Although cabelas has graced our small state with its presence by opening an East Hartford location, there is no store like a bass pro shops to cater to the needs of New England’s anglers. They tend to focus more on hunting and I have found that I can’t find everything I need there.

The new bass pro shops is said to be in the preliminary stages of development near costco, kohls, and coco key water resort. Although it is not certain whether this bps location will materialize, there is one thing that is certain… If this store does come I will need to come up with a higher fishing budget!

I was throwing a junebug spiderjig and had a couple light hits around submerged rocks in 6-8 ft of water, but nothing would stay on. Brian was throwing a candy corn colored senko type bait made by bass pro shops. With no success in the deeper water we decided to try something a little more shallow.

On our way to the north end of the lake brian saw some rocks in 4 ft of water we had never seen before (the lake is down 2 ft). We stopped and brian threw his candy corn stick bait at the rocks. He instantly hooked into something big. His rod doubled up and the fight was on. After 10 seconds it was over and we never saw the fish.

After a brief cursing session brian threw right back in the place he had hooked up, and instantly the fight was on again. This time he landed it. It was about 24 inches and 6.5 lbs. Sometimes things just work out I guess.

We kept fishing for another hour, but the wind had picked up and the temp dropped. In all we landed one smallmouth and 4 largemouth. Not a bad first trip if I say so myself!

Just for you Brian, here is the profile.

I have also been asked many times what kind of rod do I usually pair up with the sahara reels, and my response is always a bass pro shops xps medium-heavy 7 foot rod which works great for fresh and saltwater applications. The xps rods are again a good mix of quality and affordability, which is important in tough economic times. They have the feel of an expensive rod without the outrageous price tag.

Bass pro shops also feels an xps rod and a shimano sahara reel are a match made in fishing heaven, so they offer it as a combo as well. If you want more information on my favorite rod and reel combination for CT fishing success, you can click on either of the pictures below.

Well once you have been approved for the bass pro shops visa rewards credit card, you will be given a discount on your first purchase and possibly a gift or reward incentive just for applying. With every purchase you make outside on non bass pro shop purchases you will receive a reward worth 1% of your total purchase towards merchandise or tackle. Any purchases at bass pro shop retail locations, basspro.com, or bass pro catalog orders will receive a 2% reward. Even better yet is that you will receive 4% back on bass pro branded merchandise!

With the airlines going bankrupt and instituting more fees and higher mileage requirements, dump that frequent flier earning card and start earning FREE fishing gear with the bass pro shops rewards visa.

If you are interested in learning more or would like to apply for a card click the link below.


More info

A recession doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love! Tight lines everybody…

As an angler that has fished with senkos and other soft jerk baits for almost 10 years now, I can tell you that I have tried almost every kind of imitation and knockoff lure out there in hopes of finding one that outperforms the original senko made by the yamamoto bait company. After all this “research” I can honestly tell you that not all stick baits are created equal.

First lets list a few of the senko imitators, and then we will go through the some the advantages and disadvantages of each. The list below is by no means a complete list of the generic / imitation senkos available on the market today, but merely a collection of some of the most popular brands.

Net Bait Salt Lick Worm
Strike King Ocho Soft Baits
Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series Stik-O
Berkley Gulp Sinking Minnow
Chompers Salty Sinker Worms
Kinami Flash
Luck “E” Strike Salty Elite Series Jogger Worm
Yum Dinger Worms
Strike King 3x Plastic Zero
Berkley Gulp Alive Jerk Shad

Now that we have a nice list lets go through some of the general advantages and disadvantages of the original yamamoto senko versus the list. The first advantage that we see with the yamamoto senko is its weight. Right out of the package you will feel that the senko is heavier than all of the baits in the list above. This heaviness gives the bait greater castability and lets it sink fast for fish in deeper water. The yamamoto senko also comes loaded with salt which some of the knockoffs do not have. As far as color and size selection is concerned yamamoto baits by far has the edge.

Now for some of the downfalls of the original senko. Even though these baits feel heavier and more rugged than some of the other baits, it has been my experience that they are easily torn and usually only last two or three fish. Some of the other baits like the Stick-O from Bass Pro and and the Berkley Gulp Sinking Minnow tend to hold up much better. I have caught 15 bass on a single Stick-O Lure. A second negative to the original senko is the cost. At roughly $6.99 for a bag of 10 baits, senkos are by far the most costly, giving you less bait for the buck. For a cheap alternative try the Kinami Flash which is also made by Yamamoto baits, but it is labeled under the Kinami name. For an even better value the Stick-O is about half the price for double the baits, and has a great selection of colors and sizes. I highly recommend giving them a try if you have a bass pro shops close by, or you can order them online.

One differentiating feature of some imitators versus the original senko is smell. This can be a positive or a negative depending on the situation. Obviously when the fish are feeding they can be triggered to strike solely on movement, vibration and sight, but when the fish are fickle an attractant may improve you chances of hooking up. If you aren’t catching fish with a scented bait you still get stink hand for your efforts, especially with the berkley baits.

The moral of the story is that with all of the baits listed in this article you will catch fish, but under certain circumstances one will work better than the other. I still feel that the original senko reigns supreme, but, if you want an all around good soft jerk bait without the price tag on the yamamoto baits, the Stick-O by bass pro shops is my number one choice. If you can’t get your hands on a package of Stick-O’s the Kinami flash is your next best option since they are sold locally at almost every sporting good store and walmart.