ANDREW
RAGAS

Andrew's Adventures

Introduction to Dragin Bait Company

Mon, April 02, 2012

Being a web and graphic designer as well as a fisherman have a lot of perks. In situations like one of my most recent projects, I’m glad to say that my three trades all go hand in hand together. It’s not every week this happens.

Back in February, while working for Heartland Outdoors Magazine and Sims Spinners at the Tinley Park Fishing Show, I was introduced to a small local Chicago tackle company per the recommendation of friend and personal fishing rod builder, Matt Coppolino (http://www.mccustomrods.com). Not knowing much about this small tackle company, other than its baits had a craving aroma, smelling of garlic-scented meats that came hot fresh off the grill, I was suggested to check them out on the web because they made great and unique products.

I made my Google search. . . . . . . and other than the products I saw (which were really good), I was a little less than thrilled. Their website at the time of my initial visit was not the best and most professional for a company whose objective is to expand and improve its market. In my opinion, things had to change, and I would eventually become their guy to do it. In order to sell, you must be able to present.

An e-mail inquiry and proposal was sent, and within a few short weeks, a brand new website and e-commerce shop was developed for this growing Chicagoland tackle company - http://www.draginbaits.com

However, websites and graphics weren’t the only services I was going to offer.

I fish, I write, and I promote the folks whom I work with and for. Following the new site completion, I wasn’t going to stop just there. I was going to do more. How about going to work and catching some fish!

Ladies and gentlemen, the fun starts now.

Introducing Dragin Bait Company

Established in 2011, and based in Forest Park, IL, Dragin Bait Company strives to create the best quality soft plastic baits at an affordable price for all fishermen. Owned and operated by Andrew Theisse, Dragin Baits are 100% custom creations from bait design and molds, to plastic formula and injections. Their plastic baits feature a special additive which keeps the texture supple, yet retains unbelievable hooking ability and strength. The scientific formula applied on and injected into every bait, is proven to catch more fish than most standard industry plastics. Because of this, Theisse guarantees that his baits should always be your first choice.

The products have been field tested on rivers, inland lakes, and reservoirs. These baits cater to anglers of all skill levels, and has recently found a huge niche within the IHSA Bass Fishing and it’s participating high school students. In addition, their growing professional staff membership is comprised of average fishermen and tournament professionals who demand the best in quality and color patterns.

Based only on sense of smell, Dragin Baits makes one of the most powerfully scented soft plastics for bass fishing that I have ever taken a sniff of. Thankfully it’s not crack for humans, but it will be crack for bass. And besides soft plastics, they have their own line of high quality hard jerk baits and surface frogs. Not to mention, they are also one of the largest distributors of AIRrus fishing rods.

With the new website having been developed to offer user-friendly reading and online purchasing, Dragin Bait Company urges you to visit them frequently at www.draginbaits.com, as they are frequently adding new products and color schemes.

Throughout the 2012 season, I will be promoting Dragin Bait Company through my writings, videos, websites, and all other fishing ventures and exploits. I’ll try not to turn into a human infomercial, but I won’t be ramming it down your throats.

Some of the products I am looking forward to using this year are the following:

Brush hawg and creature style baits are one of my absolute favorites when it comes to largemouth bass. I don’t have much patience when it comes to fishing at a slow pace (as I am a power fisher, always on the move, and one who covers a lot of water), but there is something to be said about a lure category that has caught some of my largest bass ever. These 4 inch baits will be seeing a lot of use this year for fishing the wood, pitching and flipping, swimming the grass, skipping the docks, and even perhaps while fished on a jig for rock oriented smallmouths.

I never grow tired of fishing with tube jigs. . . . . Do you? Unlike most traditional tubes, which are hollow and allow for jig inserts, the diablo tube features a solid plastic construction to offer fast sink rates, and to get down deep into the lairs of where big fish live. In addition, it features a unique tentacle style which enables the tail segment to float and flutter while the bait bounces and scurries along the bottom. I have a feeling this 3.5 inch bait will be a major player for smallmouths on lakes and rivers. According to Andrew Theisse, who often fishes the downtown Chicago lakefront for bass, the Diablo Tube is his favorite for the Lake Michigan smallmouths.

Of all plastics I use for river fishing, the skirted grub style (aka - hula grub) is one of my all time favorites. For some reason, these wild alien looking creatures catch some of the biggest bass around. Is it because these resemble crayfish on steroids? Or is it because the ugliness of these baits pisses fish off so much that it triggers vicious strikes? I’m not exactly sure, but smallies everywhere I’ve fished find these lures irresistible. I can’t wait to give these a workout on my summer float trips down the Wisconsin River, and local wades on our Northern IL rivers.

I love fishing the slop and I love fishing with surface frogs. Besides topwater musky fishing, nothing is more exhilarating to me than witnessing a 5 pound bass unleash rage on the surface to destroy a surface frog. Like all surface frogs, the 1/2 ounce bruiser frog is meant to be fished in and around the slop and pads that largemouth bass use. Come June-July-August, these will be the first things I use for fishing the jungle.

If you are looking to expand your tackle selections this season, or interested in trying something new for your bass fishing whether it’s done on lakes, rivers, or ponds, be sure to give Dragin Baits a try. You won’t be disappointed, but you might be pleasantly surprised by how good of quality product this is for a small local Chicago tackle manufacturer.

Dragin Bait Company
P.O. Box 427 Forest Park, IL 60130
(708) 257-9294
www.draginbaits.com
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

And as always, you can give my business and I a visit at www.ragasmedia.com, where I do websites, graphics, production, design, and a whole lot more for businesses big and small, and industries of all kinds.

 

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Last Call for Downtown Cohos

Tue, March 20, 2012

Ever since the previous week in which numbers of coho salmon were caught by anglers flocking to the downtown city limits of Lake Michigan, the fishing has significantly slowed. However, with not enough fish in the freezer to host a much-anticipated dinner party for family and friends, I had to give it one last shot.

Above - Quite possibly my favorite downtown fishing spot. If the fishing stinks, at least I have the gorgeous jogger babes to look at.

This past Friday (3/16), I cut loose during the afternoon hours and met up with my friend Mike at an undisclosed location at the lake where we fished from 4 to 7 pm. Like myself, he played hooky with work during the afternoon. Therefore I cannot make further mention of him.

Throughout the week, anglers were reporting that the fishing had been slowing. This was my first year ever of fishing for the year-old cohos, and according to some, this was a much quicker feeding migration than previous years. The short run we had experienced is attributed to a full week of unseasonably warm temperatures which in the same process has risen water temperatures to 45 degrees. At around 42-44 degrees, the run peaks. Then as surface temperatures gradually become warmer, the fishing subsides and cohos migrate their way northward to the northern, colder portions of the lake.

During our time on the pier, I went 3 for 3 while my company caught nothing. Some fish were being caught by some diligent anglers next to us, but overall they were few and far between, and absolutely nowhere near the magnitude they were at the weekend prior. The most fish anyone could get for the stringers were two to three fish and that was it.

My largest fish of the afternoon was a feisty 3 pound steelhead that was accompanied by two cohos. One of the cohos took a slip bobber with worm while the two other fish drilled a Rattlin’ Rapala.

As I left for the lakefront, it was unbearably warm in the suburbs for this time of year. With air temperatures near 80 degrees, I departed for the lake in shorts and a collared shirt. When I arrived, the climate was significantly cooler by at least 30 degrees. Luckily I had my waders to strap on for warmth, as well as a hoodie.

We had plans to fish longer, but at around 6:30pm, a major storm cell came into the area and somehow avoided us on the pier. But prior to leaving, the front passed by, and our fishing rods began to conduct electricity. For the first time in my life, my fishing rod was humming and vibrating! This was a good enough sign to pack it up. When in doubt, get the hell out.

Now I have ten fillets in the freezer, along with a couple of steelhead steaks.

Who wants dinner?

With the coho feeding migration just about over in my opinion and several others, it won’t be long before smallmouth bass begin moving into the shallower, rapidly warming waters of the downtown harbors and breakwalls. I’ll give it another week or two before I start fishing for them and have some fun with my favorite fish.

(2) COMMENTS

Spring Salmon Fever at Chicago’s Lakefront

Mon, March 12, 2012

Right now, coho salmon are the big news on the lake.

Word on the street is that fish are loading up in schools along the breakwalls and in the harbors. From the ports of Northern Indiana through downtown Chicago, fish are everywhere and willing to sacrifice themselves for the dinner table. With a one man limit of five cohos per day, a nice enjoyable dinner can be had.

This past Saturday (3/10), I met my pal Michael Planthaber and his friend David at an undisclosed location on the lake for some early morning cohos. According to Mike, the fish really began coming in bunches the weekend prior as he and a friend landed 18 and kept a limit of ten. With an early morning wakeup at 4:45am, I was excited for good things pictured below to come.

But that early promise lasted briefly, and evaporated away as soon as I reached the harbor parking lot at 6am.

I set foot on the pier only to find myself extremely under dressed for 32 degree air temperatures and 35mph winds. Within an hour my hands were frozen to the point that I could no longer cast blade baits. Not even a pair of Under Armor gloves or a couple layers of Under Armor could save my functions on this day. As a result, I could only handle our power-lining operations in which we went a lousy 1 for 15 in the heavy wind from 6am until 11am.

During my time on the pier, the fishing was miserable, but I made the event worthwhile by returning home with two fish, which was not enough to feed my army of friends as I had promised.

According to Mike, this was a very slow morning of fishing in comparison to last week. After I peaced it out, the fishing turned on, and the fish were EN FUEGO. Mike insisted that I stay at least an hour longer, but I insisted that I return home to enjoy the comforts and warm melt-away of my own bed. My limbs were no longer functional. Neither was my brain.

Within an hour after I departed, “Fish got real active and were smashing traps. Everyone on the pier was putting fish on the deck,” said Mike.

“An easy limit was soon pulled out. We shook off some coho to stay under the limit and keep fishing.  My buddy David also landed a brown trout. We left the pier at around 1pm after who knows how many fish. Triple limits?”

The image above with Mike is proof that fishing is hot right now. He says it best, in truest of expertly form: “Sometimes you have to fight the cold mornings. But then when the sun comes up and warms the water by a few degrees, good things can happen, especially this time of year!”

Mike is seriously an expert when it comes to the field of lakefront trout and salmon as he is one of the best anglers of these species whom I know.

Besides our group’s success, some of our friends enjoyed productive fishing themselves. My friend and “neighbor”, John Perez, of Westchester, IL had a hall of fame caliber weekend with his young five year old son, Jonny Jr.

Later on Saturday night, John reported, “I wasn’t giving coho’s a second thought this year.  I wasn’t interested in putting in the time and effort usually required to set up powerlines for spring coho fishing.  My main focus was on learning how to spring bass fish.  Well, I admit I am a report chaser, and don’t have enough knowledge yet to be a trend setter.  The old adage about report chasers being a day late… well, that’s truth.”

In the last few years, John has spent hours and hours freezing cold while chasing spring coho at the lakefront without ever landing one. “You don’t even need to powerline,” were the reports that made him try once again. After reaching his first ever 5 fish limit on Friday afternoon with the aid of a night crawler fished three feet below a float, he figured it would be a great occasion to treat his 5-year-old boy and nephew for a crack at them hoes.

“It’s not often that every decision I make is the correct one,” said John. But that was just the case on this special night. Sheltered from the wind (unlike my outing earlier in the day), the air temperature was downright balmy for him and the boys.

While enjoying the downtown skyline and luxury away from wind,“We just had to wait for a school to swim by,”  John reassured himself.

“After hooking up with the first fish on a 1/2 oz. KO wobbler, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief - no skunk tonight!  The boys were excited, we got him unhooked and posed for pictures. I joyously got out the stringer and as soon as the stringer was in the water, we had a double hook up on two of the float rods. 3 fish landed in 10 minutes!  The school had arrived!  “See, I told you we just needed a school to swim by!”, I now-confidently reiterated to my group.”

Their evening action was continuous and by the end of their session, everyone landed at least one of the five coho’s.

“This was my favorite night of 2012 so far, what a way to celebrate my fishing-obsessed son’s fifth birthday!” John concluded.

My friends, this is what fishing is all about. Enjoying the peak fishing periods, and being able to pass it all on to the future generations of angling.

Coho fishing is a water temperature-driven game. In this situation, the fish are in a peak period. Because this entire week will be incredibly warm, the massive schools of fish might be gone very soon and will be making their move northward towards Milwaukee and even further. If anyone has availability this week, I highly recommend making the trip to any of the downtown piers and harbors. Fish are aggressively hitting rattle baits, blade baits, and taking down minnows and crawlers fished beneath floats as well as on powerlines.

Later on Sunday night, following my excursion with friends to the Blackhawks game (one of which took the 7 mile stroll down the lakefront on Saturday morning), Mike sent me a message about his Sunday success, stating, “We caught 32 fish today.”

“Only 32 fish?” I responded.

“Yeah, we had 12 on the stringer between the three of us,” he said.

Then added, “But then Tom broke the stringer because it was overloaded, so then the fish sank to the bottom of the lake. So we caught 20 more, shook five off the hooks, and kept 15 for real.”

I cracked up laughing and coughed up a lung.

Can the fishing in downtown Chicago seriously get any better than this?

I wish I had this much fun every weekend.

 

PS - For good measure, our friend, Captain Ralph Steiger reports that the first significant smallmouth bass catches of the season were made yesterday morning. Pictured is our friend, Tom O’Malley, with one of the three 4+ pounders he caught while slowly fishing 4 inch jig and swimming grub on southern Lake Michigan.

 

 

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