What Do We Have Here?

Maybe my new river boat?

  There were the teaser videos and pictures like the ones above that were ripped from the videos. There was a some chatter online and quite a few questions as to what this thing was really going to be. How big is it? What's it going to look like? Is there going to be a peddle version? I see it says "Topwater Series" does that mean three or four boats? And I was right there with the best of them. I pestered poor Ryan Lilly (Brand Manager for Johnson Outdoors Watercraft Division) but he held strong and wouldn't spill the beans. He just asked that I promote/share any social media stuff they released. Fine. Whatever. I thought you liked me.

 Now you can have all the sizzle and flash in the world but if you can't deliver you'll be outed pretty quickly. With that being said Old Town did a similar launch with the Predator Series and hit it out of the park. So I figured they had something cool on the horizon and any questions I had would be answered at ICAST which at the time was only about six weeks away.

 With ICAST right around the corner and teaser videos were being released each week leading up to the event a dealer brochure was leaked and I saw there was the 120 I knew that was the one I wanted. Now the questions of how well does the 120 paddle? Will it make a good river boat and will I like it once I put it to use?

 When I got to ICAST and made my way over to the Old Town/Ocean Kayak booth I saw something like seven or eight different Topwaters in various colors and models. To jump back a little there are three different models in the Topwater Series. The 106, 120 and the 106 PDL. 106 and 120 standing for ten feet six inches and twelve feet respectively. Each with the same four color options.

Photic

 

First Light

Boreal

Olive

The Duck's Guts

 I know, it's kind of a gross term I picked up from an old business acquaintance but it made me chuckle and it's funnier than saying "here's the bottom line." The duck's guts, I dig it. I like the open platform. There is a huge tank well so you have plenty of aft storage space. The seat! I hadn't even mentioned the seat. It's a variation of their Element Seat that's part of the Predator Series and I like it as well or better than the Element Seat in my Predator PDL. Total home run.

 One of the things that I have insisted on being part of any boat I own is a center hatch, because that's where I like to stow my rods both on the water (to keep them out of the way) and during transport (out of sight and protected from the elements). On a recent weekend fishing trip the only time I missed having the center hatch was to and from the lake. As a matter of fact I didn't miss it at all on the water. Having a nice clean open deck in front of me was truly a pleasure.

 How's it paddle? Well I'm glad you asked. But before I answer let me give a brief explanation before I give it so it doesn't sound like I'm being negative or critical.

 This is a twelve foot long boat that is 33.5" wide so it's not a race boat. It's well a utility boat... It paddles good enough to cover some water, tracks well and turns quickly for a boat with a Tri-Hull design. One thing I noticed is there is almost no "bow walk" (which is a good thing) even though this thing seems to have more than enough rocker to get it to turn quickly. Her real strength is her stability, rock solid.

 For now the only real change I'm wanting to make is to install a rudder and maybe a rod holder or two but nothing radical. They've done a good job, I may just have to hold on to this one. Or add another to the fleet.

 Is it going to make a good river boat? Well you'll just have to come back next week and I'll let you know. For now though my first impressions are good. She makes a great "throw and go" boat that has a ton of capacity (ok a 1/4 ton) is more than comfortable enough to spend the entire day on the water in. Is stable enough to inspire confidence in just about any conditions and paddles well. I dig it.

Until next week,
Tight Lines

H

The Art Of The Toad

  My Absolute Favorite Topwater

 Where a lot of people throw a buzzbait I throw a toad. Outside of big wake baits like rats, toads rule my topwater world. I've caught more 5+ pound bass on a toad than any other topwater lure. I also throw it more than anything else too.

 Now when I say toads I'm not talking about hollow bodied frogs those are completely different baits. I'm talking solid bodied baits that you rip across the surface. Like the ZOOM Horny Toad or Bass Assassin Logger Toad. Cast and crank, tear it through the grass and weeds and hold on.

  Toads became my go to topwater lure several years back, I loved fishing buzz baits but grew frustrated with the prop constantly getting bound up with weeds. So I started tinkering around with toads and the more I used them the more versatile I found they are. Not only are they fairly weedless but I fish them in more than one way.

 Although they are intended to be topwater lures but you can also fish them as a wake bait, slow roll  and present them mid-column or even drag them on the bottom. I've caught fish on all of those presentations. I will also use them as jig trailers. Experiment, it's fun.

   
 In the above picture are my hands down favorite toads. I have literally caught hundreds upon hundreds of fish on those three baits with the ZOOM Horny Toad (center) being the king. The Bass Assassin Logger Toad (left) has similar sound to the Horny Toad but I think it's a little more subtle because the legs are longer. I like to use it as my first change from the Horny Toad if things start to slow down, it's also a great jig trailer. The toad to the right is the Strike King Rage Tail Toad, I like it for it's action (read sound) and I've caught a few really good fish on it.

  There are only two things I think about when it comes to choosing what toad I'm going to use. It's tone, either being light or dark with no real color preference and the sound it makes coming across the surface. I throw white, some kind of green or brown and black. I will also throw other colors or two tones but really it's all about light or dark tone to me. 

 Sound is as important if not more important than color. You have to experiment a little at times but I have found that if the bite shuts off or slows down sometimes just a change in leg types will put you back on fish. I don't know what the bass are hearing when certain toads or topwater baits come across the water but the Horny Toad and the Logger Toad sound like shad busting the surface to me. Again I don't know what they're hearing but those two baits in particular sound like shad or little baitfish busting the surface to me.

 I have had so much fun throwing these baits and learning how to use them that I think everyone should at least give them a fair shot. You don't need a special rod and reel combo in fact I use kind of a beater set up. It's a 6'9" med-hvy/extra fast with a 8:1 reel and the reel I just "up-graded" (more of a lateral move quality wise) last year. I do recommend running braided line you don't want any stretch when you set the hook. Nothing fancy and the rig can double as a jig/Texas rig combo in a pinch. 

 Honorable mention, the Stanley Ribbit is one of if not the most popular toad on the market and many a fish have fallen for these. They are on my short list for go to toads. The plastic is dense and fairly durable as far as soft plastics go and they make plenty of noise coming across the water.

 Lastly two things, don't be afraid to throw these babies in open water and I love to fish them at night too. My favorite bait to a fault. Next time you're out give 'em a shot you won't be disappointed.

Until next time, tight lines.

H

                   

Absolute Rod Basics

 Picking a fishing rod can be confusing and frustrating if you don't know what you want or know what to look for going into the process. 

 The first thing to know is what you're going to use it for. I know, I know, fishing haha. No what type of lures or technique are you wanting the rod(s) for? Because you buy rods and rod and reel combos based on the lure or technique not the other way around. You've got to know what you're going to do before you go blowing money on stuff.

 Let's do this. Let's assume you're in the market for your first bait casting combo so you want an all-around rig that will do most things well enough to get you by but still good enough to change out a reel to make it a good technique specific rig later on.

 To me probably the most useful rod is a 7' Medium Heavy - Fast. Depending on the brand they can be stout enough to throw 5"-6" swimbaits or limber enough to throw certain weightless soft plastics. By changing reels I can transform a Jig/Texas Rig combo into something that is ok for spinnerbaits and swim jigs. It just depends on the rod.

 A 7' Medium/Heavy - Fast covers so many bases it's not funny they are generally rated to handle baits from about 3/8oz to 1oz meaning they're right in the sweet spot of most lures that are produced for inshore and freshwater fishing. The action isn't too far out of whack either way to make it unusable and the length is manageable for most places you'll fish. This is just my take on it.

Getting Down To Business

 You can go over the deep end geeking out on rod specs but when it comes down to it you really only need to understand two basic ratings of a rod.

1. Power
2. Action

After that you can start getting very particular about what rod you want for what application.

 One last thing before I try to lay this out for you. There is no industry standard for ratings although most rod ratings are close to each other every no two manufacturers products feel the same in the hand even if the load capacities and actions are supposedly the same. Also I believe some companies over rate rods where some under rate them. Neither is necessarily a bad thing you just need to know that going in.

  I HAVE THE POWER!!!

 Power ratings are pretty straight forward. The power of a rod is it's ability to handle a given load. Meaning the weight of the lure and the line test it's designed to comfortably handle. NOT the size fish you can land with it. Depending on the style of rod ratings generally range from Ultra-Light to XXX Heavy. So you can get a spinning rod that is an Ultra-Light for small panfish and trout lures to XXX Heavy bait casting rods for large swimbaits and esox lures.

 That's why it's a good idea to know what you're fishing for and what type bait or lures you're planning on using.

 In the pictures below are two completely different rods from my arsenal. The top is my Ultra Light and you'll notice it's load rating is from 1/16-3/8 of an ounce with a recommended line test of 2-8 pounds. The second pic is one of my swimbait rods and it's load rating is from 1-4 ounces and a recommended line test rating of 30-80 pounds. Again different tools for different jobs.

 Action Jackson Baby!

 The action of a rod is the "speed" of the taper or the percentage of the rod tip that is tapered. The longer the taper the slower the action. The shorter the taper the faster the action.

 Here is another easy way to look at it. An Extra Fast taper takes less time to make your lure to respond to a hook set than a slow taper. The faster the action the faster the hook set and the stiffer the rod will feel overall. Make sense?

  A lot of anglers like a slower action lighter power rods for baits with fine wire hooks like some crankbaits or small inline spinners like a Rooster Tail for example. On the flip side most like a heavy power, fast or extra fast taper for baits like frogs, toads and buzz baits. Again you match the rod to the bait or technique to a certain extent you have to muddle your way through it to find what you like and what works best for you.

 For me in general I prefer a fast taper on all of my rods but I do have a couple Extra Fast one being the rod in the above picture and my "toad rod". The "swimbait rod" in the picture above I got off a clearance rack for $20. It's taper is actually too fast for what I use it for but I make it work because I can store it in the hull of my Trident and if something happened to it I won't be heart broken. I actually like the rod in the very top picture for most of my swimbait work. It's an 8'+ rod with a true fast taper and is rated from 2-6oz. Great set-up for me and what I use it for.

 The rods I use the most though are all Med/Hvy Fast of different brands and they are all completely different from one brand to the next. I have made all of them as technique specific as I can but still retain their utility if I have a failure on the water and need to change up.

 I hope this helps.

Tight Lines
H