The Year is Almost Over

The year is just about over, and what a year it has been.

Highs: Finally graduating college; visiting Australia, being in a fishing magazine, and catching my personal best fish.

Lows: Finding out I have a brain tumor, and the surgery which basically kept my nose somewhat bloody all year.

Also found a new hobby (cycling) which got me to lose 10 lbs. My fishing blog also hit over 20,000 views, which allowed me to meet new contacts from all around the world.

I'd like to thank each and every one of you that's been there for me, and especially those who wished me well during my surgery, which was worldwide; from my family in Canada, Texas, and Australia, to my fishing friends from France, Germany and Japan.

Thank you all and I hope you have a great 2012.

Ariel Biley.

R.I.P. Ray Murski of Strike King Lures

Today, the fishing industry has lost an icon in Strike King Lure Company's own Ray Murski. Ray Murski is the owner of Strike King Lure Company and has been awarded the Lifetime Sportsman Award in 2011. Ray Murski will be missed.

Sometimes it's good to tweak plastics

Bass get accustom to everyday lures, but when you don't want to spend money on new lures, what do you do? The answer is to tweak them:

I did more to it, but that's a secret.

I would love to fish Lake Biwa one day...

Neko Rig with a twist (JDM Inspired)

The Neko Rig.

This is a custom hand-poured worm made at a local tackle store by Jason Blackwell, owner of Bob's Tackle in Norwalk. By far one of the best finesse worms I've ever used. The color schemes he has for these hand-poured worms are amazing, and the way they move underwater is incredible.

Keep that nail weight sticking out a bit for it to stir up the gravel and dirt to attract the bass.

For these incredible worms contact Bob's Tackle at:

Bob's Fishing Tackle
12132 Firestone Blvd.
Norwalk, CA 90650
(562) 863-6833

Tell him Ariel sent you

Bass Brigade Presents "Move In Silence - The Cold Weather Recon" Giveaway

The guys at Bass Brigade are at it again! This time they've teamed up with Phenix Rods and Magnum Boots USA.

Winning submission receives the following courtesy of Bass Brigade, Magnum Boots USA, and Phenix Rods.:

(1) Phenix Recon Casting Rod PHX-C796H 7'9", (1 Pair) Magnum Cobra 6.0 WPi Insulated Boots, (1) Magnum Bi-Fit Jacket, (1) Magnum Field Operator Vest, (1) Bass Brigade "DSTRYR" Hooded Sweathsirt, (1) Bass Brigade "DSTRYR" Trucker Snapback Hat.

Official rules can be found on Bass Brigade's facebook page.

Twitter Links:
Bass Brigade
MAGNUM BOOTS USA
Phenix Rods

Angler's Marine's Annual Bass-a-Thon: A (not so) In-Depth Look

Today was the first day of the Annual Bass-a-Thon event in Anaheim. This is a two day, small expo for bass fisherman, which features many special guests such as Kevin Van Dam, and Bill Dance. This year, special guests included four time Classics winner Rick Clunn, AOY and Classics winner Skeet Reese, and even Jimmy Houston. Although there were big stars in the fishing industry at this expo, my main reason of going is to socialize with other anglers like me; you know, those who aren't famous, the ones who just love this amazing sport and fish because it's their passion.

It's a full house today.

The Lunker Punker booth was a great success as usual. A very effective topwater bait.

Skeet Reese gave a seminar today, and will be speaking once again tomorrow.

Yes, my favorite booth, from my favorite company. Curt Arakawa and Tony Lain were there to discuss Jackall lures to those who had questions. I can answer them too haha!

CL8 Swimbaits with their new rats; they were large. I ended up picking up a 6 inch swimbait from them. Now I need a new rod for it. Swimbaits are new to me.

JDM (Japan Domestic Models) lures have been seen more often here in Southern California. Here's an example of a few from Deps.

The Extremely popular Silent Killer and High Sider. Cough up the $70, it's worth it. Wish I had the money.

Evergreen International, another JDM company even had an appearance. Although Evergreen did not have a booth to sell their products, a sponsored professional was out to raffle six Evergreen rods, and two sets of lures (about six lures per set). For those of you who never heard of Evergreen, it is one of the top Japanese companies out there with their rods reaching up to over $800 a piece, even $1000. I've handled one of the rods before, and it's truly a piece of art. I hope I win one!

A close up look at three of their models. Their "Kaleido" model (bottom) is their top of the line series of rods with both spinning and casting rods. These rods can go up to $1000. "Temujin" (middle) is their mid range rods with pricing near $500-$650 USD. Their lower end model (not the lowest model) is the "Tactics" line which sell around $350-$450 USD.

Also up for raffle: TimberFlash (Top) and Royal Flash (Bottom)

Some good friends of mine and their WARBAITS Swimjigs. These guys are well known in the Salt Water Bass Fishing scene, and these lures are proven on calicos as well as fresh water bass.

Triple Trouts, another favorite for California swimbait fishing.

Glad to finally have met the legend. Rick Clunn saw me holding one of the CL8 Swimbaits and really liked what he saw. He just never had the opportunity to walk around the expo. He also told me the reason he agreed to do this expo was to see all the lures we bass fisherman use in California.

Another great fisherman; Skeet Reese.

Jimmy Houston giving a seminar with special guesst Terry "Big Show" Scroggins.

That's it for the photos, I don't think I'll make it back tomorrow but this year was great. Other items popular in the show was obviously the Alabama Rig with versions called "Calabama Rig" and "Miss Alabama Rig".

Until next time!
Tight Lines!

Ariel Biley

The Popularity of the Alabama Rig

Also known as the Umbrella Rig, this technique has reached the shores of Japan, and Geecrack; a popular lure company from Japan, has created its own Alabama rig called the "Merry-G".

Check out the pigs it catches!

I have to come clean

The reason I haven't been updating my blog is because I've found another hobby I truly enjoy almost just as much as fishing. When I found out I had a tumor in the beginning of the year, it scared me. Even though the doctor said it wasn't due to my diet or activities, I realized that I had to take care of myself. I used to do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and competed in large tournaments on occasion, and it was my life. Sadly with trying to graduate and balancing my social life, I had to quit Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as I had no time for it.

Don't get me wrong I'd very much rather fish than do anything, but after a long 35-40 mile bike ride, I just feel so refreshed and good about myself. I barely bought the bike a little over 2 months ago and since then, I've lost a good 10 lbs and am at the weight I used to be when competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

On another note, I was mentioned in an article in BassWest USA Magazine, thanks to a friend Tyler Brinks. Tyler Brinks is a tournament angler, online blogger, and writer for BassWest USA. If you want tips and great information, follow his twitter.

I will be posting more information regarding how I tweak lures to catch weary bass, the tackle I use and why I do these tweaks on an already amazing lure.

Radio Silence & Face Down Bass Up - MONTAGE

These guys are just siiick!

Sorry for the lack of updates

Enjoy this video from the guys at Performance Tackle, and Radio Silence Fishing.

Jackall Boil Trigger

Jackall's new finesse jointed top water lure. The lure is perfect for bass that are attacking the baitfish. What makes this lure unique is the way it was designed. When dead sticked, the lure lays on its side, imitating a dying baitfish. The two piece design increases the wounded action of the lure. Depending on how hard you pop it, it can either create a nice boil or subtle ripples in the water. At only 77mm, this lure is meant to be thrown with light line, preferably spinning tackle.

Rod: Jackall Poison Heritage HS-"66UL-IW
Reel: Shimano Stradic Ci4 1000
Lure: Jackall Boil Trigger

It's Been a While

Sorry about the lack of updates. I've been in Australia for 3 weeks for a family vacation. Also found a new hobby... cycling. Here's a pre Birthday fish. A little birthday present to myself the day before my birthday...

Tweaking Plastics...

Tweaked a plastic craw and this is the result of three casts

When fishing pressured ponds, bass become accustomed to the lures thrown by everyday people. To gain an advantage; spice up your plastic! There is no need to buy the newest products. Tweak your old lure by perhaps making it slimmer, or removing excess appendages. Add a rattle, or make air pockets in it. All these will improve your old lure and make it a "new" lure. My tweaked plastic is still a secret, I'll show it in a few weeks.

NICE FISH

Just got back from the pond fishing with the buddies. I was able to land this on the P.D. Chopper + Ammonite Shad Combo. I must say, when they hit this combination, they hit it HARD. Try it out!

Gear
Rod: Jackall Poison Heritage HC-610MR "Master Stroke"
Reel: Shimano Scorpion XT1000
Lure: Zappu P.D. Chopper Jr 3/16 + Jackall Ammonite Shad 4.5

Social Networking

A few weeks ago I get a message on Facebook. A guy from Japan just moved to the US and saw my blog while searching Google. He messages me on Facebook to see if we can fish sometime. I was more than glad to fish and meet new friends who share the same passion as I do. Finally we meet at the park and he catches his first bass in the US. Later he thanks me via message, "Thanks man!! I could catch my FIRST BASS in here because of your help!!"
Well I only took him fishing, he caught the fish because he had the correct presentation and lure. He caught his all on his own... no need to thank me. Good Job Akihiro (Aki)!

First Topwater Fish of the Year.

Had a few hours to kill couple of days ago, I know the topwater bite is coming along. This fish bit as I was talking to my girlfriend. Probably was a blessing since it allowed the fish to take it longer.

Rod: Jackall Poison Heritage HC-68MRG "VCM-CAST68"
Reel: Shimano Curado 200 E5
Lure: Jackall SK Pop Grande (JDM Color)

Few from this week

Here's a couple from last outing using the P.D. Chopper + Ammonite Shad combo. As you can see, the first fish destroyed the lure. I put what was left back onto the jig and few minutes later, land a larger fish.

Rod: Jackall Poison Heritage HC-610MR "Master Stroke"
Reel: Shimano Scorpion XT1000
Lure: Zappu P.D. Chopper 3/16oz + Jackall Ammonite Shad 4.5 inch

A couple of fish from last week

Last week I drop shotted for the first time in over a year... I let my friend who was at the park reel in the 2nd fish. Share the passion!

Fishing with the buddies

Spent a few outings fishing with the friends Hideto and Takafumi.

Taka got this one and saw a huge female bass right behind it. He tried to catch the female but couldn't. Maybe next time!

That is all for now!

Noritz Fundraiser Event

Noritz Corporation held a fundraiser to help support the recent disaster in Japan. For a donation of $10, you got a Dogzilla Hotdog (Japanese Inspired Hotdog), an Ice Cream Bar from Longboards Ice Cream, and a soft drink. It was a decent turnout despite the cold and windy weather.

Unfortunately, my friends from Japan who now live in California weren't able to attend the event. Dogzilla Hot Dogs then drove to serve the Orange County area and Corrina, Hideto, and Takafumi still wanted to try the hot dogs, so we braved the cold winds at night to go eat!
At first they only bought one hot dog, but it was so good they went back in line and bought another!

Takafumi enjoyed the hot dogs and even ordered some Garlic Fries! We will go and find the food truck again this Wednesday! So delicious! おいしい!!!