"It Was Like a Fishin' Dream"

That's how Terry Bennett described the fishing day he and a buddy had yesterday on Norfolk Lake. "We got into a tremendous bass bite that lasted for hours," he said. And before I go any further here, let me clarify that I obtained this report via my good friend, Charlie Bruggemann, who also has included the info on his blog (http://vbfishlguide.blogspot.com/).

"These bass were chasing minnows in a small area," continued Terry. "Between us, we caught some 12 to 15, not counting hook throws and non-hooksets."

Terry's highlight, though, was the citation crappie (first citation freshwater fish ever for him) you see in the accompanying photo. It weighed in at 1 lb. 8 ozs. and measured 15 and a half inches when they took it in for certification.

"Thought he was a bass when he hit a 4.5-inch plastic worm," said the proud angler, adding, "imagine my surprise! Guess he was feeding on the minnows, too."

Terry went on to say his buddy caught two bass that would have gone between 4 and 5 lbs. Without a scale, though, they couldn't tell for sure. "I'm pretty certain my buddy also lost a citation bass," noted Terry. "I saw him jump and throw the bait--it was huge. My buddy almost cried."

In wrapping up his report, Terry estimated that most of the bass they landed yesterday were in the 2-lb. range, and all of them were released alive. Seems the only reason they quit when they did was because one or both of them had a commitment elsewhere.

"As I paddled off," said Terry, "a big bass slapped the water while chasing minnows about 20 feet from me--imagine having to paddle away from something like that."

The water Terry and his buddy fished yesterday was running 74 degrees in a depth of 3 to 4 feet, and it was pretty murky. Successful lures included wacky worms, soft-plastic shad/minnow-type lures, beetle spins, and spinnerbaits. "The only thing they wouldn't hit," Terry concluded, "was the craws... strange."

A Real Good Bass On...

Or so my friend, Ray Scott, thought when something attacked the bait on the end of his fly rod. "I just knew I had a 2 and a half or 3 pounder," he said.

He went on to explain that he held the rod tip in the water ever so vigilantly so the fish wouldn't jump, adding, "I wanted to just let him wear himself out."

The "proof in the pudding" came moments later, though, when he hauled--in his own words--"just another dink" into the boat. "Man, was I disappointed!" he exclaimed.

If it's any consolation, Ray, don't feel bad, 'cause I've chased my own share of "thought to be big bass" down the side of my boat, only to also find a strong-pulling dink, or worse--one of those rowdy toothy critters.

All was not lost however, because overall, Ray had a pretty good day yesterday while fishing Haynes and Godfrey Creeks, as well as the one north of Haynes. "Got my limit of dinks," he said, noting that most of them came on spinnerbaits and swimbaits.

The best part of his day, though, was the 15 or so bluegills he picked up with his fly rod, using sinking flies in black and yellow. "About a third of them were good sized," he wrote. On the other hand, he couldn't elicit much interest in topwater bugs.

Incidentally, Ray, don't let down your guard the next time you feel a mighty tug on the end of your fly line and are tempted to play it like just another ho-hum dink. Why? 'Cause if your luck runs anything like mine, that'll be the one time when you really do have a big 'un on.

Tight Lines! my friend.

Ray's fishing report was forwarded to me by our mutual friend, Charlie Bruggemann, who also has posted it on his blog. Check it out at http://vbfishguide.blogspot.com/.

Some of the Tragic Memorial Day Results Are In

While I've not been able to find any reports yet on boating accidents in Virginia over the long Memorial Day weekend, reports abound on what happened in the Lone Star State. Texas game wardens investigated seven drowning deaths and another four boating-related fatalities over what proved to be one of the state's deadliest Memorial Day weekends ever.

In addition to handling those tragedies, game wardens issued hundreds of water-safety citations and made numerous arrests, including 31 persons for boating while intoxicated, 7 for driving while intoxicated, 14 for public intoxication, and 36 on various drug-related offenses.

"Texas game wardens will remember this Memorial Day weekend for years to come," said Lt. Col. Danny Shaw, deputy director of law enforcement for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). "...This was one of the deadliest three-day holidays in recent memory," he added, noting that wardens responded to a total of 21 boating accidents. In addition to the four boating-related deaths involved, there were two serious injuries.

"Everyone must play a part in increasing water safety in Texas," said Col. Craig Hunter, TPWD director of law enforcement. "I urge every Texan to wear a life jacket while on our lakes, rivers and bays and not to consume alcohol while boating in Texas. Your life could well depend on it."

That's good advice for everyone, whether they be Texans, Virginians or otherwise. Here are a few more words to the wise:

     * Check the weather forecast before heading out.
     * Use common sense and operate responsibly.
     * Take a boating safety course.
     * Don't overload your boat.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, there are more than 12 million registered recreational boats in the United States. With so many boaters enjoying the waterways, it's no surprise that more than 4,062 accidents were reported in 2013. Of that number, 560 people died, 2,620 were injured, and property damage amounted to approximately $39 million. Compared to 2012, the number of accidents decreased 10 percent, the number of deaths decreased 14 percent, and the number of injuries decreased 12.7 percent.

There's no mystery to boating safety. Understanding and obeying navigational rules and safety procedures has proven to save lives while reducing injuries and property damage.

Boat smart, my friends.

Catch Some Fish, Fill Your Tummy, Help Fight Cancer...

You can do all that and more by attending and participating in the 13th Annual Steve Gambill Cancer Classic to be held at West Landing Marina in Virginia Beach this Sunday, June 1.

Pre-registration for this tournament ends today, but you still can register by calling organizer Chris Vitovich today or tomorrow at 512-6837 or 468-0972. You also can register online at www.cancerclassic.org, and, of course, last-minute registrations still will be taken Sunday at West Landing Marina, starting at 5 a.m.

All proceeds from this tournament go to the American Cancer Society. Over the past 12 years, the Steve Gambill Cancer Classic has raised $124,000. Meanwhile, 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-place tournament winners in each of three divisions (bass only, open, and junior) receive trophies.

Following the tournament, from 3 to 5 p.m., there's a family picnic for all to enjoy, so plan now to come, stay a while, and help Chris honor his late best fishin' buddy, Steve Gambill. You won't be disappointed--I assure you.

For complete details about the tournament rules, see my blog post titled "Mark Sunday, June 1, on Your Calendars," which I put up Tuesday, May 6.

Swapping Their T-Ball Coaching Caps for Fishin' Hats

That's the report I got today from my friend, Jerry.

For the past two months, he and his son, Chris, have been coaching the T-ball team of Chris's son. The season has ended, though, so Jerry and Chris grabbed their fishin' hats this morning and headed for the Northwest River--for their first trip together so far this year.

After having a rough day at West Neck this past Wednesday, Jerry wanted to try some different water. The Northwest proved to be "very muddy," as he described it, but the bite was on. This 14-incher came on only Jerry's second cast and turned out to be the best of their day, but they also caught more.

Over the next five hours, they would bag seven more bass, one crappie, and according to Jerry, "a very healthy bowfin. Thankfully, the bowfin threw the hook while Chris was 'toying' with him beside the boat."

The day's bite may have been slow, but the father-son duo were just happy to be back out on the water again on a Saturday. "And unlike my last trip to the Northwest, snakes were NOT a factor today," Jerry concluded.

Fish, Fish and More Fish

This first report is from a new contributor. His name is Chuck Hardy, Jr. I just recently got to know Chuck through an email he sent me, asking if the "Ray Hardy" listed on the "In Memoriam" section of my blog (which he reads) might be his late uncle. Turns out that he was spot on, and I not only have been able to complete Ray's information on the "In Memoriam" block, but I'm also now working on a future blog article about this avid fisherman, friend, and all-around good guy that Chuck knew as Uncle Ray.

That being said, Chuck sent me photos of a couple fish he caught this morning, when he stopped off on Muddy Creek Road in Back Bay en route to work--"completely out of my way, I might add," he clarified.

Chuck earlier told me he spent a fair amount of time as a youth fishing with his Uncle Ray, and it showed in that last statement. I can't tell you how many times over the years I saw Ray show up at West Neck when he could get away from a job for a couple hours of fishing--whether it be first thing in the morning, mid-day or whenever. He just loved to fish and took advantage of every minute he could spend on the water. When he had finished, he'd rush back to work as quickly as he had come flying into the West Neck parking lot.

Chuck estimated the bass (above, right) at about 2 lbs. It fell for what appeared (in a different photo) to be a perch-colored Rebel Pop R. He also caught a second bass before he was done.

That wasn't all, either. This ring perch, which Chuck estimated at about a pound, fell for a red and white spinnerbait--one of those Walmart $1 models that I've also used a few times to catch some fish. In fact, I always keep several of them in my tacklebox, just in case.

This second report comes from Skip Schaible, who didn't get out until about 9:30 this morning. "That bed was just too comfortable," he explained. This bass tipped his digital scales at 2-13. He also had one that weighed 1-15.

Skip went on to say he lost a fish that he would estimate at 4 or 5 lbs. "Made my drag scream," he reported.

He called it a day about 2 o'clock.

And last, but certainly not least, is this report from Jim Bauer on his final day at Lake Gaston. The bad boy he's holding proudly here weighed in at 3-10. He also had a 2-8, 2-6, 1-1, and three dinks.

"I think they call it perseverance, or maybe it's just not being willing to give up," said Jim. If you've followed his reports over previous days, you know he's had more than his share of frustrations trying to boat these wily creatures.

"Sure felt good to catch a few good fish," he concluded his email.

I can't say anything but "good on ya" to all these fine folks. There's absolutely nothing shabby about any of these reports. All I can add is: Keep 'em coming. My hand already is feeling better. Woo Hoo!!!

A Couple of Summaries

This evening's report from my buddy Jim Bauer, who's still at Lake Gaston, was a tad better than yesterday, in that he caught a total of five bass today. Unfortunately, they all were dinks, starting with a 13.5-incher that didn't even weigh a pound. Said Jim, "It was another one of those deals like yesterday, when I repeatedly would drag back nothing but a half-inch of French fry."

There's less chance of rain tomorrow at Gaston than there was today, but it's supposed to be hot. Jim told me to be expecting a report on his finale.

The other email report I received came from my kayaker buddy, Charlie Bruggemann, who spent today in the Albright's oxbow. While he didn't weigh any monsters, he did well. "Got 18 total, with the top fish going 1-3, 1-3, 1-4, 1-6, 1-7, and 2-2," said Charlie. He got one on a hollow-bodied frog, and the rest on craws, paddle-tail swimbaits, lizards, and tubes.

For a complete report and video of today's trip, visit Charlie's blog  http://vbfishguide.blogspot.com/. It'll probably be sometime tomorrow afternoon before he has it posted. As Charlie often has reminded me, it takes a while to edit all that video he shoots.

Just Our Luck!

By Jerry Gardner

 

A friend (and fellow church member) and I made our first casts at West Neck at 6:50 a.m. today. At 7:26, my friend, Eddie, boated the dink that he is so proudly holding in this photo.

Three minutes later, I boated this dink, which happened to be about twice the size of Eddie's.






As soon as Eddie caught his fish, I jokingly told him that I wanted to take a picture, just in case it turned out to be the only one of the day. Had I known I would jinx us for the rest of our trip with that statement, I surely would have kept the thought to myself. I managed to add one more dink to our sack, but that was it.

After four hours, we had reached our limit for dealing with the futility of it all and decided to return to the ramp. Wouldn't you know, though, that just as I powered up, an angler in a boat ahead of us, off to the right, landed a fish that looked like it easily would weigh at least 5 lbs. Even seeing that hawg, though, couldn't rejuvenate our interest.

Jerry went on to note in his email that he checked the water-level gauge at the ramp today and, after getting home, confirmed that adding 1.30 to the North Landing River level resulted in a West Neck Creek reading that matched the one he had photographed before leaving the marina. I tested Charlie's system yesterday when I was out and found only a 0.11 difference, which was good enough for this country boy. I'm satisfied that Charlie has come up with a real winner here.

Old But Still Puttin' Fish in the Boat

For the record, this ain't gonna be a tale about the fact I turn three score and 11 years old tomorrow. Rather, it's a story about some old fishin' lures that, despite their age, still are proving they can catch fish.

The Zara Spook (pictured top left), Lucky 13, Bayou Boogie, and Crazy Crawler are among the oldest artificial lures still in production. And in case you didn't know, they're all made by Heddon Lures, which was founded in 1894 by James Heddon, who is commonly recognized as the creator of the first artificial fishing lure. Heddon Lures is the oldest continuously operating fishing-tackle company in the United States.

Another "oldie but goodie" lure manufacturer is the Fred Arbogast Company, which makes the Jitterbug and Hula Popper you see in the photo at right.

Fred Arbogast became a full-time lure maker in 1926, and two years later, when he formed his own company, started mass producing baits. While one of the first lures middle-aged bass anglers today may have thrown was from the Arbogast line, it's also true that just as many anglers may not have thrown one of these same baits for 10 years or more.

"Why?" you may be asking. Not because they no longer exist, but simply because they aren't as prominent on store shelves these days.

Also on the list of old-time lure makers is Crème. It was Akron, Ohio, resident Nick Crème and his wife, Cosma, who decided to do something about the fact there still were no soft-plastic lures on the market in the early 1940s. They experimented with various mixes of synthetic materials until they found one that gave them the effect they wanted.

The first Crème worm (see some samples at left) spawned an entirely new segment of the fishing industry. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of soft-plastic lures that have descended from that first worm, with more coming along all the time.

When they first hit the market in 1949, Crème worms sold at a rate of five for a buck.

Another not-to-be-forgotten oldster, although it's a newcomer compared to Heddon and Arbogast, is the Cotton Cordell line of baits, which has been around for more than 50 years.

Cotton Cordell learned about fishing, guiding and lure designing in his youth when his father owned a fishing resort on Lake Catherine in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He formed his own company, Cordell Lures, where he introduced such baits as the Hot Spot, Gay Glade, Boy Howdy, Red Fin, and Crazy Shad.

It was Cordell Lures' mass production of Fred Young's Big O, however, that took the bass-fishing world by storm. It armed bass anglers with an entirely new way to fish.

Finally, we come to Johnson Lures. It was 1920, when Louis Johnson created the Silver Minnow (pictured at left), the first weedless spoon ever made completely of metal. Most artificial lures until this time had been either wood or a combination of wood and metal.

The all-metal Silver Minnow ushered in a whole new subculture in both fresh and salt water.

There are some today who would say that those anglers who have cast aside these old lures in favor of today's innovative designs may be shortchanging themselves. They say these old lures still will keep pace with newer offerings if you'll just give them a chance.

What's the Difference Between Men and Boys?

According to the popular saying, it's the price of their toys. I would suggest, though, in this case, it perhaps would be more accurate to say "the size of their toys."

When I first received this photo from my friend, Skip, I thought the whole thing might just be some kind of joke. But after digging around the Internet for a while, I came to realize that Smart cars, like the one in this photo, really do have towing capabilities. The unofficial towing capacity for the 450 Smart is 660 lbs. However, when you take in the maximum load for the car, you're probably looking at a 441-lb. maximum trailer weight, with 66 lbs. at the hitch.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I know a lot of bass anglers who would have a hard time meeting those specs, given all the tackle they routinely carry on a fishing trip. And can you imagine the guffaws that would resonate from fellow anglers if someone showed up at a local launch ramp with a rig like this? The din only would grow when the dude parked this rig between--say--a couple of those jacked-up, big-wheeled pickups. Now that would be a priceless sight to behold.

"Never will happen," perhaps you're saying. I would caution you, though, that nearly anything is possible in this world today, especially around boat ramps. About the time you think you've seen it all, you get amazed yet again. All I ask is that, if you ever do see something like this happening, please take a picture and send it to me. I'm always in the market for a good laugh.

Getting in My Licks One More Time Before I'm Grounded

When my dermatologist gets through with me tomorrow, he's already put me on notice that I should plan on being grounded for two weeks while waiting for the spot on the back of my hand to heal after he takes a knife to it. Accordingly, I wasn't about to pass up the chance to get out today and see if I could catch a few fish.

I wouldn't exactly say it was the kind of day you want to write home about, but I found it satisfying, even though I did struggle for much of the day. My best fish was the 2-4 in this photo. I also boated a 1-7 and two 12-inchers, plus a pickerel. There were a few missed strikes, as well.

Productive lures today were the Pop R and a Strike King 1XS (one of those custom-color jobs I had painted over the winter months).

There were about seven rigs in the West Neck parking lot this morning when I shoved away from the dock, but that number had dwindled to two by the time I came in this afternoon. I'm not sure if that means everyone went out and caught a bunch of fish early, or they just got tired and decided to quit early.

The bottom line here is that I'll be relying solely on the reports I get from others for the next couple of weeks, so send me those emails and photos. I'll be looking forward to getting them.

From "Tough" to "Frustrating" in Two Days

That's how my friend, Jim Bauer, summed up yesterday and today on Lake Gaston. The 2-lb. bass in this photo, which he caught yesterday, was his best fish of the past two days. Yesterday's totals also included a 1-3 and a dink.

Today, he caught a 1-1 and a dink.

Jim still is shaking his head over all the missed strikes in the last two days, along with the many times he had fish on, only to have them come unbuttoned en route to the boat--sometimes right at the boat. It's happened so many times that he's beginning to think, in his own words, "someone must have put a hex on me."

This whole trip has been absent any topwater bite whatsoever, which has only added to his frustration level. By and large, his only productive lures have been a French fry and craw.

Today on Gaston started chilly but warmed up close to 80. "It was breezy, too," said Jim, adding, "we're in for hot weather the next two days and high winds tomorrow. There's a chance of rain and storms, as well"--not exactly the kind of weather he was hoping for on the day he has to pull his boat out of the water and start cleaning it up before the trip home on Friday.

In closing out today's report, Jim offered this apology of sorts, "Sorry I didn't have any exciting fish takes, but that's how it goes with fishing. Maybe tomorrow."

Here's wishing you a banner day, my friend.

Now You Can Have West Neck Water-Level Reports 24-7

I'm not lying--you really can get a report anytime you want it now, and the person you need to thank for this revelation is my kayaker buddy, Charlie Bruggemann.

He's always canvassing the Web for something to help himself or fishermen in general. During one of his searches, he came across this link: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=akq&gage=cacv2.

When you get to this site, all you have to do is click on the blue line on the graph, and it will give you gauge readings at 15-minute intervals for the North Landing River at Chesapeake and Albemarle Canal. Just add 1.30 to the level it shows, and you'll be darn close to what the reading is on the gauge at West Neck Marina any given time of the day or night.

Charlie has checked this comparison and found that it works. Try it and see if you agree. The only thing you might lose is a couple minutes of your time.

2 Hours, 1 Strike, 1 Fish, and 1 Cruisin' Critter

Thus began yesterday evening's email from my friend, Jim Bauer, who is spending some more time on Lake Gaston. He didn't get on the water until about 6:30 p.m. Seems he woke up yesterday morning all stiff and sore. "Even hurt to walk," he noted.

Besides that, the wind was howling, and the water was very high--"all the way up to the bottom of the deck," he explained. For all those reasons, he decided to wait until evening before venturing out. By then, the winds had laid.

"Stayed close (to where he's staying) and had no action on top with the craw," said Jim. "Picked up a swimbait and had a tap--probably a bream. Then, as I was about to quit, the 2-lb. bass in this photo smacked the swimbait. Put up a good fight, too," he concluded, except for adding that he spotted a "darned critter" cruising nearby just as got ready to make his last cast of the evening.

With low temps at Gaston predicted to remain in the 40s most of this week, Jim was singing the praises of his decision to take a couple jackets along on his latest trip.

As he described in his email this evening, he again had spent an abbreviated day on the water--not leaving the boathouse until about 3:30 and returning about 8 p.m.

He reported catching four keeper-sized bass, plus one dink today. The four keepers weighed 1-2, 1-5, 1-8, and 1-11 (the fish you see in the photo at left).

"I probably missed as many as I caught," he added. Baits that worked for him were the swimbait, French fry, and the craw.

"Conditions have changed," said Jim. "The bite is better." It seems some of his aches and pains have diminished, as well. In his own closing words, "Right now, I feel better than I have for two days."

"Tight lines! my friend.

What Do I Know?

That was the question I posed to my partner, Rob, during yesterday's sixth event in the current Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series.

Here's what precipitated that question. We had been fishing one of my favorite areas but had reached the point where I usually swing the boat to the opposite shoreline and start working my way back the other direction. As I was making the swing, Rob asked, "Don't you think we ought to at least fish this point and perhaps a little ways beyond?"

I told him I thought we'd be wasting our time but, wanting to be a good sport, I agreed to go along with his idea. And, as it turned out, we ended up putting two more fish in the livewell.

A period of time then passed, and we were working our way into another section of the creek where I didn't feel like we were making the best use of our time. It was when I said I thought we should turn around and head the other way that Rob once more said, "Let's fish on up a little farther and see what happens."

And, yes, just as you probably already have figured out, we picked up a couple more keepers. It was at that point that I threw my hands in the air and, looking skyward toward the fishing gods, asked, "What do I know? For the rest of today, Rob, just ignore me. We'll do whatever you say, because it's evident I don't know what the crap I'm talking about."

As further evidence of that last statement, I also should admit another of my mistakes in judgment yesterday. I early on had told Rob I was certain it was going to be a topwater day because of what had happened during a pre-fishing trip I had made earlier in the week. And while we both had a wide assortment of topwater baits tied on, there was one long-time spring favorite of many anglers that I hadn't opted for but which Rob uses regularly and very effectively--and yesterday was no exception.

Now this is a bait I've watched guys clean my clock with many times over the years, and it took a score yesterday of Rob 3, Ken 0, before I caved in to the obvious once again. While I was digging in my tacklebox, I heard Rob say, "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to get the message." I couldn't help but chuckle.

Once I made the switch, it didn't take long for the fish to put a smile on my face--and, yes, replace some of the egg that already was there. I only boated five, compared to about three times that number for my partner, but I feel sure that's five more than I would have had otherwise.

I reckon the bottom-line lesson here is to listen to what your back-seater has to say, even if he is young enough to be your son. Works for me, anyway. Incidentally, Rob--Thanks! A partner like you is just what the doctor ordered.

Another Day of High-Water Bass Fishing

The anglers came, though, and all 16 of them in nine boats had fish to weigh in at 2 o'clock. The big winners were as follows:

1st Place - the team of (from left) Lenny Hall and Gary Coderre, five bass, 14.19 lbs. total weight. Gary also claimed the day's big bass at 4.46 lbs.

2nd Place - the team of (from left) Randy Conkle and Bob Glass, five bass, 12.19 lbs. total weight. Their big fish tipped the scales at 3.72 lbs.

3rd Place - the team of (from left) Chris Fretard and Mike Miller, five bass, 11.83 lbs. total weight after 0.50 deduction for two dead fish. Their big fish weighed 3.52 lbs.

Mystery Weight Winners - the team of (from left) John Matyiko and Mark Cable, five bass, 7.56 lbs. total weight. The weight drawn was 7.65 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.






Here is how everyone else finished the day's competition:

     * Mark London, five bass, 11.67 lbs. total weight. His big fish weighed 3.67 lbs.
     * The team of Rob Chatham and Ken Testorff, five bass, 10.69 lbs. total weight. Their big fish weighed 3.55 lbs.
     * Ronnie McLaughlin, five bass, 9.76 lbs. total weight. His big fish weighed 3.97 lbs.
     * The team of Tyler Caldwell and Ben Fisher, five bass, 6.09 lbs. total weight. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Mitch Portervint and Skip Schaible, two bass, 2.34 lbs. total weight. They didn't weigh a big fish.

Today's tournament totals were 42 bass weighed in, for a total weight of 86.32 lbs., and a 2.05-lb. average weight.

We're taking a couple weeks off for the Memorial Day weekend and the Cancer Classic but will be back to chasing bass again on Saturday, June 7. Scheduled tournament hours are safe light (about 5:45 a.m.) to 2 p.m.

My congratulations go out to all of today's winners, and I thank everyone for coming. I look forward to seeing all of you again three weeks from today.

It's Always About How Well You Execute...

And I know a couple of guys who seemed to have a problem in that area today. They found fish, but getting them in the boat was an altogether different story.

Just ask Skip, who, as shown here, is holding up one of the seven fish that he caught today. This bass weighed either 1-15 or 2-5--sorry, but I'm just not sure which one this is.

Seven isn't a bad number, by any stretch, but in Skip's words, "I also lost a bunch."

As he's been doing for the past few outings, Skip continued using soft plastics today. Instead of the swimbaits that have been his go-to choice, though, his preferred bait this trip was a prototype Senko in bubblegum color. Skip has been melting down different colored Senkos for some time now, then repouring them. It was quite evident to me this afternoon that he was pretty tickled to have caught all of his fish today on one of his own hand-poured worms.

The other guy who had a problem with execution today was yours truly. I finished the day with five bass, the biggest this 1-8. I also had a 1-5, a 1-0, and two 12-inchers.

In one sense, I felt lucky to have boated five today, given the annoying problems I encountered throughout the day. When I wasn't trying to catch "tree fish," I was rescuing my lure from shoreline grass. And then there was the occasion when somehow, and I still haven't figured it out yet, braid from a knot I had picked out of my baitcaster got wrapped around my shoelace. I ended up having to cut the ends off my lace to free the line. That incident was particulary annoying, considering that the laces and the shoes both were new.

Like Skip, I lost my share of fish today, but I really can't complain too loudly. The end result could have been a whole lot worse than it was.

Incidentally, I was fully expecting to see a fair number of snakes today, after Jerry's report of yesterday, but I instead was pleasantly surprised not to come across a single one. With these warmer days, though, I know it's only a matter of time.

I've learned from Skip that I shouldn't refer to his prototype soft-plastic creation as a "senko," but rather a "skinko," which he arrived at after dropping the "p" from Skip and the "se" from Senko. If the rest of the baits he poured don't work, "I can drop the 'k' and add a 't' to make 'stinko,'" Skip joked. He also clarified that the baits he was using the other day indeed were hand-poured but were not melted down. They instead were his own scientific creation he came up with by using a mathematical equation of plastisol, salt and anise extract. Skip's wife, Leslie, has her own thoughts about stuff like this. She simply says, "You have way too much time on your hands."

More Snakes Than Fish Today

That's how Jerry described his first day on the water in more than a month. Despite all those ornery critters, he managed to boat this 12-inch bass at 9:20, after fishing for nearly three hours. He also caught an 11-incher.

"Although the fishing was very slow today," said Jerry, "it was NOT a day to doze off. The snakes were out in force."

He went on to describe an instance when he just had made a cast to the right side of the boat and looked forward before bumping the trolling motor to move the boat.

"There was a snake just a few feet ahead, with his eyes trained on me," said Jerry. "I flung my fluke at it as hard as I could, hoping to scare it away. The snake dove and swam away. Problem was, though, I didn't know where he went. Taking no chances, I quickly relocated further down the creek."

Before his day was over, Jerry also boated this 21-inch pickerel, noting that "the pickerel fortunately dislodged the fluke's hook while in the net, so that I didn't have to tackle him."

All three of Jerry's fish today fell for a watermelon fluke. The water temps all day were in the 73-to-76-degree range.

West Neck Creek had been Jerry's original choice of fishing locations today, but upon hearing he might have to wade high water to launch, he changed his mind. "I chose to hit the Northwest, instead," he said.

In any event, let me welcome you back to the fishing scene, Jerry. Here's hoping all the issues that kept you away have been resolved. Good luck, my friend.

I'm No Advocate for PETA, But...

For some time now, I've had a problem with sticking another piece of metal, like you find on the end of this culling clip, into a fish's mouth after I've already stuck him with a hook. And just for the sake of clarity here, I'm specifically talking about bass.

Many years ago, you might have found me hooking bream and/or catfish on a stringer, but not today. And if I hook a "toothy critter" like a pickerel or bowfin, you'll likely find me trying to release him over the side of the boat. Just to be fair, though, I will admit there have been times when I've clubbed a few bowfin with a piece of PVC pipe to silence their antics so I could release them. However, I seldom do that any longer, except for the rowdiest ones.

In most cases these days, I'm gentle with my catch, and whenever bass are in my livewell (only on tournament days), I keep constant watch on them to ensure their survival. I've said before, and I'll say again, I don't like surprises--e.g., like opening the lid of my livewell and seeing a fish in a belly-up position.

Yesterday, I had the unfortunate reality of opening the livewell and finding four dead fish. That was a depressing sight, indeed, for both my partner, Skip, and me. We were in his Nitro at the time, and he had been doing all the right things to keep the fish alive. I had been feeling them bumping the lid (directly under my feet) throughout the day, so I had every reason to expect to find five thriving bass when Skip told me to check them at one point in the afternoon. Instead, all I could focus on as I opened that lid were the four white bellies staring at me. We both worked on them for several minutes but to no avail. Bottom line: We weighed four dead fish (plus one live fish) and took a 1-pound penalty, which was bad enough in itself, but as things worked out, dashed our chances of winning the mystery-weight drawing. We would have won that drawing if all our fish had been alive.

While discussing our lot afterward, it came to light that the lone surviving fish had the culling clip poked through its mouth, whereas the four dead ones had the culling clip run through their gills. It's our theory that, with the culling clips rigged that way, and with the fish thrashing and bashing around in the livewell so much, their gills probably had been injured so severely they subsequently died.

It turns out that Skip shares my feelings about running metal culling clips through a fish's mouth and recently had decided it might be better just to run the clip through the gills. I, on the other hand, had put the clip through the lone surviving fish's mouth after a test I had run last year with an idea from the Internet. That idea involved running a piece of lawn-trimmer line, like the one in the photo at left, through the fish's gills and hooking the little electrical connections, as shown here, onto the culling clip.

I only ran one test of this device because of the results. The mouths of all five of my fish that day were blood red by the time I got them to the scales for weigh-in. Thankfully, though, none of them were dead. I immediately got rid of these contraptions and went back to sticking the culling clips through a fish's mouth and have stayed with this method ever since. And I feel pretty sure my buddy Skip will be following in my footsteps from now on, too.

I've also tried these plastic culling clips in the past, but they just didn't work for me. In most cases, the bass already were free of the clips by the time I got them to weigh-in, or they slipped out of the clips when I tried to lift them from the livewell with the attached cords.

In a sense, I equate this discussion about culling clips with those who always are trying to find ways to "build a better mousetrap." I'm certainly not trying to come up with a new invention, because I definitely don't want a bunch of people beating a path to my door.

If anyone knows a legal, infallible way to win the lottery, though, I'm all ears. That's probably the only way I'll ever be able to afford another new bass boat--or, for that matter, any other big-ticket item ever again. Retirement has its perks, but "rolling in the clover" isn't one of them--not in my case anyway.

Overall Total Weights Slipped Some Today

High (and getting higher) water greeted the 15 anglers in nine boats that showed up to fish today's tournament at West Neck Marina. And while the total weights fell off somewhat, compared to the last two events, they still were respectable.

For the third time in as many tournaments, the team of (from left) Mark London and John Goodman captured 1st place with a five-fish limit totaling 13.15 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.50 lbs.

Grabbing 2nd place was the team of (from left) Bob Glass and Randy Conkle, who also weighed a limit that tipped the scales at 10.37 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.08 lbs.

This team of (from left) Chris Fretard and Mike Miller claimed 3rd place with a five-fish limit weighing 10.10 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.74 lbs.

Big-fish winner today was Gary Coderre, who had a bass weighing 4.74 lbs. His four-fish total tipped the scales at 8.90 lbs.

And walking away as winners of the mystery-weight drawing today was this team of newcomers (from left) Stephen Warren and Cody Cousineau (and hey, fellas, if I matched the wrong names with your positions in the photo, please let me know). Their five-fish total was 7.51 lbs., and the weight drawn was 7.95 lbs.

Here is how all the other contestants finished the day's competition:

     * The team of Skip Schaible and Ken Testorff, five fish (only one alive, though) for a total weight of 6.71 lbs. after a 1-lb. dead-fish penalty, no big fish.
     * Steve Bailey, five fish for a total weight of 5.96 lbs., no big fish.
     * The team of John and Jamie McLaughlin, five fish for a total weight of 5.74 lbs. no big fish.
     * Bobby Moore, didn't weigh any fish.

Overall, our anglers weighed a total of 35 bass today, with a total weight of 68.44 lbs. and an average weight of 1.95 lbs.

My congratulations go out to all of these winners. I also want to thank everyone who participated.

For planning purposes, our next scheduled event is next Saturday, May 17. We'll start at safe light (about 6 a.m.), with weigh-in at 2 p.m. I look forward to seeing you there.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Fishermen everywhere have been saying that since the beginning of time. And today, it unfortunately was the reality that my friend Jim Bauer had to accept as he tied off his Skeeter in the boat house at the residence where he's staying on Lake Gaston.

From an eight-fish day yesterday, he went to a two-fish day today. The 2.10-pounder pictured here was the best of the two; the other was a 12-inch dink. He also had one pull off en route to the boat again today.

"Sure was a hot one," said Jim. Likewise, here, good buddy. When my wife and I were out running some errands earlier this afternoon, the outside temperature showed 95 degrees, and as far as I'm concerned, that's sweatin' weather. Jim went on to tell me that he saw a 78-degree water-temperature reading this afternoon.

Along with the warmer weather came Jim's first sighting of a "nasty critter" this year, which is his way of saying snake. "There was over 2 feet of it," he said, adding, "stayed close to shore and disappeared in the rip rap."

Jim closed today's email with a note saying it was "time to ride the range. I'm still in charge of everything, including cooking."

Better luck tomorrow, my friend.

When You're Hot, You're Hot, And When You're Not, You're Not

Those lyrics from an old Jerry Reed tune pretty well sum up the compilation of fishing reports I have tonight.

This first report is the second in a series from my buddy, Jim Bauer, who still is sending me info from his current perch on Lake Gaston. What you see here is the 1.2-lb. crappie that he caught yesterday. His totals for the day also included three bass--a 1.8-pounder and two dinks.

"To say it was a slow day would be an understatement" is how Jim characterized his second day on the lake. "Talked to two anglers in a Tracker who didn't have a fish, and they had talked to a guy who only had one," he continued.

Jim went on to say he started yesterday with the Rage shad, which provided one strike but ended with a swing and a miss. "I never saw the fish coming, and it hit right alongside the boat," he said. "I lost another good one on a Rage crawfish late this afternoon. Got it close to the boat, but it turned and came off." Another fish broke him off in rocks, too.

In today's report I just received from Jim, he was pretty upbeat after boating a total of eight bass, including the 3.6 pictured here, as well as a 1.7, 1.4, two that weighed 1.0, and three dinks--all on the Rage craw/shakey head. He also boated about a 1.5-lb. channel cat on the craw.

Then comes this report from Skip Schaible who, like me, spent today in Albright's. His biggest fish was this 1-15, but he also had eight others--"all in the same range," as he explained. Skip started the morning by throwing a Spro frog, which accounted for a couple or so fish. His most productive lure, however, as it was in this past Saturday's tournament, was a soft-plastic swimbait. In his own words, "The fish were tearing it up."





And then there's this report from none other than "ol' reliable." In case you don't know whom I'm talking about, it's my kayaker buddy, Charlie Bruggemann. He fished from 7 to 2 and only quit that early because he was "pooped out." The Chigger Craw helped him land all but two of 16 bass, including four that weighed more than 2 lbs. "The top five went 11 lbs. even," said Charlie. It certainly looks like he's found his stride for what undoubtedly will be another outstanding year. Read all the details about Charlie's day and watch his video, too, at http://vbfishguide.blogspot.com/.

Finally comes this lackluster report from yours truly. I spent my first three and a half hours on the water this morning relearning how to slow down my worm fishing to a snail's pace. All I really had to show for it, though, was a tortured soul. I had several fish pick the worm up but then drop it just as quickly. Two held on long enough for me to execute a swing and a miss.

While I kept the worm handy throughout the day and threw it intermittently, I started trying some of my arsenal of other lures that I have more confidence in. A Bang-O-Lure quickly generated a couple of blowups but no connections. The chatterbait produced absolutely no response. So I ultimately grabbed one of the Strike King 1XS lures I had Tim Hughes repaint for me this past winter.

In short order, I had two pickerel jump all over the bait, and then I found three bass (the biggest the 1-9 pictured above). The other two were a 1-2 and a 12-incher. I reckon anything is better than a skunk--at least, that's what I keep telling myself.