I Made It To the Classic

I wish I did as an angler. Last week I attended the 2009 Bassmaster Classic in Shreveport/Bossier City, LA with an invite as the DE B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Conservation Director. What a blast! I flew down the Thursday prior and got settled in my room. Later that evening, the coordinator put on a Texas Hold'em poker tournament. Had a great time with that. During the mornings we would have our conservation workshops, designed to help us along with the projects we encounter in our individual states. B.A.S.S. provided lunch each day and bused us all over to the huge fishing expo at the convention center. Then the bus would come grab us from the expo and run us over to the Century Tel to witness the weigh-in. After the weigh-in we would return to the hotel where any number of activities would be taking place. Dinner, drinks, pros, fishing talk or just chilling out in your room watching TV if it was a big day. Everyday was a big day. Day 2 weigh-in I was back stage, handling the fish as they got weighed in and sent to the tank truck to be released. Pretty sweet. Then back at the hotel, who shows up? Jason Quinn, my favorite angler on the Elite series tour! We just chilled out up in the hospitality room sipp'n on some Evan Williams Single Barrel. The whole trip was almost surreal. i could hardly believe I was seeing all the huge names in fishing right in front of my face, shaking their hands and even hanging out with them.

One of the things that gets me, is how much of a big commercial the whole thing is. Everywhere you see the logos of any one of numerous vendors trying to pound the image of their logo into your head like a subliminal message. I can't really say anything because I have my favorites. Ironically none of them have anything to so with my favorite angler. As you can see in the rest of my blog, I pick what catches fish. But one company that has be steadily consistent in producing for me is YUM. Just a me thing.

Some things I was able to learn from attending this event; a lot. I noticed these guys are constantly moving. Always swinging to promote their sponsors. It would seem like a life of sales... a traveling salesman that goes fishing to show you the product and wins money doing it. These guys are becoming more and more famous all the time. The sport of bass fishing gets more and more popular every year, and when I get there, I'm gonna be a star.

Coffee in the Morning, Tea at Night

Other than the prospect that I am headed to the Bassmaster Classic on Thursday, I am bursting at the seems to get out of cabin. The weather here can't seem to figure out what it wants to do. Last week we saw temps into the 60's on Saturday, and by Thursday the wind was blowing at 60 mph and it was like 39 degrees. I know with rising temps and sunny skies, the water warms up here around 5 to 8 degrees per day. So what are the fish doing? My guess is the temp rise has sent them into their pre-spawn locations and very soon, the males will move up onto the beds. When? I have not a clue. With the movement though, I can bet they are feeding on the nice days. I have the sneaking suspicion that there are guys out there right now catching fish even though the weather has thrown us a cold front. The temps are not in freezing range, so the water temps are probably not changing drastically. Like I mentioned before, I think they are reacting, but not like they do when water begins to freeze (moving deep). So come March in my next tournament, everything will have changed. I have a general idea of what I [should] look for. Having never fished a tournament during pre-spawn seasons puts me at a disadvantage to the other guys I am fishing against. Expanding on what I was speculating about earlier, I will have my best chances by knowing what is normal for the season and then making small adjustments during the tournament and sticking to it. There are too many changing variables to be able to keep track of. I will just have to get to the spot I have already chosen [in my mind where fish will be concentrated] and stick with it during the whole day. That way, I eliminate variables that will affect the rest of the Lake. I am thinking five bites will win this tournament.

I won't go into too much detail about what changes I am bringing to the water after the break this year. What I will say is that I have learned what my strong points are on different venues and what will catch fish at these places. I have taken that knowledge and modified to what others [I know] are not doing. I have always thought that spots should not be held as much of a secret as the lures they are throwing. If you are on pressured fish or as some will say "burned fish" you will want to be throwing something they have never seen before or have not seen in a long time. Because of that fact, I keep what I am throwing that day split up into 2 groups. The first group is my general population or "given baits". These are the lures that are usually among general knowledge to anglers, that they will catch fish. I will keep these presented on the deck of my boat in plain view. The other category are the "unpopular hots''. These are the lures that I have taken a chance with, and come up with excellent results. They are mainly unpopular or not a "fad lure" as I like to call your sexy shad lipless and similar lures currently taking the top of the charts in popularity. No. These are the lures that are selling like the movement of pond water ultimately translating into the fact that they are not being presented to fish. So in other words, there are a whole lot of fish out there that have not seen these lures. These are the ones that I tie on after I get out there and they get clipped off before I return for weigh-in. New for '09 bitches!!!

Changing Seasons

Okay I might be a little preemptive here, but the temps here have been... well... not freezing. So is spring (or at least the early stages) here? I know the bass have got to be active right now, trying to feed up for spawning. I was contemplating getting the boat out yesterday but this damn cold I caught is just kick'n my ass. I managed to spool up some line on a few of my rods. I spun on some of the new Stren Sonic Braid on my flipp'n rod so I am looking foward to see how improved Stren's new braided line is. Right now, the fish should be holding tight to deep structure at night and early day, then moving shallower when the sun hits and warms the water for a few hours. I would definatley have to say they are activly feeding the lakes where there are fish ladders, where anadromous bait fishes like alewife are migrating into freshwater systems to spawn. I'm not positive, but I would have to go down and look. In the river it's hard to say what these fish might be doing right now. I don't think it's really warm enough yet in the Nanticoke, but you never know. That place is as random as they come.

Day to Day

Well if you have read my other posts, you are up-to-date. So now I can pretty much just go day to day. I have been fighting a cold/caught that has been going around. You can never tell who you caught it from, since my wife had it, my son, people at work. I hoped I could perhaps escape it. NOT! Which sucks because I could be out there fishing right now. After that last cold snap, here we have a 62 degree day and I can't do anything. A wasted opportunity. I had a flat on the trailer so I took it off and dropped it of up at the tire shop. They fixed it, but I have not had a chance to go pick it up. Work is busy right now, I had Andrew by myself for most of this week as Amanda was in Florida. Then I started getting sick. I think it was right around Thursday and it just seems to linger. Oh well; I guess I can still get some stuff ready for spring, like my rods and bait boxes.

Club'n

So I recently joined a B.A.S.S. Federation Nation affiliated club. I signed up with the Eastern Shore Bassmasters back in September and so far, I enjoy it. At first it was a little intimidating because I was not sure just how I would stack up to the other guys' level of competitive fishing. I think I have held my own pretty well so far, finishing out the fall/winter portion of the tournament season in 4th place. Our tournaments will begin again in late March, but back to my start with the club. From the minute I was voted into the club, I knew it was for me. I got along great with our club president, Dave Perrego and the rest of the members. I actually had to fish with two of them before I could be voted on. The first was Jon White. Kind of a rough around the edges type of guy like myself, and you could tell he was the kid that did not have the type of upbringing that puts kids these days on a soft pillow of love and compassion, which gives them the wrong idea about the real world. No, this guy I can tell, had that tough love growing up and as a result, disappointment does not affect him as much as the majority of folks. Just like me. We fished together on my boat in a club tournament and caught zero. It was real tough fishing that day and needless to say we both thought it could have gone better, but neither one of us pitched a bitch fit about it. What's done is done... move on to the next tournament. I think the general attitude on the boat that day solidified a new friendship. The 2nd member I fished with was Toni Asti. A young kid (20 I think) that has his whole life ahead of him and he knows it. Goes to college, keeps up with meetings and a good angler as well. We met at McGinnes pond one day after work just to fish for fun and I had made the claim to him before that day, that McGinnes was almost always on. Well we must have hit it on one of those almost days because we had a nothing start. Keeping at it, Toni kept skipping his worm into and under covers to pull his first one off some USAV just out from the bank; a nice 2 pounder. Then, if I remember correctly, we headed out of the cove and he caught his second right in the middle of the mouth of the cove. Okay, now I'm getting worried. I trolled back into the very head of the creek arm and he switched to a frog and began to pull it across the mats of pads that filled the corner of the pond. I was flipping a YUM Gonzo Grub to the edges of the pads. Sure enough, one smacked his frog and he brought it to the boat. "I knew he was there" Tony said. "I could see the pads moving, and there's no wind". I ended the day with nothing and I am convinced that every time a new person comes on my boat for the first time, I will NOT catch fish that day. By now this story probably makes it sound like I never catch anything. I swear I do, but I am usually by myself. Well our outing was not a complete failure for me. Tony gave me some great info about the club. What to expect from the other members, meetings, tournaments and I made a new friend. I think putting Toni on fish could have influenced his vote to bring me in the club. What's that they say about first impressions? Just kidding. Toni, if you are reading this, you're a good guy, I look forward to our many fishing adventures that have yet to come. Keep up the good work in school and your head in the game. You are for sure going somewhere. I know you have not quite figured out what it is you are meant to do, but I assure you from my own experience in life that you don't pick it, it picks you. You'll know what it is when it comes. You may have to try a few different things in life to find out, but as long as you are doing the right thing by staying out of trouble, your calling will "call you".

Fishing Machine

Around 2 or so years ago, I finally realized the direction I was beginning to go. I had sort of a feeling that I wanted to take fishing to a competitive level. But I didn't really know whole heartily. If you can feel me on that? It was then, that I knew I had to have a boat. I needed a boat! Telling my wife was like telling her that all the malls had closed... forever. I hate it when she does that. Makes me feel bad, and feel like I can't approach her. Can't she see I'm working on something here? Anyway, regardless of her initial reaction, 2 years later and I'm sitting in my boat.

June 28, 2008, I wake up and step out of my hotel room front door in Lake City, SC. The hot, humid air just lays on my skin as I rub my eyes. I look across the street at a palmetto tree and smile thinking to myself; ''I'm here''. I had waited so long to have a boat I could say was mine. Today was the day it was to come true. I had driven all the way from Delaware the day before and got there that night. I was so amped up that I barely got any sleep. But I wasn't feeling it. I was still amped. I went back in to jump in the shower, packed all my stuff, and went down to the front counter to check out and have some complementary breakfast. I was bursting at the seems trying to take my time. My efforts were futile as I'm cramming a bun down my throat and stirring my coffee at 12,000 RPM and out the door. All for no reason. I had no certain time to be there. Just AMPED! Could have done without the coffee that morning.

Pulling into the parking lot at Marshall's Marine, I had barely even stepped out of my Ford when a voice said; "You must be Bob." In a thicker southern accent than mine. "Sammy Floyd" he said. "Pleased to meet you." I returned the flavourful gesture and replied; "Good to finally put a face with the voice Sammy, I'm Bob". We stepped inside an expansive sprawl of everything boating, walking past an aluminum bass boat that I could have turned my nose up at. "Let's go see your boat man"; Sammy exclaimed. We walked through a room with Tritons and Rangers lined up side by side, from wall to wall. The glitter paint, gleaming in the showroom lights like a 4th of July fireworks display. One spot closest to the door was empty and I remember thinking to myself "That's where my boat was". We kept walking clear out the other end of the ginormous building that housed what seemed like 100 boats, coming to a paddock with more... You guess it... boats. Across a gravel lot I could see Sammy was leading toward an aluminum building resembling a shop of sorts. "Now you gonna want to pull your vehicle right around the back of that build'n, jus'on the right side". "You see dat ramp dea ?" "Das where we gonna test'er out"; Sammy instructed as he pointed to a small impoundment, man made, for such an occasion. On further inspection, I could see the "pond" was no longer than about 125 yards. I went back to my Explorer and drove it around as instructed, backing up to a big garage door. I could see it. In my rear view mirror was the boat I had been plotting for weeks before. I stepped out of the Explorer as Sammy was already hooking up the boat. I had no words for what I was seeing. It was even more pretty than the photos on the website. "Now jus drive around that side and back'er up". Getting the boat in the "pond'' was easy and Sammy pulled up to the dock and I hopped aboard. After showing me all the gadgets and what not, he showed me just how quick she would get on plane from a dead stop. What we call in the bass boat world, a hole shot. Starting at the very end of the pond, Sammy aimed the bow at the other side and punched it. For about a second I was looking at sky, then the front deck, then the opposite bank as it QUICKLY got closer. Charging forward to about 15 or 20 yards from the bank, he let off just as I was about to bail, stopping fairly quickly and leaving a huge wake in our path that devastated the banks on our left and right sides. "That was only about 55''; Sammy said over the idling 225 Mercury Optimax outboard. "It'l do every bit of 75 with more space"; he said smiling directly at me. "Fa Sho''. Where the hell on the water in Delaware, was I gonna go at 75 mph? If the entire state was water, I could get from one end to the other in about 30 min. longways. Thinking to myself; "Oh well, the power is there if I need it." After getting the boat trailered and all the paperwork squared away, I had hoped that Sammy and myself would grab a bite to eat for lunch but time did not permit him. After all, he was at work. When it was all said and done, I was the PROUD new owner of a 2003 Ranger 521VX, white with burgundy glitter trim colors, grey carpeted with matching leather seats. Sammy and I said our goodbyes saying "The next time we see you; you'll be on TV with that boat". I don't think he knows just how right he is.

Coming Into My Own "Style"

They say that every bass angler has his/her own style. Really, what the hell that means is beyond me. Using one technique more than another does not constitute as a "style'' in my book, but whatever. This sport is great and I love it; but it has more B.S. to it. I guess that is my style. I filter through all the b*** s*** I get down to the stuff that will help me catch fish versus the stuff that just tells me to use this lure or that line because super star KVD does. Let me tell you something about how good KVD is. Fishing is a sport of equality. It's not like a football or baseball athlete that have separate physical capabilities. In fishing, anyone can end up on any part of the lake using any of a million lures. It's that winning combination of those two that brings home the money. In other words, it's 60% luck and 40% using educated guesses to put you NEAR the mark. So how good is KVD? He's only as good as his ability to pick a combination of the two explained above. My point... use things that have proven themselves to YOU, not just because Tim Horton or Skeet Reese uses it. So, my style: using anything that has consistently worked for ME in situations that I like to fish. It's all about words like I, ME, MY, MINE, MYSELF. You should be thinking selfishly when sculpting your way of fishing. If you start using stuff that does not really work for you just because it's endorsed by your favorite pro; It's likely that it's just going to be a time eater out on the water. How did I come into my style? Well I'll tell you that the first time I really started to have luck on soft plastics was when I started fishing them weightless. Then I started using the senko and my catch rate went up. Even as much as the senko is used, I still keep a rod rigged with one because it's a go-to for me (it works when others won't). I also have other tendancies that formed in me over time such as spinnerbaits and jigs. It's knowing when to go against these habits that I somtimes have trouble with. Often there are times I will tell myself to do something different and still later find myself using my usual habits. I guess it's just being conscious of your faults, and striving to correct them. Falling into a pattern can be dangerous because my own feeling is that you can become too dependant of catching fish with just one option. One day they stop going for the usual presentation and you are soooo reliable that they get back on it so you don't switch and you end up coming in with empty live wells. Bet you can't guess how I know about how that all goes down? You guessed it; experience!