Bassin' The Midwest

Structure?...What Structure???

2013-06-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

When approaching a new lake one of the key things that any angler should try to accomplish, besides the obvious of catching fish, is to get an understanding of the lay of the land. What type of cover does it have on the shoreline, where are the drop-offs at if there are any, where is the isolated underwater structure? My success on the water relies heavily on these features and helps me solve one part of the riddle as to where bass are hiding.

When my Dad and I fished together when I was younger, I couldn’t tell you how many times he would let me know as we are fishing….”hit that spot, there is a dropoff there”….”hit that pocket, there is a pile of rocks 4 feet down”. How did he know all of this? Over the years I have started to understand how this was done and there are four things that allow that to happen…

1) Search baits

2) A sensitive rod

3) Fan casting

4) Slow down and pay attention!

In my case I would classify search baits as anything that allows you to learn the bottom structure of the lake. Crankbaits, jigs, weighted texas rigs, Carolina rigs, and other similar baits all allow you to gain instant feedback as to what is lurking beneath the water. They will be your depth finder and structure scan if you learn how to use them right.

Last year I was fishing a local pond that I have been fishing for quite some time. I wasn’t getting bit that day and decided to walk the pond until I found some fish. Well, I got to the one side of the pond that I rarely hit because of my lack of catching in that area and decided to throw on a crankbait since the weeds were receding. Threw it out, brought it back….and just fan casted the area. On my third cast about 10 feet out from shore I felt my crankbait rattle against a rock pile….bingo! Next cast, brought it over the rock pile and WHAM…4 pounder. Almost every fish the next several casts were hanging right before or on top of that rock pile. Isolated cover can be a magical thing…and when you find it you can almost bet money that there will be fish there.

Last night, I went to a new forest preserve lake that is known for having some good fishing. Had no clue where to start so I decided to start at the first spot I found. First thing that I noticed….a stump sticking out of the water along with a brush pile in the water to the left and right of me. The last thing I noticed was the rock lining the bank. As soon as I see rock on a bank my decision is always towards a texas rig or a crankbait. I threw out a texas rig to the left towards one of the brush piles. Dragged it through and I could immediately start feeling sparse rock on the bottom. Made another cast just to the right of my last cast and started to find heavier sections of rock. Then eventually I was lifting my bait higher off the ground because it got stuck in some limbs or chunks of wood from an underwater bush. Wouldn’t you know it, after popping it free from all of the junk down there….fish on! I ended up pulling four bass off of that spot in a matter of 20 minutes.

When you can unlock the secrets of newer water, the higher chance you have of catching and not being skunked out on the water. So always have something tied on to allow you to search the bottom and find out what the fish are relating to…that’s the name of the game!

Tight Lines,

Fluke

Bassin' in the Weeds

2013-06-11T11:46:00.001-07:00

It’s finally starting to feel like summer around here! The rain and cold fronts are finally starting to come to an end giving the local ponds and lakes a chance to remain at a consistent water level. Once that begins to happen you can guarantee that our local waters will start to show some heavier weed growth…some more so than others. This can be a really frustrating time for a lot of anglers because what worked in the spring is now getting piled on with weeds and muck every other cast. It makes it even more frustrating because the bass take shelter in the hot summer days underneath these weed mats and lily pads making them harder to access and catch. I remember fishing a local pond in my neck of the woods four or five years ago that used to get choked up with weeds every summer. It was nice because it kept the weekend warriors at bay for a while, but it also made it tough for me to figure out for the longest time until I started using a few key lures…

1) Topwater hollow belly frog

2) Zoom Fluke

3) Buzzbait

4) Weightless Senko

5) Swim jig

6) Weighted Texas Rig

The lures above aren’t completely fool proof, but 9 times out of 10 you should be able to work the bait effectively without bringing in a 10 lb pile of weeds every cast.

The areas you want to target with these lures are…

1) Open pockets within the weedline

2) Thinner patches of weeds in the weedline

3) Outer edges of the weedline

Open voids and thinner layers of weeds always allow bass to blow up on a lure much easier than the thick matted weeds that line parts of the weed bed. The easier it is for them to see and get to the bait, the easier it will be getting a good hookset. Weightless lures like a senko and fluke should also be worked into open pockets and outer weed edges. What I like to do is throw the lure past the pocket….give it a couple good pops before it reaches the pocket to create disturbance on top of the weed bed…and then once I get to the edge of the pocket I give it one more good pop and then let it sink into the pocket. I have caused some major blowups by doing this and really gets them fired up!

If there were only a couple of things I would add to my gear line up for fishing in weedy areas, it would first start with braided line. Braided line has no stretch giving you solid hooksets after a fish takes a lure under into matted weeds, and it cuts through weeds and lily pads more easily than fluoro and mono. The second thing that I would have handy is a longer MH or H spinning rod or baitcaster. Braid does help you achieve a more solid hookset but means nothing if you don’t have some backbone to back it up. The last thing you need is a nice bass blowing up on a frog and you are throwing 10 lb mono on a medium light rod….that won’t end well.

Hopefully these tips will help you out on the water the next few months, and I guarantee the strikes that will occur will be heart pounding! If only I had video of the topwater strikes I have had on a frog the last few years….just incredible!

Tight lines!

Fluke

Crushing the Cold Front with the Crabby Crawdaddy!

2013-05-23T21:33:00.001-07:00

93 degree days....rain, rain...some more rain....55 degrees for the high...what gives May??? We have been seeing some nasty weather swings so far this year....but today, this brutal cold front was no match for the Crabby Crawdaddy!

Now what the heck is a Crabby Crawdaddy? Well, I will tell you that is one of the nicer craw imitators that I have ever used and came in my possession about a week ago. This plastic craw was thrown together by the mix masters at Crabby Bass Lures. Brad Wilkins and Chuck Simon set up shop last year to provide premium plastic lures to the Dupage County community and beyond. You got a color you have in mind....done! You want a certain flake you want in it that you don't see on off the shelf plastics...done! You want it to smell like it could scare away a vampire....done and done!

Well, I shot a message to Brad asking for a custom color that I have used pretty heavily....green pumpkin with purple and copper flake. After today, I think I am going to have to start calling this color....MONEY! It was game on from the time that lure hit the water tonight until 2 hours later when I walked away with 22 bass with more than 10 more missed on top of that. Add a 3/0 EWG Gamakatsu hook with an 1/8 oz bullet weight...game over! With the recent rain however, the water was slightly murky....so I added my own little final touch, which is something that I have done previously to my craws. Chartreuse Spike-It on the claw tips to give it a little more pop in the dingy water....yup, they ate it up! Besides spilling some though all over my hand and turning my fingers chartreuse it worked quite well. So what was the final name of this completely custom craw with a spritz of chartreuse....TOXIC MONEY! haha. I think it has a nice ring to it.

Anyway, on to the catching. Throw it out, hop it through some weeds....felt that 'thunk' of the weight getting sucked in....and SWING! Fish after fish...same textbook bite. Those crabby cold front bass didn't stand a chance against the Crabby Crawdaddy!

About 17 bass in and then I started to get crabby....starting to miss fish, wth? I would get a bite....line would tighten up, then they would drop it. I mean, clear as a bell bite and then nothing. I think at that point the bass were on to my scheme and were making it a little tougher on me. After grinding it out and waiting a little longer on the bite...two more on the board. Then number 20....and holy cow number 20...what a sow! Sidebar....my camera on my phone will be struck by a hammer shortly after this post for losing a great picture of this behemoth....lol. Buuuuttt, I did get a picture of the craw being choked down by the 5+ lber...just sad I didn't get her bugeyes and gut....the bass are definitely still in pre-spawn mode here

Now for the other nice bass caught in this 2 hour window! 22 fish....all between 9-21.5 inches

After seeing what this new plastic lure is capable of, I know this will be in my back pocket this tournament season. I am pretty picky when it comes to new plastic baits as some of you already know, but this one passed the test with flying colors. With the ability to choose my own colors...I can get the right bait for the right time of year, and I know Brad and Chuck will be ready to go when I need them. If you want some of your own go and check them out at....

www.crabbybasslures.com

http://www.crabbybasslures.com/page2.php?view=productPage&product=32&category=1

Tight Lines,

Fluke

Bassin' at the Border (Falcon Lake April, 2013)

2013-04-29T19:38:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know that my Dad and I have been planning a trip down to Falcon Lake in Texas for some time now....and I am sad to say that it came and went way too fast!  If I could some up the trip in one word it would be IN-FREAKIN-CREDIBLE! The size and power of these giant Florida strain bass are just unbelievable.

Three days we were out there with guide Jay Greishaw of www.highstakesbassin.com.   We started each morning around 6:30-7:00 AM and finished up about 3 PM.   In that stretch of time my Dad and I hooked, landed and lost more quality bass then we ever have in our entire fishing career. I will have to admit it wasn't a numbers blowout with around 25-35 fish caught each day between the two of us....but the quality was second to none.   That was the whole purpose of the trip, to potentially hook into a fish of a lifetime....and we did!

With the drought down in Zapata, Texas in full swing we knew right away that good water was going to be slim.  The lake was nearly 30 feet down with the main lake markers looking like sky scrapers sticking out of the water.

The main areas we targeted were deeper rock piles, ledges, humps, and brush. Deep crankbaits, texas rigs and carolina rigs were pretty much all we threw. Jay knew exactly where to go, what areas to hit, and knew exactly what the fish were dialed in on. For the first time in a long time I threw a texas rigged worm...and not just any worm...a 10" Berkley power worm....and even threw a 12" Mag ol' Monster Zoom ribbon tail worm when the time called for it. Deep cranks meant DEEEEP cranks....5XD's are medium cranks to them down there....we were dredging the bottom of every rock pile every time we had the chance.

Alright, alright....enough details....here are the stats....

Top 5 lost fish...estimated by Jay....
1) 12 lbs
2) 10 lbs
3) 9 lbs
4) 8 lbs
5) 7 lbs
Total: 46 lb bag

Top 5 landed fish...weighed
1) 6.74
2) 6.5
3) 6.0
4) 6.0
5) 5.5
Total: 30.74 lbs

Both my Dad and I landed new personal bests with mine at 6.74 lbs and my Dad's at 6.0 lbs. What really just blew me away was the size of these fish...not so much on girth, but length. My 6.74 lber was easily pushing 24 inches. When you see a 12 lb bass sky rocket towards the surface of the water with a mouth the size of a dinner plate....it is an indescribable sight!

Now on to the pictures!

One of Dad's first fish of the trip on a crankbait

First bass for me of the trip...also on a crankbait

Dad's new PB at 6 lbs

Another 5+ lber

5.5 lber caught on a C-rig....you know it's big when you rod stops mid hook set!

Getting better at 6 lbs...

Getting even better at 6.5 lbs

New PB at 6.74 lbs!

Just to give you a comparison as to how large these fish were....a 4 lber a few weeks ago compared to my new PB of 6.74 lbs

And to think how much bigger the mouth was on that 12 lber I lost on day 1!!! That fish will haunt me for a looong time!

Only way to fly on bigger water....2012 Ranger Z522 Comanche....sweeeet!

Sunday morning came....and man did it rain! Glad we could bring some of our Illinois flooding down to Texas!

Best picture of the trip...getting a double with my Dad...somehow he always catches the bigger one.

Funniest moment of the trip...playing a fish on a crankbait for 5 minutes only to find out it was a soft shell turtle the size of an F150!

If you have the opportunity to ever get down to Falcon Lake or any other big bass lake...do it! Just an unbelievable trip that will be in the memory books for a long time....just thankful I was able to do it with my Dad.

A huge shout out as well to Jay Greishaw, easily the best guide I have booked a trip with. He did whatever he could to make the trip great....learned a lot from him and will definitely be down again for a second visit.

Tight lines everyone,

Fluke

WCTT Deep Lake Tourney 1 and Des Plaines Tourney Recap

2013-04-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the first time I have ever had back to back tournament days….and man was it an experience! Not a ton of details to recap on, but I definitely know that I still have a lot to learn and need more time on the water that we fished over the weekend.

Saturday brought 20+ mph winds, 38 degree air temps, 41 degree water and snow! We were at Deep Lake in Lake County, IL with the guys from WindyCityFishing.com. I think about 18-20 guys showed up to fish so there was definitely a good set of competition. I have never fished this lake before so I knew it was going to be hit or miss for me and my partner. Everyone decided to head to the North end of the lake early in the AM, but from some tips from other people we decided to hit the South side where a creek ran into the lake. There was a pretty significant drop off where we were that went from 3 to 15 feet pretty quickly. With the winds whipping us around in that 12’ aluminum boat it was a pretty safe bet we were going to stay there for a little while just to stay out of the wind and warm up for a few minutes. Long story short, I had one bit the entire morning and didn’t get a good hook set and lost him. With nothing to weigh in at the first weigh in at 9:30 and with the wind and the cold…we called it a day. Only 11 fish were weighed in the entire tournament between 20 guys….needless to say it wasn’t the best day for that lake. I plan on getting out there again…hopefully more time on that body of water will produce better results.

Sunday was my first club tournament of the year on the Des Plaines River. After talking to the guys in my club about their pre-fishing the week before it sounded like the river water temps went down about 9-10 degrees….so the cold front was definitely in full swing. Water was dirtier than usual, wind was still just as bad….but at least the air temperature was much warmer than Saturday! Rocky shorelines and warmer water with shad in the area produced our only fish. One of the cuts had bass exploding on shad all over the place, but getting bit came down to throwing at the right spot at the right time. There was a brush pile that a buddy of mine was pitching to when we pulled in to that cut. He picked the entire thing apart and got nothing. We followed in behind him, second cast way into the center of the brush pile and I just felt a weight. Thought I had my lure wrapped up in the brush…then started seeing my line move. Set the hook and yanked that fish into the boat as fast as I could. First keeper just shy of 14” was on the board. Again…just was a matter of throwing to the right spot at the right time. We hit multiple spots and I only caught four bass all day…one being a ½” shy of being another keeper. Only 8 or 9 guys weighed in fish so that made me feel a little better only showing up with one keeper. That gave me some decent club points and a good start to the year. Hopefully I can keep it going the remainder of the year….only time will tell.

When I came home Sunday I was definitely wiped out. Getting up at 3:15 on Saturday and 4:30 on Sunday….definitely crashed as soon as I could. All that just to catch some bass….wouldn’t have spent my weekend any other way!

Tight Lines,

Fluke

Get 'em shallow while it's HOT! (Shallow Squarebills)

2013-04-10T12:44:00.003-07:00

In the last few weeks I have found myself on a very HOT shallow squarebill bite. This style of fishing has become one of, if not my favorite techniques to take advantage of in the early spring months. Weeds are scarce, shallow shorelines are starting to warm up, and the bass are looking for food before they head to their spawning areas.

If you have a favorite pond that is shallow in the 2-8 feet of water range, you absolutely should have a squarebill on hand. They are not as trivial as you think….toss it out, reel it back. I see a lot of guys giving up on crankbaits really quickly like I used to, but the reward of learning to use these baits is worth the time put into it.

What to have on hand to fish these lures effectively…

7’ 0” MH Moderate to Moderate Fast action rod

12-15 lb fluorocarbon or monofilament

5.0-6.3 gear ratio reel

When you fish shallow areas you have to pay attention right away whether or not you are getting your lure fouled up with weeds or other debris on the bottom. If you are, I suggest trying a couple things…

1) Have your rod tip raised up during the retrieve…it will force the crankbait to run shallower in the water column.

2) Try switching to a shallower running crankbait

3) Switch to a reel with monofilament instead of fluorocarbon. Monofilament floats so your squarebill will run shallower.

A few great crankbaits to have on hand…

- Strike King 1.5 (dives 2 to 4 feet)

- IMA Squarebill (dives up to 2 feet)

- Bass Pro EGG (dives 1-2 feet)

A few colors to have on hand…

- Shad patterns (Silver/Black back, Tennessee Shad, Gizzard Shad, etc.)

- Craw patterns (Bright reds, oranges, and even some dark greens)

- Bluegill pattern

- Bright Colors (Chartreuse/Black Back, Lime Green/Blue Back, Bone White, etc.)

How you should retrieve this lure….

The best way I have found with this lure is a slow steady retrieve while adding in slightly faster and slower turns of the handle. Doing this will change how fast or slow the crankbait rushes through the water which creates a deadly hunting action. I also try to add short pauses here and there to make the lure stop which kicks the back side of the crankbait forward making a really noticeable flash or jerk in the water. Usually once you start the retrieve again, the bass are all over it! Another retrieve that has done well for me in the past is pulling the crankbait along with the rod and reeling in the slack. The rod tip should be closer to parallel with the water and you should feel 5-10 wobbles of the crankbait as you pull it along. Once you stop moving the lure, reel in the slack and do it again. If you are casting to an adjacent shoreline, it seems like everytime I craaaawwwlll that crankbait away from the shore line the bass will kill it….so always start with a really slow retrieve if you are casting towards the shore.

How do you ensure a good hook set?

The hookset is a side sweeping hookset. The usually tip towards the sky does not work as well as it does with a treble hook lure. Side sweeping will increase your hook up percentage more than anything else. New treble hooks will also help increase your hook up. Most crankbaits come with cheap treble hooks that can bend or break easily. The last thing you need is to lose a monster spring bass only to find out he bent out one of your hooks….trust me, that happens more than I have liked it to happen! Last is to check your line for rough patches. Crankbaits bounce and crash into everything, so pay attention to your line fraying and re tie if you need to. It doesn’t hurt to second guess yourself and re-tie.

Last but not least, what does the bite feel like?

The only two things that come to mind are a freight train hitting your bait, or the subtle “bump, bump” of a bass slashing at it. If you feel a fish just plow the snot out of your lure, more than likely he choked it and I would be immediately swinging for the fences. If you feel a bump, take a quick 1 count and then set the hook. Usually just a bump means they haven’t got it all the way and giving them that extra second could make all the difference.

Now is prime time to take advantage of this action. Get to your local tackle shop and grab some shallow diving crankbaits. The big mommas are out and active now, so let’s hear some success stories in the near future! You’ll be glad you did!

Tight Lines!

Fluke

How to set up and cast a new baitcaster

2013-03-18T23:12:00.003-07:00

Fishing sales are in full swing up here...and I know a few of you probably have been toying with the idea of picking up a new reel for this season....maybe a baitcaster? Baitcasters simply put can be very intimidating to the weekend angler...they are hard to cast...they definitely aren't spinning reels...and the ultimate fear of the dreaded "birds nest"...dum dum dummmm!

I remember last year returning something to Bass Pro, when I overheard a gentleman telling the employee at Bass Pro that his reel was broken. I looked over and saw a baitcaster sitting on the counter. The reel representative came over...toyed with it a few seconds, and said it was fine. The gentleman tossed a confused look and didn't understand what was wrong. Long story short...he didn't set up the reel correctly. With a little up front work and some practice...this type of situation can be avoided, and there is less chance that you will toss the baitcaster to the side and forget about it.

Every baitcaster on the market today has several characteristics that need to be dialed in before you even make your first cast. The drag, spool tension, and the braking system all need to be set to the lure that you are planning on throwing.

The drag star is located on the handle side, usually has 5 or 6 spokes and clicks when you turn it. It is used to set the drag of the reel by applying more tension to the spool. I usually turn it until it's snug and give it one more 1/8 of a turn. Some people run their drag a little loose, but for most applicatons around here you shouldn't have an issue running the drag tighter.

The spool tension is also found on the handle side and is usually a small cap or knob. This knob puts tension on the spool when the spool is disengaged by the thumb bar. With a lure tied on, and your rod tip about 8 o'clock you should set the spool tension so the lure falls slowly under its own weight. Let the lure fall until it hits the ground...and the spool should stop spinning. If the spool continues to spin, tighten it up a little bit more.

Now comes the most trivial part...the braking system. Your reel comes with one braking system or two braking systems. Magnetic braking systems are on the non handle side, and can be adjusted externally on the reel with a knob. Magnetic brakes can be found in most Daiwa and Lews reels. Centrifugal brakes are also on the non handle side of the reel and can be adjusted by taking off the non handle side plate of the reel. Once the side plate is of there is usually a set of counter weights. When the counter weights are pushed out...more braking. When the counter weights are pushed in...less braking. Centrifugal brakes are usually found on Shimano and Quantum reels....with Quantum reels being the oddball because their centrifugal brake can be adjusted with a knob on the outside. Some reels have both magnetic and centrifugal brakes...such as the Bass Pro Pro Qualifier, Lews Tournament Pro, Revo STX, and Pflueger Patriarch.

When you set up a brake system you always want to start with the braking system fully engaged. So for magnetic brakes...that dial should be turned on as high as it can go. With centrifugal brakes, the pins should all be pulled outward.

Last thing you need to do is get your thumb ready to go....your thumb is the one thing that will eventually allow you to become great at using a baitcaster. Train your thumb, and you will be less likely to rely on the braking system that the reel provides you.

Before you even go to cast for the first time you need to forget everything you have ever done with a spinning reel if that was your strength originally. Baitcasting and spinning setups are two different animals and DO NOT cast the same. Press the thumb bar and hold the spool with the thumb of your casting hand. Let your thumb "feather" the line as the lure drops down to the ground. Just as the lure is about to hit the ground, stop the spool with your thumb. Repeat this several times until you get a feel for your thumb starting and stopping the lure.

Next you want to make a roll cast...or side arm cast. Use your thumb to release and stop the spool as you already did above. It is important to not let the rod tip "follow" your lure on the cast...try to keep the rod to the side of you during the cast....this will allow the bait to head straighter to your target. Once you get a feel for this...you can start to dial back your brake system. Turn the dial a few ticks back on the magnetic brake, or push two "opposite pins" inward to disengage them. Centrifugal brakes you always want to disengage in pairs. If you have a dual brake system....always start with the magnetic brake and work your way into the centrifugal brake.

Now comes the hardest part to learn...the overhand cast. The mystery behind this cast is all in your release point and the follow through after. When you release the bait your thumb should be coming off of the spool around the 11-12 o'clock position....and on the follow through your rod should hover around the 10 o'clock position. You never want to follow the lure down in the follow through...or your lure will dive bomb right into the water....same will happen if you release late.

If you are just starting out I would recommend practicing with a cheap monofilament. I know the temptation is there to jump into braided line because you heard it is easy to learn on....but I gaurantee you will not want to swallow a birds nest of 30 dollar braid. Braid can be a bear to pick out on a bad birdsnest.

Take your time, and be patient! It took me 2 years to get pretty good with it, and I still get bad birdsnests every once in awhile. But the reward in accuracy and casting distance will be worth it! Had trouble in the past throwing heavy lures on spinning gear? Won't be an issue anymore!

Good luck and tight lines!

Fluke

Cold Water Bassin' Tactics

2013-03-13T20:32:00.002-07:00

The ice is finally starting to melt in my neck of the woods, so that means only one thing.....open water!!! This will be my second year in a row to start fishing in March. Many anglers shy away from starting earlier in the season because of the colder water temperatures and the less than stable weather conditions. Does that mean you have to wait until May to catch quality fish and lots of them....nope! There are several techniques early in the season that any skill level angler should be able to execute on their own with good results. So here is a list of baits to have handy the next couple of months....

1) Jerkbait

Jerkbaits come in all shapes, sizes, and colors...and can get EXPENSIVE, so pick and choose what fits into your budget! Each brand produces their own unique action...some float, some suspend, some quiver when you pause your retrieve, some dart erratically. For this time of year a shallow suspending jerkbait can really get a ho-hum school of fish fired up. A slow jerk-jerk...pause....jerk-jerk pause retrieve is most common for these lures. The longer the pause sometimes the better, and most strikes do come on the pause. Who better to learn how to fish a jerkbait than from the legend himself...KVD.

Three jerkbaits that would be worth its weight in gold, especially for the first timer would include the following...

- Smithwick Suspending Rogue

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Smithwick_Suspespending_Rattlin_Rogue/descpage-SSRR.html

- Lucky Craft Pointer

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lucky_Craft_Pointer_Minnow/descpage-LCPT.html

- Luck-E-Strike RC STX

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Luck-E-Strike_Rick_Clunn_RC_STX_Jerkbait/descpage-LKRCSTK.html

Look for baitfish colors or even bluegill colors....slow your retrieve down and hold on! A rod with a nice soft tip will be necessary to keep those tiny treble hooks pinned. Your standard MH Fast action rod won't cut it for this application.

2) Flat Sided Squarebill

Flat sided squarebills are important this time of year because of their lesser pronounced action in the water. Flat squarebills don't have as wide of a wobble as normal squarebills, which more closely mimics the swimming style of baitfish in colder water. Squarebills should be fished with the intention of hitting bottom and running into cover just like you would in the summer months...maybe use a slower gear ratio this time around to slow down your retrieve. Switch things up a bit, and maybe add a couple pauses in your retrieve to get a bite going.

Here are my top three flat sided squarebills...

- Spro Little John
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Spro_John_Crews_Little_John_MD_Crankbait_1_2oz/descpage-SLJMD.html
- Bomber Flat A
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Bomber_Flat_A_Crankbaits_3_8oz/descpage-BFA.html
- Lucky Craft Flat CB
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lucky_Craft_Flat_CB_Crankbaits/descpage-LCFCBDR.html

3) Jig

Jigs are big profile baits, and bass love nothing more than using the least amount of energy to get the biggest meal. So crawling a jig and trailer this time of year can produce some big bass! Craw patterns are key...bright colors in muddy water and more natural colors in clearer water. Switch up your trailer choices and let the fish tell you what they want. All it takes is one bite to build on a pattern. 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs should be plenty to get you going.

My favorite jig to throw is Johnny C's California Reservoir Jigs...hand tied, made to order, and some awesome color combinations!

www.californiareservoirlures.com

4) Spinnerbait

Slow rolling a spinnerbait around wood and rock will definitely get you bit in the early months. You are essentially trying to draw a reaction bite, and what bass wouldn't mind eating a huge meal again with just a little bit of effort? Spinnerbaits are great search baits and can cover a lot of water quickly. So get a lighter 1/4 to 3/8 oz spinnerbait and slow it down....way down!

Some of my favorite spinnerbaits to throw include the following

- Revenge Spinnerbaits (Double willow or single colorado)
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Revenge_Double_Willow_Spinnerbaits_/descpage-REVDWSP.html
- Booyah Spinnerbaits (Same as above or double colorado)
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Booyah_Blade_Double_Willow_Spinnerbaits_/descpage-BYBBS.html
- Mac's Tackle Spinnerbaits (Great local company with some great baits!!!)
http://www.macstackle.com/

5) Rat-L-Trap

Rat-L-Traps or lipless crankbaits again come in all shapes and sizes. Save your money and stick to a couple brands that you will have confidence in. Make long casts...yo yo the bait, slow roll it with intermittent pauses...let the fish tell you what they are looking for. Baitfish colors as well as bright reds and oranges are hot come spring time...so always have a couple of these handy.

My top three lipless crankbaits ....

- Strike King Red Eye Shad
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Strike_King_Red_Eye_Shad/descpage-SKRES.html
- Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Bill_Lewis_Rat-L-Trap/descpage-RT5.html
- Rapala Clackin Rap
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Rapala_Clackin_Rap/descpage-RCRAP.html

Hopefully these 5 tactics will help you put some nice fish on the board early this season. All of these baits can be used year round as well....so get some good practice in while the foot traffic is low on your home lakes.

Tight lines this year!

Fluke

Getting Back into the Game for 2013!

2013-02-24T18:52:00.002-08:00

Time has been flying by and the fishing itch is starting to kick into high gear! Had the chance to go ice fishing with a local buddy and got into some of my first fish of the season. First bass is on the board, and about 5 bluegills. Also got out one day with Darkstar and caught my first crappie of the season. Looks like I will have to start the scoreboard over for the new year! You will notice in the next month that the blog will be getting a face lift to organize some things better. You will also notice that I will be going through previous blog posts and expanding on certain topics and fine tuning with new details that I have learned over the past year. This blog will start to read more and more like a how to on a few broad topics. This way you aren't trying to piece through 10 different blog posts on crankbaits to try and find what you are looking for. So be prepared to suck in some new tips and tricks of the trade!!!

Moving on to the main reason for this blog post....I want to take some time in the "downtime" of the open water season and teach you guys how to get your gear ready for the fishing battles to come! Fishing gear can be a big investment, and the ultimate goal is to have that investment last for multiple seasons. So here are some basic tips to clean and inspect your gear that will help prevent potential issues when you are finally ready for the water.

RODS

All rods are pretty much equal component wise. Some materials are different between manufacturers, but cleaning them should be the same across the board. The main items that I want to have on hand when I go through this process...

- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

- Bowl of Warm Water

- Pledge Furniture Polish

- Elmers Wood Filler

- Microfiber Cloth

- Q-Tips

- Fine Sand Paper

These are pretty generic around the house items, but they work wonders to clean up any rod that you have. The magic eraser is a FANTASTIC product and will bring any cork grip you have back to new in an instant. Just use some warm water and give the cork a good scrub and BOOM looks brand new! This magic eraser can also be used to remove dirt stains on EVA handles as well as hard to remove dirt or grime on the rod blank.

The Pledge furniture polish along with the microfiber cloth will be used primarily for the blank. It does a really great job of breaking down all the residue left over on the blank as well as the rod guides. Just spray some on a section at a time, let it sit for 20 seconds or so and then rub the blank down with the cloth. You are cleaning the rod and polishing the blank at the same time...ends up looking like new! For the hard to reach places you can use some Q-Tips and that should do the trick.

The last thing you want to do is look for any missing cork or holes in your cork grips you can use wood filler to fill the holes. I would recommend doing this after you have cleaned the cork and let it dry. Just use the pressure of the bottle to help squeeze the wood filler into the hole and let it overflow slightly. Let it dry, and then sand down the excess....no more holes! Make sure you also use a wood filler color that matches your cork....it can be noticeable if you use a different color.

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to do a before and after of one of my dirtier rods, but I am telling you first hand that this brings it back to life!

Final checks of the rod will be to make sure that all of the handle pieces and reel seat are not loose or falling apart. You will also want to check for nicks in the blank as well as scratches or cracks in any of the guides. It is essential to check for this beforehand...the last thing you need is a broken rod out on the water and you weren't prepared for it. If you have any damage I would recommend to shoot Ed Schmitt an email at FourSeasonAngler@gmail.com to see what he would recommend doing to get your rod back in shape.

REELS

I will forewarn anybody before continuing on with this section, that they understand that the amount of small parts can get hairy when dealing with a reel for the first time. I would be very cautious when taking one apart and be as meticulous as possible when pulling a reel apart. With that said, lets continue...

Baitcasters:

If you are wanting to do just a basic external cleaning I would recommend you do a couple things....

1) Remove the reel spool and remove any old line

2) Clean the outside of the reel thoroughly with a rag and a degreaser with warm water

After this is completed I would recommend having some low viscosity oil and some reel grease. There are many brands of reel oil and grease, so try to find which one works best for you. A good start would be www.biggreenfish.com and click on the oil/grease section on the left side. I use Cal's Drag Grease and Yellow Rocket Fuel for my bearings.

The main things that you will be doing with the grease and the oil will be to grease the worm gear and oil the spool bearings and spool shaft and pinion gear. The worm gear is the gear that moves the line guide back and forth on the front of your reel. This gear can collect a bunch of dirt over one season so it is essential to clean this out. What I would recommend doing is taking a paper towel and wiping away the grease on the gear...then turn the handle a half turn and wipe away the grease again. I would do this until you have most of the grease removed from the gear. If you need to you can also use a degreaser (not water) on a rag to remove the grease as well. After the grease has been removed, push a small dab of new grease onto the gear. Once it is on the gear start turning the handle and the line guide will help push that dab of grease over the entire gear. First task is done!

Now when it comes to the spool bearings this can get slightly hairy. On most spools you will have 2 spool bearings....others might have 3. For the spools that have three bearings the third bearing is usually held onto the spool by a pin. That pin requires a special tool (spool pin pliers) that can be found on www.bocabearing.com. I wouldn't recommend using anything but this tool because an ordinary pair of pliers may damage the pin.

The first of the other two bearings can be found on the inner side of the non-handle side plate. Usually this bearing is held in place by a snap ring style wire. That wire can be removed with a good pair of tweezers. I have almost lost that snap wire a few times so be careful when you take it out, it will shoot out like a rocket if your aren't careful.

The last bearing is usually on the handle side under the spool tension knob. Just unscrew the knob until it pops out. Pull the spring out that was sitting underneath the knob, and make sure you don't loose any metal or felt washers that are under the cap or spring. After that is taken care of, take a Q-Tip and remove the cotton from one end of it. Use that side of the Q-tip and insert it into the inner diameter of the pinion gear (from the spool side as shown below). What this will do is help push the bearing out of the hole that it is sitting in on the handle side.

Once you remove all of the bearings, take a bowl or plastic storage cup and fill the bottom with isopropyl alcohol. Drop the bearings in and make sure they are completely submerged in alcohol. Here comes the next trick....take an electric shaver and place the bowl on top of the shaver while it is turned on. Instant deep cleaning of the bearings! Give them about 10 minutes and remove them from the alcohol.

Next take a sharpened pencil and place the bearing on the sharpened side of the pencil. Place your thumb on the point with the rest of your hand holding the pencil and use your other hand to spin the bearing. By spinning it a few times you will help remove any alcohol that may be left in the bearing. Once that is done, put the bearings back into their appropriate spots on the reel. Then take your bearing oil and squeeze one drop only into the inner race of the bearing as shown below. Let it seep in for a second and then add oil in the same fashion to the remaining bearings. After that make sure that the shaft of the spool and the inner shaft of the pinion gear are wiped down with isopropyl alcohol. Then add one drop onto the shaft of the spool on both ends and then one drop into the center of the pinion gear.

After you oil the non handle side bearing you want to put the snap wire back into place. Watch as I said before, because that wire will go flying on you in a heart beat...so hover your thumb over the top of it as you snap it back into place. As for the spool tension spring and cap, make sure the larger end of the spring goes back in first and snaps back into place over the handle side spool bearing. It should not be able to pull out easily. Once that is complete, turn the spool tension cap back onto the reel. It should go on easily and be aware that it can get crooked during installation, which might damage the plastic threads. So be careful during assembly.

Once that is complete, give the reel one more good wipe down with a rag and you are done! Simple maintenance that will go a long way. If you use your reels as much as me, you might want to do this at least a couple times a season.

Hope this helps and I will add on to this thread once I get a spinning reel apart for you guys. Spinning reels are a little easier to maintain but follow the same principles of greasing and oiling.

Remember **grease gears and oil bearings**

Tight lines,

Fluke

December Potbellies!

2012-12-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

The weather still seems to be sending us small windows of unseasonably warm Fall weather....so what else is there to do besides fishing in a t-shirt and jeans? For this entry I thought more about diving into my thought process on how I broke down the body of water I was fishing. Although as scary of a concept of being inside my head is, it made a lot of sense looking back on the day I had.

Water Depth, Water Clarity, and Weather...

The body of water I was fishing today was a pretty decently sized pond with a big dog leg to the left....below you can see what I am talking about. The deepest part of the lake was probably in the 6-8 foot range with some shallower parts in the 1-3 foot range near the shoreline. The water clarity was in the 2-3 feet range with the deeper water slightly cloudy. The weather shot temperatures into the high 50's to low 60's....which helped to warm the air up enough to change the barometric pressure. The water if I had to guess was in the low 40's to high 30's considering there was ice a few days prior on some of the shore edges. The wind was blowing steadily out of the South West around 5-7 mph.

What lures should I have tied on?

A lot of this is decided before I even leave the car. This is where some experience comes into play with having prior knowledge of the lake. But in the case of it being your first time there are some key lures that I have done well on in the Fall the past few seasons.

1) Weighted Plastic

Ex: 1/8 oz bullet weight, 3/0 wide gap hook, NetBait Baby Paca Craw

2) Spinnerbaits

Ex: 3/8 or 1/2 oz white spinnerbait

3) Squarebill Crankbait

Ex: Strike King KVD Squarebill in Gizzard Shad

4) Small Swimbait

Ex: YUM Money Minnow (4") with 1/8 oz weedless swimbait head

5) Lipless Crankbait

Ex: 1/2 oz Strike King Red Eye Shad

6) Jerkbait

Ex: 95 Lucky Craft Pointer

7) Swim Jig

Ex: 1/4 oz KVD Swim Jig with Big Hammer Tail

If you notice...90% of the lures mentioned key in on a shad bite. If there isn't much shad present in the lake you are fishing then I would start adapting to another food source like bluegill, worms, or craws. You will also notice that most of the lures focus on a reaction bite. When trying to fish a new lake I usually like to cover as much water as possible to find out where they are hiding....if there is even fish there to begin with. Once you find them then it is a matter of time to figure out what they are keying in on. Best thing to do is either stick with a similar lure that you caught them initially on or slow it down with a plastic or another slow moving bait.

Now what do I do when I get to the lake?

Best thing to do is pick a spot that has some form of cover....if the spot looks fishy to you then there may be a good chance that fish are hiding somewhere. Again, I have prior lake knowledge so I chose a spot that has produced for me the last two outings. I fished for an hour at that particular spot....threw several lures that produced for me in the last few weeks....and drew a big ol' blank. What changed? Was I doing something wrong? Are the fish even here? Should I just head home?

....absolutely not!

Ice was on the lake two days ago....and the ice was probably more prevalent on the side of the lake that received the least amount of sunlight. Which ended up being the side I was fishing....so guess what? The water was probably colder on the side I was fishing! Then it hit me....what direction was the wind blowing? The weeks prior the wind was blowing directly at me in that spot and the fish were stacked up there. Today the wind was blowing in a different direction and the fish were no longer there. Wind blown shoreline = warmer water = baitfish! I packed up my stuff and headed to the next spot on the lake...a wind blown point. For some reason bass love points...and with this being the only point on the entire lake I figured one of them was sitting somewhere near by. I tried all of my reaction baits with no luck, so I slowed it down with the craw to give the area a different presentation. About 30 minutes into the new spot, I finally felt the "thunk" of fish picking up the Paca Craw.

11:22 AM: A 17" bass was on the board that weighed roughly 3.1 lbs.

No more fish to be had in that spot after a dozen more casts. I still wasn't fishing directly on the shoreline that received the most wind so I moved down to a third spot. I usually don't like fishing this shoreline since I rarely have caught anything there....and it is usually pretty shallow. I started off with a BPS Egg crankbait, casting towards the wind blown shore and working it back at a slow steady pace. A dozen casts or so into it and I finally had a bass smack the snot out of the bait! He was tugging hard and took one good run and the trebles popped free....S#*@! Lost a nice one.

I thought that was going to be the only fish on that side since I haven't caught more than one there...but I stuck it out anyway. No more bites on the BPS Egg so I switched up to a KVD 2.5 Squarebill in Blue Herring. The KVD squarebill has a slightly tighter wobble which seems to be somewhat more productive in colder water situations. That theory is debatable...but it all depends on the day I guess. Anyway, after giving it a few casts without a bump I decided to try one more crankbait. I thought it wasn't going to make a difference but I tried it anyway. I switched to a KVD 1.5 Squarebill in Gizzard Shad (white side with black back). A little bit smaller of a bait...and a color that probably more closely resembled the shad that I saw in there a few weeks prior. (Just a tip, but the gizzard shad, blue gizzard shad, and green gizzard shad match quite a few of the species of shad found in Illinois).

First cast with the different squarebill and BAM! And by BAM I mean the fish stopped the lure dead in its tracks!

1:30 PM: A 14" bass that weighed around 2.1 lbs.

Three casts later and another smack of a bigger fish!

1:40 PM: A 17.5" bass that weighed around 3.3 lbs.

It was like I just turned the switch on....the next hour I caught 5 more bass. A couple were small in the 10-12 inch range...but I snuck in a couple that weighed around 2 - 2.5 lbs.

After awhile of catching them on that particular squarebill I decided to experiment. Did they really key in more on the action, or was it the color driving them nuts? I took out a YUM money minnow in the same black/white pattern and put it on a swimbait jighead. First cast with the swimbait and it was slammed! Had him on for the first few seconds and then the hook popped free. Definitely need to get better on timing my hookset with weedless jigheads! Just goes to show you though that having a bait in the same color with slightly different action might allow you to pick up a couple more fish that weren't as interested in the previous bait.

I tried for a little while longer, but no more fish were interested in eating my crankbait. So I moved farther down to my fourth spot. Took awhile to get anything to bite in that spot...but after a little bit of time throwing the swimbait I had a bass finally erupt on it just below the surface. I reared back on the hookset and as soon as I went to turn the reel handle....he popped free. Lost fish #2. Not to be put to shame, I switched back to the squarebill to see if I could get him to bite again. Sure enough, three more casts and he about ripped the rod out of my hands!

3:05 PM: A 16.5" bass that weighed around 2.6 lbs.

Again, the bite turned off so I started making my way back around the other half of the lake. On the fifth spot I continued to throw the squarebill. The next bass I caught I saw the whole strike from start to finish. I saw the squarebill wobbling back towards me and I saw a big wake making a v-line towards my bait. I saw the bass come up right behind it....saw and felt the strike bolt right through my rod....and I set the hook. The fish all but swallowed the bait!

3:40 PM: A 15.5" bass that weighed around 2.3 lbs

I moved to my 6th and final spot after lull in the catching to see if I could find a couple more fish in another corner I usually do well at. Nobody home. Threw everything I had one last time without a bite. By that time the sun was starting to set and the air started to get a little cooler. Just about time to head home.

So in review....what worked for me today?

- Wind blown shorelines

- Isolated rock and weeds

- Plastics, Crankbaits, and Swimbaits

- Switching spots and changing casting angles

- Experimenting with different sizes and colors of lures

- Staying on a spot for awhile longer if it produced a fish

Here is an overview of my fishing spots that I chose....the lines show the direction of the casts where I caught my fish. The brown circles show submerged wood and brush, and the gray circles are submerged rock.

All I can say is that this is the latest in the season that I have ever caught fish in open water. Who would have thought I would be standing outside in jeans and a t-shirt fishing, instead of shopping for Christmas presents? Truthfully I couldn't have spent the day any better doing anything else.

I will confirm now that this is the last open water outing for me this year. No fishing until I can freeze my butt off on hard water! Hope you guys have a good Christmas, and you get tons of new fishing gear. I believe I am getting a few new things this Christmas....can't wait to get my hands on it and field test next year!

Tight lines,

Fluke

700+ Bass Year

2012-11-12T13:42:00.004-08:00

Open water season is officially over for me this year, but not without one last weekend of unseasonable fall weather. This was roughly the same time last year when I hung up the rods to prepare for hard water, so I was hoping for similar results. The weather settled in the low 60's which was warmer than I expected, and there was rain in the forecast for both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday I was only able to fish in the afternoon from about 1:30 until 4:45...but in that short period of time I found myself in the middle of a feeding frenzy! On days like that I look for several key things. The first would be to target the wind blown side of the lake...although in the fall this makes casting a pain in the a$$, the warmer water tends to be pushed to the wind blown side of the lake. The second thing was the warmer air temperatures and rain...warmer air will warm up the rain water which will slightly warm up the lake, which can cause quite a difference with lake water dropping into the 40's and 50's in recent weeks. Next would be targeting isolated cover...by isolated cover I mean brush, remaining weed beds, non-accessible or overgrown shorelines, and rock. The cold water kills off weedy areas and usually clears up the lake which allows you to locate cover you may have not seen earlier in the season. Usually bass will hold onto what they have left for ambush points. The last thing I look for is baitfish. Bass boiling on the surface means only one thing....feeding time! That is exactly what I saw when I arrived...wind blown side, some weeds and overgrown shoreline, and bass boiling the surface of the water.

Some lures that I keyed in on them with were crankbaits, spinnerbaits, small swimbaits, and the "old faithful" weighted texas rigged creature baits. First cast to the adjacent shoreline with a crankbait....wham! Fourth cast with the crankbait straight out from me...boom! Then the crankbait bite died. I switched to the small swimbait and the feeding continued. The bass were out for blood...and they were gorging on these baits as soon as they got a hold of them. Some were so aggressive to the point where they were biting the tails off of my swimbaits and bending out my hooks!

The crankbait that I was using was the Bass Pro Shops "The Egg" crankbait. XXX Shad and Texas Shad were my go to colors. The small swimbait that I was using was a 4" YUM money minnow in a silver/black back pattern. That rigged up with a 1/4 oz swimbait jig head worked out perfectly. The spinnerbait that I was using was a white/chartreuse double colorado blade spinnerbait by Flatlands Custom Tackle. Great color for slightly stained water...worked like a charm on these hungry bass. The last bait was my Netbait Baby Paca Craw in Summer Craw and Bama Bug with an 1/8 oz bullet weight. If I didn't get them with the first three, I bounced the bottom with the craw and picked up the other sluggish bass in the area. They were fat to say the least...like balloons ready to pop.

At the end of Saturday I walked away with 15 bass between 12 and 16 inches. Three or four were spared on bad hooksets and air acrobatics.

On Sunday I decided to start earlier around 9 AM and made my way over to a new big fish spot that I just started fishing last month. If anything I was hoping for that one big bite before a good quantity like yesterday. I started out with the Paca Craw and slowly combed the bottom searching for those 4 and 5 pounders...all the while trying to not let the wind push me into the lake with those 30 and 40 mph gusts. Kind of nice though having the wind at my back because I was launching that craw halfway across the lake. About a half hour into it I went to go pull in a couple more feet of line when it felt like my lure was stuck on something. Unfortunately I didn't think anything of it and popped it free....just weeds I guess. About 15 minutes later I felt the same thing. I just left pressure on the line without popping it free and before I had a chance to get a better feel of what was going on a huge tug at the end of the line bent the pole over. I laid into the fish as quick as I could and we were off to the races! I knew it was a good fish and the size of the boils got my heart racing. It was a tough and long fight, but I landed her without issue. A nice and healthy 19.5" largemouth in the four pound range. I took a quick picture and set her back down in the water. It was interesting to see such dark colors on a bass this late in the season....but since the water is so shallow in this lake it wasn't too unexplainable.

I tried the craw for a good half hour after that fish, but no more takers. I switched up to the swimbait, but no interest in that as well. Switched up again to "The Egg" in XXX Shad and on the first cast I had a solid bite. A few casts later I had another good hit. It was about 12 o'clock and didn't have any more bites so I packed it up with three bass landed. I decided to head back to the spot that I was at yesterday to see if I could pick up a couple more.

Next spot yielded three more bass with two lost. Two on the crankbait and one more on the craw. Just about when I left I ran out of the paca craws and switched up to a chigger craw to finish up the day. A new thing that I just started doing was dipping the appendages of my plastics in some chartreuse "spike-it". Especially in darker water, the chartreuse stands out really well and drives the bass bonkers! First cast with the chigger craw I get a really faint bite. I wait and wait and then I see my line taking off. Set the hook and the hook comes flying out and I see the flash of a nice bass turn up towards the surface and back down into deeper water. Crap! I tried several more casts to get another bite but nothing.

21 bass for the weekend....and then it hit me...I just blew past my 700 bass mark for the year. I finished out the year with exactly 710 largemouth + smallmouth. To say the year was great is an understatement. Of those 700+ fish, 3 of them were over 5 pounds, 15-20 of them were over 4 pounds, and 60-70 of them were over 3 pounds. Not only were they quality fish, but they were caught on tons of different lures....some of which at the beginning of the year I had no clue how to use. That was a feat within itself.

Next year is going to be different though. Although I caught a ton of bass, the mission next year will be to catch more smallmouth. I still have very little knowledge of those brown brutes....so hitting the river next year will be on my to do list. The other mission for next year will be breaking my personal best bass record....with hopefully a double digit bass. My Dad and I are scheduled to head down to Lake Faclon for three days next May...now that is going to be an interesting trip!

Until next year guys, look out for any ice fishing trips and possible river wades. I know that fishing won't be completely cut out of the picture the next four months....cabin fever sets in pretty quickly around here.

Tight lines,

Fluke

October Behemoth and the Bassin' the Midwest Prize Pack!

2012-10-29T10:50:00.003-07:00

It is creeping closer and closer to hard water season and the dropping temperatures are definitely putting the pressure on to get the last bass of the season. A few weeks ago I posed a challenge to the DupageAngler.com members to guess my final bass total for the season...so it has been my mission until November 5th to catch as many largemouth and smallmouth as I could...and hopefully without freezing my butt off in the process!

At the start of the challenge I had a total of 664 smallmouth and largemouth....now being October 29th, I have a grand total of 684. Only 20 bass in the last couple of weekends...so you know that this weather has definitely put a limitation on my catching. Although this is the case, the few bass that I have caught have been big! The highlight of those big fish came last week when I locked into what could potentially be my biggest fish of the season. I was fishing in a shallow lake that only a few souls know about which held the potential for a behemoth bass. I threw a crankbait first for a little while without any luck so I switched it up to a new confidence bait of mine....a NetBait Paca Craw. I rigged this puppy up on a 3/0 EWG hook along with an 1/8 oz bullet weight. Since the water clarity wasn't the best I dipped the claw tips in a chartreuse dye that I have to make them stand out a bit. First cast, let it sink...hopped it a few times...and repeat all the way back...nothing. Second cast, let it sink...hopped it a few times...and let it sit. Went to go hop it again and it just felt different....just a heaviness. Usually on a weighted plastic the classic "thunk" of the weight getting sucked in is a tell tale sign of a strike...but this was not the same. For some reason I instantly thought it was a fish and laid into her...my rod stopped half way up on the hook set and she was off to the races. A couple boils swelled to the surface and she took off to the right. I kept pressure on her, reeling in as quickly as I could. A few good headshakes and I finally saw her....HOLY CRAP! I lipped the monster and just stood there in awe. Nobody around to witness the fish....and then came the oh crap moment when I realized I didn't have my scale with me. With only a bump board and a camera I snapped a few pics and tried my best to guesstimate the length and girth. She was roughly 20.5" long and 15.5" around. According to some calculators she could have been anywhere from 4.5 lbs to 6.4 lbs. If I had to guess, it was easily 5.25 lbs. A lot of people don't realize that these fish are just flat out heavier when the water gets cold. As a point of comparison, Parker and I went out to the same spot a week later and he caught a 19.5" bass that was 4.5 lbs and not as fat as the one I had.

Here is a picture of the monster!

If you guys get out in the coming week here are a few baits to have with you....

- shallow diving square bill crankbait in a shad pattern

- Small 4" shad swimbait on a swimbait or jig head

- Spinnerbait

- Rat-l-Trap

- Jerkbait

- Weighted Plastic

- Football Jig

The season is getting close to the end and the 700 fish mark is just in range...let's see if I can get enough fish to pull it off. If I don't, no big deal...the fishing this year was remarkable overall and I couldn't have asked for more. To go out with a bang with this big bass too was a bonus in itself!

Good luck to the participants on DA, your prize pack is going to be sweet! For those who haven't joined DA....what are you waiting for???

Tight lines, and thanks for all the support this year! Next year will be even better!

Final Results: Happy Hookers Classic (Mississippi River Pool 14)

2012-09-21T14:03:00.001-07:00

Pool 14 on the Mississippi River ended up being a bigger challenge than expected. Fish were caught on both Saturday and Sunday, but the size of them were just not what I was looking for. Friday's practice brought promise with two keepers both over 14" but the cold front that moved in on Saturday and Sunday shut off the fish somewhat making them move from areas that we found them in on Friday. River fish are less effected by cold fronts and pressure changes, but it still ended up being tough. Water temperatures remained in the low to mid 70's with the air temperatures starting in the morning around 52 degrees and working up to the low 70's. High pressure both on Saturday and Sunday with blue bird skies as well.

I think the key thing that made it so tough was the water level...and I think that has been a pretty consistent theme for most tournaments throughout this season. The river was at least 5-7 feet down which made a lot of the channels and cuts inaccessible for boats. With the water being lower than usual a lot of the structure that the fish were used to holding to was also out of the water. So after some thinking and practice on Friday we were able to find a handful of areas that consistently held a few fish. One of those areas was an isolated point next to a main river channel. Basically what it looked like was an island out in the middle of the river that seperated the river into two channels on either side of the island. On the right side there was no current due to the river being low enough to expose a sandbar, and on the left side the channel dropped down to almost 20 feet of water. So you basically had a nice flat at a point with no current with deeper water near by....which is perfect for bass in the summer. It took all about 3 casts to find out that there were fish there and we caught a couple keepers instantly. So we left it alone until Saturday. All of the fish were at the tip of the point and to the right where the sandbar dropped down into the water.

The other area that we found later in the day on day 1 of the tournament was a stretch of discharges from a set of industrial plants in a cut off of the main river. This provided warmer water which made this specific channel less effected by dropping water temperatures from the cold front. There were about 8 or so discharges in total but one of them was just on fire with the amount of action from fish busting the surface while chasing after shad. We threw everything we had at them with no luck until I switched back to a texas rigged plastic. Then I caught two 13 3/4" largemouth within a few casts from eachother. No keepers for Saturday...but at least that was another spot we could return to on Sunday. In any case where we found fish the other piece to the puzzle was baitfish...without a food source the bass were nowhere to be found.

Sunday was a little colder and we fished the same two areas again...which produced good fish but again nothing over 14". My boater Joe pulled up to the point where we caught fish and he ended up picking up the only keeper out of that area that day. I caught several 13" fish but just couldn't find that bigger one. Same went for the discharge...had one just shy of 14" but nothing after that. I caught about 12 bass on Saturday and 8 on Sunday, so I was happy at the fact that we did find fish and we did catch a decent amount for the conditions that we had. I also caught a small 24" northern and a few hybrid bass as well, which gives you a glimpse of the diversity of this fishery. Fish were caught primarily on crankbaits and texas rigged creature baits.

At the end of Sunday we knew that a couple of the guys figured the fish out and they shared with us what they had done. I guess they found a cut with a couple of wing dams in them that had a good deal of shallow water. Like I said earlier, the water levels were down so a lot of the guys were leery to venture into some of the cuts so they didn't damage their boats. Well, that ended up being the big difference that added to their win. Wing dams are long rock structures that jut out from the shore on some of the main river stretches and cuts that basically create a buffer for current in the river. Since the water was so low some of the wing dams were exposed above the surface of the water. These rock piles almost always hold fish...but are very hard to fish since they are hard to find if you don't have an accurate contour map. The shallow areas that they were in were loaded with fish and the two guys that found them had limits on day 2. Almost all of them were caught on spinnerbaits and were in an area where baitfish was plentiful. Shallow water and cold fronts just didn't mix in my brain as being logical...but for some reason that is where the fish wanted to be. That's the beauty of fishing...its always a puzzle and patterns always change from day to day.

The weekend still ended up being a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about a river that I have never fished before. I finished the year on a positive note by coming in 7th place overall in our club standings this year. That means then that I will be the first substitute for the 6 man state team for next year. On the non boater side I finished in 1st which I was really happy about. On the ABA side I finished with a ranking of 629 out of all of the members of the ABA circuit in the US. If I would have fished the classic for the ABA I am pretty confident I would have finished in the top 500 which qualified me for the National Event. So overall, I am extremely grateful for how I did this year. All of the prep work, the learning, and the time spent on the water this year was worth it. I couldn't really ask for more than that.

Thanks to all who have commented and sent positive thoughts my way throughout the season, the encouragement really helped keep me on my game this year. The fishing season is starting to come to a close in the next few months so I will still update you with my other catches this year....but until then happy fishing and tight lines!

Fluke

Happy Hookers Classic: The Mighty Mississippi (Preparation)

2012-09-06T21:12:00.003-07:00

In a few hours I will be heading out for a single day of practice and a two day tournament on Pool 14 of the Mississippi River. All my hard work for the year has come down to this and I am ready to go! I am currently sitting in 6th place in our club and if I can hold my own this tournament I will claim a spot on the 2013 State Team. The main goal throughout the season has been to try and remain consistent and I am happy to say that I have achieved that so far. On one side I have our bass club and the other was the ABA division 39 tournament series that I also competed in. At one point I was 1st in points and got a letter about a month ago to let me know that I qualified for the National tournament in Kansas. I would have loved to go and compete with the top 500 guys in points...but it just wasn't in the cards this year. This whole season has also been aimed at just taking baby steps into the sport of tournament fishing. It can really become a consuming hobby and one can lose sight of the fun in all of it...but I can definitely say that all of it has remained fun and enjoyable. I got my butt handed to me in some tournaments and I kicked butt in some tournaments....that's just the way it goes. Still lots to learn but I remain grateful for the opportunities that I have had this year, and the people that I have met and fished with along the way. Not to mention those of you that have supported me and have read my blog entries...a big thanks to you all as well!

So rods and reels were all cleaned, relined, and starting lineup lures tied on. The tacklebox has been organized and every last detail though about. Now I just need to get out there and hit the water and get a pattern together. The weekend calls for rain and cooler weather and the river is low. Game plans will probably change as the weekend goes along....but keeping a clear head and thinking through things will help get some mojo going!

Wish me luck guys, be safe, and have a great weekend if you can get out on the water!

Fluke

Why do you fish?

2012-08-17T08:33:00.002-07:00

I am sure a lot of my readers have just as much passion for fishing as I do...so what makes you keep wanting to come back for more? Comment below and let's hear the answers!

Thanks guys....in a few weeks I will have some good news to give you all, and the plans coming up for next tournament season.

Bassin' with Frogs

2012-08-13T22:45:00.001-07:00

If there is one bait that I have loved learning more than others, it has been the frog. Nothing gets your adrenaline pumping more out on the water until you see a violent strike from a bass attacking a plastic frog. Just this past Saturday I had a run in with a massive bass that about made my heart skip a beat when it attacked my frog. I was fishing at a forest preserve lake near Bartlett, IL with fellow DA member Parker Settecase. With post cold front conditions, it was pretty cool early in the morning at around 65 degrees. The lake we were at had a lot of vegetation so the frog was definitely on stand by to start picking apart the scattered weed flats.

We moved in on a spot that has produced fish in the past but the events that occurred soon after were definitely unexpected. I decided to go with the frog after weighted plastics produced zero fish, so I grabbed my Kistler Magnesium 7' 0" Heavy Fast action rod paired up with my Shimano Curado 200E7 and 50 lb Power Pro braid. I had a Koppers Live Target frog in black/chartreuse tied on and started working the weedline off to the left of where we were fishing. I threw the frog onto the matted weeds pretty far away from where we were with the intention of bringing it towards open water just in front of it. I gave the frog a few hops...paused...and then repeated the same motion again. After getting out into open water I figured I would rush the frog along a little quicker. After a quick set of hops I paused the frog in the section of open water just before the next weedline. That was when the water ERUPTED! What looked like a 4+ lb bass absolutely smashed the frog with a massive body slam as it swallowed the entire frog whole. I gave it a quick one count and went to go set the hook hard. In mid hook set...I felt the line slip away from the lure. The fish was gone! A 10 dollar lure and a hefty bass were gone in an instance left in nothing but a massive wake. Parker turned over as soon as he heard the splash and realized what had just happened. Heartbreaking is the only word to describe it.

If I could replay what I had seen you would have been in just as much shock as I was. I don't know what was worse, seeing the bass leap out of the water after the bait...or finding out an instant later that I was going to lose him. Just incredible.

Luckily for you guys I have a Youtube video of one of my favorite topwater frog strikes. It pretty much sums up how sudden of strike it was when the bass hit.

Like I have said already....nothing beats a frog bite. And to forewarn people in the future, if you don't have some heavier gear to back up a massive strike like this and you don't check every detail...you could have a missed opportunity just like I did.

So not to leave you hanging, and to provide further entertainment. Here are some other topwater strikes that are high on my all time favorite list...

Good fishing guys, the topwater season is not over yet!

Fluke

Bassin' with Gatorshaun

2012-08-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks I got a chance to get out with fellow DA member Gatorshaun on a couple local lakes to target some largemouth. Our first trip was to Shabbona lake which is about 40 minutes or so West of Aurora, IL. It isn't a huge lake by any means, but it has a lot of different types of cover which is perfect for some good practice. I didn't know what to really expect so I brought a spinnerbait rod, pitching rod, dropshot rod, crankbait rod, and an extra all purpose spinning rod. Probably way more than I needed....but I couldn't say I wasn't prepared to hit some new water.

We started out fishing the North end of the lake which has a couple nice points, submerged timber and a good amount of weeds and lilly pad shorelines. I started out throwing a frog with little luck on the lilly pads, so as we moved towards the timber I switched up to a spinnerbait making sure I crashed my bait into every little piece of cover I could see under the water with my polarized sunglasses. No takers though on the spinnerbait which was really surprising considering the amount of fry and baitfish around. There were so many in some areas that it looked like there was current on the water when in reality it was just the baitfish moving along to new areas in the lake.

I switched it up to a jig after the spinnerbait wasn't working and it didn't take very long to land my first fish. Gatorshaun by this time already had a couple fish in the boat so I had to make up some ground. I was using a 3/8 oz California Reservoir Lures jig in their "Rusty Craw" color. I used a Netbait Paca Chunk trailer in Alabama craw as well. This combination has worked really well for me this year in slightly stained water because it really stands out and has a natural color to it. After pitching to a few stumps I didn't get anything but then I saw a stump butted up right next to a weedline. I made several casts to the same stump trying to hug the sides of it as best as possible. I let the jig fall all the way down until I could see my line stop sinking. I lifted the rod up just enough to feel the weight of the jig and that's when I noticed a difference. There was a little extra weight to the line then my previous casts so I reeled down slightly and set the hook. My line takes off and on the other end was a nice 3+ lb largemouth. Shaun jumped for the net and we landed her after a few good jumps.

That is what I have found so exciting about jig fishing especially on submerged stumps because that moment of anticipation to watch your line either fall to the bottom or start moving away slowly from your target will tell you if you have a fish or not. You have to be really aware of how that lure feels normally as opposed to a fish on the line. That is why a good rod and reel setup are so critical for this technique. That day I was using a Shimano Curado 200E7 paired up with a Kistler Magnesium 7' 0" Heavy Fast action rod with 50 lb Power Pro braid. I have to say it has been one of my favorite setups so far this year and has worked well when I needed a little extra power to pull fish out of some nasty cover.

Moving on though with the day...all I can say it was tough for awhile. With 90+ temperatures and blue bird skies we didn't end up getting into any more fish until we moved into a nice flat with a bunch of scattered weeds. I tied on a 4" green pumpkin chigger craw along with an 1/8 oz bullet weight and it didn't take long for another fish to tug at the end of my line. The bullet weight allowed me to punch through some of the weeds and into the empty pockets in the weedline which seemed to be where the bass were hiding. Within the next dozen casts I caught 3 more bass. Not the size of my first fish but still in the 12-14" range. After catching those 3 Shaun switched up to a similar setup with a different plastic and picked up a nice bass on a black and blue colored Havoc craw.

We fished the rest of the day and caught a few more fish. Together we ended up with 10 bass with probably the heaviest 5 going about 10 lbs. Not too bad for being the middle of July and after talking to other guys it was pretty slow for them as well. For those of you wanting to hit Shabbona in the future they have a good amount of boats for rent so it is just a matter of getting out there. It is a little expensive, but it would be definitely worth the trip. Just wish we got into some Musky while we were there. Oh well.

Round 2 was the following weekend but at a lake that Shaun and I fish fairly often around the Aurora area that has yielded some nice fish. Shaun usually gets out there on his kayak so he offered to have me come along and borrow one of his other kayaks for the morning. Now I was completely out of my element....especially from the confines of a single person kayak. Only could bring one pole with me and a small bag of plastics and other miscellaneous lures. Luckily I was there last week so I knew roughly what to expect and packed just enough stuff for short morning trip.

I met Shaun at 5 AM which was surprisingly rough for me to get up and out there that early. I was still sleeping in the car when Shaun started knocking on my window to wake me up and let me know the kayaks were already down by the lake. I have never fished from a kayak so I thought it was going to be a rough day, but after about 10 minutes of paddling around it actually wasn't too bad. I threw on a buzzbait (my favorite 1/2 oz booyah) and immediately started catching fish. It took a couple misses to finally get the hookset down but it worked out alright. We worked a weedline that I have caught many fish on and after awhile Shaun and I just stopped counting. Buzzbaits, craws, senkos, zoom flukes, crankbaits, we caught fish on everything. I was mad though after digging through my small bag of tricks that I only had one Smokin' Shad Zoom fluke with me because bass were blowing up on shad for a good part of the morning. I rigged up the only one I had and caught 3 bass within a few casts of each other just by throwing into the blowups and twitching it a few times. After I brought back the mangled piece of plastic that once resembled a fluke I tied on my other stand by which was a watermelonseed fluke. Same lure, just a different color and I couldn't buy a bite on it. Match the hatch won that battle pretty easily, so I switched it back to a craw and continued catching.

We worked our way down to a hidden dropoff that Shaun found after his many trips to that lake and it wasn't long until he tied into his first pig of the day. I saw his pole bend over as soon as the fish made it's first good run. I watched Shaun battle him for a little bit and then I saw the rod tip pop back to its original position....line broke. Man does it suck when that happens! It wasn't long after though that Shaun hooked into another good fish with a crankbait around the same area. He landed this one but not without getting a treble hook to the finger. He weighed the fish and it tipped the scales at 4.5 lbs, not a bad fish at all for the area!

We fished until about 9:30 AM as we made our way around the perimeter of the lake. After all was said and done if I had to guess we had roughly 40-45 bass landed with another 10 or so lost. The biggest five weighed around 13.5 lbs. Probably one of the better days I have had this year....and all out of a kayak with one pole! Just goes to show you that sometimes you really don't need that 50 lb dufflebag of everything fishing to just catch a few fish. But where would the fun of it be if I couldn't buy some new tackle every once in a while....lol.

Just another testament to the memories you could have just being a member of Dupage Angler. That's the whole point of it, getting out and having fun and making a few friends along the way.

Thanks for reading guys and good fishing!

Fluke

Clinton Lake: Final 2012 ABA Regular Season Tournament

2012-08-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

Time to play some catching up now that it has been a couple weeks since my last tournament. This recent one was the final regular season ABA tourney on July 29th at Clinton Lake near Decatur, IL...same lake where I placed 2nd on a few months ago.

It was cloudy and a little cooler in the morning with the air temperatures warming up to the mid 80's during the day. The cloud cover lasted most of the day and the water temperature remained in the low 80's as well. Since Clinton is a cooling lake, the water temperature definitely played a big factor along with the drought we were having...so the water level was down about 3 feet from about a month ago.

I started out throwing a black/silver zara spook along a rock wall near the shore, but couldn't find any bites for a good half hour. I switched to a 5XD crankbait, the same one that I caught my keepers on last time around...and not even a nibble. The crankbait bite was pretty much dead the entire day for most people so I definitely had to switch things up and fish a little differently than I expected to.

Our next spot was the bridge and we fished the points next to the open lanes and bridge pilings for regular boat traffic. My boater got a bunch of nice hybrid bass...but not the largemouth we were after. I threw on a 1/8 oz shakey head with a watermelon red flake zoom finesse worm and caught a couple small largemouth...but nothing over the 16" minimum that we needed to keep. Shortly after my boater had a bad birds nest and after spending some time picking it out I hear a big "splash"....his pole fell in the water. Oh crap...this was going to be interesting. He started pulling up the line (luckily he was fishing with braid so the line was floating) and the line just kept coming. A few f-bombs and he finally realized that the reel was still in free spool and he had to pull the entire spool of line off before he could pull up his rod. Long story short, he got the rod back...but the line was toast after getting all knotted and bunched together.

Dysfunctional is what I would like to call the rest of our day since we were both back and forth working the trolling motor, retying, trying to come up with a pattern, losing fish, and ending the day with a few good laughs and wondering how the day went by so quickly?

I have to give ourselves credit though after we finally started putting 2 and 2 together when we saw another guy pop a nice fish on a topwater popper. We fished a main lake cut and came out to the point at the beginning of the cut. I threw out my Zara Spook from this morning and started working it past a submerged stump. A couple nice twitches back and forth and...WHAM fish on! 15 1/4" bass....still not big enough to keep. It's heart breaking seeing a nice fish having to get thrown back into the water with no keepers in the boat. After a couple more blowups between my boater and I we focused on top water the rest of the day.

There was a string of about 6 or 7 cuts with main lake points at either side and I would guess that at each point I had at least 1 or 2 good bites. My problem though, I couldn't get one to hook up to save my life! They would bull rush the bait, body slam it, and before I could react the lure came floating back up to the top of the water in the middle of the wake....just unbelievable. 2 to 3 of those bass could have easily been over 16" but I just couldn't stick them quick enough....I probably had a good maybe 1 count window and that was about it. That was the breaks though, and I ended up getting a 0 for the tournament. I wasn't alone though and only half of the field brought in fish. The original guy that we saw catching bass on topwater was Mike Pappas who won the tournament with 3 fish at a little over 8 lbs.

To give you an idea what we were doing refer to the picture below...

The two lures that we focused on for the most part was the Rebel Pop-R and the Heddon Original Super Spook...

All in all it was a good tournament, kind of disappointing but not because we couldn't find fish. I am going to need some more practice with the rod and reel setup that I was using with those two topwater lures to get the hookset down better. Just another learning experience all for the benefit of becoming a better angler in the future.

And that's what I really wanted to drive home with what I have learned so far this year. It's not so much just using a lure and picking up a technique specific rod and reel....its more so learning what the bite feels like, hooking the fish right, and playing the fish all the way to the boat correctly before you really understand the benefits of the tools you are using.

With that said, good luck on the water...and look for my next entry coming shortly!

Fluke

Kankakee River ABA Results

2012-07-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

The Kankakee river was another new stretch of water that I had the first opportunity to fish on Sunday...and man was it just as tough as the last few tournaments! Warm water, dirty water, a ton of boat traffic, and hardly any current.

A total of 36 anglers showed up at 4 AM, and there was a lot of talk of the low weights being brought in the last few tournaments. Limits of 5 fish were few and far between so getting a few fish today would put you in good contention for a payout. I drew boat number 17 which was an awesome Nitro boat that belonged to a guy named Curt....a 5 year veteran of the ABA. It was a pleasure fishing with him and got to learn quite a bit about the river after picking his brain most of the day. We wanted to fish this one area first thing in the morning...but since we were boat 17 the cut was already loaded with boats by the time we got there. So instead we flew to his next spot which looked like it could hold some decent fish. A deeper 17 foot channel lined with lily pads, tons of brush and lay downs on the opposing shoreline...and there were shad and fry jumping everywhere! We tried frogs, topwater poppers, swim jigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, c-rigs, dropshot....you name it, we threw it...big ol' nada! Just could not believe it...a prime spot with a ton of food and the fish were just not willing to bite. We were marking fish, but just couldn't figure out what they wanted to key in on. After burning about 3 and a half hours there we made a run up to a submerged weed flat that was a money spot for a previous tournament. We saw a few bass scatter and threw frogs and topwater for awhile...still nothing.

After looking at the clock it was close to 10:30...weigh in was 1:30 and we had no fish in the boat. We went to the next spot up against a couple of barges and submerged trees. I took out the dropshot while my boater fished a shakey head. He finally got a bite and pulled in a small 5" bass. It wasn't big enough to keep...but it was a good sign of active fish. Fry were all over the place and there were plenty of gar following them. With the day we were having...I was tempted to tangle with one of them! But I stuck it out and continued with a dropshot. I switched from a small senko to a finesse worm that I recently learned of from a fellow club member...its turning out to be one of my favorite drop shot baits. I took a few more casts at the submerged tree and finally had a bite myself...a small 7" bass. Still nothing in the livewell. We stayed there for a bit more but couldn't get anything else to commit after several missed strikes and breakoffs on the submerged tree.

We continued to the other side and fished one final point before we trekked back towards the boat ramp. My boater got a few bites on the shakey head and missed a couple...I immediately tied on one too but didn't get any bites. That is one technique I will really have to start devoting more time to...it can definitely get you some bites when you are hurting for some! After still having zero in the boat it was about 12 pm and we made the run back towards the ramp and that first spot that we decided to not hit this morning. HOLY CRAP was it a blessing he had a handle on his boat to hold onto...the boat traffic was a mine field in and of itself with all the party boats and jet skiers not paying attention going down the middle of the river. I guarantee that Nitro got air at least 3 or 4 times! It was nerve wracking, but man was it nice to run around in the boat for a bit after baking out in the sun for the last 7 hours.

We pulled up to the last cut with about a hour left...as soon as we came up to the spot we saw 4 boats trying to still fill their livewells. It was the last chance we had, so we moved in anyway with the heavy boat traffic and worked a shady section halfway down the cut. My boater and I started throwing spinnerbaits....with the lily pads and thin grass all around mixed in with that perfectly stained water...spinnerbaits were all that came to mind. Now when I mean perfectly stained water...I mean this water just had the right mix of tinge in the water to where you could see a bright colored spinnerbait perfectly about a foot and a half down from the surface. White and chartreuse was all I had available...so I went with it. After about a dozen casts, my boater switched back to his topwater popper and was hitting the hardest to reach spots underneath the brush piles. I had to give this guy a ton of credit with how he was dissecting every inch of water with a spinning setup...that popper would have been hung up in a second if I did that!

Well, we continued on and we came up to one of my club members that was moving out of the cut. He had two in the boat, which got me a little frustrated since I had nothing...but there was still some time left. My boater continued with the popper on the right side while I fished with the spinnerbait off to the left. I saw a nice lay down with a limb sticking up just under the water. I tossed the spinnerbait in and slow rolled it past the limb....nothing. I threw it in again...and as I was bringing it back I could only think of one thing...run the spinnerbait into the limb. I have seen KVD and other fishing phenoms always talking about crashing their baits into cover...so what the hell, lets go for it. It was like something out of a fishing show what happened next...I redirected the spinnerbait to run right into the limb, and as soon as it deflected off the limb...WHAM! My rod doubled over as I set the hook and my boater dove for the net. After a couple of good splashes we got her in the net...holy cow was I stoked! My legs were shaking and I was just on cloud nine with what just happened. It was textbook...nothing in that event could have went any more perfectly! With a fish in the boat we fished the rest of the cut pretty hard. I felt terrible at the same time for my boater since he didn't have a fish in the boat...and to make matters worse he finally got one to blow up on his popper and he lost it under the pads before he even got it to the boat.

Here was where we were fishing....man it looked like frogging heaven!

With only a few minutes left we packed it up and ran to the launch. Again, a lot of people either zeroed or had 1 or two fish. Only a few people had a limit with the most weight coming in at 8.35 lbs for five fish from Mr. Dave Schultz. I was just guessing in my head...but I had a feeling my fish was pretty darn close to 4 lbs. I brought it up to the weigh in and immediately people were looking into my bag to see what I had. I pulled out the fish to weigh her in and immediately people stopped to see what the weight was....3.94 lbs! It was just shy of putting me again in the top 6 but I finally claimed big bass honors for the first time! It has evaded me twice this year...but now I can finally say I caught the biggest bass of the tournament. My one fish was still good enough to get me 8th place out of 36 anglers...and our club claimed first, fifth, and sixth place in the money. In our club though I came in fifth place in points.

A picture of Dave getting awarded first place....

Below is a picture of my fish which was caught on white/chartreuse Strike King spinnerbait...

And big bass = a nice chunk of cash...

It wasn't a stellar performance, and having a limit in a tournament still hasn't happened yet...but I would take the feeling of having big bass of the tournament any day. It was a great ending and I learned quite a bit....big thanks go out to my boater Curt! But man was I wiped out after...anyone fishing in the near future, make sure you have a ton of liquids with you so you keep hydrated. This hot weather is a terror!

Thank you for reading and I will be back on the water down at Clinton Lake for the last regular season ABA tournament. Last I checked I was sitting in 5th in the ABA...and I am now holding 6th place in my club with one tournament left in September on the Mississippi. Let's keep the momentum going!!!

Fluke

Cal-Sag Reservoir ABA Tournament

2012-06-28T18:53:00.002-07:00

Well, this one will be short and sweet. Had my first experience out at the Cal-Sag reservoir and to my surprise I didn't do too bad. For those of you who haven't been there before, its actually a pretty cool place. The water is a little sketch to say the least...but it was an interesting place to fish. Basically all of competitors could fish two areas, the river or Lake Calumet. The river is predominantly largemouth bass and Lake Calumet was mostly smallmouth. From the previous tournament there that I didn't compete in...the key seemed to be finding as many largemouth as possible. Unfortunately there were no limits to be had, and the field was lucky to walk away with what little fish that were caught. Below is a picture of the lock we had to go through in order to make it between the river and Lake Calumet...first time I have ever done that!

Over the course of the 8 hour tournament I only managed a few bites, but luckily I made all but one of them count. The first being a small 12" smallmouth I snagged on a crankbait earlier in the morning, and the last was a 2.1 lb largemouth caught on a frog in the last hour of the tournament. I tried dropshotting quite a bit and flipping a jig...but fish were few and far between. My first boater got into a huge drum which was fun to watch him battle. The fish weighed over 10 lbs!

Unfortunately for the third time in a row this year, my boater had boat problems. I am starting to think that I bring bad luck to my boaters...so if you see me at any ABA's in the future...pray you don't draw me. lol. So we ended up calling the tournament director and he allowed me to hop on another boat and we found Mike Pena, who I have fished with before, in one of the cuts on Lake Calumet. I hopped on with him and we fished together the remainder of the day.

I was one of few that weighed in 2 fish and my 3.02 lbs worth of fish was enough to get me 6th place. They only paid out to 5th place this time, so I was just out of the money this time. That didn't matter though, because I was more concerned about making up lost ground in my club and I ended up in 4th place out of all of our club members. After getting the overall tournament point totals a few days ago, I am currently in 7th place in our bass club. Luckily we can drop one bad tournament out of our point totals so if I take that into account I barely squeak by into 6th place. The top 6 anglers of the club qualify for the 6 man team for the state tournament next year. So if I can keep this good streak going I might have a chance to make the cut. I have alot of good anglers though to beat before that happens, but I am really happy that I have shown what I can do so far this year. Alot of the credit though goes to my boaters and having them help me along the way. If there's one thing that I can really stress about joining a bass club...you learn a ton in a really short amount of time from others. That alone has been worth the experience!

Until next time guys, I hope to continue sending you guys good news! For those that have followed my blog and are still thinking about joining a bass club next year...do it!

Tight Lines,

Fluke

The 3700 Bass Kit

2012-06-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Many pond fishermen always find themselves bringing way too much tackle with them when they only wind up using 2-3 baits at the most during an outing. After the last few months I have tested quite a few lures in my local ponds and want to share with you a set of lures that will all fit into one 3700 Plano box and should consistently get you bit when heading out to your local area of water. The reason why this set of lures is so effective is because they are not trivial...they are all straight forward, and with a little bit of practice any skill level fisherman can learn how to use them.

Hooks:

(1) pack of 3/0 EWG hooks

(1) pack of 1/0 EWG hooks

http://www.basspro.com/Gamakatsu-EWG-Worm-Hook/product/53661/106326

Weights:

(1) pack of 1/8 oz bullet weights

(1) pack of 1/4 oz bullet weights

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shopsreg;-Lead-Worm-Weights/product/7563/68793?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL

Plastics:

(1) pack of Watermelonseed ZOOM Super Flukes

http://www.basspro.com/Zoom-Soft-Plastic-Baits-Super-Fluke/product/7506/61596

(1) pack of Green Pumpkin Berkley Chigger Craws

http://www.basspro.com/Berkley-PowerBait-Chigger-Craws/product/95037/92275

(1) pack of 5" Green Pumpkin Yamamoto Senkos

(1) pack of 5" Black/Blue Yamamoto Senkos

http://www.basspro.com/Gary-Yamamoto-Senko-5/product/58909/113493

Topwater:

(1) Heddon Tiny Torpedo in Baby Bass

http://www.basspro.com/Heddon-Torpedo-Hardbaits/product/2912/97442

(1) Heddon Super Spook in Black Shiner

http://www.basspro.com/Heddon-Super-Spook-Jr--Hardbaits/product/15532/50634

(1) Booyah Buzz Blade 1/2 oz Buzzbait in Chartreuse/White

http://www.basspro.com/Booyah-Buzz-Blade-Buzzbaits/product/51783/143987

(1) Kopper Live Target Frog in Brown/Black

http://www.basspro.com/LIVETARGET-Frogs/product/10209867/411264

Spinnerbait:

(1) 3/8 oz Revenge Spinnerbait in Shad Pattern (Single Colorado or Double Willow)

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Revenge_Single_Colorado_Spinnerbaits/descpage-RSBBW.html

(1) 3/8 oz Booyah Spinnerbait in Chartreuse/White (Willow/Colorado)

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Booyah_Blade_Colorado_Willow_Spinnerbaits/descpage-BBCW.html

Jigs:

(1) 1/4 oz Strike King swim jig in Bluegill with ZOOM Fat Albert double tail grub or Big Hammer 3" swim tail in Wacker

http://www.basspro.com/Strike-King-KVD-Swim-Jig/product/73171/120899

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Hammer_Swimbait_Tails/descpage-BHSBT.html

http://www.basspro.com/Zoom-Soft-Plastic-Baits-Fat-Albert-Twin-Tail-Grubs/product/7514/92154

(1) 3/8 oz Strike King football jig in Green Pumpkin Craw or PB&J with Net Bait Paca Craw trailer in green pumkin

http://www.basspro.com/Strike-King-Tour-Grade-Football-Jigs/product/10201674/81885

http://www.basspro.com/NetBait-Paca-Chunk-Softbaits/product/90787/88758

Crankbaits:

(1) 1/2 oz Strike King Red Eye Shad in Bluegill or Gold/Black

http://www.basspro.com/Strike-King-Red-Eye-Shad-Crankbaits-1/2-oz-/product/90485/90994

(1) Bass Pro Shops Egg in Texas Shad or XXX Shad

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-XPS-Lazer-Eye-The-Egg/product/51816/48745

(1) Spro Little John in Nasty Shad or Chrome Olive

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Spro_John_Crews_Little_John_Crankbait_1_2oz/descpage-SLJCB.html

(1) Rapala Shallow Shad Rap (SSR07) in Black/Silver

http://www.basspro.com/Rapala-Shallow-Shad-Rap/product/2850/53828

Most of the baits mentioned are budget baits and can be purchased locally or online. All of these baits have worked for me at one point in time or another and I guarantee if you can learn how to use all of these baits you will have a more rewarding time out on the water.

Tight lines and have a safe weekend!

Fluke

Vermilion Lake Results

2012-06-04T12:23:00.001-07:00

Had another good weekend with the club at Vermilion Lake, the fishing wasn't spectacular but some fish were caught. The lake was just starting to come out of cold front conditions on Saturday with the air temps in the high 60's and the water temperature on the north end of the lake sitting at around 64 degrees. Water was stained but I had no issues with that. A little rain mixed in as well so conditions were not consistent for practice which made it a little harder to get a pattern going. Seemed like most of the active fish were towards the mouth of the river at the north end and a little ways farther up into the river itself. A lot of short fish were caught, but no 15" keepers that we were looking for. Had a nice bonus crappie inhale a Berkley Chigger Craw that was 12"...my boater Scott Sheets had one as well that smoked his spinnerbait. I was really surprised though that we couldn't get a a decent bite going with all of the shad around...unfortunately that cold front played a big factor.

Sunday morning was nicer with temperatures in the mid to high 70's with blue bird skies. Water temperatures held about the same from Saturday. Would have probably helped out more if we had some cloud cover, but the high pressure day was all we had to work with. The water was a little muddier than Saturday from the river, so loud and bright baits were what I was focusing in on. Had most of my fish come on a Revenge 3/8 oz double willow spinnerbait with a shad color skirt. The size of the willows and color of the skirt matched the bait fish really well but all of the bass caught were too short. We went to the mouth of the lake where a lot of lilly pads were and chucked around a frog for a good part of the day, but they were just not cooperating. A few members had luck with frogs yesterday with Mike Pena hooking up with a 5.5 lb bass, but unfortunately topwater wasn't working for them either. I finally settled on mixing things up between a spinnerbait and a jig. We were out by some of the lilly pads at the north end that was mixed in with a lot of lay downs and stumps. I tied on a 1/2 oz black/blue rattle back jig with a zoom super chunk in saphire blue. Took about a dozen or so casts until I flipped next to a pretty big stump and got my first decent bite of the day. I didn't realize I had one on at first until my line started darting away from the stump. Tried to set the hook as soon as I saw what was happening but it was too late and I missed the fish. I can almost guarantee it was a keeper with it being able to hold up a 1/2 oz jig and swim away with it. Oh well, just had to keep trying.

Without having any more luck we headed up farther into the river. We worked a lot of shoreline and we finally started getting bit on one stretch. Scott caught a couple shorts on a brown jig he had so I switched to a similar color. I had one of my custom California Reservoir living rubber jigs in the "Rusty Craw" color, so I tied that on. I also put on a Net Bait Paca Chunk in Alabama Craw which had a bright orange and green pumpkin color to it. The water wasn't as stained as the main lake so the color combo was pretty visible in the water. We worked the shore over pretty well and we both were pitching right into the wood and little islands of grass. I threw the jig right into a little pocket and sure enough the line started taking off again...luckily I reacted quicker this time and set the hook. Finally had a keeper in the boat! Caught a few more shorts, but couldn't come up with any more by weigh in time at 2 o'clock

My keeper ended up weighing only 1.72 lbs but was good enough to get me 8th place in the tournament. The rest of the field pretty much fared the same with one keeper a piece, Chris with 2 keepers, and a few others with no keepers. Pretty much boiled down to whose keeper had the most weight. Chris Gaertner stole the show with a massive female that he picked up further down the shoreline that Scott and I were working. He also took 1st place with his two keepers. We knew he had a good one because we saw him put it in the boat but didn't realize how big it was until we saw it at the weigh in. The fish tipped the scales at 5.70 lbs which claims big bass bragging rights for the year so far.

Ryan Boswell ended up in second place with one keeper that also weighed a good amount at 4.5 lbs. Mike Pena took third then with his 1 keeper along with everyone else down the line.

I can't say that I am frustrated that I only showed up with one keeper because the rest of the field did pretty much the same. The changing conditions and cold front really put the pressure on all of us. To think though if I wouldn't have missed that first jig fish I might have been in the top three...but that is the breaks with tournament fishing and I was lucky to have at least the one. We'll get 'em next time!

If any of you get the chance to head down to Vermillion do it! Pretty neat little lake with a good mix of structure and different types of water to get some good practice in on.

Special thanks to FSA Custom Rods...the flippin stick he built for me helped me catch my only keeper. Crazy sensitive blank and a really well built rod! If you want one built just like mine shoot Ed an email at...

FourSeasonAngler@gmail.com

Until the next tourney, tight lines!

Fluke

Fishing Etiquette for the Non-Boater

2012-05-15T11:54:00.001-07:00

As long as I can remember, fishing trips with my Dad have always instilled in me a set of unsung rules that every fisherman should abide by. The setting and type of fishing may change slightly from day to day, but the basics should always be followed to create mutual respect between yourself and others you may come in contact with. This doesn't just include a friendly wave as you pass by another fisherman...or moving to a different spot if your favorite spot is already taken...there is a lot more to it when fishing competitively.

Competitive fishing from the back of the boat is not something to take lightly. In most instances, like in my case, you will get paired randomly with a new boater each tournament. Other competitions are team based tournaments where you fish with the same guy every time, but again etiquette is not exactly treated the same in both instances.

First and foremost, when you get paired up with a boater at the beginning of the tournament ALWAYS get ground rules squared away before you even hit the water. Let him know how much equipment you are bringing and never put anything into their boat until they tell you where you can put it. Treat their things as your own! Find out what their fishing game plan is beforehand so you can leave any gear at the dock that you won't be needing. It is not the non-boaters privilege to dictate where and how you will be fishing for the day in most instances, so just be cautious of this before you take off. But in the same respect, let him know what you found during practice because it will help both of you solidify a game plan before you even leave the launch. After you get all of your equipment and a game plan set then it is time to get the boat in the water ready for launch!

If you have never backed up a boat before...you need to learn! Learning to back up a boat and park a boat and trailer is one of the biggest things that you can do to help out your boater. I had no idea how to back up a boat the correct way the first tournament I was in, so find a buddy that you know that can back up a boat or kindly ask the boater to get you close to the water so you can back in the rest of the way. Don't be shy to tell your boater if you don't know how to do it...and if they know you have a hard time with it...some will actually allow you to take the driver's seat and guide you so you do learn. Trial by fire is sometimes the best way to learn in a pinch. When pulling the trailer away from the boat always wait until your boater gives you a go ahead signal...the last thing you would ever want to do is take off too soon and damage their boat. If you aren't comfortable parking a boat and trailer always park in a farther spot away from others...and always take wide turns when swinging in a trailer! A lot of this is probably not new to most of you...but you would be surprised how many people just can't figure it out.

^^^ Great how-to video to get you started ^^^

When you finally park the trailer and truck, always follow the boater's request as to where to put the keys. Some leave it behind the flap of the gas tank, and some might want to have them back on the boat....irregardless DO NOT lose them! You wouldn't believe the stories I have heard of non-boaters forgetting they had the keys...went down to mess with their tackle box and had the keys fall out of their pocket and into the water...DOH! So always give them back to the boater or put them in a safe compartment...so at least if the boater drops them in the water it doesn't come back on you.

After getting in the boat take some time before the launch to spark up some conversation. It will make the day a lot more enjoyable if you can establish some common ground with your boater, and it might even allow you the opportunity to eventually have more free reign of their boat. Once you come up to your first fishing spot there are some things that you need to abide by and be aware of to keep the peace at first between you and your boater.

1) Never put a line in the water until your boater puts his line in the water.

2) If you are flipping or fishing perpendicular to the shore you should not cast any further then the center of the boat. If you are paralleling the shore with a crankbait or spinnerbait you should never cast in front of the boaters last cast.

3) Never fish off the front of the boat unless the boater invites you to the front of the boat...same goes for working the trolling motor.

4) If a boater misses a hook set on a fish abide by rule 2...

5) If you get hung up or snagged it isn't the responsibility of the boater to get you unstuck, but 9 times out of 10 they will give you a chance to get your bait back...but don't expect them to drop everything that they are doing and do it right away.

6) If a fish is hooked and a net is on the boat, always be prepared to net the fish for your boater...the courtesy should be reciprocated then back to you if you catch a fish.

7) Make sure all of your gear and tackle remains out of the aisle and is put away before the boater even sits down at the steering wheel so you can leave quickly from a spot to go elsewhere

8) Realize the fact that the boater is not your fishing guide, they are not required to put you on fish...you need to learn to adapt and fish the most effective way according to how they position their boat.

Some boaters are different then others so you just have to feel them out, but the rules above are always a necessary starting point. Don't be shy to ask questions on what he is using or how to do what he is doing if he is catching fish...most guys are more than happy to teach you a thing or two. If your boater though constantly positions you poorly let him know about it, you have just as much right to get a clear shot of water as they do even though they are running the show. The main thing though as a non-boater is to learn, once you get a few tournaments under your belt these types of things will become routine...so soak in as much as you can!

At the end of the day it is always good practice to have the the non-boater go and get the boat and trailer. After you get everything settled in the parking lot always offer to help clean up the boat and wipe it down...especially cleaning up your own mess. You really don't realize how much extra time it takes to take care of a boat, so a little help on your part can go a long way. Always talk about your day afterwards and re-cap what you did right or wrong...it always helps to keep yourself informed for next time.

The last thing you always want to do is give your boater some money. The minimum amount of money should always be half of the gas used up during the tournament...but I usually give them a couple extra bucks in case we burned up oil or used any of his lures or ate any of his food. Always make the effort to give them at least that...some guys won't take your money but it is better to offer it instead of not at all.

Being respectful of your boater will only do good things for you. Word travels fast in those small groups of fishermen so the last thing you need is to be pegged as an a**hole...it will save you a lot of grief in the long run.

That's all I got so if you want to read more on the topic and some other pointers to keep in mind here is where I found most of my information beforehand...

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/tournament-etiquette.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/back_seat.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/guide_to_tournament_fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/back_seat_strategies.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/co-angler_clinic.html

Thanks for reading, and tight lines!

Fluke

Clinton Lake: ABA Tournament #2

2012-05-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I got a call from one of the club members of my bass club that wanted to head down to the Clinton Lake ABA tournament on Sunday. Couldn't pass up an opportunity to get my feet wet on another new lake so we planned on leaving early Sunday morning to head down Clinton, IL. What is nice about Clinton Lake is that it is very similar to Lake Shelbyville as far as cover, water depth, and lake contours go. The only added twist to this was that Clinton Lake is a cooling lake. So water temperatures are always higher than other local lakes and ponds especially during the cooler months of the year. I had no idea about water clarity and water temperature so it was kind of crap shoot what to expect. Knowing that this body of water was similar to Shelbyville I went to Bass Pro the night before to stock up on a few things. The first being some deeper running crankbaits. I wanted these to be on hand because I had a suspicion that the bass were already moving into a post spawn pattern. I knew the week prior from other sources that fish were on beds already...and considering it was a cooling lake the water temperature would probably accelerate this process and push them into post spawn relatively quickly. From what I understand in most cases after the spawn bass retreat to deeper water off of the shallow bedding areas to recuperate. So deep diving crankbaits as well as weighted texas rigged plastics and big spinnerbaits would probably produce the most.

I have a couple 7' crankbait rods that are great for shallow-medium divers but in order to get the full effect of a deeper diving crankbait I decided to pick up a longer crankbait rod in order to get more casting distance. I had a Shimano Compre deep diving crankbait rod previously, but it was way too tip heavy and awkward for what I needed...so I sold it and now needed to find a new one. I decided to pick up a 7' 6" MH Boyd Duckett Crankbait rod. I took a chance on some of the Ducketts last year and really liked how light and durable they were...but I really couldn't find any application that they really shined on. This ended up not being the case with the crankbait rod. I ended up throwing that setup 70% of the day and it worked out perfect!

Immediately in the morning my boater, Matt Bennett, and I started shaking down some rip rap (shore with multiple types of cover) near one of the main brides. I tried plastics...didn't work, I tried a spinnerbait...nada, and I tried a crankbait...ended up losing it. What to do now??? The water temperature was around the 72 degree mark and the water clarity was about 1.5-2 feet (similar to Shelbyville) and had a green tinge to it. My boater didn't get a bite at our first spot either so we moved. It took a few spots until we finally started getting into them by one of the other boat launches. There was a rocky ledge next to the launch so we started working that first. Most ledges on Clinton and Shelbyville have really steep drop offs...transitioning from 5 to 15-20 feet relatively quickly. I picked out one of my Strike King 5XD crankbaits (diving depth of 15') and threw it close to shore. A couple turns of the handle and I could already feel my bait come in contact with the rock on the bottom...exactly what I wanted! I had to be careful not to continue cranking after the crankbait dug into the bottom because I could easily get snagged on rocks and other debris. I would pause as soon as I hit bottom, raised the rod tip up to get it out of the rocks and put my rod tip back down and use the rod tip to pull the crankbait along. As soon as I would hit rock, I would pause every time...then reel in the slack and use my rod tip to pull the crankbait forward again. It took about three casts and BAM first fish nailed it on the pause! It was a nice fat largemouth...but after throwing him on to the bump board he was just a hair under 16". For this Lake, like many others, there are different slot limits. Clinton lake allowed you to keep 3 fish at a minimum of 16"...so anything smaller had to be thrown back.

It was a good sign to finally land a fish so I primarily fished the crankbait the rest of the day. I tried throwing plastics and spinnerbaits for awhile but it was pointless considering that the bass were no longer on beds and the carp in the lake were spawning on the shore and muddying up most of the water. A few spots later around 10:30 we got onto a small point. I threw the 5XD crankbait a couple times and finally got bit again after banging against the rocky bottom. I felt the "bump, bump" of a fish...I paused a short 1 count to allow the fish to inhale the crankbait and I set the hook on him pretty hard. Next thing I know my first 3+ pound keeper comes sky rocketing out of the water! Luckily that Duckett rod had a lot of play to it and it kept those trebles pinned well inside it's mouth. First keeper was in the boat!

We continued to build upon this pattern and my boater eventually switched to a deep diving crankbait like I was doing. We caught a decent amount of short fish but it seemed like every area we would pull up to we would only catch 2-3 fish and then the action would go dead. We pulled into a cove around 12 and my boater got his first 16" keeper of the day in a little pocket with a green pumpkin creature bait.

It was about 1:30 and we only had an hour and a half to come up with some more fish. After asking around it seemed like most of the people in our tournament only had 1 keeper in the boat. We still had a chance but we needed to find at least one more keeper a piece to still be in the game. We pulled up to a steep shoreline that had a bunch of lay downs in the water. We worked the area over well and we only had another 20-30 feet of shoreline before we were going to move again. I threw my crankbait right up along side of one of the lay downs next to the shore...a few turns of the handle and I paused the bait. I went to go turn the handle again and I just felt a weight on the end of the line. I thought I got snagged again because I had lost several crankbaits to rock and wood during the day. Then I saw the tip of my rod bend...I had a fish! I set it hard and she took off straight towards the boat. I reeled in fast as she darted towards me and then she dove down quickly as my pole doubled over. I got her to finally swing up towards the surface...she was a TOAD! Then I saw how she was hooked and she barely had two of the back treble hooks in her mouth...CRAP! My boater dropped everything and got the net. A couple more good runs and we finally got her in the net. I just stood there in disbelief after seeing how big the fish was...legs were shaking, hands were shaking...holy cow! I thought my first fish was decent but after putting this pig in the livewell I was afraid she was going to eat my other one.

Unfortunately right after I caught my last fish we had a dead battery on the boat and had to improvise to get the motor cranked over. We counted our blessings after finally getting the motor started and decided just to head in early to the weigh in since it was getting close to 3 o'clock.

I weighed my big bass...she tipped the scales at 5.32 lbs and with my other fish I had a total of 8.74 lbs...just could not believe it! My boater weighed his one fish for a total of 2.52 lbs. Most of the field weighed in 0 or 1 fish for an average of 2-3 lbs...even had an 18" smallmouth weighed in that was 2.56 lbs. A few people besides myself had 2 fish and averaged 5-5.5 lbs. I thought I had big bass until my boater's friend came in with a huge female...5.75 lbs which was enough to get him big bass of the day and 3rd place! Mike Pappas, another ABA regular, came in with the only limit...we knew he had a good sack of fish when he showed up. He weighed in a little more than 13 lbs...caught all of them on a Zara Spook early in the morning. My weight was good enough to put me right behind him in second place. If that other short fish I caught would have went I probably would have had around 11.2 lbs...still not enough though to get first.

Just could not get it to sink in....a fourth place finish last week and a second place finish this week...just unbelievable. Lucky streaks like this are rare, but I am going to work hard to try and keep the momentum going if I can. My boaters played a huge role in my success the last couple weeks and I am really thankful for all of their help!!!

Here is a picture of the two fish that I weighed in...just amazing the size difference between the 3 and 5 pounder!

I had my 7' 6" Duckett cranking rod paired up with one of my new Daiwa Zillions (6.3 gear ratio)...the setup worked out just how I wanted it to! The three colors that produced for me were all of the gizzard shad colors that Strike King makes. The blue gizzard shad produced the most for me and mimicked the bait fish in the lake the best. Another lure that caught a couple fish also were the Rapala DT10's in Disco Shad. The Strike King colors can be seen below. Just as a side note...I lost 6 crankbaits during the day. I know most people get leery after losing one lure but you have to remember that running crankbaits into different types of cover is what will get you bit more often than not.

Just another awesome day out on the water. It was rough waking up at 1:10 in the morning to get down to the lake by 5:30...but it was well worth it! If any of you have the opportunity to fish an ABA tournament, do it! A ton of great guys in that bunch and you will get to learn a lot from other people.

Thanks for reading and tight lines!

Fluke

Need Some Prayers...

2012-05-03T11:00:00.001-07:00

In the last few months my cousin, Matthew Mammosser, has had to face one of the most difficult things any human being has had to endure...cancer. Back in January of this year he was rushed to the hospital due to flu like symptoms only to find out that he had a mass between the two hemispheres of his brain. Since then he has had several surgeries to remove the tumor as well as complications with blood clots and infections thereafter. He has gone through several chemo treatments already so he is heading in the right path to fight this disease head on. It wasn't until today that I found out that his doctors found more tumors. I am still in the dark as to the severity of them...but I am hopeful that he still has a long road ahead of him to recovery.

Matt is only 18 years old, but he has made his mark in our community and has made a ton of friends along the way. He was born deaf but has had a hearing implant for most of his life so he is as normal as any 18 year old can be. He is currently going to Joliet Catholic Academy highschool and is one of the best defensive players on their football team. He was able to help them get all the way to the State finals last year but unfortunately came up short. Next year will be his senior year and the coach of the team already has placed him as the Captain of the Defensive Line. On top of this he has been competing in weight lifting meets and hopes to one day hold the squatting and benching record for JCA.

It is amazing to me how far this kid has gone from a scrawny freshmen to a 6'2" 245 lb junior. He has worked his butt off to get where he is at now to only be fighting for his life. All he wants to do is be on the field next year but unfortunately he has a long road ahead of him to fight this.

I am asking all of my readers and followers to pray for my cousin and our family as he goes through this rough time. You really don't realize how difficult a situation like this can be until it hits this close to home. He is too young to have this happen to him and I hope that God is definitely looking out for us as we speak.

I am really lucky that I have the opportunity to live my life in the path that I chose for myself, I just hope and pray that he is given that same opportunity too. Life has a funny way of smacking you back into reality...but I have faith that things will work the way they are supposed to.

If any of you would like to help my cousin's family there is a link on top of my blog that says "Please Support my Cousin Matthew!"...this will take you to a website that his friends and parents of JCA have put together to raise money for Matthew's surgeries and care. You can also purchase a T-shirt that has the JCA logo on it and my cousin's football jersey number on the back. It also will give you updates as to how he is progressing.

Thank you in advance to anyone that sends prayers our way...it is what keeps us glued together and hopeful in this time of need for him...

Fluke