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Smallmouth Bass Can't resist Live Bait
Frankfort,
Ky. - I was once a purist - until I got over it.
Fish
Close For More Bass
The bass must always bite better on the other end of the lake. Why else would so many bass anglers habitually make long runs before setting down to fish? Truth is, you'll often fare better fishing close to the launch ramp for many reasons. The biggest advantage is that you have more time to fish. And, you burn less gas, to boot.
While pre-fishing, Hirosky would also look for a place near the ramp where he could stop and cast for a few minutes when he returned with a little time to spare. He found that some of these near places were as good as or better than his distant spots. “I was finding so many bass close, it dawned on me that maybe I should start there.” Hirosky says. Since that revelation, Hirosky fishes close whenever he can find bass nearby. While practice fishing for a club tournament at a Pennsylvania reservoir, Hirosky found a wad of bass on a 10-foot-deep hump that was only 20 yards from the takeoff point. On the morning of the tournament, he pretended he had motor trouble while the rest of the field sped off to greener pastures. When all the boats were out of sight, he dropped his electric motor into the water and started fishing the hump with a crankbait and a Carolina rig. He hooked his first bass within minutes. By the end of the day, he had caught more than 30 bass. His culled, five-fish limit weighed more than 14 pounds. It was enough to win the tournament, and Hirosky hadn't burnt a single drop of gas. Hirosky continues to score well with his fish-close strategy. It helped him qualify for the professional Bassmaster Elite Series, which he fished in 2007.
The hump that Hirosky found near the ramp when he faked motor trouble is not unusual. Underwater humps, construction road beds and other manmade structures are often left behind after a launch ramp is built.
One of Hirosky's most productive launch-site structures is the riprap berm that often exists on either side of the ramp. This spot is especially good at reservoirs that have a winter draw down. To provide boating access during full pool and low, winter pool, the ramps and their riprap berms must be long and steep. “When the water's at full pool in the summertime, the riprap berm next to the ramp is several feet deep,” Hirosky says. “I catch a lot of bass from places like that." Many launch ramps are protected by riprap breakwalls, and these structures are bass magnets. Key spots here are the points of the breakwalls. They can be especially productive when wind and waves push into them. Boat docks are also common near launch ramps, and these may be long lines of floating docks. Boat docks provide ample shade and they always hold bass. Why make a long run to fish boat docks when you might do as well or better idling over to docks that are within sight of the launch ramp? Retreads
“You normally have to downsize your baits to catch retreads,” Hirosky says. “I use things like finesse worms on shaky head jigs, small crankbaits with 10-pound line, and a Carolina rig with a little Zoom Centipede.” This isn't to say that you can't catch released bass on more aggressive presentations, especially first thing in the morning when they're on the feed. This is when a popper or some other topwater bait can put bass in your live-well. By fishing close you have more time to take advantage of this opportunity. If you make a long run to your first fishing spot, the topwater bite might be over when you get there. Pattern
Bass Close The basic elements of a pattern could be casting crankbaits over shallow, secondary points, skipping worms under the walkways leading to boat docks, or punching heavy jigs through matted grass adjacent to creek channel drops. The possibilities are infinite, and there are usually several strong patterns to be found on any body of water at any time. When legendary bass pro Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Arkansas, looks for patterns, he usually starts within 5 miles of the launch ramp. This helps him get an idea of what the bass are up to. After he dials into one or more patterns, he can apply what he's learned to other areas of the lake, if need be. Fishing close also saves gas, and it gives Nixon more time to figure things out. His best spot might wind up being a long way from the ramp, but he feels he is far ahead of the game if he can catch a few bass near the launch site. “There are so many bass in our lakes these days that you can do well in a tournament without making a long run,” Nixon says. “It pays to spend time figuring out how to catch them.” Nixon practiced what he preaches when he fished a Bassmaster tournament at massive Lake Mead several years ago. In previous tournaments at Mead, he had run 30 to 60 miles or more up the lake to find stained water where the bass were more abundant and easier to catch. Many of his competitors did the same thing. This time, Nixon started his practice session close to the official launch ramp. After playing around with a variety of lures and techniques, he hit on a productive pattern. The bass had just finished spawning, but they had yet to retreat to deep water. Nixon found them on drop-offs 6 to 10 feet deep that plummeted into 40 feet or more of water. He coaxed bites by pitching a 7/16-ounce jig dressed with a pork frog to the edge of the drops. The key was to keep the boat moving, make fast pitches, and to cover a lot of water. “I wasn't catching as many bass by fishing close, but they were bigger than the bass I had caught upriver,” Nixon says. Nixon wisely decided to fish close during the tournament, and he had the water pretty much to himself. He landed from seven to 12 keeper bass a day, some within a mile of the launch ramp. When the final weigh-in was over, he found himself in second place. And, he had fished the entire three-day event on less than a tank of gas.
Now
is the Perfect Time for "Wake Baits"
Drop Shot Technique Often Works When Bass Won't Hit Other Lures courtesy of The Fishing Wire by Berkley
"When I'm fishing boat docks and piers where this is an excellent tactic, I can cover an entire side of the pier with a presentation like this." Ehrler prefers deeper docks, but he'll use the drop shot technique around practically any type of cover and structure when he thinks bass may be suspended above the bottom. Sometimes he'll vary his presentation by lowering his rod so the worm actually falls right beside the sinker; then he'll raise his rod so the worm swims back up. He'll repeat this several times in the same spot before reeling in for another cast. "Even though the drop shot technique was developed for light tackle and fairly small lures, it will certainly attract big bass, too," he notes. "I've caught nine and 10-pound bass at Clear Lake and in the California Delta, and I know other anglers who've caught larger fish," he says. "It's just such a natural presentation. "There are a lot of variations to drop shotting, too. You can 'walk' your lure by raising your rod and reeling so the sinker comes off the bottom, then lowering your rod so the sinker and worm fall again. If bass are hitting your lure as it falls, then you can create multiple falls this way." The easiest way to start drop shotting on any lake, however, concludes the Yamaha pro, is probably by fishing a visible structure like a boat dock and just shaking your rod as the sinker and lure fall beside a corner piling. "If you do this," says Ehrler, "chances are you may not need any other type of presentation."
Clear
Water Tactics
If you're looking for a different challenge in your fishing style, why give a few of the area's "clear water" lakes a stab. Clear water is a relative term, but there are several lakes in the area that I consider as clear water. Some examples are Diascund, Beaver Dam, Lone Star, Little Creek (Toano), Newport News/Lee Hall and Waller Mills to name a few. Clear water offers a different set of challenges than stained or murky/ muddy water. For one the fish are far more apt to see you or detect your presence, requiring longer casts and smaller diameter line. Your presentation must be natural and lifelike, as the fish can see better in the water than you can. Clear water often means deeper fish too. A tactic many of us need some work on. My favorite area clear water lake is Little Creek in Toano. It is a tough body of water to fish. While there are some nice hawgs in the lake, there is no shame in leaving this place skunked, especially in summer. Personally, I also think a bass from clear water is a prettier fish. Their coloration seems just seems to be more vivid. Another reason I like Little Creek is it has very little cover, forcing the fish to relate to bottom contour and other structure like points and bars. While there is some wood from beaver huts and isolated stumps its not enough to form a pattern off of. Before I go into some tactics that work for me, let me talk a tad about the tackle used. Because the lake is so deep and void of cover, I only use spinning tackle here. Distance in casting is far more important than casting accuracy. Having said that, I usually arm myself with half a dozen spinning rods spooled up with clear or green 8-10 LB mono. It is a blessing in disguise that the lake has no cover. This fact allows you to let a good fish run on the light line with no fear or worries of him wrapping you up in something and breaking free. You'll only need a handful of lures. The banks in this place, except for a few bars and shelves, plummet into depths of 40 to 100 feet in no time at all. It seems that most of the banks are greater than a 45-degree angle. So you really can't do the jig or worm thing to well. All I carry with me are the following baits: a smoke colored tube on a ¼ or 3/8 oz head, a Hopkins Shorty or No equal spoon, a zara spoon (I don't know if it's the pooch or the puppy, but it's the mid size one, not the 5 ¼" one), a Bomber Model A (deep diver) and a Johnson' silver minnow spoon. You can bring more stuff if you want, but I assure you using the previously mentioned baits will get you the fish. Here's my system for working the lake. I rig the Johnson's silver minnow on a Carolina rig and troll around the banks and points with it. I'm searching for bass with the bait and also looking for shad activity on the surface. When I hook a fish, I toss a marker buoy over the side, marking the spot. Once the fish is in the boat, I'll work the Hopkins, tube and spook at the same spot, often picking up a few more fish. The key is finding the shad. The bass are always working them and balling them up on the surface. While trolling along, you will often see schools boiling on the surface. For the far off schools, the Hopkins will cast damn near a mile. Just let it flutter down into the school and work in back in a jerk/drop cadence. For closer ones that erupt near you, nothing beats the spook for fun. As you motor around you will see some clay bars and points. Work the Bomber on these trying to grind off the bill in the clay. Often times, you'll get to see the bass appear out of the depths and swipe the bait right off the bar and it deflects along the bottom. When nothing hits the crank, cast the tube out and let it sink on a slack line, watch your line for a jump and set the hook. You'll get far more bite letting it fall on an open bail than tight lining it. The spook is great at pulling up suspended fish. I have not found anything better at bringing them from the depths to bite. If the bass are feeding they'll bite anything you throw, but when they are just suspending and not feeding, the spook is your best bet. Keep in mind this is strictly a Little Creek prescription. If you try other clear water lakes, you might not want to use the skinny line I mentioned. Some of the other places are full of cover and grass. That light line will only break your heart there. So if you're after a change of pace, or just want to work on some of your deep water fishing weaknesses (if you have any) give one of the clear water puddles a shot. I should mention that all the lakes I mentioned are electric motor only, so be certain your batteries are up to par. Go catch a big one.
A
primer on steelhead fishing for the novice angler
Steelhead, also known as rainbow trout, spend most of their life far out in Lake Michigan but come within range of the fly or spinning rod for short time each spring when they swim up the lake tributaries to spawn. “How many chances do we have to catch a 10- to 15- pound trout in a small stream?” asks Randy Schumacher, Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor for southeastern Wisconsin and an avid fan of fishing “the run.” Wisconsin stocks three different strains of steelhead and they each run at different times of the year. Two strains, the Ganaraska and Chambers Creek River, have later winter/early spring runs that typically occur between late February and mid-April. This year, the run might be later with the colder Wisconsin winter, Schumacher says. “As soon as we get the first warm up, they'll be there.” Anglers who like a challenge will love steelhead fishing. “It's a mix of hunting and fishing all tied together,” he says. The fish are very wary so getting them to bite is a challenge. They spend their lives in huge waters, and their run up small tributaries has them uncomfortable and easily spooked. “You have to be very quiet and careful and stalk them,” he says. “They usually only bite if they are fairly sure no predator is going to pounce on them. So it's quite an accomplishment to get one to bite.” Reeling the fish in is also a fight. On his last steelhead trip last spring, Schumacher had four fish break 10 pound lines before he caught a fifth fish. “If you hook a big one, a15- to 18-pounder, you gotta be ready to run,” he says. Wisconsin has many Lake Michigan tributary streams that support fine steelhead runs. The most popular streams for steelhead fishing along Lake Michigan include the Kewaunee, Root, Oconto, Manitowoc, Menominee, Milwaukee, East Twin, Peshtigo, Ahnapee, and West Twin rivers. Smaller steelhead streams include the Pigeon, Little, Pike, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic rivers; Stony, Oak, Heins, Sauk, Whitefish Bay, Fischer, Silver, and Reibolts creeks. “To me, it's amazing that we have the opportunity to catch a 15-pound trout in the shadow of a downtown Milwaukee skyscraper or Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers,” Schumacher says. Although there is no substitute for experience and getting to know each stream you fish, these pointers should get any novice steelhead angler going at the sport:
Picking
the Right Hook
Selecting the correct hook when fishing soft plastic baits is a
rather simple choice, but one that can dramatically impact your
lure’s action and your hooking percentage. Based on the size
of the fish, the hook set style used, and how heavy or lightweight
your rods and line are, there is a hook that will maximize your
landing percentage for each bait. For Texas rigs, weightless Texas
rigs, and Carolina rigs, there are a few basic guidelines that I
follow. While you may find a different system works better for you,
hopefully this will help you more critically evaluate your hook
choice in the future.
Late fall can be a rough period of fishing because the bass are
in transition in most areas and sometimes difficult to find. But
in many places, the bass are targeting schools of spawning shad
in backs of coves. And while the bass might not be actively gorging
on the schools all day long, they will never pass up an opportunity
for an easy meal. Many times they will hunker down in nearby cover
and wait for prey to come within easy striking distance.
Fishing
Unfamiliar Water
Bass tournament season will shift into high gear once again next
month when the Bassmaster Classic kicks off at Lake Tohopekaliga
in Florida. Toho, as it's known to many of us, is a great fishery
that most pros have quite a bit of experience fishing. Rare is it
in this day that pros get a chance to wet a line in a body of water
that they have never fished before, though that could change with
the tournament stop at Lake Amistad on the Texas-Mexico border.
Many of the pros have never ventured into this deep, steep-banked
impoundment that is known to have some very big fish and are now
in the same position many of you find yourselves in on a regular
basis: on the verge of fishing a lake that they know nothing about.
If
your chosen spot has some weed beds that grow below the surface,
start with a spinnerbait or buzzbait on some medium heavy tackle.
By doing this, you are trying to entice those fish that hang out
on the edges of the vegetation to feed. If the weed beds are deeper,
try a shallow-running crankbait like a Berkley Frenzy. These baits,
in addition to enticing strikes, allow you to cover a lot of area
quickly to determine the presence and behavior of the fish. If you
find an area with more trees and stumps than vegetation and the
bass aren't responding to the quickly retrieved buzz, spinner and
crankbaits, slow down your presentation with a jig and trailer or
a Texas-rigged soft plastic like Berkley PowerBait. And don't give
up on a bait too quickly, otherwise you will set yourself into a
pattern of switching rigs every other cast. Just like running to
different spots on the lake every 15 minutes, that makes for a frustrating
day on the water.
Smallmouth
Bass Fishing: A Feisty Bite People
catch a lot of fish and have a lot of fun,” Lewis said. “It's
a pretty competitive world down there,” Lewis said. A picture
in that case, he said, will suffice. His clients
come from all over the country and the world.
3
Bass Rigs You Really Ought to Learn Many of today’s anglers all to often seem to have the enthusiasm to get themselves all psyched’d up for that big day of fishing the following day only to find themselves coming in at the end of the day with only one or two bass caught. They will spend the day, usually casting, re-rigging, running, loosing lures, etc., but most of all getting frustrated because the fish aren’t cooperating. "Sound Familiar?" I, surly know this feeling and I’m sure that any angler reading this article has had the same feeling at some point and time. Now, don’t feel bad if this does happen to you because you are definitely not alone, there are probably millions of other anglers out there that this same problem happens to! But, there are a few "Tricks of the Trade" that you can use to help remedy this problem..... at least it works for me and many of my former bass angling students and charter clients that I have taught in the past. I found that on certain days when the bass don’t seem to cooperate, I usually will put my action baits away and pull out the "Last Resort Rigs" which are the: 1. TEXAS RIG 2. CAROLINA RIG 3. FLOATING RIG These three rigs are probably the most successful patterns for catching bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass) that a angler can use just about "Anywhere and at Anytime." Now, some anglers may ask; "Why would I use all three of these rigs?" and the answer is really quite simple. It’s like using tools of the trade! A carpenter wouldn’t use a hammer to back out a screw, nor would he or she use a screw driver to pound nails (Well, at least most of them wouldn’t!....smile!....). The same goes with bass fishing, an angler should have the right Tools-of-the-Trade to do a specific job! First, let’s talk about the TEXAS RIG. This rig was the first "Plastic Bait" rig that was used by most of the anglers when the sport of bass fishing really got started over 25 years ago! It is a simple rig to set up, and has produced more bass catches than any other artificial baits ever used, even today! To rig a Texas Rig you will need line, a hook and a sinker.......That’s It! First, you put your sinker (usually a "bullet shaped slip sinker") onto the line with the smaller point of the weight going on first or "facing up." Then tie your hook (usually a off-set worm hook) to the end of the line after you put on the weight. Now you are ready for your plastic baits (I always refer to artificial baits because I haven’t used live bait in many years) to be put on the hook. This type of rig (Texas Rig) can be fished (or presented) just about anywhere you will find bass, it has certain advantages and disadvantages over the other two rigs that we will talk about, and I will give a few examples after we rig up the Carolina Rig and the Floating Rig. So next, let’s rig the CAROLINA RIG.... With this rig you’ll need line (main reel line), a barrel swivel, about 6’ of leader line, a weight, glass or brass bead or rattle chamber, and a hook. I know this seems like a lot of stuff, but the results are incredible! First, take your "Leader Line" (usually the same line that is on your reel already, but I would suggest at least a 2 lb. test lesser than your main line in case of a break-off..... Most of the time by using a lighter leader line, when it breaks it will break off at the leader line thus saving the other hardware on the rig) and tie one end of it to one end of the barrel swivel and then put it aside for a moment. Then, take your main line from your reel and first put on the weight (usually anywhere from a 1/2 oz. up to a 1 oz. bullet or egg sinker). Next, after the weight is on your main line, follow it with a rattle (rattle chamber, glass or brass bead) and then tie the end of the main line to the other end of the barrel swivel that you just put aside. After you tie to the swivel, tie your hook at the other end of the leader line giving you a 2’ to a 4’ leader. Now, we’re ready for the bait! Next, let’s rig the FLOATING RIG! This "Floating Rig" can and will produce bass sometimes when all else fails...... It’s quite simple to rig and the results can be devastating! You will need a SMALL Barrel Swivel and a Hook for this rig. First, take about 3’ off of your main line for a leader line. Tie one end of your leader line to one end of the barrel swivel, then tie the other end of the barrel swivel to the main reel line. With this rig you leave off the weight!.... NO WEIGHT!!!!!..... Then finally, you tie the hook (preferably a "Light Wire" worm hook) with only allowing about a 1’ leader for the leader line. The reason for no weight and a light wire hook is to allow as much buoyancy as possible. This rig is designed mostly for Floating Worms and buoyant plastic artificial baits. Now, let’s say that you were to fish around "Rip-Rap" (Rock Areas) around dams levees etc. You probable wouldn’t use a Texas Rig unless you put the lightest weight possible on it to keep it from getting it wedged in the rocks. Nor would you use a Carolina Rig because the heavier weight (1/2 oz. to 1.oz.) would most likely get hung up. So, the rig that makes the most sense would be the "Floating Rig." This rig will allow a slow presentation over the rock areas and the bass that may be around the rocks will come up after it. Also, this kind of rig is used better around branches, Lilly pads, thick surface vegetation etc. Now, let’s say that we are working a "Downward" slope from about 3’ depth to a 20’ depth. The most sensible rig to use would be to use the Carolina Rig because it will stay in contact with the bottom contour and the deeper you work it, giving it line from your reel you can get a better "Bottom Presentation." A Texas Rig can be used for this also but the deeper you go with it the more it will lift off of the bottom. Let’s say that you were going to work some pockets around a Bull Rush field. To accurately cast into the pockets a Texas Rig would be the most preferred because with the weight of it you can make accurate casts. A Floating Rig would also be recommended for this type of area as well. Thick sloppy grass and vegetation areas, all three would work, but the Carolina Rig has produced some quality bass in areas like this over the other two rigs. Don’t worry about getting weeds on the Carolina Rig! Just give it a try and clean the weeds off of the rig and keep casting into these thick areas and "Hold On!" These rigs can be used anywhere and just about under any circumstances. Remember this; most Bass Tournaments ever fished have paid out more money fishing these rigs than any other types of artificial baits ever used! So if you’re not using all three of these rigs, I promise, the results can be devastating! Just give them a try!
Fishing
Walleyes The
walleye, once only a Northwoods delicacy, is now abundant in many
of the reservoirs of our southern and western states. It has become
one of our most sought after game fish. Keep
in mind, too, that walleye are gentle feeders. They hit light. Use
a s-l-o-w retrieve. Lake
inlets have already been mentioned as excellent walleye structure.
Walleyes will lie in wait for the river current to bring them food.
Many times these currents will deposit sand, gravel or debris on
one or both sides of the channel. When fishing from a boat, these
provide excellent places to anchor while casting to the deep channel.
Following a heavy rain, the current in these channels speeds up.
When this happens, switch to a Mepps Aglia Long, or a 1/4 ounce
Timber Doodle tipped with a Mister Twister Split Double Tail.
Tweaking
a Pop-r Now that the water has warmed and the area bass are in a spawn/post spawn pattern, a top water bait is a sound choice for lure selection. Quite often I’ll use a Pop-R by the Rebel division of PRADCO. The bait by itself will catch fish "as-is" from the factory, but there are a few really simple steps you can do to increase the number of bites you get and increase your hook up ratio. Start with a new Pop-R in one of the G-finish colors. I choose these ones because they have smooth sides instead of that molded-in, raised fish scale texture on some models. This saves you all that sanding and other time wasting tasks that Zell Rowland does. I like to buy Pop-R’s in colors that mimic shad. I think the factory name of the color is "Red eye perch". This bait is light gray with a darker gray scale pattern sprayed on it. It has a white underside and red overspray underneath the eyes. The first thing to do is remove the factory hooks and give them to fellows you fish against. Now take some sort of tool like an ice pick and pop all the paint off of the lure’s eye where you tie your line. I have a tool I got at Wal-Mart that is great for this job. It looks like some sort of dentist pick on a screwdriver handle. It costs about $2.00 for a set of four different type picks. Keep the "eye popper" on in your tackle box. It works great for cleaning out jig eyes too. Once you’ve cleaned all the paint from the eye, you’re ready to install some "real" hooks. Replace the front hook with a size 6 VMC #7650 treble. If you can’t find those; look for Owner ST36 or Daiichi Deathtraps. They all run about $5.00 for ten hooks. The Daiichi’s are available in that bleeding red color if that’s what you like. For the rear hook, attach an Owner tournament trailer. These hooks run about $5.00 for two. They are strong, sharp and dressed with feathers instead of the mylar/synthetic combo you removed and gave to your buddy. These feathers breathe in the water and impart a very subtle action that entices extra bites.The $3.00 worth of hooks you put on the bait is sharp enough to ensure you hook those extra bites. The new hooks are a little heavier that those you gave away and they make the bait sit a little lower in the water which I believe also aides in hook ups. One last tip. When you tie your line to the bait, pull the knot down the lure’s eye so that the knot points towards the bottom of the lake. This may sound weird but it actually changes the action of the bait when you work it. I shouldn’t have told you about that. Now I’ve given up all my secrets for this bait. Remember to adjust your knot after every fish. Soon you’ll recognize when the knot is not right because it will be obvious to you that the bait is not working right. Go ahead and make these modifications and I promise you’ll catch more fish. If not, send me the Pop-R and I’ll use it. The advent of catch-and-release has been great for the sport of fishing. It has literally re-cycled fish/opportunity for other anglers. However, there is a proper method to returning fish to the water after you catch them, that assures the fish's chances of survival. Here are some basic tips:
Things are more complicated today because line makers have continually developed new monofilaments to upstage their competitors. We now have monofilaments in a myriad of colors, and those that are tougher, stronger, more sensitive, more limp and cartable, and that have all these attributes to some degree. When the super braids and their likes blitzed bass fishermen, there was a hectic period of adjustment. Some pundits believed that the thinner, more sensitive super lines would replace monofilament. Bass anglers eagerly experimented with the new lines. Some fishermen have since forsaken super lines altogether, and few anglers use them exclusively. Most bassers use super lines for flippin’ dense cover, such as matted vegetation, and for Carolina rigging, where the line’s low stretch helps strike detection and hook setting. Just when fishermen were settling into a comfort zone with their monofilament and super line choices, along came fluorocarbon. This “invisible line” has a refractive index nearly the same as water. When a fluorocarbon line is immersed in water, it blends in so well that it virtually disappears. Here, finally, is a line that will not spook fish, even in crystal clear water. As with the super lines, bass fishermen are now sorting out where fluorocarbon line fits into their fishing The first fluorocarbon lines were leader material for fly-fishing. A fly-fishing leader needs to be stiff so that it rolls over smoothly as it transfers the inertia from the fly line to the fly. But, a stiff line is detested for most bass fishing applications. It tends to backlash baitcasting reels, and it springs off spinning reels in stiff coils that reduce casting distance Newer fluorocarbon lines designed for bass fishing are more limp. But, Berkley states that fluorocarbon line is still inherently stiffer then monofilament. That’s because fluorocarbon line does not absorb water, as does monofilament, and become more flexible. Even so, some anglers now use fluorocarbon line extensively, including Mike Fillmer of Lithonia, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Fillmer, an ex police officer and a retired IBM salesman, now manages a warehouse at SPRO/Gamakatsu. He has been a member (and the secretary) of the Dekalb Bass Club since 1986. The club fishes lakes throughout Georgia and the surrounding states. As did many fishermen, Fillmer first used fluorocarbon line as a leader when he Carolina rigged with braided line. He soon found that, besides being invisible, fluorocarbon line is low in stretch and more sensitive than monofilament. It helped him feel bites, set the hook, and it proved tougher than monofilament. Fluorocarbon, unlike monofilament, is also unaffected by the sun’s UV rays. Since it does not absorb water, fluorocarbon maintains superior wet strength to monofilament. It also sinks faster, because it is more dense. This is beneficial with sinking lures, such as jig and worms, but it can hamper the action of topwater baits “I’ve tried just about every fluorocarbon line out there,” Fillmer says. “I’ve had good luck with many of them, but my favorite is Seagar. It’s very limp.” Fillmer first tried 8- and 10-pound fluorocarbon as a leader for a Carolina rig on 14-pound braided line. He was so pleased with fluorocarbon’s sensitivity that he eventually switched from a super braid to fluorocarbon as the main line. Another item that improves his sensitivity is a tungsten sinker from Tru-Tungsten instead of a lead sinker. “With that tungsten weight and that fluorocarbon line, I can feel mud, I can feel brush, I can feel limbs, and I can feel grass,” Fillmer says. “And when a bass picks it up. I know it.” Encouraged by his success with fluorocarbon when Carolina rigging, Fillmer tried the line with other lures. He soon found that it improved his catch when fishing jigs and Texas-rigged worms. When he spooled 6-pound fluorocarbon on his spinning rod for dropshotting, he knew he had found the perfect combination."
Fillmer also switched to fluorocarbon for fishing jerkbaits and topwater baits, including Lucky Craft’s Sammy, his favorite dog-walking stickbait. By working the Sammy at a faster cadence, Fillmer overcomes negative effect of the sinking fluorocarbon line.“ I now use fluorocarbon for 90 percent of my fishing.” Fillmer says. “I just love this stuff. I’m not about to switch to anything else.” The only bait that Fillmer doesn’t fish on fluorocarbon line is a snagless frog, specifically the Rojas Frog. He retrieves this bait over matted grass and other nasty cover, and opts for 65-pound braided line so he can horse the bass out. One drawback Fillmer has found with fluorocarbon line is that it is hard to see above the water, especially through his bifocals. He sometimes struggles to see the line when he watches for strikes with jigs and worms. However, Fillmer claims that fluorocarbon has so many advantages it more than compensates for this handicap. Another negative is the high cost of fluorocarbon. You’ll pay as much for 200 yards of fluorocarbon as for 750 to 1,000 yards of monofilament. “It is expensive,” Fillmer says. “But I tell you what, it handles well, it casts well, it holds up well, and I can feel everything down there with it. It’s worth it.”
courtesy of Solunar.com In 1926 John Alden Knight* postulated some folk lore he picked up in Florida and proceeded to attempt a refinement, giving it the name Solunar (Sol for sun and Lunar for moon). Knight compiled a list of 33 factors which influence or control day-to-day behavior of fresh and salt-water fish. Everything was taken into account that could possibly have any bearing on the matter. One by one the factors were examined and rejected. Three of them, however, merited further examination. They were sun, moon and tides. Surely the sun could have no effect since its cycle was the same day after day, whereas the observed activity periods of fish were apt to be present at most any time of the day or night. The moon had already been weighed and found wanting. Tides? Surely there could be no tidal movement in a trout stream. But the fact remained, however, that the tides had always guided salt-water fishermen to good fishing. Could it be that the prompting stimulus lay in the influence of the sun and moon which cause the ocean tides, rather than the actual tidal stages or flow? When the original research was being done only the approximate time of moon up - moon down were considered. Gradually, it became evident that there were also intermediate periods of activity that occurred midway between the two major periods. Thus the more evident periods were called major periods and the two intermediate periods, shorter in length, were called minor periods. One convincing experiment was when Dr. Frank A. Brown, a biologist at Northwestern University, had some live oysters flown to his lab near Chicago. Oysters open their shells with each high tide, and Dr. Brown wanted to see if this was due to the change in ocean levels or to a force from the moon itself. He put them in water and removed them from all sunlight. For the first week they continued to open their shells with the high tides from their ocean home. But by the second week, they had adjusted their shell-openings to when the moon was directly overhead or underfoot in Chicago. Knight first published his tables in 1936. Then, and today, one must calculate the precise times from each table taking into account the geographic location (east or west) of a base point (Time Zone), and adjusted for Daylight Savings Time when appropriate. Knight's tables are then rounded to the nearest 10 minutes. An example of the deviation in time in a particular state would be Texas. The time difference from El Paso on the western border and Hemphill on the eastern border is 51 minutes (Hemphill is 51 minutes earlier than El Paso). PROVING THE THEORY To substantiate the theory, insofar as fish are concerned, John Alden Knight attempted a systematic inquiry to acquire complete details surrounding the capture of record catches. Both individual large fish ... and large numbers. He examined approximately 200 of these catches. Over 90 percent were made during the dark of the moon (new moon) when the effects of of the periods appear to be greatest, and, more important, they were made during the actual times of the Solunar Periods. PEAK DAYS It is now known that the sun and moon are the two major sources of the astral energies that daily bombard the Earth and all her life forms. The closer they are to you at any given moment, the stronger the influence. The day of a new or full moon will provide the strongest influence in each month. PEAK TIMES When a period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset you can anticipate great action! When you have a moonrise or moonset during that period the action will be even greater. And, finally, when the above times occur during a new or full moon , you can expect the best action of the season! LENGTH OF PERIODS Every fisherman knows that fish do not feed all the time. He knows, also, that for some reason fish often go on the feed and take most any offering, be it live bait or artificial. This sort of thing happens, according to John Alden Knight (the originator of the theory) during a period. To be sure, fish usually feed actively at sunrise and sunset , but generally, the real fishing of the day is at the odd hour feeding periods. If the weather and feeding conditions are favorable the fish will be active for one to two hours. WATCH THE BAROMETER Intensity of activity also varies from day to day, according to conditions in general. If the barometer happens to be steady or rising, if the temperature is favorable (15 degrees higher than water temp ) then long and active response to a period can be expected. WATCH THE MOON Another thing to remember in dealing with the periods is that solunar influence will vary in intensity according to the position of the moon. The times of new moon (the dark of the moon), and there is no moon in the sky, is the time of maximum intensity. Ocean tides reflect this intensity in their magnitude. This maximum will last about three days, and wildlife respond with maximum activity. Thereafter the degree of intensity tapers off until it is at its minimum during the third quarter phase of the moon. Salt-water anglers argue that tides have a greater influence on fish feeding habits than the moon itself. It must be understood that the tides are governed by the phases and transit of the moon. Certain marine phenomena occur with precise regularity during the lunar month and solar/lunar cycle. Research has shown that a natural day for fish and many other animal species differ from our own. Their biological clock appears to coincide with lunar time , which is the time that it takes for the moon to reappear at a given point during one complete rotation of the earth (an average of 24 hours and 53 minutes). This is called a Tidal Day and explains why the ocean tides are about an hour later each day - and why most fish, fresh water species included, will feed up to an hour later (in relation to our solar clock) each day. CALCULATING THE TIMES The key to accurate Solunar Times is the ability to chart the relative solar and lunar positions with respect to a particular location . The major periods coincide with the upper and lower meridian passage of the resultant gravitational (tidal) force. The minor periods occur when these forces are rising or setting on either horizon, i.e., the right ascension of the resultant force and the local sidereal time vary by 90 or 270 degrees. The major periods occur when these forces are at 0 and 180 degrees apart. AREA COVERED BY THE TIMES The times produced are known as equilibrium tide times , i.e., the times of low and high tides if the Earth were completely covered by water. Our program calculates the solar and lunar positions with an accuracy of .25 degrees allowing accuracy to be within 1 minute in time . The times will change one minute for each 12 miles east or west of the base point. There is one day each month (near the last quarter of the moon) on which there is no moonrise . This is normal and occurs because the moons average period between two rises and sets is approximately 24 hours and 50 minutes. Thus there will always be a day on which a moonrise (and a Solunar Time) will not fit. Note also that moonrise can occur at any time during the day or night. The quantities required for computing the times are elliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon, the right ascension (RA) of the moon, and the local sidereal time of the observer's position. BEST FISHING DAYS For those fishermen who enjoy fishing at sunrise and sunset , here are the absolute best dates to be on the water at your favorite spot. These are the Major or Minor Periods that fall near the times of Sunrise or Sunset during a Full or New Moon. It has been documented that when this condition exists fish will bite on anything they see or smell. Limits are almost guaranteed provided there are fish in the vicinity. Its no secret that fish and game tend to feed during dawn and dusk (sunrise and sunset). What amplifies the activity is the effect of a moonrise or moonset plus the specific monthly periods of New (dark) and Full (light) Moons. When the times coincide with a moon-rise or a moon-set the action can be spectacular. Finally, a change in the local weather coinciding with the periods will further enhance the activity. For an interesting article on this subject, visit The Real Scoop on using the theory to your advantage. WATCH THE WEATHER For best results the tables must be used intelligently. Every day will not show a clear-cut reaction to a period. In the case of fish, barometric fluctuations , particularly when the trend is down, often ruin fishing. All wildlife knows what to expect of the weather, and any bird, animal or fish can sense the approach of a storm. Cold fronts moving through drive all fish deeper and render them inactive. Adverse temperature, abnormal water conditions, all sorts of things will offset the effects of periods. However, every sportsman knows that it is beyond all reason to expect good fishing or hunting every day. The theory will point the way to the best in sport that each day has to offer, but in no sense is it a guarantee. CONCLUSION It goes without saying that if there are no fish or game present, you will not be successful. Plan your days on the water or in the field so that you are where the game is most likely to be during the periods. We hope that we have been able to improve your understanding of the theory - and how you can use it to improve your angling success. But always remember ... the best time to go fishing ... is whenever you can and always practice catch and release. Click Here for this month's Lunar Table
Fishing for Spawning Bass by Jay Yelas
Fishing
the spawn can be fun, difficult and rewarding all at the same time.
Just be sure to practice catch and release so that other anglers
will have the opportunity to enjoy the fishing, too.
Blade Your Way to Midsummer Eyes by Ron Anlauf, courtesy of Lake State Fishing Spinners
are designed to add flash and vibration to live bait like crawlers,
leeches, and minnows. Flash and vibration is delivered by a revolving
blade at the front of the bait. Different blade shapes and sizes
can vary the amount of vibration produced and they can also add
a splash of color. Northland Tackle's new Rock'n Rainbow Spinner
comes with a new level of vibration and has an erratic and kind
of crazy action that can drive walleyes nuts and is something they
haven't seen before. It's available in some great colors a and comes
with a one or two hook harness. The standard spinner comes tied
with a pre-determined leader length, and can restrict its use. The
Rock'n Rainbow has a short length of leader that holds the main
body of the bait together and has no extended leader. Leader length
is determined by the user which allows you the flexibility to adjust
the length for each set of conditions. While spinners are one of the most consistent walleye producers year in and year out, they do have their time and place. For example; they really don't come into their own until the water temps reach into the mid to upper fifties. However, when the time is right spinners can be the best thing going. When early season presentations start to fade like rigging and jigging, look for spinners to really pick up. They are also an effective method for covering lots of water. When looking for fish traditional rigging and jigging methods prove to be much too slow. Spinner speed can let you cover a lot more water by the end of the day and is the secret to actually finding fish. See you on the water.
On
the Water with Scott Suggs - Work with a Jerk There
is probably no better bait to use on schooling fish than a Jerk
Shad. So when I find bass busting the surface on shad (or other
baitfish), it's the first thing I throw. My set up for schooling
fish includes a 6 ½-foot medium-heavy Fenwick Techna AV rod
and a high-speed Abu Garcia REVO STX spooled with 12-pound Berkley
Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon (in open water) or 15-pound Trilene 100%
Fluorocarbon (near cover). Using a 5/0 extra-wide gap superline
hook, I rig the Jerk Shad either Texas-rigged with the hook barely
piercing the bait or with the hook exposed - depending on the amount
of cover in the water. Most of the time I throw it weightless, but
if wind or other conditions call for a weight, I use lead tape on
the hook to give me the extra casting distance and a little quicker
fall. The lead tape allows the bait to fall horizontally instead
of nose first, like it would with a bullet weight. Scott Suggs is the 2007 FLW Champion and the first angler in professional bass fishing to win $1 million in a single tournament.
Hybrid
Sonar Technology Enhances Bass Fishing For over 20 years, the use of LCD Sonar has been the stable of most bass fishing rigs. The problem with all LCD sonar's today is that this type of pure-digital technology only shows a digitally processed history of what you have passed over with your boat. Bass anglers need to know current information about where the boat is holding at any given time. It might sound strange, but in some regions of the country, bass anglers never even use their sonar systems for bass fishing. Most feel using sonar is no real advantage to them since they simply cast or flip the bank anyway. Most LCD displays seldom work in waters less than five feet, so why even turn the darn thing on? When the idea of heading way from the bank to fish a creek channel or to fish deep structure, make many anglers nervous and they run back to the docks. The goal of every bass angler is to improve their skills with every tournament and look for tricks and secrets to enhance their fishing success. Strange enough, but more priority is put on the type of line or lures in use than to address the ultimate fish catching technique — better boat control. Bass fishermen need an easy way to know exactly where the tip of a brush pile is located or the exact inside turn of a creek channel. The classic liquid crystal sonar technology, whether in black and white or the new TFT color displays, only shows the recent history of lake bottom that your boat has passed over. Granted, it is a big help to mount your sonar transducer on your electric trolling motor, but again, if you hold over a spot, the signals are distorted. If a fish or tree limb is below you, you see a long cloud shape on the screen. No classic fish hooks are displayed if you are holding on a spot while fishing. Signals are processed digitally to filter out small objects in the water like shad, shiners and even weeds to give the unit a nice clean TV-like display. Needless to say, getting your sonar to reveal an uncensored sonar and a true real time response for a display is the key to good boat control. This is what the pros are not telling you. They may be fishing a bottom transition of mud to gravel, a change from coontail weeds to milfoil or simply looking for depressions in thick milfoil patches for flipping. The ONLY sonar technology that delivers this type of performance is a sonar technology that has been around even longer than LCD recorders. They are called “flashers” and like LCD sonar, there are a wide variety of performance features available. The clear leader with this type of sonar technology is the Vexilar Marine Electronics company of Minneapolis. They were the first to develop a hybrid flasher sonar that takes advantage of both digital and analog technology for the first super bright, three-color LED display. This gives you a way to see what is below your boat in real time and in an unfiltered way. You will be able to see the tiniest of objects in the water and can decide if the displayed signal is telling you something vital to your fishing success. Many older anglers are familiar with old-style flashers from yesteryear and have used them with great success, but many have simply forgotten their advantages. A Vexilar Flasher of today has come a long way and can easily let you shoot a signal through the thickest of milfoil to find true bottom, a big advantage for Texas bass anglers for sure.
Boat control is serious business to serious bass anglers. If you take advantage of what a flasher sonar can do you will be amazed how quickly you will be able to pinpoint fish holding structure. Is catching fish faster and easier with better boat control? One hundred percent yes is the answer, so maybe it is time to learn how a flasher sonar system can help you catch more fish this season.
Bow
Fishing GEAR
INCLUDES:
Omori's
Two-Step Crankbait Plan Worth Trying This Spring Omori's
favorite locations for the diving crankbaits are long points filled
with stumps or fallen timber. Bass move to these areas during the
pre-spawn and frequently stay to build nests and lay eggs so they're
present for a number of weeks.
Carolina
Rigs for Pre-Spawn, Spawning Bass
Don't
overlook deep ledges for big bass
It's
not unusual for people to equate bass fishing with the shallow-water
flipping and pitching that goes on so many places throughout the
country. True, largemouth bass, when they inhabit structure-filled
watersheds, will be found regularly around the bank, near blown-down
trees, hydrilla, lily pads and other places that provide them outstanding
places to both forage and hide. From
post-spawn period through fall, one of my favorite types of fisheries
for largemouth bass is a highland reservoir like the ones found
across parts of middle America. These lakes, because of their depth,
are short on standing and laying timber, but have plenty of deep-water
ledges that continually hold bass.
For more information about services, Click Here To
request a free information packet about |
Paul
Hirosky, a pharmacist from Guys Mills, Pennsylvania, learned this
lesson soon after he joined the Bassmasters of Crawford County and
the Presque Isle Bassmasters 14 years ago. When Hirosky began fishing
club tournaments, he often pre-fished areas far from the launch
ramp looking for “secret” spots that he rarely found. Many anglers
fall into this trap. 
Although
a launch area may be flush with bass, these fish can be tough to
catch. They have all been caught at least once, and they have been
through the stress of being constrained in a live-well and put though
a weigh-in procedure. To say that they are wary is an understatement.
Post
spawn bass have a notorious reputation for being hard to catch during
the brief interval between spawning and actually starting their
return to deep water, but that reputation has never bothered Yamaha
pro Clark Reehm. He simply ties on a 'wake bait' and keeps fishing.
EDITORS
NOTE:
MILWAUKEE,
WISCONSIN - Fishing for steelhead can be one
of the most exciting of Wisconsin's many angling opportunities --
and some the best time for steelhead fishing is coming soon to Lake
Michigan tributary streams.
When
the bite is slow in the Umpqua River for salmon and steelhead and
the dog days of summer have settled in, smallmouth bass awaken like
little rabid beasts. 
Walleye, by nature, are night feeders but don’t be lulled into thinking
this is the only time to fish them. Water color has a definite effect
on the feeding habits of the walleye. Many lakes are dark water
lakes. High noon is a good time to fish for walleyes in these waters.
River fishing requires a different approach. Seek out deep holes
that contain large rocks or sunken logs. It’s from these holes that
big walleye are consistently taken. The Aglia Long , in sizes 2
and 3, is ideally suited for river bank fishing. Look for a likely
holding area, and position yourself slightly behind it. Tip the
spinner with a nightcrawler and cast upstream as far as possible,
letting the spinner fall back into the holding area following the
natural flow of the current. Twitch the spinner lightly as you begin
a slow retrieve. This is also an excellent tactic for smallmouth.
By
Mark Hicks, courtesy of BassClubDigest
Besides
being more sensitive, fluorocarbon sinks faster,” Fillmer
says. “It gets down there quicker and I can get by with a
lighter weight.” When Fillmer tried 10-pound fluorocarbon
line on his crankbait rod, he found that he could cast 15 to 20
percent farther than with monofilament. He admits that other anglers
question this, but he claims there is no doubt that he casts farther.
Since he usually fishes from the back seat of his club member’s
boats, longer casts help him keep pace with the angler fishing from
the bow. He also claims that the increased casting distance, combined
with the sinking line, allows his crankbaits to run deeper. The
increased sensitivity of fluorocarbon tells him when the crankbait
contacts cover or the bottom, and when a bass nabs his bait.
Red
Hot Blades for Midsummer Walleyes 
There
are many ways to target bass during the late summer and the fall
transition. Recently, I've been spending a lot of time acquainting
myself with the Berkley Gulp! 5-inch Jerk Shad. While this bait
isn't the newest bait on the market, I've been trying to work it
into my repertoire. During this season I was able to figure out
some great ways to catch bass in the spring and summer with the
Gulp! Jerk Shad. Now that fall is around the corner, I've come up
with two more applications. 
There
is no doubt if you want to catch more bass; you need to position
your boat where the fish will be holding. It is the dirty little
secret many super-star tournament pros fail to mention when they
are on stage and talk about their victories. If you read between
the lines, it is clear the winner put their boat in the right spot
at the right time and kept it there so they could win. We agree
that the secret lure was a factor, so did the Brand X rod, but let's
be honest, it is about holding the boat near or over the fish better
than the other guys to win.
A
Vexilar Flasher shows the slightest change in bottom content or
weeds instantly. You are able to fish individual limbs of a tree
in a brush pile and lets not forget that this flasher can also read
bottom in 6 inches of water. The new Vexilar FL-10 and FL-12 Flasher
sonar systems use a unique flat panel display that is visible on
a sunny day and will fit most bass boats on the market. Many bass
anglers love Vexilar Flashers for their real-time signal response
at high speeds because it is impossible to outrun the sonar signal
if the transducer is installed properly.
No
longer should there be a downtime or “off season” for
the hunter or an unfulfilled curiosity of trying something new for
the angler – not when there is a sport that combines the skill
set of both sports. Bow fishing provides another open season for
the hunter and gadgets galore for the angler, and offers a challenge
that is sure to bring a lifetime of enjoyment. Bow fishing is becoming
a favorite pastime of hunters and a new challenge that appeals to
anglers. 
Takahiro
Omori's boat may be filled with a dozen tackle boxes, but during
the spring months, his rods usually have only two lures tied on,
and both are crankbaits. Over the years, the Yamaha pro has developed
a solid two-step cranking plan that has resulted not only in big
bass but also in several national tournament wins. 
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