 THE JAMES GANG ALWAYS APPRECIATES MOTHER NATURE'S BEAUTY IN FALL FLAMBEAU RIVER, WI DOOR COUNTY - NASTY AT TIMES, BUT REWARDING UNCLE JESSE WITH A DOOR COUNTY 17.25" SMALLMOUTH WEIGHING 3 LBS 9 OZ Mother Nature decided to remind the anglers of Door County Wisconsin recently that she can be wicked when she doesn't want boat traffic out on the big water. I had an opportunity to hop in the boat with local anglers Eric VanIten & Matt Liebeck for a few hours 2 days in a row in mid September, as we battled heavy winds and obnoxious rain during our fishing trips. The rain wasn't near as wet as the waves we were "eating" approaching 6' in height, as the five footers were trouble enough and pushed us into areas that were tolerable. Cousin "Herb" and Matt taught me how the new Garmin LiveScope works, as I have never seen this new technology before. It was quite a difference-maker, as you can skip many areas if you don't see fish present. Seeing fish on the LiveScope doesn't guarantee bites, but eliminates a lot of time "dead water" when an angler is on the search for key areas. ERIC VANITEN WITH A 17+" SMALLMOUTH BASS CAUGHT IMITATING A GOBY  MATT LIEBECK LANDS A 2 LB SMALLMOUTH BASS, AS HE TRIES TO LOCATE A SCHOOL OF BIGGER FISH WITH HIS ELECTRONICS IN DOOR COUNTY We started of with a lot of bites from juvenile bass, as well as a goby. The boys were looking for some structure off shore that were holding schools of 3 lb or better sized smallmouth bass. With the tough weather conditions, the fish were in a negative feeding pattern, and very hard to coax a bite off of. Ultra-finesse tactics were the only way we were producing bites during the two days, and many times the fish ignored or swam away from our presentations, even in deep water. I managed a few small bass by using the Storm Arashi Spybait on 6 lb flourocarbon on an Ardent Finesse rod & reel setup. I would let the lure sink with its natural "shimmy" close to the bottom in 12' of water, then reel it back as slow as I could, trying to run the bottom of the water column. I switched to "cracking" a tube, a method that I learned off Bass University TV by Mark Zona. I actually used his giant tube jig design and his Strike King goby colored tube. I managed to hook up one fish in about 14 feet of water, unfortunately it was a large goby that grabbed it. I played around rotating through jerkbaits, Baby Squid Baits, and swimbaits, which all are my top lures in Lake Michigan. This time was all a "no-go" as they weren't aggressive enough to chase. The following day I switched over to a drop shot that I poured at home with a kiwi iridescent discontinued color and as I dropped my rig on top of a bass in LiveScope in 25' of water, I immediately felt weight. I assumed it was a snag as I had fished so long in two days with very little action. The fish put up a fantastic fight on 6lb flourocarbon on an Ardent Finesse rod. When Eric netted the fish, it looked huge due to its healthy girth. I was hoping it was 18-19" on the bumpboard, but it measured at 17.25." Its healthy body added several ounces to a fish at that length as it weighed over 3.5 lbs on a scale. A great fish for sure. Healthy, thick fish like this, 3 lbs or more are common in this area. When you are lucky enough to hook into Door County bass pushing 20-23," the potential for 5 or even 6 pounds is realistic. On occasion a 7-8 pound smallmouth is weighed and verified in this area in professional tournaments. It did feel tougher than usual, as this area has received so much pressure compared to years in the past. With the Canadian border closed to American anglers due to COVID19 regulations in 2020, and the increased amount of tournaments, these fish are showing some signs of conditioning and not quite as easy to fish without more finesse techniques. Using small, slow moving lures combined with scents are a great way to fish this area. And ideally a 25" transom super-deep walleye boat is the way to challenge these waters when the waves get nasty.  JAMES GANG FISHING PRO STAFFER KEVIN ROGALSKI WITH A DOOR COUNTY SMALLMOUTH JAMES GANG FISHING COMPANY HAS ADDED HUNTING SUPPLIES IN THEIR HOLCOMBE, WI VENDING MACHINE ON HWY 27!!! DOE ESTROUS, BUCK BOMBS, GRUNT CALLS, FIELD DRESSING GLOVES, AND MORE!!! EICHINGER SCORES BIG FROM THE BANKS OF WISSOTA JAMES GANG PRO STAFFER MAT EICHINGER WITH A 18+" SMALLMOUTH BASS OFF THE BANK KAEDEN B LANDS HIS FIRST MUSKY! DOC GILLES IS THE CRANKBAIT MAN!  ENJOYING THE 55 DEGREE SUN IN ALGOMA, WI   "DOCTOR CRAW" IS AVAILABLE FOR THE EARLY TO MID-FALL BITE! WE ARE NOW OFFERING THE BLACK & RED COMBO CALLED "DOCTOR CRAW" IN OUR JAMES GANG BASSJERKER SUSPENDING JERKBAIT. THEY ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AT $10 PLUS FREE SHIPPING. THIS COLOR WILL BE RED HOT UNTIL THE WATER TEMPS DROP BELOW 50 DEGREES AS THEY SIMULATE A CRAWFISH IN STAINED WATERS. QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED, CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW TO ORDER!! BASS ANGLER MAGAZINE FALL ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE!CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF BAM! I wrote an article about catching late fall smallmouth in water temps from 40-49 degrees near reservoir winter holes at the heads of dams. Its an easy way to fish that can catch you trophy fish! James Gang Bootykicker Swimbaits, Baby Squid Baits, Deep-Diving Crankbaits, blade baits, 1/2 oz bladed jigs, and finesse lures can really catch them this time of year. Thank you for everyone's support!BEGINNER's BOOK ON FISHING AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM This internationally-published book is aimed to adult beginners and kids middle to high school age. If you need to know the simple basics, this book will get you started. Bank fishing for rough fish, bluegill fishing with bobber and worm, to bass, and more. I set the price to be extremely affordable at minimal profits and have proudly donated several copies to veterans with PTSD so they can cope with their challenges by enjoying nature. Click the button below to order your copy!!ENJOY THE EARLY FALL WEATHER, AND TAKE A KID FISHING!!!!!
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AuthorJesse James is an avid fisherman that loves smallmouth bass fishing, loves spending time with his family, with other family-orientated people, and loves seeing children fish. A huge fan of BASSMASTER Elite Mike Iaconelli, like Mike, he is known to be a little strange, and obnoxious, but only to have fun and make people laugh.
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