Beaver Lake FLW Tour

I've been a little bit slow to post a report on my latest FLW Tour event a couple of weeks ago at Beaver Lake, Arkansas.  This was the third of six events on the season and it went pretty good for me.  It was my best finish so far on the season, 45th place, which netted me a $10,000 cheque!  These FLW tournaments pay $10,000 to 50th place, so the main goal is to make it into the top 50 at each event.  It sounds easy, just finish in the top 50, but let me tell you, it isn't!  These guys are very competitive, there are a lot of hungry anglers out there!  

In the tournament I ended up catching all of my weigh fish on a Jackall Squad Minnow 115 jerkbait.  I got on a jerkbait deal in practice and just kinda ran with it through the event.  I probably should have spent a little more time fishing deeper around some of my better spots with a drop-shot rig but it's all a learning process.  I did catch some nice fish drop-shotting after the event was over.  

Here are a few photos from fishing at Beaver Lake.  It was a fun lake, lot's of fish.  

Here was a nice spotted bass that I caught in practice.  I caught it on a Northland Bug-A-Boo Jig off of a dock.  

Also from the first day of practice, a big largemouth on a Yellow Hammer Umbrella Rig.  As it turned out, most of the top finishing anglers in this event fished an umbrella rig, I just couldn't get enough bites on it to use it in the tournament.  I think I need to get on a body of water where there is a hot bite happening, catch some fish on it and get some confidence.  It catches big ones! 

My practice partner, Darryl Galusha from Kenora with a nice walleye...Beaver has plenty of them as well!  

Beaver Lake has a unique population of MEANMOUTH BASS, shown in this picture.  They are cross bretween a spotted bass and a smallmouth.  They are kinda shaped like a spot, yet coloured like a smallmouth.  Pretty bass!

The day after the tournament I got to spend a couple hours in the boat with some of the top anglers on the FLW Tour going through some Minn Kota/Humminbird product training.  From L-R - Tim Price from M.K./Humminbird, Brent Ehrler, Chad Morgenthaler and Brett Hite.  It was fun and we got to see the new Humminbird 360 in action, as well as some of the new features of the I-Pilot Link system.  

I fished Beaver for a few days after the tournament and caught this big largemouth on a Jackall Mudsucker topwater bait.  

Next event is mid-May at Lake Eufala, Alabama.  Follow online at www.flwoutdoors.com 

KrugerFarms.com / Crown Royal / Sunset Country Sweepstakes

For my friends in the U.S., KrugerFarms.com, Ontario's Sunset Country and Crown Royal are doing a promotion that will bring two anglers up to experience Ontario's TOP-NOTCH fishing in August 2013.  

Visit https://www.krugerfarms.com/cr/age_verify.cfm to enter these sweepstakes!  

At this point, this offer is only open to residents of the United States, we're working on doing a Canadian promotion down the road.  You must be 21 years of age to enter.  

Ice fishing in Sunset Country

I have been living on the ice over the past week or so, catching a little bit of everything.  Obviously conditions are much different than they were last year at this time.  We were getting ready to launch the boats! Right now you need an extension on your auger to get through the ice in a lot of places.  There is still a bunch of snow...we're probably looking at a mid-May ice out.  Fishing has been okay over the past week, but not as good as it normally is during this timeframe when the snow is usually all gone.  We have caught some good walleyes, lake trout, crappies, whitefish and a few pike.  Pike, in particular have been dismal compared to normal...they just aren't in the shallow stuff as much as they will be in another week or two I'm thinking. Still, the beauty of our area is that there is always something biting!  

Sean McAughey and I with a pike and a walleye caught minutes apart just before dark...highlight of that day! 

Bruce Wilson from Minnesota with an eater sized walleye...always fun and usually plentiful!  

Eric Naig of Northland Fishing Tackle with a really nice whitefish...they are fun under the ice, usually hungry and they are great fighters. 

Sean McAughey preparing a nice walleye shorelunch...gotta eat good when you're putting in those 12 and 13 hour days on the ice!  

Crappies have been biting really good!  

Scott Dingwall with one of the biggest whitefish I have ever seen!  Magnum 8 - 10 pounder that he caught while we were chasing crappies.  

That's about it for me on the ice this year...I'm on my way south again for the next FLW Tour event at Beaver Lake, Arkansas taking place next week...Apr. 11-14

I'll probably still be able to get on the ice when I get back to chase some big pike...walleye season will be closed.  Or, hopefully the snow will be gone so my friends and I can get in the woods to start looking for some deer sheds and do some scouting for next fall.  One thing that is for sure, there is always something fun to do at home!  

Lewis Smith Lake FLW Tour

The second FLW Tour event of the year took place this past weekend at Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama.  I had a better result than I did at Lake Okeechobee, but still didn't do as good as I had hoped I would.  The event turned into a scramble for me in that I really had to work hard for the fish I caught so to squeak a cheque could be considered a success...As always, it was a lot of fun!  

Lewis Smith is a great spotted bass fishery and after the tournament I really figured things out and got on some big fish.  I took out a couple of sponsor people (through Tempstar) following the tournament and we had a great time.  These are all really good quality fish at this lake.  

This is a big spot that I caught on the last day of practice on a spot that I caught fish on in the tournament.  On a Jackall Squad Minnow jerkbait.  

Here is a big largemouth from practise.  Unfortunately I didn't score any green fish in the tournament.  

Throughout the week in Jasper, Alabama the nights got cold and there was plenty of frost on everything in the mornings.  

After the tournament I fished with my friend Blake Nick (FLW Tour pro) on the nearby Warrior River.  Blake grew up fishing this river so he knew where to find some fish!  He also showed me how to catch some fish on an Alabama Rig, something I needed some work on.  

Largemouths from my day fishing with Blake on the Warrior River. 

Smith is also full of big Striped Bass...here was a good one from the last day of fishing there...they are super tough critters!  

Next event is at Beaver Lake in Arkansas in early April!  Can't wait to get back at it!  In the meantime I'm headed south to the Dominican Republic for my friend Scott Dingwall's wedding, then a week of ice fishing in Sunset Country before I head south again.  

Fishing in Sunset Country

Check out this awesome video clip promoting fishing in Ontario's Sunset Country Region! 
It made my day!

Ontario's Sunset Country "The Great Canadian Experience" from Krugerfarms.com on Vimeo.

For information about visiting Ontario's Sunset Country Region, check out their website at www.ontariossunsetcountry.ca 

You can book your dream fishing or hunting trip with the information found here.  Enjoy!  
-Gussy