Fishing with howard hughes

Summer LargeMouths

The Deep - Summer STrucTure

Issue 3, JuNe 2012

a Crazy Kindof fishing

Post sPawnto Summer Fishing at Lake Mead

Elite-5 DSI Elite-5x DSI Mark-5x DSI

“KISS TRADITIONAL SONAR GOODBYE!”

– Bill Dance, Host of Bill Dance Outdoors

“ After just one day on the water, I’m convinced. DownScan Imaging goes way beyond traditional sonar! When you see a tree, it truly looks like a tree. You can actually see the limbs and the fish suspended in them! You gotta see it to believe it.”

GO B E Y O N D SONAR.™

3Issue 3 June 2012

editorial

The warm summer months are upon us and so are all the things that this time of year

brings. The largest ever Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge on the Calif. delta just wrapped

up and WesternBass.com was happy to try out our new “in-post” video capability at the

event. it is our goal to bring more of these instant videos to our site users. WesternBass also

underwent a server change to offer our users a bigger bandwidth and increased page load

speed. i hope you are enjoying these new features - there is much more to come.

ahead of us, we have one of the other highly-anticipated West Coast events - the Snag

Proof open as well as the world’s largest sportfishing trade show iCaSt 2012. WesternBass

will travel to the east Coast and return with some of the industry’s newest information.

i look forward to the future possibilities of WesternBass and hope you are enjoying the

ride as much as i am.

Great fishing!Wayne

By Wayne Wasulko

JUN

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IssU

E 3 EDITORIAL STAFF

Publisher - Wayne WasulkoContent editor - Jody only CONTRIBUTING WRITERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS/ VIDEOGRAPHERSdavid Brown, Ken Sauret, russ Meyer, Jim Novotny, randy Pringle, Jen edgar, Jody only, Marc Marcantonio, dan o’Sullivan, Mike Folkestad, tami Curtis, Zack Thompson, tyler Brinks

EDITORIAL CONTACTWesternBass.Com® MagazineP.o. Box 1278Citrus Heights, Ca 95610(916) 782-9540

SUBmISSION REqUIREmENTS: Unsolicited manuscripts, accepted and, if not used, returned. Unsolicited email attachments will be deleted without opening. Please submit query letters detailing story ideas. reader-submitted letters and photos may be published without notification, and all rights retained by WesternBass.Com Magazine.

ADVERTISINGSales/Marketing Manager - John Caulfield(916) 417-7127 john@westernbass.com

ADmINISTRATIONPublisher - Wayne Wasulko(916) 782-9540 wayneg@westernbass.com

WesternBass.Com® Magazine Volume 2, issue 3, June 2012

This is a Free publication to all internet users. Copyright © 2012 WesternBass.Com® Magazine. all rights reserved. Manufactured and presented in and from the United States of america for all bass anglers worldwide.

Issue 3 June 2012 5

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IssUE #3 JUNE 2012

DELTA FROGGIN’ ACTION ABOUNDS WITH AmPHIBIAN ACTORSby David A. Brown

A LOOk AT LAkE LOPEzby Ken Sauret

A CRAzy kIND OF FISHINGby Russ Meyer

mAxImIzING yOUR PRE FISHby Jim Novotny

TOPPING OFF WITH TOPWATER AN INTRODUCTION TO TOPWATER BAITSby Randy Pringle

COLLEGE FISHING 101by Jen Edgar

DEEP SUmmER STRUCTURE FISHING WITH HOWARD HUGHES by Jody Only

SUmmER LARGEmOUTH TACTICS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWESTby Marc Marcantonio

Fishing with howard hughes

Summer LargeMouths

The Deep - Summer STrucTure

Issue 3, JuNe 2012

a Crazy Kindof fishing

Post sPawnto Summer Fishing at Lake Mead

On the COver:“double G” Greg Gutierrez reels in a pair of delta giants from shallow water.

Photo by Jody Only

GIVING BACkby Dan O’Sullivan

POST SPAWN TO SUmmER FISHING AT LAkE mEADby Mike Folkestad

SUmmERTImE SUCCESS ON EVERy LAkEby Tami Curtis

THE INEVITABLE ADjUSTmENT!by Zack Thompson

DOUBLE G IS SHOOTIN’ FOR THE SHALLOW BASSby Jody Only

ON THE BOAT WITH CHRIS zALDAINby Tyler Brinks

16

6

action abounds with amphibian actors

By DAVID A. BRoWN

DELTA FROGGIN’A tule berm anchored in years of peat moss

accumulation, a dense mat of tangled weeds, a weathered laydown – each forms a solid fortress for Calif. delta bass.

like castles of old, these piscatorial strongholds contain numerous passageways, nooks and secret chambers – all guarded by largemouth that get re-ally offended by intruders like a hollow body frog.

Bold, audacious and capable of holding directly overhead in a weedless, yet emotionally entangling posture of defiance, the frog really flips the kill switch on the big green beasts roaming this central drainage. indeed, these are

mostly aggressive strikes intended to kill that which has shattered the fish’s cherished solitude. However, as California frog pro ish Monroe points out, the frog also represents a protein-packed meal for prespawn fish looking to pack on the poundage.

That said, you’ll want to keep the amphibian imposter handy when working the shallows for bed fish. amid the flipping, pitching and dropshotting for those cranky mamas, running the frog across the maternity ward often does the trick. amazing delta frog action extends well past the spring spawn period and Ken Mah, of elk Grove, Calif. recently shared his thoughts on drawing those show-stopping strikes.

Delta frogging pro Ken Mah likes to target big-fish spots where he can

keep his bait in open water, but near promising cover.

Photo Credit: David A. Brown

delta FRoggIN’

Issue 3 June 2012 7

Favoring a Spro Bronzeye (standard and Poppin versions), Mah sticks with simple colors like black, natural green and white. He keeps his frog in constant danger by targeting what he calls “big fish spots.”

“i spend about 75- to 85-percent of the time throwing the frog in and around open water situations; but i like for my frog to be near some piece of cover – big wood, tule clumps, mats, lay downs etc.,” he said. “i keep my percentages high by targeting specific pieces of cover/structure. i rarely just go down a bank throwing a frog unless it holds the proper type of cover/structure.”

“i also like to spend the majority of my frogging around hard banks. This means that i have an idea of where the fish are going to position themselves. i try to avoid large expansive mats of grass and tule berms.”

Mah said he finds the Delta frog bite heating up in mid to late april. He has caught some of his biggest bass on frogs earlier, but doesn’t usually expect to catch many in the early spring. For someone that wants to come to the delta and catch numbers and quality, Mah suggests planning a trip between May and November.

“i’ve had events where i wanted to locate fish, but not catch them in practice,” he said. “You can usually tell how big a fish is when they come to the surface to eat a frog. Then it’s a bait that i can pull away from them or bend the hooks in. it is absolutely a bait that someone can win a tournament on.”

of course, doing so requires the right gear and let’s just say that frogging demands gear with an attitude. Mah throws his frog on a 7-foot, 5-inch Gloomis BCFr 893 with a 7:1 Shimano Chronarch

200e7 spooled with 65-pound Power Pro Super

Slick in timber Brown. He said a rod with a soft tip is essential for getting the frog to walk back and forth like a topwater plug. Balancing this flexibility is plenty of backbone to pull a big fish from heavy cover.

Frog EnhancEmEntrelying on a frog’s inherent bass-angering traits

will get you plenty of strikes, but maximum effect often hinges on a few bait enhancement tricks. First, Monroe suggests upping the bait’s audible appeal by shoving worm rattles into the leg holes. Monroe enhances his namesake Snag Proof PHat Frog by crushing the interior rattle chambers. Multiple pieces all clanking, clicking and rattling in unison can draw fish charging through the thickest of mats.

Scent gels and waxes make frogs more appealing at close range and for those big black eyeballs, delta legend Bobby Barrack uses permanent markers to add various stripes, dots and other markings to play up his frog’s visual attraction. to make sure he catches whatever bites – even those double-digit giants that don’t play nice – Barrack lashes the twin shanks of his frog hooks together with braided line.

Ultimately, Mah said it’s important to approach frogging with the right perspective. This is a high-reward bait, he notes, but you have to invest well to reap the rewards.

“i consider eight to 12 bites on a frog a good frog bite,” Mah said. “More than 12 and it’s exceptional in my book. i have had days where i’ve caught 25+ fish on a frog and my best five will push 30-pounds, however those days are far and few between. it’s also a bait that you need to throw for a considerable amount of time. Thirty minutes to an hour during the day is not enough. Keep colors simple, if you put it in the right spot it usually doesn’t matter that much.”

Mah describes his ideal Delta frogging conditions as: 1) Low minus tide sometime in the early afternoon

2) two-three days of warm, stable weather prior to his fishing day 3) light or no wind. In such scenarios, he finds the frog equally effective as a search tool and a primary bait.

8

laKe lopEz

A drinking water reservoir in San luis obispo County, lopez lake is local favor-ite with nearly 22-miles of shoreline. lo-cated approx. 10-miles from the coastal

city of arroyo Grande, the lake is home to healthy populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass in the lake along with a variety of panfish and catfish into the 20-lb range. There have been trout plants in the past; but those have been halted due to some conflict with a “native species”.

as we take a look at lopez for the current season, we should note the warmer, summer conditions

brings with it the consistency of predictable weather and fish movement patterns.

The lake’s proximity to the Pacific ocean means the afternoon breezes will be blowing almost every day and the influence of the coastal area keeps afternoon temperatures moderated throughout the year.

You will experience cooler afternoons in the summer and warmer temps in the winter compared to the inland lakes like Santa Margarita, Nacimiento and San antonio.

By KEN sAUREt

Lake Lopeza look at

Story & Photos

Issue 3 June 2012

The only launch ramp is located in the Pozo arm of the lake. The area is 5-mph and the bridge pilings of Huasna road almost always hold fish.

a right turn, heading west from the ramp you will find the Wittenberg arm on your right and the main lake to the left. Wittenberg has big underwater flats on each side of the creek channel. Submerged brush is the dominant structure on the flats.

Heading out of the Wittenberg Arm toward the main lake, you will find my favorite places to fish - the main lake points. These points hold big largemouth year round. i have cashed many checks throwing YUM Money Minnows on jig heads on the steep, rocky points of the main lake.

Continuing west past the dam, you will find the lopez arm. There are a few small coves where small feeder creeks come into the lake. The shale rock banks hold an abundance of crawdads and bass can be found foraging there in the early morning hours during summer.

Typical seasonal patterns can be found here like on any other lake in Calif. Crankbaits, swimbaits, jigs, dart heads, drop shot rigs and every other technique have their place.

Fall on lopez is the typical transition period not unlike what you may experience on your local lake. The crankbait bite is very reliable on lopez lake and a great way to find active bass. once you find where the bass are, you can change up your presentation, if you aren’t getting those bigger bites.

i usually go to a jig. either a YUM Gonzo Grub or a Booyah skirted jig with a YUM F2 Wooly Bullee for a trailer. The kicking action of the legs on the Wooly Bullee can be the key to getting those big fish if the Bomber Fat Free Shad only got the smaller fish although that crankbait can and does catch the 5 to 7 pound largemouth that inhabit lopez.

Winter gets real slow with the bass going deep, following the shad to wait out the shorter days. i am a firm believer that the length of daylight hours is a major environmental influence on bass movement. Short days of winter, bass move deep and slow down, knowing that cooler temperatures are a result of the lack of sunlight hours. Then as sunlight hours increase the bass start venturing into the shallows for short feeding periods and as spring arrives a major

movement of bass into the shallow areas of the lake to spawn takes place.

i’ve seen bass on beds in February as days get longer even when the water is in the mid ‘50s. Water temperature obviously influences spawning activity; but don’t overlook the hours of daylight needed as a trigger to the spawn also.

With spring comes some of the predictable movements of the bass. The month of March and into april you will find prespawn bass, spawning bass and post spawn bass.

depending on which area of the lake you are fishing you will find yourself fishing for bass in one of these cycles. You may need to adjust your presentation to match the cycle that most of the bass are in.

Speaking from experience, my daughter, Kenna and i fished a team tournament in lopez in March of this year. We prefished the weekend before the tournament and found it difficult to get many bites. The few we did get were obviously small buck bass, roaming the shallow areas, looking for a place to make a spawning bed.

With this being the case, i told Kenna that we would have to change from reaction baits to slower finesse techniques a little further outside of these shallow, shoreline stretches. We weren’t able to get any good bites during the final hours of that practice day; but i was convinced that the next Saturday would find us concentrating on the outside points leading into the spawning areas.

Tournament day came and we were the last boat to take off. With so many fishermen ahead of us as we headed to the Wittenberg arm hoping to find an open place to start fishing. There was a small cove off the left that only had three boats in it and the inside point was not taken.

We started there and worked our way back to the right side of the cove catching a couple two pounders on a Smithwick rattlin rouge ripbait before we met one of the other boats. We pulled up the trolling motor and headed back to our starting point. one of the other boats was fishing the point so we went in behind them and fished the bank out toward the mouth of the cove that they had just fished.

Since they were fishing crankbaits, Kenna and i decided to fish our YUM dingers to show the bass something different. By fishing out toward the main

9

lake we were concentrating on the outside areas

where we expected to find the pre spawn, female bass that would weigh more than the smaller, male bass inside making beds. as we fished down the bank, i noticed my line slowly moving out to deep water. i set the hook. My dobyns 743 SF spinning rod bowed down to the water as the big bass dove out to the depths.

After a couple strong runs I was able to get the 5-lb bass to Kenna’s waiting net and into the boat. on the very next cast not 20-feet from the last cast, i felt a bite before my YUM dinger hit the bottom. i set the hook on a second 5-lb bass in consecutive casts. about five minutes later, i caught another 5-lb bass on the other side of this small secondary point. That meant 15-lbs of bass in less than a half hour; because we were looking for the larger female bass setting up to move in on the next full moon to spawn with the males that were already in the shallows.

My point in telling this story is that even though we didn’t catch big weights in practice, by paying attention to the bites that we did get we were able to put together a plan to give us a chance to get the bigger bites we all look for.

Springtime can be unpredictable to a certain extent; but lopez lake can produce bass over 10-lbs. They can be caught if you listen to what the fish are telling you.

As summer sets in and the spawn is complete the bass will move out to those main lake points that i like so much and begin the process of recovery, putting back on the weight they lost spawning. Since these bass are in the mood to feed and the warm, consistent days of summer are here the aggressive bass will bite. a Fat Free Shad crankbait and YUM Money Minnows are baits that you can use to cover water to find them. if they aren’t the big ones you are looking for, put the Booyah jig with the Wooly Bullee to work and you may catch the bass of a lifetime here in lopez lake.

10

laKe lopEz

12

By RUss mEyER

a Crazy kind of fishing

Some may consider that dropshotting suspended bass as a bit unorthodox. Usually you fish a point or a ledge or creek channel with a dropshot, but here is why i think differently. one day i was in a school of shad on lake Shasta in the Pit

river arm, i was spooning and getting a few bass, but not like i usually do when i’m in a school of bass and shad. They had a bit of an attitude; so, i started playing around with a baby Basstrix and a dropshot rig.

at first i was just trying to get them to hit something, i could clearly see the bass on my electronics. i started shaking

the dropshot rig in the school with a couple hits, but not like i’d hoped. i set the rod down

and grabbed a bottle of water and kept a eye on my rod.

i only was a couple of feet away - good

thing because my rod took off

Issue 3 June 2012

across the deck, i would have lost it had i been further away.

after reeling in a 1.5-lb spot, i dropped ‘er back down and this time i just held it there in a dead stick mode. it sat for a minute or so and i got slammed again. This time a 2-lber. Well, for the next couple hours i caught a bunch of nice bass dead sticking a Baby Basstrix. This was done on my 7-ft medium Powell spinning rod with 6-lb Berkley fluorocarbon line and a Shimano spinning reel.

i started experimenting more with these fish since i was just fun fishing. That day the water was clear and the water temp was 51. The fish were 40- to 65-feet deep with pockets of shad on creek channel bends.

Most of the fish were suspended around 40-ft and i got tired of waiting for my ¼ -oz sinker to get down there, so i changed my setup.

This time i went for a 7-ft Powell bait casting rod, medium-heavy with 10-lb fluorocarbon line, a 2/0 dropshot hook and a 5/8-oz pencil dropshot lead. When i hit free spool the bait was down to 40-ft in less than 20-seconds.

i was still dead sticking and getting the same results as i was

with a much lighter set up; but now i could yard them in and get right back down there for another fish. it was as fast as spooning, but more effective at that time.

So if they are not eating your spoon very well try this set up. it’s not only effective, but a lot of fun. i have done this for many years now in many situations all with a different twist. one of my favorite ways to fish this set up is to use it as search bait. i use the 3-inch Basstrix, but many other variations of baits that i have tried work. Stick to shad type baits in these patterns.

When you are in areas such as backs of creeks, say 150-feet or less, use your maps and find the creek channel on your graph and you will find springs bubbling up. take your dropshot set up with at least 3/8-oz weight and make a long cast, keep a tight line and just keep a close eye on your line. You will see a light twitch in the line and he is likely there.

Funny thing is, if you don’t see the twitch he will grab the bait and keep swimming with it and you think it’s still sinking, but it’s really the bass swimming with it. This gives him time to chew it and spit in and you never knew you were hit; so pay attention.

The bait falls like a pendulum and

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looks like a shad skirting through the springs. These bass and other fish hide in the springs like a tree and attack the shad as they swim through the spring. The point is though you can cover a lot of open water until you determine if the fish are there for you or not.

once you determine the fish are there. Then double back and fish the biggest bubblers first. That is where your biggest bass seem to hang. Just like the biggest tree will usually hold the biggest bass. it’s a great pattern to run.

it makes a huge lake much smaller and takes you out of the mix of 50 anglers that are all fishing points or pockets. The same technique can be used for fishing trees, bridge pilings or open water on the creek arms.

i have even tried using much larger baits such as Berkley Hollow Belly Swimbaits in a 6-inch. They don’t seem to care if the tail is moving or not when dead sticking. They just get a run at it and crush it. it blows your mind how hard they hit it when it’s just sitting there.

Be sure when in the trees that you use the weed guard or you will be cussing out your rig. You

see, you can spoon in the trees with a treble hook and when you get hung

up you just give it a few shakes and it comes loose unless you

bury it on a hook set then it takes longer; but with a dropshot the weight is on the bottom and the hook does not shake loose, so a weed guard is the only way to go. Skip the weed guard in

open water for those gentle bites.

The next place i love to do the pendulum drop on the

dropshot setup is vertical walls, whether it’s vertical walls like in the

Squaw Creek arm on lake Shasta or the bridge piling at Shasta, oroville or lake Berryessa. it really works.

Just adjust your weight accordingly to the depth you’re fishing and how aggressive the bass are. if i am fishing less than 20-feet. i like an 1/8-oz, but if i am in search of fish, i stick to 5/8-oz to cover a lot of water quick, then i will go lighter once i see where they are in

depth.The way i do this

is using the same setup, i just cast parallel to the walls and pitch the bait 40-ft or so as close to the wall as i can and tight line it down all the way to the boat. This way if i get hit right away i know to go lighter and give them more time to hit the bait. if i don’t get hit until it is below the boat then i know i have the right weight. Using this set up i can fish all day with one or two rods on the deck and catch a lot of fish including huge fish. This pattern has little to no traffic, because not many people fish off shore.

CraZY FIshINg

Ca fé

16

By JIm NoVotNy

maximizingyour pre fish

Jim novotny with a quality spotted bass caught from Folsom on a half day trip. Used mini-swim bait to locate actively feeding fishPhoto by Jim novotny

Issue 3 June 2012 17

They are the fortunate few - those an-glers who get to spend days, maybe even weeks on a large body of water in anticipa-tion of an upcoming tournament. These

are the anglers who are arguably “in the hunt” to win a tournament before blast off even begins. They know the changing conditions. They know the water’s color and temperature in different parts of the lake. They have learned where hidden under-water features lie, out of sight of the visiting angler and saved only for those deep in the “know”.

It’s the visiting angler who is at the distinct disadvantage here. or maybe the “local” angler who knows the lake well, but just hasn’t had the time to spend on the water getting reacquainted with it. These are the people i am writing this article for. These are the people i am hoping to reach and plant the seed of an idea of where to start and how to logically approach these situations maintaining an attitude of self- confidence and positive thinking.

i have been traveling around the western United States, mostly Northern Calif., Nev., and ariz. competing in Pro-am’s for the last several years. even though several of the bodies of water visited were relatively close to my home town, due to my busy work and fishing schedule, i rarely - if ever had the opportunity to pre-fish the lake until just a couple days prior to the start of the tournament. dealing with this handicap has taught me several things that have benefited me in my search for “money” locations.

Lets start with the obvious disadvantage of having to compete with the local angler who has been living on the water. over the years, it has been proven time and time again that the majority of these local anglers will “tank” come tournament time. The reasons will vary from having to share the water or fishing community holes to having just too many spots picked out, too far apart that it gets into their heads, they lose focus and fish ineffectively.

of course, overall the advantage still goes to the locals, all the same; but there is absolutely nothing we can do about that, so don’t even try and compete “against” them. don’t let them get into your head. don’t spend too much precious pre fish time looking for that “secret spot” that even the locals don’t know about. don’t try to cover the very backs of every creek channel or spend your time looking in every bay or on every point for that magical school of winning bass. let the locals have it and focus only on what works for you and what is within your area of comfort. Fish for “your” fish.

of course, your pre-fish should start well before you leave the house for the long drive to the lake. Call a buddy. Call a buddy of a buddy. Call a local tackle store. Get some type of information regarding how tournaments are usually won this time of year. Find out average water temperatures, lake levels and what stage the bass are in- albeit spawn, post spawn, summer patterns etc. Find out if there are any specific baits or colors that have been on fire there; so at least you can show up prepared for conditions all the locals may know about.

Once you have spent some time researching the lake and gathering information, pull out a topographical map and go over it carefully. if it is a storage reservoir, make sure you are accounting for current water levels and then look for textbook locations that correspond with the seasonal patterns at the appropriate depth.

if it is early spring, focus on northern exposures that get the most sunlight or look for large flats in creeks near deep creek channels where fish might stage and even spawn. Mark some of these places in different parts of the lake. don’t go crazy though. Unless you have an excellent topographical map on your graph, you will need the paper map to search out under water structure while on the lake and you will want to be able to still read it.

it’s actually pretty ironic to note, if people knew where most of the tournaments were won, they’d

18

MaxiMiZiNG yoUR pRE FIsh

learn it’s infrequently won from the “secret” spot no one else knew about and much more common to win off a “community hole” or commonly known location by the angler who found the fish better, found the right bait combination, or just timed it right. Keep that in mind as you study your map and mark your locations.

Now you are ready to hit the road and hit the water. i like to spend at least half a day looking for out of the way locations within a few minutes of the launch ramp. There are usually plenty of fish in the area due to “recycling” (catch and release) and this gives me an area to start quickly, finish the day on, or go to in the event of unforeseen mechanical problems. it’s always nice to sit on the water awaiting blast off and look out at a set of points or a rock pile knowing there are quality fish that are close to me.

Don’t spread yourself too thin. The problem I have with any more than two days of pre fish is not so much the lack of water i covered, but that i’ve usually located fish in several different areas, on several

different baits and at several different depths making me stress and still trying to decide which way i’m going to run come blast off.

in order to maximize your efficiency, try to focus your tournament day in a general location. one or two river arms, maybe a pattern like running points or just fishing main body areas following the wind. You won’t catch fish running across the water at 70-mph; so the more time spent with your trolling motor in the water and fishing where you know there are fish, the better chance you have of connecting and cashing that check.

Keep listening to the Bassmaster pros or the top echelon of FlW anglers and you will hear time and time again that they use reaction baits to locate schools of fish with limited pre fish. i am in firm agreement with that, if you can get the fish to hit reaction baits, or at least follow the bait and reveal their locations. i have found in actuality though, that happens for me, half the time at best. on the waters i visit.

The other half of the time, i have to use finesse or at least bottom or vertical types of baits - ones that the bass in a more neutral mood will come over and eat. The choice is yours of course; but several of my favorite reaction baits, for locating schools of fish include topwater, rip baits, crankbaits, mini or magnum swimbaits and the trusty Fluke.

For the less active fish, i usually reach for a nail-weighted Senko, dart head, drop shot rig and the Carolina rig. Unless there is a lake specific color the fish are really eating, i keep my selection very simple. Natural baitfish or crawdad colors work everywhere.

one of the similarities all these baits have in common is their ability to be fished fast as well as extremely slow. even the dart head which is ultra-finesse, can be fished in a rapid “shake, shake, shake” fashion as it swims down the bank or it can be cast out every 20-feet, left to fall to the bottom, shook a couple times and reeled back in, all the while

Issue 3 June 2012 19

the boat is covering water at a very moderate to rapid pace.

as a location tournament, having spent all your pre fish time looking to just locate schools of fish, now you have your whole tournament day to figure out how to get just five of those fish to bite. as simple as it sounds, make it a point to fish around big fish and you will be surprised what happens.

Nobody wins every tournament. As a visitor competing against locals, keep your expectations realistic. Unless you have a very strong network of anglers you share with, don’t expect to make the cut every time. don’t even expect to cash a check every time. Keep at it and you will see that figuring out unfamiliar bodies of water in such a limited time will make you a much more versatile and confident angler.

Moving from 4-lb test in crystal clear water in one location to 65-lb braid in murky and stained water at the next is very trying. it makes you have to perform at your best every day. When you start cashing those checks, be proud of your accomplishments. don’t focus on the one that got away or the guy that cut you off. look at the hurdle you had in front of you and

how you adapted to over come it and leave with some winnings. The top-10’s will come with time as things magically fall into place just as the so elusive “wins” will come as you learn, apply and adapt to this sport.

As a good friend once explained to me and I’ve learned to believe, i start each day knowing i’m going to catch my fish. i may not have any idea where, how or on what bait; but i know that if i keep my head down and pay attention to the little details, i will get the bites i need to compete.

i hope i have given you some fresh ideas regarding how i go about maximizing my time on the water and i have given you some tools to use to make the most of your limited pre-fish days. Good luck and always remember, if a single fishing day goes by that you don’t learn something new, you simply aren’t looking hard enough.

tournament pro Jim novotny is sponsored by Dobyns rods, which exclaims is “the best rod built-period”, P-Line and Costa Sunglasses. novotny notes his Costas help him locate fish and

structure others might miss.

Now that you have some areas to look at, just go fishing. As the day progresses you will be able to determine for yourself if this is going to set up as a pattern tournament or location tournament. There are advantages to both, but being that the water is unfamiliar to us, if the pattern is less than obvious we are at the disadvantage, because we will only know so many “similar” locations in which to run the pattern.

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By RANDy pRINglE

topwaterPhoto Credits: Jody Only

topping off with

an introduction to topwater baits

Issue 3 June 2012

It’s all about the blowup. You anglers know what i am talk-

ing about. You cast your selection out, it sits on the surface and that big bass blows up all over it. There’s nothing better. That’s what top water fishing is all about.

Casting in the right area can make the difference between small fish and large fish. You have to be accurate and cause a minimal amount of splash. You should always cast beyond your target and reel your bait into your target.

Selecting the right topwater bait is important. There is nothing worse than hearing about a bite, going out and doing the exact same thing and coming up blank. dock talk is good; however keep in mind you may not fish like the person that is sharing the information and you may not be fishing where that person is fishing.

The body of water that you are fishing may fish differently. The same body of water can fish different

on each end. Sun, water temperature and spawning availability are just some of the factors that can affect any given area of a fishery. Some areas are turning on when other areas are turning off.

top water fishing gets me going just talking about it. There are so many top water baits available, i would like to talk about some of my favorite baits and the elements that it are favorable to fish them in.

WaLKIng BaItSlet’s start out with the walking style baits. i use

the ima Big Stik and ima Skimmer. The Skimmer is a

21

toPWater BAIts

small, subtle walking bait. This bait is most effective when it is flat calm or there is just a hint of wind as a day with increased wind can make the bait difficult to be seen and very difficult for the fish to detect.

to fish this bait, twitch your rod in a downward motion while picking up the slack at the same time. Make sure you have some pauses and starts while you retrieve it. This will give the bait the illusion that it is injured. i recommend 12-pound-test mono. it seems to allow the bait to move side-to-side better. a larger line, will change the action on the bait to a tighter side-to-side movement.

The ima Big Stik can be fished in all different kinds of water conditions, flat calm or in the wind. This bait not only walks side-to-side, but will spit the water out in front of it. This gives the bait the look of fish feeding on other fish. there are a couple of ways to work this bait. For a longer side-to-side motion use 20- to 25-pound-test mono because of the stretch it produces during the twitch motion. this will give the bait a sweeping action, which is good when the body of water you are fishing is calm.

For a tighter side-to-side motion, choose braided line, 50- to 65-pound-test Spider Wire. Braid will allow the bait to turn on a dime because it has no stretch. in the wind this will help the bait spit water and make as much commotion as you need.

PoPPErSlet’s move on to another top water bait, the popper.

This is one of the most commonly fished baits among anglers. There is a wide price range

on popper style baits. You can pur-

chase one

from $3.50 to $20.00, each one will work.

one of my favorites is the medium-sized Persuader Popping Walker. This bait is very versatile. it can be fished in calm or windy conditions. Fishing this bait with 15-pound mono will help you walk this bait with a side-to-side action, while spitting water in front of it.

For your retrieve, start out by popping the bait and pausing. an example of the cadence would be pop, pop, pop, pause pop, pop, pause pop. The pauses between the pops combinations are important as the bass will often hit the bait during the pause. The pauses will vary, depending on if the water is warmer or colder. if it is cold, slow it down with longer pauses. if the water is warmer, speed it up.

WaKE BaItSWake baits are unique. They vary in size from

very large to very small. They are a very effective, methodical, slow-moving top water bait fished typically by throwing the bait out with a slow retrieve that makes a V across the water as it returns to you.

The ima roumba is one of the smaller choices in the wake bait family. typically, i like to fish this bait with 12- to 15-pound mono.

i like to tip the back of the bait with a hitchhiker screw and a straight tail worm or small swimbait tail to give it more action. This will allow the bait to buckle at the hitchhiker screw, giving the bait a bigger profile, making it a small lure that is a big fish bait. a larger wake bait is the optimum oB Minnow in a 7-inch size. This is a larger wake bait,

22

typically fished with 20- to 25-pound-test mono. This is definitely a larger profile bait than is a proven big fish bait.

Both the roumba and the oB Minnow are fished similarly. a factor for fishing these lures is the speed of the retrieve. if you crank the bait too fast it dives, too slow and the bait doesn’t make the V-pattern on the surface of the water. in both cases it will not give you that side-to-side snake like action, so make sure you are working on your retrieve speed. For maximum performance of these baits, fish them in little wind. if it is too windy, i would suggest a different choice for an effective topwater lure.

ProP BaItSThe bait that very few people talk about and one

i have been using for over 40-years is a prop bait, the ace in the Hole made by the Poe’s Company is one of my favorites. Prop baits are a bait that has propellers on the front, the back or both. When the bait is moved the propellers will turn and throw water into the air. This will make the bass think that other fish are being fed upon.

The ace in the Hole comes in two sizes - small and large. For the angler that likes lighter line and open style water the smaller of the two should be your pick with 12- to 15-pound mono.

if you’re going to fish heavier cover or areas where there is a bigger food source go to the larger of the two and go bigger on the line size such as 15- to 20-pound-test.

The proper way to fish this bait is a stop and start with downward motion of the rod tip. Sharp pulls in

combinations of one, two and three should be used. Change it up with your combinations and have pauses between the pulls. The pauses can vary depending on how the bass wants it.

if out-of-the-box, the bait propellers don’t turn freely, pitch them by turning them more towards the inside like a plane’s

propellers. This will allow the water to push the blades in a rotating manner when pulled. Just a note from experience, when using braided line on this bait, the tendency is the braid will get wrapped up in the front prop a lot so mono is a better choice.

BUZZ BaItSlast but not least is the buzz bait. there are many to

choose from. i am a Persuader Buzz Bait man, been there for many years now. the philosophy in my mind is to get the buzz bait to the surface quick and easy. Persuader’s Buzz Baits feature a flat head that allows the bait to come to the surface quickly with very little effort.

There are a few factors you need to know before you select the right buzz bait. The first question when selecting your buzz bait is wind or no wind? in the case of a windy day, you need the bass to hear it coming so select a buzz bait that will make a loud nose. a couple of suggestions are to pick one with a clacker or a double blade as you need to make a little chatter to call Mr. Bass.

in the flat water a lot of the time you will want to be more subtle and choose a triple wing, a single blade or a blade in blade. all of these are quiet style buzz baits.

if you find that the fish are missing your buzz bait, go to a lighter one or a more winged buzz bait as this will keep the buzz bait in the strike zone longer.

When you start to break it down, whether it is cold, hot, windy or flat calm, there is a perfect selection of surface plugs available to you.

The color of your bait, comes down to clarity of water and food source. try to match the food source. if the water is dingier, go a little brighter and if the water is clearer, go a little lighter. don’t make it too difficult. remember as someone once told me, bass have a brain that is the size of a pea. i think sometimes they are smarter than we are.

Issue 3 June 2012 23

24

ColleGe FIshINg

College fishing is well established and con-tinues to get more and more attention. Whether you’re an incoming freshman or a current student with a passion for bass

fishing, summer is the time to start your career in college fishing. does your school have a fishing club? do they compete in any collegiate bass tour-naments? How do you get involved?

There are over 150 colleges and universities nationwide with fishing clubs. each year more clubs are being formed and are entering in collegiate bass fishing circuits. if you run an internet search for collegiate bass fishing, you become overwhelmed with results and may not be able to make heads or tails of it all. in this article i am going to break

down each collegiate fishing circuit and help you successfully begin your collegiate fishing career.

gEttIng StartEDin order to fish on a collegiate circuit your team

must be formed under your university’s fish club. This means your first job is to locate your school’s existing club or start a new one. each university is different, but most have a club day where you will have an opportunity to seek out the fishing crew and make your interest be known. if you are unable to attend the event, find the club’s office and they can get you in touch with the right people. running a club requires work. trusted officers are vital and so is an advisor whom is willing to be supportive year round; because bass fishing often goes into the summer and

By JEN EDgAR

college fishing101

Here is a quick breakdown of collegiate bass fisHing circuits: BoatUS collegiate Bass Fishing Championship- supported by the aCa (association of Collegiate anglers) and The Bass Federation, was started in 2006. Most of their tournaments are in the eastern US, except for texas. They provide scholarships, contingency and discount programs. They are televised on Versus which is incorporated into NBC Sports. Their website is www.collegiatebasschampionship.com FLW College Fishing - Supported by the FlW and National Guard, was started in 2009. They have separated the US into different regions, and is one of the few circuits who come to the west coast. They provide boats, travel assistance, scholarships, and incentive programs. The regional and championship rounds are televised on Versus and online at www.flwoutdoors.com . Their website is www.collegefishing.com Bassmaster College Series- Supported by BaSS, is a circuit which seems to keep changing sponsors and layout every season. They mainly host tournaments in the eastern US, with one “Western Wildcard” tournament every year, which is not nearly as supported as the other western events. They televise events on eSPNU and their website is www.bassmaster.com/college

Issue 3 June 2012 25

during breaks and you will need that good support system to be successful and keep your club going. always remember you are representing your university and your team’s reputation, because you are!

You need to know what collegiate circuits are in existence and choosing which circuits are best for your club to fish is important. locality is everything, especially to us who are full time students and have to making a living as well. locality decides time management, success and most importantly finances. if a tournament is far away, it will cost more to participate, you may not have pre-fishing time and managing studies is more difficult, which essentially decreases your possibilities of success. Success is vital to your club, because the more successful the team is the more financial backing there is which increases the longevity of the club.

Basically, if you’re in the western U.S., FlW College is the way to go. They put on awesome tournaments, and give your club just as much support and opportunities as the other circuits if not more.

InVoLVEmEntSo now that you’ve got your club set up and

decided which tournaments to participate in, what’s next? Well, sponsorships and gaining local support is not a must, but it does go a long way. The most important piece of information i can provide is to always keep in mind you are the future of this sport. respect this because others will too, don’t take it for granted. because bad relationships will ruin your career.

local support comes in many forms, it is important to take into consideration all opportunities that approach you and always look for ways to return the favor. Joining a local bass club is a great form of

support. From these local anglers, you will get in practice time, experience in tournament situations and support you wouldn’t expect. The people in the tackle shops and those you bump into fishing local lakes enjoy the sport just as much as you do and are usually willing to help out college kids because we are the future of this sport.

a word on getting sponsored. everybody wants to be sponsored, yet only about 10 percent actually know what it means to have a sponsorship and use it correctly. a sponsorship is a tool, a valuable relationship, and is vital to your success and reputation. don’t go out and get so many sponsors you don’t know what to do with and don’t immediately accept any offer given to you.

Network with people, build relationships and most importantly be smart. i only want to represent a company and product i use and believe in. i believe strongly in quality over quantity. Sponsorships are hard work, you might as well be putting forth the effort for something that benefits both you and your sponsor.

This article is written to help you get a successful start in a collegiate bass fishing career. remember it is still a growing sport and every year circuits add something new and improved, so keep a lookout. don’t forget to get out this summer and get ready for some good old college fishing!

new berlin, wis. (March XX, 2012) — G2 reports, Human intelligence briefs, rules of engagement and after action reviews are jargon used in the military – and on Force on Force, a new series focused on tournament style fish-ing pitting military branches against each other, exclusively on Sportsman Channel, the leader in outdoor tV for the american Sportsman. led by Ground Commander, Major Cody roberson, each episode will showcase two branches of the military, using fishing rods as their weapons of choice, as they fight to stay in the competition. The new series premieres on Saturday, March 31 at 8:30 pm e/P.

each episode begins at the toC (tactical op-erations center) with a briefing where the teams are given their mission: catch five legal fish within six hours on Choke Canyon lake in southern texas. They also learn the roe (rules of engage-ment), human intelligence reports and terrain analysis. What this really means is they meet their competitors and learn everything they can about their strengths and weaknesses as well as the lake’s condition for that time of year.

“This show is set up like a platoon level op-eration utilizing just like a small squad of six to

12 personnel. everything you see on the show is exactly how we receive and carry out orders in the military,” said Major roberson, host. “if you are associated with the military in any way, you’ll appreciate how the fishing competition is set up. The team that fails to carry out their mission is eliminated. it’s that simple—achieve mission ac-complish or die tryin (not literally).”

But for those who are successful in their mission live to fight another day and stay in the tournament, with the final two teams battling it out during the series season finale in June.

“The last episode is the Championship where both teams are fishing on behalf of veterans. We wanted to show how much we appreciate their service to our country,” said Major roberson.

The first place winner receives a Skeeter Zx170 boat with trailer and tackle. Second place wins a filmed hunt with tV show, Veteran out-doors.

“Most fishing shows are set up showing the hosts battling fish on numerous lakes during varying times of the year. This is held on oNe lake during the same season. When you keep the fac-

SUPPORT.DEFEND.FISH.

JaRHEaDS, DEvIl DOgS aND Navy FlUNkIES FIgHT IT OUT ON THE WaTER IN NEW SERIES:

FORcE ON FORcE

26

BRaND NEW SERIES PITS aRmy vERSUS Navy vERSUS maRINES vERSUS aIR FORcE IN a PlaTOON lEvEl OPERaTION

Issue 3 June 2012 27

tors the same, then it really becomes more about skill and your ability to adapt and overcome and make mission,” state Major roberson.

to learn more about Force on Force, visit www.armybassanglers.com/television/ or if you think you got what it takes to go head-to-head and represent your branch of service visit them at www.armybassanglers.com and join the Coali-tion Pro Staff or task Force for your chance to be on ForCe on ForCe — HooaH!

mEDIa cONTacTS: Michelle Scheuermann, 262.825.7126 ;mscheuermann@thesportsmanchannel.com

ryan nolan, 262.432.9100 ex 117 rnolan@thesportsmanchannel.com

Mark Braff, Braff Communicationsmbraff@thesportsmanchannel.com

aBOUT SPORTSmaN cHaNNEl: launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel, and Sportsman Hd, is the only television and digital media company fully devoted to the more than 82 million sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Sportsman Channel reaches more than 31 million U.S. television households and is available in Hd. Visit www.sportsmanhd.com for more information.

www.twitter.com/ SPortSMaNchnl

www.facebook.com/ sportsmanchannel

www.thesportsmanchannel.com

28

By JoDy oNly

deephoward hughes

summer structure fishing with

Story & Photos

Issue 3 June 2012 29

As the days begin to lengthen and warm, fishermen often have their heads turned from the offerings of the deep water to the shallow banks where the bass can be

found tucked under the thickest canopy of mats or a shade pocket provided by a bank tree. Veteran tour-nament pro Howard Hughes has learned not to be so easily swayed to the shallow end of the casting pool and look to see what the deep water has to offer.

a summer technique at the heart of the Hughes hunt for big bass is deep water structure fishing and here he shares the basics.

targEtS & tranSItIonSWith experience that spans over 35-years

Hughes said that when he talks about deep water, he is talking 25- to 50-feet. He then defined his thoughts on structure saying, “it is any element that stands out - any things that shows a change. it could be things like rocks, bluffs, points, bridge pilings, creek channels or even erosion.” He excluded vegetation in his deep water structure

definition explaining there isn’t really any growth deeper than 20-feet unless it is flooded trees.

He continued his description of the deep saying after the structure is discovered a further investigation must be made to find the “sub structure”. defining sub structure as the “sweet spot” on the structure, Hughes said, “it is the transitions you find on structure - little flats, drops offs, ledges, rocky bottom, mud lines - even deflection of a point can be sub structure - any transitions you find on your main structure points.”

Noting that electronics are an absolute essential for a swift and efficient way to locate his target, Hughes stated his must-have unit is the lowrance HdS with StructureScan. “it is possible to visually evaluate the shoreline and follow it under the water to assess submerged structure lines; but electronics make it quicker and find components that could be missed

and other factors such as baitfish and the thermocline,” stated Hughes. He also suggested the use of paper topo maps for an even more intense study, especially in unfamiliar waters. PattErnS & tEch-nIQUES

hughes utilizes his Lowrance hDS to find deep structure and transitions on the structure.

30

deeP stRUctURE

“Summer fish move horizontally and in winter they move up and down,” stated Hughes. “This is important to keep in mind when you are fishing. if you mark baitfish and feeding bass at 30-feet in open water then that is the depth you want to hit on the points.” He mentioned that you can determine how well the fish will bite by how close they are to the baitfish.

“i always have a rod ready for a vertical presentation when i come across them on the meter,” he revealed. “i will immediately drop down on them and most of the time i will get one to bite; but you’ve got to move quick when you do this. especially when you’re fishing spots. They are more like trout - a lot more migratory. it’s hard to pinpoint them. They move in large schools of 20 or 30 fish and cover a lot of territory. When you find ‘em - enjoy it, they won’t be there tomorrow.”

typically, Hughes will start with a dart head as his first choice. “i like a 1/4 and 1/8-oz head with the smallest hook i can get away with,” stated Hughes. “The smaller the hook, the better the action. Some people don’t know; but the hook size changes and limits the action of the worm. a longer hook acts like a keel and a smaller hook will allow more action and present with more wiggle and a roll on a fall. a hook acts to the bait like a fin on a fish; so i always try to use the smallest hook i can. i like the Gamakatsu #1 or #2 hook on my dart heads.” His setup for this on the lakes is 6-lb Berkley trilene 100% Fluorocarbon and a 6-inch Berkley Bottom Hopper in green pumpkin or shady watermelon. He notes he prefers painted dart head; but they are not an absolute necessity.

another deep water fave for Hughes is the dropshot. He rigs a 6-inch Berkley Finesse Hand Pour in the color warmouth or a prism shad roboworm on 6-lb Berkley trilene 100% Fluorocarbon with an exposed Gamakatsu drop/Split Shot Hook. He advised working this by dropping down and shaking vigorously for maximum jiggle.

other baits that Hughes reported as all-around good choices were a 4-inch Berkley Power Hawg or a reaction innovations Smallie Beaver. “Shaking a worm can always work well,” he continued. “a green pumpkin or baby bass Senko wacky rigged with a nail

weight is always a good choice. i fish a 5-inch Senko on a #2 Gamakatsu drop/Split Shot Hook

on 8-lb line. Basically, i stick to green and white when i choose colors.

occasionally i will use red.”Commenting that even

suspended fish can be enticed to bite in the summer, Hughes said, “one of

my favorite ways to get them deep is a 3/4-oz Shorty Hopkins Spoon.

i’ve killed ‘em at Shasta when it was 100-degrees outside on the Shorty Hopkins.”

When fishing the Hopkins Spoon, the setup Hughes puts to use starts with 12-lb Berkley trilene 100% Fluorocarbon. adding a ball bearing swivel with a 2-ft leader is a trick that he has learned to lessen line twist. an aggressive yo-yo action and a big, 4-ftvertical pull and drop down is what Hughes uses to attract the attention of his intended catch.

“one more great summer pattern is a heavy jig,” he added. “i’m using a 3/4- to 1-oz brown rodstrainer jig with a Yamamoto 5-inch Hula Grub. Fish this perpendicular to the bank, like a crankbait. Bump and hit and with every hit - jerk it up, never letting it settle anywhere. it is a really good reaction bait, especially when the water is drawn down or when you’re dragging a specific depth, when there is not much structure and you want to cover water.” He increases his line to 12-lb for his jig.

EQUIPmEnt“i’m always going to pick a Fenwick Medium

action rod for the lighter stuff and for the heavier stuff like when i’m spoonin’, i will go to a Fenwick Medium Heavy,” shared Hughes. “i use an abu Garcia revo Stx for my baitcaster and a Pflueger Patriarch 9540 spinning. i like this because of the light-weight, magnesium body and the large spool. a large spool reduces line twist. This reel is super smooth which is so important when feeling for the bottom. You don’t want to feel anything that comes from your hand, you only want to feel what’s on the bottom.”

Howard Hughes is a B.A.S.S. champion and has multiple top-10 finishes to his credit on ClearLake and Shasta in Bassmaster and FLW events. His most recent top-10 came last year at the Clear Lake FLW EverStart event, where using a technique he discussed here, Hughes reeled in Big Bass honors with a Clear Lake double-digit from 15-feet of water on 8-lb test. Hughes is sponsored by Ranger Boats, Mercury

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FREquENTLy ASkED quESTIONS

larGeMoUtH tActIcs

When anglers across the country think of bass in the Pacific Northwest, they envision smallmouths; but speak with an avid bass angler from Wash., ore. or idaho and they get the most excited about largemouths! outside of the

area, very few people realize how good the largemouth bass fishing is and many are missing out on a lot of fun.

Sure, bass are bass anywhere in the country, but there are some distinct differences about the habitat in the oligotrophic and colder waters up north. Because the water is typically clear and

submerged vegetation can be sparse due to cold, infertile water, minor adjustments to typical

tactics can make the difference between success and failure.

For example, a grass flat on fertile waters like the Calif. delta may hold dozens of largemouths willing to stay buried in the grass as long as food and water qualities are favorable. an angler could fish this grass bed for many hours, and continue to catch largemouths while hardly moving the boat.

Very few waters in the Pacific Northwest produce numbers of largemouths in a concentrated area. in most cases, both the bass and the successful angler cover more water between bites.

Because the water is clear, largemouths here rely more heavily on their sense of sight compared to those living in murky waters. The wise angler adjusts accordingly by using more natural colors and by toning down the vibration and flash. Bright, gaudy colors are reserved for stormy weather, or other periods of low

light levels.

By mARc mARcANtoNIoStory & Photo

Summer Largemouth tacticS in the Pacific Northwest

32

Mike Matkowski of Kennewick, WA and a 7-lb largemouth from Potholes reservoir. he caught the bass on a spinning rod with braided line (with a wacky-rigged Senko)

Issue 3 June 2012 33

It is common knowledge that summer largemouths relate to shade everywhere bass live. Yet in the Pacific Northwest, shade is probably one factor that many overlook. When searching for shallow largemouths, shade can be the best “cover” available. largemouths use the shade for a hunting advantage, making them less visible to prey and making passing prey more visible. likewise anglers can be more visible, so using stealthy tactics and subdued colors in your clothing and boat improve your success. exploit every bit of shade you find, whether it be from a boulder, log, dock, anchored boat, or along weed edges.

tactics that utilize slowly moving lures should be natural and convincing. The clear water and slow speed allows a bass to stalk and carefully inspect the offering, rather than striking immediately upon detection (typical of largemouths in low-visibility habitats where snoozing means losing).

One successful tactic for summertime Northwest largemouths is using topwater lures. The surface disturbance created by topwater reduces their visibility, even in the clear water. Choose a topwater with a natural size, shape, and color like a Snag Proof tournament Frog, and you are ready to fool northern strain largemouths in any shade or weed patch. Not only is fishing a Snag Proof frog effective, but nothing is more fun than seeing Mama Pesce blow-up on your frog and pulling against the double 4/0 hook.

try skipping a frog under a dock, over a fallen tree, or into the most tangled beaver hut you can find. they won’t snag, and bass eagerly engulf them. Just make sure you use heavy braid and a rod with guts. Favorites include the lamiglas Certified Pro xC 725 tournament Frog rod, or the excel xl 735 C matched with 65lb test braid.

as mentioned earlier, largemouths often spread out in the sparse vegetation. if you want to cover a lot of water, the new Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect Buzz Frog is made to order. The soft body has kicker legs which churn the surface. additional disturbance and noise is created by an in-line buzzbait blade in front of the frog. This snag proof design allows you to fish where other buzzbaits can’t go, and the Gamakatsu double 4/0 hook brings the bass out of heavy cover and into your boat. You cannot go wrong with the natural colors like Brown Bullfrog.

Summer water temperatures in the Pacific Northwest put largemouths at the peak of their metabolism. Water temps of 72-degrees mean the

largemouths are snappin,’ so quickly-moving lures in the clear water draw vicious strikes. one deadly tactic below the surface takes the opposite approach of topwaters. Swimming a jig through and around sparse vegetation is effective since it appears natural (like a baitfish), and doesn’t over-power with excessive noise or vibration that doesn’t match the highly visible lure. add realistic swimming action to your swim jig with a soft plastic trailer.

The Yamamoto 4” Swim Senko or the 4.5” Hula Swimmer are great choices matched with a Blade runner swim jig. if you have any doubts of the effectiveness of swim jigs in the Pacific Northwest, just ask the swim jig master, Mike Wolsky, who recently nabbed a 7.30 northern-strain largemouth during a winning effort at a Northwest Bass tournament on lake Washington. Mike’s partner, professional angler ron Hobbs Jr. added another over 5-lbs as part of their 23+ pound mixed bag of largemouths and smallmouths.

even when largemouths are at their peak activity level, there are days in which active tactics fail to interest them. The Pacific Northwest is no different and the astute angler switches to more subtle tactics and the use of lures that gracefully flutter as they sink above a waiting largemouth.

No lure performs in this tactic better than a Yamamoto Senko rigged weightless on a Gamakatsu weedless Wicked Wacky hook. Braided line with a fluorocarbon leader allows the use of a spinning rod and reel for long distance casting, without sacrificing line strength. The long cast reduces the chance a large bass will first detect your presence and a wiggling soft plastic falling to the bottom is too much temptation for even non-active bass to refuse. Hook sets with this rig are as simple as tightening your line; the sharp hook and struggling bass does the rest.

Largemouth bass factories exist across the Pacific Northwest. Some of the most popular lakes include Potholes reservoir and Silver lake in Wash., tenmile lake, Crane Prairie and lake dorena in ore., and lake Coeur d’alene and Hayden lake in idaho. Many small lakes exist across these states and double digit largemouths are possible at many.

if you think only the smallmouth bass are worthy of attention in Pacific Northwest, you are missing out on a lot of action and one of the best kept secrets in the nation!

34

While the fishing industry is a business, it has not lost the realization that it is a business built around a hobby. While there are companies that some people would deem mono-

lithic in nature, there are those within those brands that continue to invest in the future of the sport.alongside those behemoth brands are continued evidence that the fishing industry is still

driven by passion. it seems that every week a new garage company is launched. Those companies

By DAN o’sUllIVAN

giving back I’m always amazed

at what the human spirit can do when motivated.

Story & Photos

Issue 3 June 2012

truly are the research and development department of the industry as a whole. in many cases, they produce the products that get the consumer excited about hot new techniques and trends.

The point behind all of the above is that even big companies don’t forget that the real magic behind our industry is that it is driven by passion for catching fish. Whether large or small, the industry knows that the key to being successful is to produce something that drives people’s passion for fishing.

Professional anglers are the same. all of them, whether it is the upper echelon pros, the journeyman or the rookie, got into this sport because they loved fishing, and while many of them have developed into tremendous businessmen, none of them have lost their love of the sport.

When that is truly evident is when they organize fishing days, charity outings and fundraisers. Many of them donate their time and money to charities all over the globe, but when it comes to fishing; and in

particular, fishing with kids is when their true heart is put on display.

There are three examples of that recently that elite Series pros have taken part in, or are about to take part in.

Most recently, Skeet Reese, from Auburn, Calif. just held his second Kids Fishing day as a fundraiser for the Meadow Vista Community Center. in 2011 the first event was held. There were around 400 kids that registered to fish and more than $6,000 was raised for the cause of helping to complete the community center project.

in 2012, the pre-registered kids exceeded the amount of those that attended the first event, and while we won’t know what the total monies raised for the project will be for a few more days, it will most likely be significant.

reese’s wife Kim had overseen the organizing of the vendors, permits and volunteers and did a masterful job of pulling them all together. While he

35

GiViNG BAcK

36

was most certainly proud of how the event went down, that wasn’t even the most important part of the day for reese.

reese said he had thought of doing Kids day events for as much as 10 years before doing the first one in 2011. He said that he has always had fond remembrances of catching his first fish when he was a child and it was the excitement of that fish that fueled him to want to do it more.

His desire for the Kids Fishing days he and his family have put on the last two years was about the fundraiser, but even more importantly; for him personally, it was about sharing his love of fishing with kids. in each event, there were reports of multiple kids that had caught their first fish, and with each mention, the look of emotion and satisfaction would wash over reese’s face. to him, the thought of any of those children growing up with fishing as a part of their lives because of that first fish was more important than any dollar amount earned towards any donation.

Randy Howell, an Elite Series pro from Springville, Ala. has been involved with a ministry called The King’s Home for the past two years.

The King’s Home is for abused, abandoned and neglected kids. The campus is set up with single family homes where the kids are given a place to live amongst a family instead of dorm style orphanages.

as a part of the program, Howell’s triton / Mercury package is used as a raffle prize as a fundraiser for the King’s Home program. tickets are sold at $100 a piece throughout the season and at the end of the elite Series schedule, the boat is raffled off to a winner and the proceeds are given to King’s Home. in 2011, the program raised over $90,000. But, like so many anglers, fishing is at the heart of the promotion.

Howell organized several fishing rodeos throughout the year as a part of the program that got kids outside and fishing, when they would likely be sitting inside with their hands wrapped around a fishing rod instead of a video game controller.

Another event is happening in 2012 that involves Kevin VanDam. Vandam has partnered with the detroit lions professional football team to put on a charity tournament June 12, 2012. Vandam and the lions each have their own charities that they will be funding with the event. The lions have planned on continuing their work with children and youth throughout the state and Vandam will continue to support youth fishing, the March of dimes and other child related organizations.

But, at the heart of the whole thing is fishing, and while any of these organizations or individuals could have merely sat back and collected money as donations, they decided to share the love of fishing with people in their areas.

it goes to show that taking a little time to give something back to the community from your heart can go a long way towards creating a new heartbeat in others. Fishing certainly needs to propagate new members of the family in order to see the family carry on, and there is no better way to do it than to share a day on the water or shore with someone you love, or someone you barely know.

We don’t even have to be top rated anglers to do it, to those kids, we might as well be the best in the world, because when we take a little time to invest in their future, the chances of them having one that involves fishing is much greater.

37Issue 3 June 2012

As summer approaches, the water warms, the days warm even more and the fishing is on at Lake Mead. It is a place I’ve

fished often in the summer months and in this article, I’m going to share some of the things that I have learned during my time on Mead.

With the start of summer beginning in June, the water temperatures begin to reach the high ‘70s as July and August approach the water temperatures rise even further into the ‘80s and don’t begin to cool until the fall. There are a large variety of lures that can be effective in the heat of the summer months. Here are some that I like most.

toPWatErI use a Rio Rico chugger

bait, a Zara Spook and a

Sammy. Start with these by fishing with all three of these baits to see which one the fish are in tune to. This can change from day-to-day and with weather conditions such as wind, calm and cloud cover (El Niño’s).

Generally, during the morning hours when it’s calm, the bass like a quiet, soft entry such as a Rio Rico and a balsa wood Sammy. I only use the Sammy under calm

By mIKE FolKEstADPhoto Credit: Jody Only

post spawn to summer fishing at

lake mead

conditions and the cadence I use with it is a soft walking action. With the Rio Rico, I use a slow, walking, spitting cadence. When the sun gets a little higher and there is a little ripple on the water, then the Spook can come into play. At this time the cadence should be faster.

Pay attention to the bite, there are certain days during the summer when bass will eat topwater all day long. The morning procedure is just the same as in the evening.

Areas to fish include flats, bays and secondary points. If there is cover such as brush and grass in the area, all the better. The biggest key is locating the areas that have a good amount of bait fish and that’s where you’ll find the wolf packs. You will have to spend more time making casts in areas with a limited amount of bait fish. Basically, I like shad colors for the Zara Spook like the silver flash. For the Rio Rico, I like the new Klicka Shad and for the Sammy, I like silver.

PLaStIcSTubes are another option in the heat of the

summer on Mead. Canyon and Yamamoto are my favorite brands of tubes. I fish them on a 1/8- to ¼-oz dart head buried in the tube on 6-lb Seaguar Fluoro. I always have a tube ready and my favorite thing is to use it for in the summer months as a follow-up bait for short strikes on topwater and followers.

As always, Yamamoto Senkos are a must-have. Areas that work for topwater also work for Senkos. you will find quite a few days that the bass will not commit to a topwater lure. This is when a Senko can work best. If

you know the

largemouth are around, stay off the fish and cast in a wacky rigged Senko on the lightest line you can get away with. I usually use 6- to 10-lb test. Make your casts by your targets, with a quiet entry and let it fall on slack line.

Another Yamamoto product - a grub can be an effective dropshot bait. The Yamamoto Grub and a

Roboworm are

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39

top dropshotting choices for me. I use 4 and 5-inch grubs and 4 ½, 6 or 7-inch Roboworms. For my Roboworm selection, I like Oxblood Light, People’s Choice, Aaron’s Magic, MM3, Morning Dawn and like Gary Klein says if you’re not using a Folkestad Special, you’re using the wrong color. When dropshotting in limited cover, I nose hook my baits and in heavier cover I use a Robo rebarb hook. I tend to use the dropshot when the sun is high and the shade is limited. I concentrate on fishing below the light break on structure. The gear I use is a silver Daiwa Drop Shot rod with a Fuego 2000 reel with 6-lb Seaguar.

othErThere can be a real good jig bite during the

summer months at Lake Mead and what I usually use is a ¾- to 1-oz football head with a Yamamoto skirt and trailer. I stay with shad patterns and I like to fish the jig on steep walls, points and drop offs, where I have located clouds of bait with my Lowrance HDS. I use 15- to 20-pound-test Seaguar Invizx and fish the jig fast with a lot of hopping action triggering a reaction bite.

When there are heavier winds, I look for the spinner bait bite and go to the banks that get a mud line on them. I always use a ½- to ¾-oz double willow in shad patterns. I fish the bait quickly, not much deeper than 3- to 4-ft.

The chatterbait can also be productive in the backs of coves and guts that have submerged brush in them in the presence of pan fish. I use a ½-oz and with a bluegill pattern. The colors, techniques and patterns seem to be never-ending, but the above are good starting points.

a PErSonaL tIPDuring the warmer months a basic, but

extremely important thing to remember at Mead is staying hydrated. Some tips to ensure health and comfort are to stay away from alcohol, wear a wide brim hat, drink fluids the night before and the morning before you start fishing. If you start getting too hot, throw a towel in the water or wrap the towel around you as you drive from spot to spot. It’s like a swamp cooler.

Issue 3 June 2012

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40

By tAmI cURtIsPh

oto

Cred

it: ta

mi C

urtis

The 10-inch Mavrick tami’s rock ‘n roller

on every lake

summertimesuccess

Issue 3 June 2012

m y favorite method during the summer months on any lake across the nation is dropshotting. You can always catch fish dropshotting. Sometimes, you

don’t always get the quality, but you can get quan-tity. My favorite outfit is a Folkestad 6’10” silver drop shot rod with a 2000 daiwa Ballistic reel with 6-lb test Fluorocarbon. i use Maverick and robo-worms in a variety of colors.

My most exciting method is fishing frogs. This works well in the summer on lakes that have lots of tule grass and some brush. My favorite cover is tule, grass number two, brush number three. The frog colors i like are whites, yellows and browns. i like to put black dots on the white bottom on the right and left hand sides. i always cut one tail a little shorter than the other at an angle. This helps the frogs walk easier. i use 55-lb Samurai braided line on a daiwa frog’n rod with a Zillion reel.

another pattern to look for in early mornings on all lakes with cover is the buzzbait. i like to use a ½-oz klacker buzzbait loaded with 55-lb test Samurai braid on a 7-ft medium-heavy daiwa rod with a Zillion reel.

You need to make a lot of casts and cover a lot of water, the bites can be exciting and produce bigger than average bass.

another pattern that works across the country is a walking bait such as the Zara spook and a Suave made by lobina lures. i also use a chugger type bait a rico or a rio rico also manufactured by lobina lures. i generally use all the above lures in shad patterns such as Silver Flash, Hologram Shad and the Sexy Shad.

during the summer months, i usually use a fast retrieve with a few pauses. i like to make my ricos spit during the summer not chug. another method that i had kept quiet about for several years, but is now out in the open is fishing a cut down Yamamoto Swimming Senko on a pyramid head, dart head and dropshot. it has worked on every lake that i have fished.

another favorite is fishing Yamamoto Grubs on 1/8- to 1/4-oz dart heads and sometimes i dropshot a Yamamoto Grub on 6-lb test Fluorocarbon. i always fish the dart heads on a daiwa spinning rod and reel. i rig them a variety of ways. When the fish are suspended and not in structure, i like to use an open hook. When they are in cover, i fish them weedless, texas rigged on the dart head.

My favorite Yamamoto Grub colors are the smoke blue pearl, smoke with silver flake, green pumpkin, firecracker (nicknamed Captain america), i fish all these in 4 or 5-inch trying to match the hatch.

When the bass get structured up during the day when the sun is high and they are below the light break, i have found that a shakey head with a 4 or 6-inch Maverick worm works well.

i also like to use a 3/8-oz or ½-oz football head jig with a Yamamoto double tail in 4 or 5-inch. Generally a fast hopping retrieve triggers a reaction bite. Spinnerbaits will work well during the summertime when we have windy conditions or mud lines and cloud cover. i like to fish it quick, casting past the available cover and running the spinnerbait as close to cover as possible. Bumping the cover with the spinnerbait will definitely increase the percentage of bites. another trick is to run it past fast the cover and stall the bait and let it descend. one of these two methods will generally draw the fish out of the cover or shade, but you need the wind or the mud line or the clouds. if it’s bright skies, don’t waste your time.

When the fish are suspended and chasing shad, i like to use a 4-inch weightless Yamamoto Senko in shad colors such as smoke pearl blue, milk with silver flake, rainbow trout laminate, and smoke with silver flake. i fish this wacky rigged on a daiwa spinning rod with 6-lb test. it is important to fish this with 100 percent slack line and let the natural weight of the Senko and wind currents provide the action. You would be pleasantly surprised with how many fish and decent ones that you can catch with this method.

last but not least, another method i forgot to mention earlier is fishing the Maverick 10-inch tami’s rock ‘n roller on a dropshot. This has produced well on all waters. i fish it with a minimum of 11-inch or more leader length and 3/16- to ¼-oz weight. i violently shake it, then pause, i violently shake it again then pause. it seems to call the fish out and many times when the fish bite it, it is VioleNt! one of my favorite places to fish it is around docks. The action of the worm is that of a twisting night crawler or a crazy snake!

all the above methods have worked for me on every lake i’ve fished. Give these patterns a try and i believe you won’t be disappointed.

Professional co angler Tami Curtis is the producer of www.TCsportsReport.com and the TV show Fish’n 4 FUN. Each will feature upcoming information on swimming Senko. Her namesake Maverick worm

can be purchased online at www.TackleIt.biz

41

42

exPeCt ADJUstmENts

As bass anglers, we all are faced with the inevitable adjustment. The small deci-sions that are so important during a day on the water. on weigh in stages across

the country this word is repeated event after event. Sometimes it’s the winner explaining how daily ad-justments helped them stay on the winning fish. The small alteration he made from his initial game plan that propelled him to victory. other times, and most often, it’s the adjustments a competitor mentions that he would of and should have made during the course of the event. often it’s a missed opportunity or a window of changing conditions that were inex-plicably missed. Whichever side of the fence you are on, adjustments impact your fishing success.

This being said, anglers can only adjust if they are prepared to do so and that is what this article is about! Being prepared to adjust and some good reasons for it.

No matter how strong any pattern or group of fish may seem during

tournament practice, fish are tricky little creatures and the weather is never static. to stay on top of things there are two rules i try to always follow.

First rule: Expect change! Second rule: Never be unprepared!This may sound over simplified, but it is really

important and is the foundation of my fishing success. There is no magic secret and no angler is immune to failure. decisions and adjustments separate the winners from the others.

The first rule, when i’m smart enough to follow it, keeps me thinking and paying attention to the small details like the angle of the sun on a specific dock holding fish and where they may be in the morning versus the afternoon.

The second rule means i have maybe up to 15 rods stowed in the rod lockers and a small tackle store in

the compartments. i may expect to catch them on a top-water, but i

the inevitable

adjustment!

Issue 3 June 2012 43

By zAcK thompsoNPhotos by Jody Only

adjustment! An assortment of green pumpkin and black and blue colored plastics. At least a pack of creature baits, finesse worms, tubes and craws. I prefer Berkley HAVOC Pit Bosses, HAVOC Bottom Hopper Worms, HAVOC Smash Tubes and PowerBait Chigger Craws. These few shapes and colors will work in clear water and muddy water and catch bass in any lake. Now I’m not saying to not have other colors; but I never leave the dock without these.

An assortment of crankbaits from shallow squarebills to deep divers. One box with just a few of each in craw and shad colors will work better than none at all. Always have some cranks!

An assortment of scrounger heads from 3/16- to 3/8-oz and shad colored PowerBait minnows in 4-inch. These baits will catch fish in every month of the year and are deadly on schooling bass.

Some ½-oz spinnerbait bodies and an assortment of loose skirts in different colors. A couple bodies mix and matched with different skirts can make all the difference and you won’t have the wrong color blades.

A box with an assortment of topwater baits. Spooks, poppers, buzzbaits and frogs, at least. Even in the winter you don’t want to be caught out without them.

Football jig heads with weed guards from ¼- to ¾-oz and assorted jig skirts. Again like the spinnerbaits, you can make any jig color and size you may need for the rest of the day.

Some 3/8 and ½-oz chatterbaits. You can use the jig shirts and spinnerbait skirts to modify colors and any of the plastics mentioned as trailers, depending on what you need.

A very well equipped hook and weight box. This box should NEVER LEAVE THE BOAT and should ALWAYS be restocked before an event. There is never a good excuse for using a dull hook and not having the right weight.

Filler spools of Trilene 100% fluorocarbon in tests from 6- to 20-lbs. Not only for the unexpected change in technique, but to also to rebound from a catastrophic backlash.

An assortment of 5-inch Berkley Hollow Belly Swimbaits. These are very effective as trailers and stand alone swimbaits.

A bottle of Mend-It soft bait adhesive, a tube of super glue, and a chartreuse Spike It bait marker. These will mend broken bait, and allow for on the fly modifications.

At least one back up reel. You just never know when one will fail, breaks or will get stepped on.

Now as far as always being prepared, no one can carry every lure and bait, but there are a few that I feel should never be left behind. The following is a rough list and will do as a bare bones must have stockpile:

44

exPeCt ADJUstmENsts

don’t leave the dock unprepared for

finesse. in my experience i have missed more adjustments due to not having followed the second rule.

There were times early in my tournament career where i was caught out during competition without the necessary tools. each time i would learn a bit more until i arrived at a place of clarity. That was realizing i had to carry all the baits i may need. This also meant having a flippin’ stick even if i was planning on fishing deep and all the tackle associated with it.

a great example of breaking the second rule was an event years ago at lake oroville. i was expecting - like everyone else- to be fishing for spotted bass with the usual light line and finesse techniques. i readied my boat with numerous spinning rods and a few light action reaction bait rods. it was early spring and there had been some serious rain the days prior to the event. i knew the bass would be near the running water in the drains and creeks, but i had not expected what happened next. as i began to fish the running water, i encountered a few drains that had accumulated a bunch of floating wood chinks and debris. i cast at the edge of the junk and hooked a better than average bass.

Great news, i found the better ones! So after culling, i made a cast behind the junk, where the water ran into the lake. immediately, i hooked up with something big and my 6-lb line was no match for it and i got broke off in a bad way. i re tied and

sent another bait into the running water and it happened again. i’m left standing there dumbfounded. i quickly tie on a bait to the heaviest setup i had in the boat, unfortunately it was only 12-lb test. That was the strongest i had with me.

as the day progressed i quickly realized i had found a really strong pattern, and hooked some big ones but lost more than i landed. i was disgusted! The fish were not line shy and had i been prepared with a flippin’ stick, which i had in the hotel room, i may have made a run at the leader.

The second day I hit the water loaded for bear, braided line and big sticks on the deck. of course the big ones were not so eager to bite and i managed only a few quality bites and i ended the event just missing a check.

That experience served as my epiphany, don’t leave the dock unprepared for anything. Now i always have at least one flippin’ stick and at least one spinning rod and something to at least cover everything in between in the boat every day.

Now this does not mean you have to carry 20 rod and reel combos, but at the least carry filler spools of heavy and light lines for an emergency re-spool.

as an example of the first rule, i’d like to explain how i came to win my Bassmaster open title at Clear lake in the fall of 2004. after days of practicing,

having found solid groups of shallow bass in the

Issue 3 June 2012 45

north end of the lake eating rattletraps, on the last day of practice i decided to revisit some southern portions of the lake.

i did not want to hurt my fish and fully expected to spend the day eliminating water. to even better the story, i equipped myself with some jigging spoons because the dock talk was there were some big crappie biting spoons down south and the thought of catching some slabs excited me.

i was by no means a jigging spoon master, far from it. So as i poked around catching some small keeper bass here and there, i looked down on my graph and saw some serious activity in about 20-feet. i thought to myself, there are some of those crappie.

as my ¾-oz spoon plummeted to the bottom, i felt a thud. Setting the hook, the weight of the fish immediately let me know this was no crappie! i landed a 5-lb bass and threw it in the live well and immediately dropped the spoon back down. Thud, i set into another big bass, this one just under 5-lbs!

i was staggered and my mind clicked from eliminating water to the realization i may have found the mother lode. i had never fished an event where spooning was my primary big fish pattern but i was about to. i rigged all my rods as i had originally expected to because at this point in my career i knew just because they bit yesterday did not mean they would bite tomorrow, but i was going to try.

as we blasted off the next morning i headed straight to the spot. The first few drops yielded a 9-lb bass which ended up as the largest of the event and over the course of the next three days that spot and others i was able to find during the event that had similar bait schools and schools of bass propelled me to win the event.

This event was my second epiphany and the tenet of rule number one, always expect change, especially when you think you have it figured out the most.

Use this list as a starting point and you will never be totally caught off guard. This covers something from the surface to the bottom and everything in between. Keep in mind that just having the baits in the boat and rods in the locker will not make the adjustments for you. as an angler, you have to stay focused and observant. look for the small obscurities

and subtleties of each bite and never be unwilling to follow your instincts.

every successful day is a product of timing, execution and adjustments. Next time you will be sure to be ready for anything that may arise.

Zack Thompson is sponsored by Construction, CHt tackle, Berkley, abu-Garcia, trilene, Spiderwire, HaVoC, ranger Boats and C&C Marine.

doUBle G tEchNIqUE

46

By JoDy oNlyStory & Photos

doubleGis shootin’ for the shallow bass

When i’m going shallow, i’m looking at structure, weather patterns and times of year,” said 2-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Greg Gutierrez. “i want areas that heat up the quickest, that have emergent growth and low water levels. i check tule patches, little pockets and backs of creeks. i want to find

active fish that are feeding in these areas. it is a great way to find the big ones.”The B.a.S.S. champion shared some of the specifics he keeps in mind when he’s goin’

shallow.Big bass can make themselves at home in less than 3-feet of water and this is the depth that Gutierrez said he had in mind when he is talking “shallow”.

“i don’t call it shallow until i have to raise the motor,” said Gutierrez also known as double G.

Issue 3 June 2012 47

PractIcE YoUr PrESEntatIon

“Precision is everything; you cannot cast haphazardly,” explained Gutierrez. “You’ve got to put it in the hole in the canopy, perfectly and quietly. You cannot bomb the fish. You cannot startle the fish. accuracy and stealth are even more important when you’re up shallow; because it is so easy to spook them. Boat movements and the noise you create moving in the boat are all part of being stealth.”

His best bet for a bait when he is beatin’ the banks is a two prong approach that includes a Skinny dipper and Sweat Beaver both made by reaction innovations. “The Beaver is versatile as you can cast it and work it like a worm - a profile that appeals to any appetite,” said Gutierrez.

He keeps the bait colors simple with green pumpkin type shades in clear water and darkens it up with natural hues like black and red or black and blue in stained water. “i really like the color Spanish Fly; it stands out against the grass real well,” he noted.

gEttIn’ StartEDdouble G gets his shallow water bass assault

started by swimming a Skinny dipper. “That’s what i use when i’m feelin’ for a bite,” stated the tournament pro. “i use it lookin’ for a reaction bite. i may start with big flats with lots of grass, cover a lot of water and

look for reactive fish. You can throw this out and fish it like a

swimbait, next to weed lines, in lanes of grass and by ambush points.

The odds are - the more casts you make, the more opportunities you have to get a bite.

if he finds the fish aren’t going for his first presentation or if he is just “getting nudges” he will slow down and start flippin’ into pockets. “Get that Skinny dipper in between the tule lanes, in the pockets - in the sweet spots,” advised Gutierrez. “When i flip, i flip excruciatingly slow and i flip everything. i will flip a three foot area over and over, reaching every angle until i get it the way they want it. You have to listen to the fish.”

a cast every 10- to12-feet may be good enough when you’re covering water; but Gutierrez suggested tightening up may be necessary. He shared he may flip five or 10 times in a 4-foot area; he may run a 20-yard bank flippin it the length of a fish - every 16- to 18-inches. it all depends on what the fish tell him.

“if i believe in the bank or a bush, i will put that kind of time into it,” he explained. “i will put the Power Poles down every 5- to

10-feet, around a bush, or a flat or whatever and i will hit every part. i go to the front, then the sides, then the heart and then the back. it is a meticulous process and you want to work your way in, so not to scare off any fish with a big bomb from the start. This will really test your conviction and like i said, you have to believe in your bush or your bank to do it. remember - you’re looking for five big bites.”

doUBle G tEchNIqUE

“a good way to tell how far apart your casts should be is by how hard the fish are hitting your bait,” he continued. “if they bite it hard, then they came from a ways away and ran it down. if the bite feels like it just got heavy, then they didn’t move that far to get it. When they’re really hammerin’ it, they’re moving at least two or three feet to get it. listen to them to dictate your casting space” .

gEar“i like the Skinny dipper on a

Scrounger Head for increased vibration, primarily a 5/0, 6/0 or 7/0 hook,” explained Gutierrez. i like a big hook when i’m texas rigging it, unless i’m not using a weight then i want a 5/0. i fish this fast, just flippin’ the tops of grass or sometimes i use a pause and sink retrieve. i keep my rod at the 10 o’clock position and when the fish

rush on it, i have good hookset power.”

“For flippin’, i like a 5/0 Bass Pro Shops round bend hook or an owner Thin Wire hook, because they penetrate easy and don’t straighten out,” he continued. “ i use a shrink tube barb to preserve my baits, time, money and to get more casts in. For my weight i like a tungsten 1/4- to 1/2-oz without the insert.”

Gutierrez broke down the rod, reel and line he prefers. “i use a heavy action Flippin’ Stick with a fast tip up to 7’11”, sometimes a moderate action rod is better for shock absorption and moving line without overpowering it,” he explained. “as for my reels, i use the revo Stx 6.4:1. it has the strongest drag and is light weight and comfortable. There are times i will set aside the high speed reel aside and go to a 5:1, when i need to force myself to pick a part an area.”

He explained that the SideScan feature on his lowrance HdS is a tool he puts into action in early spring to locate targets that he uses throughout the season. “Because there are little to no weeds compared to summer, the early spring is a great time to look for and mark rock piles, logs, drop-offs and other shallow water structure that will be hidden by vegetation later,” he continued. “Side imaging is perfect for this.”

Following this advice on the basics of targeting shallow water, double G concluded with one last tip. “don’t be afraid to go shallow; there are more fish shallow, more often than you think. it is much easier to fish shallow than to find the little nuggets out deep, which are a lot more work to locate.”

48

a daY WitH AN ElItE

50

The Bassmaster elite Series anglers are widely recognized as the best bass anglers in the world. What makes them so good? are they really that much better than your

average tournament angler? That is up to debate, but one of the best ways to see for yourself is to sign up as a Bassmaster elite Series Marshal. i had the chance to do this on Florida’s lake okeechobee this March and was paired with a rookie, California’s own Chris Zaldain.

although he didn’t fare as well as he had hoped, he proved that there is a reason that some are considered elite. From my observations, there are several things that separate the elite from the average tournament fisherman - flawless mechanics, an unmatched intensity and the decision making during the day.

gEttIng StartEDThe first morning of an elite Series event is

exciting; anglers and marshals move about and media representatives conduct interviews and take photos and videos of the fishermen. The B.a.S.S. staff makes sure everything is in order and emcee dave Mercer entertains the crowd of friends, family members and fans of the anglers. it was a relaxing morning, but that was soon to change.

as our boat number was called, it was off to the races in a trail of boat wakes and the sight of brightly colored wrapped boats going in every direction. our first run was towards an area known as the “Monkey Box”. The drive from the north end of the lake to “The Box”, as it is known, is around 25- to30-minutes on

a calm day. Part of the run was through boat lanes in between the grass that were barely wide enough to fit a boat with the water being less than two feet deep at the time. it was an exhilarating run and was made even more exciting as we narrowly passed Kevin Vandam in one of the open areas.

as we entered a more open area of the lake, the water became much rougher; but Zaldain’s driving skills made it unnoticeable and we were still able to travel at a high rate of speed towards our first stop.

The Monkey Box is an ideal place to fish matted vegetation; because it is very plentiful and consists of the right mixture of different aquatic species. Hydrilla, lily pads, eel grass, pepper grass and hyacinths all merge together and form mats in specific areas. Based on his success in practice and confidence gained from fishing the waters in Calif., Zaldain made the decision to punch mats all day.

i asked him about the differences between punching on both coasts and he said it came down to the seasons and color selection. in Calif., he relies on punching as a summer and fall pattern, whereas in Fla. it is almost opposite as the bass seem to gravitate towards the mats more in the pre-spawn and post-spawn. Fla. bass prefer darker colors, while in other parts of the country, natural colors such as watermelons and green pumpkins can be used along with the darker colors.

UnmatchED IntEnSItYas a tournament angler myself, i consider myself

serious when it comes to fishing tournaments. i am not one to rest or take my time moving from one

chris zaldainon the boat with

Issue 3 June 2012 51

By tylER BRINKsStory & Photos

chris zaldainA Day as an Elite Marshal

52

location to another. Zaldain and the other elite Series anglers take it to another level and there is no slowing down. When one location is reached, it is a full sprint to the trolling motor to begin casting. When moving a shorter distance with the trolling motor, it is on 100 percent and casts are still being made. at first, i thought this intensity was just a result of too much

morning coffee or the nerves from the excitement of starting the new day; but i was wrong. The

intensity lasted until the very end.

FLaWLESS mEchanIcS

Watching someone punch mats for eight hours might not seem like your idea of fun, but watching repeated pitches and punches in a rapid fire approach makes one appreciate the art. There is a certain amount of finesse and power required to get the bait where it needs to be and there were very few, if any, mistakes in his approach. it was like watching a machine repeatedly assemble a product- there were no pauses, hiccups or anything that was not in rhythm.

DEcISIon maKIngit has always been said that tournament

bass fishing is all about the decisions made

during the day; locations and timing play a crucial role in the success. it was interesting to observe someone at this level make decisions based on the conditions. as the action slowed, the wind changed direction or other angler’s moved within site you could almost see the wheels turning inside of his head as he contemplated which direction to head or whether or not to fire up the engine and move locations.

no WaStED tImEThere are no wasted minutes during a

Bassmaster elite Series tournament; no lunch breaks, no driving at half

throttle and definitely no coming in early. This was evident as

everywhere we ran was wide-open throttle, nothing

less. We stopped close to the ramp at the end of

the day and fished around several

other

competitors. Knowing the lake well and

realizing how long it takes to get back from that point, i began to get nervous as the clock ticked and ticked. Marshals are not able to help the anglers out in any

way, so i sat in the comfortable Skeeter boat seats and waited.

When he finally decided to leave, we were traveling as

a daY WitH AN ElItE

Issue 3 June 2012 53

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3037 Twin View Blvd. Shasta Lake, Ca.96019

800-462-3917 530-275-4939www.philsprop.com info@philsprop.com

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Phil’s PROPELLERS

fast as that engine could go and when we finally arrived, the big digital scale at the check-in read “4:15:46”. We had 14 seconds to spare. talk about cutting it close, but every second counts in the elite Series.

riding along during the event was something i never thought i could do. i thought it would be very difficult to sit in a boat all day and not make a cast. i won’t lie and say it was easy, but the lessons i learned during the day more than made up for the inconvenience of not being able to wet a line.

Zaldain finished the tournament in 78th place with just under 19-lbs for two days. in an event that took eventual winner and fellow West Coaster ish Monroe over 100-lbs to win, it was not the result Zaldain had hoped for. i talked with him after the event and he said he probably would not have done much differently. He had a good practice and a solid pattern for the conditions; it just did not come together for him during this event.

CHANGE Y O U R VIEW.™

– Skeet Reese, BASS Elite Series Champion, 2009 Bassmaster Classic Champion

“ I’ve got two days to break down a lake and find the winning pattern. HDS makes me 10 times more efficient on the water. GPS mapping locates potential hotspots, and StructureScan helps me dial it in. I see all around my boat to find the bait and structure others are missing. If you wanna win like me, you better get HDS.”

“You wanna win like me?”