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.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
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.
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