Category: Reviews

Googan Baits Krackin’ Craw draws bite from big freshwater drum

10/10/2018

Josh Rouse holds up a 20-inch drum caught on a Googan Baits Krackin’ Craw rigged as a trailer on a Z-Man CrosseyeZ Power Finesse Jig. Photos by Josh Rouse

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

When water temperatures drop, appetites increase and a variety of fish species come in shallow to feed.

A crankbait or bass jig fished during the right conditions can wreak havoc on a variety of feeding species during this time, as walleye, catfish, drum and other deeper-water fish move into sometimes a couple of feet of water or less to fuel up for winter.

Westin Fishing’s Danny the Duck lure great for topwater bass

8/22/2018

Photo by Josh Rouse

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

The last throes of a brutally hot summer are upon us, and if you’ve done much pond fishing recently you know that the weeds and other plantlife that inhabit the small bodies of water are at their peak.

First bass caught on frog lure, live bluegill among milestones set by Kansas angler over holiday weekend

7/10/2018

Largemouth bass caught on a live bluegill. Photo by Emily Steimel-Handy.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

Any time you can knock off a new milestone in fishing, it’s exciting. Sometimes, you knock off several in one go.

Rock bass, warmouth among catches during busy week of fishing

7/5/2018

Josh Rouse holds his first rock bass, caught on a Strike King Coffee Tube. (Photos by Josh Rouse)

I took some time off from work last week to relax after a busy month on the copy desk, which gave me the perfect opportunity to get some fishing in and try out some new things.

Perfect conditions, B&P Jighead plastics lead to amazing day of bass fishing for friends

5/15/2018

Josh Rouse holds up a 19-inch largemouth bass he caught at a farm pond. Photo by Linnzi Fusco

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

A lot of factors go into determining whether you’ll have a successful day of fishing — barometric pressure, water clarity, temperature, time of day, even the phase of the moon all play a part in determining fish activity.

Wacky-rigged B&P Jighead 4-inch Senko cleans up on largemouths

5/6/2018

This bass bit on a 4-inch Senko made by B&P Jighead, based out of Carlyle, Ill.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

For those who have tried fishing Kansas waters in the past month, you may have noticed that the unusual weather patterns have been making the fish act a little wacky.

B&P Jighead allows for weedless, Texas-style Ned Rig or crappie jig fishing with sickle hook

4/10/2018

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

The air may still be a bit chilly, but the fishing has been hot so far this spring.

Recently I got a chance to do some dock fishing and decided to try out some new jig heads that I ordered online. The company, B&P Jighead, advertises itself as the “Home of the Tru Set Weedless Ned Rig.” If you’ve read my columns, you know I’ve done a lot of Midwest Finesse fishing recently and have a lot of love for the Ned Rig, named after Lawrence resident Ned Kehde. One of the problems I have with Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ mushroom jig head, though, is that my hooks will often get tangled up in weeds or snagged on structure during retrieves.

Review: Aqua-Vu fishing cameras great for locating, identifying groups of suspending fish near structure

2/13/2018

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE

When anglers sit out on the water, they tend to do a lot of guesswork about what’s going on below.

Sonar equipment takes a lot of that guesswork out of the equation, but if you’re not on a bass boat then you’re probably not using it unless you buy a handheld fish finder like the iBobber or Deeper, which have received somewhat mixed reviews from anglers for their accuracy.

Fishing Planet introduces kayaks, topwater, night fishing and more

12/5/2017

Screenshots provided by Fishing Planet

The “Fishing Planet” simulation video game has been hailed as one of the top fishing games on the market today, especially after making its jump to PlayStation 4 (free to play, no less!) in August.

However, an update that took place early Tuesday morning adds even more content to the already successful game, including kayak rentals, new fish species and topwater and night fishing.

Review: Rapala Fishing Pro Series an addicting arcade-style fishing game similar to Sega Bass Fishing

11/20/2017

RAPALA

With the chill of winter in the air and holiday season upon us, many anglers have left the chilly waterways for the comfort of their heated homes.