Results of two recent high profile bass tournaments on Rice Lake near Peterborough Ontario, continue to show that adding Crackle capsules into tube jigs increases both the numbers and the size of bass caught during these events. At the Ontario B.A.S.S. Federation Qualifier on August 26 & 27, *Matt Monkman of Barrie fished as a non-boater and captured 2nd place overall out of almost 200 anglers. 18 year old Matt was one of the youngest anglers in the tournament. At the Chevy/Mercury Bass Classic the following Labor Day Weekend, Dave Chong of Thornhill placed 2nd thanks to Crackle.
Monkman credits his incredible showing to listening to a piece of advice he heard from the winner of the amBASSadors Cup Tournament on Canada Day this year. “At the weigh-in ceremonies of that tournament on Sparrow Lake Marc Coratti explained to the crowd how he used Crackle in his tube jigs to catch his winning fish. I followed his advice at the OBF Qualifier and when other people weren’t catching fish, I was. For me, landing 33+ pounds (2 days for 10 fish) of bass with Crackle, (including a 5.36 pound smallmouth worth over $1,700) was great, but the real icing on the cake was qualifying for Team Ontario at the Northern Divisional Tournament in the US in 2001”, explained the happy young angler.
The 2000 Chevy Mercury Bass Classic winner would take home a boat, motor and truck worth about $70,000. Although 2nd place finisher, Dave Chong did not win the grand prize, his showing of 51pounds (3days for 15 bass) was enough for 2nd spot and $5,000. He used Crackle in his tubes and explained that, “There were other boats with anglers who were fishing in the area but none of them seemed to be getting any fish. Crackle was an integral part of my presentation to these pressured bass. The fish were in a rock/weed transition and must have heard the Crackle in the tubes before they even saw the lure come through the algae bloom conditions of Rice Lake. Although the bite was incredibly light I was able to detect the strikes thanks to the Berkley Fire Line I was using.” Chong also nabbed Big Fish honors for the tournament with a huge 5.95 pound smallmouth bass, thanks to Crackle.
* On September 8, 2000, Matt Monkman showed his fishing skills while being featured on “The New VR, TV News”. Matt was named “The New VR Athlete of the Week”, thanks to his outstanding performance on Rice Lake.
What Is Crackle?
Crackle is comprised of freeze dried crystals contained within a gelatin capsule. When the capsule is pierced and inserted into the hollow cavity of a tube jig lure, it becomes activated as soon as it comes into contact with water. The sound created very closely resembles the fish attracting noise made by crayfish as they scurry across the bottom of the lake. Des Barnes of Aurora Ontario who developed Crackle, suggests that, ” By anchoring the boat and shutting off all the electronics so as to reduce noise from the sonar transducer and the electric trolling motor, the use of Crackle can be optimized. Marc Coratti did this when he won the amBASSadors Cup, my son Brent and I did when we won both the 1998 Rick White Memorial and a new Ranger Boat at the Lake Nipissing Open in 1999. Matt Monkman also used this unconventional bass tournament technique on Rice. However, even if conditions don’t allow you to anchor, Dave Chong showed that using Crackle can be highly effective regardless of the way you present it,” concluded Barnes.
“Crackle has quickly become to artificial lure anglers what green Nitro Worms have to live bait anglers. Both products are exciting new innovations and all anglers can improve their catch by using them, ” replied Ron Agnew of Fishing Plus and a leader in the Canadian tackle industry. After a couple of years in use now, we are learning that Crackle appears to have special appeal to extra large bass. At a Bassmania Tournament on Lake Simcoe Labor Day weekend, I nailed a 5.86 pounder with Crackle that came from an area loaded with other boats catching nothing but small fish. Big Fish really seem to hone in on the sound Crackle produces. Crackle is quickly becoming a Canadian success story within North America’s huge angling industry, concluded Agnew.
Bernie Schultz of Florida, seven time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier and former Canadian Open Bass Champion, is an avid Crackle fan. He remarked that “Not only have bass tournament anglers in Canada and the US benefited by using Crackle, but everyday recreational anglers using it have also increased the quality and quantity of their catch. We know professional bass anglers do well with Crackle but some are trying to keep it quiet for as long as they can. Word is leaking out though and this can only help the everyday angler catch (and hopefully release) more and bigger bass.”
Crackle can now be found on the shelves of most Ontario tackle shops, Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart stores and throughout much of the US wherever you can find BIG POLY tackle products.
MO< For more information, on Crackle, please contact: Des Barnes, 905-727-3245
