be when we had virtually zero ability to cover water in tough conditions, would be losing at least 2 hours of fishing due to travel time, all while competing against boats up to 250 hp. As we headed up we enjoyed the fall color and figured we were just out to have fun and maybe learn a thing or two. about 70% towards our destination, Todd informed me that we already burned an hour of time traveling, so we stopped our voyage short and began casting shallow wood cover near a fast structure change and a current seam. No bites were found, and a lot of dead vegetation was hooked on every cast. Were not not feeling it, so we headed up to a creek inlet and were very happy with what we found - current, a deep channel, and excellent cover around the seams. We worked the area hard and were having no luck at all. I took a glance at MLF Scoretracker, and found that Beau & Chad were the first on the board, with a bass weighing 1 lb 2 oz. Beau is only 7 years old and was hoping to land a legal bass that could give him a shot at the Kids' Big Bass Award. Moments later, Shawn Malison & Jesse Goss landed a 2 lb 1 oz smallmouth and put themselves in the lead....

Shawn Malison & Jesse Goss jump out to a small early lead over Beau & Chad Ducommun with a 2 lb 1 oz smallmouth bass early in the event

38 minutes into the event, and 2 teams were on the board!

TEAM PIONTEK/STEINHORST FIND SOME FISH, DOUGLAS GETS ON BOARD, AND THE OTHERS TURN UP THE HEAT!!!!

11 YEAR OLD DOUGLAS S. JUMPS INTO THIRD PLACE WITH A QUALITY SMALLMOUTH BASS AT 2 LBS 1 OZ AND TAKES OVER THE KID'S BIG BASS LEAD

After Shawn & Jesse G. took the lead, they landed another nice smallmouth, but Team Ducommun came firing back with another small one, hanging right with them. Then the scoreboard sat idle for a long period of time, with 2 teams and 4 fish registered in total. During this drought, Todd and I spent a long period of time fishing around the creek mouth both deep and shallow with search baits and finesse lures, without any luck whatsoever. We had a feeling that the other two teams that were on fish were on the main river catching them off of the heavy current, so we worked our way into the main river channel and were slapped by MOTHER NATURE right in the face. High winds and heavy currents made controlling this light boat impossible and making it a nightmare when attempting to give the bass a good presentation of our lures. To get out of the elements, we made a screaming quick run across the river at full throttle (around 4 mph) and found ourselves a small bay with decent depth. We worked the shorelines, caught a few trees, but were still searching for bites. We checked the scoretracker live and found that Douglas and his dad Mike were sitting in 3rd place, and Douglas was in the lead for the kid's Big Bass Award. Douglas is a great bass angler at his young age and has whooped me personally on multiple occasions, including two tournaments and a filming of the Alex Fishing Show (coming out soon!) Todd and I found a unique area near the opening of this bay in which the screaming current of 3.5 mph had a current seam around some wood cover and shoreline irregularities that gave the bass some slack water to ambush right on the edge. It set up perfect, but after hours of no luck, I was honestly day dreaming and fishing with very little confidence. At this time, I cast in between 2 docks by some dead lily pads and I felt what I thought was a snag. Then it moved. I was not excited at all, because I assumed it was a northern pike after 4 bass-free sessions on this body of water. As I reeled the fish half way to the boat, I was stunned to see that I hooked a very respectable smallmouth bass on a Redhorse colored James Gang Bootykicker, freshly loaded with JBs Fish Sauce in Black Magic! We put the bass on the scale and it weighed 2 lbs 5 oz, as I proudly took the lead in the DAILY LUNKER contest for big bass of the day!

TEAM PIONTEK/STEINHORST DISPLAY THEIR PIN CARD WITH A 2 LB 5 OZ BASS

We found a little excitement as we drifted that current seam, since much of that shoreline irregularity looks similar. As we attempted to start a new drift through the same area looking for a current ambush pattern, Todd hooks into his first smallmouth of the day! We put the bass on the scales and we took over the lead and I was still holding on to the Daily Lunker award at this point.

Todd Steinhorst jumps his team to a small lead with this 1 lb 15 oz smallmouth bass

STEINHORST TURNS UP THE HEAT!

Nervous about the competition, we frantically checked Scoretracker and we were holding the lead as the other teams were sitting still. We did see that Todd's arch-nemesis Scott Wilczek was on the board, as he was using a secret weapon named Carson to try and topple Todd. Scott and Carson were trying to use a little Holcombe experience and a sweet 250 hp Skeeter to take us out, but since we believed we may have found a winning pattern, we fought with our General Lee boat looking for victory. We decided to continue running our pattern and re-cast the prime current seam, since most casts were "wasted" casts covered in dead grass, killing the presentation of that cast. Also with the 3.5 mph current, we were missing several prime casts in the time it took to shake the vegetation off of our lures. On our third float, we passed the 2 areas in which we caught the first two bass, and as we headed a little distance down river, Todd hooks up! And this one leaves no doubts! As I went for the Frabill to land it, all I could see was height on this fish! As we scooped it up, we knew Todd landed a special one. This fish appeared to be all of 18" or longer. Todd placed it on the scale, and the beautiful smallmouth weighed just 4 oz shy of 4 pounds!!!!!

Todd Steinhorst solidifies our lead and takes the Daily Lunker lead away from me with a gorgeous smallmouth bass weighing 3 lbs 12 oz threes hours before weigh-in

DUCOMMUN, WILCZEK, AND MALISON BRING ON THE PRESSURE ON THE UPPER CHIPPEWA RIVER

As we sat on top in full control of this event, we continued to work our pattern. Unfortunately, the bites came to a stop and the pattern no longer held. We made several more drifts down the seam with no luck. So we then made a short run farther up river, smashing small logs and firewood with our boat facing the fast current and floating debris. We found a few spots that looked like they had potential, but they failed to give us a bite as well. We decided that if we stayed on this pattern, someone would steal the win from us as we failed to produce a fourth or fifth quality fish. We gave our productive area one last float, then proceeded to find new areas with current seams down river in the direction of our weigh in. We also had to allow extra time to get back than the others with the lack of speed that we were running with our outboard. As time kept clicking, our lead remained. Beau and Chad Ducommun got on a roll and were right on us, pressuring us hard as we only had a 2 oz lead. During their rally, Beau landed a beautiful 2 lb 15 oz smallmouth to take over the kid's big bass lead. He also put a bonus pike in the boat for fun. During this time, Shawn Malison and Jesse Goss are back in the game after outboard issues and are one quality fish from the lead as well...

7 Year old Beau takes over the Kid's Big Bass Award with a very nice 2 lb 15 oz smallmouth bass late in the day as Team Ducommun runs down our lead

This picture sums up how Scott Wilzcek felt to register his first fish
when he was down by 8 lbs to us on a lake that he has experience on

Another James Gang MLF event, another quality walleye for Pro-Staff member Kevin Rogalski as he smiles big with a 24" girthy walleye Saturday

Gabe & Aaron Knutsen struggled to find bass, but had fun with some nice and angry northern pike, the biggest measuring 25"

Alayna and Pro-Staff member Mat Eichinger focus on fun in the bays near Pine Point, as they run into trolling motor issues at the start of the event

Working the main river currents, Shawn & Jesse G. are back in the hunt with a very nice 2 lb 2 oz smallmouth, only 1 quality fish from taking the lead from us

After sending an under-sized bass airborne, landing a quality pike, and his opening walleye, Dewey Lor gets the kayak team started late in the day with a very nice 2 lb smallmouth bass

ITS A BATTLE OF 3 OZ, AS THE EVENTS CLOSES DOWN, THREE TEAMS ARE DOING EVERYTHING TO LAND ONE SMALL FISH FOR THE WIN!!!!!!

After Carson took away our lead by 1 oz, 2nd and 3rd place are within ounces of each other to the finish of the event

Going into the final hour, the top three teams all can win this event with one small bass, and the 4th place team could jump over all of them with just one more quality fish. Shawn and Jesse have averaged around 2 lbs 1 oz on every fish they caught, so they are well within the victory as well. We felt that one 12" bass would give us the lead, and either 2 small ones or one more quality one (our average fish was 2 lbs 11 oz) would give us the victory over Scott and Carson. We were very worried about the very fast comeback brought on by Chad & Beau, as they were just 2 ounces behind us. We knew we were stuck in a rut of no fish and someone was going to catch them. We covered some bays and points looking for a bite, and may have missed a weak bite or two. We checked the scoretracker and it was still the same. Basically a three way tie with Scott and Carson being favored. We ran south towards the weigh in and worked some of my pre-fishing spots near birch creek where there was an abundance of baitfish last weekend and some others had some luck. This way we were close to the ramp with the 6 hp and we could fish until the final 5:20PM "lines out." As we arrived to Birch Creek, we saw that Scott & Carson had landed a bass and extended their lead. We knew we still had a chance, as Todd had a good bite while I was just getting us to move forward with the outboard as the lure ripped out of the fish's mouth. Team Ducommun was still stuck as well, and as we went into the final casts. In desperation we worked some lily pad edges and it was over. We failed to boat any more fish after the 2:30 PM flurry as we took second place. As we pulled into the ramp, the rest of the anglers were pulling their boats out and chatting about the event. To my surprise, all of the kids 12 and under made it the whole day, in heavy flood conditions with wind-burned faces. I made a final check on Scoretracker Live and found that Scott Wilczek and Carson Steinhorst sealed the deal with their final fish late in the day and are the 2018 James Gang Fall Invitational Champions with 10 lbs 7 oz of smallmouth bass on a very tough day! 7 year old Beau won the Kid's Big Bass Award with a 2 lb 15 oz smallmouth bass. And my partner, Todd Steinhorst, held off the field with his 3 lb 12 oz smallmouth that wasn't even closely challenged by the others as he claims the Daily Lunker Award for the biggest bass caught in the event!

Carson Steinhorst helps his team gain some ground, and then this second smallmouth gave Team Steinhorst/Wilczek a lead by just 1 ounce over Team Piontek/Steinhorst!

In the final hour of the day, Scott Wilczek boats a nice 2 lb 6 oz smallmouth that extends his teams lead. as he and Carson put us away for the victory!

CONGRATS TODD STEINHORST FOR THE EVENT'S BIGGEST BASS!!

CONGRATS BEAU D. FOR WINNING THE 12 & UNDER BIG BASS AWARD!!!!

NICE HAT BEAU!!!!

CONGRATS TO ALL THE KIDS THAT CAME TO FISH!!

THANK YOU to the kids and the parents that encouraged them to join this event! We had a blast with these kids and will try to expand on this at future events. I am glad that the participation trophies were well-received by the youngsters and they all really seemed to love the signed posters from Mike Iaconelli. My favorite picture of this event was the final picture at the tree by the ramp where the kids were displaying their trophies. Looking forward to more of this in 2019!!

CONGRATS TO GABE, BEAU, DOUGLAS, & ALAYNA FOR FISHING IN A BASS TOURNAMENT AGAINST ADULT TEAMS IN TOUGH WEATHER!

JAMES GANG FALL INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
2018

SCOTT WILCZEK
&
CARSON STEINHORST!!!!

Scott Wilczek & Carson Steinhorst are smiles as they win the event and $180

READY FOR WINTERIZATION???

After the fall feed is over and the lakes ice up, give our new champion Scott Wilczek and his buddy Mike a call and they will professionally wrap your boat or camper at great prices and top quality work! Check them out at:

PRO TEKT
WRAPPING & STORAGE SOLUTIONS

and click on the link below:

CLICK HERE FOR PROTEKT

HAVE A FUN LATE FALL PERIOD!

CATCH SOME FISH, EAT SOME DEER HEARTS,
AND GET READY FOR ICE FISHING!!!

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KAYAKS, BANK FISHING, RIVERS, & TROY LINDNER- SEPT 2018 End of summer fishing report....

9/15/2018

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ALEX GIVES A "THUMBS UP" APPROVAL AFTER FISHING A DAY WITH
SMALL CRAFT OUTFITTERS KAYAK GUIDE SERVICE

THE END OF SUMMER IS HERE.......
BRING ON THE NOVEMBER LATE FALL BITE!

James Gang Pro Staff member Kevin Rogalski with a 2 lb bass in mid-September

SMALL CRAFT OUTFITTERS - KAYAK GUIDE SERVICE IS A BLAST!!

The month of September has been a struggle, but has been fun! Although we have had some fantastic, "fall-like" cooler weather, they seem to occur on my work days and I have had to take Alex out fishing on the hot, summer weather days. The conditions were ok for great days of fishing, but we have been challenging ourselves again by fishing new waters. We had a blast when we took a trip with Tyler & Chang at www.smallcraftoutfitters.com guide service out of Western Wisconsin. We fished near Spring Valley, WI, and were challenged with a very tough day. We managed a few smaller bass here and there, and Chang landed a solid bass on his dual-Bootykicker "umbrella rig" that he came up with. Always there to educate, Tyler showed us how bloody your hands can get when you let a northern pike rip it open with their razor-sharp teeth. Thanks for the demonstration, Tyler!

KAYAK GUIDE TYLER THEIDE, OF SMALLCRAFT OUTFITTERS, IS GIVING BLOOD SAMPLES TO A 30" NORTHERN PIKE

CHANG LOR HAS LIT IT UP WITH THE BOOTYKICKER ALL YEAR LONG

JAMES GANG LURE CRAFTER JESSE JAMES & CEO ALEX JAMES ARE ENJOYING THE TANDEM LURE II BY FEEL FREE KAYAKS

CEO ALEX LANDED 2 SMALL BASS ON THE KAYAK TRIP ON A SLOW DAY OF FISHING

CHRESTMAN ON FIRE IN MISSISSIPPI WITH LOVERTAIL 2's

THANK YOU LEE FOR SUBMITTING THESE PICS OF YOUR MISSISSIPPI BASS CAUGHT ON OUR JAMES GANG LOVERTAIL 2 INLINE SPINNERS!!

YOUNG FISHING STAR KALEB G. DOMINATING LOUISIANA WITH HIS BOOTYKICKER CUSTOM COLOR & SCENT

BEST PHOTO POSE IN THE HISTORY OF ALL PHOTOS.... GREAT JOB, KALEB!!!

FISH SAUCE + FLAMBEAU RIVER = FATTIES

14" Flambeau River smallmouth bass at 2 lbs 9 oz!!!!! JB's Fish Sauce on a James Gang Bass Jerker 3.25" in "Golden Shiner"

JB's FISH SAUCE - ITS LIKE CHEATING!

CLICK HERE FOR JB'S FISH SAUCE INFO

MURPHY FLOWAGE - THE BABIES WERE BITING!

NOT QUITE "GIANT" BASS STATUS

........BUT THE 1969 EVINRUDE 6 HP FIRED RIGHT UP!!

TEAMS EICHINGER & ROGALSKI CATCHING SMALLMOUTHS & SHEEP

From the shores of Lake Wissota, to the great peninsula of Door County, our pro staff team is jacking lots of fish. Congrats to Alayna on catching her first smallmouth bass, and to Alex Whitmire, MLF tournament angler, for catching two GORGEOUS freshwater drum for the dinner table. The smallies looked fun, too..

Young Miss Alayna with her first smallmouth bass experience

Alex Whitmire showing how us all how he gets work done in Sturgeon Bay, WI

Mat Eichinger with a pile of smallmouth bass caught off the banks of Lake Wissota

Kevin Rogalski puts the hammer down on some gorgeous smallmouth bass in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Kevin says the bite is great but the bass being caught are the younger ones

TROY LINDNER VISITS THE NEW FLEET FARM!!

photo by STAR TRIBUNE

TROY LINDNER, host of Lindner Media's ANGLING BUZZ, as well as ANGLING EDGE, visited Fleet Farm's brand new store in Eau Claire, WI SEPT 15-16 to promote their fishing department. Troy is an avid bank angler, and decided to check out the local rivers in downtown Eau Claire. Troy met up with our very own CEO Alex James at Phoenix Park, under the Dells Pond dam, and at the EC City Shops in hopes for carp (and other rough fish) and a battle with a lake sturgeon. Troy also spent some time casting lures for gamefish. The trip started out with Troy landing a nice smallmouth buffalo. Not much longer, he landed a much larger buffalo. After a slow spell, he picked up his spinning rod and traveled up the Eau Claire river casting for bass, walleye, and pike. Troy landed a nice 15" smallmouth that gave him a nice leap like they usually do. When he was headed back, CEO Alex thought he had him beat but when he reeled in his fish, he found it to be a 4" yellow perch. When Troy returned to the scene, I had a huge bite on my heavy action rod. Troy noticed the bite and we were hoping for some fun with a big old sturgeon. But when I went to set the hook with my 50lb braid, my line instantly snapped. I am sure we found ourselves a lake sturgeon with some size, but I believe the reason why the line broke was because it had become weathered and brittle. Moral of the story - ALWAYS REPLACE WEATHERED LINE!!!! We tried under the EC dam with no luck, then finished the night at the EC city shops. At the shops, Troy was popping a jig with a swimbait looking for gamefish, and coaxed a rock bass into biting it. After a good laugh, Troy and I saw some movement on my heavy duty crawler rod again. This time the fish stayed on, and the 5" channel catfish made it to shore. Troy had a young buddy named Zach fishing with him that hooked up on a quality smallmouth bass on a spinnerbait, but the bass threw the hook when it was coming close to shore. A disappointing night as far as fish-catching, but overall it was a blast fishing with such a talented angler as Troy Lindner. Troy's father Al is a fishing legend and is a hero of mine dating back to the In Fisherman days in my childhood. Thank you Troy for contacting us and spending the afternoon and evening with us. I learned a lot watching you work your jig and Alex was watching closely as you loaded up bread on your hook for the two biggest catches of the day. Safe travels to your next adventures and we hope you enjoy your James Gang lures we sent with you!

DOC GILLES, TROY LINDNER, & ALEX JAMES HANGING OUT AT PHOENIX PARK

THE BOYS WERE ALL SMILES AS TROY LINDNER LANDED THE FIRST FISH OF THE DAY, AN EAU CLAIRE RIVER SMALLMOUTH BUFFALO

ALEX IS ON THE BOARD WITH A YELLOW PERCH, AS TROY, DOC, & ZACH WORK THE BRIDGE IN THE BACKGROUND FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS

TROY LINDNER USES BREAD ON A HOOK TO LAND A SECOND BUFFALO, THIS ONE MUCH LARGER THAN THE FIRST!

ALEX SETS UP A NEW OFFICE OUT OF A ROWBOAT AS TROY PREPARES HIS TACKLE TO WORK BELOW THE EAU CLAIRE DAM

TIME TO INTIMIDATE TROY!!!!

THANK YOU TROY FOR A GREAT FISHING EXPERIENCE!!!

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