BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

Special for The Willits News

The Oregon State University team of Zach MacDonald of Willits and William Sparks, of Corvallis, Oregon, won the National Guard FLW College Fishing West Conference event on Lake Shasta last Saturday with five bass weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces.

The victory earned the team $5,000. The win also helped them advance to the West Conference Regional Championship.

“We battled the wind all day today,” said Sparks, a marine biology major. “We shot all over the place, every little nook we could find. The fishing was slow, and very tough. we were fishing really shallow today. we were marking a whole bunch of fish, but we just couldn’t get them to bite. The fish that we did get were up in about 15 feet.

“We caught two fish straight away,” Sparks continued. “One with a drop-shot rig and one on a pumpkin football jig. Then it really slowed down for us. Our boat broke down and we had to use the trolling motor to come in a few minutes earlier than we would have liked to. But I guess it worked out for us.”

“This morning we were able to find a little spot where it was cooler and we caught our first two, but after 30 minutes it just died,” said MacDonald, a fisheries and wildlife major and 2011 Willits High School graduate. “The wind was really a factor for most of the day and it threw us off some spots that we wanted to fish.

“Our motor broke down too,” MacDonald went on to say. “We had to fish off of our trolling motor, so we found a spot close to the marina. we were able to catch our last two fish back-to-back on our last casts of the day using green-pumpkin jigs.

“We’re certainly looking forward to regionals,” he added.

MacDonald is the son Mary and Randy MacDonald of Willits. “He has fished since he was 3 years old,” his mother says, adding Zack is “putting his portion of the winnings into the school’s fishing club.”

Rounding out the top five teams and also advancing to the West Regional Championship are:

2nd: University of California Santa Cruz, Chris Rhoden and Sam Sayad, both of Santa Cruz. five bass, 9-00, $1,500.

3rd: Humboldt State University, Hideaki Kubo of Arcata and Ben Smith of Samoa. five bass, 8-7, $1,000.

4th: Eastern Washington University, Jarred Walker of Cheney, Washington, and Robert Trukositz of Spokane. five bass, 8-5, $1,000.

5th: California State University Long Beach, Alex Cox and Justin Gangel, both of Long Beach. five bass, 8-1, $1,000.

The top five teams from each tournament qualify for the regional championship where the first-place team will win a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors for their fishing club. The top five teams from each regional tournament advance to the national championship.

College Fishing is free to enter and FLW provides boats and drivers for each competing team, along with travel allowances. all participants must be registered, full-time undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.

The next National Guard FLW College West Conference tournament is scheduled for February 25 at Lake Havasu in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and is hosted by the Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau.

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW offers anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy: the Forrest Wood Cup.

For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.

By BILL CHESTNUTLocal columnist Published: Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 7:14 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 7:14 a.m.

As I start my first column for 2012, I want to thank all of my readers for sticking with this ole boy for the past 58 years. it doesn’t seem that long but time flies when you are having fun and I always have fun writing about something I love, Florida’s fantastic outdoors, especially Polk County.

This past week was a good week for fishing as we had a few warm days that gave many anglers the chance to test the waters of the Winter Haven Chain. Speckled perch were active, especially at night. better lakes were Cannon, Howard and Winterset while using live minnows.

Bob Thigpin caught his limit of specks while fishing early Saturday morning in Eagle Lake. Bob said he saw a few anglers boating some bass while working the edges close to the grass.

“I talked to a few other anglers on the lake and all were catching some nice speckled perch.” Bob said.

Bass fishing picked up last week but another cold front is suppose to go in and that just might turn them off for awhile. John Robertson caught five bass up to 6 pounds while fishing in Lake Summit with Junebug colored plastic worms on Friday.

John said he talked to a couple of anglers who had been fishing the canal leading into Summit and picked up three bass which weighed about 2 pounds each.

Ralph Jones caught several nice bass on 7-inch Junebug and Black worms around grass areas and lilypads early in morning.

The bite was slow and fish were small but a few keepers over 13 inches in the 1 1/2- to 3 1/2-pound range.

Ralph also tried spinnerbait in yellow and crawfish with limited success around boat docks and walls. Some hits but no bragging tales.

Jimmy Allen of Haines City visited the Winter Haven area over the weekend, launched his boat at the Lake Howard ramp and began casting Junebug colored plastic worms along the grassline in Howard. on his third cast he caught a 4-pound bass and thought to himself this was going to be a fantastic day. it turned out this was the only bass Jimmy caught, but he said he would be back next weekend.

Fishing in Tenoroc

Largemouth bass action has improved with the cooler water temperatures. Bass are in deeper water around points and humps. Try fishing these areas with plastic worms in red shad and Junebug colors, or with deep diving crankbaits in shad imitating colors. Spawning will start in February, and will be the best time of the year to find bass.

Another lake to try is Tern Lake on the Bridgewater Tract; it was stocked with only female bass and catfish, and this area should produce some heavyweight bass. Fish with chicken liver, commercial stink baits, and night crawlers around the deeper holes for the best action for catfish.

Speckled perch are biting well right now. Drift live Missouri minnows in 6 to 8 feet of water or troll small jigs and spinners in the same areas.

Fishing Saddle Creek Park

Bank fishing opportunities here are excellent.

Largemouth bass fishing is slow. use live wild shiners for the best action, and try plastic worms in Junebug, red shad, and Christmas colors fished slowly along the edges and near drop-offs. Spawning will start around the full moon in February and continue through April. Be ready for some big bass action during these times.

Many anglers are targeting speckled perch during these winter months. Live Missouri minnows and small jigs trolled or drifted are the best bets for good speck action. John Ashton caught 12 nice specks this past Friday while fishing with minnows.

Keep those lines tight and be sure to take a youth with you on your next outdoor adventure. Teach them how to fish and you will have a friend for life. we will see you on the pond this week.

Contact bill Chestnut at outdoorramblings@gmail.com or via phone at 863-299-1331. Check out his web site at http:/wix.com/outdoor1/outdoor-ramblings.

Inside a packed Memorial Hospital room, Jaleel John-Baptiste’s family and friends celebrated his 17th birthday  Wednesday with cake and fellowship.

A day later, the teenager was taken off life support.

John-Baptiste, a junior at Mesa Ridge High School, died Thursday, nearly two weeks after being thrown from his SUV during a rollover crash in Widefield.

“I’ll really miss him,” his grandfather, Harry Williams, said. “Because we were the best of friends.”

John-Baptiste was driving his black 1998 Chevy Blazer about 11 p.m. on Dec. 2 when he lost control of the SUV on Fontaine Boulevard just west of Fountain Mesa Road.

He wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle.

A little more than a week after the crash, doctors were optimistic they would be able to bring him out of a medically induced coma, said Cynthia Morris, a longtime friend.  But he developed an infection early this week and his condition worsened.

Although he never woke from the coma, John-Baptiste’s family held a birthday party for  him to honor his life, Morris said.

“I didn’t want them to be sad about it,” Morris said. “it is an amazing day that the lord brought him to us that day. he wasn’t awake for any of this but we all had a excellent time for him.”

John-Baptiste played football for Mesa Ridge High School and was an avid hunter, recently getting an antelope. But he was best known for fishing.

The teenager often competed in bass fishing tournaments in Pueblo, but traveled to lakes across Colorado — often besting his grandfather with fishing tricks.

“he knew a lot of techniques — more than I know,” Williams said.

On Friday night, his family gathered for another celebration of life — this time, eating the many, many fish he left behind in the freezer.

“he was a pleased kid,” Williams said. “he was more pleased fishing than he was any other thing.”

What could be the catch of the year – Ben ‘The Bass’ Kelly’s blubber-lipped bream is more than a small mouthfull on several levels. I got a call from Ben ‘The Bass’ Kelly, a Pottsville local, last week. He was telling me I needed to come down to his workplace and check out a video.  After watching the footage, I considered Ben’s catch pretty extraordinary. ‘Catch of the Year’ maybe in the Tweed River?  Here’s what happened.  Ben, Jimmy Walle and Tony Pope were chasing live bait in Jack Evans Boat Harbour. Ben got a small bored, picked up his light 1–4kg rod, spooled with 6lb main line braid topped with 8lb fluoro carbo leader and cast a 3-inch minnow out into the shallow sand. something huge grabbed it and ran, almost spooling the rod. Ben held the rod tip up high.  somehow he managed to turn its head then slowly bring the huge fella in. Ben had attracted quite a crowd at this stage: there were people on the shore line, on paddle boards all yelling and clapping.  The most amusing bit was it took 12 guesses before anyone got the species right – cobia for sure! No, snapper; der, it’s a dirty stingray … and on it went. Finally when Ben picked up the monster a guy came over to tell him it was a blubber-lipped bream.  That’s pretty good stuff, buddy, and to top it off it was Benny’s birthday.   Here’s the good news: you can actually see him catching the fish as Jimmy Walle filmed it; you can find it at this address: youtube.com/fishhuntmedia. It’s a great watch, well worth a look. Now to something a bit more normal, as I’m still trying to get my head around Benny’s catch! Wow! Saturday was pretty windy. How to fish? I ducked into the canals for a cast. Bingo!  The bream were everywhere. I had a young lad yelling at me from a highrise above me, ‘pull now mate, there’s millions of ’em’ – ‘cool down young fella you don’t jag them, let them take the lure’.  Oh, Okay.  it was amusing stuff alright. sometimes things go very very well. almost every cast I either lost, caught, had a lot of attention paid to the lure. This particular canal was the spot on Saturday, alright. having a good pair of sunnies when you’re fishing from a yak is important. I recommend a good set of polarised sunnies.  I lost my last good set down at Iluka chasing jew, over the side in 60ft of water.  Finally I got the money together for another pair of Spotters; down to Anglers. I grabbed Aaron and together we went through all the models and would you guess it – I chose the most expensive ones. I wasn’t even looking at the tags either.

ARLINGTON — Josh Hamilton got some extra hitting advice before Game 3 of the World Series. it came from one of his most vital coaches, some 500 miles from Tecomate Ranch.

“When you go up to the plate, Josh, I want you to reckon: Huge bucks and huge bass,” Dr. Gary Schwarz told him. “And just relax and play the game.”

Schwarz and nine family members made the 500-mile trip up from McAllen, Texas, near the Mexico border, where they own hunting ranches and fishing lakes. Hamilton broke away from batting practice Saturday, pushed the foul screen aside and spent several minutes hugging and posing for pictures with the clan, who have become an vital part of his life.

“We have a TV show, ‘Bucks of Tecomate,’ it’s the highest-rated hunting show on versus,” Schwarz clarified. “Somebody brought him to the ranch two years ago and we finished up hitting it off. he finished up shooting a show, and we became just really close friends. he came back last year, and he’s coming again this year. He’s a special guy.”

Hamilton, on his way to the clubhouse after BP, said the McAllen visitors “mean the world to me.” he got them a couple of seats behind home plate and then helped arrange for the rest of the tickets.

“The first time I met them, it was pretty special,” Hamilton said. “We hit it right off. he loves Christ, I like Christ; his whole family does, mine does. And just to be outdoors and be able to spend time with each other, and for my family to meet his and really connect, means a lot.

“I know [Schwarz] does a lot for kids and for people down where he lives, with all the surgeries he does, as far as being a dentist, but it’s pretty special that he can come up here and bring his family and be able to share this with us.”

As for the advice at the plate, Hamilton smiled and said he plotted to use it.

“Yep, bucks and bass,” he said. “I’ll be relaxed.”

Hamilton has revealed that he might have a sports hernia. Schwarz said of the slugger: “Of course, Josh is hurting really bad. He’s in a lot of pain. But you know, you’re not going to keep him off the field.”

is Hamilton as good a hunter as he is a hitter?

“Even though he has experience in hunting, he listens,” Schwarz said. “He’s coachable. A lot of the people come and they know everything. Josh comes, and even though he was way more experienced than I thought, he listens and he’s incredible. He’s a natural athlete with everything, including shooting a rifle.

“We get mainly huge whitetails. But I’ve got trophy bass lakes, and he loves to fish. He’ll come down and he’ll start early morning during fishing season, and he won’t stop ’till the end of the day. I mean, he attacks it.”

Schwarz attended Texas’ victory in Game 3 of the 2010 World Series. he said he has come to develop a greater appreciation for one of Major League Baseball’s largest stars.

“He is a real man. he is for real,” Schwarz said. “There’s nothing fake about him or put on. He’s got humility. He’s smart, gifted, [a] great speaker, a man of his word, Godly man. I’ve never met anyone like him — someone who’s been through the crucible that he’s been through, and then overcome it, and maintain that humility through it all, [that's] a very rare thing.”

I live near Grand Rapids and I'd love to know some great fishing lakes or rivers nearby to fish for bass or pike? I also have property on Lake Manistique in the upper peninsula. Any known bass or pike lakes near there would be great to know about. Also some excellent strategies for catching fish on these lakes/rivers is also appreciated. Thanks!

Castiac right off highway 5 after the mountains. huge bass and plenty of them.

i live 15 minutes from the lake that the world record bass was caught. i've seen plenty lunkers in these san diego lakes, and i do believe they also hold potential record breakers. the thing is, these lakes are heavily pressured, so excellent luck.

I like to fish for catfish, perch, walleye, pike, etc. Don't people ever get bored fishing for the same fish every time? I know they put up a fight and stuff but so do other fish. I mean just about every fishing show is bass fishing and it sucks. Sorry if I offend you proud bass fishermen but this is my opinion.

No offense meant by this, but if you need to question this question, there is nothing I could say that would answer your question to your satisfaction. Sorry.

I think it's all about the strike and the fight. The different lures, baits and presentation make it challenging. I guess it's kind of a like a hunt also, bass is good eating and you can go to a lot of different fish markets and buy perch, walleye and others but not normally bass.

There isn't anything incorrect with any of the fish you mentioned. The reason most of the shows focus on bass is that the Largemouth Bass is the most sought after sportfish in the US based on creel and license surveys. The TV guys are going to play to the numbers.

I am a tournament bass fisherman, and I like it. It feeds two of my passions: competition and being outdoors. That said, I also delight in going to Alaska yearly to go after King Salmon, and to the mountains in my home state of Arizona to spend a few days catching trout. I will tell you that if I could fish Kings all year long, and they had tournaments for them, I'd probably never bass fish again. Trout is another matter. all you need to know about the difference between a bass and a trout is what one uses to catch them. Would you rather fight a fish that slurps small bugs or get into a barroom brawl with a fish that will attack something nearly as big as it is?

I personally agree with you 100%. i like to saltwater fish and for different varieties.It's not knowing what's going to hit your lure that makes it more fun for me.I must have gone bass fishing maybe 4 times in my whole life and i still don't get an adrenaline rush as to when i go croaker fishing and all of a sudden i have a shark on the line,you have to play him different reset the drag and trying your darndest to land the fish.i like to fish from shore and i also get bummed out when all i see on tv is bass shows fishing from a boat.there are different types of fish out there and there are different type of fisherman/woman.I wish they would once in a while make a show of surf fishing and not knowing what they are going to catch.

I think bass are more common to go after because they're the most readily available predator fish in most ponds.Personally I like carp because I rarely fish lakes with pike and walleye.for me carp and bass are what is available.Depending on how active I feel like being I will choose to either go for carp or bass.I live a 5 minute drive away from many local ponds that have both.The nearest place I could find walleye or pike would probably take me 30 minutes or more to get to.My guess is it's more a matter of convenience for most people.

haha i really know what you mean! i like bass fishing just because of the fight they put on! but i want to fish all the other fish too! but the problem is is that im not that good at fishing for anything else except bass, perch, and bluegill! can u give me some headers or tips please? just e-mail me!

Bass fishing has evolved like playing golf (shudders) and has taken the fun out of fishing. I use a fiberglass 14' Jon boat, a 6 HP Merc 4 stroke motor and I catch more fish, have way less expense, get into more places than a bass boat would ever dare go and probably forgot more about fishing than these so called pros.

As my username suggests, I catfish and i do it very well. I sell trotline jump box's I make with Trotlines and people who use them swear it's by far the fastest way to put out a trotline… and it is.

When I go fishing, I go for the meat. I don't care about getting there fast or looking good. I'd say 2/3 of my fishing is within two miles of where I put in and very rarely do I come home with less than 15 lbs of filet's or more and I probably spent @ $25.00 per fishing trip with gas being my biggest cost.

So ya, different strokes for different folks. I prefer doing it the fun way and providing some of the best table fare a fellow can sit down & eat. Already I've had four fish fries with up to 15 folk we know and always everyone had plenty wanting to know when we're going to do it again.

I have a website (link on my profile) where I share some of my secrets and many people has written me thanking me for some useful information and I do it because I like fishing and sharing with others that which I have learned over the years.

Fishing this year, I have tried for just about everything but the only "keeper" fish I have caught have been bass. But, I don't have a boat and I only fish from shore, and many of the other kinds of fish you mentioned are very hard to catch from land. I've caught small- and largemouth bass, various sunfish (rock bass, bluegills and pumpkinseed), perch, catfish and one small walleye. A guy fishing beside me from a pier I was on caught a large walleye on a virtually identical lure as the one I was using. just luck of the draw, I guess.

I think the lure of going after bass is simply the challenge of matching yourself up against one of the larger but more catchable kind of game fish. I really don't get it either – what is vital to me when fishing is to catch some fish, and the fish be something I can eat. I like to catch a variety and in larger bodies of water I use lures that will attract nearly any of the top predatory fish. Since the middle of June I have caught about 24 or 25 fish, but the only ones that were good for eating (huge enough to bother with) were about 7 largemouth bass. I guess I should be a proud bass fisherman, but I am really frustrated by not being able to get at the other species.

I don't get the big deal with the bass putting up a fight – I've caught huge codfish, walleye and trout at different times in my life and found the fight they put up was just as good. Landing a lure-stealing 15 lb cod using a spincast rod with 8 lb test line was the MOST challenging fun I ever had fishing.

I think that the bass appeal is that you can use inexpensive tackle, you don't always need a boat, and still catch a big bass (I think the world record largemouth was caught on a cane pole and a cheap plug-type lure). The shows make it look even simpler, and people in general tend to want to emulate what they see on TV.

For the record, though – the fishing shows we have in Canada show a lot of variety in the fish they go after and really don't focus on bass that much. Maybe you should try and find some of the Canadian shows like 'Facts of Fishing' to watch online, I am pretty sure many of the shows are available on their website.

I want to be prepared for fishing what are some fantastic bass lures

Early spring is prime time for catching giant largemouths and smallmouths alike, but you must have the right tools for the task. Here are a few recommendations for this time of year (full disclosure, I work for PRADCO Outdoor Brands who own Lurenet.com)…

1) Smithwick 5 ½-inch Suspending Rattlin’ Rogue – Clown

The suspending jerkbait that put suspending jerkbaits on the map, a Rogue is the bait of choice for giant smallies when they stage just off spawning flats. Pause it as long as you can stand between jerks – and maybe a little longer – and remain ready.

2) 7-inch YUM Dinger – Watermelon Pearl Laminate

Huge, bold offerings often trigger heavyweight spawning fish into committing, and nothing will do that job quite like a 7-inch YUM Dinger. Huge Dingers’ also produce hoards of hawgs when pitched around shallow cover throughout the spring.

3) BOOYAH 3/4-ounce Football Jigheads – Brown

During early spring many huge fish remain in or very near their winter areas, which dictates hitting deeper structure. a BOOYAH Football Head allows you to keep soft-plastic offerings close to prime structure and comes equipped with a 4/O Gamakatsu hook for putting those huge fish in the boat.

4) YUM 5-inch Gonzo Grub – Green Pumpkin/Orange Flake

A perfect match for the Football Jighead, a Gonzo Grub has a fluttering skirt and twin tails that provide an incredible amount of action. the 5-inch Gonzo provides the necessary bulk to get a lunker to commit.

5) Bomber fat Free Shad – Dance’s Citrus Shad

If you ever travel to Mexico without a stock of fat Free Shads you’ll buy some before the trip is over, and if you fish anywhere bass grow huge without ‘em, you’re leaving something significant on the table. fat Frees dig deep to get down among ‘em and have just the right profile and wag.

6) 1-ounce Double Willow BOOYAH Blade – White Chartreuse

Another trophy bass gem for when the lunkers are laying low in the water column, a huge Double Willow BOOYAH Blade offers a large profile to suggest a serious meal. let it fall to the bottom and slow roll it across the deepest edges of flats and the ends of points

7) ¾-ounce Single Colorado BOOYAH Blade – Coleslaw

When early-spring storms stain huge bass waters, it’s time to pull out a thumping single Colorado. the fish will go tight to shallow cover, and they will dart out of bush to ambush something that’s creating huge vibes. Work close and make small accurate casts, working the bait tight to the thick stuff.

BOMBER Deep Flat a – Apple Red Crawfish

The Flat A’s extra-tight wiggle suggests an simple meal, which is something bass cannot resist while their metabolism levels remain low. use a steady medium-slow retrieve and kick it off rocks and the bottom whenever possible.

9) Cotton Cordell Super Spot – Tomato Red

A first-season classic on grass lakes, the Tomato Red Super Spot accounts for a tremendous amount of hawgs this time of year. let it fall into patches of submerged vegetation, rip it out of the grass and hold on tight!

Night crawlers are my favorit. ruberworms next, catfish minows,are fantastic, for some resson bas despise cat fish hit them hard then spit them out so set the hook quick, rapalas, work. small poping bug with ruberband legs is good for fly fishing cast under overhanging trees let set on the watter for a min shake 2 times let set for a min sone a bass bluegill crappy catfish carp or someting will take it, hook with green pipe cleaner around it if cappella worms are dropping of the trees can give you some quick action as well

The sexy shad that the one guy is talking about it made by strike king. thats Kevin VanDam's lure model. some good lures other than that are the spinnerbait, a rapala x-rap, top water frog, and of course pastic worms. Texas rigged is very efficient and if you dont know how to do that try wacky worm. Just put the hook right through the middle of the plastic worm(6 inch) and than just twitch it slowly.

start with plastic worms. get an assortment. sizes/colors.
add to this some soft plastic topwaters. rage tail shad and toads by strike king. 5/0 or 6/0 extra wide gap offset hook.
a few spinner/buzz baits. different blade styles and different colors but mostly white/chartreuse. be sure to have a couple colorado blades in the mix.
l like (like) rico poppers by lobina lures but they're just so damn expensive. l wade into the lake to retrieve hung ones and there is no body contact allowed.
rebel pop-rs and zara spooks by heddon round out what l use most.
l don't use many crankbaits. sorry, you're on your own. just match them to the shad or whatever your local forage is.
this is my list of favorites that l always carry. but it's only a start. l use others. there are many fantastic lures and you are sure to get many other favorites in these answers

The best thing to use to catch bass is a rubber worm. I use Culprit brand in the 6" or 7.5". I like the crawdad color.

its a crankbait, and its color is sexy shad, but i forget who makes it and the model. another is the snagproof frog for large mouth in lillypads.

Yamamoto Senko. I use them year round and do well.
Watermelon with red and black flakes.

There are a lot of imitations that work well also but I prefer Yamamoto brand.

ive had fantastic luck with a rubber frog and a diver that looks like a shrimp/craw daddy…lots of bass magazines at supermarket/book store…..try bass masters on web [yahoo,google] and pro bass shops

Usually I have good luck with spinners, crankbaits, plastic worms, dare devils, kast masters, and Hula poppers.

I like the ancient fashioned Jitterbug especially in the evening when it's cool.

a simple night crawler
i catch more bass on them than any lures i have in my box

Zoom 6" plastic lizard pumpkin seed and Strike king makes the sexy shad

6" plastic worm, texas-rigged in the color grape.

Hope i helped ya out.

I perfer a rapala floating crank bait.

A favorite of mine that no one has mentioned is the Rooster Tail.

floating lures, like frogs.

any spinner works well

I got about $40 dollars to spend at ***** sporting goods. I want to buy a new spinning combo for nice size bass. I only want to spend around $30 to $35 for a new one. Whats a excellent combo i could buy there? or i can buy a spinning reel and spinning rod separate but together still in that price range. i am also fishing on Oneida lake, NY any tips on fishing there would be fantastic Thanks

just go to their store and look around. what they have on sale online isn't always the case in store. i would suggest a 7 ft. rod for longer casts and a 6' 6'' for accuracy. they should have a couple to choose from. also i would suggest a medium/heavy over a medium action to fish the weeds.