BASS 2.0

Introducing Josh Giran, from the NE

2010-10-17T19:38:00.001-07:00

Hello, my name is Josh Giran and just like you all I am addicted to bass fishing. First I’d like to thank the people at BASS 2.0 for giving me this opportunity to share my experiences and ideas with you. A little about myself, I live in a rural area south west of Pittsburgh, PA. Yes that’s right, I have the privilege of fishing for small fish on the Three Rivers. You know, the location of the 2005 BASSMASTER Classic(lowest total, ever) and the 2009 FLW Forrest Wood Cup. Okay, so I don’t get to fish for five pounders all the time, but as the old saying goes “a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work”.

I have been fishing all of my life, my farther started taking me fishing at a very young age. But it wasn’t until a strange turn of events that I got into tournament bass fishing. At the time I thought my world was coming apart. But a co-worker and friend, Mike Noel, steered me in the direction of tournament fishing. He had been fishing BASS events for years and took me under his wing. It started with convincing me that I needed a boat. So I went and bought a brand new aluminum boat. Then I joined a federation club. That first year I fished mainly as a co-angler. I read every article I could, watched every fishing show imaginable, and really paid attention to the people I fished with. I was like a sponge trying to absorb everything I could. My friend use to tell me that in a few years I would want to step up to a big boat. That few years ended up being less than two.

So now I’m looking for a big boat. Wow, what a jump in price from the aluminum's. I did a ton of research on all the major brands. I had it narrowed down to three brands. One of my main concerns was having a dealer near by that could fix any problems that would arise. It was February 2008 and I’m at an outdoor show in Harrisburg, PA. I was sitting in the boats, trying to imagine myself running down the lake in it. That is when I meet a rep from Triton Boats, Jerry Johnson. Jerry and I hit it off and before I know it I’m on the Triton Pro-Staff. I chalk it up to being in the right place at the right time. So I order a 2008 Triton 21X2 with a Mercury 225 Pro-XS. I add a Motorguide 36 volt trolling motor and finish it off with Lowrance electronics. So here I go, into the world of professional bass fishing. Okay, before I go any further, I’m not gonna say that my boat rig is better than yours. Everybody has there favorites. In the coming weeks I’ll let you know what I like and don’t like about my boat. That will be the case for everything. I’m just going to give you my experience with it, whether it be a tow vehicle, rod, reel, line, bait, etc. You make up your own mind if you like the product or not.

So I decide to start off slow and fish a few ABA Weekend series. My best finish in that series was a second place on Lake Erie(my second favorite place to fish). I ended up qualifying for the two day championship, but due to money issues I chose not to fish it. At that point I realized how expensive this sport is. In February 2009 I attended the BASSMASTER Classic in Shreveport, LA. A good friend and fishing mentor of mine, Ken Baumgardner (Bummy) had qualified for it through the Federation. All I have to say is WOW! What an experience!

In 2009 I fished the Northern Opens on the Pro side. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I learned that first year. Bummy (Pro) and Tom Landish (co-angler) were my travel partners. Traveling with someone makes things a little easier on the road and also leads to plenty of laughs. Oh, and I’m the “camp cook”, we ate better on the road than we do at home. I also made allot of friends, Koto, Bill, Jonathan, Jason, Ray, Chris, Jake, Monty, Jamie, and too many more to list. This is how I came to meet J Todd Tucker. It was the final Open on Lake Erie out of Sandusky. I was somewhere near Chick Island drifting and throwing a drop shot. J Todd happens to be about 3 miles away and starts heading in my direction. When he gets about 10 yards away he shuts down and says are you ok. I tell him I’m fine. I had my big motor trimmed up out of the water to get a straighter drift along the shoal I was fishing. “Apparently” that is a warning signal to other anglers that you need help. Anyways, that was something I’ll never forget, he went out of his way to check on me and make sure I was okay. I was also fishing Federation tournaments that year and was able to Qualify for the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Divisional.

I again fished the Opens in 2010, but didn’t have the success I had the previous year. That lack of success also carried over to my Federation Tournaments. But again, it seemed as though every tournament I went to, I made another friend or two or three. It has all been a great time and a learning experience and that’s what I hope to share with you in the future. I plan on discussing just about everything that a tournament angler deals with on a daily basis. Sometimes it might just end up being a quick little blurb on how my practice is going, a video from on the water, or a new bait/technique. Who knows what you will see or read? Well now that my little intro is out of the way we can get to the bass stuff in the coming post. Until next time, be safe!

Restore the California Delta newsletter

2010-08-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

This is the newsletter for a group called "Restore the Delta"

They are a group of folks in northern California which are committed to the conservation of the California Delta, one of our nation's greatest fisheries. Precedents are set in California and they tend to leech their way eastward year to year, so DO NOT think you may never be affected by legislature like what is going on in California RIGHT NOW.

Posted By: Jessica IñiguezTo: Members in Restore the DeltaNews from Restore the Delta

On Monday, the Legislature voted to postpone the water bond to 2012, demonstrating once again that they are incapable of making decisions about water with calm deliberation and in the light of day.

The Senate backed postponement from the outset, but the Assembly took several votes, with Jared Huffman arguing to keep the measure on the ballot or pull it altogether and revise it, leaving the ballot date open. It took until 9:35 p.m. for the last Assembly holdouts, Assembly Member Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) and Assembly Member Sandre Swanson (D-Alameda), to respond to pressure from legislative leadership and vote to postpone.

Thanks to Food and Water Watch, we know exactly who is behind the pressure. In a fact sheet published last week, FWW reported on research into contributions to the Alliance for Clean Water and New Jobs, the primary pro-water bond PAC. The big contributors:

• the Western Growers Association, a leading agricultural trade group

• the construction industry

• Southern California developers

• land conservancies, especially the Nature Conservancy

FWW reported that the pro-bond campaign also got money from Schwarzenegger’s California Dream Team, which itself had received funding from the energy industry, agribusiness (including Resnick, of course), and developers.

Once the dams are built, once the houses in the desert are built, what happens to the jobs? This isn’t about long-term benefit for the construction sector of the economy. It’s about short-term benefit for interests who are creating additional demand and setting themselves up to market water at ongoing profit.

And what about farm jobs? Is this water going to be used to put large numbers of farmworkers back to work in the fields? Unlikely. In the long run, agribusiness stands to benefit more from marketing water than from growing crops. (If they can’t make money growing cotton, they’ll make money growing houses.) Water cutbacks were not responsible for last year’s job losses, and nothing proposed by the water bond can guarantee more stable economies in communities that have grown up depending on unsustainable water deliveries.

And wherever we are going to grow in California, traditionally-landscaped housing in arid regions of the state is not the way to do it.

When green is not “green”

Let’s look at development in arid regions of the state. We really hate to quote the Public Policy Institute of California, creator of the Apocalypse vision of the Delta. But in a 2005 report, “Lawns and Water Demand in California,” the PPIC estimated that the amount of irrigated landscaping in California equaled the size of Westlands Water District.

According to our own researcher, Deirdre Des Jardins, “The report says that California’s Landscape Task Force concluded that outdoor use constitutes about half of residential demand in the state (California Urban Water Conservation Council, 2005), which was about 5.8 MAF in 2005, according to the 2005 California Water Plan.

“That would mean that residential landscaping uses as much as 2.9 MAF of water - almost three times what Westlands uses. . . . Furthermore, the water use for residential landscaping in desert areas is much higher, per capita. The PPIC report says,

"’The water provider for the Las Vegas Valley, located in the Mojave Desert, estimates that roughly 70 percent of residential demand goes to outdoor irrigation. Officials in Riverside County estimate that 80 percent of residential water in the Coachella Valley - an area with a similar climate - is used outdoors (Bowles, 2005).’

“This is because not only do lawns in inland areas use a lot more water than in coastal areas due to higher evapotranspiration -- the lots are generally LARGER than coastal areas. That's why water use in Bakersfield is about 300 gallons per day per person, twice the use of 150 gpd per person in the East Bay area.”

Deirdre uses California Water Plan figures to estimate that landscaping is 40.4% of urban water use in California. She says, “So if urban users simply cut their landscaping use by 40%, they could reduce their use of water by AT LEAST 16% statewide.” (That’s 40 percent of 40%.)

Metropolitan Water District, which gets 30% of its water from the Delta, could manage with about half of that by implementing some of the same water-saving techniques that agriculture has been using for decades – smart irrigation scheduling, and moving to drip systems. But we cannot expect MWD to use any water it saves to serve a larger number of customers, because MWD is only relevant if it is moving water.

What percentage of California’s water comes from the Delta?

While calling for smarter use of the water we have (a subject short-changed by the water bond), we need to keep pointing out the flawed implication in DWR’s oft-reported statement that two-third of Californians are served by water from the Delta.

The suggestion, always, is that the well-being of a large percentage of Californians depends on fixing this fragile region we call the Delta.

Really, how many Californians rely on water from the Delta?

There are lots of questions here, including what constitutes reliance on water from a particular source. If you rely on that source, how much do you “need”? Enough to drink? That plus enough to flush your toilet, shower, and run your garbage disposal? All those plus enough to wash your car and keep your lawn green in August?

Also, do you get all of your water from one water source? For example, some people in the Bay Area get their water almost exclusively from the Delta, while others get part of their water from some other source, such as Hetch Hetchy.

DWR is the source of the statement that water from the Delta serves more than 25 million people. But other information from DWR suggests that the State’s reliance on water from the Delta is not as high as this figure implies.

Steve Evans of Friends of the River has done an estimate using a bar graph from the 2005 California Water Plan. This bar graph shows California Dedicated Water Supplies for Water Years 1998, 2000, 2001 and lists supplies in six categories: Local Projects, Colorado Project, Federal Projects, State Project, Ground Water, Reuse & Recycle, and Instream Environment.

First, Steve averaged each category. Then he added the Federal Projects and State Project columns, getting a total of 9.3 MAF from those two sources of supply.

Finally, he divided 9.3 MAF by the total amount from all six categories, 80.4 MAF. That produced a percentage of 11.56%.

So based on DWR’s own bar chart, the Federal and State water projects supply less than 12% of the water from all sources.

Steve notes that quite a bit of federal water is diverted and used by contractors before it even gets to the Delta, so the actual amount exported from the Delta is less than this calculated percentage.

Deirdre Des Jardins suggests another way of doing this calculation. She takes the total Agricultural and Urban Water Use in California in 2000 (which was 43.1 MAF according to the Pacific Institute) and divides that into Delta exports that year (a bit over 6 MAF according to DWR). This produces a figure of about 17.5%. That was in an average (rather than a dry or wet) year.

So statewide, it looks like at most 17.5% of the water Californians use comes from the Delta.

In July of 2009, there were just under 37 million of us. If some imaginary subset of Californians used only water from the Delta, and they used all the Delta exports, we would be talking about at most 6.5 million people.

Let’s get back to reality here. Let’s stipulate that two-thirds of Californians (as many as 24 million people) probably do rely to some extent on Delta water. But overall, water from the Delta provides less that 20%, and perhaps as little as 10%, of the state’s overall water supply.

If we ended exports tomorrow, we wouldn’t have two out of three Californians dying of thirst.

Restore the Delta will keep taking apart conventional wisdom this way over the next two years while the water bond lingers on life support. And we will keep telling the story of the Delta, a place of ecological, economic, cultural and historical importance, that is under attack by those promoting California’s unsustainable 20th century water policies.

Interesting paraphrase from Guy Eaker as printed in BassWestUSA

2010-08-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is taken a bit out of context, but worth reading the entire article. If you don't subscribe to BassWest USA mag, you should.

Eaker believes that part of this change is due to technology and part due to networking. "GPS has changed BASS completely." Prior to tournament cut offs, when BASS pros are no longer allowed to tap into insider information, they can discuss lake hotspots with local pros and guides. Armed with several waypoints, they're able to quickly find and evaluate structure that in the past would have taken days, if not weeks, to find. "All you got to do is call your local buddy and get the GPS readings and your're on 'em." And let's be clear -Eaker isn't complaining, just stating a fact of tournament life. The other side of the coin is that if you're new to the tour and don't have those local contacts, you're at a decided disadvantage.

www.basswest.com

Champlain to Erie

2010-08-08T06:52:00.001-07:00

Again I want to thank all of you for your kind words and support while I was in NY. What a derby. Beautiful setting, great fishing, huge smallmouth which were eager to eat. This was my first experience going after northern smallmouth and I feel like I learned quite a bit regarding natural lakes, I guess I will get to try and prove that next week on Erie.

I can tell you now what 'big' water is. I thought I had some kind of definition in my head as to what a rough lake was and well, I was wrong. If you go to the great lakes or anything like that, ask questions, do your research, utilize the internet to gather as much information as you can about how to be properly equipped and how to contact help if you need it. A 5 blade prop may indeed save your life.

So, moving on to lake Erie, this again will be an opportunity to get on some smalljaws but there is a difference in how this derby will unfold unlike Champlain. Many more anglers will be going after smallmouth where in NY at least half the field were splitting efforts between largemouth and smallmouth. I really think that helped me in NY. I am not saying you cannot get on a LM bite on or around Erie but the better fish in numbers and size are said to be SM. Lots of territory available around Detroit, Erie, St Clair, the Detroit and St Clair rivers are all in play so this will tend to 'stretch' the field. There surely will be one day where Erie will get to big to get on so the remaining areas will fish a bit smaller but still, that is a huge area. Current will also be guiding factor for some and I hope some of my Delta experience will help me find some of the ambush points available to those fish in the rivers.

I'm very excited to get up there.

I will post some pics of what I find.

Champlain Practice - Mike H

2010-07-18T02:55:00.000-07:00

I love to get on waters I have only read about, it's just cool to even be here on Champlain. When I think about it I believe that this is the first real natural lake I may have ever fished in my life and well, it is a little different. I have spent the last two days trying to find a way to really fish my strengths without making the 60-70 mile trip one way to the skinny south part of the lake even though the AFS derby was won there yesterday or that's what I hear. I guess I will hold that as a contingency plan IF we get fair weather allowing me to make the trip. I feel like it is a big risk to put a plan together there simply because you never know if you are going to be able to get there and back. I have looked at some 'riverish' spots way up north by the Canadian border and really only found a couple three good largemouth, not much but something, good here is 3.5 lbs and better. Today the lake is supposed to be flatter and I plan on going and finding a place to get 5 brown fish for a limit and then expand on the green fish thing if I can. I know LM are the way to win here and I really want to put a milk run together fish SM early and LM the rest of the day hoping for a couple of kickers. Inland sea needs to turn on for my plan to come together.

Thinking about Champlain, Mike Haggerty

2010-06-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

As the northern circuit starts to look me square in the face, I have to change gears here and try and prepare for some unfamiliar lakes and techniques. Love it.... I have to try and wrap my head around an entirely new set of standards regarding northern BIG reservoirs ie Champlain and probably St Claire. A lot of new questions are running through my head, a lot of unknowns for me logistically as well as strategically. What's the forage? What do the crawfish look like? Can you make the run on Champlain from launch to the mats and back on one tank of gas? How does the wind set up predominately? How big is the water in bad weather? How do you effectively stay on 'pelagic' smallies day after day? Can I use my electronics well enough to be effective in open water? Where do I pull up to in a high wind situation? Am I versatile enough? I could go on for a while here but you get my point. I've been told time and again that a bass is a bass is a bass but..........., I drink that coolaid a bit too but we all know a lake Erie smallie acts a whole lot different than a G'ville largemouth. My experience level here is pretty low but at least I don't have any bad habits right? This will be a huge learning experience for me regardless and that fact alone makes it worth it. If I have learned anything up to now, there is no substitute for time behind the wheel on as many different lakes as you can muster, period. If you plan to succeed, you gotta catchem everywhere any time. I am really looking forward the challenges that are in front of me but I would be a liar if I said I was not a little intimidated as well.

Confusion at Ouachita - Mike H

2010-04-09T19:16:00.001-07:00

Boy how a couple days can bring about such massive changes in a fishes behavior. First two days I was here I was just kind of looking around searching for bites here or there, caught a ton of fish on a squarebill and trap and whatever else I decided to throw at them, found a bunch of fish on the north side cruising for bedding sites with even a few locked kinda, conditions looked real promising. A mild cold front passed yesterday early and even after that I was able to scrounge up a small limit X 2 just finessing and re running a few spots I like from the day prior. Today though was a killer. I added Ricky T. to the back seat and neither of us could put a HALF limit together. Gonna have to take today as an 'off' day and go look around some more tomorrow. Up lake it seems a bit flatter, smaller and may not hold the population of fish as the central or eastern sections but it looks more like what I am used to seeing at home (hate to use that as a crutch but hey, it is what it is). I will look at the east section of the lake at least a half day and treat it like Amistad sans the huge swimmers, it is deep, steep and supposed to be clear, maybe I will run into some of this rumored clarity or GRASS. So far this lake lacks cover of almost any sort, lots of snot moss on the bottom, the occasional stump. I am going to start treating this a lot like a pure structure lake for sure but on a mini scale as the fish HAVE to be thinking spawn. They have to. Really. They do.

Amistad pre

2010-04-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

Amistad is fishing pretty good right now with a multitude of patterns working. We have 4 boats down here right now and all of us are catching fish but maybe not the quality bite consistently, I guess that is relative to this lake but 3-4 lb class fish are abundant with a peppering of 4-6 lb class fish. There are a lot of fish bedding but also a lot of abandoned beds, I think the majority of the spawn is done but you can still get on some sight fishing bass. The hydrilla is still developing and most quality fish are not relating to the grass but wood in my opinion. Access to deep water seems to be the key and late in the day a lot of quality fish are moving up to wooded flats to feed along little migration routes from that deep water. Patience with a big swimmer can pay dividends in a big way, California Swim Babes - Hot Momma and Baby 'E' along with 3:16 - Rising Son are catching quality fish 6.5 to 9 lbs. How ever you want to fish, you can dial them in pretty good right now.

LOZ time is short

2010-03-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

I have to think five straight days of low 40s air temps and drizzle with low hanging clouds have put the fish in a rather neutral mood. This place needs some sun and thats it. A 3 day warming trend would be nice but in mid MO, thats an unrealistic expectation in mid March. My practice strategy was to try and find a couple groups of fish getting ready to move in the direction of the shallows but that has been kinda miss and miss so the last day or so has really been about trying to find places where some of those fish may be moving to when the sun does show it's face and then try and get bit in those areas, even a nudge on a jig would tell a guy hey, we are here, we are just not active YET... What few fish I have caught would lead me to believe that they are further back towards the flats than most would think they would be including me, two to six feet of water around prepared brush piles and if you get any kind of rock transition in the vicinity that is a bonus. So, given the above to be my theory, I plan to junk fish those spots in areas with a variety of techniques in hopes of figuring what presentation the fish want on the fly, not ideal but it's what I got.

LOZ first couple days - Mike H

2010-03-13T05:26:00.000-08:00

So my first derby of the year is on Lake of the Ozarks and it starts Thursday. My folks still live there, on the 1mm of the main lake so I was able to get some insight into what the lake is like and what the weather had been doing and the news has not been good. The lake froze over bank to bank this year and I don't think it has done that since I was a kid and I was told that coves had a sheet of ice on them just a couple weeks ago and the water temps confirm that. I measured 39 at the mouth of the Gravois, 41 at the mouth of the Glaize and 43 at the mouth of the Niangua but in the backs of the creeks yesterday, I saw high 40s and even a 50 deg reading 3/4 of the way back in the Niangua but where it is warm it is hella dirty, oh, the lake is also at least 6 ft low, alot of the shallow cover, ie crappie beds, are sticking halfway out of the water around the docks in the back of the creeks. Muddy warm water would tell a guy to look at the shallow cover hard and I have but had minimal results doing so. I have also looked real hard at typical structure spots ie creek channel bend coming close to the bank leading into spawning flats, rock transitions etc and had terrible luck there too. Now the weather has been crap, 39 deg air and rain this am and predicted to blow 20-25 but later in the week it IS supposed to stabilize some in the mid 50s and some sun...finally. I really think some fish will start to get active come mid week, I just need to scout enough spots where I believe those fish will move to and be RIGHT. A BFL is going off today and I will get to the weigh in to see how those guys faired, watch a bunch of heavy sacks get weighed and I will feel totally lost.

Our Water Ways Endangered -M Haggerty

2010-02-25T06:24:00.001-08:00

The following is an excerpt from an email I got concerning the taking of water from the CalDelta and piping it south to SoCal. Anglers, outdoor enthusiasts, boaters, nature lovers, we need to understand that if our govt can do this in NorCal, they can do it anywhere.

"Despite requests from Restore the Delta for a meeting with Senator Feinstein's staff, and despite repeated requests from fishing community representatives for a copy Senator Feinstein's amendment language for increased water exports from the Delta, the proposed amendment language has been kept mostly secret. According to Restore the Delta Campaign Director, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, "Those who would be most affected by implementation of the Endangered Species Act waiver - Delta farmers and commercial salmon fishermen - have been once again left out of the discussion process, as they were during the 2009 California legislative water package discussions."

Although, as reported in today's San Francisco Chronicle, Senator Feinstein's amendment was not included in the present jobs bill, Restore the Delta has learned that Senator Feinstein is seeking other ways to move her legislation forward.

In stark contrast, Restore the Delta understands that the Westlands Water District, some additional water contractors, and some members of Congress have seen the language included in Senator Feinstein's proposed amendment. Once again those who want Delta water are working to control any and all legislative discussions by funding media spin and political contributions. Barrigan-Parrilla adds, "Westlands leaders and Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms clearly have access to the Senator that everyday Delta people do not."

Therefore, Restore the Delta urges Senator Feinstein to recognize that Delta residents are dependent on protection of public resources. Barrigan-Parrilla adds that Delta residents "have an equal right to participate in representative governance" as do corporate irrigators. "The people of the Delta and related fishing communites must be given the opportunity to create a sustainable economic-ecological future for Delta communities and fisheries."

The people of California, especially Delta residents, have been kept in the dark along enough regarding the Senator's proposal to guarantee Westlands' water contracts. Barrigan-Parrilla calls on Senator Feinstein to "end the secrecy on behalf of large corporate irrigators receiving subsidized water. The public has a right to know how their water and money will be spent."

This kind of stuff scares me to the bone. We need to take this kind of action very seriously no matter where it is happening because it sets precedent for future cases. The Cal Delta is one of the best fisheries in the country, it is truly a beautiful place that needs to be protected.

Questions to ask your dealer prior to buying any brand of boat

2010-02-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

You asked! You have to look inside a BCB to know more.

Are they really made of the same materials. Does that other brand have an all fiberglass hull, including a molded solid transom, glass stingers and the floor molded to fit. Or is that a foam board urethane transom?

Is the jackplate a 6 bolt custom full transom length model, or is it shorter with only four bolts. And are those fine thread or coarse? Do they have aluminum backing supports at all three levels of the bolt up. Or do they just have a dress plate at the top only for looks more than anything else. Also is it an R & R with locking groove, or is it dependent on the bolts to hold it in place on the side panels.

Is the carpeting 24 ounce Syntex brand, or is it 18 ounce that costs 55% as much.

Is the carpet glue spray on light grade, or is it brushed on by hand and thicker.

Under those decks are the bases for the seat just bolted on top, or do they have a machined stem glassed into the floor and the only 7 x 7 floor base sandwiched between fiberglass.

Do they drill each gauge hole to retain dash strength, or do they panel cut large face and insert a plastic cover up dash? Do they use aluminum rings on each gauge, or are they plastic if they use them at all?

Are the screws all stainless, and are they custom #2 square drive. And do those in areas that really need a seal have a neoprene stamped washer on them. And are they machine screws with nylock nuts or tapping sheet metal into the glass, which strip. Of course this requires a wrench or socket on the install.

Are the screws or rivets under those parts all counter sunk and chamferred to prevent stress fractures, or did they just ram a screw into the fiberglass.

Is the hydraulic steering hose sheathed in a jacket to protect it for safety, or is it just run through the boat open to exposed fiberglass.

Run your hands or put your head under the decks and compare the looks of both, from the back side in the storages or sump area. Is the sump painted black to hide things instead of cleaning that area. Or is it white/offwhite and cleaned up.

Are the battery trays the same. Standard ones are, though the optional Aluminum trays are not. (eluminiuhim, that one always get us.alum, er.. elumni... oh we got it right -attempt at humor)

Are the boxes all fiberglass, glassed in as one piece, or are they rotomolded plastic screwed into a deck or an aluminum deck under the carpeting held up with twin screw threaded stems. Basically floating the deck instead of supporting it to the hull.

Is the rub rail through bolted every now and then,or is it just a screw stuck in the side of the rub rail. And is the rub rail special designed to reduce damage and with an easy replace insert, or will you have to replace it all if you damage it.

Do they spec particular fiberglass or is theirs Chinese imported at a significant savings.

Is it a GP DCPD bulk resin on the cheapest bid or a specified Ortho or Iso resin that is built to spec. And do they have a full Vinyl Ester Barrier Coat behind the gelcoat in at least 15 mills or more.

How about the seats, are they an aluminum framed, fiberglass molded back, or how are they constructed?

Is the trolling motor through bolted with a 3/8" backing plate holding it with nylocks nuts. Or is it a Wellnut that is just drilled and the rubber Wellnut holds it in place, for now. Which also leads to more stress fractures.

What brand latches are on the model in question, do some homework and compare.

Are the lids insulated on the back side, or are they painted, or maybe not at all. And do those lids seat against the seal trim (StanPro) under the lids and match up to a seal molding?

Are the Pumps all 750 GPH Mayfair cartridge style, or are they lesser and how about the bullet end connectors on those pumps that are sealed to reduce wicking of water into the electric motors. Do they replace easily if you need to, or not.

Is the trolling motor wire fine soft stranded or is it just a base wire with larger strands and thus carry less power. Either would work fine if they are 6 gauge, though one costs more. And if one is 8 gauge all is different.

Is the steel USA made on the C Channel trailer, or is it imported. And is there an adjustment on that trailer, or is it all welded to fit with no adjustment, or bolt brackets to bend.

Are the wheels 15" or are they smaller. And are they a wider aluminum wheel and what brand are the tires.

Is the harness on their trailer a less expensive imported harness, or is it a Wesbar specific harness. Same goes for the lights and hardware on the trailer.

Are the end units Vault with a 5 year seal warranty, and an optional 10 years. or are they imported Chinese "private label" brand. With what kind of seal?

Are the bunk boards double padded, glued, SS staples, and are they trimmed to fit, or are they just a 2x6 carpeted once wrapped and stapled.

All of this and more takes a little bit more time, materials and obviously a little bit more funds. And we can go on and on... Though you got the picture, the choice is now yours, though there are plenty more differences.

BCB

PS: Is a military Hummer a better off road vehicle than a Chevy Silverado?

Back seat account of Falcon Stren by Randall Coyle

2010-01-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Randall Coyle. I will be reporting on my season in FLW American Fishing Series, Texas Division, as a co-angler. The first tournament of the series was in Zapata , TX at Lake Falcon . I left Beaumont Texas at 6:30 am Wednesday where the temperature was 28. There is quite a bit of scenery to take in during the seven hour trip. Between Freer and Zapata, fifty collared peccary ran across the road. What a site that was!

We finally arrived in Zapata only to discover we didn’t need the heavy coats we adorned because it was a pleasant 70 degrees. However, this temperature would surely drop when the cold front reached this area.

Practice was not in the cards for this tournament. I have fished Falcon several times so I felt very comfortable. After the initial meeting, I met my first day partner, Jerry Propst of Sam Rayburn, TX. We were boat #65 which was the last boat in flight 3.

We started the first day of the tourney at 6:15am with a temperature of 55 degrees and heavy fog. The fog delayed us until 8: 30am. When we were finally released, we ran 20 miles south toward the dam and the ride was a fairly smooth one. By the time we arrived at our first location, the wind had increased drastically which made it very difficult to stay on our spot.

My very first cast yielded a 2 pounder on a Carolina rig in 25 foot of water. We drifted over that spot several times and my second fish was a 5 ½ pounder. By this time it was 11am and the wind was coming out of the North. The temperature had dropped to 33 degrees and my partner made the decision to head in. On our way back to the weigh in site, we hit a wave wrong which resulted in water getting into the cowling. As you can guess, we lost the use of the boat motor. About an hour and a half later, the motor finally dried out so we were able to crank it and restarted our venture back to the dock. By this time, the waves were at 13 feet and the exact same thing happened again. After letting it dry out yet again, we made our way back in with 30 minutes to spare.

I finished the first day with an 8 pound bag. I wasn’t disappointed with the weight because, honestly, I was just happy we made it in. Surprising enough, I was in 42nd place.

Jeff Richard of Helotes , TX was my partner for the second day. Once again, we were southbound with a temperature of 28 degrees. We made it to our first spot a little after 8am. The wind was blowing around 20mp out of the north. Being wet and cold was not a good combination. My hands were so cold, I didn’t fish for the first 30 minutes but, as I was about to find out, no matter how cold it gets on Falcon, fish are always biting down south by the dam. The first fish along with each and every fish I weighed that day came on a Carolina rig using a 10 inch Berkley Motor Oil Red Flake Power Worm.

I ended the day with approximately 17 pounds and moved up to 13^th place. Most of the top ten caught their fish on Senkos, brush hogs, and lizards. Keith Combs brought in a monster bag on the final day of over 40 pounds but still wasn’t able to knock Michael Yoder out of first place. Michael won with 93 pounds 8 ounces.

Tournament number two of the series is next month at Lake Sam Rayburn. Big Sam in February is every bass fisherman’s dream.

The Basin

2009-11-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

I finished in 50th place, just inside the money cut at the last central BASS open at the Atchafalaya Basin. This is my best finish ever at this level. People tell me I should be happy, proud etc etc but in reality I am still very disappointed in my overall performance in this derby. I found an area in the spillway which had virtually no pressure which was very unique and way way different than the popular areas which were being fished such as lake Verrett and other cypress or grass lakes. The spillway was flooded approx 3-4 ft allowing the fish to get over the bank and spread out in the trees making them impossible to get at. I searched and searched the north spillway to find an area which had cleaner water and banks which would not allow the fish to get out. Well I found it, little pigeon bayou. The fish were there and they ate every day I just did not figure the subtle pattern out day to day to get a limit each day. There was a suspended crank bait pattern working day one and it shut down on day two but a very shallow flipping bite turned on day two which I did not recognize til maybe 11am and it was a 45 min run to the area leaving me only a couple of hours to get a limit which I only filled two of the five slots. What I am disappointed in is my failure to execute once I found an area holding fish. I do like my performance in practice as far as putting the time in finding fish which were not pressured and all but I hate the fact that I still could not keep up with the daily pattern thing to go ahead and fill my limit out. A limit a day would have let me do much much better in the standings, a simple limit. It did not happen. So, there is still lots and lots of work to be done and it all starts in early January with my season opener at Falcon, if I get in. I know it kinda sounds sick but I cannot wait.

Santee on to the Basin

2009-10-26T05:54:00.000-07:00

I went to Santee Cooper with very little practice time available but also with some previous experience on the reservoir, albeit not in the fall. I kinda relied on my strategy of picking apart an area somewhat close to the ramp, so I could spend the maximum amount of time with a hook in the water. Reports on Taw Caw, Wyboo and Potato creeks were promising prior to my arrival and I made the decision to spend most of my practice period in those creeks fishing boathouses with deeper water out in front of them. I did practice up in the stump hole swamp area for two half days knowing that the resident fish population is pretty stable but I had mixed results and stayed with the boat dock pattern on day one. I had a half dozen bites day one and luckily one was close to 4 pounds with another bump fish that is all I put in the jug on day one. Day two rolled around and I decided to take a chance and run to the swamp knowing the pressure on the docks would have to increase as weights were way down after day one. Pitching nail weighted senkos to cypress knees boated lots of bump fish but never a kicker so I put 5 swimmers in the jug for just around 6 lbs. As it turns out the winner of the event was fishing the swamp the entire time just doing something different than I was. Pitching blades and square bills in between select cypress was his pattern fishing for 5 key bites a day and it worked out for him to the tune of 17lbs on day 3. I learned to broaden my bait selection per area after learning the winning pattern and technique. Kinda makes me a little sick knowing I was practicing in the right area and also that 8lbs a day would have put me on the bubble come cut day but I could not get that done. I also learned a great deal regarding fishing cypress and I hope to utilize that in the upcoming event at the Basin.

Toledo Bend wrap up and Santee upcoming

2009-10-16T15:48:00.001-07:00

OK, so yesterday we what I consider to be ideal conditions for active bass on a big bass lake. Big time pre-frontal conditions, overcast skies, brisk S-SW wind, and clean water around hydrilla you dream about, green crisp and crunchy. I had a limit spot and went to it first thing, maybe an hour, hour and a half, caught 8-10 sub keeper fish and left it. The rest of the day I sat on my original group of fish, clean deep grass lines in 14-20 ft, lots of wood and one other boat in there. Ideal, I was psyched up. My non boater and me both hooked one keeper apiece.....zzzzzz.....

Weights that day were way under expectations. Approx 8lbs was in like 30th place..

Today, the front had passed, a stiff north wind was howling, 2-3 footers, high blue and 20 degrees cooler. In my mind, a drop shot would never leave my hand and I would sit on my deeper school fish associating to the bait mainly and loosely to break lines near ridges and underwater points. I netted no keepers in a half days effort and only 3 fish over all running 4 separate spots 3 times over. I went to the back of Palo Gaucho and started junking my butt off trying to save some face but to no avail, no keepers were found. Over all today I had 6 bites, terrible.

I really felt lost out there today. I really need to get keen to fish in transition and in a hurry. These last two derbys I have been burned by moving fish, or at least I believe that is the issue. Next comes Santee, and only minimal practice time, to me this whole event will be in practice/search mode.

Final Stren of the year

2009-10-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow I get to take on the fish on this big momma.

Reports prior to me arriving at the border were good, fish holding to deep grass lines and 16-18 lbs was not a huge effort. Through the week though, the weather conditions have been all over the map and recently stabilized into just a lot of rain, and I do mean a lot, lake rose a reported 12-14 inches over night. So fishing has been rather tough. Just trying to find a group of fish to present to has been really difficult. Yesterday and today I have managed to locate a couple of 'loose' groupings which I plan to go to. Thankfully they are spots I can hit no matter the wind direction but there is a catch, they are 15 miles apart easy. I do need some breeze but not while I am driving the boat lanes.

One group of fish are relating to a grass flat along a deeply wooded bank, kinda spread through out. Depending on the daily kinda pattern going on all I know is there are fish there, around at least. Most in the 3-4 lb class and I hope to get into a mess of those time and weather permitting.

The other group of fish are just south of the Pendelton bridge and they are roamers relating again loosely to a point coming up to 12 foot of water right in the middle of a boat lane. Wave as you go by... Schooling action is there and you can sight fish some targets with your graph on a shot as well. Fish in the 1.5 to 3 lb class are abundant and I hope to score 5 of those first thing and then head south in search of a kicker or 3.

Every rod is gonna be on the deck and it is trash fishing mania, but I really do have confidence if I can get to my fish and actually work em regardless of the weather going on around me.

The Bend In Fall Mike Haggerty

2009-10-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well the Bend in transition at least. Finally, finally I am headed to east Texas once again for an event on Toledo Bend. The last time I fished here I had a terrible time just putting 5 fish in the boat. Guess what,...the lake was in transition then too. Joy. I DO realize that a lot of this anxiety going on for me right now is a mental thing and maybe some handle it better than others but...for me....it is hard to get previous bad experiences out of my melon and get a fresh outlook on a lake, add the fact that I am not the best angler when it comes to fish moving around quickly, I am not talking about moving around seasonally but more like daily or hourly even. I do relish the opportunity to refine my tactics in just such a situation and I have been practicing these scenarios here on Old Hickory. The weather has been swinging pretty much every day going from high skies and wind to all day rain and calm conditions just about every 18 to 24 hours. Results mixed lol, Old Hickory is Old Hickory period, hell I think the entire lake is in transition all the time. So the initial strategy going in is to pare out as much water as I can and really try and pick apart a specific region of the lake and follow those fish around day after day treating every day kinda like my first day at the lake, no expectations or memories as to where the fish were yesterday, just try and find a region with a big population and look at it with an open mind every morning. I know it sounds simple but I expect it to be more difficult than stated as I am really in the habit of building on a previous days work. Let's see how it goes.

Bass Central Opens 2010

2009-10-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

Mike Pharr: I am so excited about the BASS Central Opens next year. They cant get here fast enough. I have had some success at Amistad and know how to pattern and locate the fish there, have won on Red River, and had a 9Th at Texoma that should have been a solid 2ND the same time of year in 2008. Now I know past success is no guarantee that I will do good but it gives me a leg up on confidence going into the year. I have only fished 4 tournaments at the Pro level but I have learned that consistency is the key and over this last year have really worked on settling down and trying to not make the mistake of "putting my eggs in one basket" if you will. I am certain that if I go out, keep my head down, put all distractions aside I could really do this but if I am not careful and let the ole negative Nancy get the best of me after a bad start or bad practice this will be the first step to defeating myself. You see, consistency is the key but to be consistent you have got to be ultimately prepared for the mental game. I have got listen to my own preaching here and "GET IT DONE"! If I can somehow put it all together though I am worried about the decisions I may have to make the next year. Elites? Am I really ready for that? Maybe we will see...............

2010 Opens: Destinations and maps

2009-09-30T13:57:00.001-07:00

2010 Opens: Destinations and maps

Posted using ShareThis

Kentucky Lake

2009-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the opportunity to fish Kentucky lake with a good friend of mine Dustin Evans. We started out fishing somewhat out of the current in the mouth of the Big Sandy river targeting humps and ledges in and around 15 to 18 ft with only small fish to show for it. Water was about 78 degrees and wind was calm but the current was ripping out on the main river. The small fish plague followed us through many of our main lake spots and even into the creek channel humps and backs. The grass has not come up where we fished though we did find some approx a foot tall in the mouth of bass bay but it was not holding fish for us. About mid afternoon we were so sick of trying to find 'the spot' we took a different approach and tried to weed out the rats on a spot and wait for the big ones to bite. We dropped anchor mid current over a long skinny point with a large shell bed on it and went to work with big lips cranks and rigs even stroked an Omega jig in bluegill flavor 1oz. After maybe 45 mins of rattage boom, Dustin hooked a nice bass and over the next 30 mins or so we took 18 lbs off the spot. We did not venture as far south as the Elite series guys did and maybe we should have but we had fun where we were and learned something about that lake. This lake is a total spot lake this time of year and patience is very very important. Can't wait to get back there, what an awesome fishery.

Kill switch and life jacket

2009-06-03T02:48:00.000-07:00

I have not harped on this at all on this blog but now is as good a time as any. Day one on Amistad, cruising along as fast as foot and a half to two footers will allow, I broke one motor mount bolt and pulled the threads a half inch or so on another causing the motor to come loose on one side from the jackplate throwing the boat into a hard right turn. This turn threw me from my seat slamming me into the passenger side fiberglass, pulling the kill switch after bouncing me off the center step. If I would have had a passenger console I probably would have been hurt pretty bad but I am still sore many days later from the incident. If the situation would have happened just a little different I surely would have been ejected and yes that is bad. If I would have been ejected, even with a hotfoot, I still would have had to deal with a boat at idle doing slow right turns in big swells and the chances of getting back in the boat are pretty slim at best. Drowning in that situation is a REAL possibility so I will just say, even in practice, even when the event director does not require it, wear your safety gear. You can never predict what may or may not happen out there on the water and your vest and lanyard are your last line of defense if something bad happens. Luck was on my side that day but if you read this blog you know that luck is not often in my corner. Don't leave it to luck to save your ass.

Big Blue

2009-05-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

So here is what is going on for me on the big blue. The weather has been stable for the last few days and is predicted to remain that way. Air temps are rising into the low 90s in the afternoon and minimal cloud cover. Winds have been gusty out of the SE just about every day approaching 10 to 15 sustained with maybe 20 mph gusts. Water temps are holding pretty steady where I have been fishing in the mid 70s and of course it is about as clear as you could ever expect. What I have been trying to do is find the deepest grass I can which is way up river in 30 to 35 ft of water and also in proximity of creek channel intersections, pretty textbook huh. Boat control is a bit tough with gusty winds but marker buoys help for points of reference. It is kind of go grind it out on main lake spots hoping a fraction of your casts make it into the strike zone. The fish are there and they are eating bluegill imitation Omega 1oz promega jigs with a swimbait trailer, senko style and plum ol monster worms. It is pretty hard to detect the strikes sometimes that deep in the wind but swimming the jig and kinda stroking it when it loads up with grass is somewhat easier, reaction strike I suppose. The big girls are still kinda absent, best fish this trip would be a pair of 6s and an 8 and that is pretty weak for Amistad but I really have nothing to compare it to as this is my first visit. On we go, event starts tomorrow and well, I am headed to the water.

Practice

2009-05-14T05:28:00.001-07:00

I have been at Amistad for a couple of days now and am yet to get on a decent dependable pattern. Conditions are mainly sunny during the day with low clouds haze early and an occasional pop up thunderstorm late in the day. Winds are always from the SE and howling, 20+ sustained and gusts much higher. The landscape is so flat around here for the most part it is hard to get out of the wind and really I prefer to fish in the wind but this is ridiculous. Water temps are in the high 70s to low 80s and gin clear. If it were not for the wave action I would guess you could see 15 to 20 ft easy. Early in the day I have been able to pitch senkos and jigs to cover in 6-8 ft of water and catch small fish here and there up to maybe 4lb. As the day progresses I have been drifting with the wind where it is manageable and dragging a senko with decent numbers but still not the size I am looking for, maybe up to 5lb. I am really searching for an area with trees in about 12 to 15 ft of water so I can wing my swimbait looking for a kicker fish or two. I need to make this happen as a 3- 5 lb average will NOT cut it on game day. I have fished some huge hydrilla flats in Evans and San Pedro up to 30+ ft. Lots and lots of grass out deep starting a 12 going to 30+. Today I am going to Tule and Zorro looking for huisache trees and drains cutting in and out of spawning flats. I think I am going to have to fish much deeper than I am used to to find the big bite. On we go...

onward

2009-05-08T05:33:00.000-07:00

Wheeler presented an opportunity to me to finally have a decent finish and I failed to capitalize on it. I had a consistent pattern going all through practice, even though there was a post spawn 'funk' going on there were fish in the bushes and pads. Black/red tubes and creatures flipped to what water remained under the bushes as well as some top water and swimmers through the pads produced fish for me and my colleagues all week. I realized that the amount of boat traffic through my areas required me to expand my playing field for day two to some more expansive areas and less pressured areas. This was not really a game day decision, I knew I needed to do this right after the weigh in day one and well I could not make it happen. I ran to Limestone creek and fished the first main cut on the right and well my coangler smoked me in there, we then ran to the first point of Flint creek but those fish were NOT present at all then back to my Foxy area to fill my limit of short fish and we finished the day behind Decatur flats fishing tubes through the pads but could not cull up any. I feel like my strategy was sound even though the water conditions changed a bit, I just could not get it done. My roomie Dustin Evans from Memphis did though finishing 7th overall and I am really happy for him. I will state this again, Wheeler is an under rated jewel in north Alabama offering a very diverse fishery just over an hour from Nashville. If you get the chance to check it out I highly recommend it.

So I am off to Amistad tomorrow. Another storied lake I have never been to only read about. With a little help from Troy and Mike (they bent over backwards, in the rain, at night, in a friggin parking lot) with some custom bream tilapia skirt jobs I hope to find some spawning or schooling gills to go and imitate to fool the big girls. I have high expectations for this last event of the spring season even though I have never been on this water. I feel something coming together here and lets hope I am right.

The search is on

2009-04-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

I have really come to like Wheeler lake. It offers a lot of different scenarios in a fairly compact size, if the wind does not blow hard. Though I personally have not found the big bite I know there are nice fish here both green and brown. My shallow bite has stayed very consistent through the week and this am we had some rain and that can only help to put a bit more color shallow and maybe and inch or two of depth back in the bushes. Many areas of the lake are holding fish shallow but the size seems to max out at approx 2 lbs maybe a couple oz over if you stay with it and feel like culling Oz's. I truly believe that these fish are residents and simply have no need to move after the spawn. Mild water temps and an abundance of cover and bait keep them there until the pads unfurl and they are getting bigger by the day. Only question is, where are the bigger bass??? For the last three days I have dedicated at least half the day to searching her out and well I have not been successful. Someone has found them or will find a couple of them two days in a row and maybe that will be me or maybe not, all i can do is go searching again after I put 5 rats in the box. A couple three to four lb bass will go a long way come end of day Thursday, I estimate the difference between 10 to 11 lbs and 13 to 14 lbs will be like 20 or more places on the leader board so.....the search goes on.......

Wheeler Practice

2009-04-26T18:13:00.001-07:00

So fishing on Wheeler for the last few days has been great up to now. Today I really struggled. Fished down lake from the Elk river to the dam including first and second creeks, spring creek and a bunch of little main lake cuts along the main channel. I caught one keeper all day, actually that was the only fish I caught all day. William caught three keepers all day and a few very short fish but he wasn't really trying to catch the big girls. Prior to today limits have been no issue but adding up to 11 or 12 lbs isn't going to cut it on game day so I really need to find a few kicker fish and well CATCH them. Tomorrow's plan is to re check my shallow dealio and make sure the fish are still active but for this to work the water cannot drop out of the bottom of the bushes. Always a worry on this lake. A bit of rain would help my confidence level with that bite. If the lake drops I will be kinda screwed but I'm sort of used to that lol. Tomorrow is another day and I hope my confidence stays high.

Wheeler

2009-04-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

So Mercury finally did the right thing and sent me a powerhead and I just finished breaking it in. I hope it stays together. Put a fury prop on it and well that prop is pretty good to say the least. Great hole shot, gained a few on the top end and handling is better across the whole powerband. I will mess with the jackplate a bit and try and get some better numbers out of it but I would not doubt seeing 78 to 80 mph.

Wheeler practice starts for me on Wed. I have lived in TN for almost 3 yrs now and I still have not fished it. I have heard that the majority of the spawn is done, that it is yet to come, that there is no grass in the entire lake and also that that will make no difference. What it comes down to is I just have to go and look for myself. I cannot wait.

unexpected time off

2009-04-07T13:59:00.001-07:00

The previously mentioned Mercury issues have kept me out of the PAA event on Neely Henry. I am a bit peeved about that but I guess it is better than going down there just to have more issues and throwing 1500 away. Two more cracks were found in the passenger side cylinder head and I think that is what finally changed the mind of Mercury's customer support, they are sending me a new undressed power head. This news is good of course but I still have reservations about this. I simply do not think that any mechanical assembly is causing the constant coil failures, a dressed power head may have been the best decision but what do I know, I am just a stupid fisherman, I have not gone to Mercury school.

William Underwood took me out this last Sunday on Old Hickory in preparation for his upcoming fishers of men event this upcoming Saturday. I was just happy to wet a line. A lot of recent rain have turned the channel into pure mud but in the very very backs of creeks we did find some stained water. Early in the day we saw low to mid 50s water temps and high skies and few bites but still some on crankbaits only, dirt shallow, later in the day we saw clouds and high winds but the bite improved. We probably caught 18 pounds or so finding mid to high 50s for water and mid 70s for air with a cold front due to come in in the evening. Fish ate both reaction bait and presentation baits, they were not picky and the closer we came to the fronts arrival the better the bite got. Pretty much a textbook spring type deal. Not sure what will happen to those fish come Saturday but they won't be far from where they were. No signs of spawn yet, still little in the belly but growing goose eggs. I predict 18 to 20 lbs for a single day event.

Boat should be done by mid week then it's off to Alabama to see what the deal is on Wheeler. I CANNOT WAIT TO HAVE A BOAT AGAIN>>>

Mercury Again

2009-03-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of the issues my Mercury 250 ProXS has had since it was new. It is an 07 build with approx. 190 hours on it.

7/14/07 Mounting Cover Failure

8/22/07 Adp Plate Fail

The two above occurred prior to me owning the piece and I am going off the list provided to me via Mercury customer support. John told me he had blown a couple of coils which were serviced at the event site by tournament support.

10/25/07 ECM/PCM failure

11/07/07 Coil failure

11/12/07 Coil open short failure

3/4/08 Trim motor failure

4/9/08 Coil failure

10/29/08 Coil failure

1/15/09 Coil failure

1/23/09 Coil open short failure

1/23/09 G/C Pin.GR failure

1/28/09 Coil failure

1/28/09 Lower Unit failure

1/28/09 Spark plug fouled, all

2/14/09 Trim cylinder seal failure

3/3/09 Coil failure

3/15/09 Coil failure

3/18/09 Air injector failure

3/27/09 Rt side cylinder head failure

Today after installing the Rt side cyl head, they ran it on the hose and noticed water leaks in the left side cylinder head. So I will have to wait a couple of days for the head to get shipped and approved for warranty from Fon du Lac. The mgr at the marina also told me that they had to swap a new plug in #4 to get it to run right for now but he was not confident in how long it would continue to run correctly.

What is a guy to do with this mess. At an average entry fee of between 875 and 1000$ I have to think that in some way or another this is not letting me compete on a level field with the rest of the guys out there.

Home at last

2009-03-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

Drove to Riverside before I even went to the homestead. When I left the lot was empty but now it is three quarters full so I hope I won't be without my boat for more than a week. I have a list of all the service items Riverside has performed and it is only missing the stuff that Jay and Danny have performed at events Mercury supports. The list is long for an engine only 2 years old with close to 200 hours. I know a lot of folks who run this same power plant who do not have near the issues I have had. So I am going to put a list of event dates and entry fees next to my list of service items in front of a Mercury rep and see what can be done about getting me either a new motor or at least a dressed power head. I am not confident anything will be done though I know it can be. This engine is starting to cost me money I have to think.

I did get to spend a couple of days with my wife in Austin TX which was great to say the least. The SXSW music fest was in town and we had a couple of drinks on the patio and some great food with close friends and that helped me to take my mind off of my current 'issues'. If it were not for my wife I really do not know how I would get through this crap with a decent state of mind. I love her so much it's not even funny. She is always there to support me and listen even though I know I tend to ramble about fishing sometimes, well alright, all the time, but still she is always there and she is like my only support staff and I am so grateful for that. If it were not for her always being there I cannot say with any degree of confidence that I would still be out there doing what I do. Not sure exactly what it is I am doing right now, feels a lot like treading water but I am still out there thanks to her.

Next is a PAA event on Neely Henry and an open on Wheeler. I have fished neither but again, I cannot wait for the challenges which lie ahead.

Mercury Issues

2009-03-21T03:53:00.000-07:00

My partner dumped me in on day one and I fired up the Mercury and immediately I knew there was an issue. It was a bit sluggish getting out of the hole and missed and surged up to like 45 mph. I took it off plane and pulled the cowl before I even got to my first area. Checked the coils, looked for burned plug wires, blown fuses, all the easy stuff you can do on the water but could not figure it out. I made the thing run up to an area I knew was big and I could use the troller most of the day and put a hook in the water. I caught some fish but only two keeps. I think that engine issue gets in you head somewhat. I cannot say that if I could have checked my other spots I would have won the thing or even drawn a check but I would at least like to be on a level playing field with the rest of the guys. I have had soooo many issues with this engine it really pisses me off. I have been affected in either practice or during the event in at least 5 events where the entry was 1000$ or around that number. Not cool. Gonna let someone hear about this when I get back to the ville. Day two put me in the same scenario, ran to an area that was big and I knew fish would be heading to not away from and well over night the bucks showed up just not the girls yet. Caught the hell out of studs making beds and defending them. H&H blades and tiny t rigged brush hogs caught like 30+ fish all day but only one girl about 4 which must have been in a hurry to get up there and get to work. I would assume that today, the day after the event there are some girls moving up there too. Somewhere on this lake yesterday there were females up on beds and I did no have the ability to run around and look for them. Maybe I would have found them, maybe not but I would have like to have the chance. My game plan was abit off, by like 12 to 18 hours but hey it is an improvement if only in my head. Maybe a four stroke in in my future, maybe an etec, maybe I just got a lemon, gotta figure this thing out.

Confusion

2009-03-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

So, today I went out to run my 'spots' and well, I caught 2 fish and none kept. It is beyond me what has happened. Maybe not beyond me but now my mind is full and I mean full of ideas of what could have happened to the pattern I have been on or sort of on. Here is the dealio in my head right now. No fish in the back, maybe a couple of cruisers but not in numbers. No visible beds but the lake is up about a foot, foot and a half so evidence of old beds may be hidden from view. I have been catching fish in typical 'congregation' points but these could also be construed as post spawn places also. We did have high sun and no wind today but if the fish were going to move up to spawn I think I would have seen evidence of this in the shallows and believe me I looked alot today. So, maybe the majority of fish have pulled out to the first piece of anything they find. This could be the reason I have been seeing fish on the outside weed lines and a couple of drops but nothing consistent. Now my thinking is kinda worst case, postspawn funk and high skies and no wind. I AM CONFUSED. That is an understatement. My gameplan is to try my spots for one 'run' and then work deeper reaction baits over the grass and through the wood and cover alot of water. I have last minute game plan changes but I really thing something is up with the 'pattern' I thought I had been fishing. I hate to bring luck into it but I need some and tomorrow will be a practice day kinda. Fish the entire water column with three or four different speeds of presentations and locate something to scratch out a limit. I just hope I am wrong and my 'spots' pan out, who knows.

Sam

2009-03-17T04:41:00.000-07:00

When I arrived at the lake the air temps were in the 40s and the water in the high 40s low 50s, that was two days ago, today I will see mid 80s air temps and mid to high 60s for water. So the first thing I did when I got here was try and pare out my 'test' area again and then went to work trying to find those little transitional areas which should hold fish in migration to the shallows. Since I did not know the status of the seasonal pattern I also looked shallow for cruisers, studs guarding fry or vacant or occupied beds and saw NONE of the above, thats a bit confusing. I had heard on good authority that there were indeed fish on beds as early as 3 to 4 weeks ago...., but I have to believe my eyes in my area and I do not think many fish have spawned in my area so I may be looking at the initial push of fish with this warming trend. The moon phase is not exactly in tune so this may test that theory but none the less I should be looking at fish, on the move, with one thing in mind, gettin their groove on. Lets go and see......

Rayburn

2009-03-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

So to start I will reiterate my feelings on Falcon, simple, if you get half a chance to go, you have to go. That fishery never ceases to amaze me and well, I may be an addict. Seems well worth the 21 hr trip from Nashville just to spend a few days out there.

I got to Jasper day before yesterday and got out on the water early yesterday am. low 40s all day and some wind. Great. I have never been out on this lake before but it seems to be pretty straight forward. God why did I just say that, will probably come back to bite me. I caught fish yesterday on points leading into or out of the main lake on major points on both inside and outside hydrilla lines on slowly presented shad imitation reaction baits and a variety of them. All the rain in the area has effected the backs of creeks some. Color is darker and temps are cooler but i did manage to find some cleaner warmer water again on the main lake. Lots and lots of boats out there, not sure what to make of that but it is a big lake with plenty of bass or so I am told. So today I am going to try and decide my 'test' area and go and pick it apart. I will probably try and pick two areas which would be protected from either of the prevailing wind profiles here as a contingent. Well, back to work.

The Bend III

2009-03-13T03:11:00.000-07:00

So the bend turned out to be quite a learning experience for me. I know it did not show in the standings but none the less I learned a lot about how quickly fish can make a move to the shallows given just a couple of days, actually several hours of favorable conditions. The week started with a mid to deep bite with fish scattered all over the place and a cold front lingering around keeping them off balance. Well all it took is about 18 hours of consistent warming trend and boom, they all and I mean all grouped up into the funneling spots adjacent to the spawning flats. Over all the weights were down for the event and I think that speaks of how big this lake is and how conditions can vary greatly on 180000+ acres, simply some folks did not figure them out as well as expected and I being one of those lol. In my specific test area the fish did what they were supposed to do on day two, across the lake or way up or down river, it was a slightly different situation.

So to lick my wounds I have spent the last few days on Falcon. What a way to re coop. I am down here with a close friend of mine from CA, Scott Whelton and we are having fun to say the least. What have we learned down here, keep an open mind, fish the entire water column, and be prepared to decorate a few huisache trees, hey thats Falcon. Oh and don't bother to eat at El Paraiso, their 'world famous chicken fried steak' is NOT that world famous, it may just keep you off the water for a day if you get my drift.

The Bend II

2009-03-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

So a big donut for me today. I have to admit I have abit of a confidence issue right now, the last 3 tournament days I have caught a total 4 fish. Thats pretty sad. I have to say I did stick to my plan of staying in one area and soaking it. It simply did not pan out for me. I have no one to blame but myself for not being dynamic enough in my 'study' area to come up with 5 keepers. Alot of people struggled today but that does not really make me feel any better as I have been here a couple of extra days for practice and really should have figured sooomething out, cmon. I always try and take something positive from every event no matter the outcome but this one, I really am not sure what I took away from it. Toledo Bend is an awesome fishery, it offers everything you could want and I found out as I am writing this entry that there is even mat up north,... that I did not expect. Deep hydrilla, rock,ledges, abundant structure and cover, lots of wood, channel swings, weed topped humps, all of it, the bend has it. I look forward to my day tomorrow simply because I am fortunate enough to be able to spend the day on such a fishery, and who knows, maybe the fish gods will look down on me and smile.

The Bend

2009-03-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

So Toledo Bend is quite a place. Big, windy and full of wood and supposedly full of big bass but I have not found them. The week before the official practice the water was up into the mid 60s and since we have had lows in the low 30s dropping the water temps into the mid fifties. We had heard that a wave of fish had moved shallow but apparently moved off with the cool weather. I have found some suspended fish scattered in transitional areas but scattered and inconsistent is an understatement. The main lake deep fish will not be affected as much by this cold spell and wind but 25+ mph winds makes it hard to fish for them.

Day one was cancelled due to high wind advisory and I give us a 50 50 chance of fishing tomorrow. I have made myself stick to my plan of staying in a fixed area and figuring it out and I feel pretty good about staying with that but the fish have not exactly been cooperating with the gameplan by scattering out. We will see what happens.

March

2009-02-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

So I am packing for two more events this March, Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn. I have never fished either, kinda seems like a pattern but I need the experience. I think it is very important to get some tournament experience on lakes which I have little or no experience. My strategy going in to these two big lakes is to try and identify the seasonal pattern currently underway and then pick apart a specific region of the lakes and STAY THERE. I really have to try and refine my pregame strategies. I find myself trying to see the majority of a lake if I have never been on it before and maybe that is a mistake. Defining the seasonal pattern had some value to me in the past but I believe I need to put more emphasis on that over all else and try and keep it simple stupid. If I can get it through my fat head to fish my strengths and not try and re invent the wheel I believe I can do better. So with those two ideas in my mind (not sure how long they will stay there) I go into these two events. I am getting sick of giving my entry fee away. I need to get my ass in the game with the rest of the folks and figure this thing out. Fishing competitively is such a mind game, I am not saying you do not need a certain skill set but I truly believe that to win or do well, your mind needs to be tuned properly and lately mine is not. All I can do is try and change my mental attitude leading up to and during the event and keep focused. Easier to say than to do once your trolling motor is down and the first cast is off the spool on the opening day of any event.

long drive home

2009-02-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

So I am set to get on 75 north headed towards Nashville. It will give me ample time to think about the last month and my shortcomings. I had some major mechanical issues here in Fla, lower unit, fouled plugs from the excessive idling through all the canals and my deep cycles decided to take a dump on me but through all that I should have landed more than 2 fish in competition and 9 in practice. Gotta work on my contingency strategies more for sure. Has anyone ever heard of AGM technology for batteries, if so do tell. My wife and I shared a couple of days in Tampa, we went to the game and that was very nice. Any time I get to spend time with my lovely wife is a huge bonus to my mental health and it is very nice to have a sounding board though I am fairly sure she is sick of hearing about bass fishing. March is another month and I have two big events coming up Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn, both lakes I have not fished before but I am sooooo looking forward to them and the chance to improve my skill set which seems kinda nonexistent right now.

Monday am

2009-01-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

So I got up extra early to try and get to the Mercury support trailer first, waited and waited around just to find out that they will not be here til Tuesday afternoon. Kinda sucks. Called more than a few dealerships in Orlando and Ocala and no one has a lower unit in stock. Millers boating center in Ocala did mention that the trailer is on their lot but no one is with it, kinda sucks some more. So I am gonna lose 3 days of practice but it could be worse, the boat could have sunk. I also found out that Basscat will no longer be supporting the BASS opens. Did I mention the sucky thing already. That is sad, John McDonald is a super nice guy who has been with BC for over 20 years and I heard that he was laid off. I suppose the economy has effected everyone. So three events in a row I have had issues with my Mercury. Maybe I see some writing on the wall, not sure. I realize Yamis and Rudes have issues too, hmmm, what about a Honda....

Florida

2009-01-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

So fishing has been spotty to say the least, Ive caught 9 fish since I have been here and that is pretty dismal but a lot of other folks are crying the same tune. I did hear of a report of a guy landing a huge fish way up the OK river but it was on a big shiner. Weather should keep improving and that may help things somewhat otherwise I am riding on a prayer come Thursday. Oh yeah, I grenaded a lower unit this am, joy......doesn't sound like I missed much though.

Florida Cold

2009-01-22T14:13:00.000-08:00

So I am told that Florida is having the coldest weather this week that they have had in a decade. Not sure if that is true but it is cold, like 28 in the am and warming to high 40s last two days. It has given the fish lockjaw for sure. I have caught 2 fish in as many days way up the river. Not too promising but the weather is supposed to change and I hope it effects the fish quickly. I need all the help I can get right now.

Falcon

2009-01-19T04:55:00.000-08:00

These pics are some of the nice fish I caught in practice. To say the least Falcon is one hell of a fishery and if anyone ever gets the opportunity to come to south TX and fish it, DO SO. The lake level is very high and these fish have taken to the extra cover which is very abundant. A lot of people struggled in the event and I was one of them. On the other hand a local guy weighed a 39lb sack and a 44lb sack back to back. That is awesome. I am guilty of not being prepared enough in all aspects of the game. From figuring out where Fla strain bass go in a deep flooded lake when a big cold front blows in to not carrying the extra parts needed to keep my outboard going when an expected situation occurs, ie ignition coil. I can only blame myself and I do. I did learn a hell of a lot about this Rio Grande reservoir and I cannot wait to come back. On to the Harris Chain. Woot Woot, more Fla strain in January in a shallow lake. I hope a big cold front does not blow through there, damn, just looked at the weather.

Falcon Practice, well sort of.....

2009-01-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

So the 'storied' Falcon Reservoir has been kicking me where it counts for the first three days. Went out the first day and the second stop yielded 4 bass from a 100 yard stretch of bushes. I thought well this may be easy. I did not get another hit the rest of the day but did do alot of looking around. Next day I looked shallow, seeing 65-68 degree water led me to believe there may be a move to the shallows. Shallow water access is not the easiest thing to find here. Falcon is 25 or so feet high, the highest it has been in many years or so I am told so everything has grown up. Tree tops you see may and usually are in 14 to 20 ft of water and that makes it hard to even get to shallow water but a little 4X4ing will get you there. Once I found some hard bottom I saw fry, now Im not sure what make or model they were but decent numbers of fry maybe a month or so old, bass?? Not sure. I did see some cruising fish and caught two in a foot or two of water on a Senko, 7", it is considered finesse here lol.

Today I went to Falcon state park and launched, proceeded across the lake and on my first move I burned a coil. JOY. I limped back to the ramp and am awaiting some sort of fix. Zapata does not exactly offer many full service shops so wish me luck in finding a replacement within 100 miles

Oh I have to add the fish I have caught are in the 4-6 pound class, maybe a 7 and those are not going to get it done in this Stren event, a consistent limit of 25+ with a kicker or two added in will be needed to make the top ten and I have scratched one limit in TWO days. The 'storied' Falcon Reservoir is treating me like the noob that I am on this lake.

2009

2009-01-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a long time since I have posted and there is no excuse for that. Texoma really kicked my ass with double zeros on both days of competition. It really left a sour taste in my craw so I have not fished in quite a while picking up a rod for the first time just a couple of days ago.

2009 if a busier schedule for me if it all works out, I am trying to fish the southern and central BASS opens again and I am adding the Texas stren series to the schedule. If I get in all the opens I will be doubling up on unfamiliar water, Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn which can only help me.

I am on the waiting list for all the BASS events but my waiting list numbers are not too bad so I expect to get in all events, I hope. I really feel motivated to prove to myself that I can be a dynamic angler and DO THIS.

Falcon practice starts next week and I CANNOT wait. I have read so much about this lake it almost seems unreal to me. I can't watch the elite series event I have on tivo any more or I may break the machine. Needless to say I have beefed up my arsenal with heavy braid, 1/0 trebels , 7/0 worm hooks and a couple of broomsticks and 300 series Curados in expectation of catching a few pigs. If the water is clear enough I look forward to tossing the big 3oz swimmers some just to see what follows them to the boat, who knows maybe one will suck down an 8" tilapia imitation.

As soon as the Falcon stren is over I am off to the Harris chain if I get off the waiting list and get in. Talk about a change of gears. Florida strain bass in late January. If a cold front decides to blow through it should be an interesting event. I learned alot last year at the St Johns and I hope to put some of that knowledge to good use. Trick worm trick worm trick worm and maybe a swim jig tossed in here and there. Slow slow slow and try not to forget these fish like bluebird skies in winter. Florida bass seem like they are from a different planet some times.

Well I gotta get back to many more hours of tackle prep so wish me luck and I will be updating this from the road.

Texoma practice

2008-10-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Practice at Texoma has ad its ups and downs. The Mercury took a dump on me mid week but Jay with tourney support hooked me up with a couple new coils and all seems to be well today, the day before the tournament. We have had a couple pretty sharp cold fronts move in and out while Ive been here and I think it may have actually helped activate the fish to start moving back and feeding. Wind is the predominant weather factor, on this lake a 20 mph wind is common and if it sets up north or south this body of water gets bit, like 4-5 foot big and 25 to 30 mph gusts are not that uncommon. I have been catching some fish this week but my best days have not been on what you would expect, shad imitations but rather jigs in both straight black and watermelon seed with baby brush hog trailers. Yesterday was my best day and I really just fished by the seat of my pants just going where it looked good, steeper geography and bigger chunk rock. 12 to 14 lbs a day is predicted to win this thing and 9 days per day is predicted to make the cut so this should key you in on what size fish are in this lake, oh and did I mention that this is a major striper lake and this puts a lot of competition on the black bass for food. I will just have to wait and see how tomorrow goes..

Woes

2008-10-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

Boy did they catch them at Guntersville. They did, I did not. I thought I had a pretty good practice but on game day I could not make it happen. Had a buzzbait bite real solid all week and missed a couple nice fish Thursday which would have improved my miserable 8.15 lb sack by probably double. Even then that would not have helped me as several 20+ pound sacks were brought to the scales with one topping 29 pounds, wow. After the final day I was told by one of the top 30 guys that the big girls were following bluegill, not shad, not that it makes a big difference on a buzzbait bite, does it?? All I can say is I formulated a plan and stuck to it both days and it did not work out.

Now I am at lake Texoma and it feels like an alien world. Not a lick of cover anywhere or at least it seems barren compared to G-ville. Boat houses seem to be my best bet after one day of practice. Had a small limit of 14-16" fish yesterday and only fished a half day today as the wind is howling and 3 footers coming from both directions made me think twice about trying to find some fresh areas. Did not spear any waves today (unlike Kentucky lake last month) so maybe my rough water driving skills are improving, knock on wood. Important thing I learned at Kentucky lake, take your graphs off, put your rods away, really stow anything that may come off the deck or your boat when driving in big water. Well more practice tomorrow, at least gas is rather cheap here.

Guntersville

2008-10-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Guntersville practice has been all about the weather conditions. Lake conditions are pretty consistent, 72 to 75 degree water, clouds of bait just about everywhere you look. Mats in the middle of the lake have the 'boom boom' of big girls opening toilet bowls under shad or bluegill like every ten minutes or so. (getting them to hit your bait is another story all together). When the weather cooperates, fair wind with clouds or overcast the bite is good, sunny skies and slick water is another story. Lots of pressure on these fish and that has to have some effect on the bite. If Thursday and Friday have good fishing weather, some big sacks will be brought to the scales so watch out. I just hope I'm one of those folks walking through.

Kentucky Lake Woes

2008-10-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

So I have not posted since my disappointing finish at KY lake. Some really good bags were caught just not by myself. Following fish in transition has never been my strong suit but I did learn a great deal as this event was pretty much textbook for transitional bass. In practice we had very consistent weather, light winds and high skies the only variable was the dropping water. It seemed like they were dropping the lake every day of practice and to a foot below winter pool the last day of the event for me. I would hook some good fish on a frog in mat on one day and come back the next day and the mat was gone either by way of 'laying' over or it was simply out of the water. I just did not adjust well to the water levels. The wind blew hard the first day of the event and this may have played a role on my confidence somewhat but that's on me. Live and learn. Guntersville is next and I cannot wait for that event. I like the Tennessee river reservoirs and hopefully they don't mess with the water levels there too much. This out of state experience is obviously what I need so badly and the more the better no matter how I finish.

Central Open Practice Begins

2008-09-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

I started practicing on site today for the second central open. I have a certain degree of trepidation going into this event just knowing I'm competing against the likes of Rick Clunn, Greg Hackney, Preston Clark, Byron Velvick, Dave Wolak and on and on and on..... It's very hard to convince myself that I'm really vs the fish instead of the other guys fishing this event but really that is the reality of it. Things have changed so much since my pre practice period here two weeks ago. The lake has cooled by 5 or 6 degrees, its down 4+ feet just a foot above winter pool and a month early. The bait is way back in the backs of the cuts and so are the schoolie bass. Best five for today went MAYBE 12 lbs, still waiting on that 'right bite'. There was a local tournament weighing in at Paris this afternoon and I asked a local what kind of weight it took to win and he told me 14 to 15 so I'm abit off pace and that will need to be fixed. I have a good bait getting lots of blowups but having a difficult time getting hooked up, Ill keep messing with hook size and so on to get it figured out, top water is not my speciality but it is what the fish want right now so Ill oblige. More time behind the trolling motor is needed and I'm confident Ill get this thing figured out.

Transition already

2008-09-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

So it seems that the bass have begun their transition on the Hick already. With this recent change in weather pattern Ive taken fewer and fewer fish from their typical summer haunts and it seems like they just got there. I fished my last local event for the year last Sunday and only had two fish for maybe 4 or 4.5 lbs. Got in line to weigh in and saw a couple of 5 fish limits and just walked to the release boat only to find out later that 4 lbs would have placed me in the top ten so I guess others are struggling as well. This is the time of year when I really struggle, following fish in transition just isn't my forte but it IS an area where I recognize one of my weaknesses and look forward to the learning process.

I practiced a few days on Kentucky Lake last week for the second central open and had mixed results. I don't have a ton of experience on that lake but received some advice from some who do and put it to use. Catching fish was NOT the issue it was catching the right fish. My best five for the three days went something like 11 lbs to 13 lbs and I know from the results of the BASS weekend series event there a couple of weeks ago it will take 15/day min to do well.

The recent weather changes are effecting the fish there as well as here and that is just another hurdle for me to deal with but everyone else as well. Again I look forward to the challenge and can't wait to get on the water for official practice. AS SOON AS I GET MY BOAT BACK FROM THE FU*@#NG REPAIR SHOP.

On Water Decision Making

2008-09-02T14:08:00.001-07:00

The last couple of weeks of practice for local events have been good or so I thought. I have been catching decent numbers and also I have been able to catch the all important 'kicker' to scratch out a really decent bag if I could just put the two together on game day no issues. That last statement was just the issue as a matter of fact, I just couldn't seem to put the two factors together to win an event. I have a couple of spots which are kicking out some really nice fish and I have a few more which always seem to put out some decent numbers but community hole doesn't even start to sum up how I feel about some of those spots so I found myself lingering around my honey holes too long to even have the opportunity to win. Riverside Marine hosted their last regular season event two weekends ago and I took 3rd simply because of the aforementioned problem in my head. By second guessing too long to fish effectively later in the day I hindered my ability to close the deal. This happened again the Tuesday after in a really small event I fished just because I was so pissed about how I performed on Saturday. With the help of a good friend of mine, William Underwood, I kinda got a lesson on 'game day' decision making this last Sunday in a decent size event of 70 boats or so. We fished the honey holes for a couple of kickers and then burned some gas doing a milk run spot to spot following instinct and avoiding the 'weekend warrior' spots just fishing what felt right until we ran into some fish no one else was on here and there. I cannot stress enough how not wasting time helped us win the event. We did our homework ahead of time and quit worrying about how much gas we were burning or who or how many might be on the spot once we got there, we strategically went about our business efficiently as possible not wasting any time second guessing baits or angles of approach or waiting for fish to get active. What I learned and kinda already new but was maybe over thinking it was put in your time behind the trolling motor well ahead of time and come to the ramp ultra prepared. Have your rigs out and knots checked well before your number is called. Know exactly, EXACTLY where you are going to run to and if it is crowded there don't fumble around, run to the next spot. Know how long you are going to spend on any given spot before heading to the next and how long before you revisit the same spot again before it may reload. Oh and also "William will appreciate this" know how much oil is in your tank the night before!!

Mixed Results

2008-08-11T19:21:00.001-07:00

So Ive had some mixed results regarding my theory that the 'deep' bite has returned to the Hick. Ive practiced a couple of days and fished a local club tournament since my last post and I think the big girls are there but there are also the little yellow bellied bar fish present. Im not sure how these pests are affecting the largemouth but there are so many of them shallow and deep that I have to think that somehow they are making the big girls a little skittish or maybe they are not letting the bass get to the baits. Ever present is the 'tic tic tic' of the barfish tapping your worm or jig. Absolutely every place I have scouted out a deep hard bottomed piece of structure the little guys are there too. Lots of bait but maybe too much. So the tournament I fished was a one fish, big fish club tournament only 6 hours duration and I caught 3 largemouth all day off of 2 spots. I feel I was lucky to get those 3 bites amongst all the local traffic and baitfish. I soaked a jig and basstrix all day but did end up with this 6.85 to cash a check which made me feel good but in a normal five fish event I feel it would be very hard to come by 5 of these. Numbers are there shallow but 5 14" fish may only weigh 10 or 11 lbs and I know I would need more than 15 to cash another check so the search is on again this week to find some more deep bites and maybe less bait in the area meaning less nuisance fish as well.....

Ledge fish, FINALLY!

2008-08-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Not a great picture but a great day of fishing!

Launched the Basscat at sun-up this morning in anticipation that the much-sought after ledge bass of Old Hickory would show up again. Ledge fish have been missing this summer, not sure if it's because of the lack of current or some other anomaly but I was hoping today would be different, and it was.

The first spot I pulled up on was a submerged point tapering off from 12' to about 18' of water with a 20-25' drain on one side and the main river channel on the other side. Nice hard bottom, lots of bait and I was graphing fish under bait fish. Petey-rigged fluke did the trick for numbers but the 12" worm was the real deal for the big fish. A 4 and a 7 came off this spot early so I let the spot rest. I went up-river to look at a few similar spots (long tapering points with hard bottom and bait fish) and was able to duplicate the results. 20-21 lbs for my best five.

So glad I'm not crazy, even if I look like I am in the middle of the river to those who don't know what I know! Planning to double-check the pattern tomorrow and use this in the weekend local tourney if it holds.