2013 Episode Synopsis
by Charlie Wray
Episode 236: River Bass & Freedom Kings
Today the Mercury Marine Destination starts on the mighty Niagara River for Smallmouth Bass, then down to sunny Key West Florida. When you are dealing with currents, make sure you are paying attention at all times, even a simple snag can rip the rod from your hands, drift your boat into rocks, or any assortment of mishaps. But currents can also be fun to fish. The fish, Bass being the case today, are accustomed to feeding in the current and can't think too long about food opportunities that show up or they drift away quickly, and this can equate into smashing hard hits.
To really fool the Bass, Charlie is using the Live Target Crawfish, this exact replica of a Crawfish not only looks real, but it also has incredible action at any speed. To enhance the fish catching ability, this lure even has translucent areas in the paint job, so even the profile looks like a real Crawfish with gaps and open clear areas to further fool the fish. Hooks are easily damaged between snags and constant rock abuse, and when Charlie changes the hooks up, he loves the Mustad Ultra Point Triple Grip hooks. The holding power of these hooks, are remarkable on the acrobatic Smallies and hold better than any other hook, especially with crankbaits.
New on the market is the new Okuma RTX reels, it was instant love with the first turn of the handle. Light in weight, 8 ball bearings, and incredibly smooth with a 6.0:1 gear ratio. Available in several sizes, this size 35 was still a small reel with tremendous line capacity, perfect for the unseen snags and quickly drifting boat in the mighty Niagara current that can take large amounts of line before one can react. The small diameter 15 lb test Seaguar Kanzen not only cast like a dream, but this very thin braid cut the current as well, not like the drag of thicker diameter lines. All braids are visible, so a short leader of Seaguar Fluorocarbon completed this successful setup.
If you want the wave crushing hull of a welded Walleye boat, but the speed of a Bass Boat, this new Crestliner 2050 Raptor might be exactly what you are looking for. A massive front casting deck, big roomy live wells, a rock solid ride, rod storage galore, and rated for a 300 hp outboard. With the Mercury Verado 300 hp four stroke, this boat will not only keep up with the fastest of Bass Boats, but show them a thing or two when the waves start to get choppy. Don't let this four stroke motor fool you, this, and all Verado motors are Super Charged and built for speed!
With current speeds moving the boat along quickly it is easy to miss important details. Not with the easy to use and see Humminbird 958 HD Combo at the front, this bright screen shows up every detail, and when matched up with the Minn Kota I-Pilot, you have the boat control and visibility needed in the current. With the built in GPS of the Humminbird, hot spots are easily recorded to repeat success. If you think it is easy to keep track of exact areas in a fast current, try it, the GPS is worth its weight in gold.
Towing the Crestliner Raptor with ease, or the long trip to Key West Florida in the second half of the show, the RAM has earned a reputation for not only being comfortable, but dependable. Year after year Charlie takes his RAM Diesel 2500 on many long trips, and this vehicle has been remarkably flawless. Features that were once thought not needed are now irreplaceable, like the back-up camera, Ram Box, heated and vented seats, the room of the Mega Cab, and the list goes on. The only surprise is what RAM comes out with each year that makes this vehicle even nicer than the one before! No sales pitch here, just a great comfortable dependable work truck and Charlie loves his RAM. When work is getting to the fishing spots, what can be more important than reliability, even the 28 hours of driving time to get to Key West is not in anguish, but enjoyed!!
The Saltwater bite is always fun, there is always something aggressive waiting to hit your baits, but the big King Mackerel are in a class of their own. They can hit a surface lure with such force that their own momentum carries them 10 and sometimes 15 feet into the air. Absolutely incredible to see!! Funny thought, as airborne as they go on the hits, they never jump when hooked, just reel screaming runs that remind you of why you took your vacation down South.
This was the first time this season that Charlie experimented with the Freedom jigheads. While he used it several times later back home on Pike, this was the true test of the quality of this lure. Even with the razor sharp teeth of the King Mackerel, the rock hard quality finish held up remarkably well, No wire bending, no anything, just the wonderful action this Freedom has with a Shad bait. It is not easy to fool the King Mackerel into hitting plastics, but this did, and did very well! There is one outstanding feature with all Freedom jig heads, they are designed in such a way, that hooks can be interchangeable. With a simple twist, one hook can come off, and another on, either to replace a worn out or damaged hook, or a different style hook altogether depending on how you plan to use it.
This same loop that allows you to interchange hooks, also gives another advantage, the action is incredible. Since the hook moves freely and not locked solidly into the head like on other jigs, it allows the plastics to look more lifelike. The hologram head on the Freedom moves and shakes one way as the plastic shad shakes another and the entire presentation looks alive. This lure got creamed, thank goodness for the short wire leader.
If you don't think these fish are leery of unnatural presentations, if your wire is longer than about 8 inches, forget the bite. You also need about 12 feet of invisible Seaguar Fluorocarbon between the wire and your braid to fool these weary silver bullets. 30 lb test Seaguar Kanzen braid was ideal on the 55 sized Okuma Cedros. This reel is designed for Saltwater abuse, 5 corrosion resistant stainless steel ball bearing, high speed retrieves, even the round aluminum handle knob was great for hours of cranking to avoid blisters. Line capacity is needed for long runs and the Seaguar Kanzen is both thin and strong!
Sometimes you learn the hard way, when there are sharp teeth only a headshake away, you need to protect your hands. It might be from Pike and Muskie, Walleye, or the scary sharp teeth of the King Mackerel. Charlie makes sure he has his Viking cut resistant NBR palm coated gloves on this trip. It could save you a slash across your hand that will ruin your trip. Now time to get back in the RAM for the trip home. The massive back seat of the RAM Mega Cab is great for large amounts of gear, and all the wet shoes, fish slimed Viking rain pants and wet slimy soaked cut resistant Viking gloves found the ride home in the handy RAM BOX. The RAM BOX can be washed and hosed out at home and this wonderful RAM feature is great for dirty equipment or anything you need to keep handy. At first, Charlie wasn't sure he would use the RAM BOX much, now he couldn't imagine not having it. The trip home was still comfortable and trouble free, just not as much fun as the trip down, must have something to do with the winter temperatures dropping every few hours heading north again.
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