The lures of Billy Westmorland

I was reading a old classic book this winter, Them Old Brown Fish, by Billy Westmorland, and it struck me.  One of the greatest Smallmouth Bass fishermen of all time relied on three simple lures to catch most of his big bass.  And I mean big!!!  A couple ten pounders and a mid-nine pounder.  Three of the top 25 largest Smallmouth bass ever caught were taken by Westmorland.

What I realized is that these three lures could be made with Do-It molds.  Blade baits; Westmoreland can be quoted that the blade bait may be one of the greatest Smallmouth baits ever made... Cut Face Tail Spinners: not only accounted for his biggest fish but one that got away that he claimed could go 12 pounds...And, The Hoss Fly Jig:  Aspirin head, craft hair body, Split tailed eel pork bait on the rear.

So I did a little piece on the Lures of Billy Westmorland and some instructions on tying the Hoss Fly Jig.

If you are coming from either Midwest Outdoors or the Do-It website, thank you for stopping in.

Think "Ice-Out"....

Marc

Blade Baits.....

Blade baits like the old Heddon sonar have been around for years.  Many anglers have discovered how effective they are for many species.  Some haven't discovered that yet.  I hope this video helps some of you discover the power of the Blade Bait.  There are many on the market right now but this video will show you how easy they are to make and how cost effective it is to make your own.  If you fish blade baits, this Do-It molds will pay for itself nearly instantly.  So thanks for watching the video and remember, There are two types of fishermen, Those that love blade baits, and those who haven't figured out how much they love blade baits....... Marc

Do-It 4" Wutz-It and Bullet Head Combo

The Video explains the use of the Do-It 4" Wutz-It and Bullet or Darter Head jigs.  The article currently runs in the December issue of Midwest Outdoors.  Thank you for visiting and please post any questions.  Good fishing!  Marc

Do It Flutter Jig

For those of you that haven't used jigging spoons I made this video to help you understand how to make them and use them.  This is one of the most versatile lures out there for all fresh and saltwater fish.  I'm talking jigging spoons in general, but specifically the Do-It Flutter jig that you can make yourself for less than 10% of the cost of a store bought jigging spoon.  Right now, a musky is about the only thing I haven't caught on it.  And just this season I caught my personal best Smallmouth on one that weighed a little over 7 pounds.

Thanks for checking out the video.  I have some other videos that I will be putting together in the next month and I should have some fish catching action to go along with them.  Good fishing.... Marc 

Jigs for Spring

Wow, it's been a long winter. Finding open water has been a struggle this year. Even the inner harbor has been iced over a few weekends. January was a bust but some fish have started to show up this month and March should be spectacular if we get rid of this harbor ice.

Thanks to my IT specialist and nephew Taylor, he has shown me how to get a video on this blog. Let the fun begin.

On this video I will teach you how to tie my bucktail and marabou minnow jig. I rely on this bait on Lake Michigan when conditions get tough. Clear cold water in March and April are one situation. In fact, in clear calm conditions almost any other time of the year this will come through when other presentations wont. Fish these on 8# test or lighter and if possible a fluorocarbon leader. Don’t over-fish it. I swim these with the reel.

It’s an easy tie and a great time to whip up a couple dozen to get you through the start of the year. More to come!

Tight lines, and smooth drags.

Marc

Catching Up

Wow, I was right.  We did pay for that warm spring.  The record summer temps didn’t help as well.  There were some of the highest surface temps on the lake that I remember.  Things held together till around July 4^th and then it was 7 weeks of bath water. 

Right Now

But here we are.  We made it through the shore fishing doldrums and starting Labor Day weekend it has been very good and fairly consistent.  Crankbaits early and late have been taking some nice 4 year old Kings.  Flicker Shads and #5 Bomber Fat Free Shads.  I have to say it again; the Flicker Shad is the best lure out there for $3.99!

In-Fisherman: Tubes for Trout and Salmon

In case you are interested, my article regarding fishing tubes for Lake Michigan Trout and Salmon is running in the In-Fisherman right now.  Outside of these spawning Kings, the tubes are  deadly all season long. 

Full Moon Walleye

The photo is my daughter Ava with a nice Lake Minocqua Walleye that she caught on our August vacation.  This fish hit her Deep Thunderstick Jr while we were fishing the evening of a full moon.  It came from the shallow saddle between Kline and Jossart Island.  After we shared high fives, there was still time for one more drift so we set up in the exact same place.  I was still picking up pliers, flashlights and putting the net away when Ava made another cast.  “Dad I have another fish”, she exclaimed.  I look over and the rod is pinned to the gunwale and line is screaming from the reel.  I reached over and lifted the rod to feel what it was and I felt a big head shake.  A BIG head shake!  That’s when I started to get nervous.  The fish was still screaming 8# line off the reel and heading back to the west and into the bay.  We were drifting the other way.  That’s when I told Ava to hold the rod high and I spun the bow around with the trolling motor and we started to chase it.  We followed it for a half a minute or so and then the fish stopped.  Ava tugged a while but by then I could see that it wasn’t moving.  I helped her pull and we got back a bushel of weeds and bottom debris about 8’ up the line.  That fish (I am presuming a big Musky) ran her through about 30 yards of weeds and got off.  We did get the T-Stick back featuring some serious tooth gouges.  I was a pretty exciting two casts that we won’t ever forget.  And she got to feel the power of a big musky.

 

The warm weather, we will pay for this!

It’s hard to believe that these pictures were taken two Sundays ago. And here we sit with 75 degrees.

Yes, it is fun to have this warm weather in mid-march, but if this keeps up, we will pay for it.

We have had a couple good years of shore and near shore fishing due to cool springs. The longer it takes for the water to warm, the better the shore fishing will be in midsummer. If this warms up too fast, June, July, and August could be a bust.

We already have water temps in the low 40’s. We often don’t see this till mid to late April.

So, there is nothing we can do but enjoy the great Brown Trout action we have now. Browns, Browns, Browns. Some big ones too. Crankbaits, Thundersticks, and tube jigs are red hot. Spoons not so much yet, but that will be changing with temps breaking that magic 42 degree mark.

Get out there and enjoy it now and let’s hope that it cools off a little or we will be talking about carp fishing this summer.

The In-Fisherman Great Lakes Tube Jig article is in the can and will run in one of the summer issues. I'll keep you posted

Tight lines and smooth drags!

Marc