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Shallow Bass Fishing in Cold Water

Posted by Walker Smith on Wed, Mar 13, 2013 @ 07:40 AM
  
  
  
  
  
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Hank Cherry Fights Bass

Hank Cherry goes against the grain by targeting shallow bass in cold water

Photos and Article by Walker Smith

When many of us think of bass fishing in cold water, we envision uncomfortable temperatures, finesse gear and deep water. While deep fishing techniques can certainly yield nice catches in the colder months, you won’t find Elite Series pro Hank Cherry doing it. In fact, cold water often means the exact opposite for him—shallow water fishing.

We had the opportunity to chronicle his impressive showing at the 2013 Classic on Grand Lake and his approach to the brutal conditions caught our eye. While a large number of competitors were congregated on deep water points and brush piles, he had the shallow water all to himself.

The biggest misconception

A Lake Norman native, Cherry has spent years perfecting his cold water fishing skills. Although many anglers expect cold water bass to suspend in deep water, his experience tells a different story.

“Like Grand Lake, Lake Norman is a deep lake,” Cherry said. “People tend to get confused and think that bass always suspend in depths of 30 to 40 feet in cold water—that’s not the case. The colder the water gets, the shallower the bass suspend.”

Throughout this year’s Classic, his theory held true. After experimenting with several different deep water areas in practice, he began focusing his efforts toward shallow water. The results were immediate.

“If I was marking bass on my Lowrance in 18 to 20 feet, I wouldn’t spend much time in that area,” Cherry said. “I knew they weren’t ready. It’s all about time management and being in the right place at the right time. When I returned to those areas later in the day without marking fish in deep water, I’d fire some casts shallow and really catch them.”

Although the late winter shallow bite gets better as the day progresses and the sun gets higher, don’t be afraid to hit some shallow areas first thing in the morning. The first hour of daylight can get these fish in some abnormally shallow water.

“In rocky lakes, bass will migrate from nearby deep water throughout the night to feed on shallow rocks,” Cherry said. “Even though the sun isn’t high yet, you can catch the tail-end of a major feeding period if you get to your shallow areas at the very beginning of the day. They’ll back off into deeper water soon after daylight, but you can bust ‘em again once the sun starts beaming.”

Clues to look for


Sun positioning and feeding periods are important to successful shallow fishing in cold water, but there is a particular biological phenomenon that makes it consistent. If you’re not paying close attention, you’ll probably miss it.

“When cold water causes a massive shad kill, I really believe that the majority of shad go toward shallow water to die off,” Cherry said. “It’s extremely important to keep an eye out for occasional flickering or other types of surface disturbance. Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean big bass won’t move shallow to take advantage of an easy meal.”

To detect a possible shad kill, Cherry makes sure to keep his head on a swivel at all times. As he’s working his bait, you’ll see him constantly scan the water’s surface, searching for any irregularities. Bass are very opportunistic predators, so if you find an area with dead or dying shad, big bass are never far behind.

Water temperature and bait selection

As anglers, we all have a tendency to make things more complicated than they should be—that’s what keeps us coming back for more. Throughout the late winter, however, Cherry makes a concerted effort to keep his bait selection and methodology as simple as possible.

“I have very simple guidelines throughout the late winter,” Cherry said. “When the water is in the 46- to 49-degree range, I keep a jerkbait in my hand religiously. When the water temperature gets in the 50-degree range, I tend to gradually stray from the jerkbait in favor of a jig. I’ve tried almost everything and this combination consistently produces.”

When conditions call for a jerkbait, Cherry opts for a Megabass Ito Vision 110+1. He’s not too particular on colors, but prefers a blue-colored back in cold water. To make the most of the bait’s enticing action, he recommends a 7-foot medium-heavy Denali Rosewood with 12-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line.

“I use fluorocarbon on everything except my topwater baits,” Cherry said. “I’m a big believer in jerkbait fishing with it during the late winter because all too often the bass just nip at the jerkbait. The low stretch and sensitivity of fluorocarbon lets me detect bites as soon as possible, translating into more fish catches this time of year.”

If the fish aren’t actively chasing a jerkbait, Cherry relies heavily on a 9/16-ounce E.R. Lures Jig on a beefed-up 7-foot, 3-inch extra-heavy Denali Noirwood with 20-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon.

“Like jerkbait fishing, fluorocarbon line is very important to shallow jig fishing in cold water,” Cherry said. “Cold water tends to make bass a bit line shy, so you need a strong, low-visibility line that can withstand big hooksets.”

Areas to target


Cold water bass can quickly become wise to heavy fishing pressure, so Cherry tries to find areas that are off the beaten path.

“I don’t particularly like fishing obvious things that everyone can see or notice,” Cherry said. “I have a ton of success targeting sandy bends and gradual sandy points. I like to focus on areas with a softer drop to them that allows bass to easily move from deep to shallow water. Again, I can’t stress it enough—the presence of shad is everything in the late winter.”

If he’s got a jig in his hand, it might as well be springtime—Cherry specifically targets ultra-shallow floating docks.  

“The black underbellies of floating docks hold heat in cold water,” Cherry said. “The water underneath them is often a full degree warmer than the surrounding water. It may not seem like that big of a deal but it makes an enormous difference. I’ll flip a 9/16-ounce jig around these docks as shallow as I can possibly get it. It’s a great way to catch some giants.”

As we grit our teeth and push through the last bit of this year’s winter, don’t be intimidated by the cold water temperatures. Resist the urge to fish deep water and give shallow fishing a shot. If you know what to look for, what techniques to use according to water temperature and the proper areas to target, you’ll wish you had tried it sooner.































































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Rapid Rise to Bass Fishing Stardom

Posted by Walker Smith on Mon, Mar 04, 2013 @ 07:00 AM
  
  
  
  
  
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Brandon Palaniuk Fist Pump



25 year old Brandon Palaniuk is making some serious waves in the fishing world

Article and Photos by Walker Smith

If you were to Google “Brandon Palaniuk” a few years ago, you probably wouldn’t have found much. You might have run across some mentions of an up-and-coming Federation Nation angler, but it’s a totally different story these days—more than 46,000 results in a click. With a win and a second-place finish in Elite Series events, two Super 6 Bassmaster Classic appearances and now a second-place finish in the 2013 Classic, the 25-year-old from small town Idaho is drawing regular comparisons to the legends of our sport.

The young man can flat-out fish. We all know that, but what about the man behind the fishing rod? After a rapid rise to bass fishing fame, Palaniuk is taking his success in stride, remaining remarkably humble as he continues to chase his childhood dream.

It’s all in his head

The mental side of bass fishing thrusted Palaniuk into the limelight very early in his career. When he’s sharing water with the best anglers in the world, his mental toughness helps him keep his eye on the prize.

“Once you get to the Elite Series, the mechanics of fishing—the bait placement, presentations and technical skill—is pretty level,” Palaniuk said. “Mental toughness separates good anglers from great anglers, especially in pressured situations. I feel like it’s always been a strong suit of mine because I don’t let many distractions get to me. I make a decision to switch off my day-to-day life for 8 hours and totally focus on catching five bass. That’s all I’m worried about when I’m out there.”

Growing up as a standout wrestler with a tri-state title and two state championships under his belt, he largely attributes his wrestling days to his killer instinct on the water. The competitive nature earns big dividends in the Elite Series.

“I just have an insane drive to win,” Palaniuk said. “I have so much respect for the stars of this sport, and it’d be amazing if I could be as good as they are. As crazy as it sounds though, I want to be better.”

Confidence is key

Upon meeting Palaniuk, you’ll notice a unique blend of humility and confidence stemming from his young energy for the sport. While many anglers would point to their fishing ability as their reason for confidence, he has a much different train of thought.

“I feel like I can beat anyone on any given day, but the beauty of this sport is that anyone can win or get beat in any event,” Palaniuk said. “My confidence just comes from having fun. If I go out there and have a good time competing, I fish loose which allows me to perform better. If you don’t feel like you can win, you’re wasting your time.”

In his short career, he’s already gained a reputation of being a progressive thinker. When he’s preparing for tournaments, Palaniuk increases his confidence by targeting big bass with unconventional techniques.  

“There’s a huge difference between finding ‘check’ fish and ‘winning’ fish,” Palaniuk said. “Anytime I can find areas and techniques off the beaten path like I did at Bull Shoals and Green Bay, my confidence increases. In this year’ s Classic, I found my best spot last February and would catch 3- and 4-pounders every time I stopped there, and I never saw anyone else fishing it. That’s what gave me the confidence I needed to compete for the win.”

Decision making


As we watched Palaniuk weigh in on the final day of the 2013 Classic, his good friend and traveling partner, Ish Monroe leaned over to us and said, “He makes decisions already that guys don't make until they’re 30 or 35. He's going to win a lot. He works hard at it, but he makes even better decisions."

For a young angler to come into the highest level of bass fishing with such a clear head is almost unheard of. We’re used to seeing the young guns gradually progress through a fairly large learning curve, but it seems Palaniuk has been educated since day one.

“I think it all comes from how badly I want it,” Palaniuk said. “I want to be the best. Cashing a check is great, but I want to win every event I fish. Even though I’m young and don’t have the experience that many of the veterans do, I’ve put the large majority of my life into this sport. The more time you put in and the more situations you can put yourself in, the quicker the light bulb goes off. We’ve only got 8 hours each day to prove ourselves.”

Although his decision-making skills have largely benefitted him in the Elite Series, he knows how dangerous contentment is at this level. Palaniuk makes a concerted effort to keep his goals in the forefront of his mind to maintain his hunger for winning.

“I never say ‘I’ve won an Elite event and made 2 Super Six classics—I’ve made it’,” Palaniuk said. “In my mind, I haven’t made it. I’m no different now than I was before I made the Elites. I’ve got a ton of things to learn which drives me even harder.”

Biggest learning curve

Efficiently managing fishing time is essential to performing at the top level, but Palaniuk’s biggest adjustment has been learning how to manage his time off the water.

“This job keeps me busy every single day, which is certainly a blessing,” Palaniuk said. “If I’m not fishing, you can be sure that I’m still working hard whether I’m helping develop products, working with sponsors or making appearances. It’s definitely tough to manage your time between fishing, business, family and friends.”

Strong support system

 



















































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The Heart of a Bank Fisherman

Posted by Walker Smith on Thu, Jan 17, 2013 @ 08:00 AM
  
  
  
  
  
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BankFishing
Photos and Article by Walker Smith

I remember it just like it was yesterday. The sound of dust-filled gravel gargling beneath the almost-bald tires of my dad’s 1952 Chevrolet. The ear piercing screech of the rusted cattle gait swinging open. The smell of cow manure, viewed repulsive by most, filling my lungs and tying my stomach in knots of excitement. We’d crest the small ridge of the 60-acre pasture, swerving between curious calves and protective bulls, and finally, after we’d idle past the rustic hay barn on our left, there it was—my family’s sanctuary.

It was the place that shed us of our worries and allowed us to follow in the footsteps of our forefathers. The one place we could go where we didn’t have to worry about my ailing grandparents, my book report I turned in late or my dad’s extensive travel schedule that took him away from us all too often. It was a Sunday staple throughout my childhood summers—J.P. Wallis’ farm pond.

We never caught any giants out of the 2-acre pond—just the occasional 2-pound bass, a hand-sized bluegill or a nasty catfish. But that was never the point for us. No matter how slow the fishing was, my family and I never left the farm feeling empty handed. It was about the family time, the laughing and the much needed catching up. As we would sit on the squeaky tailgate of dad’s truck and patiently watch our gas station bobbers as the Georgia summer sun rested atop the tall pines, we were happy. We were content.

Fast forward twenty-something years to a time much different, to a time void of childhood simplicity. Old man J.P. has long since passed, I’ve grown up and left my hometown and book reports are the least of my worries. I am doing what I love, constantly surrounded by the newest tackle trends, the fastest boats and the latest and greatest in fancy fishing equipment. I’ve also been blessed enough to share both informative and touching moments with some of the more influential folks in the fishing industry, which brings me to my point.

I was on the road with Wired2Fish president Terry Brown recently and he said something that struck me. Something that, for some inexplicable reason, actually choked me up a bit—“Bank fishermen have a special place in Heaven.”

It hit me pretty hard. As many of us are idling around with fancy electronics looking for schools of big bass, there is someone, somewhere sitting patiently. They don’t know if there are any fish beneath their bait. They couldn’t even begin to tell you what action their rod is, what it’s made of or if it has a parabolic bend. And you know what? That’s incredible to me. It’s awesome.

The heart of a bank fisherman is that of contentment. The same content feeling that overwhelmed my mind as a young boy watching bobbers with my loved ones. These pioneers cannot simply pick up the trolling motor and move onward in search of better waters. They stick it out through the good, the bad and the ugly. Bank fishermen deal with what they’ve been dealt—none of the fancy equipment, just raw instinct and passed on knowledge from grandfathers, grandmothers and local legends.


Bank fishermen have ankles of steel, conditioned to withstand the pain of standing on uneven banks in search of the fish of a lifetime. With calloused hands and optimistic minds, these anglers brave the elements—the thorn bushes, the poison ivy, the summer mosquitoes—to find their inner peace and leave their everyday worries behind.

These anglers don’t have sponsorships, fiberglass bass boats or tackle boxes full of expensive tackle. Maybe their only fishing equipment is what their grandfather used to catch his first bass. As the diehard bass anglers scream past them in their sparkly bass boats, these folks are the first ones to raise a hand, crack a friendly smile and say hello. It isn’t a competition to them—only a deep, binding brotherhood spurred by a shared passion and reverence for the creatures we seek.

If you’re anything like me, it’s been far too long since you’ve dusted off the lawn chairs and simply watched bobbers with your loved ones. Instead of hooking up your bass boat this weekend, consider an alternative approach. Grab your kids, significant other or even a few buddies and buy a Styrofoam bucket full of minnows. Listen to the sounds. Smell the air. Look at the sky. Relax. Talk and laugh with old friends.

Maybe your bobber goes under, maybe it doesn’t. Try to forget about the fish for an afternoon, enjoy the outdoors and be content. You’ll find it to be a revival of sorts, and you may be surprised at just how good it feels. As we venture into 2013, a year already filled with political and economic turmoil, I encourage you to take a lesson from this special breed of outdoorsman. Embrace simplicity, put aside your worries and find your special place in Heaven this year.





























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Four Ways to Increase Your Bank Fishing Success

Posted by Walker Smith on Wed, Oct 31, 2012 @ 08:00 AM
  
  
  
  
  
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Bank Fishing Bass


These simple tips will result in more bass and more fun

by Walker Smith

I’ve fished all around the country throughout my life, but I often feel most at home when I’m fishing on the muddy shores of a farm pond. Like many anglers, this is where my passion for the sport started, and I always enjoy going back to my roots and chasing pond fish. When time is limited and I need to get a quick “bass fix” in before dark, you can bet that I’ll be in my boots somewhere on the bank.

Over the years, I have done some pretty crazy things to cast towards hard-to-reach places from the bank—whether it’s running like Forrest Gump from irate angus cows, climbing trees to flip a jig into a blowdown or wading into leech-infested water to reach a stump flat with a spinnerbait, I’ve certainly tried it.

Instead of putting your physical well-being in jeopardy, these four simple bank fishing tips will help all anglers catch more fish while having a ton of fun in the process.

Break out the Carolina rig

Let’s all go ahead and let out a collective moan to express our dislike of the C-rig. I’m right there with you. While Carolina rigging has a reputation for being a boring, uninteresting fishing technique, it is an absolute must-have when fishing from the shore.

Truth be told, I don’t use the Carolina rig to catch fish. Instead, I slap a big 1-ounce weight on it and drag the bottom to feel for any available cover or structure. When bank fishing, anglers are often limited to the amount or type of cover that is readily available. Even when blowdowns and other easily identifiable shoreline cover are present, it can be tough to catch fish from them due to fishing pressure.

To combat this problem, I walk the bank and make sometimes hundreds of casts to feel for specific sweet spots. This technique will help you find key areas such as stumps on break lines, rock piles in small ditches or even submerged grass. Pond fish often don’t have much structure in which to live, so finding even a 6-inch depth change from an old creek channel can produce some absolute monster bass.


Target identification

So you’ve found an awesome-feeling stump flat or a few scattered pieces of old chunk rock, but what now? Unfortunately, correctly lining up with and identifying your target areas isn’t as easy when you’re limited to the bank.

When I run my Carolina rig across a “fishy” area, my first move is to kick some dirt up with the heel of my boot. Sure, it sounds weird, but this gives me a visual cue as to exactly where I was standing when I encountered the submerged structure. Next, while my Carolina rig is still in the water, I look across the lake and pick a permanent landmark—a tree, branch or a long sprig of grass—to line my subsequent casts up with. You're essentially triangulating the cover with two landmarks.

Once everything is lined up and I’ve got a good feel of where my target is, I finally focus on catching fish. I like to start with a reaction bait of some sort, such as a Spro Little John crankbait. If the fish aren’t in the mood to chase bait, I will quickly switch to a Texas-rigged Zoom Lizard or a wacky-rigged Zoom Trick Worm.
When you find good cover, it is important to be repetitive. With limited places to fish from the shoreline, it is important to take advantage of every piece of cover you can find and work it thoroughly.

It’s all about angles

If you’re not much for dragging a Carolina rig for hours on end, don’t fret—plenty of big bass, especially pond bass, hang out in shallow water year-round. While a lot of bank anglers like to throw into the deepest water possible, I always prefer to test the shallow bite as well.

Just like in big-water situations, covering and eliminating water is key when shoreline fishing. Although I’m not in the comfort of my bass boat, my feet may as well double as a trolling motor when bank fishing because I am constantly on the move. I like to walk the bank, making as many casts parallel to the bank in front of me as I possibly can. These parallel casts ensure that my bait remains in the strike zone for as long as possible, which drastically increases my chances of getting a big bite.

Sometimes this tactic will require you to get in some pretty awkward positions, but don’t be afraid to look like a baby giraffe. When I’m targeting shallow fish, the entire top-half of my body is hanging over the water’s edge. Always remember that small-water bass are never very bashful about attacking a bait within inches of the shore, as I’ve even had 5-pounders jump onto the bank to eat my topwater baits. Talk about a rush!


Be mobile

One of the biggest mistakes that I continue making to this very day is bringing everything I own when I bank fish. Every time I decide to go bank fishing, I end up emptying my bass boat compartments into the back seat of my truck. While it’s always good to have options, there’s often no need to over-complicate shoreline fishing. Taking a couple of hours to make a permanent bank fishing kit can optimize your fishing time while keeping your choices simple.

I’ve recently started limiting myself to three rods and a sweet 1990s Jansport backpack stuffed with Flambeau 5007 Tuff Tainers when I head to a pond.  This allows me continuously move, while not being weighed-down by hundreds of pounds of tackle. If a bass rips a worm in half or I get hung-up, I don’t have to spend a lot of time sifting through clutter to get what I’m looking for. The following are a few key items to carry in your bank fishing kit:

Zoom Lizards: Green Pumpkin, Junebug or Watermelon Red
Zoom Trick Worms: White, Junebug or Watermelon Red
Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worms: Red Bug, Black Sapphire or Watermelon Red
Zoom Super Flukes: Smokin Shad, White Ice or Green Pumpkin
1 box of EWG wide gap hooks, bullet weights, egg weights and pre-tied Carolina rigs
1 box of crankbaits, topwaters, spinnerbaits and jerkbaits
Pliers
Scissors
Camera

Just like fishing from a boat, keep moving until you find the fish and then work the area thoroughly to see if you've found where the bass are congregated. But avoid the mindset that you're going to go to one spot on the bank and sit there until they bite. Be mobile and go to the fish.

Bank fishing is a ton of fun, and the Wired2Fish crew loves to do it whenever we find the time. It’s a great way to spend time with your significant other, and Jason, like many fathers, loves taking his son to local ponds. In fact he and his son have a place on Kentucky Lake that they bank fish every fall because it's actually easier than fishing out of a boat from this one location and they make a lot of boat anglers jealous in the process.

Just remember, try to keep things simple and explore as much as you can. You've got to fish where the fish are and that often means packing light, moving a lot and making the most of the cover you find from the bank.

   































































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Frog Fishing Tips with Shaw Grigsby

Posted by Walker Smith on Wed, Oct 24, 2012 @ 03:51 PM
  
  
  
  
  
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Shaw Grigsby Bass

Fall is froggin’ season, and these tips will lead to more heart-stopping blowups

 by Walker Smith

You’ve been thinking about it all week. A single, solitary grass bed has engulfed your thoughts and inundated your mind throughout the workweek. You had to leave them biting last Sunday when it got dark. Instead of sleeping like the rest of your family, you remain awake, fervently flipping through fish picture after fish picture on your smart phone. Your eyes are bloodshot, your breathing is labored and you’re beginning to get the cold sweats. Surely it won’t hurt if you call in sick for just one day, right?

You inspect the thenar space between your thumb and index finger—it’s beginning to heal from last weekend’s slugfest on your home lake. You need a fix—something, anything—to get you to the weekend. Does it still smell like bass? Looking over your shoulder to make sure no one is looking, you sniff—nothing.  Yeah, that’s right. You just smelled your hand in hopes of acquiring one last trace of the sweet smell of success. It’s okay. Don’t be embarrassed, and it’s totally okay to cry. It happens to me, too. You, my friend, have a case of fall frogitis.

If the mere thought of frog fishing doesn’t get your blood pumping and your heart palpitating, you may need to check your pulse. Catching big bass on a big worm, crankbait or jig is always fun, but nothing showcases the innate predatory instincts and ferocity of bass quite like frog fishing.

Terry and I recently had the opportunity to do a little frog fishing with FIRST pro Shaw Grigsby, and we were given great insight into some awesome frogging tips. Cutting his teeth on numerous Florida grass fisheries early in his career, Grigsby has developed some very unique techniques that will help you catch more fish and remedy your craving for the acrobatic, ferocious strikes that we all know and love.

A common misconception

When many anglers think about frog fishing, images of matted grass flood their minds. While the frog is, indeed, ideal for these types of areas, it is important to consider the unmatched versatility of a frog. Regardless of the water conditions or available cover, Grigsby never hesitates to throw his Strike King KVD Sexy Frog.

“I’ve had a lot of success throwing the Sexy Frog in places where most guys would tend to throw a Sexy Dawg or Spit-N-King,” Grigsby said. “You don’t need to have particular conditions for it to work. I’ll toss it around rocky points, under docks and even in clear, deep water.”

Differentiating your bait selection and presentation is essential to getting the most out of your fishing day. Because very few anglers take the time to throw a frog in areas free of grass, the residing bass are largely uneducated to the unique profile and action of the Sexy Frog. Any time you can present the bass with something they may not see very often, you have a substantial advantage over other anglers.

“Big bass get used to seeing the same old thing being thrown their way,” Grigsby said. “If you take a frog and throw it around some of the more inconspicuous areas of your fishery, you might surprise yourself and catch some really awesome fish.”

Customization

Perhaps one of the most advantageous traits of frogs is their ability to be tweaked and customized for several different situations. Sometimes a small, seemingly insignificant modification can make all of the difference in the world. Grigsby categorizes his Sexy Frogs into two separate groups—slop frogs and open water frogs.

“As the name suggests, I use my slop frogs in the nastiest, thickest stuff I can find,” Grigsby said. “I like to barely bend the hooks away from the body of the bait to help get a good hook in the fish, but I still want the hook points barely touching the frog to help me avoid hang-ups.”

With his open water frogs, Grigsby tends to get a little more creative when it comes to customization. Due to the absence of gnarly, snag-inducing cover, he bends the hooks upwards and away from the body of the frog to ensure a solid hookset. If the bass are keying in on a wide, erratic retrieve, he reaches for his scissors.

“The Sexy Frog is sweet bait and will walk right out of the package,” Grigsby said. “But if I’m looking for a really wide-walking presentation, I’ll trim about an inch off of just one leg of the frog and the bass will absolutely crush it!”

While trimming one leg of the frog works well, trimming both legs can, at times, be even better. When faced with stubborn bass and tough fishing conditions, Grigsby believes that the bass often prefer a smaller, more compact profile. For this reason, he will trim two inches from both legs, creating a less threatening presentation that will draw some really exciting strikes.


Finding the mother load

Whether we like to admit it or not, many of us have simply stumbled upon fish in areas that don’t make a bit of sense. While situations like that are a lot of fun, knowing the right things to look for can lead to more consistent success.

“Anytime I’m fishing cover with frogs, I’m always looking for a reason for them to be there,” Grigsby said. “Two of my favorite things to find are ditches and points. I idle around a lot, looking at my Lowrance to find ditches that allow big bass to easily migrate to and from deeper water. Grass points are great, too, because fish love to relate to irregularities in the grass.”

Holes in matted grass are also a big favorite for Grigsby. Although big areas of matted grass look like thick and uninhabitable labyrinths to us, bass use the underside of these mats as highways, constantly moving around and searching for the perfect ambush spot to attack unsuspecting prey. These holes create perfect feeding opportunities for big bass.

“Big bass love to sit on the edges of these holes, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike,” Grigsby said. “When you swim a Sexy Frog across these openings, bass can’t help themselves and will absolutely annihilate it.”


Retrieve styles

A common mistake among many bass anglers, including myself, is working a frog the same way in every situation. Depending upon the mood of the bass, Grigsby drastically changes his retrieve to get more bites.

“When the fish are really active, I will try to make my frog sound almost like a buzzbait,” Grigsby said. “I know it sounds crazy, but if you pop the Sexy Frog as fast as you can, it makes the same ‘clacking’ noise that a buzzbait emits. Using this retrieve, I can catch a lot of pressured fish that may be wise to a buzzbait or the normal cadence of a frog, but have never seen a combination of the two.”

When making long casts to the edges of grass lines, Grigsby prefers a walking retrieve, giving the Sexy Frog the action of a hard, walking topwater bait like the Sexy Dawg. To achieve the most realistic retrieve, it is important to understand that you should never move the frog with your reel—only the sharp, downward twitches of the rod should move the bait, with the reel being used solely for retrieving slack line.


Importance of a good hookset and rod

There are many techniques in bass fishing that will allow anglers the chance to “get away” with using subpar equipment, but frog fishing is not one of them. With two huge hooks to drive into the mouth of a big bass, a good hookset and proper equipment is essential.

“A lot of people like to feel the fish before they set the hook with a frog, but I never do that,” Grigsby said. “If the fish is swimming towards you, you’ll never feel it. I generally give the fish half of a second after the blowup, and then I’ll really lay into them. The Sexy Frog has two beastly hooks on it and penetrating those hooks at the same time takes a huge hookset. For this reason, you always need to have your rod tip down when you work a frog, which minimizes your slack and puts you in a good position for a powerful, upwards hookset.”

To aid his monstrous hooksets, Grigsby uses a 7-foot, medium-heavy Quantum Tour Elite Dean Rojas Frog Rod. The rod’s fast tip allows him to cast like a rocket, while its backbone packs a huge punch.

“I come off my feet when I set the hook on a frog fish, and this rod gives me all of the power I could ever want,” Grigsby said. “A fast tip is necessary when I’m trying to skip the frog into thick cover, while it also helps me work the frog just the way I want to.”

Fall frog fishing is a great way to catch a lot of big fish, but it can certainly take some time to master. If you take the time to modify your frog correctly, find the right areas, experiment with different retrieves and get your hands on the right equipment, you’ll have a great time trying to curb your case of fall frogitis.  






































































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How to Find Fish on Power Generation Fisheries

Posted by Walker Smith on Wed, Sep 26, 2012 @ 08:00 AM
  
  
  
  
  
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Yelas big bass on fluctuating fisheries

Power generation lakes are notorious for tricky fishing, but a few key tips can maximize your success

By Walker Smith

Often times, we tend to view our local fisheries as just that—fisheries. Aside from the recreational activities our lakes provide, we fail to realize that many communities rely on their local lakes for power. These power generation lakes present anglers with several challenges—from fluctuating water levels to confusing generation schedules—that can be difficult to figure out. Once the puzzle is solved, however, these fisheries can provide some outstanding fishing for both novice and veteran anglers.

Chevy pro Jay Yelas has had great success on power generation lakes throughout his career, including a 2002 Bassmaster Classic win on Lay Lake. Yelas recently shared some great tips for fishing fluctuating water levels that are sure to increase your success on these fisheries.

       Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

Generation schedules
I live on Georgia’s Lake Sinclair, which was built to be a power generation lake. There have been many instances when I’ve been waiting for blast-off the morning of a tournament and noticed all of my favorite shallow structure sitting high-and-dry. To combat frustrating situations like this, Yelas urges the importance of learning the lake’s generation schedules before you hit the water.

“The majority of dams have online generation schedules or provide a phone number you can call that will give you generation forecasts,” Yelas said. “It is imperative that you always know what the water levels are going to do in order to plan your fishing day around it. While the forecasts aren’t always accurate, it is still helpful to get an idea of the day’s water movement.”

Because some power generation lakes don’t have easily accessible generation forecasts, Yelas has developed a general rule-of-thumb. Throughout his career he has noticed that most of these lakes begin generating water in the afternoon, due to the increased electricity usage of nearby residents during the course of the day. It is also important, however, to pay close attention to recent weather patterns in order to have an accurate idea of the generation schedule.

“I always keep an eye on recent precipitation amounts, especially when I’m fishing a power generation lake,” Yelas said. “Following periods of heavy rain, a lot of dams will run wide-open all day long to prevent flooding. Conversely, during draught conditions the water may not move very much at all during the day.”

Regardless of the generation forecasts, Yelas stresses the importance of remaining flexible throughout the day. Since generation schedules are simply an approximation, there is always a chance that the dam will deviate from its timetable.

“There have been numerous times that I’ve been caught waiting for the water to move, and it didn’t move an inch,” Yelas said. “Those situations aren’t fun, so now I make sure that I have alternate game plans. Although my pattern in the 2002 Classic relied heavily on water movement, not having a backup plan can be a pretty big risk.”


Fish positioning
When fishing fluctuating water levels, Yelas believes that the biggest key to success is understanding the connection between water movement and fish positioning. 

“Shallow fish move with the water, so when the dam pumps water into the lake, the fish get into a lot of very shallow cover,” Yelas said. “The same isn’t true for deeper fish, however. If a bass is sitting on a ledge, it’s not going to abandon that ledge when the water rises a few inches. They will, however, turn on and start feeding aggressively when that water starts to move.”

As the water movement stops and the water level begins to recede, Yelas has noticed that the shallow fish will move off of the bank and become difficult to catch. For this reason, he prefers targeting deep fish in low-water situations.

“I wish I knew where the shallow fish always go when the water drops, but nobody really knows,” Yelas said. “I do know, however, that they are pretty tough to catch. A lot of times they will suspend on break lines, and suspended fish are some of the hardest to catch. Deep fish are a better bet in low water because they remained positioned on channel ledges and points. You may have to slow it down with soft plastics, but they’re still there.”

Where to find them
In high-water situations, Yelas doesn’t spend much time targeting deep fish. Instead, he will fish his favorite high-water cover— shoreline grass. When the tips of the grass are barely out of the water, that’s when he knows that things are right.

“You can definitely catch some big ones flipping and frogging shallow grass with about 1- to 2-feet of water in it,” Yelas said. “But if there’s less than 8-inches of water in the grass and I can see the stalks swaying in the wind, there’s generally not any fish in it. You may be able to catch some smaller ones, but nothing tournament-caliber. You have to remember, 12-inches of water is an enormous difference when you’re talking about shallow, shoreline grass.”

Shoreline grass isn’t the only cover that Yelas likes to target in high-water conditions. Rising water levels can push bass into all types of shallow cover, such as boat docks, seawalls and laydowns, where Yelas loves to flip a Berkley Gripper Jay’s Flipping Jig for unsuspecting big bass.

When the water drops on power generation lakes, shallow bass move towards deeper water. As the fish largely vacate shallow cover during low-water conditions, it becomes harder to pinpoint their location. Yelas has learned, however, that the bass don’t move far.

“When the water’s low, I’ve seen a bunch of bass just cruising in front of the cover—about 10- to 20-feet in front of it,” Yelas said. “You can still catch these fish, but it takes time to figure out the right technique. I will still pitch my bait to the edge of the shallow cover, but I make sure to work it all the way back to the boat, because that’s where I’ll get most of my bites.”

In these situations, Yelas looks for places that have great shoreline cover accompanied by isolated pieces of cover in front of it, such as big stumps. When the water is sucked out of the lake, the bass will position on the isolated cover, providing an opportunity to make pinpoint casts to likely big bass hiding spots.
    
“It’s important to have a good pair of sunglasses when you’re dealing with low water levels,” Yelas said. “My Typhoons let me locate isolated cover before I get too close—if the fish see you first, you won’t catch them. When I find good-looking cover, I’ll fire a Berkley Frenzy Rattl’r or a big buzzbait towards it and get some really big bites.”


The right mindset
While power generation lakes can be difficult to fish, attitude is everything. Yelas believes that patience and a good mindset can lead to some really great days on these fisheries.

“Every fish doesn’t do the same thing,” Yelas said. “There’s always some fish that don’t follow the crowd—kind of like people in that regard. When the water is down, don’t be afraid to try different things, whether it’s the outside edge of shallow cover, adjacent hard cover or nearby ledges. There’s no science to it, so just have a good time with it.”

Open-mindedness is an invaluable trait for an angler who frequents power generation lakes. The bass aren’t always going to be where you think they are, so trying different techniques can pay huge dividends. If you caught them using a certain bait in the morning, don’t be easily frustrated when they don’t eat the same thing in the afternoon.

“No matter what, you’ve always got to have an open mind,” Yelas said. “One of the biggest mistakes people make is running all over the lake to history spots when the fishing gets tough. If you know the fish are there, stay put and try some different stuff. They didn’t just pack up and leave.”

Yelas believes that nothing can compensate for time on the water. Spending a lot of time on the trolling motor is a great way to find those key areas where shallow fish relocate towards during low-water conditions.

“Pros fish a lot of lakes where we don’t have many honey holes,” Yelas said. “I’ve had to learn to catch all of the fish in my specific area, and running all around the lake isn’t always helpful. If you hunker down, read the conditions and figure out where the fish go during the water fluctuations, you will figure it out rather quickly.”

If you have the chance to fish a power generation lake this year, I strongly suggest it. Learning to fish in fluctuating water conditions is an outstanding way to improve your angling skills. With some basic knowledge of how bass respond to water generation and a good attitude, you can really put a hurting on some bass this year.







































































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Ahead of the Fishing Curve

Posted by Jason Sealock on Wed, Apr 04, 2012 @ 08:00 AM
  
  
  
  
  
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Staying with the fish

The sun sweltered anglers in the blistering rays. The lack of wind and clouds oppressed the skin and angling spirit even more. The doldrums of many casts and few bites lead to doubt, indecisiveness, constant changes and adaptations with little success. Sounds like the summer doldrums, but it was the end of March in the Midwest.

The bite on many lakes and rivers across the country has been feast or famine over the course of the last month. An unusual heat wave has spread throughout much of the country. Lakes that normally see 50 and 60 degree water temperatures have seen 60 and 70 degree temperature ranges. Some of the lakes in the south have already breached the 80 degree mark.

The fishing has gone from great one day to fishing in a ghost town the next day. So what’s going on? The weather is moving the bass too rapidly some have hypothesized. But I have another theory. Maybe we’re just ahead of the fish. It is after all April and not July. The fish have been on the same routines for years, and especially on lakes that fluctuate, there can be other factors more important than water temperature to move fish into predictable places.

I’ll give you an example. The water was 74 degrees on the lake I fish the other day. Normally it’s barely 60 degrees this time of year, nearly 15 degrees ahead of the curve. I assumed the fish have since made a mass exodus to the banks and gone shallow. However the lake is just a little more than a foot over summer pool. It has another 3 ½ feet to go before it gets where the fish like it and lots of cover enters the lake for shallow fish to relate.

The moon phase also is not quite there for them to be up there spawning. But it’s getting close. So over the last week I have seen fish spawning. But they are small fish. Why? Everyone always says the big fish spawn first. That might be true under perfectly typical conditions. But throw in the wrinkle that says the right kinds of bottom substrate are not in the depth they want to spawn and now you’ve got a situation where the water is warm enough but the locations are not right for the bass to pull up there. Not to mention bass are keenly aware of length of days and moon phases and their biological clocks work on those timers as well as water temperatures.

I spent one whole day going shallow this weekend, from mere inches of water out to 6-10 feet. I caught some fish but not like I thought I should have caught. I got off the water that day and was really beating myself up about not catching the fish better. I had caught so many fish off beds prior to that on other lakes and locations down lake last weekend. I just figured I should have found them better with that warm water up shallow.

I threw more than 15 different baits and techniques at the fish. Like I said I caught some fish, a small limit that didn't weigh much. But it was such painful and hard fishing I felt like I was missing the boat for sure. I spent a lot of time looking for bedding fish with a good pair of polarized sunglasses. I tried crankbaits and Carolina rigs. I threw Texas-rigged plastics, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits around shallow cover. I threw big baits and little baits, and nothing seemed to matter.

The same thing happened at the FLW Tour on Table Rock. Everyone saw bass on beds and assumed all the fish were up spawning because of the unseasonably warm weather, but in the end, it was those staging fish waiting for the right time to move up that proved to be what much of the top 10 anglers were targetting.

So I rethought my whole approach. What I’m learning is the fish need multiple variables to line up for them to run to the banks, or swim as the case may be. Just because it’s warm and we think they should be up there, doesn’t mean they are. So you move back out to the main lake and start your search all over again. That’s what I call being ahead of the fishing curve. I went to where I thought the bass should be, instead of starting where they were last and working from there.

Obviously, if you don’t fish a lot with consistency it’s hard to know where the fish were or are at any given point in the year. But the spring is a rapidly progressive transition for the bass. They are out on the main lake, then move to secondary structure in bays in creeks, then up shallow in the pockets and flats, then they begin working back out, stopping along familiar secondary areas and shallow cover laden areas until the finally reach their summer destinations back out deeper yet. Sometimes, this all happens in a month. Sometimes, it seems like it takes several months depending on factors like water clarity, water levels and water temperature.

We can also be ahead of the baitfish. I still find that understanding baitfish migrations is the last great bastion of understanding in bass fishing. When we fully understand where and when a crawfish, shad, smelt, hitch or other thing a bass likes to eat moves and changes, we’ll be able to better predict where bass will move to next. Follow the bait and you’ll be on the same path as the bass.

I was talking to a friend who is an accomplished angler down south, winning many tournaments on lakes near his home. He chuckled about how everyone is so upset about the fish not being where everyone thinks they should be because of the warm weather, clear but low water levels and summed it up best:

“This time next year, the lakes will probably be 5 feet high, and the water will be cold and colored. We’ll all be complaining that the bite is so bad because of the exact opposite conditions we have now.”

Think a few steps ahead of the bass, but don’t beat them to the punch. Trust me I was there last week. It was awfully lonely without many bass to keep me company. It wasn’t until one evening this week when it all clicked and I caught back up with my greenback friends by going to where I last found them and then working towards where I think they’ll be next.

Once I figured out where they were holding, I ran a lot of water quickly and we caught bass on every stop. From there it’s just fine tuning your presentations to get the best bites and the most fish from each area you find.  

Isn’t it funny how we over think this fishing game sometimes?


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Classic Round-Up with the Rest of the Field

Posted by Jason Sealock on Tue, Feb 28, 2012 @ 12:57 PM
  
  
  
  
  
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Greg Vinson just missed his first Classic title

We talked with several of the anglers the last day about their tournament and what they were doing in the event. Here is what each of the guys had to say about their tournament and the fishing. We didn't get to talk to every guy but here is what a handful of them said about the fishing.


Greg Vinson (2nd, $45,000)

"I locked down on a long run down to Pool 4 and fishing Little Jungle. I was making a big run but it really paid off for me with that little area I was fishing. Today I caught those fish and saddle up to run and had a tear coming down my cheek behind my mask as I was running because it hit me finally what this all means. So I'm just excited.

"I caught fish on a lot of different baits this week but pitching soft plastics and deadsticking them around matted vegetation got most of my fish the last two days. I caught a lot of fish on a spinnerbait on the first day when it was so windy, but also caught some fish on a Bandit 100 crankbait. That was early but the final day I was just casting and pitching plastics to target fish moving up to spawn."


Alton Jones (4th, $30,000)

"I fished all week with a Yum Vibra King Tube and a Yum Dinger 6-inch watermelon with purple gold flake. If you're fishing on the Red River and you're not using a Yum Dinger, you're missing a lot of bites.

"All you can hope for is to be in contention for the win on the final day. I came close. But I've had a blessed week. BASS's motto is every catch is big. And that's true. I'm just so excited to have this opportunity. Everyone thinks I'm some great fisherman but the Lord provides for me. That's all. It's all my Lord and Savior. "


Ott Defoe (5th, $25,000)

"I was fishing two primary areas. One was in McDade and the other area was a smaller one I don't know the name of. The McDade fish were prespawn the first day and I was catching them on a No. 5 Shad Rap when it was windy. It was custom painted in a rootbeer color. The second day when it cleared and got calm, I was fishing a Rapala X-Rap in a Tennessee Shad color. I was fishing it around on the edges of the coontail and little breaks off those coontail flats. The other fish came flipping a 1/4 ounce Reins tungsten weight and a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss and a 5/0 VMC flipping hook.

"The weights are pretty close to what I expected them to be. I never got a big bite yesterday. That surprised me a little bit. I never caught a fish over 3 pounds yesterday. I worked mats in 8 inches to 2 feet of water. I caught two 3 pounders and 5 pounder the first day in the McDade area and then I had a 6 and a few 3-pounders today in there. I don't know there was many more big fish in there.

"It was an incredible experience. This is my first Classic and I've been dreaming about it since I was 10 years old. You think about it and dream about it a lot but walking out on that stage here with that big bag of bass was an incredible experience. "


Timmy Horton (6th, $22,000)

"I was fishing a mixture of stumps and lily pad stems. Nothing really surprised me this week. The water was a little more stained up and muddy than we’re used to here. I fished a Booyah 1/2 ounce spinnerbait. The shallow stumps and pad stems in white house is where I fished all week. I was getting a reaction bite in that stained to clear water. I spent my whole tournament in Whitehouse. "


Edwin Evers (8th, $21,000)

"It's such an honor to be here. Maybe one day I can win one of these. I don't know what to say really, but I'll just keep trying and maybe one of these days I will win one of these.

"I fished down in Little Jungle all week. There was a lot of fish in my area, but I missed a lot of them on the swim jig and that cost me. They just weren’t eating really well on that second day, just running it off like guarding a nest. I had a chance at a monster bag that second day and it just didn’t happen. I would use the swimjig to imitate bream around the beds and then when I saw a fish on the bed I would pitch a Yum Wooly Hawg Craw and a drop shot to catch them.

Todd Faircloth (9th, $20,500)

"The main thing for me in pre-practice and during the tournament was water clarity. When those fish are moving up trying to spawn, you want to find the cleanest water you can and that’s where they pull up first or do it first. These are the very first fish moving up to spawn. There will be a huge wave of fish coming into the bigger bays and such and fishing is about to be really good here.

"Nothing really surprised me about the fishing this week. It fished small. I figured the fish would be prespawn and spawn and that was pretty much the deal. I feel like I lost the tournament on the first day. I made a bad decision to leave an area. And I went to another area and one of the guys that was either going to win this or come in second was in that spot and if I had been able to go there or stayed in my original area it might have worked out in my favor.

"I caught my fish on an All-Terrain Tackle Swim Jig, Sebile Small finesse spinnerbait and Yamamoto Flapping Hog were my primary baits this week. I threw the spinnerbait on the first day when it was windy and the swim jig and flipped the Flapping hog when it got calm and cleared."

Bill Lowen (10th, $20,000)

"I used a black and red Tightline UV tube and a Black and Blue Reins Ax Craw. I caught some fish on an Ima square bill and a spinnerbait. I fished all week down in the Sullivan area of Pool 4. I was basically just junk fishing all week but flipping caught a lot of my bigger bass. I was trying to concentrate on banks with deeper water on them because I didn't know we'd have this warm up like this. In practice during the cold days there was a bunch of fish on my banks in that area. But as it warmed up I started having less and less fish using my area and that's what cost me."


Kevin VanDam (11th, $15,000)

"I tried to step it up the second and third days. I had the opportunities the first day and I just didn't get em in the boat. The last two years in the Classic I’ve got those key fish and they stayed buttoned up.  I've made good decisions the last day and had a good day but I expected to have a monster day. I had three good ones but couldn't get two more good bites but I caught everything that bit. You get those key bites and get them in the boat when things are going your way.

"You got to take the good with the bad. You always need to learn what you missed. For me it was real important to make that third day because I know we'll be back to Shreveport because we've had two awesome Classics here. So I wanted to learn for the next time.

"I learned when they dropped the water 6 inches and they were only in a foot of water, they leave. So I had to make adjustments. I found a spot that didn't have some deeper water around it so I had to change locations. My best bait this week was a Strike King Rodent. I threw a Strike King Pure Poison, a KVD Spinnerbait, and a KVD Black and Blue jig. I had 12 rods on my deck shallow power fishing."


David Walker (14th, $13,250)

"I fished a good event and it’s not like I have all these stories about big fish lost. I lost a few fish the first day but after that I caught about everything after that. It started off in really cold water in mid 50 degree temperatures and for some reason these fish went all the way up into sight-fishing mode over the course of two frosty nights. No one could have predicted that. Whoever said they did is just blowing smoke up their own rear ends.

"It just sort of came to them. They were like, ‘look that’s a fish on a bed.’ The warmest water I saw was 60 degrees and guys were talking about catching them off of beds. I don’t like sight fishing. I want prespawn or post spawn. There just seemed to be a bunch of fish in this tournament that moved up.

"I caught most of my fish on a jig and a few on a Live Target Square Bill. I used a Chatterbait some. Those three lures accounted for all my fish. I fished down there in Pool 4 in Sullivans the first two days and I fished the last day in the Bobo Hole.

"But I feel good about the event. Anytime you can get yourself in contention. My goal two years ago was standing working a show, I said, ‘I’ve got to make it back to the Classic.’ So I fished the Bassmaster Opens then I fished the Elite Series and now here I am. So I got back as quickly as I could, but it took me that long. So I’m happy with how it went.

"I love how the Elites shake out for me. I love the fact that there are no co-anglers. I love that there are smaller fields. I like the fact that the fans know who you are. The fans come to watch B.A.S.S. and Elite guys. It just really fits me."


Kevin Wirth (14, $14,000)

"To live through day two was tough. It was very emotional for me. I broke down a few times thinking it could be the last day. So to survive that was hard. It was a lot easier today. I got real emotional a few times running down the river. We fished a good Classic though. "

"I fished right there next to the ramp where I had shook one off near a stump. I fished that stump all three days, and Sunday I pulled in there and a caught a 4-15. She finally bit. I made my run and went on down. I went into my main area and the water had dropped so I had to move around and make adjustments and I figured out a pattern about 10:30 and I went to catching them pretty good. I lost one great big one then caught a 4 pounder and a couple 3-pounders.

"The water dropped and they moved out a little further and I found out I could catch them winding a little Strike King KVD square-billed crankbait. "

Editor's note: This was Wirth's final tournament. He's retiring from fishing.


Keith Combs (16th, $13,000)

"I threw a frog a lot the final day trying to catch a big one. I had two real quick on day two as I was leaving my primary area and I thought I smoke them on it the final day. I gave it three hours. I like to fish a frog. I think I would have been better off just blind flipping the last day and not really sight fishing for them.

"Faircloth and I fished fairly close to each other. I had no problem with it. He’s a class pro and he catches them. That gives you confidence in an area and it lets you know what’s going on around you when you have another good angler around you. So it was more beneficial than harmful in my opinion.

"I caught them flipping and I caught three sight fishing on day two and three sight fishing the final day. I caught all my fish the first day on a spinnerbait and a ¼ ounce swim jig. And on day two I had two on a frog and three on a Strike King Game Hog. The final day I had one on a spinnerbait, one on a senko and the rest flipping the Game Hog.

"There were stumps in my area but patchy milfoil and sand is what made it perfect for spawning fish moving up to spawn. I fished in Little Jungle all week. You couldn’t just fish stumps or pad stems or milfoil. You had to fish it all to catch your fish and it changed day to day. "


Greg Hackney (22nd, $12,300)

"I've been making a long boat ride, but I had the water all to myself. I had a great practice, but the water fell out of my area about 2 feet during the tournament and that really hurt my fishing. It's been a great week. It's all about going for the win here, so I made the gamble and it didn't pay off. But I wouldn't change a thing.

"I was making such a long run I figured I fished 8 hours in three days. I cut myself down on time because I felt like I had an area that had better potential to win. But when you do that, you don’t have any time to adjust. That water was falling out of there and I never could slow down. I felt like I was in a flurry the whole time with no chance to slow down and figure out the changes. I felt like it was a worthwhile gamble.

"I wouldn’t change a thing. There were some variables I didn’t have any control over. This is one Classic I didn’t feel like I made mistakes. I fished real clean all week."

Stephen Browning (24th, $12,100)

"The first day I ran down to the Coushatta area. I had a good area for the tournament, but I just didn't fish well. I had a 10 on my strategy and a 4 on my execution. It was a big stump field with a ditch running through it. I was fishing it the first day with a Live Target Red Crawfish Sub Surface crankbait. I caught 25-30 bass that first day but they were all buck bass. The second day, the wind laid down and the water got real clear and the crankbait bite went away, and I caught all my fish on a ZinkerZ soft plastic stickbait.

"You pick up a flipping hook you are supposed to fish on fluorocarbon line and you're using it on braid and you bend it out and lose a 6-pounder. That's just not using your head. I had a good area with big fish but I lost a key fish or two. On the crankbait I lost a couple but it's not like the hooks were bad. They would bite, you'd reel it two or three turns and they would come off. They just didn't always get it good and they didn't stay hooked up. "

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Chris Lane Classic Photo Gallery

Posted by Jason Sealock on Tue, Feb 28, 2012 @ 10:25 AM
  
  
  
  
  
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A look back at Chris Lane's winning moment and the emotional victory shared with his brother, family, friends and fans. It was another great Bassmaster Classic moment.

Photos by Dustin King













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Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Photo Gallery

Posted by Jason Sealock on Sun, Feb 26, 2012 @ 01:38 PM
  
  
  
  
  
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Expo entrance
Todd, Dustin and Terry spent a good bit of time in the Expo the last couple of days, here's just some of what they saw over there that they liked! Going to the Classic Expo and looking at new tackle and equipment always gets us excited about going fishing.























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