Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2015 i Bassmaster

“Want me to hand you my rod next time I hook one so you can reel it in?” IF YOU EVER find yourself in a position to talk trash while fishing with a B.A.S.S. legend, don’t. “Seems kind of embarrassing for me to be spanking you with a worm. After all, you are supposed to be the best worm fisherman ever, right?” I questioned Harold Allen, longtime veteran of the B.A.S.S. wars. “Uh huh,” he replied. “Want me to hand you my rod next time I hook one so you can reel it in?” I continued. “Uh huh,” he responded again, making me think that he wasn’t truly appreciating my jabs. We were fishing Toledo Bend Reservoir for two reasons that morning. First, the lake recently took the top spot…

Anchoring With Dumbbells A 5-pound plastic dumbbell easily converts into an anchor that can hold a kayak firmly in place without bringing up a bushel of weeds when you want to move. Another plus: The plastic anchor doesn’t scuff plastic boats. Materials: 5-pound plastic dumbbell Anchor line with spooling device Kayak Quick Cleat ($12.95 for a set of two at www.quick-cleat.com) Cable zip ties Snap (optional) Pulleys ($3 each at home improvement stores) Large washers 1 Use a cable zip tie to connect a short piece of rope, with knots on either end, to a dumbbell, leaving a slight loop in the middle so the weight hangs horizontally. 2 Attach a Kayak Quick Cleat, using large washers for backing support. 3 Wrap the rear (or front) handle with duct tape…

A Utah fishery containing largemouth bass since its creation in 1970 is being poisoned with rotenone to get rid of smallmouth that were stocked illegally in the past few years. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is considering opening 16 of its fisheries in the lower peninsula to bass tournaments during the spawn. Hydrilla has been found dangerously close to Lake Erie. The Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries stocked Lake Jordan with more than 227,000 Florida largemouth bass fingerlings.…

Harold Sharp, the first B.A.S.S. tournament director and a pioneer in competitive bass fishing, died Sept. 17 after a brief illness. “Thousands of fishermen who never knew his name have Harold to thank for what they’re doing right now,” said his daughter, Ann Ball. Sharp helped B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott develop the fledgling fishing organization in the 1970s and worked as the organization’s tournament director until his retirement in 1987. He refined the rules and formats of professional bass fishing and established many tournament protocols still in use today. “The basic, fundamental principles of fishing tournaments, not just bass tournaments but all fishing tournaments, were laid down by Harold Sharp and Ray Scott,” said B.A.S.S. tournament director Trip Weldon. “They haven’t really changed much, especially related to safety, conservation and…

A diet high in fish may reduce the risk of depression, according to a recent study. Researchers at Qingdao University in China collected and analyzed previous data from other studies and found that people with the most fish in their diets were 17 percent less likely to suffer from depression compared to people with the least amount of fish in their diets. The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Researchers suspect that omega-3 fatty acids in fish could alter the structure of brain membranes and also could affect the behavior of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that are involved in depression. They speculate that fatty acids in fish can stimulate activity in the neurotransmitters and induce feelings of contentment and well being.…

Several Elite Series pros, as well as Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer, joined forces with the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks to raise money for charity at the Bryan Bickell Celebrity Bass Tournament on Illinois’ Bangs Lake in September. Bickell, a Blackhawks left-winger, avid angler and friend of Mercer’s, hosted the event to raise money for the Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation and the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation. “He wanted to blend his passion for fishing and his profession,” said Jesse Simpkins, vice president of field sales at Plano Synergy. “He’s a pretty good stick, both fishing and hockey.” About 30 three-person teams took part in the derby, including boats with Elite pros Jonathon VanDam, Mike Iaconelli and John Murray. The Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation also assisted with the tournament.…

“Why did you do this?” Max asked. “We wanted to go to the Classic!” IT’S A SCENE I’ll never forget: Standing in line on the banks of Alaska’s Kenai River, fishermen methodically flipped their weighted hooks into the current, hauled them in and rolled them out again. I was told they were “flossing.” The trick was to lay the line out in the current and keep it taut long enough for a salmon to swim along with its mouth open. The line would slide through its mouth and a hook would penetrate the fish’s jaw. It wouldn’t be my favorite way to catch fish, but I won’t judge others who do it. In other states where salmon swim upstream, anglers and fisheries officials take a dim view of anything that…

“If you have a bank littered with logs or docks, your percentage goes way down.”— Elite Series pro Randall Tharp A SPIN ON SPINNERBAITS What are some spinnerbait tricks used during the late fall, and would you fish them deep or shallow? @reedofjohns, Instagram Elite Series pro Zell Rowland There are many spinnerbait modifications that pros do to make a fish easier to catch when it bites. In the late fall, we have a tendency to shorten the arm of the bait that holds the blade to a quarter of an inch, where it exposes the hook much better. If I’m going to fish 10 to 15 feet deep, then I use a single blade, like a Colorado blade or an Indiana blade. A lot of us will fish a…

What’s New And What’s Hot Glory Bag, $79.95 Ask any tournament angler and he’ll agree that if fish are not properly cared for while in a livewell, weights and health can, and will, be negatively affected. The Glory Bag set includes six perforated bags with different colored zippers for quick and easy fish identification and culling. The bags add mild compression around the fish’s body, which reduces stress, eliminates the need to poke holes in the lip and protects the fish during transport on rough water. Healthier fish released after a tournament weigh-in mean a more rewarding experience for the next generation. www.glorybag.com Pflueger President Limited Edition, $79.99 By this time next year, we the people will have a new POTUS. Pflueger released a new, limited-edition President spinning reel; however,…

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found little humor in a Craigslist advertisement that announced the release of invasive Asian carp into a Montana lake and plans for the release of more carp into other bodies of water. Alerted by concerned citizens, MFWP and USFWS officials investigated and discovered the ad was a hoax. “We just got back from a fishing trip in Arkansas,” the ad said. “We had a blast watching these crazy fish jump all around the boat as we cruised around. I managed to net several buckets of the fry and used some for bait. I made it home with six buckets of them and many were still alive, so I put two buckets of them in Hylite today and…

Jerry McKinnis has made a career out of something most count as diversion. But fishing for a living is different. Whether it’s guiding a White River float trip, tournament fishing, running a marina or making TV shows, paying the bills requires hard work and dedication. McKinnis’ recently published book, Bass Fishing, Brown Dogs & Curveballs, contains tales you’d expect from a man who’s traveled the world in search of myriad fish with a cast of characters that would stir envy in the greatest raconteur. There’s salmon fishing with Teddy Ballgame and Coach Bobby Knight in Soviet Russia before the Cold War fully thawed; catching bluefish for David Letterman on New York City’s East River; and paddling the Boundary Waters with family and old friends. These stories are in many ways…

FROM ONE TOURNAMENT to another, the Bassmaster Elite Series pros often fish waters that have as much in common as Venus and Pluto. They could be punching shallow grass mats one week and cranking deep ledges the next. To overcome such daunting challenges, the pros must be proficient with a wide variety of tactics. This dictates the need for an arsenal of technique-specific rods. Many rods now come labeled for a particular application. However, there is no one-size-fits-all in bass fishing. Every angler has a different preference when it comes to rods, points out Arkansas pro Mark Davis. “I have a rod that says it’s for heavy grass, but I use it for Carolina rigging instead,” Davis says. “Until you fish with a rod, you don’t know what you’ve got.”…

EVERY YEAR IN mid- to late fall, jumbo river small-mouth start the move to their winter haunts. It’s really quite simple: If anglers know where the smallies’ new locations are, they’ll do well; if not, they’ll struggle. Before we can understand where the smallmouth go, we have to understand where they were and why they leave. EARLY FALL STAGE Mike Smith, who operates New River Fly Fishing in Willis, Va., explains the migration. “In early fall, smallmouth can literally be anywhere, as the water temperatures are normally cool enough by then that they don’t need to stack up in riffles with higher dissolved oxygen or spend the heat of the day in deep holes or ledges for comfort. “Then it would be a mistake to target smallies only in a…

THE OLD ADAGE that big baits catch big bass isn’t lost on the Bassmaster Elite Series pros. More oversize bass lures are being introduced every year, and the pros have no qualms about getting them into the water. Super-size largemouth in places like Shasta and Falcon lakes are what started the big-bait trend, asserts Elite Series pro Greg Hackney of Louisiana. These days, big baits are a necessity across the country because bass fishing and bass fishermen everywhere are better than ever, he adds. “When I started fishing tournaments, you could weigh a 10-fish limit, and 20 pounds was a good sack,” Hackney says. “Now we have a five-bass limit, and you still need 20 pounds a day to be competitive.” Here’s a collection of big baits that keep 10…

Cole’s Carolina Rig Shortcut One of the most annoying aspects of slinging the ol’ ball-and-chain is the process of retying. Yes, Carolina rigs are an effective way to cover a lot of water with plastic baits; however, tying them on is an ordeal. B.A.S.S. member Ed Cole has streamlined the process with the following shortcut. 1 Using your fingers, straighten a jumbo paper clip, except for the small, inside bend. 2 Using pliers, crimp the tag end of the remaining bend over the wire, forming a small loop. 3 Slide a barrel swivel into the loop you created, and then wrap the tag wire around the main wire two to three times. Snip off the excess wire. 4 Slide one bullet weight onto the main wire, followed by two beads…

Birthday: Sept. 11, 1984 Hometown: San Jose, Calif. You’ve just completed the best year of your career, winning the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship and finishing sixth in AOY points. So life is good right now, huh? It’s the best year I’ve had since I started fishing the Elites in 2012. I made my second Classic. You know, the AOY Championship is about determining the Angler of the Year, which Aaron [Martens] had wrapped up earlier. So this year, the storyline was about who made or missed the Classic. But I had my goal. I really wanted to win this one. I wanted to cap the season with a strong finish and take that momentum into the offseason and convert it into a Classic win. There was no…

Labor Day 2015 apparently was a good time for anglers to catch firearms and explosives. According to WOFL Fox 35 in Orlando, Fla., three boys fishing near Waterford Lakes in suburban Orlando reeled in a bag containing a loaded.380 pistol and two ammunition clips. A Waterford Lakes security guard retrieved the weapon and reported it to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Meanwhile, a New Hampshire angler stumbled upon a pipe bomb while fishing the same day on the Merrimack River in Concord, N.H., the Concord Patch reported. The angler called 911 and first responders closed a section of the Sewalls Falls Recreation Area while the state police bomb squad was called in to detonate the device.…

A father and son from Louisiana have developed a throwable, floating, electronic fish attractor that uses sound to attract fish. Collecting more than $112,000 in a crowd-funding campaign to develop the device for mass distribution, the pair surpassed their $10,000 financial goal. Jeff Danos and his 16-year-old son, Jack, developed the product over 10 months and used a 3-D printer to build a prototype, according to their Kickstarter page. The device is roughly the size of a small Nerf football and weighs about a pound. The Danoses have tested their prototype in both saltwater and freshwater, and they report catching redfish, speckled trout, flounder, black drum, bass, bowfin, catfish and bluegill.…

The jumping-off point for a lake that consistently ranks among our Top 100, this city also will host the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Dec. 9-12. Homeboys. Guntersville is home to Elite Series pros Boyd Duckett, Kevin Hawk, Chris Lane and Justin Lucas. Did You Know? Guntersville was founded by and named for John Gunter, the great-grandfather of American humorist Will Rogers. Bring Foul-Weather Gear. With an average of 5.24 inches of rain, December is the second-wettest month in Guntersville. And with an average high of 53 degrees and an average low of 34, you’ll need raingear and cold-weather gear. Or you’ll need to wrestle a lot of bass to stay warm.…

“To me, the best scenario is when fish are just a foot off the bottom ... [they] will hit the short hop presentation.” IF, PER CHANCE, you have included Texas’ Lake Fork on your Bass Fishing Bucket List, make sure you add a special note to aim a few casts just north of the 515 bridge, not far from Lake Fork Marina. Idle over the river channel a few times before you start, so you can get an idea of what’s down below. The majority of Lake Fork visitors don’t realize there is an old roadbed and another bridge about 25 feet deep right there. Most months of the year, there are plenty of bass suspended on it, too. The best way to catch them is with a big flutter…

HAVE YOU EVER thought bass were simply getting immune to your lures? It turns out, you’re not imagining it. Researchers at the Pure Fishing test labs in Spirit Lake, Iowa, have been studying fish response to lures for almost 30 years, and among their findings is solid scientific evidence that fish simply “get wise” to a given model eventually. “We have a rotary test tank where we can pull lures around a large glass tank at various speeds on a track, and we test fish reaction to these lures, typically releasing five or six fish from their cages into the larger aquarium for each test,” says Dr. Keith Jones, vice president of product innovation at Pure Fishing. He said the hooks are left on the lures for balance, but they…

103 Willow Pond, Georgia • Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm (green pumpkin) • Water clarity: stained • Depth: 7 feet • Weather: overcast, windy, rainy 100 Lake Austin, Texas 7-inch Yum Dinger (green pumpkin/ purple flake) 11-4 Stick Marsh, Florida 5-inch Zoom Z-nail worm (blueberry) 12-1 Kissimmee Lake, Florida 9-inch golden shiner 10-8 Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida 7-inch shiner 10-7 Lake Okeechobee, Florida 8-inch live wild shiner 6-1 Lake Erie, Pennsylvania Rick Clunn Luck-E-Strike salty tube (pumpkinseed) 10-4 Farmers Lake, North Carolina 5-inch Zoom Fluke (silver flake) To request an application, write to editorial@bassmaster.com or B.A.S.S., The Lunker Club, 3500 Blue Lake Drive, Suite 330, Birmingham, AL 35243. A photo documenting the catch must be provided, along with the length and girth of the bass. Only suitable photos will be published in…