Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2016 i Bassmaster

A League Of His Own “There is no crying in baseball!” Remember this line delivered by Coach Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) in the movie A League Of Their Own? Well, David Walker is likely thinking “Is it snowing? Is it snowing? There is no snowing in bass fishing!” The white stuff is not a typical weather event when an angler is trying to fill a limit. Based on the position of his hand here, it’s hard to tell if he is trying to warm his fingers or wipe away a tear. If it’s the latter, cry on, Mr. Walker. There is nobody around to give you a hard time about it. Photo: James Overstreet…

“A dog ate my fishing rod.” That’s the excuse I gave for performing poorly at a recent bass tournament. I’m pretty sure my elementary school teacher believed this line as it related to my homework with equal sympathy as my fishing buddies. Still, it hurt. The cork was chewed right in the middle. How can I perform with a blemished stick? Well, with shrink tubing and a little rope (assuming you don’t have time to order WinnGrips), the problem can be fixed. So, don’t trash rods with tattered cork handles … refurbish them like this. 1 With a small piece of tape, secure one end of the rope to the top of the cork handle. (Choose the diameter of rope based on personal preference.) 2 Wrap the rope down…

AARON MARTENS BELIEVES he was born to be a bass pro, and not many Bassmaster Elite Series pros could argue otherwise. “Not to sound cocky, but I think I have a God-given talent, and it’s not something I take for granted,” says the good-natured Elite angler who wrapped up his third Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title this past season in convincing fashion. He finished the year with victories at Lake Havasu and Chesapeake Bay and was second on the Sacramento River, third at the Sabine River and sixth at Lake St. Clair. He also logged 13th- and 15th-place finishes in a season marred only by one out-of-the-money finish (66th) on Lake Guntersville. For that reason, Martens had the title sewn up before last September’s AOY Championship on Sturgeon…

Put away your biases against cold-weather fishing. If you follow the right game plan, you can expect success instead of being surprised by it. ZELL ROWLAND OF Montgomery, Texas, laughs as he says, “I’m one of the very few pro anglers on the B.A.S.S. Elite [Series] circuit who has paid out over a million dollars in entry fees.” This is because the 58-year-old angler has fished B.A.S.S. tournaments longer than most — 39 years to be exact! (And before he turned pro, Rowland was a full-time guide on east Texas’ glory lakes.) This is why it’s an understatement to say he’s “been there and done that” in bass fishing. He’s fished virtually all over the country. He’s won five national B.A.S.S. tournaments and amassed over a million dollars in prize…

Kudos for helpful article Your September/October [2015] edition of “Triple Threat” is by far the best article I have ever read! I’ve just started angling, so I fish at a couple of farm ponds, and I catch fish, mostly on crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps. Two of your guys selected soft plastics, something that I barely use myself. These two tactics should be useful for beginners (no offense on the jig tactic, Paul Elias). Keep up the good work, guys! Drew Chesser, Missouri Not hypocritical James Hall’s editorial “Constitutional State” was well written and informative. I didn’t see anything hypocritical about it. Your point was the importance of protecting our hunting and fishing rights as well as wildlife conservation. I’m sure that all of us unurbanized hicks agree. I intend to cling…

Anglers have extended their arms to make fish look bigger in photographs since the invention of the camera, but a proposed product from a Danish company was designed to take photographic gimmickry to an entirely new level. Fishy Hands features artificial hands on poles that allow anglers to hold a fish farther from their bodies to make the fish look larger because of the altered perspective. The company, MOEF, originally built a prototype and mocked up advertising as an April Fool’s Day prank. But social media coverage of the fake product went viral, and many people asked where to buy it, so the company decided to try to sell Fishy Hands. They launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of raising about $30,000. Alas, the crowdfunding campaign failed to reach…

PRETTY PAINT JOBS on crankbait bodies catch fishermen’s eyes in the tackle shop, but the real difference between fish catchers often lies in that lip hanging off the nose of the bait. That’s where the wiggle, wobble and diving capacity of a bait is activated. The differences are often subtle, or perhaps invisible to the human eye, but the bill delivers the mojo that triggers a reaction from the bass. “The lip is probably the most critical element in making a lure perform and is a difference maker in its action,” says Rapala lure designer Mark Fisher. But are we close to the perfect, catch-’em-every-time crankbait? No way. As lure designers tinker with materials, shapes and sizes — and refine those that provide more positive responses from the fish —…

I will admit that early in my fishing career I gave little thought to my reels’ gear ratios. IT WAS COLD when pro Scott Suggs and I pulled up to the ramp on Table Rock Lake last March, with a heavy fog that seemed to make it even colder. That’s fine. I know how to handle the cold. But what Suggs said moments after we launched the boat shook me up. “Water temps are only 39 degrees,” he said, clearly in disbelief. “I’ve never seen this lake this cold before.” Suggs’ comment was interesting as only moments earlier he had outlined his chosen pattern for fishing that day: swimming 4-inch Berkley Power Grubs on 10-pound fluoro over flooded timber. It wasn’t his choice of bait or line that surprised me,…

Understanding Sloping Banks Sloping banks are familiar structures to reservoir fishermen. They’re commonly called “45-degree banks” because many of them slope off into deep water at roughly a 45-degree angle. Compare this to bluff banks, which are virtually straight up and down, and to flats, which extend from shallow to deep water at a very low angle. “The metabolism of the bass slows down significantly in cold water,” South Carolina pro Andy Montgomery points out. “This explains why winter bass tend to locate where they don’t have to exert a lot of energy to find food, shelter and a suitable ambush spot.” A 45-degree bank provides all three of these factors in a relatively compact area, Montgomery says. “Here, bass don’t have to move long distances to meet all their…

Pflueger Flying Hellgrammite The Flying Hellgrammite was created about 1883 by E.F. Pflueger, president of the Enterprise Manufacturing Co., an Ohio firm that later became the Pflueger Tackle Co. One of Pflueger’s first lures, the Flying Hellgrammite was basically a copy of a lure also named the Flying Hellgrammite. Its maker, Harry Comstock, successfully sued Pflueger for design infringement. The Flying Hellgrammite shown is the one involved in that lawsuit. Its hook points and barbs were removed to prevent the judge from injuring himself when examining the bait. Equipped with side spinners, the sinking lure is now worth about $7,000. Lucky lure The reason I am writing you is I would like to find out about a lure that I used in the ’70s. The name of it is “The…

So, it seems there is a big difference between ice fishing in the Northern states and how those in the South define it. Up North, lakes freeze and anglers drive a truck out on the ice and drill a hole for their lines to go through. In the South, fishermen drive their boats to a fishing spot, then eventually remove ice from the holes their line went through at one point. Still, whether you are drilling a hole or clearing a hole, getting rid of the hard water is of the highest priority.…

Humminbird Helix 12 Chirp SI GPS, $2,299.99 Humminbird is pushing technology to the limit again with its new Helix 12 Chirp SI with GPS. The LED-backlit, 12.1-inch display provides all the desired information on a large, easy-to-read screen — even in bright sunlight while wearing sunglasses. The unit can also internally store up to eight hours of data recorded through AutoChart Live, which is the company’s map-generating software that allows anglers to create maps complete with contours where none existed previously.www.humminbird.com Bolt Hitch Lock, $29.99 Gone are the days of walking out of the grocery store only to find that your trailer hitch has been ripped off. With the Bolt Lock’s one-key lock technology, you are now able to use the tow vehicle’s ignition key to keep your hitch secured.…

Stewart Mayeaux of Marianna, Fla., had been reading about several state record shoal bass caught on the Chipola River, so the 41-year-old angler figured it was an attainable goal and set out to break it. Mayeaux did just that Sept. 19. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Mayeaux caught the fish at 8 a.m. after several trips in search of a record. The fish weighed 4.89 pounds and measured 20.9 inches in length and 13.6 inches in girth. Mayeaux held the fish in an aerated tub until a state fisheries biologist could respond to the scene, verify the species and weigh the fish on certified scales. Mayeaux’s record shoal bass topped the previous record held jointly by Tucker Martin and Jamie Coleman, who caught 4.49- and 4.50-pound shoal…

A Chill In The Air It’s cold outside — and in the water, too, especially if you live in the North. Your favorite bass water might be under several inches of ice already, so the chance to head south — to south Florida — probably sounds pretty good right about now. Time of year: early January Body of water: natural lake (5 to 500,000 acres) Depth: very shallow (4-foot average; the water level is above normal) Surface temp: 72 to 75 degrees Water clarity: 6 inches to 10 feet (depending on the current and area) Weather: clear and warm (high 75 degrees), wind 5 mph from the west Structure/cover: vegetation of all kinds — everywhere! Forage: golden shiners, shad, panfish, crawfish, other bass, grass shrimp Unless you live in Florida,…

AMAZINGLY, THE FIRST “baitcasting” reel ever made looks a lot like the ones A we use today. At least the design and the way it fits on a rod handle haven’t changed that much since George Snyder invented his “fine casting instrument” in his Paris, Ky., watchmaker shop in 1810. The story of this amazing invention that would eventually allow every angler in the world to go fishing without buying an expensive fly rod began on the banks of a quiet, picturesque stream that flowed through the new but rugged frontier town of Paris, Ky. Stoner Creek is a beautiful stream filled with shimmering riffles and long, placid pools. Like others throughout this region of the South during the early 19th century, the stream supported an excellent population of smallmouth…

BASSMASTER’S REALITY SERIES puts Bassmaster Elite Series pros on small lakes they’ve never seen before, then gives them seven hours to determine a viable bass pattern while we log their every move. This month, Josh Bertrand takes our challenge. The 27-year-old Gilbert, Ariz., pro has fished the Elites for three years and has qualified for the Classic once. Here’s what happened Feb. 25, 2015, when Bertrand fished Lake G, a small, remote reservoir. What tactics should you employ to locate and catch bass when the lake is just a few degrees shy of freezing? Stay tuned to find out! » 6:41 a.m. It’s 26 degrees with clear skies when I pull into the ice-slick parking lot of Bertrand’s motel. The pro is toting stacks of tackleboxes from his…

Mildew prevention My boat has a custom-fit cover that fits tightly and keeps rain out. However, when I don’t use it for several weeks, mildew forms on the inside fiberglass. What can I do to prevent this? Robert Wilcox, Florida Bill Lindsey, vice president of marketing at Star brite, says using a fully waterproof fabric is the first step to preventing mildew. “Step 2 is to ensure adequate ventilation. Mildew forms when you have a combination of moisture, no sunlight and stagnant air. Eliminate any one of these factors and mildew can be avoided. Some covers have or can be equipped with vents. Leaving a small fan running or hanging a 60-watt trouble light under the cover will most likely keep the air sufficiently dry and prevent mildew. Applying a…