AHHHH, Lake Guntersville in April. Trees are blooming, birds are singing, and traffic on the lake. You know the fish are eating when you pull up to the ramp(any ramp on the lake) on a Wed morning and the parking lot looks like Walmart on Christmas eve. Well the fish are eating and the bigger fish are up in the shallows adding more fish to the lake everyday. During this time of year there really is not a bad place to fish on the lake if you know what to look for and how to fish it. This is one reason I am writing this article. Im going to give you a little insight on whats going on and the tactics I have been using to have some awesome days on the water.
First let's start with the pattern. In years past the spawn was coming to a close this time of year but the lake is about 3-5 weeks behind making it fish alot different that before. Grass is coming up but only in a few places. There are huge numbers coming off flats with hard bottoms near steep drops. I have had clients that have had close to 100 fish days in the last month but the size was not as great as the past. In the last week or so the size is picking upwith alot of bigger females moving up everyday to take thier place on the beds. We boated several in the last few trips that had already laid out and were ready to start thier move back to the ledges. If an angler was coming down here look for these flats and just start fishing. You will catch fish on most of them. Alot of smaller fish but there are bigger fish mixed in the groups. Also the sight fishing is picking up but the pollen is making it hard to see some fish unless your really good at sight fishing. FOr some pre-spawn fish hit the drops near the flats. One thing that will help is if you find a pocket that has a muddy bottom move. Everything I am catching is on a hard surface.
There are several baits that are working great for me right now. I am using the Jackall Cover Craw(green Pumpkin), Lake Fork Top Dog and Hyper Lizard, as well as the Jackall Giron, and Lake FOrk Live Magic Shad. Thise baits are getting the bigger bites with the plastics gaining huge numbers and a few bigger fish. One bait that I am flat smoke'n fish on is the Jackall Flick Shake or the Lake Fork Live Wack'n Worm rigged on a Jackall Wacky Jighead in 3/32. I am using that bait on a Jackall Power Inch Wacky Rod with Daiwa Steez and Lake Fork Flourohybrid Line. The Other PLastics I am using a Jackall Master Stroke Rod with Daiwa Reel Steez 7.1 reel and Lake Fork Flourohybrid 26 lb line. On the swimbaits I use the Jackall Delta Spec rod with the Daiwa Zillion Reel(4.3) and 32 lb Flourohybrid line.
If sight fishing is your thing this is the time to do it. Move to supper skinny water on flats and just go looking. Once you find a bed holding a fish then back off and start working it. I am having my best luck with the Flick Shake or Wack'n worm to catch most of the bed fish. PLEASE rememeber if you are going sight fish do everything you can to return the fish to the bed after a picture and get her back in the water ASAP. The less stress the better.
I want to thank all of our fans and those who have been a huge support to our efforts. We are having some great trips and the tournament season is going strong. We are only a few more events away from making the big goal. It is because you all of you that we are able to keep going and moving forward. WE will ALL be at the TOP together in no time flat. ROCK ON!!!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
ABA-BWS Tournament on Lake Chickamuaga
Well going to a lake I have never seen is one of my favorite things to do in the tournament series. I was not disappointed when I arrived on last Wed. in Dayton, Tn at all. Although the water was down about 6 feet and alot of the things I had found while watching maps and photos were dry dirt I still felt my mental game was "spot on". I launched the Federated Auto Parts Triton at the event ramp and started riding the waters. Fisrt place I pulled into I went as far back as I could thinking with water temps in the high 60's there should be fish in the dirt. Well I was right, first cast to a stump I spotted yielded a solid keeper fish. I then shook off 3 more bites on the same type of structure. Knowing what I know now and have learned by alot of mistakes I moved to other pockets with the same look as the first. I found fish in several of them and found things that would work reguardless of the wind direction. After riding about 40 miles of the lake and it's creeks I was feeling good about my event but knew it was a pattern that could fall apart fast.
On day two of practice I decided to look for a solid secondary pattern just in case. When I walked out of the Holiday Inn I was greeted with driving rain and high winds. After putting in the water made the choice to check the water in the areas I found on Wed.. Well as expected they were very muddy and getting worse by the hour. Needless to say day two went very bad and suddenly I found my mental game gone. Not one keeper fish or bite all day with the only thing I found to be gone due to weather.
Day three, after a long talk with a couple of people I can always count on to raise my mental state back up I hit the water on the lower end of the lake. I did that knowing from alot of lakes I have traveled to in the past the lower end tends to be deeper and have clear water. I had my link and good friend, Chris Abbott put me in at the ramp and take my truck to the lower end of the lake to save some gas but at the same time lay a track on the GPS to the lower end. It was nice to have someone there that could do that. Once I picked him up I moved to an open water hump very close looking for some "release fish". Well about the third cast got a bite and set the hook on an 8 lb fish! I marked it and left. Second stop was another hump and yielded another solid 4 lb fish. I looked at the Navionics chip map I had and found several humps that looked just like the first two I hit. Each one gave me a solid keeper fish. I found humps that I knew would be protected from any winds and located near large spawning flats. I was so "stoked" by the end of the day I couldnt wait to start the event.
On tournament day I was, as always, one of the first on the ramp and in the water 2 hours before check in. My Co-Angler, Kevin Rose, showed up carrying some breakfast and his gear. He knew the best way to start the day was bringing me food.LOL I told him we had a long run and after talking and getting to know each other a little we lined up for blast off. Being boat 40 was ok but once we went through check in and blast off and hit the river we hit the fog. There were several times I had to sit down off the pad to see the front of the boat. This is not a good thing when your looking at a 30+ min ride to your first stop. We made it to our stop only to find I had found a great spot. Atleast I knew it was due to the 4 boats sitting on it when I got there. I made my way into the hump and watched a boat that was sitting on the sweet spot smoke a limit in about 15 mins.. I just kept fishing and before long had my first keeper. I then put another one in the boat as did Kevin. I then had a solid fish on that just came off right at the boat. I shook off the bad karma and kept plugging along. We made a move to my next hump to get two more short fish. The winds kinda got up so I moved acroos the river to some Islands I had found had humps off the points. I hit the first one and had my limit in less than an hour. Kevin also boated a HUGE 5+ smallmouth and his largest "brown fish" to date. We were both stoked about his catch and I got to fish solo for a sec while he calmed back down. I then culled twice and had a couple of short fish in the stop.
After about another hour I made the run to some spawning areas in search of one 5 lb bite. Once I got there I found the nights north winds had beat the pocket up and the water was just nasty. I did what I could to see some fish and just blind casted to several waypoints I had marked only to find smaller buck bass on the beds. I then made the move back to my first stop to fish the last 30 mins of my day. The big fish I had on Friday was still there somewhere and I needed it. Kevin and I put another fish in the boat his was short and mine didnt cull anything I had then time was up. I made the run back toward the ramp getting there just in time for my check in.
Once at the scales Kevin found himself in the top 5 with 2 fish that went 8.78 and I had a good limit(for a non-local) at 11.53. I knew I needed one good fish to be in a better position but once all was said and done gained alot of places in the points race(from 85th to 42nd) and only 8 points from the top 40 that will go to regionals. I still have 3 more events to go so I'm on the pace I like and feel regionals is a very reachable goal.
My best baits for the event were the Jackall Cover Craw(Green Pumpkin) and Lake Fork Top Dog Lizard. I fished both on Jackall Posion Rods(Master Stroke and Rushburn) with Daiwa Steez reels. I also used Lake Fork Flourohybid 20lb line and Lake Fork weights. I want to thank God for giving me the chance to live out my dreams, My Family and fans for all the support and well wishes, Tom Helton for all his input, Betty Stahl for the loan of the Navionics Chip(which was a huge help on getting me around the lake as well as putting together a game plan) and my Sponsors with whom I couldnt be doing this without thier support. Please be sure to support those who support us. Looking forward to another great event next week for the Central Division on Lake Center Hill. See you on the water.
On day two of practice I decided to look for a solid secondary pattern just in case. When I walked out of the Holiday Inn I was greeted with driving rain and high winds. After putting in the water made the choice to check the water in the areas I found on Wed.. Well as expected they were very muddy and getting worse by the hour. Needless to say day two went very bad and suddenly I found my mental game gone. Not one keeper fish or bite all day with the only thing I found to be gone due to weather.
Day three, after a long talk with a couple of people I can always count on to raise my mental state back up I hit the water on the lower end of the lake. I did that knowing from alot of lakes I have traveled to in the past the lower end tends to be deeper and have clear water. I had my link and good friend, Chris Abbott put me in at the ramp and take my truck to the lower end of the lake to save some gas but at the same time lay a track on the GPS to the lower end. It was nice to have someone there that could do that. Once I picked him up I moved to an open water hump very close looking for some "release fish". Well about the third cast got a bite and set the hook on an 8 lb fish! I marked it and left. Second stop was another hump and yielded another solid 4 lb fish. I looked at the Navionics chip map I had and found several humps that looked just like the first two I hit. Each one gave me a solid keeper fish. I found humps that I knew would be protected from any winds and located near large spawning flats. I was so "stoked" by the end of the day I couldnt wait to start the event.
On tournament day I was, as always, one of the first on the ramp and in the water 2 hours before check in. My Co-Angler, Kevin Rose, showed up carrying some breakfast and his gear. He knew the best way to start the day was bringing me food.LOL I told him we had a long run and after talking and getting to know each other a little we lined up for blast off. Being boat 40 was ok but once we went through check in and blast off and hit the river we hit the fog. There were several times I had to sit down off the pad to see the front of the boat. This is not a good thing when your looking at a 30+ min ride to your first stop. We made it to our stop only to find I had found a great spot. Atleast I knew it was due to the 4 boats sitting on it when I got there. I made my way into the hump and watched a boat that was sitting on the sweet spot smoke a limit in about 15 mins.. I just kept fishing and before long had my first keeper. I then put another one in the boat as did Kevin. I then had a solid fish on that just came off right at the boat. I shook off the bad karma and kept plugging along. We made a move to my next hump to get two more short fish. The winds kinda got up so I moved acroos the river to some Islands I had found had humps off the points. I hit the first one and had my limit in less than an hour. Kevin also boated a HUGE 5+ smallmouth and his largest "brown fish" to date. We were both stoked about his catch and I got to fish solo for a sec while he calmed back down. I then culled twice and had a couple of short fish in the stop.
After about another hour I made the run to some spawning areas in search of one 5 lb bite. Once I got there I found the nights north winds had beat the pocket up and the water was just nasty. I did what I could to see some fish and just blind casted to several waypoints I had marked only to find smaller buck bass on the beds. I then made the move back to my first stop to fish the last 30 mins of my day. The big fish I had on Friday was still there somewhere and I needed it. Kevin and I put another fish in the boat his was short and mine didnt cull anything I had then time was up. I made the run back toward the ramp getting there just in time for my check in.
Once at the scales Kevin found himself in the top 5 with 2 fish that went 8.78 and I had a good limit(for a non-local) at 11.53. I knew I needed one good fish to be in a better position but once all was said and done gained alot of places in the points race(from 85th to 42nd) and only 8 points from the top 40 that will go to regionals. I still have 3 more events to go so I'm on the pace I like and feel regionals is a very reachable goal.
My best baits for the event were the Jackall Cover Craw(Green Pumpkin) and Lake Fork Top Dog Lizard. I fished both on Jackall Posion Rods(Master Stroke and Rushburn) with Daiwa Steez reels. I also used Lake Fork Flourohybid 20lb line and Lake Fork weights. I want to thank God for giving me the chance to live out my dreams, My Family and fans for all the support and well wishes, Tom Helton for all his input, Betty Stahl for the loan of the Navionics Chip(which was a huge help on getting me around the lake as well as putting together a game plan) and my Sponsors with whom I couldnt be doing this without thier support. Please be sure to support those who support us. Looking forward to another great event next week for the Central Division on Lake Center Hill. See you on the water.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
BWS-East Tenn. Division on Lake Guntersville
After the Bassmasters Classic on Lay Lake Last weekend I came home to pre-fish for the Bassmasters Weekend Series by American Bass Anglers on Lake Guntersville. The weather left alot to be desired but in tournament Bass fishing anglers have no choice to to get out there and make things happen. Our forcast for the week was brutal calling for high winds and snow on atleast one day of practice with the end of the week having a full moon and more high winds. Temps started off everyday in the mid to upper 20's with highs only reaching mid 40's by the weekend.
On Monday I started off pre-fishing like I would any other lake I have been on before, checking places I knew fish should be and hitting areas I have had done well in on past trips. I found fish in the mid-lake area on creek channels working into large spawning flats to me the most productive pattern. The best baits for me seemed to be the Jackall TN70 lipless crankbait and Greenpumpkin Jig. I did notice the bite was strong and fish seemed to hit the baits aggressive on every place I had found.
On Tuesday I hit the lake fishing the lower section looking to duplicate the bite from Monday and build on what I had found. I fished several steep drops with the jig and only had two bites for the day. The Lipless crankbait was seeming to be the most consistant bite on the lower end with most of my fish coming on it. I had several solid keepers and was feeling good about the pattern.
Wed. I hit the water to find snow and blowing winds. I stayed on the lower end again wanting to get some idea of how the weather would effect the fish I had found the day before and it did. The areas I fished seemed to be very slow and crushed my confidence to make the run down river to those areas. The few bites I got all day were very light and fish just seemed to be loading up on the bait and not striking near as hard as the other days. I knew the weather would effect the bite and high winds would blast the areas I needed to fish with a jig making boat position hard to deal with when fishing with a co-angler.
Last Thursday I made the choice to run up river and see if the bite was any better. I also wanted to fish areas I had not seen(which is hard to do being I grew up fishing here). I moved above the Hwy 35 bridge looking for places I knew would not get alot of boat presure and had steep drops. I found a submerged pond in a cut that was surrounded by spawning flats and lots of wood cover. The edge of the pond had alot of green grass(which was key to holding fish). I fished the jig with very few bites but the Lippless crankbait was producing several 4+ pound fish. I also noticed it was more protected from high winds which were going to blow on tournament day. I had alot of confidence in that area and made the decission this was going to be the first stop of the tournament.
Friday I fished the mid-lake area again looking for some type of back up plan in case the area didnt pan out that I had found on Thrusday. I found 3 areass that held solid keeper fish and knew I could get atleast 15-18 pounds from all 3 of them. I felt confident I could get a limit and knew with 2 or more good bites to go along with it I had a shot at a top 5 finish.
On the morning of the event we had to wait to launch due to the ramp having a sheet of ice on it and it delayed the 6 am. blast off an hour. My co-angler and I made the run upriver to my first stop finding the water temps had dropped a few degrees but we were alone as far as boats go. We fished about an hour before I put the first keeper in the boat. A few cast later he landed a keeper fish and we were both on the board. about an hour later I got slammed and had a solid fish miss the bait. 2 cast later I lost a solid fish due to line breaking from the cold temps and being frozen and brittle. After about another hour I noticed my front sonar shut off. Those of you that fish know theis means I have a charging problem. I cranked the motor to find the voltage regulator was not charging the cranking battery and my tournament was about to get alot harder than I planned. during this time my co-angler boated a solid 6+ pound fish. I made the choice to stay in that area a little longer but knew I couldnt stay long having to run the livewells and now couldnt go to the mid-lake areas I had my most consistant bite. I could have made it to those areas but knew that there was no way to have enough cranking power to get back to the ramp for check in. If you have a chance at making some points and your co-angler has a chance at a check with his fish it was too big a risk to take to make a run and not be sure I could get back. I made the choice to run closer to the ramp and fish there in case I had to use the trolling motor to get back to check in.
I ended up only boating one more fish on after getting near the ramp on the TN70 and him and I missing only a couple of more bites. This put him and I both with 2 fish at weigh in time. He ended up in the top 15 and I got some points to go to the next event. In tournament fishing when you are fishing the entire series every point is important to make it to the goal of getting to Nationals.
There were alot of solid anglers in the event and over 30 boats without a fish and only 23 limits brought to the scales out of 127 boats.
It was a great job by the anglers that finished well and now looking forward to the getting the boat fixed and my next event coming up. Hope everyone had a great weekend and stays warm. The coming week I will be home working on guide trips and getting ready for next weekends appearances at Bass Pro Shops. Thanks to everyone for all the support and well wishes. See you on the water
On Monday I started off pre-fishing like I would any other lake I have been on before, checking places I knew fish should be and hitting areas I have had done well in on past trips. I found fish in the mid-lake area on creek channels working into large spawning flats to me the most productive pattern. The best baits for me seemed to be the Jackall TN70 lipless crankbait and Greenpumpkin Jig. I did notice the bite was strong and fish seemed to hit the baits aggressive on every place I had found.
On Tuesday I hit the lake fishing the lower section looking to duplicate the bite from Monday and build on what I had found. I fished several steep drops with the jig and only had two bites for the day. The Lipless crankbait was seeming to be the most consistant bite on the lower end with most of my fish coming on it. I had several solid keepers and was feeling good about the pattern.
Wed. I hit the water to find snow and blowing winds. I stayed on the lower end again wanting to get some idea of how the weather would effect the fish I had found the day before and it did. The areas I fished seemed to be very slow and crushed my confidence to make the run down river to those areas. The few bites I got all day were very light and fish just seemed to be loading up on the bait and not striking near as hard as the other days. I knew the weather would effect the bite and high winds would blast the areas I needed to fish with a jig making boat position hard to deal with when fishing with a co-angler.
Last Thursday I made the choice to run up river and see if the bite was any better. I also wanted to fish areas I had not seen(which is hard to do being I grew up fishing here). I moved above the Hwy 35 bridge looking for places I knew would not get alot of boat presure and had steep drops. I found a submerged pond in a cut that was surrounded by spawning flats and lots of wood cover. The edge of the pond had alot of green grass(which was key to holding fish). I fished the jig with very few bites but the Lippless crankbait was producing several 4+ pound fish. I also noticed it was more protected from high winds which were going to blow on tournament day. I had alot of confidence in that area and made the decission this was going to be the first stop of the tournament.
Friday I fished the mid-lake area again looking for some type of back up plan in case the area didnt pan out that I had found on Thrusday. I found 3 areass that held solid keeper fish and knew I could get atleast 15-18 pounds from all 3 of them. I felt confident I could get a limit and knew with 2 or more good bites to go along with it I had a shot at a top 5 finish.
On the morning of the event we had to wait to launch due to the ramp having a sheet of ice on it and it delayed the 6 am. blast off an hour. My co-angler and I made the run upriver to my first stop finding the water temps had dropped a few degrees but we were alone as far as boats go. We fished about an hour before I put the first keeper in the boat. A few cast later he landed a keeper fish and we were both on the board. about an hour later I got slammed and had a solid fish miss the bait. 2 cast later I lost a solid fish due to line breaking from the cold temps and being frozen and brittle. After about another hour I noticed my front sonar shut off. Those of you that fish know theis means I have a charging problem. I cranked the motor to find the voltage regulator was not charging the cranking battery and my tournament was about to get alot harder than I planned. during this time my co-angler boated a solid 6+ pound fish. I made the choice to stay in that area a little longer but knew I couldnt stay long having to run the livewells and now couldnt go to the mid-lake areas I had my most consistant bite. I could have made it to those areas but knew that there was no way to have enough cranking power to get back to the ramp for check in. If you have a chance at making some points and your co-angler has a chance at a check with his fish it was too big a risk to take to make a run and not be sure I could get back. I made the choice to run closer to the ramp and fish there in case I had to use the trolling motor to get back to check in.
I ended up only boating one more fish on after getting near the ramp on the TN70 and him and I missing only a couple of more bites. This put him and I both with 2 fish at weigh in time. He ended up in the top 15 and I got some points to go to the next event. In tournament fishing when you are fishing the entire series every point is important to make it to the goal of getting to Nationals.
There were alot of solid anglers in the event and over 30 boats without a fish and only 23 limits brought to the scales out of 127 boats.
It was a great job by the anglers that finished well and now looking forward to the getting the boat fixed and my next event coming up. Hope everyone had a great weekend and stays warm. The coming week I will be home working on guide trips and getting ready for next weekends appearances at Bass Pro Shops. Thanks to everyone for all the support and well wishes. See you on the water
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Non-Motivated Angler Makes for a Long Day on the Water.....
I started the day out this morning not looking forward to getting on the water. It was just one of those days that it was just hard to get moving and once I hit the outside temps it was even harder to make myself go to the water. Well after a bite of breakfast I launched the boat and ran south to look to duplicate the pattern I had been on for the last few trips.
The pattern seemed to hold up but it did start slow. I found some fish hitting the bait like they did on Monday so I decided to slow way down and fish them a little different than with the TN70. I tied on a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in the 4.5 size and rigged it on a 1/8 swimbait hook. I would let the bait fall into the grass lines then rip it from the bottom. After several cast I found they seemed to hit it harder and hold on to the bait alot better.
I ended up fishing the Magic Shad on the rest of my stops boating fish in all but two of them working grass lines in water from 1-4 feet. I did notice the water seemed to be getting cleared up more on the lower end that on the north and mid section of the lake. I think that also helps the bite because it tends to heat up a little faster when the sun gets out good. The size for me could stand to pick up though with my best five only pushing around 20 lbs and anyone that knows this lake knows that wont tip the scales this time of year in a tournament. Well back at it in the morning and hope everyone has a great "humpday". See you on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
The pattern seemed to hold up but it did start slow. I found some fish hitting the bait like they did on Monday so I decided to slow way down and fish them a little different than with the TN70. I tied on a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in the 4.5 size and rigged it on a 1/8 swimbait hook. I would let the bait fall into the grass lines then rip it from the bottom. After several cast I found they seemed to hit it harder and hold on to the bait alot better.
I ended up fishing the Magic Shad on the rest of my stops boating fish in all but two of them working grass lines in water from 1-4 feet. I did notice the water seemed to be getting cleared up more on the lower end that on the north and mid section of the lake. I think that also helps the bite because it tends to heat up a little faster when the sun gets out good. The size for me could stand to pick up though with my best five only pushing around 20 lbs and anyone that knows this lake knows that wont tip the scales this time of year in a tournament. Well back at it in the morning and hope everyone has a great "humpday". See you on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
Monday, February 1, 2010
Hard Fishing and Great Company on Guntersville
Well, the title sums it up fairly well. What seemed to start out as a great last min. trip on Guntersville with an awesome guy, Kyron Jones ended up with the fish not being very commited to the program. Kyron has helped me in the past at some appearances at Bass Pro Shops while doing tank demo's and we made the choice last night to get him out on the water in search or a big Guntersville Bass. Well, we started off launching at Waterfront and after looking at some cloud cover made the choice to run north from the ramp. Upon reaching our first stop and seeing the water to be about 3 degrees colded and 4 shades darker than the last time I was in the creek a few days ago I knew I was in trouble. I had explained to him I really needed the sun to pick up the better bite was sure we would have some fish reguardless.
We started off tossing Jackall TN70 Lipless cranks in the shallow grass lines. While fishing I was telling him how the bite had been very suttle and make sure to know exactly what his bait was doing at all times. It wasnt long before a fish smacked his bait pulled the rod and then came unhooked. He then knew what I meant about the bite being light. I ended up picking up a rod and using several different colors and sizes to see if it would help make the fish commit better to the bait. I then had a fish slap at the bait and ended up foul hooking it in the back. After getting the fish to the boat and letting him go back to his winter retreat Kyron missed another solid fish that was right at the boat and pulling drag. He was doing everything right and working the fish then it was just like the fish disappeared and the line went slack.
I made the dession to make a move further up river to an area I had boated a few fish in past trips. After working the area kinda fast I crossed the creek channel to another area and hooked up again on a solid keeper fish but still not what I was looking for. After a few more mins. Kyron had one fish knock slack in the line but when he set the hook nothing was there. We then were running out of daylight during the short 4 hour trip and moved again. The 4th area we fish produced one nasty backlash, some new line and no fish. We moved back to the area we had started and showed the most promise. Ended up with a couple of more fish several misses and some great leasons on the Lowrance set up/reading the graph and GPS. I even missed a fish on a Jackall Flick Shake, which those of you that have fished with me know that is a very rare thing to happen.LOL
All in all a good trip where lots of great fellowship and instruction prevailed over the fishing. Somedays are always better than others and there are somedays you just can't make them eat the bait good enough to get them in the boat. Water temps were 46-49 degrees with a light wind and very stained water. The current was moving so fast on the main lake it almost seemed like someone forgot to put the plug back in the Dam but water levels are still high. Hope everyone has a great week and stay safe.
God Bless
Phil'4:13
We started off tossing Jackall TN70 Lipless cranks in the shallow grass lines. While fishing I was telling him how the bite had been very suttle and make sure to know exactly what his bait was doing at all times. It wasnt long before a fish smacked his bait pulled the rod and then came unhooked. He then knew what I meant about the bite being light. I ended up picking up a rod and using several different colors and sizes to see if it would help make the fish commit better to the bait. I then had a fish slap at the bait and ended up foul hooking it in the back. After getting the fish to the boat and letting him go back to his winter retreat Kyron missed another solid fish that was right at the boat and pulling drag. He was doing everything right and working the fish then it was just like the fish disappeared and the line went slack.
I made the dession to make a move further up river to an area I had boated a few fish in past trips. After working the area kinda fast I crossed the creek channel to another area and hooked up again on a solid keeper fish but still not what I was looking for. After a few more mins. Kyron had one fish knock slack in the line but when he set the hook nothing was there. We then were running out of daylight during the short 4 hour trip and moved again. The 4th area we fish produced one nasty backlash, some new line and no fish. We moved back to the area we had started and showed the most promise. Ended up with a couple of more fish several misses and some great leasons on the Lowrance set up/reading the graph and GPS. I even missed a fish on a Jackall Flick Shake, which those of you that have fished with me know that is a very rare thing to happen.LOL
All in all a good trip where lots of great fellowship and instruction prevailed over the fishing. Somedays are always better than others and there are somedays you just can't make them eat the bait good enough to get them in the boat. Water temps were 46-49 degrees with a light wind and very stained water. The current was moving so fast on the main lake it almost seemed like someone forgot to put the plug back in the Dam but water levels are still high. Hope everyone has a great week and stay safe.
God Bless
Phil'4:13
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Weather is Cold but The Lake is HOT!!
After an awesome trip to Lake Kissimmee in Fla for NEW Sponsor Federated Auto Parts and American Bass Anglers I returned to cold temps and even colder water. after a day of rest and spending time with Beth I hit the lake to stay on top of the fishing here. Well I got out with good friend and client Paul Ponder of Albertville. We hit the lake at about noon after the temps got up a little outside. We started out looking for a reaction bite to locate some type of pattern.
We put in at Waterfront and worked our way up river. As we rode the main lake the first thing I noticed was the lake was way up and way muddy. There were entire trees floating and running was dangerous. I decided to start off on creek channels and work from there looking for a bite. I have always been a strong believer that things happen for a reason and what happened next just enforced that. While teaching Paul a couple of things I let the boat just float with the current and winds. Once the leason was over we just stood up and started casting. I was working the trolling motor back to our original stopping point and on his 5th cast he stroked a solid 4 pound fish. I stopped the trolling motor and let him work the area a little more. He put another one in the boat in the next few cast and the pattern was formed. To be honest I would not have started at that location at all and the fish were way away from where they should have been according to past fishing logs I have.
Paul worked the Jackall TN70 in Chart. Shad in less than 2 feet of water on old grass lines boating several more fish and a limit in the first hour. He was wanting to learn more about working a pattern so we sat down and I showed him how to find places on the lake that would hold fish like we were catching. Well he wanted me to prove it so I had him pick a place on the map that looked like what we were fishing and we went there. Within 10 mins he was boating fish of the same size and building confidence in his ability to find a pattern and locate fish on the lake. It was like watching a kid open presents on Christmas morning seeing the smile on his face when he put it all together and was building confidence on his new found ability. We ended the day with a solid limit of about 22 lbs. and alot learned on tactics.
Water temps were between 48-50 degrees and the only bait that produced was the TN70 in Chart Shad and Red Craw. Every fish boated was caught on older grass lines where some green grass stalks were still present in less than 2 feet of water.
The following day I headed out on the lower end of the lake fishing alone and working on some tactics. The day was alot different as far as weather with very little sun out compared to the day before. I changed colors of the TN70 to the Gold/Black due to the lack of sun and worked the same pattern as the day prior. The fish seemed to be just a little further because of the lack of sun to heat up the shallow water. I found the same pattern to be working but just a little deeper on the first outside line from 6-8 feet of water. The fish seemed to be hitting the bait a little more slugish and water temps were just a tad lower in the mid 40's. After catching a limit on the TN70 I decided to change the size of the bait to the Dozer and the color to a Chart. Shad. I found the fish liked the bigger profile of the bait but I did get less bites. The quality of the fish was better. I upgraded my limit on every fish and ended the day with a solid 26 lb bag. One thing I noticed is the fish are in the same areas but if the weather changes an angler must change with it. The fish dont move far from day to day so if you have an area where you were catching fish dont give up on them if they dont bite as soon as you get there. Pay close attn to weather patterns and adjust as needed to catch the same fish.
I hope this helps anglers out a little when fishing and helps turn a day of fishing in the cold one of the best days on the water they could ever dream of. Be sure to remember some of the biggest fish in the lake are caught during Jan., Feb., and March. So stay with it, stay confident in your skills, and dont let the weather get to you and you should have a great chance at the fish of a lifetime. Good luck and be safe on the water. See you on the lake!!
God Bless
Phil.4:13
We put in at Waterfront and worked our way up river. As we rode the main lake the first thing I noticed was the lake was way up and way muddy. There were entire trees floating and running was dangerous. I decided to start off on creek channels and work from there looking for a bite. I have always been a strong believer that things happen for a reason and what happened next just enforced that. While teaching Paul a couple of things I let the boat just float with the current and winds. Once the leason was over we just stood up and started casting. I was working the trolling motor back to our original stopping point and on his 5th cast he stroked a solid 4 pound fish. I stopped the trolling motor and let him work the area a little more. He put another one in the boat in the next few cast and the pattern was formed. To be honest I would not have started at that location at all and the fish were way away from where they should have been according to past fishing logs I have.
Paul worked the Jackall TN70 in Chart. Shad in less than 2 feet of water on old grass lines boating several more fish and a limit in the first hour. He was wanting to learn more about working a pattern so we sat down and I showed him how to find places on the lake that would hold fish like we were catching. Well he wanted me to prove it so I had him pick a place on the map that looked like what we were fishing and we went there. Within 10 mins he was boating fish of the same size and building confidence in his ability to find a pattern and locate fish on the lake. It was like watching a kid open presents on Christmas morning seeing the smile on his face when he put it all together and was building confidence on his new found ability. We ended the day with a solid limit of about 22 lbs. and alot learned on tactics.
Water temps were between 48-50 degrees and the only bait that produced was the TN70 in Chart Shad and Red Craw. Every fish boated was caught on older grass lines where some green grass stalks were still present in less than 2 feet of water.
The following day I headed out on the lower end of the lake fishing alone and working on some tactics. The day was alot different as far as weather with very little sun out compared to the day before. I changed colors of the TN70 to the Gold/Black due to the lack of sun and worked the same pattern as the day prior. The fish seemed to be just a little further because of the lack of sun to heat up the shallow water. I found the same pattern to be working but just a little deeper on the first outside line from 6-8 feet of water. The fish seemed to be hitting the bait a little more slugish and water temps were just a tad lower in the mid 40's. After catching a limit on the TN70 I decided to change the size of the bait to the Dozer and the color to a Chart. Shad. I found the fish liked the bigger profile of the bait but I did get less bites. The quality of the fish was better. I upgraded my limit on every fish and ended the day with a solid 26 lb bag. One thing I noticed is the fish are in the same areas but if the weather changes an angler must change with it. The fish dont move far from day to day so if you have an area where you were catching fish dont give up on them if they dont bite as soon as you get there. Pay close attn to weather patterns and adjust as needed to catch the same fish.
I hope this helps anglers out a little when fishing and helps turn a day of fishing in the cold one of the best days on the water they could ever dream of. Be sure to remember some of the biggest fish in the lake are caught during Jan., Feb., and March. So stay with it, stay confident in your skills, and dont let the weather get to you and you should have a great chance at the fish of a lifetime. Good luck and be safe on the water. See you on the lake!!
God Bless
Phil.4:13
Friday, January 1, 2010
January 2010-First Day of a New Year, Lake Guntersville Style
Well the weather was cold but the fishing was HOT! I got out today to bring in the New Year with a bang and that is just what happened. The colder nights and high skies have moved the better fish to most of the wintertime "haunts" and they arrived hungry. For those that have fished with me in the past already know I would rather take a beating than fish a Jerkbait as slow as you have to fish it this time of year until the fish are on it hard. Well after several trips in the last few weeks of catching a few Jerkbait fish I went out today to see just how well they were eating it and committed to fishing it for at least half the day.
The day started kind of slow but when the sun reached the tops of the trees the bite got strong and was awesome to say the least. I Started with the Jackall Squirrel in Tenn. Shad. I worked the outside of main creek channels near deeper drops with the boat positioned in 12-15 feet of water. I was fishing the outside grass lines and found a solid 18 lb limit in the first 2 hours. After getting a solid bite I moved up to the Squad Minnow in the 120 size hoping to upgrade. The bite never slowed down and the pattern was holding up on all of the first 5 areas. I changed several colors and it never seemed to hurt the bite at all. One main key, yes the secret I found was once you pulled the bait down you had to let it sit for at least 12 seconds then remove the slack from the line and twitch it once. One key was DO NOT move the bait more than 4-6 inches and let it sit for another 12-15 seconds. This made the numbers drop a little but the size picked up greatly. I upgraded every fish I had caught prior to changing the size of baits I was looking at a solid 25+ pounds.
Once satisfied that I could put up coming clients on solid numbers and size on the Jerkbait I had to change baits and play with my newest weapon in my arsenal, The Jackall Delta Spec Rod. I tied on several baits starting with the Jig (Black and Blue) and changing to see what baits worked well on the rod. I went about 2 hours without a bite on several baits and only a few smaller fish on a couple. I then changed to the Jackall Giron (Black Crappie). I loved the way the rod preformed for casting the bait and it felt good with me being able to feel everything the bait was doing on the retrieve. I then had a solid 7 pound fish on the rod and its performance was everything I expected from the Jackall Rod. I boated several more fish on the same pattern just worked a little deeper (15-20 feet) than the jerkbait.
After finishing the day with a solid 28 pound limit I was pleased to see how the bite was getting stronger and the fish seem to have settled down some and moved into a pattern unlike past trips where it was a fish here and there.
The best baits on the swimbait pattern were the Jackall Swimming Ninja (Hitch), the Jackall Giron (Black Crappie) and the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad (5.5 in the Magic Shad color). I ended up with the best fish off the Live Magic Shad worked with a slow swimming motion then letting it fall into the grass edge. Most fish hit the bait on the fall near the bottom or just as I pulled it off the bottom and the end of the fall. Best advice is to not fish too fast and trust your area and bait. Some of the bites were very light so if it feels different set the hook.
I hope this helps some of our fans catch the fish of a lifetime and makes your cold winter days on the water a little better. If you want to see these tactics or some other little tricks we have to catch fish on winter patterns drop us a line and we will get you set up for a great fishing trip. Thanks again to everyone for their support and looking forward to seeing you on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
The day started kind of slow but when the sun reached the tops of the trees the bite got strong and was awesome to say the least. I Started with the Jackall Squirrel in Tenn. Shad. I worked the outside of main creek channels near deeper drops with the boat positioned in 12-15 feet of water. I was fishing the outside grass lines and found a solid 18 lb limit in the first 2 hours. After getting a solid bite I moved up to the Squad Minnow in the 120 size hoping to upgrade. The bite never slowed down and the pattern was holding up on all of the first 5 areas. I changed several colors and it never seemed to hurt the bite at all. One main key, yes the secret I found was once you pulled the bait down you had to let it sit for at least 12 seconds then remove the slack from the line and twitch it once. One key was DO NOT move the bait more than 4-6 inches and let it sit for another 12-15 seconds. This made the numbers drop a little but the size picked up greatly. I upgraded every fish I had caught prior to changing the size of baits I was looking at a solid 25+ pounds.
Once satisfied that I could put up coming clients on solid numbers and size on the Jerkbait I had to change baits and play with my newest weapon in my arsenal, The Jackall Delta Spec Rod. I tied on several baits starting with the Jig (Black and Blue) and changing to see what baits worked well on the rod. I went about 2 hours without a bite on several baits and only a few smaller fish on a couple. I then changed to the Jackall Giron (Black Crappie). I loved the way the rod preformed for casting the bait and it felt good with me being able to feel everything the bait was doing on the retrieve. I then had a solid 7 pound fish on the rod and its performance was everything I expected from the Jackall Rod. I boated several more fish on the same pattern just worked a little deeper (15-20 feet) than the jerkbait.
After finishing the day with a solid 28 pound limit I was pleased to see how the bite was getting stronger and the fish seem to have settled down some and moved into a pattern unlike past trips where it was a fish here and there.
The best baits on the swimbait pattern were the Jackall Swimming Ninja (Hitch), the Jackall Giron (Black Crappie) and the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad (5.5 in the Magic Shad color). I ended up with the best fish off the Live Magic Shad worked with a slow swimming motion then letting it fall into the grass edge. Most fish hit the bait on the fall near the bottom or just as I pulled it off the bottom and the end of the fall. Best advice is to not fish too fast and trust your area and bait. Some of the bites were very light so if it feels different set the hook.
I hope this helps some of our fans catch the fish of a lifetime and makes your cold winter days on the water a little better. If you want to see these tactics or some other little tricks we have to catch fish on winter patterns drop us a line and we will get you set up for a great fishing trip. Thanks again to everyone for their support and looking forward to seeing you on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
