Jack Lake Fishing Report, August 21-22 2004

Here is another one of our older articles, this time it’s one of my favorite Musky reports from 2004. Unfortunately, it was also the weekend that my thumb got a nice gash when a Musky tried to have it for lunch, it was still one of the most beautiful and memorable weekends of 2004.

Enjoy!

“We were no longer men. We had become something more. We were like gods, fishing from the clouds in search angels…”

Our day started late, we arrived at Jacks lake around one in the afternoon. The sun was bright and shone down with great heat. We layered up with sun block, packed up the canoe and set out on our way. We covered the opposite shore with soft plastic baits in search of lunker bass. We quickly advanced over shallow shorelines covered by weeds and rock. Within a couple hours we had reached the bay we wanted to fish. We decided to stop and prepare some food, allowing the afternoon sun to cool down.

We headed directly to the spot we planned to fish. Prior visits to this location had led us to believe muskie
could be located here. We cut the motor a hundred yards away. A cool breeze drifted us perfectly into position. I tied on a Mepps black fury (Musky Killer) with a black bucktail. Jon did the same. The smell of muskie was in the air.

Continue reading…

Shore Fishing Tactics

This week I will be (trying my best to) add at least one article or fishing log a day as I go through all of our features from the old site and adding them to the current site. Today’s addition is the first article ever written for Fishing Fury, back in 2004, about the very simple and effective shore fishing tactics Clive and I used on Toronto Island.

Every fisherman has been shore bound at one time. After all it is the oldest and most common method. You don’t have a boat, the body of water you’re fishing doesn’t support them, or it’s just not feasible to get your boat in or to the water. Many people think that you cant land big fish from shore, let alone a lot of them. But by using these tactics you will find the best structure and locations quickly getting you one step closer to hooking the big one.

The tactics discussed here are most important when fishing new water and there is only one rule: “cover everything”. You must be very thorough and meticulous in your approach the first few days. Think of it as a reconnaissance mission, you may not be catching fish your first day, but you’re gathering information that will lead to lots of fish later.

Continue reading…

New World Record Bass “Caught”- But Not Recorded

The current Largemouth Bass World Record caught by George Perry (more), has held it’s place for the past 73 years. Withstanding an enormous and growing sportfishing industry, from professionals to amateurs alike. Even a few possible, but not official, contenders to that record have come out in the past 20 years.

But now, we have proof of a record breaking Largemouth Bass topping the scales at 25 pounds.

Mac Weakley of Carlsbad caught what could be the world-record largemouth bass early Monday at Dixon Lake in Escondido.

The bass weighed 25 pounds, 1 ounce on a hand-held scale, which – if approved – would shatter the world record, the 22-pound, 4-ounce bass caught by George W. Perry at Montgomery Lake in Georgia in 1932.

Read more; World-record bass – maybe – pulled from Lake Dixon

However, things aren’t as simple as that day George Perry cast out his one and only lure. Turns out that Mac Weakly didn’t exactly catch the fish. In the previous article Mac does admit the fish was foul-hooked and might not be eligable for the record. The very next day Max retracted his entry.

Late last night, the man better known as Mac Weakley decided he’d had enough of the controversy behind his potential world-record catch, that 25-pound, 1-ounce Queen Kong of a bass he foul-hooked at Dixon Lake on Monday. He decided not to submit the catch to the International Game Fish Association for approval as the all-tackle, world-record largemouth bass.

“It’s a great day, but it’s a bad day,” Weakley said at his home in Carlsbad. “It was a valiant effort. We’ve been trying and trying to catch this fish for years. It’s the world-record bass. Unfortunately, it was foul-hooked.”

Weakley’s monster bass, caught on a Bob Sangster handmade white rattlesnake jig (on 15-pound P-Line monofilament) from Angler’s Arsenal, was weighed on a Berkley BogaGrip, a hand-held scale, but no measurements were taken of the biggest bucketmouth landed in the history of black bass fishing.

Read more; Bass fisherman decides not to submit papers for record, & Record* bass caught at Dixon

Mac’s gonna feel horrible if someone else officially catches this fish before he does. Good luck “Budda”.

Saturday Reading

• Canadian shark – The Underwater Times reports that a Quebec woman catches large rare rare shark while ice fishing.
• New Zealand shark – According to TVNZ, a huge six metre long great white shark has been sighted off the coast of Taranaki.
• China tragedy - Xinhuanet.com reports that a fishing boat caught fire on the Yellow Sea.
• 100 days on a raft – Where do I sign up for this? “The greatest fishing trip
• Weird catch – Bass fishing pro, Steve Daniel, reveals his weirdest catch at bassresource.com.
• Scary catch – The Sun Times repports that two teens have discovered a human head in the water while fishing in Florida.
• Table manners – The Underwater Times report that a dog trainer has been teaching sharks new feeding behavior.
• Pink dolphins – Traveling to Hong Kong? According to CNN, it is one of the best places in the world to see the rare pink dolphin.

Sunday Reading

• Cheap Advertising – Most of you have probably heard of the MillionDollarHomepage, now for ten cents a pixel, you can help a paraplegic angler closer to his dream by advertising on fishingpixels.com.
• After the storm – NBC2 News reports, only three months after hurricane Wilma tore through the town of Clewiston, a professional bass fishing tournament generates a cool three million dollars in four days.
• Sturgeon Recovery Plan – The Boonville Daily News reports that efforts are underway to help prevent the extinction of the “dinosaur of the Missouri and Mississippi River.”
• Echizen kurage – CNN reports that a slimy jellyfish weighing as much as a sumo wrestler has Japan’s fishing industry in the grip of its poisonous tentacles.
• Mystery Fish – An unusual fish has washed up on the shore of Cayman Brac and Cayman Net News needs your help identifying it.
• Fish extinction – Times Online reports a shortage of cod and tuna is forcing trawlermen to plumb the oceans to the cost of rare species
• A sharks tale – DiverNet.com reports that a fifty two year old spear fisherman has beat the odds and survived an attack from a great white shark in Australia.
• Record Stands – The NFWFHF has ruled that Luis Spray’s world record muskie will not be overturned despite efforts to prove its size was exaggerated.

Monday Reading

• Digital Cameras. In this day and age digital cameras are very important to any fisherman who practices catch and release. Finding the right camera can be hard, but this article can help you make the best choice.
• Flipper bait. ABC News reports that in some places they use dolphin as bait.
• Fishing ban. Not from over fishing, but for fear of poisoning.
• Don’t stop. Just because the weather has gotten cold, doesn’t mean you should stop fishing. Tips from Paul Stackhouse.
• De bait. A controversial fishing bill debated in Guam.
• Prohibited zone. Israeli Navy fires at a Palestinian fishing boat after it enters a prohibited area.