Well, I hit the water on Christmas day. Depressing? Maybe for some but for me, it was devine. The wifey was working/sleeping (she is a registered nurse, works nights) and all family events had been planned around her schedule so that left Christmas as a day to ride.
What did I notice? Insane torque and instant throttle response, ridiculous hole shots that can be achieved with minimal effort and stupid handling thats tough to describe. I noticed that Power-Poles are now a necessity and that was evident thirty seconds after launch when I didnt have to dig out ropes to tie my boat off to a dock that would inevetibly scratch the shit out of my gel coat. Now all you have to do is get close to the dock, poles down, drive truck off ramp. Pretty damn simple. That alone would make them worth their weight in gold and thats only the tip of the berg considering we havent even touched on the effects on your fishing.
Lowrance HDS10 > anything else ever put on the market. Ive had the HDS8 for a few years, you wouldnt think there would be much difference and you would be right but having that giant screen a foot from your face feels pretty good. There isnt much that would make them better, I would expect to see touch screen technology in the future from them. A boon for both would be a merger between Apple and Lowrance. The possibilites would be endless. I would pay!
Benefits Im looking forward too but havent experienced yet.... Cant wait to not have to buy oil! Im already spending that extra money on gear. Cant wait to get better fuel economy! Again, already spending that extra money on gear. Cant wait to not have to unload my gear every time Im at a hotel, that alarm system will make it alot easier to sleep at night! Cant wait to not lose hours of a tournament day fixing something! Cant wait to not have to worry about fixing something before a tournament day! Cant wait to run 70mph+, cant wait for that soft ride, I CANT FREAKIN WAIT! Two weeks until I head south! Go time commin...
S.T.P.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
ITS HERE!!!!!!!!
And the next time you buy a bass boat, expect a similar face from your wife or significant other, Im not completely in the doghouse but if I buy anything else, I might be living under my new boat cover. Looks cozy under there but I aint trying to live in a boat.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
SLOOOOOWWWWWWW.....
Help me god, the end of this year feels like a scene from Inception. My boat is still not here and as I look out the window, all I can see is frost. I know I keep saying it but I promise my rig is supposed to be here this week. Probably one week too late to break it in so it appears I'll be doing that unfortunate chore in Florida while I practice for the first Open at Harris Chain. Meanwhile, because I havent been fishing and I havent been doing really anything of note, I thought I would comment on a few things in the news the past few weeks.
Jerry Sandusky - Sick bag of douche
Aaron Rodgers - Dirtiest qb Ive ever seen play
Occupy Everything - you want more money so you sit on your ass holding a sign? IT WONT WORK
Urban Meyer - Buckeye fans rejoice
Wild Animals in Zanesville - Too bad the Lions didnt get to taste this guy while he was still alive.
Alabama Rig - cant wait to look retarded heaving that bohemeth
Fuel Prices - Suck
Cleveland Browns - youtube "factory of sadness" youll understand
That summs it up as I really am disconnected from society. For the past month, all Ive really done is sit in my underwear watching the Sopranos on dvd and look at google earth. Things are bout to pick up though.
Since this is a "fishing" blog, I prob should talk about fishing a little bit. The next time I write something, I promise it will be fishing related!
Later
S.T.P.
Jerry Sandusky - Sick bag of douche
Aaron Rodgers - Dirtiest qb Ive ever seen play
Occupy Everything - you want more money so you sit on your ass holding a sign? IT WONT WORK
Urban Meyer - Buckeye fans rejoice
Wild Animals in Zanesville - Too bad the Lions didnt get to taste this guy while he was still alive.
Alabama Rig - cant wait to look retarded heaving that bohemeth
Fuel Prices - Suck
Cleveland Browns - youtube "factory of sadness" youll understand
That summs it up as I really am disconnected from society. For the past month, all Ive really done is sit in my underwear watching the Sopranos on dvd and look at google earth. Things are bout to pick up though.
Since this is a "fishing" blog, I prob should talk about fishing a little bit. The next time I write something, I promise it will be fishing related!
Later
S.T.P.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Luck or Skill? You're retarded if you think its a game of chance...
Ive been involved in a rather heated debate for the last few days on a local forum about whether or not fishing should be an olympic sport. I cant really decide whether or not it should be, alot of factors to consider and Im not sure it would really work. One particular viewpoint was brought up that there was too much "luck" involved for it to be considered for an olympic sport. This is complete B.S. and there are multitudes of facts to support my claims.
The biggest problem, however, is that its very difficult convincing someone that has never fished in tournaments how difficult it can be and how good someone like Kevin Van Damm really is. Luck plays a tiny part in the grand scheme but never the less, it does play a part but not in ways you think. It plays about as much of a part as it does in any other competition or athletic event. A few years ago, the Steelers won the Superbowl (god help me!) was they lucky? I think so, if Kurt Warner doesnt throw that dreadful pass at the end of the first half, then the Cardinals win that game. Does that make them lucky? Definetely, however, they put themselves in a position to make the play by actually making it to the Superbowl. Does that mean football is not a true sport or a true competition because the best team or person doesnt always win and luck can dictate winning or losing? If you have that opinion, please dont come to my blog any more because you are a MORON!
No matter what the conditions are, no matter how severe the cold front, no matter how cold it got, no matter how high the water got, SOMEBODY ALWAYS FIGURES OUT HOW TO CATCH THE FISH. If Joe Yonderfisher goes to a lake, by himself, and gets skunked, then Joe Yonderfisher, in his own little world, thinks that NOBODY could have caught fish that day since he didnt. See Joe Yonderfisher has never fished in a tournament so he has never had the opportunity to get schooled. If he had been in a tournament that day, the second he got back to the ramp all those excuses about the weather and bad luck are extinguished in a heartbeat when he notices Ronnie James Bigbagofish waddling down to the scales with 14lbs of smallies. Was Ronnie lucky? Maybe if you consider that 4lber that culled out a 2lber was barely hooked but that doesnt explain how Joe was unlucky. Luck doesnt make the difference between 14lbs and 0lbs. Luck makes the difference in 14lbs to 12lbs.
What Im saying is, experience goes a long way when your talking about tournament fishing. You can fish your entire life, have 1000s and 1000s of dollars in gear, a wicked boat and lots of experience catching fish when its convenient for you but when its time to catch fish when its convenient for them, thats when it becomes a new ballgame. Do you need to get lucky once in a while to pull out a win? Definetely but luck is not the difference between Joe Yonderfisher and Aaron Martens.
The only thing that prepairs you for tournament fishing is tournament fishing. Theres no prep courses, theres no shortcuts. If you think you can be good at it, you wont be untill you start doing it and if you are relying on luck to get you through, well, good luck...
Check this link out!!!!!!!!!!! These things are hard to do even IF (notice how bid the IF is) you had ideal conditions every time you went out and we all know that tournament fishing doesnt wait for fair weather like Joe Yonderfishin does. Saying luck has anything to do with this would be like saying a roulette wheel is going to land on black 57 times in a row.
http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/streaks-peaks-and-freaks-good-kind
MAN UP AND PAY YOUR ENTREE FEE IF YOU ARE THAT GOOD!
S.T.P.
The biggest problem, however, is that its very difficult convincing someone that has never fished in tournaments how difficult it can be and how good someone like Kevin Van Damm really is. Luck plays a tiny part in the grand scheme but never the less, it does play a part but not in ways you think. It plays about as much of a part as it does in any other competition or athletic event. A few years ago, the Steelers won the Superbowl (god help me!) was they lucky? I think so, if Kurt Warner doesnt throw that dreadful pass at the end of the first half, then the Cardinals win that game. Does that make them lucky? Definetely, however, they put themselves in a position to make the play by actually making it to the Superbowl. Does that mean football is not a true sport or a true competition because the best team or person doesnt always win and luck can dictate winning or losing? If you have that opinion, please dont come to my blog any more because you are a MORON!
No matter what the conditions are, no matter how severe the cold front, no matter how cold it got, no matter how high the water got, SOMEBODY ALWAYS FIGURES OUT HOW TO CATCH THE FISH. If Joe Yonderfisher goes to a lake, by himself, and gets skunked, then Joe Yonderfisher, in his own little world, thinks that NOBODY could have caught fish that day since he didnt. See Joe Yonderfisher has never fished in a tournament so he has never had the opportunity to get schooled. If he had been in a tournament that day, the second he got back to the ramp all those excuses about the weather and bad luck are extinguished in a heartbeat when he notices Ronnie James Bigbagofish waddling down to the scales with 14lbs of smallies. Was Ronnie lucky? Maybe if you consider that 4lber that culled out a 2lber was barely hooked but that doesnt explain how Joe was unlucky. Luck doesnt make the difference between 14lbs and 0lbs. Luck makes the difference in 14lbs to 12lbs.
What Im saying is, experience goes a long way when your talking about tournament fishing. You can fish your entire life, have 1000s and 1000s of dollars in gear, a wicked boat and lots of experience catching fish when its convenient for you but when its time to catch fish when its convenient for them, thats when it becomes a new ballgame. Do you need to get lucky once in a while to pull out a win? Definetely but luck is not the difference between Joe Yonderfisher and Aaron Martens.
The only thing that prepairs you for tournament fishing is tournament fishing. Theres no prep courses, theres no shortcuts. If you think you can be good at it, you wont be untill you start doing it and if you are relying on luck to get you through, well, good luck...
Check this link out!!!!!!!!!!! These things are hard to do even IF (notice how bid the IF is) you had ideal conditions every time you went out and we all know that tournament fishing doesnt wait for fair weather like Joe Yonderfishin does. Saying luck has anything to do with this would be like saying a roulette wheel is going to land on black 57 times in a row.
http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/streaks-peaks-and-freaks-good-kind
MAN UP AND PAY YOUR ENTREE FEE IF YOU ARE THAT GOOD!
S.T.P.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Alabama Rig? Im sure i'll be the last to the party
So if you're in the bass fishing world whether its as a tournament fisherman or of the casual sorts youve probably heard about the alabama rig. Its this crazy deal that allows you to fish with multiple baits at once so as to mimic a school of bait fish. It certainly has its place in the fishing world but I highly doubt its the magic bait that everyone thinks it is. However.... I could totally be wrong and it could be everything its being hyped up to be, I mean these deals are selling on ebay right now for $50, $60, $70. That seems crazy but even I am proof that if something is legit, people will pay for it.
I now need to tell you that I am usually the last person in the world to fall for a gimmick or even a threat of a gimmick. I have always let everyone else fall over themselves to use something that seems like a gimmick before I would allow myself to look like, what I feel, is a moron. Not saying that someone using an alabama rig is a moron but I never want anyone to think that. Right or wrong, fads are something Ive never jumped on. When everyone was "popping collars" on there polo shirts I was like "that looks ridiculous, I dont care if Kanye West is doing it" and thats sort of how I feel about fishing gear. If it looks ridiculous or if I think someone will think I look ridiculous doing it, chances are, Im not going to do it. I like doing the things I like doing and an infomercial is the last place Im going to buy baits from.
And now to the last bit of the story. Back when I was in high school, I used to fish farm ponds around my home town with my best friend growing up, Scott Rawlings, AKA the Weasel. The weasel was content with his zebco 33 and ugly stick but not me. I saw what the pros were using, I knew that using that gear was like trying to tell a mechanic to use chinese tools. In fact, I hadnt used a spincast real since I was 12 years old. I thought I knew what I was doing and most of the time, I caught alot of bass. Then comes the day the weasel busted out the magic lure, the BANJO MINNOW. Prob the biggest gimmick bait ever created. I laughed at him, told him that it was junk and that no way he would outfish me with the infomercial bait. Needless to say, I got smoked that day. It was almost unfair, it felt like he was using live shiners while I was heaving a fluke around. I want to say he outfished me at a 4 to 1 clip but it probably was worse then that and even now, I still refuse to use a banjo minnow.
As it turns out, the banjo minnow has major major drawbacks but if you throw that thing into a farm pond, chances are your gonna wreck some fish. The moral of the story is that alot of baits, whether they are a gimmick or not, have a time and a place where they will shine. Do you have the balls to throw something that may make you look like an idiot? I certainly dont but if it becomes a mainstream technique, chances are, I will fold and start doing it like everyone else, but it usually takes alot to convince me to do so.
S.T.P.
I now need to tell you that I am usually the last person in the world to fall for a gimmick or even a threat of a gimmick. I have always let everyone else fall over themselves to use something that seems like a gimmick before I would allow myself to look like, what I feel, is a moron. Not saying that someone using an alabama rig is a moron but I never want anyone to think that. Right or wrong, fads are something Ive never jumped on. When everyone was "popping collars" on there polo shirts I was like "that looks ridiculous, I dont care if Kanye West is doing it" and thats sort of how I feel about fishing gear. If it looks ridiculous or if I think someone will think I look ridiculous doing it, chances are, Im not going to do it. I like doing the things I like doing and an infomercial is the last place Im going to buy baits from.
And now to the last bit of the story. Back when I was in high school, I used to fish farm ponds around my home town with my best friend growing up, Scott Rawlings, AKA the Weasel. The weasel was content with his zebco 33 and ugly stick but not me. I saw what the pros were using, I knew that using that gear was like trying to tell a mechanic to use chinese tools. In fact, I hadnt used a spincast real since I was 12 years old. I thought I knew what I was doing and most of the time, I caught alot of bass. Then comes the day the weasel busted out the magic lure, the BANJO MINNOW. Prob the biggest gimmick bait ever created. I laughed at him, told him that it was junk and that no way he would outfish me with the infomercial bait. Needless to say, I got smoked that day. It was almost unfair, it felt like he was using live shiners while I was heaving a fluke around. I want to say he outfished me at a 4 to 1 clip but it probably was worse then that and even now, I still refuse to use a banjo minnow.
As it turns out, the banjo minnow has major major drawbacks but if you throw that thing into a farm pond, chances are your gonna wreck some fish. The moral of the story is that alot of baits, whether they are a gimmick or not, have a time and a place where they will shine. Do you have the balls to throw something that may make you look like an idiot? I certainly dont but if it becomes a mainstream technique, chances are, I will fold and start doing it like everyone else, but it usually takes alot to convince me to do so.
S.T.P.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Gearing up...
A handful of things are going on but nothing real exciting. First off, Fletcher and I wont be heading to Oklahoma. Money is tight for both of us, tournament fees are going to be due next month and it just didnt seem like a great idea to go blow a couple grand on a tournament that really meant nothing to either one of us as far as long term goals go. So, he will be preparing for the Classic and the Elite Series next season and I am preparing to make another run at qualifying for the Elites.
Ive also acquired two new legitimate sponsorship deals with Skeeter and Power-Pole. Being added to the Skeeter fishing team is a big deal to me and while Ive been representing Skeeter for a few years already just simply by running a Skeeter boat, I now will be officially apart of the Skeeter team. What does this mean? Still not totally sure yet but one thing is for sure, my new boat is bad ass. It should be here in a few weeks and its fully rigged. If a man cant win out of this boat then he cant win. As soon as I get it, I will upload some pics.
As for Power-Pole. If you guys didnt know what a Power-Pole is, check out any pic of an Elite Series anglers boat and you'll see two of them. They are a hydraulicaly powered lever that folds down upon command that anchors your boat in place. These things have become absolutely essential for bed fishing and stealth approaches to fishing holes. One is great, two is better and if you are fishing in shallow water (8 feet or lower) these things have to be on your christmas list. Click on the link above if you think you might be in the market.
The schedule has also been released. In January, Ill be heading to the Harris Chain of lakes in Florida near Orlando. Florida kicked my but last season but I learned some things and hopefully Ill do a little better this time around. March is Lake Norman...again. Im not really excited about going back to Lake Norman but I prob should be. I now have 10 days worth of experience on that lake, I know what not to do and those hopefully will go a long way. Its also where Fletcher won last season and he has said he would help me if he isnt fishing it, I dont think he is however, those sort of things rarely pan out. Getting help from someone else often does nothing but screw up your week. So Im going to go into it with and open mind and try to establish some other things that I prob should have tried last season. The 3rd stop is Lewis Smith lake in Alabama. I dont know much about that lake other then its one of Gerald Swindles home lakes and that it has loads of boat docks.
I may end up signing up for the Northern open at the Detroit River as well, registration starts the first of November and unlike last year, I have priority entry (part of the Skeeter deal) so I will have 100% guarentee for getting in. That already makes it better then last year!
S.T.P.
Ive also acquired two new legitimate sponsorship deals with Skeeter and Power-Pole. Being added to the Skeeter fishing team is a big deal to me and while Ive been representing Skeeter for a few years already just simply by running a Skeeter boat, I now will be officially apart of the Skeeter team. What does this mean? Still not totally sure yet but one thing is for sure, my new boat is bad ass. It should be here in a few weeks and its fully rigged. If a man cant win out of this boat then he cant win. As soon as I get it, I will upload some pics.
As for Power-Pole. If you guys didnt know what a Power-Pole is, check out any pic of an Elite Series anglers boat and you'll see two of them. They are a hydraulicaly powered lever that folds down upon command that anchors your boat in place. These things have become absolutely essential for bed fishing and stealth approaches to fishing holes. One is great, two is better and if you are fishing in shallow water (8 feet or lower) these things have to be on your christmas list. Click on the link above if you think you might be in the market.
The schedule has also been released. In January, Ill be heading to the Harris Chain of lakes in Florida near Orlando. Florida kicked my but last season but I learned some things and hopefully Ill do a little better this time around. March is Lake Norman...again. Im not really excited about going back to Lake Norman but I prob should be. I now have 10 days worth of experience on that lake, I know what not to do and those hopefully will go a long way. Its also where Fletcher won last season and he has said he would help me if he isnt fishing it, I dont think he is however, those sort of things rarely pan out. Getting help from someone else often does nothing but screw up your week. So Im going to go into it with and open mind and try to establish some other things that I prob should have tried last season. The 3rd stop is Lewis Smith lake in Alabama. I dont know much about that lake other then its one of Gerald Swindles home lakes and that it has loads of boat docks.
I may end up signing up for the Northern open at the Detroit River as well, registration starts the first of November and unlike last year, I have priority entry (part of the Skeeter deal) so I will have 100% guarentee for getting in. That already makes it better then last year!
S.T.P.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Fish and Chips? WTF is that?
Crazy weekend and an even crazier couple of weeks to come!
Im sitting on my couch, contemplating what my wife and I are going to go do for my birthday on saturday afternoon. My wife and I never go out but we decided that morning we were going to go celebrate my 33rd b-day. We still hadnt figured out what we were going to do when I get a text message from Fletcher. "Party at my house", lol, I text back "serious?" Fletcher - "yeah, be there here at 8". Sounds like the deal to me! The wife and I get ready and start heading north to Newcomerstown. I havent been to a real party in prob 3 or 4 years, let alone to a party with a bunch of youngsters. I dont even know if Im still cool, its been so long since I tried!
Me, dressed in my best rockstar atire complete with "Phil" from "The Hangover" hair, chain wallet and holey jeans and the wife showcasing her two best assets, I wont say what, are heading North bound in the GTO listening to our favorite gangster rap to get in the "fun" zone.
We arrive at 8ish and the craziness ensues, I dont want to get into all the details but it was alot of fun to say the least. Enough fun to cause a wicked headache for both of us and a great time getting to know some of Fletchers other friends and family.
Now for the next episode! Fletcher calls me today, for those of you who dont know who Im talking about, Fletcher is Fletcher Shryock, 2012 Bassmaster qualifier, 2012 Elite Series qualifier and future fishing star. Anyway, he calls this evening and asks me if I ever heard of this "Fish and Chips" fishing/poker tournament in Oklahoma. Cant say that I have, I say.
Heres the deal, an Elite series angler is paired with a non-Elite series angler of their choosing (team type deal) and you fish a 2 day tournament and then there is a 2 day poker tournament. Points are awarded for each and a winner is crowned at the end of both. Tons of dough, tons of beer and hopefully tons of craziness. Its an invite only affair and Fletcher got the invite so there we have it. Fletchers asks me if I would want to roll, of course I say "F**K YES I WANT TO ROLL!" So the stage is set, we are going to spend 4 days at the Red River practicing for the Bassmaster Classic and another week in Oklahoma at Grand Lake working. We leave on the 26th, its gonna be EPIC!
STAY TUNED
Late
S.T.P.
Im sitting on my couch, contemplating what my wife and I are going to go do for my birthday on saturday afternoon. My wife and I never go out but we decided that morning we were going to go celebrate my 33rd b-day. We still hadnt figured out what we were going to do when I get a text message from Fletcher. "Party at my house", lol, I text back "serious?" Fletcher - "yeah, be there here at 8". Sounds like the deal to me! The wife and I get ready and start heading north to Newcomerstown. I havent been to a real party in prob 3 or 4 years, let alone to a party with a bunch of youngsters. I dont even know if Im still cool, its been so long since I tried!
Me, dressed in my best rockstar atire complete with "Phil" from "The Hangover" hair, chain wallet and holey jeans and the wife showcasing her two best assets, I wont say what, are heading North bound in the GTO listening to our favorite gangster rap to get in the "fun" zone.
We arrive at 8ish and the craziness ensues, I dont want to get into all the details but it was alot of fun to say the least. Enough fun to cause a wicked headache for both of us and a great time getting to know some of Fletchers other friends and family.
Now for the next episode! Fletcher calls me today, for those of you who dont know who Im talking about, Fletcher is Fletcher Shryock, 2012 Bassmaster qualifier, 2012 Elite Series qualifier and future fishing star. Anyway, he calls this evening and asks me if I ever heard of this "Fish and Chips" fishing/poker tournament in Oklahoma. Cant say that I have, I say.
Heres the deal, an Elite series angler is paired with a non-Elite series angler of their choosing (team type deal) and you fish a 2 day tournament and then there is a 2 day poker tournament. Points are awarded for each and a winner is crowned at the end of both. Tons of dough, tons of beer and hopefully tons of craziness. Its an invite only affair and Fletcher got the invite so there we have it. Fletchers asks me if I would want to roll, of course I say "F**K YES I WANT TO ROLL!" So the stage is set, we are going to spend 4 days at the Red River practicing for the Bassmaster Classic and another week in Oklahoma at Grand Lake working. We leave on the 26th, its gonna be EPIC!
STAY TUNED
Late
S.T.P.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Its been awhile
Been crazy busy lately and havent been fishing much. Ive got my boat to a sellable condition and I will be taking it down to Boatboys this week. The new boat has been ordered and I cant wait to get it. Its a brand new Skeeter ZX20 with the Yamaha 250 SHO 4 stroke motor. According to test numbers, it should run in the mid 70s. Thats pretty exciting. As soon as I get it, Ill upload some pics but its prob at least a month and a half to two months away from delivery.
I want to congratulate Fletcher Shryock, dude qualified for the Elite Series through the Northern Opens by finishing 5th in points this season. I talked to him sunday and he is amped to get going. Im going to try to get down to Shreveport to help him practice for the Classic in February but my schedule and his schedule might keep that from happening. Either way, Im sure he is going to do great in the Classic and in the Elite Series next season.
Update: Closure for the Nate Wellman scandle has came about. Wellman and B.A.S.S. came to a mutual agreement that Wellman would not fish the final event of the Northern Opens thus making him ineligible to compete in the Bassmaster Classic. I had mentioned this as a possible outcome a few weeks back to a handful of insiders and we all agreed that it was fitting that he not be allowed to compete. Im glad that whole deal is in the rearview, I think it soured alot of fans of the sport, at least the initial decision.
Now, all Im doing is trying to make some money to pay for the upcoming season, Im looking forward to finding out what the schedules will be for next year and I cant wait to get my new boat. I want to thank Todd Thompson and Skeeter for adding me to the Skeeter fishing team and I hope I can hold up my end of the bargain by doing well in the Opens next year.
Late, S.T.P.
I want to congratulate Fletcher Shryock, dude qualified for the Elite Series through the Northern Opens by finishing 5th in points this season. I talked to him sunday and he is amped to get going. Im going to try to get down to Shreveport to help him practice for the Classic in February but my schedule and his schedule might keep that from happening. Either way, Im sure he is going to do great in the Classic and in the Elite Series next season.
Update: Closure for the Nate Wellman scandle has came about. Wellman and B.A.S.S. came to a mutual agreement that Wellman would not fish the final event of the Northern Opens thus making him ineligible to compete in the Bassmaster Classic. I had mentioned this as a possible outcome a few weeks back to a handful of insiders and we all agreed that it was fitting that he not be allowed to compete. Im glad that whole deal is in the rearview, I think it soured alot of fans of the sport, at least the initial decision.
Now, all Im doing is trying to make some money to pay for the upcoming season, Im looking forward to finding out what the schedules will be for next year and I cant wait to get my new boat. I want to thank Todd Thompson and Skeeter for adding me to the Skeeter fishing team and I hope I can hold up my end of the bargain by doing well in the Opens next year.
Late, S.T.P.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Its News, Right?
Im leaning towards black eye. They say any publicity is good publicity but I doubt Nate Wellman is agreeing with that sentiment. According to http://www.wired2fish.com/ Nate Wellman has been banned from FLW competions for at least one year. This incident has put our sport in a negative light and the backlash that has transpired from the light punishment laid down by B.A.S.S. has certainly not done much to help our reputation as a squeaky clean organization.
Butt, for every cheater out there, there are 1000 guys that follow the rules to a T. The guys that we should be focusing on are the truely good guys out there. Guys like Edwin Evers, Gerald Swindle, Skeet Reese. Guys like Kevin Van Dam, Greg Hackney and John Crews are just a handful of dudes that we all strive to be like. They embrace the rule book and would never even consider breaching a rule purposely.
Late last year (around this time) I was contemplating signing up for the opens. The first thing I did was read the rules. I prob read through them about 20 times just to make sure I wasnt going to screw something up. Something that stood out was the very rule that Wellman violated.
Because I am such an obscene, joking, fun person, I felt that I had better be on my p's and q's during tournament time because the last thing I wanted to do was say something completely retarded that would get me into trouble. I cant imagine a scenario where I would joke about cheating so I cant really identify with Wellman and his excuse. Its something you just dont do, its bad taste and completely stupid. Either way, he deserves the fallout, more if it was sincere but just as much for being ignorant.
Now its time to move on, he should and we should. Learn from others mistakes and your own. Its the only thing you can do.
Butt, for every cheater out there, there are 1000 guys that follow the rules to a T. The guys that we should be focusing on are the truely good guys out there. Guys like Edwin Evers, Gerald Swindle, Skeet Reese. Guys like Kevin Van Dam, Greg Hackney and John Crews are just a handful of dudes that we all strive to be like. They embrace the rule book and would never even consider breaching a rule purposely.
Late last year (around this time) I was contemplating signing up for the opens. The first thing I did was read the rules. I prob read through them about 20 times just to make sure I wasnt going to screw something up. Something that stood out was the very rule that Wellman violated.
Because I am such an obscene, joking, fun person, I felt that I had better be on my p's and q's during tournament time because the last thing I wanted to do was say something completely retarded that would get me into trouble. I cant imagine a scenario where I would joke about cheating so I cant really identify with Wellman and his excuse. Its something you just dont do, its bad taste and completely stupid. Either way, he deserves the fallout, more if it was sincere but just as much for being ignorant.
Now its time to move on, he should and we should. Learn from others mistakes and your own. Its the only thing you can do.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Mess at Erie
Word has came down that the Northern Open champion Nate Wellman has been penalized for breaking a rule during the Lake Erie tournament. I have nothing to say on the matter as I dont want to be critical of B.A.S.S. or Wellman, I dont know the man and my opinion of him and his decisions are not relevent. What is relevent is the precedent that was set by B.A.S.S. officials in the past regarding rules violations.
The rules are very clear, if you violate a rule, then you are disqualified for either the tournament or the tournament day. Ask Mike Iaconelli. He was disqualified because he threw a temper tantrum after he found out that his fish were dead because a live well was not turned on. Ask Gerald Swindle, also disqualified because he ran on plane too close to another angler during the Bassmaster Classic and the top of the list, ask Kevin Van Dam. Kevin was disqualified before a tournament because he asked his co-angler, during practice, to run his gas motor while Kevin stood on the front deck looking for spawning bass because his trolling motor batteries had died.
I ask a simple and reasonable question, how can you set a precedent of zero tolerance for rule violations then allow a guy who tried to cheat get off with a small fine and probation. No forfitt, no ban, no blacklist, just a fine that is less then 10% of the winnings from that particular tournament.
All in all, I applaud the co-angler for stepping up and reporting the incident, he deserves credit because it has to be hard to be the one to blow the whistle on an elite series angler. I also applaud B.A.S.S. for actually making a decision on the matter, despite my opinion of the decision, I recognize how tough it must be to decide the fate of an angler. I just dont understand the thought process behind the decision, there is a clear history of zero tolerance even for the most popular of anglers. It doesnt make sense to me, but I reckon it doesnt have to. They make the rules, I just follow them. B.A.S.S. is an awesome organization, I put my trust in them that they have done the right thing.
The rules are very clear, if you violate a rule, then you are disqualified for either the tournament or the tournament day. Ask Mike Iaconelli. He was disqualified because he threw a temper tantrum after he found out that his fish were dead because a live well was not turned on. Ask Gerald Swindle, also disqualified because he ran on plane too close to another angler during the Bassmaster Classic and the top of the list, ask Kevin Van Dam. Kevin was disqualified before a tournament because he asked his co-angler, during practice, to run his gas motor while Kevin stood on the front deck looking for spawning bass because his trolling motor batteries had died.
I ask a simple and reasonable question, how can you set a precedent of zero tolerance for rule violations then allow a guy who tried to cheat get off with a small fine and probation. No forfitt, no ban, no blacklist, just a fine that is less then 10% of the winnings from that particular tournament.
All in all, I applaud the co-angler for stepping up and reporting the incident, he deserves credit because it has to be hard to be the one to blow the whistle on an elite series angler. I also applaud B.A.S.S. for actually making a decision on the matter, despite my opinion of the decision, I recognize how tough it must be to decide the fate of an angler. I just dont understand the thought process behind the decision, there is a clear history of zero tolerance even for the most popular of anglers. It doesnt make sense to me, but I reckon it doesnt have to. They make the rules, I just follow them. B.A.S.S. is an awesome organization, I put my trust in them that they have done the right thing.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Updates...
For those of you wondering, Brannon got dealt with by Lake Erie and by about 67 anglers during the 2nd Northern Open in Sandusky. 6-8 foot waves tore the hell out of his boat on the first day and its impossilbe to recover after a bad day on Lake Erie. It took almost 20lbs per day to make the cut and Brannon didnt break 17 either day.
As for me, got an open this weekend at Deercreek that Im fishing with my lil bro. Should be alot of fun and Deercreek is always one of my favorite lakes to fish. After that, got a few more deals at Delaware then my boat is going on the market. Cant weight to be rocking my new Skeeter. Check out Boat Boys if any of you are interested in a slightly used Skeeter ZX200 thats reasonably priced and has TONS of new parts.
As for me, got an open this weekend at Deercreek that Im fishing with my lil bro. Should be alot of fun and Deercreek is always one of my favorite lakes to fish. After that, got a few more deals at Delaware then my boat is going on the market. Cant weight to be rocking my new Skeeter. Check out Boat Boys if any of you are interested in a slightly used Skeeter ZX200 thats reasonably priced and has TONS of new parts.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Big Water
For those of you who havent been there, Lake Erie is immense. Everything is exagerated and nothing is what you expect when you pull up on a spot. Take a look at a topo map of the lake sometime, those areas of high spots that look like cliffs are anything but. Those reefs look like hotspots and most of the time they are but its not that simple. You ride up on one of those reefs and you find out real quick that they are bigger then most of Ohios inland lakes. There are smallies somewhere, at some depth, on some break on those reefs but its like trying to pick apart a "spot" the size of the southern pool of Alum Creek. In any case, it was a ton of fun smoking some football size smallies but burning through 100s of dollars of gasoline trying to find them isnt as fun, especially when your being beat to hell by 3 to 5 foot refract waves. On a side note, the largemouth fishing is phenomenal just about everywhere but that isnt going to help you in a tournament like this. If Brannon wants to make the cut and have a chance to win, he absolutley has to find enough smallies to fill out a 20lb bag EVERY day. It sounds hard but it isnt if you just find the fish. These arent suspended fish, they arent burried under fields of lilly pads, they arent in 50 feet of water and they arent finicky. All you have to do is find them, pray for calmish water and make your bites count. Good luck buddy, wish I was in it with you but you have your work cut out for you.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Erie Open...
Big tournament coming up locally, I wish I was fishing it. Instead, the next best thing, helping someone fish it. My buddy, Brannon Long is coming up from Texas and he needs a good showing. With the help of my freinds, his drop shotting skills and some boat control, I think he has a shot at making the cut. Ill be heading up there for the helping hand next week and Ill let yall know how things go. As for me, that little spill I took a few weeks ago has caught up with me. My lower back is jacked. Even as I type at this very moment, Im not even sure what Im saying as painkillers course through my veins. Doctor wants to see if the muscle relaxers and pain killers as well as the cortizone shot I got (not working yet) have a positive effect on recovery before he makes an assumption of nerve damage. I have no idea how your big tow can be numb, you hamstrings feel like they are asleep and your lower back be burning without nerve damage but whatever the case, I just want it to go away.
Cant wait to be bouncing across that big lake without my legs going numb! Should be awesome.
later peeps
S.T.P.
Cant wait to be bouncing across that big lake without my legs going numb! Should be awesome.
later peeps
S.T.P.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The NFL season is upon us....
Those of you that know me know that I am a Cleveland Browns freak. My family (sans my father) have been Browns fans since before I was born and getting the opportunity to watch Bernie Kosar as a young child basically set the stage for a life of disapointment when it comes to watching pro football. While there has been much disapointment and disparity over the last 20 years, we have also enjoyed some great moments. When your team is as bad as we have been for so long, little things give you great joy and while fans of other teams would prob laugh at such things as "great" moments, I and others cherish these moments as un-forgetable even though they are pretty much not memorable for most. Just remember that I am excluding things that all browns fans remember and showing you things that I remember.
Eric Turner Smoke some fool for the Steelers
TJ Ward. Eric Turner reincarnated?
Murder, Death Kill? Simon Phoenix(Chad Johnson) gets demolished by Brian Russell
The touchdown was great but Lawrence Vickers reaction to springing hillis is priceless.
Steve Everitt gets fined for sporting a browns bandana during the first pre-season game for the new Ravens franchise. Screw Art Modell
Tim Couch rocking the hail marys. There are alot of Couch haters out there but the dude figured out ways to win games with zero talent around him. Hes alright in my book.
There are many many others but Im out of time so heres to 2011 and making another new memory.
S.T.P.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Warrior Baits Tournament...
WOW! The lake is insane. I had never been there before and I had heard alot of great things about Mosquito but I guess you really dont grasp the awesomeness until you experience it for yourself. I want to start this post off by saying that my goal for this weekend was to have fun so practice and pre-fishing was a little different then what I would have done for other tournaments. I took my brother with me and I had hoped that he could catch as many fish as me or more so burning fish ultimately became unimportant to me. I started off thinking that I didnt want to stick a bunch of fish but what fun is that so I decided to forget all that and just start wrecking them and thats what we did. We caught 20 keepers before 8 am on friday during practice before we finally decided to cool it on the area we were fishing and try some different stuff. We continued to catch fish all day long doing multitudes of techniques in tons of areas. We found some great structure to fish deep, found lots of weedbeds to abuse shallow and everything seemed to work. Our best 5 fish on friday weighed in at between 11 and 12lbs and we had a great plan despite a wicked change in weather that was coming. Our plan was built around the change in weather and ultimately it worked but there was adjustments we had to make that we did not plan.
On friday, the sky was cloudy, it rained, there was a front moving through and we knew it would change some things. Saturday was supposed to be blue skies and hot, which it was but not untill after the fog was gone. A fog delay along with an "idle only" period until 9 oclock essentially eliminated 2 hours of our gameplan and only left us about 30 minutes to employ the first stage of our plan which was working buzzbaits to get a limit early. We still managed to get a decent limit in those 30 minutes but if we would have had the 2.5 hours we expected to have, I think we would have been in alot better shape. Stage II of the plan was to flip a finesse jig and shakeyhead around some rock, that also worked as my bro wacked the biggest fish in a sack on a finesse jig (2.6lbs). After that fish, we full expected to catch a few more of those but it never transpired. We culled up numerous times but it was by ounces and not by pounds. At the end of the day, we weighed in 7.74lbs and finished 29th out of 90+ teams. One three pound fish would have pushed us up into the top ten but thats how tournament fishing goes.
All in all it was SO much fun. We had our chances and things just didnt work out. Cant wait to get up there again. It was a great event and I was proud to be apart of it.
Special thanks to Jaime Norman for running the tournament, this guy is tireless and runs a great tournament. If you are interested in making all your money back tournament fishing, check out his circuit at http://www.ombtt.com/, they pay back 100%, its the best team tournament trail in Ohio.
On friday, the sky was cloudy, it rained, there was a front moving through and we knew it would change some things. Saturday was supposed to be blue skies and hot, which it was but not untill after the fog was gone. A fog delay along with an "idle only" period until 9 oclock essentially eliminated 2 hours of our gameplan and only left us about 30 minutes to employ the first stage of our plan which was working buzzbaits to get a limit early. We still managed to get a decent limit in those 30 minutes but if we would have had the 2.5 hours we expected to have, I think we would have been in alot better shape. Stage II of the plan was to flip a finesse jig and shakeyhead around some rock, that also worked as my bro wacked the biggest fish in a sack on a finesse jig (2.6lbs). After that fish, we full expected to catch a few more of those but it never transpired. We culled up numerous times but it was by ounces and not by pounds. At the end of the day, we weighed in 7.74lbs and finished 29th out of 90+ teams. One three pound fish would have pushed us up into the top ten but thats how tournament fishing goes.
All in all it was SO much fun. We had our chances and things just didnt work out. Cant wait to get up there again. It was a great event and I was proud to be apart of it.
Special thanks to Jaime Norman for running the tournament, this guy is tireless and runs a great tournament. If you are interested in making all your money back tournament fishing, check out his circuit at http://www.ombtt.com/, they pay back 100%, its the best team tournament trail in Ohio.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Things are getting tough...
Seems Im in a real slump. Indian lake was much much tougher then I had expected and had hoped. Practice went really well and the tournament went really bad. For those that are counting, thats 3 tournaments in a row without a check. I have the warrior baits tournament next week at mosquito and after that Im I have a long break (september) I reckon I need to get back to just fishing for the hell of it.
So at Indian, we had a good area and we had opportunities but a few lost fish really ruined the day. Flipping lilly pads can be extremely frustrating. In my opinion its the toughest type of cover to fish as far as dragging bass out of it. Even with an 8' flipping rod, a high speed reel and 65lb braided line, you still lose a high percentage of fish and this weekend was proof of that.
Whats next? Need to get my groove back, however that happens. Im frustrated and tired of losing.
So at Indian, we had a good area and we had opportunities but a few lost fish really ruined the day. Flipping lilly pads can be extremely frustrating. In my opinion its the toughest type of cover to fish as far as dragging bass out of it. Even with an 8' flipping rod, a high speed reel and 65lb braided line, you still lose a high percentage of fish and this weekend was proof of that.
Whats next? Need to get my groove back, however that happens. Im frustrated and tired of losing.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Indian Lake...
Indian lake might be my favorite lake that Ive never won a dam thing on. Ive won money on every lake that Ive ever fished a tournament at except for Indian Lake and yet I still enjoy going there. Yesterday, my partner and I went there to practice for next weeks Salmoides TTC tournament. Practice was awesome so Im pumped for this years round with Indian Lake. Our best 5 prob went about 11lbs yesterday and that would certainly be good enough for a top 5 with an outside chance at a win so Im hoping we can repeat next sunday. I would love to snatch a big check from that swampland, its a fun place to fish so Im looking forward to a great tournament.
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Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Whats new?
Not much, got smoked at Griggs in an NBAA tournament, my entire body aches due to an unfortunate "spill" while installing a new ceiling fan in my living room (it pays to use a proper ladder rather then a coffee table) and there is discontent amongst my bulldogs due to a new sectional couch in the living room. I love the new couch, my dogs love the new couch, where the problem lies is the couch is too nice to have these two yahoos slobbering all over it. Its too far gone to start being a dictator now, they pretty much just laugh at me when I tell them to get down. I reckon my new couch will be an old couch in about a year although the last couch lasted about 6 years but I wouldnt have it any other way, I love my dogs, they deserve a nice place to chill with their dad.
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Going to try to get out for another night of Alum Creek Madness next week with a buddy of mine. I'll let yall know how it goes and we are coming up on the Warrior Baits only tournament (check out this FREE tournament on http://www.warriorbaits.com/) on Mosquito Lake. Fishing with my lil brother, he seems to think he is bad luck to me but I say nonsense, I expect to do well even though Ive been on that lake zero times. I will get a full day of practice, is that enough? We will see.
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Leaderboard...
Watching the leaderboard for the first Northern Open at the James River in Virginia was like going to the dentist. It hurt seeing those guys doing their thing and not being apart of it. Not becuase I think I could have done well but because there is nothing like fishing in those national tournaments. In fact, the reason I didnt sign up for the Northerns was because of this particular tournament. My experience on tidal rivers is non-existent so expecting nothing but success would have been a little bit far fetched although one of my strengths is being able to adapt to something new and fishing shallow is definetely a strength as well, so who knows maybe I would have done well. One thing I didnt expect to see was the number of Elite series anglers. There was only 130 pro anglers and probably close to 30 of them were either current or former Elite series guys. Thats a tough road. I think the difference is the fact that some guys didnt qualify for the Classic through the Elites and the Northerns is there last shot to make it. Looks like 40 to 50lbs is going to win it and good ole Iaconelli has a shot as he sits in 3rd. A local guy is winning with 30lbs after 2 days, always nice to see a local do well. Good luck to everyone in the top 12!
S.T.P.
S.T.P.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Night Fishing....
So whats it take to go night fishing? Well, a few essentials, depending on how you plan to catch them, a few not so essential things to make it more convenient and either a partner or some balls.
Ive been night fishing in some form or fashion since I was 10 years old. My dad and step mom would drop me and my brothers off at the lake, set an alarm clock for 1am and come get us, only to have to get up for work the next morning. Thats some awesome parenting if you ask me, I know I wouldnt take the time out of my sleeping to accomodate some punk kids like my brothers and I so heres a big THANKS to my parents.
A partner or some balls- Its dark, scary, dangerous and lonely. Ive pulled plenty of all nighters by myself but its not the safest thing in the world to do. The lake is all to yourself but thats not always a good thing. If you mistep and take a spill overboard, nobody is even going to know it until the next day. At least if you have a partner, they will at a minimum be able to get help and hopefully pull you out of the water. Then theres the "scumbag" element that frequents public parks. If you have a concealed carry permit, make sure youve got your heat. Things as simple as loading and unloading in the middle of the night become a whole new obstacle when you thow in a few drunks in the parking lot. Just be safe, dont start any nonsense with strangers and mind your business.
Light- This seems like a given but its not used in a way that most would think. You simply need lights for safety purposes. Its the law, beyond that, any light you use is only used to re-tie, unhook some fish and look for tackle. You should try to limit your use of a light because it makes it harder to see when you turn the lights off. Your eyes will adjust and you will be able to see much better then you would expect so leave your flashlights off unless its completely necessary, it will make casting accuracy and boat navigation easier.
GPS- If you have one, use it and trust it. If you use the ole "triangulation" method to get on your spots, thats pretty much impossible at night. If you have your spots marked well then you no longer need to keep your boat in line with the bush on one bank and the point ahead of you.
There are a few things to take learn from fishing in the dark:
If you like topwater fishing but you think you can be better at it, night fishing will definetely sharpen your skills. Fishing at night removes the visual aspect of topwater fishing so sound and feel are everything. If you talk to anyone who knows anything about fishing topwater, the first rule is to wait till you feel the weight of the fish before you set the hook. Removing the visual aspect makes this tip a little easier and it conditions you to wait until you feel the fish rather then setting the hook upon seeing a fish blow up.
Night fishing also forces you to learn to fish offshore. Not necessarily because you are fishing offshore but because you are fishing without being able to see the shore. Part of being able to fish offshore is being able to have confidence in fishing something that you cannot visually see. You would be surprised at the number of fisherman that have a hard time with fishing something they cannot see. Whether its a laydown or a grass bed, if they cannot see it, they have zero confidence in it holding a fish. Night fishing helps with removing that security blanket and gives you an opportunity to expand your game. You are trusting your electronics rather then what you can see. You have to be able to visualize what you are fishing when you fishing at night, if you can do that, then you can visualize what you are fishing in open water as well during the day.
Sensitivity. Since you cant "line watch" at night you have to be able to feel what you are doing. Fishing at night will sharpen your sense of feel which can only help you at other times of the day. In the day, you can use all of your senses so honing just one of those senses is tough to do. At night, you are utilizing your sense of touch much more then any other sensory organ. This will give you a bigger advantage at feeling the bites during other times of the day.
Casting accuracy. This is a big one. It seems like it would be tough, and it can be but a few nights of doing it and you will see a difference. If you can place a bait on a target in the middle of the night then it becomes much easier during the middle of the day.
A few more tips... Lure color isnt as critical as you would think as long as your thinking "dark". Black, purple and red all give a great silhouette and thats the critical factor. The other critical factor is noise. The noisier, the better, whether its a buzzbait or a jitterbug. If its black and loud, it will prob catch some bass. Depth wise, bass tend to move towards the surface to feed. If your fishing deep water, think topwater action. If you dont want to fish topwater, then fish shallow with a black worm or jig. Riprap always seems to hold feeding bass at night, from the deepest slopes to the foot of water, if it was riprap, then Ive caught fish on it.
Finally, this time of year can be tough to catch fish consistently. The only way to keep getting better is to keep catching fish. Bass fishing at night can give you the opportunity to catch alot of fish and catching lots of fish is a great way to improve your skills.
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S.T.P.
Ive been night fishing in some form or fashion since I was 10 years old. My dad and step mom would drop me and my brothers off at the lake, set an alarm clock for 1am and come get us, only to have to get up for work the next morning. Thats some awesome parenting if you ask me, I know I wouldnt take the time out of my sleeping to accomodate some punk kids like my brothers and I so heres a big THANKS to my parents.
A partner or some balls- Its dark, scary, dangerous and lonely. Ive pulled plenty of all nighters by myself but its not the safest thing in the world to do. The lake is all to yourself but thats not always a good thing. If you mistep and take a spill overboard, nobody is even going to know it until the next day. At least if you have a partner, they will at a minimum be able to get help and hopefully pull you out of the water. Then theres the "scumbag" element that frequents public parks. If you have a concealed carry permit, make sure youve got your heat. Things as simple as loading and unloading in the middle of the night become a whole new obstacle when you thow in a few drunks in the parking lot. Just be safe, dont start any nonsense with strangers and mind your business.
Light- This seems like a given but its not used in a way that most would think. You simply need lights for safety purposes. Its the law, beyond that, any light you use is only used to re-tie, unhook some fish and look for tackle. You should try to limit your use of a light because it makes it harder to see when you turn the lights off. Your eyes will adjust and you will be able to see much better then you would expect so leave your flashlights off unless its completely necessary, it will make casting accuracy and boat navigation easier.
GPS- If you have one, use it and trust it. If you use the ole "triangulation" method to get on your spots, thats pretty much impossible at night. If you have your spots marked well then you no longer need to keep your boat in line with the bush on one bank and the point ahead of you.
There are a few things to take learn from fishing in the dark:
If you like topwater fishing but you think you can be better at it, night fishing will definetely sharpen your skills. Fishing at night removes the visual aspect of topwater fishing so sound and feel are everything. If you talk to anyone who knows anything about fishing topwater, the first rule is to wait till you feel the weight of the fish before you set the hook. Removing the visual aspect makes this tip a little easier and it conditions you to wait until you feel the fish rather then setting the hook upon seeing a fish blow up.
Night fishing also forces you to learn to fish offshore. Not necessarily because you are fishing offshore but because you are fishing without being able to see the shore. Part of being able to fish offshore is being able to have confidence in fishing something that you cannot visually see. You would be surprised at the number of fisherman that have a hard time with fishing something they cannot see. Whether its a laydown or a grass bed, if they cannot see it, they have zero confidence in it holding a fish. Night fishing helps with removing that security blanket and gives you an opportunity to expand your game. You are trusting your electronics rather then what you can see. You have to be able to visualize what you are fishing when you fishing at night, if you can do that, then you can visualize what you are fishing in open water as well during the day.
Sensitivity. Since you cant "line watch" at night you have to be able to feel what you are doing. Fishing at night will sharpen your sense of feel which can only help you at other times of the day. In the day, you can use all of your senses so honing just one of those senses is tough to do. At night, you are utilizing your sense of touch much more then any other sensory organ. This will give you a bigger advantage at feeling the bites during other times of the day.
Casting accuracy. This is a big one. It seems like it would be tough, and it can be but a few nights of doing it and you will see a difference. If you can place a bait on a target in the middle of the night then it becomes much easier during the middle of the day.
A few more tips... Lure color isnt as critical as you would think as long as your thinking "dark". Black, purple and red all give a great silhouette and thats the critical factor. The other critical factor is noise. The noisier, the better, whether its a buzzbait or a jitterbug. If its black and loud, it will prob catch some bass. Depth wise, bass tend to move towards the surface to feed. If your fishing deep water, think topwater action. If you dont want to fish topwater, then fish shallow with a black worm or jig. Riprap always seems to hold feeding bass at night, from the deepest slopes to the foot of water, if it was riprap, then Ive caught fish on it.
Finally, this time of year can be tough to catch fish consistently. The only way to keep getting better is to keep catching fish. Bass fishing at night can give you the opportunity to catch alot of fish and catching lots of fish is a great way to improve your skills.
Both of these smallies were caught at night on Alum
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Holiday Fishing...
What a great weekend to get out and do some fishing. It was stupid hot but it didnt matter to me because this time of year I hit the lakes when others dont and thats the key to making your time on the water pay off. Friday night and Saturday morning was a perfect night to wack some topwater smallies and sunday morning was more of the same.
Met my buddy Tom Lacks at Alum Creek Reservoir on Friday evening. After catching a few nice smallies on some points, we decided to hit up cheshire road for some buzzbait action. Jesus! It was nutty! By the time I left the water at 7am the next morning we had caught close to 50 bass and I am not even exagerating when I say that we didnt go more then 10 minutes all night long without getting bit. It was insane. We didnt ever get into any monsters but we did get a couple of 3 lbers.
Sunday morning, the wife and I hit Deercreek over by Mount Sterling. I promised my wife that we would only stay long enough for me to fill out a limit. That sort of backfired because I filled out a limit in about an hour and a half. Four of which were on the buzzbait and one on a shakeyhead. I hadnt planned on staying all day anyway because I had no intention of dealing with the boat traffic so I was glad it didnt take long to get my limit. Spent another few hours scouting areas to fish deep and then we were gone. Long before the hoards of jet boats and Erie specials showed up.
Tip of the day, if you want to keep your groove on during the hot summer months, dont forget about fishing at night. Its relaxing, its quiet and its filled with some crazy action. Black buzzbaits, black spinnerbaits, walking baits like zara spooks or lucky craft gunfish are awesome, big worms fished slow are also a sweet deal. Hell, you can even go old school and heave a black jitterbug. Just remember, topwater when your near riprap and shakeyhead worms when your on a shallow rocky point. Youll wipe them out. I think later next week I will tell you the best ways that I know to make night fishing work, not everybody is into it but its easier then it sounds.
S.T.P.
Met my buddy Tom Lacks at Alum Creek Reservoir on Friday evening. After catching a few nice smallies on some points, we decided to hit up cheshire road for some buzzbait action. Jesus! It was nutty! By the time I left the water at 7am the next morning we had caught close to 50 bass and I am not even exagerating when I say that we didnt go more then 10 minutes all night long without getting bit. It was insane. We didnt ever get into any monsters but we did get a couple of 3 lbers.
Sunday morning, the wife and I hit Deercreek over by Mount Sterling. I promised my wife that we would only stay long enough for me to fill out a limit. That sort of backfired because I filled out a limit in about an hour and a half. Four of which were on the buzzbait and one on a shakeyhead. I hadnt planned on staying all day anyway because I had no intention of dealing with the boat traffic so I was glad it didnt take long to get my limit. Spent another few hours scouting areas to fish deep and then we were gone. Long before the hoards of jet boats and Erie specials showed up.
Tip of the day, if you want to keep your groove on during the hot summer months, dont forget about fishing at night. Its relaxing, its quiet and its filled with some crazy action. Black buzzbaits, black spinnerbaits, walking baits like zara spooks or lucky craft gunfish are awesome, big worms fished slow are also a sweet deal. Hell, you can even go old school and heave a black jitterbug. Just remember, topwater when your near riprap and shakeyhead worms when your on a shallow rocky point. Youll wipe them out. I think later next week I will tell you the best ways that I know to make night fishing work, not everybody is into it but its easier then it sounds.
S.T.P.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Boredom...
Things have slowed down a bit. My boat is currently "under construction" and I live too far away from the people I fish with to just pick up and drive 70 miles to fish for fun. Lowrance hooked a brother up with a replacement graph for the one that quit on me at Douglas and Loomis sent me a new shakeyhead rod. Other then that, just been relaxing, waiting for the next round of tournaments to start up. Fletcher got his new Ranger the other day, from what Im hearing, its a pretty sweet ride. He signed up to fish all 3 of the northern opens so Ill be watching for him to do well. I joked with him today that if he double qualifies for the classic I want his second slot. I feel like my hands are tied a bit right now, my goal now is to try to find some sort of financial backing so that I can fish all three circuits next season. Im not sure if thats going to be possible but thats the goal. Its really frustrating, knowing your on the cusp but just a little bit away.
There was an article on http://www.bassmaster.com/ that listed a ton of ridiculous stats throughout the Elite series season. When I compared myself (in the opens) to the Elites I realized that I still had alot of work to do. Stats like, average fish weighed in per day and average weight per fish. I did stack up reasonably but not high enough to be proud of, most of the stats had me in the bottom 1/4 of the field. I, however, know Im getting better. I feel like I have gained tons of experience, I feel like I made myself remarkably better at shakeyhead fishing (norman and douglas), topwater fishing (douglas), matt fishing (toho), deep cranking (douglas), deep jig fishing (douglas) and a few other techniques that I really only used in practice. Bottom line, I feel like the long lay off between big time tournaments is going to hurt. The only way your going to get better is to compete against the best, on the best fisheries. Im going to have a hard time improving if I keep fishing the same lakes and the same techniques. The problem with fishing local tournaments on these small lakes in Ohio is that you already know what works at what time, its tough to try different stuff. I reckon I need to dedicate myself to improving as an angler rather then worrying about winning in the local tournaments.Thats not really fair to my partner so Im not sure how I should do this.
At Griggs, I throw a freakin jig or a senko all day long. At Indian lake, I throw a frog for awhile in the morning, I can punch light matts for a couple of hours and if I need to get a limit quick I can crank an area that holds a ton of 12" fish. At alum, I catch smallies. At Deercreek I flip laydowns and crank riprap. All of those things can get me a check, can get me a win almost any day on those lakes. Its like a dead end street, even if I did poorly in one of those tournaments, it wouldnt deter me from doing the exact same thing on the next tournament. Am I in a rut? I refuse to fall into a rut. Im going to fish out this season because I have committed to fish a bunch of tournaments but next year, my only goal is to qualify for the Elite series or be fishing in a way that will help me achieve my goals. Im done fishing in a rut.
Sorry for the un-educating rant but this is sort of what runs through my mind all day long in some form or another. All day long, Im not even kidding, Im thinking about how I can get better, how hard its going to be to shave those few extra strokes off my game. Thinking about where I need to go to polish deep cranking skills, thinking about where I need to be to get better at carolina rigging and despite what some people think, you have to catch tons of fish to get better at a technique. You dont learn anything if you arent catching fish and its hard to catch bass in Ohio, harder anyway. Some people think that since its harder to catch bass in ohio, then that makes it easier when you go to places where there are lots of bass. Its totally untrue, you have to get experience catching bass, loads of them, Ohio may be one of the tougher places in the U.S. to do that.
Fishing is more like golf then fisherman or golfers would admit. I hate golf but if you want to get good at golf, you better hit alot of golf balls.
There was an article on http://www.bassmaster.com/ that listed a ton of ridiculous stats throughout the Elite series season. When I compared myself (in the opens) to the Elites I realized that I still had alot of work to do. Stats like, average fish weighed in per day and average weight per fish. I did stack up reasonably but not high enough to be proud of, most of the stats had me in the bottom 1/4 of the field. I, however, know Im getting better. I feel like I have gained tons of experience, I feel like I made myself remarkably better at shakeyhead fishing (norman and douglas), topwater fishing (douglas), matt fishing (toho), deep cranking (douglas), deep jig fishing (douglas) and a few other techniques that I really only used in practice. Bottom line, I feel like the long lay off between big time tournaments is going to hurt. The only way your going to get better is to compete against the best, on the best fisheries. Im going to have a hard time improving if I keep fishing the same lakes and the same techniques. The problem with fishing local tournaments on these small lakes in Ohio is that you already know what works at what time, its tough to try different stuff. I reckon I need to dedicate myself to improving as an angler rather then worrying about winning in the local tournaments.Thats not really fair to my partner so Im not sure how I should do this.
At Griggs, I throw a freakin jig or a senko all day long. At Indian lake, I throw a frog for awhile in the morning, I can punch light matts for a couple of hours and if I need to get a limit quick I can crank an area that holds a ton of 12" fish. At alum, I catch smallies. At Deercreek I flip laydowns and crank riprap. All of those things can get me a check, can get me a win almost any day on those lakes. Its like a dead end street, even if I did poorly in one of those tournaments, it wouldnt deter me from doing the exact same thing on the next tournament. Am I in a rut? I refuse to fall into a rut. Im going to fish out this season because I have committed to fish a bunch of tournaments but next year, my only goal is to qualify for the Elite series or be fishing in a way that will help me achieve my goals. Im done fishing in a rut.
Sorry for the un-educating rant but this is sort of what runs through my mind all day long in some form or another. All day long, Im not even kidding, Im thinking about how I can get better, how hard its going to be to shave those few extra strokes off my game. Thinking about where I need to go to polish deep cranking skills, thinking about where I need to be to get better at carolina rigging and despite what some people think, you have to catch tons of fish to get better at a technique. You dont learn anything if you arent catching fish and its hard to catch bass in Ohio, harder anyway. Some people think that since its harder to catch bass in ohio, then that makes it easier when you go to places where there are lots of bass. Its totally untrue, you have to get experience catching bass, loads of them, Ohio may be one of the tougher places in the U.S. to do that.
Fishing is more like golf then fisherman or golfers would admit. I hate golf but if you want to get good at golf, you better hit alot of golf balls.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Trials and Tribs 2...
And it goes on and on and on. The day doesnt seem to have enough time in it when your on the road and everytime you cut a corner to save money, your using more time. If you do something to conserve time, it usually costs you money. For instance, Ice. Ice is like blood, if you dont have it, your going to die, well not that drastic but you need it to continue on without wasting money. I take a ton of food with me on the road, ice seems to last about a day and a half or two if its not real hot. You can buy ice but thats not cost effective so the only other option you have is to steal it. Is that moral, honest, and full of integrity, not really but you have to do it. Im not talking about stealing from a gas station or a convenient store, Im talking about getting it from the ice machines at the hotels. There are two ways to go about this. #1, load your cooler onto a luggage carrier, tote it over to the ice machine and begin dispensing. Sometimes you need some sort of deflector to make the ice dump straight into your cooler but anyway you slice it, your getting a cooler full of ice for free whether your paying for a hotel room or not. #2, ask for a trash bag and fill that fool up like Santas christmas sack. Take it, fill up your cooler and your boat, beats spending 3 or 4 bones on frozen water.
Gasoline is another biggie. During practice, there is no sense in ripping wide open throttle all over the lake. 35 to 40mph is usually the max speed Im rolling during practice. I get funny looks from some but there are plenty of million dollar fisherman doing the same thing Im doing. When you see the Toyota Tundra boat (scroggins or swindle) on plane only doing about 33mph, you know your at least no alone when it comes to gasoline burning up your budgett. I also use the "drive to launch" method. Find a boat ramp that is in the area you are fishing, use it. Driving to the ramp will save you much more in gas then running from a single ramp all over the lake.
Make Friends! I dont care if you are a lone wolf, you need to find a pack to roll with. Some people are very stuck up, very clique oriented but be nice to everyone and at some point you will find people open to sharing with you. Whether its a room, tools, gear, or info its all valuable at some point.
A few examples: Fletcher Shryocks front sonar quit working, he had determined it was not the unit as it would work when he plugged it into the wiring at the console. After we looked at it for a few minutes we figured out it was a bad fuse. I had a fuse, we plugged it in and he was good to go for the rest of the week.
I was running out of a certain color of Shakeyhead worm, my roomate Brannon Long had a whole bag of the color I needed, bingo bango, no money spent and everything good to go. Little things like that can save yourself money and make the convenience of being on the road a little easier, not to mention, it SUCKS having nobody to talk to all week, it forces you to start talking to yourself. You get some odd stares when those moments start.
Make sure you check out some of Brannons sponsors, Im sure he would be grateful. Noco Battery Chargers, Topwater Clothing, Toyota Trucks, Ruby Do Cookies(Amazing freaking cookies) Laguna Rods, Skeeter Boats. Im sure there is more, look him up on the facebook, the guy is a stud in Texas and look for him to do REALLY well at the Erie open in August.
Gasoline is another biggie. During practice, there is no sense in ripping wide open throttle all over the lake. 35 to 40mph is usually the max speed Im rolling during practice. I get funny looks from some but there are plenty of million dollar fisherman doing the same thing Im doing. When you see the Toyota Tundra boat (scroggins or swindle) on plane only doing about 33mph, you know your at least no alone when it comes to gasoline burning up your budgett. I also use the "drive to launch" method. Find a boat ramp that is in the area you are fishing, use it. Driving to the ramp will save you much more in gas then running from a single ramp all over the lake.
Make Friends! I dont care if you are a lone wolf, you need to find a pack to roll with. Some people are very stuck up, very clique oriented but be nice to everyone and at some point you will find people open to sharing with you. Whether its a room, tools, gear, or info its all valuable at some point.
A few examples: Fletcher Shryocks front sonar quit working, he had determined it was not the unit as it would work when he plugged it into the wiring at the console. After we looked at it for a few minutes we figured out it was a bad fuse. I had a fuse, we plugged it in and he was good to go for the rest of the week.
I was running out of a certain color of Shakeyhead worm, my roomate Brannon Long had a whole bag of the color I needed, bingo bango, no money spent and everything good to go. Little things like that can save yourself money and make the convenience of being on the road a little easier, not to mention, it SUCKS having nobody to talk to all week, it forces you to start talking to yourself. You get some odd stares when those moments start.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Trials and Tribs?
You guys are going to love this. The title of my blog means more then you might believe. It isnt always about the fish you lost, the line that broke, the electronics that failed or the spot that got confiscated by the locals. It can sometimes be the littlest things that can irritate the most. These little nuggets of insanity make me, my wife, and my extended family wonder what the hell Im doing with my life.
Whats it like sleeping in your truck? Well, to put it plain and simple, it sucks. I purchased a camper shell for my truck last summer in preperation for what was to come. Brilliant idea huh? Sleep in your truck, save some money and all is good. Thats fine and dandy until you add in the other bullshit that comes along with it. A camper shell is far from a "conditioned" space. At Toho, it got unseasonably cold the first night I was there, I brought a heater that took me a week to figure out how to use. The damn thing would shut off every few hours so on top of freezing for 30 minutes, sweating for 30 minutes and on and on, I had to continously adjust the thermostat to get the stupid thing to kick back on.
Least we not forget the cost of "camping" at a campsight. My very first night, I spent $25 for the luxury of sleeping in my truck just so I could have an outlet to plug my boat into. To put that into perspective, most cheap hotel rooms are usually $50 or less for a night, if I had had a roomate, it wouldnt have cost a dime more to have a real bed to sleep in. Needless to say, that was the last night I actually payed for a camp sight, after all, the whole point of sleeping in my truck was to save money, paying $25 to do it seemed retarded.
Homelessness. So you dont have a hotel, you dont have a campsight and you dont have an outlet but hey, your saving money! This is where it gets interesting. Your there to fish, so by the time you are done practicing for the day, its getting close to getting dark, thats ok because it makes the stealthiness you need to find an outlet that much easier. Wondering around from hotel to hotel at 10pm is about as frustrating as anything can possibly be and all your looking for is a place to "squat" for 6 or 7 hours. Outlets are not as easy to come by as one might think and the hotels that have them are aware of people like me trying to drop in. Thats where the stealthiness comes in. You absolutely have to look for hotels that are supporting other boats but you dont want one that has too many or you wont get a spot and if you do get a spot, there is a chance someone might complain, forcing the management to check trucks. Also, painting your extension cords black is another great tip, you dont want those bad boys to stand out, it certainly helps with the ninjaness you need.
You find a place to bed down for the night, hopefully its a repeatable pattern and you can make it last a few days. Get your boat plugged in,get your gear ready for the following day, eat a sandwich, pray for wi-fi and TRY to go to sleep. Keep your gun close! I cant lock myself into the bed of my truck so Im a sitting duck for anyone that wants a piece. Out comes Mr. Taurus 9mm. Is this illegal, I dont know but at that point, its hard to care. That sucker is next to my shoes, my phone and my computer ready for war if someone chooses to declare.
Your end goal is to get a good nights sleep, while charging your batteries for the following day and not spend any money. If you accomplish 2/3rds of that then it was a successful venture and saved you a whopping $50.
Showering. So this is just sort of how I am. When I am out of town or out of my environment, I dont usually have to drop the old #2. I dont sweat much so If I havent had to drop the ole duece then I really am not in a dire need for a shower but it obviously becomes an issue at some point. I do end up breaking down and getting a room especially since I have a travelling partner now but even when I didnt, I was getting a room for the days of the tournament regardless. But your their for 5, 6, days before that happens so you have to improvise. Truckstops, locking gas station bathrooms and the such help but its not a substitute for a real shower. My wife actually advocated jumping in the lake? Not my cup o' tea but it wasnt a horrible idea considering the alternative of not showering at all. Whatever it takes right?
You finally get to a hotel, some of these managers are so confusing its crazy. For instance, I get to my hotel on sunday night in Tennessee. I get my boat parked and un-hooked because I need to get up to B.P.S. to get a few things. The manager comes out and tells me that I cant park where I parked because its too close to there loading area and they were affraid someone would hit my trailer. I say fine, hooked back up, moved to another spot where he told me was ok to park and a few minutes later another manager comes out to tell me that my extension cord was in the way. Ok, moved my extension cord. A few hours later, my roomate shows up, parks in the spot that I parked in first. I tell him that the manager is going to make him move. He says, "he told me to park here, I was parked where you are parked now and he told me I had to move because I was taking up too many spots". WTF, he never said a word to either of us the rest of the week, these people I think sometimes just want to think they are important.
Im sure I will think of some more crap to tell you guys but Im typed out...
Later S.T.P.
Whats it like sleeping in your truck? Well, to put it plain and simple, it sucks. I purchased a camper shell for my truck last summer in preperation for what was to come. Brilliant idea huh? Sleep in your truck, save some money and all is good. Thats fine and dandy until you add in the other bullshit that comes along with it. A camper shell is far from a "conditioned" space. At Toho, it got unseasonably cold the first night I was there, I brought a heater that took me a week to figure out how to use. The damn thing would shut off every few hours so on top of freezing for 30 minutes, sweating for 30 minutes and on and on, I had to continously adjust the thermostat to get the stupid thing to kick back on.
Least we not forget the cost of "camping" at a campsight. My very first night, I spent $25 for the luxury of sleeping in my truck just so I could have an outlet to plug my boat into. To put that into perspective, most cheap hotel rooms are usually $50 or less for a night, if I had had a roomate, it wouldnt have cost a dime more to have a real bed to sleep in. Needless to say, that was the last night I actually payed for a camp sight, after all, the whole point of sleeping in my truck was to save money, paying $25 to do it seemed retarded.
Homelessness. So you dont have a hotel, you dont have a campsight and you dont have an outlet but hey, your saving money! This is where it gets interesting. Your there to fish, so by the time you are done practicing for the day, its getting close to getting dark, thats ok because it makes the stealthiness you need to find an outlet that much easier. Wondering around from hotel to hotel at 10pm is about as frustrating as anything can possibly be and all your looking for is a place to "squat" for 6 or 7 hours. Outlets are not as easy to come by as one might think and the hotels that have them are aware of people like me trying to drop in. Thats where the stealthiness comes in. You absolutely have to look for hotels that are supporting other boats but you dont want one that has too many or you wont get a spot and if you do get a spot, there is a chance someone might complain, forcing the management to check trucks. Also, painting your extension cords black is another great tip, you dont want those bad boys to stand out, it certainly helps with the ninjaness you need.
You find a place to bed down for the night, hopefully its a repeatable pattern and you can make it last a few days. Get your boat plugged in,get your gear ready for the following day, eat a sandwich, pray for wi-fi and TRY to go to sleep. Keep your gun close! I cant lock myself into the bed of my truck so Im a sitting duck for anyone that wants a piece. Out comes Mr. Taurus 9mm. Is this illegal, I dont know but at that point, its hard to care. That sucker is next to my shoes, my phone and my computer ready for war if someone chooses to declare.
Your end goal is to get a good nights sleep, while charging your batteries for the following day and not spend any money. If you accomplish 2/3rds of that then it was a successful venture and saved you a whopping $50.
Showering. So this is just sort of how I am. When I am out of town or out of my environment, I dont usually have to drop the old #2. I dont sweat much so If I havent had to drop the ole duece then I really am not in a dire need for a shower but it obviously becomes an issue at some point. I do end up breaking down and getting a room especially since I have a travelling partner now but even when I didnt, I was getting a room for the days of the tournament regardless. But your their for 5, 6, days before that happens so you have to improvise. Truckstops, locking gas station bathrooms and the such help but its not a substitute for a real shower. My wife actually advocated jumping in the lake? Not my cup o' tea but it wasnt a horrible idea considering the alternative of not showering at all. Whatever it takes right?
You finally get to a hotel, some of these managers are so confusing its crazy. For instance, I get to my hotel on sunday night in Tennessee. I get my boat parked and un-hooked because I need to get up to B.P.S. to get a few things. The manager comes out and tells me that I cant park where I parked because its too close to there loading area and they were affraid someone would hit my trailer. I say fine, hooked back up, moved to another spot where he told me was ok to park and a few minutes later another manager comes out to tell me that my extension cord was in the way. Ok, moved my extension cord. A few hours later, my roomate shows up, parks in the spot that I parked in first. I tell him that the manager is going to make him move. He says, "he told me to park here, I was parked where you are parked now and he told me I had to move because I was taking up too many spots". WTF, he never said a word to either of us the rest of the week, these people I think sometimes just want to think they are important.
Im sure I will think of some more crap to tell you guys but Im typed out...
Later S.T.P.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Things I shouldnt be writing...
The last post was a little taste of what you need to be able to catch smallmouth bass at Alum Creek in the spring and early summer. I made it as simple as possible because I dont think anyone wants to read some convoluted essay about how to find and mark waypoints on a lake. Those sort of articles are as boring as an episode of River Monsters. Too much detail can make the task at hand seem overwhelming so my idea was to give you the meat and let you fill in the small stuff so that it works for you in your situation. I 100% guarentee that if you find rock piles at Alum Creek you will find smallmouth bass on them from april till early june. It really is that simple. In fact, the ONLY reason I would have to give you more information then that would be to make you think I am smarter then I really am. Find a pile of rocks, find brown fish. EASY.
Of course, the weather, the water temps, the depths of your rock piles, the boat traffic, the fishing pressure and the time of the day will all add to the confusion, not to mention the lure selection, the lure color, the line choice, the lure size, lure depth all also contribute to even more confusion and I dont really feel like writing a book about a tiny 3000 acre lake so be prepared for some trial and error, its all apart of the game. I should emphasize, dont get discouraged because its completely worth it the first time you lay into a nice smallmouth bass.
Essential Tips that nobody else is going to tell you!
In case you didnt know, this sort of stuff people always keep to themselves. Why am I sharing, mainly because I dont care and secondly because I hate when guys are all secretive about what they are doing. I will never be that guy, if you ask me what I am doing at a lake, I will tell you. I want people to understand that I am as accessible as people get and I never want anyone to think they cant ask me about how I am doing what I am doing.
The simplest, easiest way to catch them on that lake is to drag, drag, drag. Pick a soft plastic that you like, that you wont mind losing over and over again and throw it. Natural, clearer colors seem to work much better when the barometric pressure is high and/or the skies are clear and clear water. Darker, non-transparent plastics seem to be better when barometric pressure is low and/or skies are cloudy. Shakeyhead worms, leach type baits, tubes and similar baits all work wonderfully. If its not a tube, make sure it floats. All of Warrior baits soft plastics float so now that you know that, make sure you check out http://www.warriorbaits.com/
Always skin hook your plastics. You will almost always be using some sort of a texas rigged version of whatever you are throwing. Make sure your hook is texposed or you will miss more bites then any one man can handle.
Your hook sets have to be gradual and non snapping. When you get a bit, slowly apply pressure in a sweeping motion from side to side rather then from low to high. The fish will do the rest. This method requires a thin wire hook so your shakeyhead jigs must have as thin of a hook as you can find. Warrior baits offer an excellent shakeyhead that was designed with this specifically in mind. This hookset results in far more hookups at the roof of the fishes mouth, why? I have no idea but thats been my experience and anyone who fishes for bass know that if you get a hook in the top jaw, that fish is coming in the boat.
When you find a good rock pile, do not under any circumstances go up on top of it to retrieve a lure, if you do, you might as well leave. If you want to throw crankbaits, do it after you have thrown a dragging lure for a few minutes, I assure you, it will get hung up and you will have to go up on top of the rock pile to get it loose and in the process spook anything that might have still been there.
After you have done all your homework and you have 50 rockpiles to fish remember this. If you dont get bit within the first few casts, there arent smallies on that spot. Smallies are ultra aggressive this time of year, most of the time they are on those spots because they are in some part of the spawning stage and they are far more aggressive then largemouth. If you drop a lure on a spot where smallies are, they will eat it immidiately, you dont have to make 50 casts in order to get one to bite. If you dont get bit in the first 10 minutes, every cast thereafter is a waste of valuable fishing time.
4 things will ruin a spot, make sure you remember them
#1- MUSKY, if you catch a musky, if you see a musky, if you smell a musky, pack up your stuff and get the hell out of dodge cuz there aint any smallies within 25 yards of that rock pile.
#2- lost fish, if you let one come un-buttoned, chances are you aint gonna get another bite from that spot for at least 30 minutes afterwords so time to bail for awhile
#3- letting fish go. whether your in a tourny or not, if you want to catch more then one fish from the same spot, you better put your fish in a livewell because that fish will absolutely alert other fish that something is up. if your in a tourney and you catch a short fish, chances are pretty good that your spot is shot for awhile.
#4- taking your boat up on the spot to get a lure. just remember it, be aware before you start slinging that dd20 around also remember it when your buying those tungsten shakeyhead jigheads.
Getting hung up is a way of life when your fishing this type of structure, knowing how to get un-hung is a major advantage to keep you fishing, to keep your fish from leaving and saving you money in the process.
#1- while dragging your plastics over the rocks, do not put too much pressure on the bait when it comes into contact with something. If you start to feel some resistance, raise your rod tip straight up in the air statue of liberty style and shake the hell out of your rod tip. This usually frees up the bait and allows you to keep fishing. If you put to much pressure on the bait it usually just drives it deeper into whatever it got stuck on in the first place. Max pressure should be your last resort.
#2 - the ole snapping line trick, I cant explain it but Im sure youtube has videos explaining it in much better detail than I can.
#3 - max pressure, again, last resort but at the point you have to do this, its the only option left anyway. Sometimes it pops free but if it doesnt, dont go get it, just break off and re-tie unless you were planning on leaving anyway.
When I read back through this, I cant help but think that alot of this stuff could apply anywhere so if you have a lake that has rocky points, smallmouth bass and giant muskies, Im sure these tips are going to help you out in some way and if you already knew all this stuff, I am sorry for wasting your valuable interwebs time! If anyone has any questions, dont hesitate to ask
Late S.T.P.
Of course, the weather, the water temps, the depths of your rock piles, the boat traffic, the fishing pressure and the time of the day will all add to the confusion, not to mention the lure selection, the lure color, the line choice, the lure size, lure depth all also contribute to even more confusion and I dont really feel like writing a book about a tiny 3000 acre lake so be prepared for some trial and error, its all apart of the game. I should emphasize, dont get discouraged because its completely worth it the first time you lay into a nice smallmouth bass.
Essential Tips that nobody else is going to tell you!
In case you didnt know, this sort of stuff people always keep to themselves. Why am I sharing, mainly because I dont care and secondly because I hate when guys are all secretive about what they are doing. I will never be that guy, if you ask me what I am doing at a lake, I will tell you. I want people to understand that I am as accessible as people get and I never want anyone to think they cant ask me about how I am doing what I am doing.
The simplest, easiest way to catch them on that lake is to drag, drag, drag. Pick a soft plastic that you like, that you wont mind losing over and over again and throw it. Natural, clearer colors seem to work much better when the barometric pressure is high and/or the skies are clear and clear water. Darker, non-transparent plastics seem to be better when barometric pressure is low and/or skies are cloudy. Shakeyhead worms, leach type baits, tubes and similar baits all work wonderfully. If its not a tube, make sure it floats. All of Warrior baits soft plastics float so now that you know that, make sure you check out http://www.warriorbaits.com/
Always skin hook your plastics. You will almost always be using some sort of a texas rigged version of whatever you are throwing. Make sure your hook is texposed or you will miss more bites then any one man can handle.
Your hook sets have to be gradual and non snapping. When you get a bit, slowly apply pressure in a sweeping motion from side to side rather then from low to high. The fish will do the rest. This method requires a thin wire hook so your shakeyhead jigs must have as thin of a hook as you can find. Warrior baits offer an excellent shakeyhead that was designed with this specifically in mind. This hookset results in far more hookups at the roof of the fishes mouth, why? I have no idea but thats been my experience and anyone who fishes for bass know that if you get a hook in the top jaw, that fish is coming in the boat.
When you find a good rock pile, do not under any circumstances go up on top of it to retrieve a lure, if you do, you might as well leave. If you want to throw crankbaits, do it after you have thrown a dragging lure for a few minutes, I assure you, it will get hung up and you will have to go up on top of the rock pile to get it loose and in the process spook anything that might have still been there.
After you have done all your homework and you have 50 rockpiles to fish remember this. If you dont get bit within the first few casts, there arent smallies on that spot. Smallies are ultra aggressive this time of year, most of the time they are on those spots because they are in some part of the spawning stage and they are far more aggressive then largemouth. If you drop a lure on a spot where smallies are, they will eat it immidiately, you dont have to make 50 casts in order to get one to bite. If you dont get bit in the first 10 minutes, every cast thereafter is a waste of valuable fishing time.
4 things will ruin a spot, make sure you remember them
#1- MUSKY, if you catch a musky, if you see a musky, if you smell a musky, pack up your stuff and get the hell out of dodge cuz there aint any smallies within 25 yards of that rock pile.
#2- lost fish, if you let one come un-buttoned, chances are you aint gonna get another bite from that spot for at least 30 minutes afterwords so time to bail for awhile
#3- letting fish go. whether your in a tourny or not, if you want to catch more then one fish from the same spot, you better put your fish in a livewell because that fish will absolutely alert other fish that something is up. if your in a tourney and you catch a short fish, chances are pretty good that your spot is shot for awhile.
#4- taking your boat up on the spot to get a lure. just remember it, be aware before you start slinging that dd20 around also remember it when your buying those tungsten shakeyhead jigheads.
Getting hung up is a way of life when your fishing this type of structure, knowing how to get un-hung is a major advantage to keep you fishing, to keep your fish from leaving and saving you money in the process.
#1- while dragging your plastics over the rocks, do not put too much pressure on the bait when it comes into contact with something. If you start to feel some resistance, raise your rod tip straight up in the air statue of liberty style and shake the hell out of your rod tip. This usually frees up the bait and allows you to keep fishing. If you put to much pressure on the bait it usually just drives it deeper into whatever it got stuck on in the first place. Max pressure should be your last resort.
#2 - the ole snapping line trick, I cant explain it but Im sure youtube has videos explaining it in much better detail than I can.
#3 - max pressure, again, last resort but at the point you have to do this, its the only option left anyway. Sometimes it pops free but if it doesnt, dont go get it, just break off and re-tie unless you were planning on leaving anyway.
When I read back through this, I cant help but think that alot of this stuff could apply anywhere so if you have a lake that has rocky points, smallmouth bass and giant muskies, Im sure these tips are going to help you out in some way and if you already knew all this stuff, I am sorry for wasting your valuable interwebs time! If anyone has any questions, dont hesitate to ask
Late S.T.P.
Monday, June 13, 2011
This Past Weekend...
Not a terrible weekend by any standards. I had two tournaments, both at Alum Creek and the fishing was decent for us. We finished 3rd on saturday and 6th on sunday and averaged about 8.5 lbs each day. We caught tons of fish but the giant smallmouth we were searching for eluded us both days. If either or both days would have yielded a 4 pounder, we would have won both tournaments but it didnt happen. Lots of fish, just no size.
Earlier in the spring I promised a dissertation on how to wack smallies at Alum Creek in the spring. I have been patiently waiting for a pic of the smallies we caught in the last tournament but it hasnt came yet so your just going to have to trust me.
First off, location is the most important thing. Its more important then any lures or techniques. You have to be in areas where the smallies are if you want to catch them, there are no two ways about it. Finding these areas is not as hard as it sounds but it can be time consuming. The key is....ROCKS, under the water. You can cheat and cut corners and fish stuff like the dam or cheshire and 36/37 and that definetely works for some people but the rocks Im talking about are on the many points of alum. This is where doing your homework pays off. Not all of the points have rocks on them but ALL of the points with rocks on them hold smallies in the spring and early summer. If a certain point is more dynamic then another, it will likely hold more smallies and replenish faster. For instance, if a point has rocks and a stump, thats pretty good. If your point has rocks and grass and a stump, thats excellent. If your point has the channel swinging against it and it has rocks and stumps, even better but the common denominator is always rocks.
Dont get me wrong, there are smallies all over alum but for me, Im looking for rocks and bolders. You simply have to get out and fish the defined points on your map and figure out for yourself whats on them. If your really a work-a-holic at fishing then you can go out and drag a carolina rig around on those points with a nice high quality rod and you will figure out whats on those points but there is a much simpler way. Its not easier but it is far more effective and accurate. Alum gets drawn down during winter, alot of the good stuff is exposed depending on how far down the lake gets drawn. Get a good hand held gps and put your hiking shoes on. Expect alot of mud and a few days of hiking but in the end you will have perfectly marked structure to add to your boats gps. After that, the fishing gets much easier and you will have eliminated the "where" and you can concentrate on the "how" for smallies on alum creek.
Earlier in the spring I promised a dissertation on how to wack smallies at Alum Creek in the spring. I have been patiently waiting for a pic of the smallies we caught in the last tournament but it hasnt came yet so your just going to have to trust me.
First off, location is the most important thing. Its more important then any lures or techniques. You have to be in areas where the smallies are if you want to catch them, there are no two ways about it. Finding these areas is not as hard as it sounds but it can be time consuming. The key is....ROCKS, under the water. You can cheat and cut corners and fish stuff like the dam or cheshire and 36/37 and that definetely works for some people but the rocks Im talking about are on the many points of alum. This is where doing your homework pays off. Not all of the points have rocks on them but ALL of the points with rocks on them hold smallies in the spring and early summer. If a certain point is more dynamic then another, it will likely hold more smallies and replenish faster. For instance, if a point has rocks and a stump, thats pretty good. If your point has rocks and grass and a stump, thats excellent. If your point has the channel swinging against it and it has rocks and stumps, even better but the common denominator is always rocks.
Dont get me wrong, there are smallies all over alum but for me, Im looking for rocks and bolders. You simply have to get out and fish the defined points on your map and figure out for yourself whats on them. If your really a work-a-holic at fishing then you can go out and drag a carolina rig around on those points with a nice high quality rod and you will figure out whats on those points but there is a much simpler way. Its not easier but it is far more effective and accurate. Alum gets drawn down during winter, alot of the good stuff is exposed depending on how far down the lake gets drawn. Get a good hand held gps and put your hiking shoes on. Expect alot of mud and a few days of hiking but in the end you will have perfectly marked structure to add to your boats gps. After that, the fishing gets much easier and you will have eliminated the "where" and you can concentrate on the "how" for smallies on alum creek.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Use Google Earth...
Back in the day, the 80s, the 90s, and prob even the early 2000s, pro bass fisherman used to actually pay for airplane and helicopter rides to do fly overs in preperation for tournaments. A birds eye view is essential when you are trying to get to know a huge body of water. There are things you can see from the sky that you just cant get from the water, not to mention you can get a view of much more area and in a short period of time. Now enter the world wide webs. Google earth is a wicked tool for structure fishing, for breaking down lakes and for quick, easy and free views of a lakes that could take you weeks to check out by boat and many many dollars to check out by plane.
A few tips to help you out.
1- Sometimes stuff is not what it seems, slopes can be more or less then what they appear to be, humps, points and the such can be much bigger or much smaller then what you are expecting when you see it in person and not every spot you find on the computer is going to produce. You should be using it as just another search tool just like a normal map. If you find a good looking spot and you cant get bit on it, dont waste your time. Move on to the next spot.
2- Realize that what you are seeing everyone else has access to as well. If you are looking at it on google earth, chances are other people are too so looking for subtle spots is often more to your benefit then expecting a huge extending point to be completely untouched by other anglers.
3- Coordinates, coordinates, coordinates! I cant stress it enough. Your curser shows you exact coordinates wherever you put it. Take those coordinates and manualy add them to your gps and be thorough! If you see a spot, dont just take one single coordinate from the center of the structure, en-circle that bitch, put so many waypoints on your map that a complete circle is on your map, trust me, if you do this, you will know the exact shape, the exact depth you will know exactly where your boat is if you find a sweetspot and if you ride up on it by accident its no ones fault but your own. If you dont believe me, try the old "one spot marker system" and when you get out on the water you wont know what the hell your fishing.
4- Labeling. Make sure you make a note on your gps that tells you what the structure is. If your like me, anytime I get on google earth, I go crazy, before I know it I have 20 spots I want to fish. I get out on the water and I dont know whether Im fishing a rock pile, a sand bar, a foundation or what. Make a simple note with your coordinates denoting what the structure is so you dont have to guess.
5- Zoom In. When your scanning the banks and the out of water structure, make sure you are zoomed in far enough to see the subtleties. This is what sometimes makes the difference in what you are seeing and what everyone else is seeing.
6- Dont be upset if the lake you want to check out isnt at low pool. There is still alot to learn about the lake from the pictures available. Humps and points are still sometimes noticeable and you can still get an idea of what the shore structure is like. Even changes in water color can give you an idea of an areas depth and bottom make-up although its not always perfect, just use it as an indicator or a clue, dont assume that because the water is muddy in a google earth picture that the bottom is mud in that area.
There may be more things that I dont do, that you may do. This is just a way to get you started if you havent already done so. It works, especially on lakes that drawdown or were in drought when the photos were taken. Take advantage.
A few tips to help you out.
1- Sometimes stuff is not what it seems, slopes can be more or less then what they appear to be, humps, points and the such can be much bigger or much smaller then what you are expecting when you see it in person and not every spot you find on the computer is going to produce. You should be using it as just another search tool just like a normal map. If you find a good looking spot and you cant get bit on it, dont waste your time. Move on to the next spot.
2- Realize that what you are seeing everyone else has access to as well. If you are looking at it on google earth, chances are other people are too so looking for subtle spots is often more to your benefit then expecting a huge extending point to be completely untouched by other anglers.
3- Coordinates, coordinates, coordinates! I cant stress it enough. Your curser shows you exact coordinates wherever you put it. Take those coordinates and manualy add them to your gps and be thorough! If you see a spot, dont just take one single coordinate from the center of the structure, en-circle that bitch, put so many waypoints on your map that a complete circle is on your map, trust me, if you do this, you will know the exact shape, the exact depth you will know exactly where your boat is if you find a sweetspot and if you ride up on it by accident its no ones fault but your own. If you dont believe me, try the old "one spot marker system" and when you get out on the water you wont know what the hell your fishing.
5- Zoom In. When your scanning the banks and the out of water structure, make sure you are zoomed in far enough to see the subtleties. This is what sometimes makes the difference in what you are seeing and what everyone else is seeing.
6- Dont be upset if the lake you want to check out isnt at low pool. There is still alot to learn about the lake from the pictures available. Humps and points are still sometimes noticeable and you can still get an idea of what the shore structure is like. Even changes in water color can give you an idea of an areas depth and bottom make-up although its not always perfect, just use it as an indicator or a clue, dont assume that because the water is muddy in a google earth picture that the bottom is mud in that area.
There may be more things that I dont do, that you may do. This is just a way to get you started if you havent already done so. It works, especially on lakes that drawdown or were in drought when the photos were taken. Take advantage.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Looking Ahead...
Yeah, its a bit early to look ahead to next season but Im already doing it because Im insanely jacked right now. I probably should just be worried about the next tournament but Im already prepping for next season. The first order of operation for next season is to get myself into a new rig. That means selling my current rig which has been a great boat but its not cut out for 3 day tourneys and 12 hours a day on the water for weeks at a time. Boat Boys of Newark Ohio has been awesome to me over the past year and I am commited to working with them for as long as they want my representation. Today I talked to Todd Thompson, who is an awesome fisherman as well as being a great boat guy. Looks like to me and more importantly, my wife, I will be rolling in a new Skeeter next season for another run at the Elites and the Bassmaster Classic. Sign me up for the 250 SHO 4 stroke motor, duel Power Poles, Humminbird Electronics and a two tone paint scheme consisting of red and black with loads and loads of GLITTER!
And if your in the market for a bass boat yourself, Todd will have just about something in every price range possible including my ZX200 (coming in september). There is a reason why they sell more boats then any other dealer in central Ohio, they are the best around.
And if your in the market for a bass boat yourself, Todd will have just about something in every price range possible including my ZX200 (coming in september). There is a reason why they sell more boats then any other dealer in central Ohio, they are the best around.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Day Two and the Cut...
First off, the post below was made by my brother, I just didnt have the time to make an entry and I had to tell you all, I didnt want anyone to think I was going all "Ricky Henderson."
So to the fishing. Day two, I can only say that it was tough to get that 10lbs. It took me all day and two of my fish that culled out smaller fish were sort of freakish bites in that they hit right at the boat. I knew that my fish were toast going into the final day but I held out hope that the house foundation I was fishing would replenish itself. I found out after the weigh in that a big local night tournament went on friday night well into saturday morning and since that foundation would be perfect for some hot night action I would bet the farm that the locals raped my spot for all it was worth. I struggled all day to get bit and it showed with that pathetic day three weight but honestly, I didnt care. Of the three tournaments on the schedule I felt Douglas would be my biggest challenge. After failing to take the advice of some great fisherman in the first two tournaments, I finally told myself to just do what Im good at and make it work. At Norman and Toho I didnt really do that and what sucks is that if I had had 2 good days instead of 1 good day in both of those tournaments, there is a chance I could have qualified for the Elites.
The final weigh-in was insane. 500 people, all eyes on you, pictures snapping, excitement, adrenaline, it would have been awesome if I could have had a huge sack of fish but my little fish didnt keep all the kids and fans from asking for autographs and pictures. How cool is that? Bananas!
So now my attention shifts to locally. I have two tournaments next weekend, both at Alum and hopefully I can catch some smallies. I will absolutely be signing up for the opens again next season and Im going to be dangerous! Better watch out!
So to the fishing. Day two, I can only say that it was tough to get that 10lbs. It took me all day and two of my fish that culled out smaller fish were sort of freakish bites in that they hit right at the boat. I knew that my fish were toast going into the final day but I held out hope that the house foundation I was fishing would replenish itself. I found out after the weigh in that a big local night tournament went on friday night well into saturday morning and since that foundation would be perfect for some hot night action I would bet the farm that the locals raped my spot for all it was worth. I struggled all day to get bit and it showed with that pathetic day three weight but honestly, I didnt care. Of the three tournaments on the schedule I felt Douglas would be my biggest challenge. After failing to take the advice of some great fisherman in the first two tournaments, I finally told myself to just do what Im good at and make it work. At Norman and Toho I didnt really do that and what sucks is that if I had had 2 good days instead of 1 good day in both of those tournaments, there is a chance I could have qualified for the Elites.
So now my attention shifts to locally. I have two tournaments next weekend, both at Alum and hopefully I can catch some smallies. I will absolutely be signing up for the opens again next season and Im going to be dangerous! Better watch out!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Day 3 Launch
After another solid 10 pound bag on Day 2, Steve made the top 12 cut. He sits in 12th place heading into Day 3. Live weigh-in @ 3 p.m. on http://www.bassmasters.com/
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Day One...
Things are looking good, my tuesday practice went really well and it sort of translated into today. I say sort of because my two first spots I didnt even get bit on, so I had to start running and gunning in order to dial up a limit.
I actually had a few spectator boats watch me today? Crazy huh, they didnt last long because I rolled out of every spot I fished pretty quick but it was still sort of cool.
Terry Scroggins, aka, "Big Show" congratulated me on my bag of fish and even asked me how I was getting them. Nuts!
Final Thought, Im feeling a ton of pressure, I hope I dont screw it up.
here is the pics posted on espn.com, taken by the legendary bassmaster photographer james overstreet. I am so pumped and I got a ton of calls of support, gonna give my best!
I actually had a few spectator boats watch me today? Crazy huh, they didnt last long because I rolled out of every spot I fished pretty quick but it was still sort of cool.
Terry Scroggins, aka, "Big Show" congratulated me on my bag of fish and even asked me how I was getting them. Nuts!
Final Thought, Im feeling a ton of pressure, I hope I dont screw it up.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Practice?
Allen Iverson- "practice? we talkin bout practice? not the game, not the game I'd die for, what we talkin bout? practice? how silly is that?"
Im toast... I had a request via email from a follower about my practice tactics. Well, this is what I do and this is what I've done. I essentially fish as much water as possible for the first 3 or 4 days. Cover water, cover water, cover water. What you are doing is eliminating water. As far as baits, you just try everything at every spot you hit and if you catch a fish, make a note about what you did, what time it was and what the conditions were. It sucks because everytime you find something that works you move on to something else because you dont want to burn up all your fish not to mention you absolutely have to find as much stuff that works consistently as possible. It honestly feels like you are wasting practice time doing this but you are slowly figuring out the things that work, where they work and when they work.
This week has been brutal in that its extremely hot, not much stuff has worked and in not many places but at the end of today I feel like I have a solid plan to get limits each day. Today was by far my best practice day and what made it good was that I went back to all the places that I felt would produce and that had produced during the week and all those things worked again. Its different now though because the tournament is only two days away so you CANT stick a fish. I dont know if people really now how freakin hard that is. I had blow up after blow up on buzzbait and basically had to slowly put tension on the line to try to pull the bait from the fishes mouth (you can bend over your hook as well but I didnt want to screw up a brand new warrior baits buzzbait). I had one of the biggest bass Ive ever hooked on today and I basically had to lose her on purpose...That blows but if it gives me a better shot at her thursday then I have to take that chance.
So at the end of the day, you hopefully have a bunch of puzzle pieces that you are able to assemble. I hope to god I can put it together thursday...It felt and still sort of feels like one of those dam 10,000 piece puzzles of autumn leaves. LAME!
S.T.P.
Im toast... I had a request via email from a follower about my practice tactics. Well, this is what I do and this is what I've done. I essentially fish as much water as possible for the first 3 or 4 days. Cover water, cover water, cover water. What you are doing is eliminating water. As far as baits, you just try everything at every spot you hit and if you catch a fish, make a note about what you did, what time it was and what the conditions were. It sucks because everytime you find something that works you move on to something else because you dont want to burn up all your fish not to mention you absolutely have to find as much stuff that works consistently as possible. It honestly feels like you are wasting practice time doing this but you are slowly figuring out the things that work, where they work and when they work.
This week has been brutal in that its extremely hot, not much stuff has worked and in not many places but at the end of today I feel like I have a solid plan to get limits each day. Today was by far my best practice day and what made it good was that I went back to all the places that I felt would produce and that had produced during the week and all those things worked again. Its different now though because the tournament is only two days away so you CANT stick a fish. I dont know if people really now how freakin hard that is. I had blow up after blow up on buzzbait and basically had to slowly put tension on the line to try to pull the bait from the fishes mouth (you can bend over your hook as well but I didnt want to screw up a brand new warrior baits buzzbait). I had one of the biggest bass Ive ever hooked on today and I basically had to lose her on purpose...That blows but if it gives me a better shot at her thursday then I have to take that chance.
So at the end of the day, you hopefully have a bunch of puzzle pieces that you are able to assemble. I hope to god I can put it together thursday...It felt and still sort of feels like one of those dam 10,000 piece puzzles of autumn leaves. LAME!
S.T.P.
Monday, May 30, 2011
The Misery continues...
Im trying not to let it get to me but all these mechanical issues is getting old. At Lake Norman my transducer temp sensor decided to take a shit on me (My HDS units are less then a year old) and now my front unit has decided to quit all together. DONT GO CRAZY!
Two more days of practice, two more days of 97 degrees and two more days till the reckoning...
S.T.P.
Two more days of practice, two more days of 97 degrees and two more days till the reckoning...
S.T.P.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Tennessee...
Im getting smoked down here. Ive practiced for 3.5 days now and I have yet to establish a workable pattern. Ive fished 100s of humps and points and Ive used about 50 different techniques and nothing is consistent. Holy Christ what did I do to deserve this! Ive got 3 more days of practice and right now Im about as low as Ive been since I signed up for these tournaments.
A few notes.
My truck got destroyed by the most wicked hail storm Ive ever encountered on the first day. My truck looks like a golf ball now. I took video of it, hopefully I can figure out how to work this whole uploading deal and you can see it for yourself.
Talked to Gerald Swindle today at B.P.S. he seems like a legitimate good guy, Im happy he is doing so well this season.
Casualty count... 1-G Loomis shakeyhead rod, $220 (broke) 1- Quantum Energy baitcaster $150 (broke)
1- GMC Sierra 4x4 2500, need estimate (hail)
This whole pro fishing scenario aint all its cracked up to be unless your at the top of the game and Im so far from being that its ridiculous. But Im commited and I wont quit.
A few notes.
My truck got destroyed by the most wicked hail storm Ive ever encountered on the first day. My truck looks like a golf ball now. I took video of it, hopefully I can figure out how to work this whole uploading deal and you can see it for yourself.
Talked to Gerald Swindle today at B.P.S. he seems like a legitimate good guy, Im happy he is doing so well this season.
Casualty count... 1-G Loomis shakeyhead rod, $220 (broke) 1- Quantum Energy baitcaster $150 (broke)
1- GMC Sierra 4x4 2500, need estimate (hail)
This whole pro fishing scenario aint all its cracked up to be unless your at the top of the game and Im so far from being that its ridiculous. But Im commited and I wont quit.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Alot to say...
God, Im amped to get out of Ohio. Heading to Tennessee on thursday to start practicing for the 3rd and last stop on the B.A.S.S. southern open circuit. That will give me about 6 days of practice. Ive talked to a few people about the lake, got some good advice, loaded up with tackle that I think Im going to need and all thats left to do is rake the lake for some chunks. Deep clear water is not my deal so Im definetely going to have to adapt. What does that mean? I dont even know if I have the answer to that question. All the things I know Im good at revolve around fishing dirty water. Fishing in Ohio pretty much means your fishing dirty water unless you're on Erie. Even lakes that people consider clear lakes are nothing but mud in comparison to some of the lakes out west and in Tennessee. We just dont get that sort of opportunity on a regular basis so this whole game is going to be fairly new to me. Ive spent some time on Cumberland and a few other lakes in Kentucky but that is the extent of my experiences on that type of water. What am I left with? I dont know but Im swinging for the fences, hopefully I dont strike out!
Filmed my first promotional video for Warrior Baits yesterday at Burr Oak. Editing is underway, I will post it on here and on YouTube when its done. The idea is sort of unique in that there is more creativity involved in the videos we are making. These vids arent going to be the run of the mill "how too" type deal. Hopefully if they come out the way we want them to you will be somewhat entertained at the same time as being a little informed. The idea is to get Warrior Baits products out there on a more mass scale but at the same time not sound like a lame commercial. A little bit of comedy mixed with a little bit of an edge sprinkled with some tips and of course some bass. We are going to work on a bunch of them throughout the summer but the first one will prob be out in a few weeks. Late, S.T.P.
Filmed my first promotional video for Warrior Baits yesterday at Burr Oak. Editing is underway, I will post it on here and on YouTube when its done. The idea is sort of unique in that there is more creativity involved in the videos we are making. These vids arent going to be the run of the mill "how too" type deal. Hopefully if they come out the way we want them to you will be somewhat entertained at the same time as being a little informed. The idea is to get Warrior Baits products out there on a more mass scale but at the same time not sound like a lame commercial. A little bit of comedy mixed with a little bit of an edge sprinkled with some tips and of course some bass. We are going to work on a bunch of them throughout the summer but the first one will prob be out in a few weeks. Late, S.T.P.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Alum Open....
Thank god for my partner, Tom Lacks. Dude is one of the better smallmouth fisherman around. You all know him as Thick Rick on your favorite Columbus rock station 99.7 the Blitz. We finished 3rd today with a little over 9lbs, all smallies, 3 were very nice, the other two cost us a win. Congrats to Mike Reeves and Marshall Yarnell on their win with a sweet bag of 10.5lbs give or take a few tenths.
Alum Creek smallies are fun to catch if you know where to get them. Get out on those rocky points and drag your favorite lures around, mine happens to be a Warrior Baits Reaper. Im not even sure Brandon is still making them but they are sick for smallmouth fishing. Glad I got loads of them to last me for awhile. As soon as Thick Rick sends me the pics, I will post them and give you a little more detail about how to catch them at Alum. Should make for a good pic. Later peeps.
S.T.P.
Alum Creek smallies are fun to catch if you know where to get them. Get out on those rocky points and drag your favorite lures around, mine happens to be a Warrior Baits Reaper. Im not even sure Brandon is still making them but they are sick for smallmouth fishing. Glad I got loads of them to last me for awhile. As soon as Thick Rick sends me the pics, I will post them and give you a little more detail about how to catch them at Alum. Should make for a good pic. Later peeps.
S.T.P.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Old School...
Bed Fishing...
I am self-admitedly terrible at bed fishing. I do alot of things wrong, I am usually not properly prepared for a bed when I stumble accross one and when I say stumble, thats usually exactly how I find a bed, by accident. I have never spent a day totally sight fishing for bed fish and my experience fishing on beds compared to the Elite Series guys is pretty much non-existent. Living in Ohio makes it a little tougher to do it as the lakes are small, usually pretty dirty and our springs seem to be more windy then other parts of the country (I could be wrong but it just feels that way). Needless to say, getting better at fishing for spawning bass is a major goal of mine. To my credit, I have caught plenty of spawning fish, the smallies that I target at Alum Creek are up on the points that I fish because they spawn there. Alot of the largemouth that I catch throughout May are indeed spawning, but I catch them sort of blindly, not really knowing where their bed is but just casting at targets that would likely hold a fish, some of those fish happen to be spawning.
I read and research just like anyone else and one of the things I have been researching is bed fishing. I stumbled across this guide much like I stumble across beds so if you suck at bed fishing like I do, then maybe this link will help you like I think it will help me.
S.T.P.
http://www.bassfishin.com/blog/bed-fishing-spawn-bass/
I read and research just like anyone else and one of the things I have been researching is bed fishing. I stumbled across this guide much like I stumble across beds so if you suck at bed fishing like I do, then maybe this link will help you like I think it will help me.
S.T.P.
http://www.bassfishin.com/blog/bed-fishing-spawn-bass/
Monday, May 9, 2011
Its On
Just got word from Fletcher Shryock that he has been awarded a slot at the B.A.S.S. Southern Open at Douglas Lake in Tennessee. Thats great news for me since now I dont have to worry about giving up my slot. So now the preperation begins. Actually, Ive been preparing for this tournament since I got back from North Carolina. Douglas is not like any lake in Ohio. Its big, deep, and clear. I have fished lakes similar to this lake but its been awhile and I have no idea what the lake will look like when we get there. All this rain the south has gotten will likely effect the fishing. I have a few ideas of things I want to try but Im going to keep an open mind about patterns and locations. Im also going to try to get down there a day earlier then Ive went in the past, hopefully giving me an extra day to fish, god knows I need all the practice I can get.
For all the NBA fans out there, Lebron James can suck my crank.
S.T.P.
For all the NBA fans out there, Lebron James can suck my crank.
S.T.P.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
What I Love..
I love me some American muscle. Both me and my wife have a weakness when it comes to cars. Every time we get one payed off, we buy another. Only problem is, I have ran out of space for my "investments". In recent months I have considered selling all three of my prized possesions so that I can really put my best foot forward when it comes to fishing but my wife continues to remind me that nothing will be gained by selling our nest eggs. Nothing like a "nest egg" that roars and growls at you when you step on it!
I know this isnt a car blog but I have some advice for those of you that have the storage space, the funds and the stability. Buy cars. Not just any cars though. Buy ones that are cheap now that are likely to appreciate. The right cars hit a bottom in value at some point and after that all they do is rise. Late 80s, 90s and early 00s Z28 Camaros and SS,s are good ideas. The latest GTOs (04,05,06), any car thats considered nothing more then a used car now that is rare, powerful and fast are perfect investments for tomorrow and its alot more fun having a wicked muscle car in your garage then owning stocks!
My 69 Camaro and My 04 GTO
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