As many of you know, we here at FishWithJD are suckers for a couple things: Boats and good, fresh ideas. Well, when we stumbled upon Klamath Boats’ latest creation, the 16-foot Swimbait Boat, we kinda thought it was the best of both worlds.
The slick little vessel is an entirely new take on the two-man bass rig. It’s economical to run, costs less than $10K and, thanks to the high bow design, the SBB can handle infinitely rougher water than a traditional bass boat. It’s also so light you could probably tow it with a golf cart. Cool idea, huh? Here’s a closer look… [click to continue…]
by JD on November 17, 2009
Okay, so may it sounds a bit like a sappy chick flick: “Clear Lake in the Fall,” but there is some seriously epic fishing to be had on this Northern California lake in the late autumn.
Everything — trophy largemouth, scads of big catfish and dinner plate sized crappie — are all putting on the feed bag before winter kicks in and the action can be non-stop. Great fishing, nice scenery…and hardly another soul on the water. What’s not to like?
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Okay, so you guys nailed the last Name that Fish Contest entry in record time. Let’s see if I can stump all you arm chair ichthyologists out there with this one… [click to continue…]
by JD on February 10, 2009
Professional bass angler Skeet Reese’s tow vehicle is about as subtle as a a slap across the face with a wet spatula on a cold February night…There’s no missing this behemoth Ford F650 when it thunders through your neighborhood en route to the next tourney.
So, all you aspiring tournament bass pros out there, do you want a rig like this?
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by JD on December 5, 2008
Fish are amazing, beautiful animals that are like fine art. Here are some of my favorite “pieces”… 
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by JD on November 3, 2008
Northern California’s Clear Lake is no stranger to pumping out jumbo largemouth bass and that’s certainly been the case this fall.
Our man on the scene, FLW Touring pro Big Fred Contaoi put his clients onto some good ones today, Nov. 3 — including this sweet 11.7 pounder that gobbled up a swimbait.
by JD on September 24, 2008
JD,
I live in Yuba City and have been wanting to start fishing the Feather River for smallmouth bass. I am looking for some tips on baits, fishing techniques, ya know…..enough info to get started and be successful.
Thanks, Kelly
Kelly, there are plenty o’ smallies in the Feather near you! In fact, you can catch them from there all the way down to Verona. I’ve caught them on ripbaits and topwater poppers while fishing for stripers but the best way to get them is with small grubs and tube style jigs fished on 1/16-ounce lead heads.
Go with brown, motor oil or brown/orange to match the smallies’ favorite food…crawfish. Toss the jigs into rocky banks and hop them slowly down hill. With light spinning gear you’ll have a blast!
Good luck!!
Here’s a fun little exercise: Walk into a bar near a bass lake and ask the assembled patrons what the best bass lure of all time is.
You’re sure to get a very spirited debate (you may want to leave if bottles start flying) and about as many answers as you have fishermen. While there are many good bass lures worthy of mention, I think there’s really only one lure that could be considered the all-around best.
It’s the one that, if faced with the decision of only having one lure in your box for the rest of time, you’d pick…the bait that, if you only had one lure in your box and you were starving, you’d use.
I know what my choice would be…
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