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Thoughts for July 2003
Throw Into
The Heaviest Cover You Can Find!!!
 I've
been spending a lot of time trying to learn how to effectively pitch
and flip into heavy cover, and I have to say that it's really working.
You know, all those books and magazines talk about "heavy cover", and
you never really know what that means. Well, in the past couple
of weeks, I've learned that heavy cover means dense, DENSE wood,
thick, matted weeds, slop, downed whole trees, and other places where
you would never normally want to throw something with hooks!
I've had fish bite my baits in places where I never would have thought
possible. In the MIDDLE of a downed tree. In a little
opening in a tangled, partially submerged bush. In the cracks
and crannies of a rotted old root ball. I've come to believe
that bass are EVERYWHERE, but when the sun is out, you got to go
shallow, and TIGHT!
My advice:
learn to throw baits into places that piss you off. if you're
not irritated by getting your line tangled up a lot, if your not
hitting trees with your flippin' stick, you're not fishing tight
enough. Believe me, I really don't like getting hung up.
But the challenge of putting the right bait in just the right
little hole, and getting a bite, setting the hook, and levering a fish
into the boat, is really an amazing experience.
It's very
challenging, because you have to start thinking about cover as
"micro-cover" - trying not to find a tree, but the right spot, next to
the right leaf, next to the right branch, where there might be a
compelling looking hole...you get it. Normally, fishing heavy
cover for me has meant FINDING a tree, and throwing near it, and then
motoring on to the next one. That's not fishing heavy
cover....and I think thinking and fishing this way is helping my
results already!
Learn How To
Control Your Boat With A Trolling Motor
One of the most
challenging things about bass fishing is learning how to control your
boat with the trolling motor while you are fishing. You have to
keep your concentration focused on the fish, while you are kind of
simultaneously looking forward to where you are going next. You
have to keep your boat away from hazards, the right distance away from
cover, and moving at the right speed in wind, rain, and current.
It is NOT easy. Take some time to learn how to do this
effectively. It will pay off. Even after hundreds of hours
on the water on two boats, I still have a way to go before I'm an
expert at it.
Keep your boat
from hitting cover you want to fish. Raise your trolling motor
if you believe you are going to be fishing in water that will make the
prop hit the bottom and stir up mud. If the motor gets stuck in
shallow water as you are drifting, pull it up by the rope, so the prop
is just under water, and at a low speed, turn the boat away from the
shoreline.
 Be
really careful going at high speeds with your trolling motor in
relatively shallow water. I managed to completely break off my
motor once moving along at high speed to get back to a spot where I
caught a 2 1/2 pounder after drifting away from the spot. It
ruined the rest of our fishing day, and I had to spend $150 to get a
new trolling motor mount. I can still recall the sound it
made as the metal stressed and finally cracked! My partner and I
christened that bank "demolition stretch", and its a spot we hit
whenever we get up to Knox Lake.
Thoughts for June 2003
Bass fishing is a big
business
 By
some accounts, the total market size for bass fishing and fishing
products is over $50 billion dollars annually, and that the average
BASS member spends nearly $2,000.00 per year on bass fishing equipment
and tackle. Remember that when you read something in a magazine,
regarding how a given angler caught that big fish, he's probably being
paid to say that he used this or that lure, line, trolling
motor, boat, or whatever. Be a smart consumer, and test things
out for yourself, and don't necessarily buy something because a paid
spokesman says its good. DO listen to professionals when they
talk about seasonal tactics, how to work baits, selecting colors, and
other key tips. The reason they get PAID to talk about the
lures, is because they know all that other stuff, and have proven it
over and over again.
One of Bass Fishing's
Biggest Challenges...
 ...is
declining participation. Fewer and fewer dads, mom's and
grandparents are taking their kids out fishing and learning about the
outdoors. If you want to ensure the survival of the sport that
we love, and a way of life for generations, do all you can to help
spread the work that fishing is a great, wholesome, and
family-building endeavor. Additionally, the skills involved in
bass fishing - research, organization, safety, diligence, concentration,
patience, and sportsmanship are some that build character, and create
well-rounded people. We could use more people like that, don't
you think?
Wear White On Your Boat In
The Summer!
 I
almost always wear white shirts, paired with khaki or other
light-colored clothing while fishing in sunny and hot weather.
Light-colored clothing reflects the suns rays, and will help keep you
cool on those dog days...and help increase your endurance and
concentration when trying to feel and land fish. Also, don't
forget to bring lots of cool water on the boat in hot weather.
The last thing you need to do when searching for that lunker is get
heat stroke - or get cramps in your legs. Bring lots of water,
and drink at least 12 ounces every hour.
Courtesy On The Water
 One
thing that drives me absolutely crazy is when another boater - usually
not a fisherman, decides to blow right by me in their boat or
personal watercraft while I am fishing. The resulting boat wake
violently rocks the boat, and creates breakers on the bank I'm trying
to fish. Now, I know that feuds between fishermen, water skiers,
and operators of personal watercraft are legendary, but let's just try
to be courteous, respectful, and thoughtful as we all share the water
together?
 Plus,
doing so will ensure that you don't end up with a jerkbait in your
face...
Hi, may I please NOT see
your fishing license?
 Ever
notice that when you are out (at least in Ohio waters) that you almost
always get checked to see if you have the proper life preservers or
flotation equipment on the boat, but you almost NEVER get checked to
see if you purchased your fishing license? I got checked no
fewer than 6 times last season, between August and November.
Well, I asked one of our friendly water cops about this a few weeks
ago when fishing at Knox Lake, and he said it was a bureaucratic
thing. The division of the government that pays to have the
rangers on the water is a different organization from the one
that requires you to have a fishing license to be able to fish Ohio
waters. Amazing, isn't it? Your tax (and fishing license)
dollars hard at work!
Keep a first aid kit on your
boat, and some good wire cutters...
 Speaking
of jerkbaits...this season I had a run-in with a jerkbait when I was
trying to land my boat. The landing rope got caught on one of my
jerkbaits. When I tried to free it, I managed to embed the
small, sharp treble hook into my hand. OUCH!. Well, I
tried to free it, to no avail. It went in really deep. So,
I now had to land and tie up my boat with a Smithwick's Suspending
Rattlin' Rogue embedded in my pinky finger. I didn't have a pair
of wire cutters on board, so, let's just say I DO have a pair on my
boat ALL THE TIME now. I managed to get up to the ramp where
another boater was able to cut of the hooks, and I went to a local
urgent care center to have my pinky put to sleep, and the hook
extracted. By the way, urgent care centers are a nice
alternative to hospital emergency rooms. I was in and out of
there in less than an hour...by the way, check these links for
more information on fish hook removal:
http://www.kevinwakeman.com/fam/hookout.htm
http://www.wistrout.com/fishhook.htm
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Random Thought Archive
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