The lake has had some heavy winds in the last week or so and that has made the large grass mats hard to fish on the main lake. They are still fishable just hard to fish with topwater frogs. The fish are still under the mats and aggressive but have a hard time getting through the mat to eat the bait. After a few blow-ups I went to the Jackall craw and started flipping the same areas. This produced numerous fish in the 4-6 pound range. The fish are just below the mats so you better be ready to set the hook as soon as it breaks through.
On the other hand the numbers bite for schooling fish is just crazy right now. This is a great time to load up those young anglers and get them on the water. You can pull to just about any openwater hump or creek channel and see loads of bait fish. Once you find these bait fish use some type of blade bait like a small spinnerbait and just go to town. Now these fish are not very big but alot of fun. For a bigger bite in the schools you can use a swimbait like the Netbait BK Swimmer. I like to work this bait one of two ways, first I slow swim it below the bait fish, if that does not work then I work it faster up to the surface then let the bait fall. The bait does not make it to the bottom often.
I will be back out on the water on trips the rest of the week so the updates will be better as the week goes on. Right now target ledges and creek channels with big swimbaits, jigs, and Flick Shake worms. These baits were the most productive so far this week. Looking forward to seeing everyone on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Lake Champlain-Day 2 BASS Open
As many of you know that fish big events drawing a early number on day one hurts on day two. I started the day boat number 179 of 181 with a blast off about an hour after the first flight. This is not a bad thing though, I had about 2 hours longer to fish than the first flight. The second day weather was nothing like the first day. The winds were smoking out of the south at daybreak and it was gong to be a long ride to my first spot. After rolling through the check in line me and my co-anlger made a start to our spot. Over an hour later we made it to find it was getting blasted with hard winds.
I stuck with the plan and we started with the drop shot. Today is starting alot slower than the day before. I had to work for every bite and got and to my dismay lost 3 more fish before my limit was in the boat. My co-angler put his limit in the boat and was working on culling as I got my limit but with the conditions I made a move. I moved to another section on the reef I had found in deeper water and started to cull but only by ounces. I then moved to another grass line further south not getting a sniff at my baits. With only 2 hours left I made the run back to my first stop on a gut feeling I had. This was a good thing but not for me. My co-angler boated a huge 5 lb smallmouth to cull his only 2 lb fish in the box. I did move up a little but the lost fish were still haunting me.
With about an hour and a half to run back I made the run to the ramp. I pushed the boat hard to get back and was closer to the ramp with more time so I hit an area I found in practice to finish up. We both boated another limit of fish but neither of us culled up. We then made the short run to the ramp and made it in with only 4 mins to spare. My co-angler had a great bag with 15+lbs and made a huge move from down in the 100's on day one to the top 50 for a check. I moved up some but the fish I lost cost me the cut and a check.
I was happy for both my co-anlgers making a check and doing well and also happy I had traveled over 1400 miles from home to a lake I had never seen and had a limit each day. I learned a ton about Smallmouth fishing and how they do it up north. There is a huge difference between fishing up there and in the south. The day two baits were the Lake Fork swimbait and Jackall Crosstail shad again. My co-angler also had a couple of fish on a jerkbait(not sure on the brand).
All in all a great trip and a huge THANK YOU goes out to all my sponsors without them I could never be able to do this. Jackall Lures, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Frazier Marine Group and Daiwa. Also a huge thanks goes to the Peet family(Don, Will, Eric, and Mandy) there is no ammount of words that I could ever say to give back the things they have done for me and my family. My Mom, Dad, and Wife Beth for all the support and pushing me to become a better angler each day. The last thank you goes to the one that deserves it most and without I could never be living this dream, our Lord and savior. I also want to thank everyone of my fans and followers for the support and well wishes. Together we will make it to the Elites and together we will celebrate the big win. FISH ON!!!
God Bless
Phil.4:13
I stuck with the plan and we started with the drop shot. Today is starting alot slower than the day before. I had to work for every bite and got and to my dismay lost 3 more fish before my limit was in the boat. My co-angler put his limit in the boat and was working on culling as I got my limit but with the conditions I made a move. I moved to another section on the reef I had found in deeper water and started to cull but only by ounces. I then moved to another grass line further south not getting a sniff at my baits. With only 2 hours left I made the run back to my first stop on a gut feeling I had. This was a good thing but not for me. My co-angler boated a huge 5 lb smallmouth to cull his only 2 lb fish in the box. I did move up a little but the lost fish were still haunting me.
With about an hour and a half to run back I made the run to the ramp. I pushed the boat hard to get back and was closer to the ramp with more time so I hit an area I found in practice to finish up. We both boated another limit of fish but neither of us culled up. We then made the short run to the ramp and made it in with only 4 mins to spare. My co-angler had a great bag with 15+lbs and made a huge move from down in the 100's on day one to the top 50 for a check. I moved up some but the fish I lost cost me the cut and a check.
I was happy for both my co-anlgers making a check and doing well and also happy I had traveled over 1400 miles from home to a lake I had never seen and had a limit each day. I learned a ton about Smallmouth fishing and how they do it up north. There is a huge difference between fishing up there and in the south. The day two baits were the Lake Fork swimbait and Jackall Crosstail shad again. My co-angler also had a couple of fish on a jerkbait(not sure on the brand).
All in all a great trip and a huge THANK YOU goes out to all my sponsors without them I could never be able to do this. Jackall Lures, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Frazier Marine Group and Daiwa. Also a huge thanks goes to the Peet family(Don, Will, Eric, and Mandy) there is no ammount of words that I could ever say to give back the things they have done for me and my family. My Mom, Dad, and Wife Beth for all the support and pushing me to become a better angler each day. The last thank you goes to the one that deserves it most and without I could never be living this dream, our Lord and savior. I also want to thank everyone of my fans and followers for the support and well wishes. Together we will make it to the Elites and together we will celebrate the big win. FISH ON!!!
God Bless
Phil.4:13
Lake Champlain- BASS Open Day 1
Well today was the day of the first day of the BASS Northern Open on Lake Champlain. Time to put the practice to use and get things started on the right track of the 3 day event. I ended up drawing boat number 3 at the meeting so I had to get up and ready to be in the water at 4:30. For those of you that know me I always like to be one of the first boats in the water to allow for time to relax and take care of any problems that might come up. Well, I didn't know this until later but it was a good thing I did that. My co-angler was placing his buddy in the water and they ended up getting into a mess of traffic at the ramp. This would not be a problem except it left me without a co-angler and I missed my number and flight out of the launch waiting on him. I just shook it off and after he arrived made the run to the area I found in practice.
Once there I sat the boat down with only a couple fo other guys near me. Things were starting a little slow but I knew not to panic. I stuck the first fish and it was pulling hard! After it did not make a jump knew it had to be a Pike. After getting it to the boat saw the teeth and got my bait back. My co-angler hooked up two in the time I was getting the fish in and un-hooked. He boated his on a drop shot. After not seeing the sun come out from the cloud cover I changed to the drop shot and had a limit in the boat in less than an hour. My co-angler did the same. We both worked the area hard and both upgraded a couple of times. I had 3 fish over 4 come off at the boat and one break my line in the grass. This is just the price you pay for fishing light line in heavy cover. I found in practice I had to fish the light stuff to get the better bites so I took the risk. Little did I know how much those fish would "haunt" me in the next few days.
After we both upgraded a couple of times I made the run back south to get closer to the ramp. This was both a good and bad thing. When I moved back into open water it was nothing short of nasty. We were in 4-5 footers for over an hour working out way south. I had parts coming loose on the boat and after spearing several waves almost lost my front sonar. I stopped one point above the launch site with an hour to go before check in. We fished there until we had about 45 to get back. We then made the run the rest of the way back and ended up getting back sooner than I expected. I ended my day with 25 mins to spare but was not the only one to do this.
I got my fish out and after hitting the scales had 12.1 to show for my efforts. To be honest I knew I was only a few pounds shy of where I wanted to be and those fish I lost cost me that but I was still proud to have a limit on a lake 1400 miles from home. My co-angler ended his day with a solid sack of 12.7 pounds and both of us were still in the hunt for day two.
I boated all but one of my fish on the Jackall Crosstail shad(Ayu color) rigged on a drop shot. The other bait was the Lake Fork Magic Shad I used alot in practice. The thing that I feel made the drop shot more productive was the sun. When we fished in practice the sun was out each day except one. One the first day of the tournament the sun only came out for about a half an hour, which was when I caught the fish on the swimbait. My co-angler being from the north, knew this already and started out with the drop shot and never put it down. He was also fishing the Crosstail shad as well.
Once there I sat the boat down with only a couple fo other guys near me. Things were starting a little slow but I knew not to panic. I stuck the first fish and it was pulling hard! After it did not make a jump knew it had to be a Pike. After getting it to the boat saw the teeth and got my bait back. My co-angler hooked up two in the time I was getting the fish in and un-hooked. He boated his on a drop shot. After not seeing the sun come out from the cloud cover I changed to the drop shot and had a limit in the boat in less than an hour. My co-angler did the same. We both worked the area hard and both upgraded a couple of times. I had 3 fish over 4 come off at the boat and one break my line in the grass. This is just the price you pay for fishing light line in heavy cover. I found in practice I had to fish the light stuff to get the better bites so I took the risk. Little did I know how much those fish would "haunt" me in the next few days.
After we both upgraded a couple of times I made the run back south to get closer to the ramp. This was both a good and bad thing. When I moved back into open water it was nothing short of nasty. We were in 4-5 footers for over an hour working out way south. I had parts coming loose on the boat and after spearing several waves almost lost my front sonar. I stopped one point above the launch site with an hour to go before check in. We fished there until we had about 45 to get back. We then made the run the rest of the way back and ended up getting back sooner than I expected. I ended my day with 25 mins to spare but was not the only one to do this.
I got my fish out and after hitting the scales had 12.1 to show for my efforts. To be honest I knew I was only a few pounds shy of where I wanted to be and those fish I lost cost me that but I was still proud to have a limit on a lake 1400 miles from home. My co-angler ended his day with a solid sack of 12.7 pounds and both of us were still in the hunt for day two.
I boated all but one of my fish on the Jackall Crosstail shad(Ayu color) rigged on a drop shot. The other bait was the Lake Fork Magic Shad I used alot in practice. The thing that I feel made the drop shot more productive was the sun. When we fished in practice the sun was out each day except one. One the first day of the tournament the sun only came out for about a half an hour, which was when I caught the fish on the swimbait. My co-angler being from the north, knew this already and started out with the drop shot and never put it down. He was also fishing the Crosstail shad as well.
Bass Northern Open-Lake Champlain Practice
Well the 2nd of 3 events on the BASS Northern Open Trail was held last week at Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, Ny.. I made the trip in one 23 hour drive getting to our rental house on Sat. afternoon. After getting things put away I hit the water to start looking for areas and learn my way around the lake.
I found this lake to be the biggest lake I have ever encountered(at 217,000 acres of water)so I made the dession to find an area and devote my time to learning that section as much as I could. I hit the upper section of the "New York Arm". I found a section on the map that had several reef areas on it and hit that the first day. From reading reports in the past I would be fishing for Smallmouth Bass this far north. I wanted to cover water fast to learn about the area so I picked up the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad and started working the grass. After about an hour I found several bites and one good fish. I then worked the area with a drop shot a little deeper boating several better fish on the Jackall Crosstail Shad.
On day two of practice I went back to that area and hit other sections on the reef. I also hit some other reef areas in the 10 or so miles of the arm. I found the pattern to be working well and my good friend from Chicago, Will Peet had a couple of solid bites there as well. Will is fishing his first Bassmasters Open at the young age of 16 and I could not be more proud of him. He has come along way from the young angler I met several years ago. We made the choice to find other sections and do some more scanning with the sonar. We found several other grass lines in 12-30 feet of water to check on the next few days.
One the 3rd day of practice I moved into the Vermont section of the lake and found the pattern I was fishing to be holding up there as well. We found several areas there but none holding fish that had the size that the New York section had. One thing was for sure I knew I was fishing the right baits and colors. I burnned through alot of Magic Shad and Crosstail shad baits. I wanted to try some other baits but found that bite to be too strong to change up. I then made the choice to move back to the New York section and pick it apart even more. I spent the rest of the day looking at the sonar and marking areas with fish.
Day 4 of practice I made the run from the ramp in Plattsburgh to see just how long it would take to get there in bad water. We put the boat in the water and after rounding the point at the ramp hit flat water. I burned up the lake making the run to the area in 21 minutes. I fished the areas I had marked on the sonar and found several deeper places that produced solid fish. The winds got up as we fished and the water became almost too rough to fish. Being the conditions were different that when I had hit the reef in other days of practice I wanted to check and see if that had an effect. I went to one section I had marked and caught fish and after 3 cast put one in the boat. I knew then that the fish would hold there in atleast several types of conditions. The run was good for me to time coming back and to give you an idea, what took me 21 minutes in good water took 2 hours to run back in 4 footers. This was something I needed to know forsure. To explain a little, finding fish on Lake Champlain is not that hard. Getting to them and back to the ramp during a tournament on time is where the hard part comes in. I have seen a ton of anglers in my research that have had great sacks of fish only to be late or not make it back at all. This was something that I did not want to happen to me in my first Northern event.
On the last day of practice I made the run to the Inland Sea area and looked at some grass lines and drops I found on the map. I found several places that looked good but also saw a ton of boats as well. I wish I had more time to fish this area but that is a down fall to only getting a few days to practice. I know there are some areas in there that would be great and produce alot of fish but without having time to pick them apart I was not willing to "gamble" on them.
I got all my baits in line and loaded the boat ready for battle. I want to thank all of my sponsors for thier help in this event and the Peet family for doing all they did for me, without them I would not even be fishing this event. I also need to say a huge thank you to Curt from Jackall Lures and Tracy from Lake Fork Trophy Lures for getting me the baits I needed in such a hurry and making my stress level go down. You guys are the BEST! Be sure to check out the rest of my tournament blog coming up in the next few days.
I found this lake to be the biggest lake I have ever encountered(at 217,000 acres of water)so I made the dession to find an area and devote my time to learning that section as much as I could. I hit the upper section of the "New York Arm". I found a section on the map that had several reef areas on it and hit that the first day. From reading reports in the past I would be fishing for Smallmouth Bass this far north. I wanted to cover water fast to learn about the area so I picked up the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad and started working the grass. After about an hour I found several bites and one good fish. I then worked the area with a drop shot a little deeper boating several better fish on the Jackall Crosstail Shad.
On day two of practice I went back to that area and hit other sections on the reef. I also hit some other reef areas in the 10 or so miles of the arm. I found the pattern to be working well and my good friend from Chicago, Will Peet had a couple of solid bites there as well. Will is fishing his first Bassmasters Open at the young age of 16 and I could not be more proud of him. He has come along way from the young angler I met several years ago. We made the choice to find other sections and do some more scanning with the sonar. We found several other grass lines in 12-30 feet of water to check on the next few days.
One the 3rd day of practice I moved into the Vermont section of the lake and found the pattern I was fishing to be holding up there as well. We found several areas there but none holding fish that had the size that the New York section had. One thing was for sure I knew I was fishing the right baits and colors. I burnned through alot of Magic Shad and Crosstail shad baits. I wanted to try some other baits but found that bite to be too strong to change up. I then made the choice to move back to the New York section and pick it apart even more. I spent the rest of the day looking at the sonar and marking areas with fish.
Day 4 of practice I made the run from the ramp in Plattsburgh to see just how long it would take to get there in bad water. We put the boat in the water and after rounding the point at the ramp hit flat water. I burned up the lake making the run to the area in 21 minutes. I fished the areas I had marked on the sonar and found several deeper places that produced solid fish. The winds got up as we fished and the water became almost too rough to fish. Being the conditions were different that when I had hit the reef in other days of practice I wanted to check and see if that had an effect. I went to one section I had marked and caught fish and after 3 cast put one in the boat. I knew then that the fish would hold there in atleast several types of conditions. The run was good for me to time coming back and to give you an idea, what took me 21 minutes in good water took 2 hours to run back in 4 footers. This was something I needed to know forsure. To explain a little, finding fish on Lake Champlain is not that hard. Getting to them and back to the ramp during a tournament on time is where the hard part comes in. I have seen a ton of anglers in my research that have had great sacks of fish only to be late or not make it back at all. This was something that I did not want to happen to me in my first Northern event.
On the last day of practice I made the run to the Inland Sea area and looked at some grass lines and drops I found on the map. I found several places that looked good but also saw a ton of boats as well. I wish I had more time to fish this area but that is a down fall to only getting a few days to practice. I know there are some areas in there that would be great and produce alot of fish but without having time to pick them apart I was not willing to "gamble" on them.
I got all my baits in line and loaded the boat ready for battle. I want to thank all of my sponsors for thier help in this event and the Peet family for doing all they did for me, without them I would not even be fishing this event. I also need to say a huge thank you to Curt from Jackall Lures and Tracy from Lake Fork Trophy Lures for getting me the baits I needed in such a hurry and making my stress level go down. You guys are the BEST! Be sure to check out the rest of my tournament blog coming up in the next few days.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Importance of Logs and Fishing
You know after years of being a Police Officer and then making Detective one thing I learned was "if it's not on paper, it did not happen." I took this to my fishing career and started making logs of every fishing trip. When I started I found I had tons of information that was just plain useless and some things I needed to add until I finally got it right and found what worked best for me. Now I'm not saying this is a perfect log but you can take this information and subtract or add to it to make a log that fits you the best.
First thing I started keeping up with was weather. Now that doesn't mean to just put sunny or cloudy on the log. I break it down into sections. I list each type of conditions under the weather section. Things like Barometric pressures(and if it is falling or rising as the day goes on), wind(both speed and direction throughout the day), cloud cover(or lack there of), sunny/rainy periods, and outside temps at the start and finish of the day.
Next I list water conditions. I list starting and finishing surface temps. numerous anglers pay attention to water temps but I take it one step further. I use not only my temp gauge on my boat but also one I picked up at a store in the cooking section. Most every person that cooks meat in a stove has one but I wouldn't suggest taking the one out of the kitchen, the person in charge of cooking might get a little upset. Once you place it in the water drop it down about 6 feet or so and you will get the "real" water temp. You will be surprised what the difference is between it and the surface temp. I also list water levels and if current is being pulled and pushed. What I mean by "pulled and Pushed" is if the water you are fishing has a dam on both ends. Check the times of running water on both ends. Sometimes dams will run water on the top end and not be pulling on the bottom. This is very key on some situations and tactics used to fish deeper water. Also always check the water levels at the start and end of the day. You can do this by calling the lower dam or just look at the pier when you launch and take out you boat. Anglers also want to pay close attention to the water color. Make sure to watch this in every area you go to and note any changes throughout the day. I have seen the water stained in one section of the lake and not at another or an area clear up as the day goes on. Last one thing that is over looked way to often, boat traffic. This can make an area non-productive fast especially shallow water fish.
Next I look at conditions when myself or a client hook a fish. I make a note of this and attach it to the picture of the fish along with the depth the fish was at when hooked. I also note what the bait was doing(ie.sitting still, moving, being pulled in and rate of speed). This can be VERY important when working the area days later with other conditions. To put this in simple terms if you find you are catching fish in an area when the clouds are heavy and presure is falling with a faster retrieve or "hopping" a bait on the bottom. Then you return to the same area when the sun is out on a high pressure day try slowing the bait down or keeping it on the bottom. This can sometimes get bites in the area that most anglers would just say the fish are there because of the conditions. EVERY TIME a fish is hooked on my boat I note each condition in the log on the picture. Once you do this for awhile you will start to see patterns form and you can hit areas at certain times during tournaments so you don't waste time on a spot that will not produce when the conditions don't match.`
The last thing in the log for the trip is one thing that seems obvious but often over looked. The baits you use during the day. I write down what works as well as what did not. The best way to keep up with the baits used during a day is don't put them back when you change them. Just toss them in the floor of the boat, put them in a tray, or in a box. This will not only help you keep track of what you use but also keep you tackle organized after you have time to place it in the right boxes at the end of the day and not be rushed. If I'm fishing soft plastics I always toss them in the floor. Main reason is I never want to litter the water with used plastics that take years to dissolve but I also to keep up with what color is working best. If I look down and see that there are 20 junebug worms in the floor and only 5 green pumpkin then chances are green pumpkin was not very productive that day. If a bite slows down in an area I either change the type of bait with the same color, the size of the exact same bait, or vary the color just a bit(ie change from plain junebug to junebug/red flake) to see if I can get a few more bites in the area before giving up on that spot.
I know from experience keeping logs are not easy and numbers of people do it for a month or so but if you stick to it you will be able to look back to years worth of information and see solid patterns for every condition and time of year before ever putting your boat in the water. This is a huge thing for anglers that don't get much time on the water and want to make the best of the time they have. Now like I said in the start of this article it's not the only way to make up a log but feel free to use all this information and build on it to fit your needs. With the age of computers you can use hundreds of programs loaded on your computer and build on them the way I did. I now can punch in conditions or times of year into my laptop and find areas of the lake to start out and build from for every trip. This information is time consuming but once you start it is easy and invaluable.
First thing I started keeping up with was weather. Now that doesn't mean to just put sunny or cloudy on the log. I break it down into sections. I list each type of conditions under the weather section. Things like Barometric pressures(and if it is falling or rising as the day goes on), wind(both speed and direction throughout the day), cloud cover(or lack there of), sunny/rainy periods, and outside temps at the start and finish of the day.
Next I list water conditions. I list starting and finishing surface temps. numerous anglers pay attention to water temps but I take it one step further. I use not only my temp gauge on my boat but also one I picked up at a store in the cooking section. Most every person that cooks meat in a stove has one but I wouldn't suggest taking the one out of the kitchen, the person in charge of cooking might get a little upset. Once you place it in the water drop it down about 6 feet or so and you will get the "real" water temp. You will be surprised what the difference is between it and the surface temp. I also list water levels and if current is being pulled and pushed. What I mean by "pulled and Pushed" is if the water you are fishing has a dam on both ends. Check the times of running water on both ends. Sometimes dams will run water on the top end and not be pulling on the bottom. This is very key on some situations and tactics used to fish deeper water. Also always check the water levels at the start and end of the day. You can do this by calling the lower dam or just look at the pier when you launch and take out you boat. Anglers also want to pay close attention to the water color. Make sure to watch this in every area you go to and note any changes throughout the day. I have seen the water stained in one section of the lake and not at another or an area clear up as the day goes on. Last one thing that is over looked way to often, boat traffic. This can make an area non-productive fast especially shallow water fish.
Next I look at conditions when myself or a client hook a fish. I make a note of this and attach it to the picture of the fish along with the depth the fish was at when hooked. I also note what the bait was doing(ie.sitting still, moving, being pulled in and rate of speed). This can be VERY important when working the area days later with other conditions. To put this in simple terms if you find you are catching fish in an area when the clouds are heavy and presure is falling with a faster retrieve or "hopping" a bait on the bottom. Then you return to the same area when the sun is out on a high pressure day try slowing the bait down or keeping it on the bottom. This can sometimes get bites in the area that most anglers would just say the fish are there because of the conditions. EVERY TIME a fish is hooked on my boat I note each condition in the log on the picture. Once you do this for awhile you will start to see patterns form and you can hit areas at certain times during tournaments so you don't waste time on a spot that will not produce when the conditions don't match.`
The last thing in the log for the trip is one thing that seems obvious but often over looked. The baits you use during the day. I write down what works as well as what did not. The best way to keep up with the baits used during a day is don't put them back when you change them. Just toss them in the floor of the boat, put them in a tray, or in a box. This will not only help you keep track of what you use but also keep you tackle organized after you have time to place it in the right boxes at the end of the day and not be rushed. If I'm fishing soft plastics I always toss them in the floor. Main reason is I never want to litter the water with used plastics that take years to dissolve but I also to keep up with what color is working best. If I look down and see that there are 20 junebug worms in the floor and only 5 green pumpkin then chances are green pumpkin was not very productive that day. If a bite slows down in an area I either change the type of bait with the same color, the size of the exact same bait, or vary the color just a bit(ie change from plain junebug to junebug/red flake) to see if I can get a few more bites in the area before giving up on that spot.
I know from experience keeping logs are not easy and numbers of people do it for a month or so but if you stick to it you will be able to look back to years worth of information and see solid patterns for every condition and time of year before ever putting your boat in the water. This is a huge thing for anglers that don't get much time on the water and want to make the best of the time they have. Now like I said in the start of this article it's not the only way to make up a log but feel free to use all this information and build on it to fit your needs. With the age of computers you can use hundreds of programs loaded on your computer and build on them the way I did. I now can punch in conditions or times of year into my laptop and find areas of the lake to start out and build from for every trip. This information is time consuming but once you start it is easy and invaluable.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Guntersville Fishing Last Week of July
This has been one of the best years I have seen on Lake Guntersville in a long time and even the slower days have been very productive. The "schooling" fish are up on top and feeding like it's the fall. I have had a mixed bag of clients in the last few trips with some wanting size and some looking for numbers and both have left the docks happy. The numbers bite has been doing well on several baits like the Jackall MC60SR, Mikey Jr., Mask Frog and Lake Fork Live Magic Shad. I did notice the better fish in the schools have come off the Jackall Dagored and Bowstick but fewer bites. Most of the bigger schools have been found on main grass lines all over the lake but the biggest areas of fish and most consistant bites from areas in the mid-lake area.
The deep bite has been hit and miss but when it's on it's been ON! One thing I noticed that made a huge impact on the deeper bite was the sun. We fished one area in more than 25 feet of water with no bites in an hour the returned when the sun had been up for two hours and hit one big fish after another fishing the same baits as we did before the sun hit it. The main reason I did this was to show the client first hand that, just because they don't bite at one time doesn't mean they have moved but that deeper fish tend to need a certian weather patterns to trigger bites and feeding at certian times of the year. To be honest it's not hard to find out these things or the things it takes to make an area productive. Just simply pay notice the conditions when you get on a good area and fish there when conditions change. This does take alot of time on the water but once you can find the conditions that tend to "fire" fish up in an area then move to another area like it and check those well. You will find that there are special times you can load the boat and when the weather is not on your side for that area don't bother going to it. Spend time on an area you have found the bite to be strong for that weather. This is why it is VERY important to keep logs of every fishing trip(good and bad).
I will be doing a blog later this week talking about what I have found to be important in keeping logs and why those things have helped me in being able to just hit areas that the most productive for that pattern and save alot of time on running and spend more time fishing. Be sure before you head out you can check the weather on any lake in the state at www.waaytobetterfishing.com or also look on that site for on-water updates from my Twitter account (Fins_N_Grins)while my clients and I are out looking for that trophy Guntersville "toad". Be safe and see you on the water!
God Bless
Phil.4:13
The deep bite has been hit and miss but when it's on it's been ON! One thing I noticed that made a huge impact on the deeper bite was the sun. We fished one area in more than 25 feet of water with no bites in an hour the returned when the sun had been up for two hours and hit one big fish after another fishing the same baits as we did before the sun hit it. The main reason I did this was to show the client first hand that, just because they don't bite at one time doesn't mean they have moved but that deeper fish tend to need a certian weather patterns to trigger bites and feeding at certian times of the year. To be honest it's not hard to find out these things or the things it takes to make an area productive. Just simply pay notice the conditions when you get on a good area and fish there when conditions change. This does take alot of time on the water but once you can find the conditions that tend to "fire" fish up in an area then move to another area like it and check those well. You will find that there are special times you can load the boat and when the weather is not on your side for that area don't bother going to it. Spend time on an area you have found the bite to be strong for that weather. This is why it is VERY important to keep logs of every fishing trip(good and bad).
I will be doing a blog later this week talking about what I have found to be important in keeping logs and why those things have helped me in being able to just hit areas that the most productive for that pattern and save alot of time on running and spend more time fishing. Be sure before you head out you can check the weather on any lake in the state at www.waaytobetterfishing.com or also look on that site for on-water updates from my Twitter account (Fins_N_Grins)while my clients and I are out looking for that trophy Guntersville "toad". Be safe and see you on the water!
God Bless
Phil.4:13
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