SK Hack Attack SpinnerBait Review by Bobby Saffel
Bobby
Most spinnerbaits today are not designed to be fished in the thickest, nastiest places on the lake. Due to light wires and smaller hooks, a couple of catches in the thick stuff will leave most spinnerbaits a mangled mess. There’s one spinnerbait on the market that can snatch fish out of the heaviest cover on the lake and be ready to get fired back out after the fish comes off the hook. In this review, I will discuss what sets the Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Spinnerbait apart from the rest.
If your gong to be successful at getting fish from heavy cover with a spinnerbait, then a strong wire arm and a good hook is a must. The Hack Attack Heavy Cover Spinnerbait comes with a strong Stainless Steel wire arm that’s much thicker than most spinnerbaits on the market. This arm can handle the fight from a big fish without turning into a clothes line. The hook is a beefy 5/0 Gamakatsu Siwash hook that will not bend even when tied on braided line. Usually with big hooks, having a needle point is difficult, but not with this hook.
The head is designed so that when it comes in contact with cover, it will roll the hook away from cover and prevent hang ups. The head is weighted towards the bottom so it keeps the head in contact with the cover and creates the reaction strike. The skirt is held on with a big band that keeps the skirt from getting pulled down during the fight. The skirt also has longer stands to act as a built in trailer.
Every spinnerbait comes with a colorado/willow combination. The 1/2oz model has a #2 colorado and #4 1/2 willow, while the 3/4 oz and 1 oz come with a #2 colorado and #5 willow. The Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Spinnerbait comes in seven colors to cover many different situations with 1/2, 3/4, and 1oz sizes to accommodate fish depth.
I hope that if you’re looking for a spinnerbait that can be fished in the thick stuff without fear of loosing fish that you’ll give the Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Spinnerbait a try. It can be purchased from Tackle Warehouse, Bass Pro Shops, and most local tackle stores.
WHOOSH | Don Barone Goes Fishing by: Don Barone
“That water is clear…”
Dateline: Can’t tell ya
It has come down to this,
I have way-pointed… a plant.
There is a lily pad out there with my name on it.
Now before we get too far into this tale I must make you aware of some of the parameters of this here story since it is a pure fishing story, and I’m telling it from the POV of an angler, me, I must, rightfully, give you full disclosure on the inner workings of angler storytelling:
- Some, but not quite all of this story, are lies.
- What ain’t lies may in fact be some stretching of the truth.
- What ain’t stretching of the truth may in fact be exaggerations.
- And in fact in re-telling this story over the years both me and the bass will be gaining weight.
- And when I up and pass away my children will tell my grandchildren of their Granddaddy’s damn-near Connecticut State Record Bass.
Just so you know upfront-like.
I also won’t be givin’ you any details I don’t want to give you, that’s fair in angling storytelling, but I will, being a trained journalist, give you those four or five “W” things that I was taught every story has to have. Here goes:
- WHO: Me, and my buddy, Dr. Mac.
- WHAT: Not saying, see paragraph above
- WHERE: None of your business, see ‘graph see.
- WHEN: Maybe, yesterday, maybe not.
- WHY: Frankly I’m not sure.
- HOW: See WHY above.
Okay, now we can do this, my first angler storytellin’ with me actually holding a pole and flinging fish catching stuff every-which-way in the hopes there is one bass left on this planet that hasn’t had fishing catching stuff flung his/her way.
Comes, WHOOSH…
Crowder Clinches Potomac Win – Rayovac FLW Series – Northern Potomac River (June 19-21, 2014)
Crowder Clinches Potomac Win
Top co-angler Kermit Crowder swept the event wire-to-wire. (Photo by David A. Brown)
Local experience facilitates co-angler win in Rayovac Northern Division
21.Jun.2014 by David A. Brown
MARBURY, Md. – Kermit Crowder, of Matoaca, Va. completed his wire-to-wire victory with the largest sack of day three, 12-15, and tallied a total of 39-8 in the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event on the Potomac River.
MARBURY, Md. – Kermit Crowder, of Matoaca, Va. completed his wire-to-wire victory with the largest sack of day three, 12-15, and tallied a total of 39-8 in the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event on the Potomac River.
Consistency is the elusive objective co-anglers commonly face when fishing from the back of the boat. The final round occasionally reunites two anglers, but co-anglers are guaranteed a different partner the first two days of competition. That often means different locations and scenarios requiring different baits and tactical skills.
Crowder certainly faced his share of diversity, but you wouldn’t know it from his consistent performance. Suffice it to say that his was a python’s grip on the top spot. Day one, he led by 11 ounces; day two, that lead reached 2-1. And when the dust settled on Saturday, Crowder walked away with the win by a margin of 3-8.
Crowder summarizes his winning tactics: “I caught them the first day flipping docks and that’s something I don’t do much. I got lucky and caught a 5-pounder on a dropshot and that’s definitely something I don’t do.
“The second day, I caught all of my fish in about an hour’s time on a ChatterBait. Today, I caught fish on a frog and a Senko.
Crowder points to his vast local knowledge as the key ingredient for his consistency.
“I fish this river a lot and just about every spot we went to, I’ve fished before,” he says. “So basically, I knew how deep the water was, what the tide was doing and what I should be throwing.”
Demarion delivers for second
On day one, Destin Demarion found himself in a 3-way tie for 15th place with 11-9. The next day, he broke away and climbed eight spots to place seventh. He continued his path of improvement in the final round by moving up another five notches to finish second with 36-0.
“I did a lot of different things,” says the co-angler from Grove City, Pa. “The first day, I caught them on a frog really good. The second day I caught them on a wacky-rigged worm and then today was just a little bit of everything. I caught them on a ChatterBait and a Whip ‘Em Baits spinnerbait.
“I didn’t put a trailer on the spinnerbait, but I put on a trailer hook. That was key because I did catch a couple on that trailer hook. They were biting kind of funny this morning and I was able to catch the ones that bit.”
Reese rises to third
Marvin Reese, of Gwynn Oak, Md., entered the final round in fifth place and, after sacking up a solid limit of 11-2, he rose to finish third with 34-14.
Reese said he wasn’t able to get bit on his favored tactic of flipping a jig. He ended up catching his weigh-in fish on a Senko and a creature bait.
Scott edges Garner by an ounce
Gabriel Scott, of, Ruckersville, Va., edged fellow co-angler Cort Gardner, of Jessup, Md., by the slimmest of margins to take fourth place with 34-6. Cort settled for fifth with 34-5.
On day three, Scott caught his fish on a ChatterBait and a frog. Gardner tempted his fish with a popper and a Senko.
Best of the rest
Rounding out the top-10 co-angler leaders at the Rayovac FLW Series Potomac River event:
6th: Ben Wright, of Peru, N.Y., 33-8
7th: Jeremy D. Ives, of Burgaw, N.C., 31-4
8th: Leroy Harriott, of Woodbridge, Va., 31-1
9th: Johnny Clark, of Fredericksburg, Va., 29-8
10th: David Sasser, of Sneads Ferry, N.C., 25-9
Kemp Wins Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division Event On The Potomac River- Rayovac FLW Series – Northern Potomac River (June 19-21, 2014)
Kemp Wins Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division Event On The Potomac River
Crowder wins co-angler title
21.Jun.2014
LA PLATA, Md. – William Kemp of Scotland Neck, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to clinch the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event on the Potomac River with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 45 pounds, 9 ounces. For his victory, Kemp earned $38,936.Kemp, who weighed a tournament-best 19-2 on Thursday, moved up from fifth place on the final day to earn his second win in FLW competition.“I caught most of my fish in the morning on a topwater bait,” says Kemp. “I was throwing a fry-colored Lobina Lures Rico. I threw it around matted grass at low tide. I fished all the way around the mat and caught one flipping and one on a ChatterBait, then I picked that topwater up and probably caught 30 fish on it.
LA PLATA, Md. – William Kemp of Scotland Neck, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to clinch the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event on the Potomac River with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 45 pounds, 9 ounces. For his victory, Kemp earned $38,936.Kemp, who weighed a tournament-best 19-2 on Thursday, moved up from fifth place on the final day to earn his second win in FLW competition.“I caught most of my fish in the morning on a topwater bait,” says Kemp. “I was throwing a fry-colored Lobina Lures Rico. I threw it around matted grass at low tide. I fished all the way around the mat and caught one flipping and one on a ChatterBait, then I picked that topwater up and probably caught 30 fish on it.
“I flipped grass in the middle of the day and culled for ounces,” Kemp adds. “Then, at the very end of the day, I hit one spot with some wood and I caught a 5-pounder and a 3-pounder on a black and blue-colored Strike King Bitsy Flip Jig with a NetBait Paca Craw trailer.
“When I had my big bag on the first day I had to go to lighter line and smaller baits,” Kemp explains. “I had to finesse them a little this week.
“After I caught my two big fish at the end of the day today, I thought I had a shot to win,” Kemp says. “I wasn’t sure, but I knew I had a chance. It’s unbelievable to win. I have to thank my wife. I was considering not fishing this event, but she pushed me and it just worked out.”
The top 10 pros on the Potomac River were:
1st: William Kemp, Scotland Neck, N.C., 15 bass, 45-9, $38,936
2nd: Gregory Wilder, Brooklyn Park, Md., 15 bass, 44-5, $15,088
3rd: Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 15 bass, 44-4, $11,681
4th: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 15 bass, 43-15, $9,734
5th: Michael Hall, Annandale, Va., 15 bass, 42-6, $8,761
6th: Chris Novack, Mansfield Center, Con., 15 bass, 42-3, $7,787
7th: Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., 15 bass, 41-10, $6,814
8th: Robert Grike, Dumfries, Va., 15 bass, 41-9, $5,840
9th: Mike Hicks, Goochland, Va., 15 bass, 40-3, $4,867
10th: Walter Snider, Mount Airy, Md., 15 bass, 36-10, $3,894
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Kemp also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Thursday – a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $286.
Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Va., won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor, as well as $5,000 for being Ranger Cup qualified, with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on the Potomac River were:
1st: Kermit Crowder, Matoaca, Va., 15 bass, 39-8, Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower outboard + Ranger Cup $5,000
2nd: Destin Demarion, Grove City, Pa., 15 bass, 36-0, $4,875
3rd: Marvin Reese, Gwynn Oak, Md., 15 bass, 34-14, $3,900
4th: Gabriel Scott, Ruckersville, Va., 15 bass, 34-6, $3,412
5th: Cort Gardner, Jessup, Md., 15 bass, 34-5, $2,925
6th: Ben Wright, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 33-8, $2,437
7th: Jeremy Ives, Burgaw, N.C., 15 bass, 31-4, $1,950
8th: Leroy Harriott, Woodbridge, Va., 14 bass, 31-1, $1,706
9th: Johnny Clark, Fredericksburg, Va., 13 bass, 29-8, $1,462
10th: David Sasser, Sneads Ferry, N.C., 11 bass, 25-9, $1,219
Ives caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division Thursday – a 7-pound, 7-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $190.
The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the no-entry-fee Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2014 Rayovac FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 30-Nov.1 on Wheeler Lake in Rogersville, Ala.
The Rayovac FLW Series on the Potomac River was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and the Charles County Government – Office of Tourism. It was the first of three Northern division events in 2014. The next Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division tournament will be held July 17-19, on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y. For a complete schedule, visit FLWOutdoors.com.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.
Clinton goes deep to win high school title – Bassmaster High School Open Douglas Lake – Dandridge, TN, Jun 20 – 21, 2014
Clinton goes deep to win high school title
Craig Lamb
Jacob Mashburn (left) and Jake Lee of Clinton High School, Clinton, Tenn., won the 2014 Bassmaster High School Classic, and added another notch to their collective belt Saturday with the 2014 Bassmaster High School Open title.
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — You don’t always get to play to your angling strength when going for the win in a bass tournament. Sometimes it takes digging deep into the bottom of the tacklebox for a lure that only gets used when absolutely necessary.
A jigging spoon was the lure that Jake Lee and Jacob Mashburn used. Both anglers favor fishing for bass in shallow water. Going offshore and jerking a piece of flattened lead over deep-water structure is far from their favored choice of techniques.
“We knew to win this we’d have to go deep,” Mashburn said. “We knew it would take leaving behind our mindsets about shallow water.”
Doing so paid off with the first place trophy at the Bassmaster High School Open presented by Carhartt. Lee and Mashburn caught 30 pounds, 11 ounces to win the two-day competition on Douglas Lake.
Mercury Marine Introduces 3 New 4-Stroke Outboards by: admin
Mercury Marine is proud to introduce its new 75, 90 and 115hp FourStroke outboards, which offer the ultimate combination of power and thrust, unsurpassed fuel economy, extreme reliability and smooth, quiet operation – all in a lightweight, compact package. These engines are the new best choice for bass, deep-vee, runabout and offshore boats as well as pontoons and saltwater skiffs.
Vicious Fishing Extends Contract with Trophy Technologies by: admin
Vicious Fishing announced that it will be extending its licensing contract through 2018 with bait manufacturer, Trophy Technologies, LLC. This long-term contract comes as part of a focused brand growth initiative. The current lineup of Vicious baits includes crankbaits, jerkbaits, frogs, musky soft plastics, and saltwater soft plastics. With the announcement of the extension, new baits being added to the family will include crankbaits for walleye, salmon and steelhead.
A.R.E. Enters Marketing Partnership with Xpress Boats by: Terry Brown
A.R.E. Accessories has entered a marketing partnership with Xpress Boats. A.R.E. is the manufacturer of truck caps and accessories for outdoors people, anglers and construction fields. “Our agreement brings together like minded sporstman, sharing like-minded core values and vision” said Bryan Baker Director of Marketing at A.R.E.
Mill Creek leads High School Open – Bassmaster High School Open Douglas Lake – Dandridge, TN, Jun 20 – 21, 2014
Mill Creek leads High School Open
Craig Lamb
Mill Creek’s 5-bass limit—weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces—put them in the lead Day 1.
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — For Noah Pecitelli and Westin Sachs, the game plan is all about applying local knowledge on a strange lake.
Doing so paid off Thursday for the two anglers from Mill Creek High School located in Buford, Ga. The team’s 5-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces, has them in the lead at the Bassmaster High School Open presented by Carhartt.
The local knowledge comes from Lake Sidney Lanier. The strange water is Douglas Lake. During summer you’ll find the bass in both impoundments inhabiting deep, current-rich water offshore.