by John McKean
former writer for the original Fishing Facts magazine
While anxiously awaiting the migration of BIRDs from manufacturer to our tackle boxes, I thought it would be interesting to share a tale of an "early bird" from the 1950s. My late fishing partner,Earl Cartwright, often told me about amazing exploits of the best bass angler he ever knew, known locally as "Quick Vic". Working the many small lakes around Akron, Ohio it seems Vic was famous for ALWAYS producing limit strings (they kept em all back then!) of 5 to 7 pound bass (huge for the northeast). And he usually was coming back into the dock early in the morning, as others were just starting out.
Quick Vic used only ONE lure. Quite fitting for this blog site, his special bait not only was bird-like in appearance, but fished to act just like our feathery friends! His tackle box looked like an aviary,because it was crammed with every size, color, and style of what eventually became a most popular bait among early bassers. These lures were among the first to feature a colorful rubber skirt (usually rigged backwards for extra fluff & flapping action), had a wide triangular head with a hint of a "beak", huge realistic avian eyes, and a splashy wing-like propeller up front. However,this bird was"on steroids"-constructed like a Mack truck with a massive, thick wire single hook, long, sturdy V wire snag guard, and a massive, flat lead head weighing about an ounce. Still, for such bulk& weight, its unique shape pushed it right to the top of the water column with minimal retrieve speed.
Vic made the most of the unusual planing design . He sought "jungle" areas in each lake worked, making sure they were laden with fallen trees, semi-submerged logs, exposed root systems from felled timber, and other types of hardwood lay-downs. Mr. Quick was diligent to landing every cast over wood or a series of low hanging, in-water branches, then chirping his bird across the surface so it could approach and crawl right over the obstruction. Few others, not that loner Vic saw many, had the nerve or precision, nor those amazingly stiff weed guards to work the dense tree limbs that he focused on exclusively. Having seen the lure, though, danged if I can figure how he HOOKED anything! (but I did see the eye popping old photos, and Earl saw the stringers-and tackle box-firsthand!).
Ole Vic woulda been even quicker in heading back to the dock each day if he'd possessed a 2011 BIRD ! Considering his old time cumbersome lure, super stiff weedguards, and huge "shark hook", he musta lost 3 bass for every one stung; while a BIRD's carefully angled, extra sharp double hooking could have yielded perhaps FIVE times the fish ! (talk about a legend maker!) Not to mention a soft, more natural BIRD "splat" on touchdown, and the delicate flutter across water or while dropping off sticks and branches. Then, too, the BIRD can literally "fall off a log" and, while floating, made to kick up an injured appearing fuss in that one ULTIMATE strike zone!
As the post winter poem goes:
"Spring is sprung,
the lake's unfriz,
I wonder where the BIRDies iz?!"
Well, Sam Kennedy promises his very finely tuned BIRD will hatch very shortly! Then it'll be up to us fishermen to put em in the branches!
The Original top water hollow body bass fishing lure. You have the frog,the rat, its the age of the BIRD.The bird is the word.
Bird Lure
The Soft bodied Bird Lure works! Click Bird Pic Above
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
SWEET TWEET by John McKean
"Exactly 15 trophy bass swim in my private lake," lamented the wealthy landowner, "but I can't trick a single one into striking; NOBODY can!" Whining to my fly tying buddy, Bob, he mentioned that many smaller bass also resided in the well maintained lake -he could always catch THEM. So he pleaded with Bob to visit him that warm summer evening and hopefully analyze this problem, to maybe give him a clue for unclamping a few lunker jaws!
Now Bob is somewhat of a fly fishing genius. He thought the matter over for a bit, and immediately went to work at his well stocked tying bench. He proceeded to form an 8 inch concoction of thick lamb's wool, fluffy clumps of marabou feathers, and a wide strip of bushy rabbit fur. Bob called it a "hybrid" fly; I refer to the natural looking lure as his" hy-BIRD", because it resembled a small, skinny crow!! This was certainly no traditional fly tier's tiny " insect"!
Arriving during late afternoon, Bob set his bird in motion with his big fish model ,custom 9- weight rod. The false casts alone must've alerted the "uncatchable 15" that a whole flock of birds were hovering just over the pond's surface! These giant largemouth bass had never seen a lure presentation like this, but certainly could recognize the feathery critter it mimiced.
As Bob related the incident over the telephone in his usual careful, calm, but detailed manner, suspense got the best of me and I blurted out " C'mon, did ya get any of these wary ole swamp monsters to take, sniff, or even follow?"
"Caught every damn one of them!" chuckled Bob. "In fact, my exaggerated casting antics must have whet their appetites, 'cause I nailed 5 of the granddaddies on my first 5 touch downs!" He went on to tell me that he left some spare "bird flies" for his friend, and the guy continued to catch some of the formerly elusive bass daily for the better part of two months. When the big boys finally wised up and stopped hitting, Bob advised his buddy to simply change colors, and he was back in business again!
These days we need not attempt to master special action fly rods, nor become expert tiers to give bass the BIRD! Sam has provided a more realistic imitation than practically anyone can tie, and his brainchild is easy to cast! Bass show a definite hunger (in largemouth lingo - "tastes like chicken!") and will be taken completely off guard by Kennedy's artificials! So when the BIRD becomes available shortly -well, this is gonna be one heckuva great season!!
Now Bob is somewhat of a fly fishing genius. He thought the matter over for a bit, and immediately went to work at his well stocked tying bench. He proceeded to form an 8 inch concoction of thick lamb's wool, fluffy clumps of marabou feathers, and a wide strip of bushy rabbit fur. Bob called it a "hybrid" fly; I refer to the natural looking lure as his" hy-BIRD", because it resembled a small, skinny crow!! This was certainly no traditional fly tier's tiny " insect"!
Arriving during late afternoon, Bob set his bird in motion with his big fish model ,custom 9- weight rod. The false casts alone must've alerted the "uncatchable 15" that a whole flock of birds were hovering just over the pond's surface! These giant largemouth bass had never seen a lure presentation like this, but certainly could recognize the feathery critter it mimiced.
As Bob related the incident over the telephone in his usual careful, calm, but detailed manner, suspense got the best of me and I blurted out " C'mon, did ya get any of these wary ole swamp monsters to take, sniff, or even follow?"
"Caught every damn one of them!" chuckled Bob. "In fact, my exaggerated casting antics must have whet their appetites, 'cause I nailed 5 of the granddaddies on my first 5 touch downs!" He went on to tell me that he left some spare "bird flies" for his friend, and the guy continued to catch some of the formerly elusive bass daily for the better part of two months. When the big boys finally wised up and stopped hitting, Bob advised his buddy to simply change colors, and he was back in business again!
These days we need not attempt to master special action fly rods, nor become expert tiers to give bass the BIRD! Sam has provided a more realistic imitation than practically anyone can tie, and his brainchild is easy to cast! Bass show a definite hunger (in largemouth lingo - "tastes like chicken!") and will be taken completely off guard by Kennedy's artificials! So when the BIRD becomes available shortly -well, this is gonna be one heckuva great season!!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Contributer to Bassin Magazine John Mckean
Slop Hop
John McKean
A thick green carpet of vegetation extended out before us, seemingly so dense that I could walk across it. My slop fishing mentor, the late Earl Cartwright, told me not to worry, though, because the lake’s biggest bass comfortably resided in the depths underneath. How that first lunker largemouth managed to rocket through the gunk to nail my lure (failing, by some miracle, to give me a stroke!) still amazes me! From a long lifetime of specializing on these undisturbed – unfishable to most – backwaters, Earl easily guided me to one of my heaviest stringers ever.
Now, foremost among Cartwright’s pioneering slop fishing tactics was his employment of a relatively short, sturdy casting rod carrying a well-tuned Abu 5000 reel. He would have been absolutely appalled at today’s “froggin’ rods” which are often 8’ long! Heck, if any of us younger fishing partners dared show up with even a moderately long pole (by his strict judgment) we’d suffer a day-long tirade of Earl’s well-honed sarcasm on such matters as lack of accuracy, weakness in yanking huge bass out of thick greenery, improper fulcrum for hook setting, and dire predictions of how such rods would explode under the fury of a genuine trophy! Oh, we loved this master’s humorous chastisement, and learned a bunch – but he was definitely 100 % correct. In fact, just last week I read of one unfortunate frogger who complained of shattering two very expensive graphite poles (with length comes premium pricing!) within a few days while attempting to horse slop dwellers!
Today’s quest for longer and longer rods is just plain nuts, especially for working these fields of matted veggies, which we affectionately call slop. While it’s true that a rod is a lever, unfortunately we fishermen are on the WRONG side of that lever! And the longer the pole, the worse becomes our mechanical DISadvantage, either for hook setting or in wrestling a hard-fighting bass from thick habitat!!
“Get the longest, strongest rod you can find for slop walking plastic frogs,” I was told by one widely known authority. Well, I went strong, but didn’t go long; I got an Emmrod!
Many bass fishermen mention getting plenty of blowups in slop but missing most of them; the fake frog is notorious for coming up empty. Yet since hitting the hayfields with my “abbreviated” pole, I rarely experience the frustration of lost fish. The combination of ultimate power (read, no length!) for a solid, minimal stroke hookset and the pulling mechanics of this compact, firm steel lever quickly prove the lie behind “short” strikes.
Since I enjoy throwing unweighted, swimming frogbaits, ones that feature paddle feet or twister legs, my preference is to use a “Light Touch” Emmrod pole. This gives a nice balance between springy castability for relatively light lures weighing ¼-3/8 oz. and all-important ruggedness to tame slop critters. However, I’d strongly consider a four coil rod if working Southern waters, and just may take the 2 Tip model if I ever try world record class bass in Florida, Texas or Southern California! In fact, this coming season I have plans to hit the veg carpets with a Strike Master handle for the added benefit of the leverage-plus foregrip along with its long handle to tuck under my arm for extra support and power.
Whether in a boat or casting from shore, I employ an underhanded, almost vertical swing, low to the water’s surface, to coerce my wide-bellied plastic bait to SKIP. That is, I attempt to mimic the stone-skipping motion we all did as kids with flat rocks over a calm lake. I want Mr. Bass’ immediate attention drawn to a carefree amphibian that is hopping across his roof! Ideally, a big bass will lap up my offering as it skips; geez, I’d feel so darned clever if this worked out very often!! Usually, though, this just sets the stage for the return swim where an alerted largemouth can focus and muster his forces. A waiting bass will often pounce on the active, leggy hopper when it crosses any open hole in the slop, but just as easily will use well-conditioned timing to ambush an unseen, but noisy prey.
Slow and steady does it. From the dark labyrinth beneath heavy cover, a largemouth must first hear a natural motion above, then use his sophisticated internal computer to accurately track his meal. Challenge him to come out for a fight, but feed him a consistently-paced offering to insure that he hits with 100% accuracy.
When the watery explosion comes – and it will – try not to over react (easier said than done!). Ignore traditional advice to “wait for a few seconds, cross his eyes with a megaton set, then drag the fish with rod tip high.” Instead, try to keep cool and do almost nothing other than, perhaps, a bit faster reeling; deploy your Emmrod for the precision instrument that it is and let the pole do the work for you. You see, by pointing the tip directly at the lure during retrieval, the Emmrod’s extremely short range setting stroke will easily implant a 4/0 frog hook in a flash. And, believe me, that’s all the time you’ll have. When I fine-tuned this “do-nothing” approach last August, my slop fishing success skyrocketed!
With the bass stung, just keep him coming. If he gets his head and dives, your chances drop with him. Skitter a largemouth right across the grass if you can – hope you remembered to button down the drag all the way! Now the sheer strength of your steel Emmrod becomes your best friend! With a good line - say, 20# test braid - keep the rod tip low and grind the reel handle for all you’re worth!
Earl Cartwright, who we nicknamed “Dean of the Deep” for his slop fishing savvy, often expressed sorrow for those unfortunate anglers who cast for hours on end, only to blow coverage on a hard charging, surfacing bass. Many blame the weedless riggings of swimming frogs for these recurrent miscues. But let the solid physics behind a well-designed Emmrod allow constant, easy harvest of the fat green slop “hawgs” and discover a gold mine! After all, Earl always told us, “Ya can’t fry a strike!”
John McKean
A thick green carpet of vegetation extended out before us, seemingly so dense that I could walk across it. My slop fishing mentor, the late Earl Cartwright, told me not to worry, though, because the lake’s biggest bass comfortably resided in the depths underneath. How that first lunker largemouth managed to rocket through the gunk to nail my lure (failing, by some miracle, to give me a stroke!) still amazes me! From a long lifetime of specializing on these undisturbed – unfishable to most – backwaters, Earl easily guided me to one of my heaviest stringers ever.
Now, foremost among Cartwright’s pioneering slop fishing tactics was his employment of a relatively short, sturdy casting rod carrying a well-tuned Abu 5000 reel. He would have been absolutely appalled at today’s “froggin’ rods” which are often 8’ long! Heck, if any of us younger fishing partners dared show up with even a moderately long pole (by his strict judgment) we’d suffer a day-long tirade of Earl’s well-honed sarcasm on such matters as lack of accuracy, weakness in yanking huge bass out of thick greenery, improper fulcrum for hook setting, and dire predictions of how such rods would explode under the fury of a genuine trophy! Oh, we loved this master’s humorous chastisement, and learned a bunch – but he was definitely 100 % correct. In fact, just last week I read of one unfortunate frogger who complained of shattering two very expensive graphite poles (with length comes premium pricing!) within a few days while attempting to horse slop dwellers!
Today’s quest for longer and longer rods is just plain nuts, especially for working these fields of matted veggies, which we affectionately call slop. While it’s true that a rod is a lever, unfortunately we fishermen are on the WRONG side of that lever! And the longer the pole, the worse becomes our mechanical DISadvantage, either for hook setting or in wrestling a hard-fighting bass from thick habitat!!
“Get the longest, strongest rod you can find for slop walking plastic frogs,” I was told by one widely known authority. Well, I went strong, but didn’t go long; I got an Emmrod!
Many bass fishermen mention getting plenty of blowups in slop but missing most of them; the fake frog is notorious for coming up empty. Yet since hitting the hayfields with my “abbreviated” pole, I rarely experience the frustration of lost fish. The combination of ultimate power (read, no length!) for a solid, minimal stroke hookset and the pulling mechanics of this compact, firm steel lever quickly prove the lie behind “short” strikes.
Since I enjoy throwing unweighted, swimming frogbaits, ones that feature paddle feet or twister legs, my preference is to use a “Light Touch” Emmrod pole. This gives a nice balance between springy castability for relatively light lures weighing ¼-3/8 oz. and all-important ruggedness to tame slop critters. However, I’d strongly consider a four coil rod if working Southern waters, and just may take the 2 Tip model if I ever try world record class bass in Florida, Texas or Southern California! In fact, this coming season I have plans to hit the veg carpets with a Strike Master handle for the added benefit of the leverage-plus foregrip along with its long handle to tuck under my arm for extra support and power.
Whether in a boat or casting from shore, I employ an underhanded, almost vertical swing, low to the water’s surface, to coerce my wide-bellied plastic bait to SKIP. That is, I attempt to mimic the stone-skipping motion we all did as kids with flat rocks over a calm lake. I want Mr. Bass’ immediate attention drawn to a carefree amphibian that is hopping across his roof! Ideally, a big bass will lap up my offering as it skips; geez, I’d feel so darned clever if this worked out very often!! Usually, though, this just sets the stage for the return swim where an alerted largemouth can focus and muster his forces. A waiting bass will often pounce on the active, leggy hopper when it crosses any open hole in the slop, but just as easily will use well-conditioned timing to ambush an unseen, but noisy prey.
Slow and steady does it. From the dark labyrinth beneath heavy cover, a largemouth must first hear a natural motion above, then use his sophisticated internal computer to accurately track his meal. Challenge him to come out for a fight, but feed him a consistently-paced offering to insure that he hits with 100% accuracy.
When the watery explosion comes – and it will – try not to over react (easier said than done!). Ignore traditional advice to “wait for a few seconds, cross his eyes with a megaton set, then drag the fish with rod tip high.” Instead, try to keep cool and do almost nothing other than, perhaps, a bit faster reeling; deploy your Emmrod for the precision instrument that it is and let the pole do the work for you. You see, by pointing the tip directly at the lure during retrieval, the Emmrod’s extremely short range setting stroke will easily implant a 4/0 frog hook in a flash. And, believe me, that’s all the time you’ll have. When I fine-tuned this “do-nothing” approach last August, my slop fishing success skyrocketed!
With the bass stung, just keep him coming. If he gets his head and dives, your chances drop with him. Skitter a largemouth right across the grass if you can – hope you remembered to button down the drag all the way! Now the sheer strength of your steel Emmrod becomes your best friend! With a good line - say, 20# test braid - keep the rod tip low and grind the reel handle for all you’re worth!
Earl Cartwright, who we nicknamed “Dean of the Deep” for his slop fishing savvy, often expressed sorrow for those unfortunate anglers who cast for hours on end, only to blow coverage on a hard charging, surfacing bass. Many blame the weedless riggings of swimming frogs for these recurrent miscues. But let the solid physics behind a well-designed Emmrod allow constant, easy harvest of the fat green slop “hawgs” and discover a gold mine! After all, Earl always told us, “Ya can’t fry a strike!”
Saturday, April 9, 2011
The Original top hollow soft bodied bird lure has landed!
Hi Everyone,
We have received the final prototype of the bird fishing lure. If you fish the frog, or have fished the rat, you need to add the Bird from http://www.flipinthebird.com . The Bird hits the market in June, but you can request one here at sam@flpinthebird.com We feel strongly in creating a Bass top water lure that is truly the next greatest lure since the frog.
We have received the final prototype of the bird fishing lure. If you fish the frog, or have fished the rat, you need to add the Bird from http://www.flipinthebird.com . The Bird hits the market in June, but you can request one here at sam@flpinthebird.com We feel strongly in creating a Bass top water lure that is truly the next greatest lure since the frog.
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