River Bassin' - Reading the River

            Current, every river has it. It’s is what makes it a river, and it is what feeds a bass. In most cases, it hand delivers the food to the bass.

            There are times when you have schooling bass that somewhat herd their prey, or bass that cruise edges stalking out prey, but a majority of the time, a bass is a lazy creature. A bass is the kind of guy that does not enjoy work. He likes to conserve energy. That’s why, when you see a log, or a laydown, or something of that nature, it just looks “bassy”. He is going to lay low until something edible comes swimming by so he can pounce on it. It’s just an easy meal. Mr. Fish, being lazy, also is not too fond of current. It’s more work to be constantly swimming upstream than it is to lay low in slack water. So when you put these two things together, a river is basically a perfect buffet line for a bass. He finds a bit of slack water to rest in, and the current sends his prey right to him. So, in order to catch a bass in water with current, you need to be able to read the flow of the water and know where Mr. Fish has set up his recliner.

Look for anything that will deflect the current and form a seam between the moving water and the still water.  That fish wants to set up right in the seam, so that like I said earlier, the current will basically hand feed him his food. Now picture this seam as the drive thru window at McDonalds (the current acting as the McDonalds employee).  It’s a quick, easy meal, that requires little effort from this lazy bass. Now, don’t over look anything. It does not have to be a big area of still water to be a likely place. Keep a keen eye out for any stump or rock that could create just enough of an eddy for a bass to sit in while his food is being prepared.

Another key spot in rivers are holes along the main channel. These areas are still creating that seem or eddy, just horizontally instead of vertically. Think of that water flowing like an underwater waterfall. You've probably seen how the water fall itself is very turbulent, but behind the chaos it is a pocket of nothing. It's actually quite peaceful on the underside of that waterfall. well, this is where the bass will sit and wait for that waterfall to feed him. A deep hole is also where you will more than likely find bass stacked up waiting in a buffet line. Especially during winter or summer when these fish are looking to get down a little deeper where the water maybe just a little more stable.

Now, take time to think and try to understand how the water flows, and how these eddys work. Next time it rains and you have water draining across your driveway or through the ditch, picture that on a bigger scale. It’s water, it all works the same way. Once you get it in your head how currents works, you’re going to need to know how to approach it with a bait tied on. . . . . . . but you’re going to have to wait for my next article, and I will give you my two cents in that area!

Lessons in River Bassin'

            River fishing. You either love it or hate. It is a completely different way to fish compared to natural lakes and reservoirs, so you’ve always thought. Truth be told, if you learn the river and transfer that knowledge to a lake, you will more than likely start jackin’ a few more jaws.

I, myself, have been practicing on the river. Breaking it down piece by piece. Learning little subtleties to look for. But, I haven’t been doing my learning in the front of my bass boat. I haven’t been driving to any major river.  I have done my learning from the banks of the Little Choctawhatchee River on the border of Dale and Houston County. To break down the term “little”; the average depth (this is a rough estimate on this average) is about 3 ft, you can pitch a jig across the river in most spots, and there are some spots even a kayak would have a hard time getting by. Now, before you say I’m crazy and that there can’t possibly be any good fish in there, let me tell you it is chock FULL of Alabama Spotted Bass. If you have never caught one of these on’ry fish, you are just missing out.

I’m going to post a few articles about what I’ve learned on this little river. I’m going to start by breaking down the little things, then how the exact same things are taking place on a bigger river, and finally show you how you can transfer that to a lake. I really hope to hear feedback on what you think, and any questions. Even though I am not a well decorated pro, or a seasoned veteran, I do believe I have quite a few facts that will help you catch more fish, and THAT is my main goal.  

Lake Mitchell, Best Yet

Tournament number 3 of the year and I finally have one to talk about. It was a long shot of being the tournament of a lifetime, but it was definately my favorite one yet.

It started with a trip up on friday with good friend, David Roland, who also fishes in the club. With numerous wrong turns and missed exits we definately had an experience! We stopped at Bass Pro Shops in Prattville, AL to spend some money and talk with Elite Pro Gerald Swindle and caught a couple minutes of Boyd Duckett's seminar.

Now to talk about the lake. Lake Mitchell; Heard alot of good things about this lake, but I myself wouldn't see it until blast off. Actually, I didn't even see it then because of the fog. I just idled around blindly and pulled up to and island, so I decided that since it's all I can see, I'll start here. I had a KVD 1.5 tied on, so i started with it. The fift cast of the morning yielded my biggest fish of the day, a 3 pounder. Once the fog lifted I realized I was nowhere near where I thought I was, so I cranked up and made a run. While kiling time working my way up the lake I came across a point. Didn't know it then but it was perfect. It was a little bitty creek mouth with a rocky point on one side that had a little brush pile at the tip, and the other side had an old abandoned boat ramp and a little dock. I caught a little spot off of the boat ramp while the current was on, and had a couple more bites that didn't hook up then I moved on. I ran all around, but that point lingered in my mind. By lunch, I had no more fish than what I had caught that morning, so I motored back to that point. I got there to find the current was turned off, and I saw alot of shad. The shad helped me to decide to camp out on the creek mouth the rest of the day. I had learned that they were nolonger on that old boat ramp. Wit the current off, they had moved to the end of that point, right in that brush pile. I was getting tapped, and kept switching colors trying to get them to eat it. Then something happened. Somebody had stirred up some mud on up that creek, and I saw it slowly working out onto that point. Once that stain hit that point, I caught one. after that, they were ON! Every cast I was landing a keeper spot, slowly dragging a shaky head with a Bass Striker Lures Stealth Worm in red bug color right over that point. I had filed out my first ever limit in a tournament, and they just kept on coming. They were far from magnum sized, but once I got to the weigh in I found out no one found the magnum spots, except the one fish that won big fish pot that weighed about 3 and a half. The 7.08 lbs I weighed in landed me the 6th biggest bag of our club tournament, and one heck of a time on an AWESOME lake.

This tournament taught me alot on reading small changes in conditions. the current being turned off and that stain rolling in changed the position and activity of those fish, and I was able to figure that out and sit on 'em. Just one more notch in my "experience" board!

New Year, New ''Experiences''

This is my first blog in a while, and the first of the new year. Along with that, this past Saturday kicked off my new year tournament wise.

Can't say it was a great start to the year, but it was the start. I fished a tournament at Lake Seminole with my Dad and he caught our only fish that we weighed in at 2.9. Got a 20th place finish out of 33 boats, but that goes to show that it could be worse. All in all, had a great time fishing our first tournament as a team.

Now being the beginning of a new tournament year, I have set up new goals for this tournament year. There are a few normals to strive for like; catch a limit in all of my tourneys, win a tourney, the usual. But, my main goal for this year is to gain as much experience and knowledge as I can. If this was a book, this would be the chapter named ''Experience''. That seems to be one main ingredient I'm missing on tournament day, and I am hoping to take some big steps in that area this year.

Hopefully, as I gain this experience I will be able to share it with you in my blogs, as well as keep you updated on my tournament outcomes. Until then, bundle up and go RIP SOME LIPS!

Practice makes perfect!

Though perfect may not be the right word, practice, without a doubt, will make you better. No matter what you do, you have to practice. The same holds true in the world of bass fishing. The average person may ask, "how do you practice. . . . catching fish?" . But, to an avid bass fisherman, you know there are tons of things to practice. From learning a lake, your equipment, what lures to use, and learning Mr. Bass (or Mrs. Bass). Today, I'm gonna go over just a few things you can do to make you a better fisherman.

Learning Mr. Bass

The most important thing about an offensive approach, is know the defense. You got to know what you're up against. You can buy every lure Bass Pro Shops has in stock, all of your favorite fisherman's signature rods and reels, and a $40, 000 boat, but if there ain't no fish where you're throwing that oh so enticing Senko, you ain't gonna catch no fish. Most book stores will have book on the biology and habits of bass, the Internet is FULL of articles and videos, and your favorite magazine subscription has endless information on seasonal movements. Read those articles and watch those videos. You can never learn too much about Mr. Bass, and you're never gonna learn it all. So, take it upon yourself to sit down and study this fish scientifically and learn as much as you possibly can. Learning Mr. Bass will help you tremendously!

Study your waters

There are so many ways you can study for a tournament or just a day on the water. Be it; Topo maps, satellite pictures, fishing reports, talking to locals, or just cruisin' the water watching your depth finder. All of these things are good ways to learn the water, or more importantly, what's under the water. The number one thing I like to look at prior to hitting the water is a Topo map. It shows you where it's shallow, where it's deep, and everything in between. You can tell where there is a steep drop or a slow tapering change in depths. And, using what you know about Mr. Bass, you can kind of pin point where the bass should be holding. Once I learn the big picture, I like to spend a little time going to these areas I found and find the spot inside the spot using my depth finder. There's alot of little holes, humps, and other structure that's small, but can hold some good fish.

GO FISHING!!!

Wisdom comes from experience. Catching more bass comes from wisdom and knowledge about bass. I try my best to fish ATLEAST once a week. That don't mean I'm on the lake once a week. I understand, that's not always possible, but there are numerous small lakes, farm ponds, and little streams and rivers you can go rip a few lips. Though you may not be learning how to fish 30' ledges when bank fishing or wading in a creek, you are still learning alot about knowing what your lure is doing, what the bass are doing during whatever weather situation you're facing, and most of all, you're having fun fishing.




There is always more to learn in the world of fishing. By learning more about bass, you're planting seeds of knowledge about bass. Therefore, the more seeds of bass knowledge you plant, the more bass you can have dancin' on the end of your line. Keep that string a singin' and go rip some lips!

Tournament Recap, 9/18/10, Lake Eufaula

The day was as long as about 100 country miles, slow as molasses in the dead of February, and hotter than a $2 pistol. I started out fishing a small creek channel line with lily pads, and I had what felt like a pretty good bite on about my fifth cast of the morning, but he didnt hang on to it. From there I was fishing all over the place. Deep, shallow, medium depth, slow worms, burnin crankbaits, but no fish to show. Moved back in a nice little creek and caught enough small fish to have a little fun, but nothing I was able to keep. I had three fish good enough to keep bite me all day; 2 on a crank bait that got off, and the one fish I weighed in on a finesse worm in 30 ft of water. Finished the day weighing in 1 fish @ 1 lb 2 oz. Not the day I hoped for, but I had fun and I was just happy to be fishing.

Fish Caught:

1. 1 lb 2 oz - 1/8 oz Texas Rig, Bass Striker Lures Stealth Worm

When all else fails. . . . . . you must use Stealth!

I'm gonna start by saying I am not currently sponsored or endorsed by Bass Striker Lures, this is just simply my review and recommendation of this product, as well as, tips on how to use it. That being said, the Stealth Worm by Bass Striker Lures is by far my favorite lure to entice a bass with when the going gets tough out on the water.

When I first started bass fishing I would watch guys like Kevin Van Dam on T.V.. I would watch him throw a crankbait or a spinnerbait, covering water as fast as he can. Nothing is wrong with doing that, hey, it works tremendously for him, but when they're not chasing fast moving baits you have to make them bite. And, unless you're born with it in your bones, it's hard to do that crankin' a big ol' plug or burning a spinnerbait. I recently had the oppurtunity to fish with a man that's pretty well known and has seen his share of success on the local bass trails; Mr. Al Leach. Before we hit the water I was expecting him to show me about how KVD does it. Boy was I wrong, but what he taught me has helped me catch WAY more fish. He told me to put down that power fishing stuff and to pick up my spinning reel and down size my baits and weights, and he promised I would catch more fish. Well. . . . . he was right. Now I'm gonna teach you about the lure he introduced to me, and the ways I fish it that have given me the most success.

The Stealth Worm

This is a very slender worm that's 7" in length, and the tail of it is filled with air so that it will float up. That is one of the key elements that this bait has to entice those bass to kill it, whether its fished on a Texas Rig or (my favorite) the Shaky Head.Whichever technique I use, it's almost necessary to use a spinning reel. I have mine rigged on a 6' 10'' rod with 8 lb test line. I also never go over a 1/8 oz weight. The colors pictured at the top of the page are the ones I always have in my box (Black, Mocassin, June Bug, and Watermelon). I have found that June Bug will produce in just about any situation. Now, I will go over both the Texas Rig and the shaky head techniques with you.

Texas Rig

Anybody who has fished for bass has more than likely thrown a Texas Rig into the water. It is when you rig a bullet weight above the hook, and rig the worm weedless onto the hook (see picture, top bait). You can peg the sinker or leave it un-pegged so the the weight can slide freely on the line. I prefer no peg so that it gives it a little more action. Cast it to cover and work it very slowly back to you, hopping it, dragging it, giving it a slight shake now and again. Now remember this is finesse fishing. You're targeting those inactive, lockjaw bass. Don't be scared to let it sit in one spot for a while. The tail on this worm will stand up and can be very enticing just sitting there. Watch your line. I have had bites that you couldn't feel, you could just see the line start swimming off. When you think there is a fish on it, give it time get the whole thing in its mouth (I usually wait about 5 seconds) then set the hook.

Shaky Head

The shaky head (see picture, bottom bait) is a jig head that allows you to rig your worm so that it stands up under water (which makes this worm an excellent choice) and shake it in one spot, giving it a very tantalizing action. This is probably my favorite way to rig this bait. I still rig this worm weedless style, even though it is not quite as snag proof as the Texas Rig. You will actually fish this pretty much like a texas rig, except I don't like to hop it quite as much. I'll cast to a like pice of cover, let it sit, shake it for 5 or so seconds, then slowly drag it a few inches and repeat. When you're shaking it, you want to leave a slight bow in your line, and you DO NOT have to shake it hard. Just very lightly shake the tip of your rod. Let the bait do the majority of the work. Again, this is finesse fishing; the slower the better.

This bait has worked it's way to the top of my arsenal, and I'm sure if you give it a try it will become one of your favorites. This is a deadly worm, and those are two deadly presentations to add to it. But, don't be afraid to expand it, such as rigging it on a drop shot or a Carolina Rig.

I hope these tips will help you put a few more bass in the boat on your next outing. Please, you're encouraged to give me feedback or ask any questions. Just drop a comment or find me on facebook. ENJOY!