Sweetwater Insight Genesis Challenge

Alright Sweetwater fans, if you want to win some Sweetwater swag and improve the maps on your local lake- then read on.

We are holding a Sweetwater GoFree Mapping Challenge for all our fans using Lowrance and Insight Genesis.

Win this prize package by simply improving the maps on your favorite lake, river, or inshore spot.

The rules are simple:

1) Sign up for an Insight Genesis account-http://www.gofreemarine.com/insight-genesis

2) Go boating and/or fishing and record your sonar logs on your Lowrance HDS unit onto an SD card

3) Upload the sonar logs onto your Insight Genesis account

4) Once the maps are generated send a screenshot of your newly formed maps.

Take a before and after shot of your work on Insight Genesis and send it to us before April 30th.  

The winner will be selected according to the best transformation of a mapped area based on the amount of coverage and thoroughness of sonar logging.

TIP: TRY LOGGING AREAS THAT HAVE LITTLE TO NO MAPPING FOR EXTRA BEFORE AND AFTER EFFECT.

This contest will run through April 30th, and a winner will be selected during the first week of May. You can submit your before and after photos by sending them in a message on this page.

We will continue to post information about the contest, but if you have any specific questions please feel free to send us a message.

For more information on the Insight Genesis software visitwww.InsightGenesis.com

Happy Logging!

Catch More Bass on a Topwater Walking Bait

Early Morning is Prime time for a topwater walking bait

Topwater fishing is absolutely addicting! The adrenaline rush of watching a big bass come unglued on a lure at the end of your line is what we as anglers all dream about. Just like any bait and technique the key is in the detail. Having the right rod, reel, and line is extremely important as well as knowing exactly how to work a topwater bait in order to trigger fish into striking it.

Equipment:

Rod: Temple Fork Outfitters 7'3" Medium Action Baitcasting Rod

Reel: Quantum Tour MG 7:1:1 Gear Ratio

Line: 15lb Vicious Monofilament

Technique:

Catching bass on a topwater walking bait is truly all in the wrist. The technique of walking the dog or making the bait slash from side to side in rhythm definitely takes time to master. The key is twitching the bait by popping the rod tip down making the bait slide to the side, as it's sliding you pop the bait again making it change direction. Continue this twitching method while picking up small amounts of line with each twitch and pay attention to the rhythm or cadence as the bait comes back to the boat. Some days the fish want it walked fast and sometimes they want it slow so very your retrieve to see what they want on the specific day.

Peak topwater times:

Topwater is typically most effective during low light conditions. Early in the morning an late in the evening are definitely the peak periods of a topwaters effectiveness. That being said I have caght some big bass during the middle of the day on a topwater bait if the conditions set up right which typically means on cloudy or rainy days. Apart from actual time of day spring and fall are generally the best times of year to fish a topwater when fish are shallow and feeding aggressively.

So if your water temperature is in the 60 to 75 degree range do yourself a favor and give a topwater walking bait a shot. Twitch the bait from side to side over shallow points or flats and hang on tight. To watch a video on topwater walking baits click on this link: Catch More Bass on a Topwater Walking bait.

I'll see you on the water!!!

Joey Nania                                                                                   

Simple Remedy for Post Spawn Blues

The period of time directly following the spawn can be a little strange if you don't know how to adjust. This happens all across the country when the bass are transitioning and recovering from the stressful spawn.

Understand the Mood:

Understanding why a bass is doing what it is doing is critical to being successful on the water. This is no different when trying to pattern post spawn bass. Typically after the spawn bass will make there way toward deeper structure such as humps mid depth points or shallow points relating to current. The key to these type of places are the fact that they give a bass somewhere to rest and recuperate while picking off an easy meal.

What to Use:

Probably the most effective way to catch these fish that don't want to chase something for often a week or two after the spawn is a shaky head worm. While some post spawn fish will chase moving baits and eat topwater baits a shaky head fished slow around post spawn transition areas for the 1 to 3 weeks following the spawn is one hard to beat technique. My overall jig head and worm of choice is a 3/16 oz Zman Shaky HeadZ rigged with a 7 inch Zman Finesse WormZ. I like to very my color selection using lighter more natural colors in clear water and darker colors for stained or dirty water. As far as the rod and reel selection I prefer a 7 foot medium action rod with a size 2500 or 3000 reel. The size Vicious Pro Elite Fluorocarbon I use varies from 8lb test up to 12lb test based on how heavy the cover is that I am fishing around.

Sloooowww:

When fishing a shaky head the key truly is less is more. The less you do with the bait as far as working it during a cast the more fish you will catch. I often work my shaky head never letting it leave the bottom slowly counting every rock or limb on the way back to the boat. So let it settle to the bottom, fish it slow, and wait for the tell tail thump on the line.

I'll see you on the water!!!

Joey Nania

Early Season Smallies

Sonar shares his favorite techniques from his past for catching early spring Smallmouth.

Question:  I live in New England and I have been bass fishing for 30 years where I live in Massachusetts.  On Cape Cod there are a lot of small ponds and lakes and every year the fish start bedding in the third week in march but the weather is not stable what's your thoughts on catching lots of big smallies in the water I fish.  -Ron

Answer:

Ron, you are bringing me back to my youth with that question!

Of the many places that I have lived across the country, the New England still holds a special place in my soul.  

Early in my younger years I was introduced to bass fishing through our lake house in north-western Connecticut, where we had a wonderful native population of big Smallmouth.  Over the years I narrowed down a handful of proven tactics for these small New England lakes and ponds.

Tried & True Tube

As hard as I tried to find a better technique for catching early season Smallmouth, none were as effective as a tube.  

A tube is a special bait because, it has a tantalizing glide as it falls and also imitates a crawfish very well while being worked on a rocky bottom, which is exactly where these Smallmouth like to hang around in the early spring.  

With rocks providing warmth on sunny days, habitat for crawfish, as well as suitable bottom composition for the Smallmouth to fan a nest when the time comes, rocky flats are the places that I prefer to focus on.  On my lake in Connecticut, the best rocky flats were the ones that had deeper water close by, which offered the Smallies access to different depth zones without having to move far during adverse weather- and the tube was the best bait for this presentation.  

There are a lot of tubes out there, but I prefer finesse tubes, like the Zman EZ TubeZ, which have a narrower profile and appeal to the fish that live in the clear water that seems to be the norm in these small lakes and ponds.  I generally like a natural color that matches the color of the bottom, like a green pumpkin or brown.  One of my favorite colors is the Canada Craw color from Zman.   

Rigged correctly, a finesse tube, like the Zman EZ TubeZ, is an excellent Smallmouth bait.

The key to the tube is rigging it with an internally weighted jig head that has its weight distributed more evenly along the shank of the hook, in order to achieve the desired glide that makes the tube so effective.  Click HERE to see a video I did on how to rig this bait.

There are many tube jig heads on the market, but one that works very well- but actually was designed for swimbaits- is the HeadlockZ HD jig head (usually in 1/8 oz or 1/6 oz with a 3/0 hook) which has its weight spread on the shank.  All you have to do is simply insert the jig head through the hollow backside of the tube, push it all the way to the front and then pop the eye of the hook through the plastic.  If the tube is bent in any way due to the hook being shorter than the tube, just cut a slit where the hook exits the tube to straighten the tube out- which is essential when rigging a tube correctly.  

Zman HeadlockZ jighead

I pair this finesse rig with a 6'6" Medium spinning rod outfit, and 8-pound Vicious Pro-Elite Fluorocarbon.

The Amazing Ned

The Ned Rig

The next bait that I want to share with you is quickly becoming one of my favorite finesse rigs- the Ned.  

The Ned Rig is essentially a very similar technique to the finesse tube, however, it is a profile that fish haven't seen before in a artificial presentation, which makes it very effective for catching picky eaters.  The best thing about this bait is that has a great glide, and it stands straight on end every time and really gets those Smallies all riled up!

I must admit, I haven't had an opportunity to try it in New England since being introduced to it last year, but it is absolutely perfect for the style of fishing up there and I guarantee it will catch you a bunch of fish.

I once again focus on the rockiest flats on a pond with an emphasis on the deeper water drops as well as the biggest rocks in the area.  I will make long casts to rocks I can see and slowly hop this bait on the bottom if it doesn't get crushed on the initial fall.  

The rig consists of a Zman Finesse TRD (my favorite is either Canada Craw or Green Pumpkin) and their Finesse ShroomZ jighead (1/6oz is a good size).  I use the same rod and reel as the tube, but will often downsize to 6-pound Pro-Elite Fluorocarbon.  

Follow Up

The best thing about Smallmouth is their aggressive nature, and it is wise to take advantage of this characteristic.  

Being a power fisherman, I love to cover water quickly, which was often a conflict in the clear waters of the Northeast where finesse presentations rule.  However, I found that a soft plastic jerk bait appealed to the Smallmouth's curious and bold nature.  

Jerk ShadZ

On sunny, warm, early spring days, you will often see Smallmouth hunting the shallow rock flats in search of crawfish and warmth.  On these days I like to fan-cast a weightless jerk bait-such as a Jerk ShadZ (Shiner color is good)- on the entire flat, moving it with quick erratic jerks.  The key is having good polarized sunglasses (Costa Green Mirror 580 lenses are excellent) to look for Smallmouth that are following but not hitting your bait.  Some days they will inhale your bait, but on many occasions you are simply using the jerk bait to draw the fish to give up their location.  

Costa Sunglasses polarization technology is essential to spotting bit Smallmouth.

Once you get a Smallie to give up its location, quickly reel in your jerk bait and follow up with a precise cast with the Ned or the Tube to the location of the fish.  The fish will still be on high alert, and though it may not be willing to hit your jerk bait, it will not hesitate to crush the morsel you follow up with.

For the Jerk ShadZ I like a slightly stouter 6'6" Medium Heavy, fast action, spinning combo with 10-pound Pro-Elite Fluorocarbon.  I rig it using a weightless Texas Rig with a 5/0 Trokar TK110 hook.  

Fishing small lakes and ponds for Smallmouth is where I got my start in bass fishing, and I believe that if you take the techniques I have trusted for years to your local hot spots, you too will have memories of massive Smallmouth catches in New England ponds.  

Seek the bite!

-Sonar

Swimming For Numbers

The Zman SwimmerZ is the perfect compromise when it comes to targeting big bass and catching your limit.  

There is no doubt that targeting larger than average sized bass requires a different approach than fishing for numbers of fish.

One of the best examples of a technique that is geared towards catching bruiser bass is Swimbait fishing.

Swimbaiting has probably provoked a bigger underground following of big bass specialists than any other technique, and with the increasing numbers of these loyal big bait fans, there are an endless amount of bait designs that are geared toward one goal- the one big bite.

 Now, since I am first and foremost a tournament angler, I unfortunately don't have the time or the patience to focus on fishing days upon days for one life changing bite.  Instead, my goal is to find the biggest concentration of quality bites that I can in a day's time.  With my goals of catching quality and quantity in mind, I have found the perfect swimbait to accomplish both.

Let me tell you why the Zman SwimmerZ is my favorite Swimbait for filling my livewell with better than average fish.

The Three Bass

Traditionally, the challenge with Swimbait fishing is that when you throw the biggest of the baits, you limit the number of bites you get, and conversely, if you throw the smaller baits, you limit the average size of the fish you are catching.

To combat this delicate balance, I have found that the 6" SwimmerZ is a perfect compromise between offering a bigger bait, while also being accessible to average sized fish.  

Clear Water Powerhouse

One of the biggest challenges for clear water is finding a reaction bait that fish will actually like.  

Usually as a rule, the clearer the water, the less effective baits like spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Chatterbaits become because they have too much movement, flash and vibration for the picky clear water bass.  

With the SwimmerZ, I can cover clear water and pull fish from a long distance and still get them to commit because it is such a realistic presentation.  

Suspended King

As a rule, one of the most difficult fish to catch is a suspended one.  

Fish that relate to the middle portion of the water column are notorious for being difficult to catch, primarily for the simple reason that most techniques don't excel at targeting that part of the water column.  

The SwimmerZ is a big exception to that rule because you can manipulate the depth at which it runs by changing the jig head, the line size or the speed of the retrieve, to match the depth that the fish are relating to.  

Swim Gear

Another great thing about the SwimmerZ is that I don't need really specialized gear to fish them. 

Generally, I am going to use a very similar setup than I would when I fish a worm or a jig.  I like a 7' medium-heavy power, fast-action baitcasting rod, a 6.3:1 baitcasting reel and 12-20lb Vicious Pro-Elite Fluorocarbon.  

As far as the bait itself, I keep it very simple and almost always throw a Bad Shad colored 6" SwimmerZ and pair it with a 1/2oz HeadLockZ jig head, which is a great size for a wide variety of depth zones.  To top this package off, I add a dab of super glue to the shank of the jig head to keep the SwimmerZ from sliding down the shank, and you are good to go for dozens- if not hundreds- of fish on one bait because of the durability of ElaZtech.

If you are wanting to step up your big fish game but don't want to sacrifice a good majority of your numbers, the SwimmerZ is a perfect compromise and is an excellent way to get started with Swimmbait fishing.  

It has quickly become one of my favorite power fishing techniques, and I know it will become one  of your's too!

Happy Catching!

-Sonar

Athleticism In Fishing

When you think of sports and the talent someone must have to compete at a high level, you think of such things as, football, basketball, baseball, and many other competitive sports. You think of the incredible physical specimens that actually have the certain skill set that it takes to compete. A very small percentage of humans truly are gifted enough to compete at the highest level of there selected sport. Very rarely will people relate fishing to an athletic event or something that takes coordination or skill to become above average at, but trust me just like all the other competitive sports fishing is not as simple as the average person might think. This can be very easily recognized if you take a look at the standings and records for the Bassmaster Elite Series Tournaments over the last three years. The consistency of some anglers is absolutely amazing, you will find that many of the same anglers are repeatedly in the top, time and time again having the mental, as well as physical ability to compete and put themselves in a position to win.

Putting yourself in a position to win is not an easy thing to do. Many professional anglers never actually win an event throughout the course of their career. In comparison to baseball, competing in an eight tournament season with 3/4 of your finishes in the money would be equivalent to winning close to 3/4 of your games in a baseball season. One of the main reasons this is the case is that in almost all sports the playing field is the same each and every time, and with that being said the person with the most physical talent, strength, or skill, is going to win the majority of the time. Now take fishing, traveling from lake, to river, to reservoir all over the country with different mother nature curve balls being thrown at you every step of the way. Now this is something that can take the very most skilled talented angler in the world, chew him up and spit him out. Like so many sports that simply take physical talent with a little game planning, fishing is the opposite, making mental toughness and decision making just as important, or possibly more important than the physical ability. The best anglers are tough, hard working quick thinkers that can adjust at the drop of a hat. But don't get me wrong they are physically skilled and coordinated as well.

The physical side of fishing takes extreme hand eye coordination. As every angler knows quite often fish will position themselves up underneath cover such as docks or trees. Reaching these fish is practically impossible if you don't have extreme skill with either a baitcaster or a spinning reel. It is a true art form to be able to skip a 1/4 ounce jig 50 feet up under a boat dock effortlessly positioning the bait silently in front of a waiting fish’s mouth. If you don't think it takes skill just give it a try and you will be shocked at how much timing and coordination it requires. Another physical aspect is the long consecutive days that fisherman endure. Many anglers will go weeks at a time fishing 12 hours days in horrific weather conditions that would send most people running for the air conditioning or in some cases the nice warm fire place. Professional anglers don't get to choose the days they compete, whether it is 100 degrees or 20 degrees they are out there trying to figure out how to trick a little green fish into biting their artificial lure, while all the while the fish have thousands of live natural food options swimming nearby at any given time.

Based on these comparisons it is easy to see that fishing not only takes physical skill, but also requires incredible mental ability and toughness. Now obviously equipment is important as well. You don't see the best golfers in the world using wood clubs in a professional tournament and fishing is the same way. There are always new innovations in fishing equipment and lures that can affect your success as an angler. Reels and rods are getting lighter, smoother, as well as faster year after year. Most brands and models of reels offer a wide variety of speeds based on their gear ratios. Where 15 years ago you didn't have many options, now you can get the exactly what you need from a 4.7:1 all the way up to an incredible 8.0:1. All speeds of reels have their time and place based on what you want to use them for. 

Fishing is clearly my sport of choice. I truly love the athletic side of fishing as well as the mental side that often outweighs the physical. With the direction bass fishing is going through high school and collegiate teams it is only a matter of time until tournament bass fishing is recognized as a sport on the same level as all of the rest! 

I'll see you on the water!

Joey Nania

All The Chatter About Color

It's no secret- I'm a big Chatterbait fan!

It has become one of my go-to techniques in fishing, especially when I'm fishing shallow, dirty, water with plenty of cover.   

Being known as a Chatterbait aficionado through Sweetwater, I get the question from fans quite often- "what are my favorite colors for the Chatterbait?"

Though there is a wide variety of color patterns that Zman produces, I'm a big fan of keeping it simple, so here are the three color patterns that I use to cover all my Chatterbait fishing:

Green Pumpkin

Green Pumpkin is an excellent choice when fishing around grass, and for bass eating bluegills.

If I were to be forced to choose one color for the Chatterbait it would have to be some shade of Green Pumpkin.  

The reason that GP is so effective is primarily due to the sort of places that Chatterbaits excel at catching fish, which is usually around some sort of grassy cover.  I really like to fish around submerged vegetation like hydrilla, or milfoil, and the forage that usually inhabit these areas tend to blend in with the green environment.  It also has the ability to be visible, as well to look natural, in many different water clarities.  

Another reason I think GP is so productive is because it is a great imitator of a bluegill, which big bass love.

So, in general, if I'm fishing around grass, or I believe the bass are feeding on bluegill, Green Pumpkin is going to be my choice.  

White or White/Chartreuse

White is excellent for bass feeding on shad, and for fishing around hard cover in muddy water.

While Green Pumpkin is best for fish feeding on bluegill in grassy environments, a white, or white and chartreuse combo is best for situations when schooling baitfish (like shad) are prevalent.  

If I am faced with a situation where bass are using hard cover, like wood, or dock pilings, to ambush shad, some sort of white combo is an excellent choice.  

Black and Blue

Black and Blue is perfect for dark, tannic, stained water.

My final choice is probably my least used color, but it nonetheless needs to be part of your arsenal because there are situations where it will outmatch the other two colors.  

Usually, I fish black and blue in the same type of waters I fish the Green Pumpkin Chatterbaits, however, when I am fishing water that has a very dark, tannic, stain to it, I will go to the black and blue baits because they really imitate the forage in those darker waters well.  

In the end, color choices come down to confidence, and even though these three colors are guaranteed to catch you fish in almost any condition, the best thing you can have confidence in when it comes to color, is confidence in your color selecting abilities and not the colors themselves.  

Learn what colors tend to maximize success under various conditions and use that experience to recognize similar situations in the future and you will begin to unlock the key to choosing the right colors.

Keep Fishing!

-Sonar

Weightless Baits Catch Big Bass

In this day and age there are numerous of ways that an angler can rig a soft plastic bait. To name a few you have the, Carolina Rig, Texas Rig, Shakey Head, Drop Shot Rig, Mojo Rig, and more. These are all great options in the right situations throughout the year. But one way to fish soft plastics that gets less attention than the rest is fishing them weightless. In this case the only weight you have is the hook and the bait, and trust me this is a great way to catch big bass.

Some of my best tournament finishes I've ever had came from fishing with light tackle and weightless baits that have a slow, almost irresistible fall.

Zman Jerk Shadz

One of my go to baits that works great in the spring and also in the fall is a weightless Zman Jerk ShadZ. When rigging a Jerk ShadZ I use a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG Hook and I do what is called the texpose method in order to make the bait completely weedless. What I do is rig my bait just like a normal texas rig worm, where I come all the way straight through the plastic and then slightly burry the point of the hook into the bait. This results in a hook that is ready to release and stick the fish, as well as making the bait perfectly straight. Figuring out how to rig your fluke bait as straight as possible is very important, if the bait is off center on the hook just the slightest bit then the bait will spin and not swim like it's supposed to.

To see how to rig the bait in detail you can check out our video on our Sweetwater Fishing TV Facebook Page! 

One great thing about a weightless Jerk ShadZ is that it is a very versatile presentation. I like to very my retrieve when fishing it. Specifically, I will at times work the bait extremely fast making it twitch like a fleeing shad on the surface of the water and then when I come over a piece of cover or have a fish roll on the bait I can stop it and just let it slowly sink, which will trigger a lot of strikes. So weather they are extremely aggressive and chasing or if they want a slow falling presentation this bait is going to cover it all. It works near lay downs, docks, rocks, and seawalls, as well as in open water situations! It's definitely something that all anglers need to have in their arsenal.

Zman Zinkerz

Another excellent bait that was truly designed to fish weightless is the Zman ZinkerZ. This bait looks like nothing but catches fish like crazy! Rigging it weightless is by far my favorite method and I rig the bait exactly the same as I rig my Jerk ShadZ, using the texpose method. The key to the ZinkerZ is generally the less you do with the bait the more fish you catch. I like to let the bait do the work 90% of the time, just casting it out and letting it sink slowly. The way it falls and wobbles on the way down parallel to the bottom is just to easy of an opportunity for a bass to slowly swim up and inhale the bait.

When fishing the ZinkerZ or any weightless bait you always need to watch your line looking for a little twitch when the bass takes the bait or for your line to swim off if the bite was too light to be detected. Now occasionally I will twitch and pause the Stiko just like I fish a Jerk ShadZ, I do this specifically when I'm fishing around shallow scattered or matted grass, when doing this don't be surprised if a fish blows up on the bait just like they would on a topwater Spro Frog!

So whether you spend your time fishing big lakes and reservoirs, or small private ponds you will be blown away at the success you can have fishing weightless baits. I generally like to fish them using a 6'10" or a 7'3" TFO Tactical Series Spinning Rod, accompanied by a Quantum Smoke Speed Freak Reel, spooled up with 8lb to 12lb Vicious Pro Elite Fluorocarbon. The spinning tackle makes for easier casting with light weight baits as well as the opportunity to skip these baits like a stone way up under cover such as docks or overhanging trees. If you are fishing extremely heavy cover and are very talented then a bait caster can be used, but your simply not going to be able to get as far up under the cover as you can with a good quality spinning setup. So head over to Bass Pro Shops where you can get everything you need, because the weightless soft plastic bite is on now!

I'll see you on the water!!!

Joey Nania