Posted by
Roscoe - on Tue, May 15, 2012 @ 07:49 AM
Go fishing whenever you have the chance.
Not every fishing trip needs to be an all-day deal. Some of the most fun and productive fishing outings are those spur-of-the-moment things where you get a couple free hours. You throw a rod and a couple baits in the truck and head for the nearest river or pond and just walk along the shoreline casting. Sometimes you catch a couple and sometimes you don't. The only guarantee when you go fishing is that if you don't go, you won't get bit. When you get the chance to go fishing, go!
I had 1 1/2 on Sunday to go fishing with the boys, not even enough time to get out the Twin Troller. We ran to our local pond and had a blast. We always compete for first fish, most fish and biggest fish. I came up with a goose egg on all counts but had a grat time with the guys.
Take every chance you can to share and enjoy the outdoors and 2012 can be the best fishing season you've ever had.
Posted by
Roscoe - on Fri, May 11, 2012 @ 08:26 AM
I have great success with straight hooking my Yamamoto Senko worms but after reading this article I'm goiing to wacky rig next time out and see what happens. I'll be working this rig hard in my Twin Troller X10.
http://www.thefishingwire.com/features/225923
Posted by
Roscoe - on Thu, May 03, 2012 @ 10:24 AM
The pre-spawn has come and gone for much of the country but up north it is prime time. Here is a link to a good article on swimbaits during the pre-spawn.
Here is a link that may help you catch some of those big fish moving up to spawn.
Hope you enjoy it.
Posted by
Roscoe - on Thu, Apr 26, 2012 @ 10:35 AM
You can learn a lot from the pros. Here's some good stuff from KVD.
"I'll fish as fast as I can and locate as many bass as I can in a day of practice fishing," Kevin VanDam of Michigan and the winningest bass pro in the country says. "Then when the tournament begins, I'll have plenty of productive spots to fish. "I have three favorite search baits that I use. Each of those baits is designed to search a different depth of water for bass. For instance, I'll use the Strike King KVD 1.5 and 2.5 to locate bass in 1 to 2 feet of water and the Series 6XD to find bass in water depths of 30 feet. These lures allow me to search different depths of water to determine at which depth of water the bass are holding. And, I don't overlook the spinner bait. I can fish the Burner spinner bait right on the surface, and the Bottom Dweller spinner bait I can fish as deep as I want. I can fish all these spinner baits fast. I also use the Rodent and the Coffee Tube. I can flip those two at targets and hop them one time off the bottom. Remember that in practice I'm just looking for bass, not trying to catch every bass in the area or pick-apart the cover. I just want to know where the bass are holding, the water depth at which the bass are holding, the type of structure where they're holding, and the area of the lake that's holding the most bass. I always can come back on a tournament day to pick-apart the cover and fish every piece of cover in that region."
VanDam says he's never seen a ledge he hasn't loved to fish. VanDam has won a number of tournaments and has caught a lot of bass off ledges. Here's his game plan for pinpointing the ledges on the lakes he fishes. "I don't get on the Internet and search for information. I look at a lake map to try to determine where the bass should be at the time of year when I'm fishing, under the weather and the water conditions I'm fishing. Then, I study a topo map of the lake to see the ledges and the drop-offs that show-up on the map. I'll go one step further and graph the area, once I reach the lake. I use a Humminbird side-imaging unit, which is an unbelievable tool for fishing ledges. This unit gives me a detailed picture of not only what's underneath the boat, like most depth finders, but also what's off to the side of the boat. With a Humminbird side-imaging depth finder, I can look at about 200 feet of bottom at once.
"Also, to locate the ledges, I spend a lot of time with crankbaits trying to cover the ledges and searching for those little ledges that most people may not find. The obvious places, like points, main river drop-offs, creek-channel junctions and easy-to-find ledges probably have been found by every bass fisherman who fishes that lake and are fished really hard.
So, I search for drop-offs and ledges that probably aren't on any lake maps. I'm looking for the very-subtle drop-offs, like a 1- or a 2-foot drop-off. I still won't find those hidden bottom breaks, unless I spend a lot of time cranking a crankbait. I can fish those shallow ledges that only may be 1-foot deep with the KVD 1.5 or 2.5 and those deep ledges more than 20-feet deep with a Series 6XD. The Series 6XD dives deeper than other crankbaits, so I can find and fish the ledges other fishermen aren't able to fish with other crankbaits. These crankbaits give me a better picture of the bottom and enable me to feel the type of structure on the bottom."
Posted by
Roscoe - on Wed, Apr 18, 2012 @ 10:38 AM
Finally something gets done right in Washington.
It seems appropriate on the 237th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride that we announce the House of Representatives' passage of a huge block of legislation known as the Sportsman's Heritage Act of 2012.
H.R. 4089 is actually the compilation of four bills, all designed to protect -and enhance- opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing and shooting:
H.R. 1558 amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to prevent this (and future) administrations from using the Environmental Protection Agency to eliminate the rights of hunters, shooters and anglers to use "traditional ammunition and fishing tackle". In essence, the bill clarifies the EPA's lack of authority when it comes to regulating, shot, bullets, and other ammunition components or sport fishing components.
H.R. 3440 the "Recreational Shooting Protection Act" prevents a ban on recreational shooting on BLM lands nationwide. Further, it directs the BLM to manage national monument land in a way that "supports, promotes, and enhances recreational shooting.
H.R. 2834 the "Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act recognizes the rightful place of recreational hunting, fishing and shooting on Federal lands; it supports Executive Order 13443, directs Federal land management agencies to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of hunting on Federal lands; ensures sound scientific management of wildlife and habitat; establishes an "open unless closed" policy for recreational hunting, fishing and shooting on lands managed by the US Forest Service and the BLM.
The fourth bill, H.R. 991, amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act by authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to issue importation permits to hunters for polar bear trophies taken before the polar bear was designated as threatened.
An amendment clarifying that the protection given hunting and fishing in wilderness areas is not intended to permit motorized recreation or mineral extraction was also passed. Three other amendments, opposed on the grounds they would "gut" the pro-sportsmen legislation, were pretty soundly defeated.
Yesterday, the a coalition of more than thirty outdoor organizations was doing everything possible to mobilize their constituents to let Congress know the Sportsman's Heritage Act of 2012 was important.
Today, they're celebrating the 274 to 146 passage, despite it having been pretty much a partisan vote. Members of the non-partisan Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, responsible for much of the legislation, however, are celebrating across party lines.
"I think it is important to recognize the contributions that sportsmen make to protect our nation's most precious resources," said CSC co-chair Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL), "We must remain ever diligent to ensure the rights of sportsmen...H.R. 4089 will be able to address some of the most pressing concerns the outdoor community faces."
CSC Co-Chair Mike Ross says the passage is the "product of the coordinated efforts of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus."
CSF President Jeff Crane simply calls the passage "unprecedented".
Others from a coalition of more than 30 outdoor groups are also offering congratulations. Lawrence G. Keane, the NSSF's Senior VP and General Counsel joined in the congratulatory chorus, praising Miller for "protecting and preserving America's hunting and shooting heritage."
SCI President Kevin Anderson says that, "by passing this legislation, Congress has helped protect our hunting heritage for the future outdoorsmen and women."
"H.R. 4089 is a significant step for hunters and recreational shooters in our country," says Chris W. Cox, executive director for NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. "This bill prevents the Obama administration from eliminating the right of hunters and shooters to use traditional ammunition. We must expand and enhance hunting and shooting on Federal lands to ensure that hunting is accessible to all - and this bill does just that."
"H.R. 4089 spells out in plain language that hunting, fishing and recreational shooting are legitimate uses of federal public lands, said U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance president and CEO Bud Pidgeon, and that these lands are open, as a matter of law, to these traditional activities."
Pidgeon also said the legislation makes it "crystal clear that the U.S. EPA does not have the authority to restrict American's choices of ammunition and fishing tackle."
Posted by
Roscoe - on Fri, Apr 13, 2012 @ 10:02 AM
Pre-spawn bass can be extremely finicky fish because they haven't quite committed themselves to shallow water and spawning, which is why jerkbaits are among the best lure choices right now. Not only do these lures look and act like injured baitfish, you can also choose between floating and suspending models that allow you to cover different water depths.
Right now, the water is still cool in many areas of the country and bass are staging on the deeper edges of the flats and on the ends of points as they wait for more favorable spawning conditions. They may not be very active, but they'll go after a suspending jerkbait because it has such a tantalizing side-to-side action and you can keep the lure in front of them for a long time.
At the same time, if bass are already in shallower water, you can use a floating jerkbait around visible cover like stumps or boat docks, and catch fish with the same wobbling, side-to-side retrieve. A floating jerkbait does not dive as deep, and it immediately comes back up to the surface instead of suspending in deeper water.
The best place to begin looking for pre-spawn bass is around visible points in the major tributaries. Start at either the first or second points near the mouth of the tributary and gradually work your way back. You don't want to start in the very back of the creek because you’ll probably be ahead of the fish this time of year.
Keep your boat in deeper water off the end of the point and cast shallow. That way, you can retrieve the jerkbait over any depth changes or breaklines into deeper water where the bass may be staging.
In shallow water, jerkbaits can be effective lures even if bass don't actually hit them because fish frequently "flash" or swim up to the lures for an instant to investigate. By giving away their location you can easily throw a different type of lure, such as a slow-falling plastic worm, right to them.
Jerkbaits are worked by pointing the rod tip down and twitching it. The pauses are the most important part of your retrieve. The motion of the lure attracts the bass, but the strikes nearly always come during your pause when the lure is sitting still. This is how baitfish, especially injured ones, move through the water.
Because jerkbaits produce their best results in relatively clear water where bass can see them, use lure colors that closely resemble the dominant forage in the lake he's fishing. Gold/black back, especially in shallow water; and chrome/black back or light gray/purple back in deeper water.
Here is a link for some advice from KVD on jerkbaits.
Posted by
Roscoe - on Thu, Apr 05, 2012 @ 03:46 PM
To increase your odds for catching a bunch of big fish, you need to remember that fish move around quite a bit during a fishing season. For fishing success, you need to move around too.
Fish are interesting creatures. They do two things their entire life: They eat and they reproduce. Depending on whether they're in the eating or reproducing time of year will determine where they will be in a lake or river or pond.
Right now most fish are in some phase of the reproduction period. Most fish are either getting ready to spawn, they are actually spawning, or they've recently finished with this ritual.
Spawning for most fish takes place fairly close to shore or in shallow water. For that reason, we'll want to concentrate our efforts close to shore or in shallow water: That's where the fish are.
After the spawn, the fish take a few days to recover. Then they go on a feeding binge. They'll be wherever the food is, and they'll continue to follow the food the rest of the year. After the spawn, all fish do is eat. If what they're eating moves, the predator fish will follow close behind.
If the baitfish are fifteen feet above the bottom that is where the bigger fish will be prowling. When the bigger fish want to eat, they have to move to where the baitfish are.
Some lakes have bug hatches, and a variety of fish eat these bugs. The bugs hatch on the bottom of the lake and drift toward the surface. As the bugs move up, so do the fish that are eating them. If you want to catch these fish, you need to keep your bait at the depth where the fish are.
Because the area where the fish are is changing, a successful angler needs to change lure presentation also. If the fish are up off the bottom, you'll want to select a lure that runs up off the bottom. A jig crawled along the bottom is great if the fish are on the bottom, but it isn't much good crawled along the bottom if the fish are fifteen feet up.
If you want to catch more fish, you need to follow them throughout the fishing season. Find the food they're eating, put your bait there, and you'll increase your odds for fishing success.
Follow the fish and have more success.
Posted by
Roscoe - on Tue, Apr 03, 2012 @ 02:18 PM
Fishing small waters is really no different then fishing larger bodies of water and often times the small techniques work in both large and smll bodies of water. Take Junk Fishing for instance. It does not matter the size of the lake you are on this technique can work anywhere for anyone. Here is a great artical by Mark Menendez explaining what junk fishing is.
What is it and how does an angler junk fish? Depending on the time of the year, this style of fishing can be very effective. There are several anglers on the professional trail that have become masters at this style of fishing.
Most anglers utilize seasonal patterns to systematically breakdown a lake. They will use the time of the year, water temperature, and how far along the spawn is to section the lake. They will then go to the proper section and break the lake down even further. This is the angler at blast off that will only have two or three rods on the front deck of their bass boat. This angler is a pattern fisherman. The other angler will have fifteen rods on the deck. Everything from topwater to bottom bouncing baits. They will literally run the lake shore and fish cover that looks good. It could be a laydown tree, a point, a boat dock. This is the "junk fisherman".
For junk fishing, the Strike King Spinnerbait tops most anglers' lists.
Junk fishing really shines in and around the spawn. Mother Nature does not allow all bass to spawn at the same time. Some fish will spawn earlier, some later, and most will spawn at the proper moon phase. This insures that a percentage of the bass spawned will be recruited into larger fish. The species will survive. Anglers finding these conditions will have bass in all stages of the spawn. Fish will be found on main lake points, backs of pockets, and between. It is hard to develop a strong pattern at this time. Mixing of patterns can be productive now. They tend to be time oriented during the day. An example is fishing points for pre-spawn bass. These fish gather on points before heading to the spawning pockets. They are schooled best early in the mornings. As water temperatures warm during the day, they tend to head for the spawning areas. This will give the angler a starting pattern that lasts until 9 am. Then, the angler must establish an alternate pattern. Docks that are just outside the spawning area will hold bass until conditions are right for spawning. Docks can be attacked with several styles of lures. This example will be a strong idea until the sun gets up high enough to look for visibly spawning bass. "Sight fishing" for bass is a very frustrating way to fish. It can also be the best way to fish. Just remember, they don't have to be on a bed to be referred as sight fish.
Lure choices are very specific for the junk fisherman. Junk fishing is about covering as much water as possible. Power fishing lures will dominate the selection. Top junk fishing lures are as follows. A Strike King Spinnerbait tops the list. A spinnerbait can be fish from the top of the water column to the bottom. A smaller bladed bait will open the opportunity to catch keeper bass as well as lunkers. A brightly colored weightless Texas rigged floating worm is a popular junk fishing lure. The angler can twitch this bait keeping it just in sight under the surface of the water. Top colors include hot pink, yellow, and orange. The bright color will help the angler determine the strike. A Strike King Swim Jig with a Rage Craw trailer will present a subtle profile of a bluegill. This technique demands the use of a braided line like Seaguar Kanzen. 30lb to 50lb braid is needed as the strike is a slashing fast bite. The lack of stretch gives the angler the chance to hook this bass. A topwater walking bait is a lunker hunter for junk fishing. A Sexy Dawg from Strike King casts long distances and creates a surface commotion to draw cruising and post spawn bass to the surface. The final mop up lure is the Shakey Head. A Tour Grade 3/16 oz. head with a Perfect Plastic six inch finesse worm will allow the angler to fish cover fast and efficiently. The Shakey Head allows the worm to stand at a high profile on the bottom. The bass will be able to see this presentation from a long distance.
Junk fishing has won anglers millions of dollars on the tournament trail. This unconventional system may be the best way to catch bass at certain times. In and around the spawn, it will give the angler a greater chance to post a good finish.
--Mark Menendez
Posted by
Roscoe - on Wed, Mar 28, 2012 @ 02:02 PM
Call me crazy but I have never pulled a lipless crankbait out of my takle box. Don't get me wrong, I have a few in there I just have never decide to tie one on.
That's about to change. After reading this article http://smallwatersfishing.com/2012/03/18/lipless-crankbaits-for-pre-spawn-bass/ and watching the video from the www.smallwatersfishing website I can't wait to dig down to the bottom of my box and pull out every lipless crankbait I can find. I might even go out and buy some more.
There are a lot of areas in the country that are still in the prespawn stage of the bass season and this article hits home. Being a small waters fishing guy the information hit the bulls eye for me.I hope it helps you as well.
Posted by
Roscoe - on Thu, Mar 01, 2012 @ 02:45 PM
When fishing for bedding bass the number one thing you should have is a good pair of polarized sunglasses. Amber is the best color for cloudy days and darker colors work well on sunny days. 
You can expect to pay at least $70 per pair for good glasses, but you get what you pay for.
Whenever you first move into an area, let it settle down. Have your trolling motor off and after a few minutes look for a wake or other sign of bass cruising the shallows. When the male and female are both on the nest they'll make what’s called flashes. What I mean is that you'll see the white of their bellies when they're actually spawning.
If you lose a bass remember where it was and come back later. Most of the time you can catch that fish again.
Carry a pole in your boat that you can use to stick in the bottom under the water and tie up to in open areas. The less noise you make the better and boat movement is included. To better your chances of not spooking fish, wear dull clothes. Bright colors and white can sometimes spook fish off the nests.
Watch the bass when you throw a bait into the nest. If it spooks easily and takes a long time to come back, move on. But if the fish spooks and comes right back to the nest that's what we call a catchable fish.
A good locating lure when nests aren't readily visible is a buzzbait. After a strike, look close and you'll usually find the nest.
Almost without exception the larger bass are usually the deepest spawners. I caught several big bass only after I accidentally saw their nest while fishing shallower ones.
After you've fished a nest for a while, you will learn there is a sweet spot that really excites the bass guarding it. Figure out that spot and you can certainly catch that fish. Use a lure that's bright and easy to see. Sometimes that's the only way you can tell when the bass actually picks up the lure, especially under windy or cloudy conditions that can really make it disappear.
I hope these tips can help you catch those sometimes frustrating bedding bass. Remember, basic bass behavior is the same weather you are in a large body of water or a small one only in small bodies of water the bass may be much more aggressive because they are less pressured.