For the Week Ending Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017

Monday, Oct. 30 (from Ron)...Fished form 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the upper North Landing. Went 2 hours and 9 minutes before I had a single tap. When I did get the bite, it turned out to be a  2-11 on the XTS Minnow. Still not satisfied, I kept at it for another 20 minutes and had a really good fish on. Thought it was a keeper striper, as my rod was doubled over, but I only reeled in remnants of a broken XTS. Could be the lure was cracked, or I may have been hooked up with a gar or bowfin. I'll never know for sure.

Tuesday, Oct. 31 (from Ron)...Fished Milldam from 4 to 6:30 this evening. The main creek was a murky mess,  with zero visibility. Fortunately, the feeder creeks were a bit clearer. I found some bites as it got close to dark. Caught fish on Senkos, XTS Minnow, Spinnerbaits, Mann's 1-Minus crankbait, and a Whopper Plopper. Lost more quality fish than I landed. Lost a nice bowfin, chain pickerel, and a few bass that would have tipped the scale. I did land three dinks, a 1-3, 9-inch bluegill, and an 11-inch crappie. Seemed like the bite turned on just as it got close to dark and cold.

Wednesday, Nov. 1 (from Ken)...I couldn't pass up another nice day. Launched at West Neck about 9 a..m. and fished above the bridge for about an hour without even a smell. Decided to run to Pocaty, where, for a good spell, it looked like I might come up empty-handed there, too. The crankbaits and chatterbait I was fishing were being totally ignored. Picking up a jerkbait, I made only two casts and had a small bass on, but he came unbuttoned before I could get him in the boat. Fished the jerkbait hard for the next 45 minutes or so without a bite, so then turned to a white tandem spinnerbait, which produced a total of four bass in Pocaty and one in West Neck. All were small. My only two keepers were a 1-0 and a 1-1. Talked to Red today, who finished with a total of seven keepers. He caught one in West Neck, one in Pocaty and five in Albright's. His best fish of the day was one that he estimated at 3 or 3.5 lbs., which came out of Albright's.

Thursday, Nov. 2 (from Ron)...Fished Milldam this evening from 4 p.m. 'til dark. Couldn't find any bass. Instead, caught two slime darts (chain pickerel) at 17 and 20 inches, as well as three crappie between 9.5 and 10 inches. Crappie were hitting beetlespin and XTS; pickerel were going for the Pop R and XTS.

Friday, Nov. 3 (from Charlie)...Finally got out today. First trip to West Neck in months, but now that most of the good places are closed, duck and deer hunting only, I had no place else to turn. Haven't done well here in years, and the same held true today. Used wake baits, plastics, and the fly rod. Caught all small dinks, but at least it was a variety: one white perch, one yellow perch, 1 bass, and one pickerel, none of which measured over 8 inches. The only excitement was a 4-4 swamp donkey bowfin that gave me a shower. At least it was a gorgeous day.

Friday, Nov. 3 (from Ron)...Didn't find the long one I was looking for this evening, but did manage a few, including two dink bass, a 2-8, 11-inch white perch, and a small crappie. I lost a real big one that never surfaced, so suspect it was a bowfin. SwimSenko, Beetlespin, and XTS were the lures that produced. Had something hit the Mann's 1-Minus.



Friday, Nov. 3 (from Ray)...Expected a good day on West Neck, but the stopped for me around 10 o'clock. The water was  clear and at 66 degrees. Ended up with three bass, including a 1-14, two dinks, and two bream. The only thing that worked was a white 3-inch swimbait and a small spinnerbait, with a white 2-inch grub trailer. Tried a number of other lures, to no avail.

Saturday, Nov. 4 (from Ron)...After the Rudee Inlet cleanup this morning and not catching any speckled trout (SUPER high tide, and windy), I decided to take an evening trip to Milldam. Gauge was reading 2.0 (now 1.8), and the water was clear. Caught 10 dink bass, with one at 1-7. Highlight of the evening was a small bowfin that pulled some drag. Best producer was the XTS Minnow.

Sunday, Nov. 5 (from Ron)...Thought the cloudy weather would produce a good bite, but guess maybe the Daylight Savings Time change back to Standard Time affected them, because they were scarce today. Landed three dinks, a 1-9,  and a 1-15, as well as a small crappie--not much to show for four hours of fishing. The XTS Minnow was the ticket.

Sunday, Nov. 5 (from Ray)...My son, Barry, and I fished Albright's Creek today. It was slow going until 10 o'clock, when we caught our first fish. We ended up with five bass ( 1.2, 1.1 and three dinks). Two others broke off before we got them in the boat. We also caught one striper, one cat, and several bream (see Barry, left, holding a nice crappie). Lures that worked included a white swimbait, chartreuse swimbait and small spinnerbaits, with black/chartreuse grubs. Water temperature was 64 degrees, and the visibility was fairly clear in spots.

Sunday, Nov. 5 (from Doc)...Caught two, including one that weighed 2.3 and a dink. Lost another good one at the boat. As long as I feel the tug, I'm content. Had three bites on shallow cranbaits and one on my homemade swimbait. The one I lost came on that homemade swimbait.

A Good Reason To Always Carry a Spare Tire for Your Trailer

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my friend Doc was towing his boat home from a trip to Petersburg/Dinwiddie on Sunday, Oct. 15, when things got a little dicey for him at the 58/I-64 split. He noticed that his truck seemed to be bogging down. A quick check of his rearview mirror revealed the source of his problems. Smoke and flames were pouring from one wheel on the trailer (accompanying photos reveal the damage).

Doc had a tough time getting the rig off the road but finally managed. Once stopped, the flames went out, and the smoke disappeared. He subsequently called the State boys and VDOT for some help with all the traffic, while he set to work getting his spare wheel on the trailer.

As soon as the job was finished, Doc got back on the road and came on home without any further delays. "Thank God I didn't mess up the lower unit on my boat," he said.

Are Power Poles for Me? Is the Cost Worth It?

The whole Power Pole phenomenon grew out of the need to anchor a boat quickly and easily, in relatively shallow water. Traditionally, flats-boat anglers did this by shoving their push-pole into the bottom and tying off the boat. That method works well, for sure, but isn't exactly quick or easy. With a Power Pole, this same tactic is reduced simply to pushing a button. The pole automatically pushes itself down and can anchor your boat in waters up to 10 feet deep.

The first downside to a Power Pole is the steep cost; it can run into the thousands of dollars. Another downside is that an undeployed Power Pole becomes another obstacle to the backseater trying to cast and retrieve his line. He/she already has to deal with the outboard.

What about the upsides?

As one Power Poles owner explained, "Loading and unloading my boat has been made significantly easier with them. I fish by myself a lot, so after I back my trailer down, all I have to do is hop in my boat, back it off, and immediately deploy the Power-Pole Blades at the ramp. Then I get out, park the truck, while my boat waits for me, all ready to go. No more digging through my compartments, looking for that mildew-covered anchor rope."

Another time when Power Poles pay for themselves is when you're fishing a big tournament (say 150 boats or more), with only a little space available to dock your boat for registration. If you have a pair of Blades, all you have to do is "nose in" at the first tiny hole you find at the dock, or for that matter, along a bare bank, set the Blades, go take care of your vehicle, and walk back to your boat, knowing it will be there when you return...well, most of the time, anyway. There seems to be exceptions to everything, as evidenced in the short video you will see after clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1JLK8rdIxQ.

Yet another upside to having Power Poles is the freedom from rushing that you have when retying a lure or picking out a bird's next, especially on a windy day. You no longer have to worry about running your boat into a tree or the shoreline with the trolling motor while trying to look up and down at the same time. And, too, Power Poles give you the luxury of methodically working over a windblown area, without ever having to bump the trolling motor even once.

One more thing to consider here is that, given the reduced number of distractions you'll have on every trip, it's entirely possible you'll start catching more fish. After all, concentration is a large part of the game.

So now we're back to that original downside: the cost of Power Poles, and whether they really are worth it. Individual anglers have to decide for themselves whether catching more fish is worth the additional expense. Tournament anglers, as well as charter guides, embrace Power Poles, because catching more fish is a matter of business. For them, the decision is a no-brainer. For everyone else, it should be food for thought.

My Frustration Boileth Over

Any of you who reads my good friend Charlie's blog, mine or anyone else's that is controlled by Google may have noticed that our respective lists of "Followers" in the sidebar have been appearing sporadically at first, or not at all, as is the case at the moment. I checked the Internet last night and learned that our problem actually is part of a nationwide hiccup, over which none of us have any local control. I'm assured the matter has the full attention of Google engineers, who are working to restore normalcy. Until that happens, however, you likely will see only a "Google 502 error," or perhaps nothing, in the "Followers" blocks of our blogs. Their suggested advice is "patience," which never has been my strong suit. Would get out and beat up the water to resolve my current frustration, but I did that yesterday, so am in a recuperation mode today. By the way, did I ever tell you: It's H-E-double hockey sticks getting old? (UPDATE: Now that a new work week is here, I see that the Google engineers have resolved this problem...so I reckon I'll have to find something else to grumble about--only jokin'.)

What Happens When You Grab Bug Spray, Instead of Starter Fluid?

Picture this: Four fellas, otherwise known as "Mississippi snake grabbers," are out snake hunting when they encounter problems with the gas engine on their Tracker boat. It won't start. So one of the guys gets up and goes back to see if he can fix the problem. Rather than ruin the situation for everyone, let me show you the video, which explains things far better than a thousand words ever could (just click on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtMbX1QVO_w).

If you listened closely to the video's dialog, you may have heard someone remark, "It's like Redneck ether..." What can I say but "famous last words"?

After watching this video a couple of times, I decided to see what I could find out about the players involved. I traced their origin back to 1990, when a group of men from Scott County, Mississippi, started traveling to Lake St. John, near Waterproof, LA, for an annual fishing trip. Among the men were Jimmie Nichols and Rayford Palmer.

While on the lake one day, Rayford noticed a large diamondback water snake stretched out on a limb near the boat. He was convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that this snake indeed was a cottonmouth. Jimmie, however, knew better and, while reaching over Rayford, grabbed the snake off the limb and pulled it into the boat.

After several minutes of terror and excitement on Rayford's part (wildly swinging a paddle), Jimmie was able to convince him the snake wasn't poisonous. "It's harmless," said Jimmie, "other than for the fact it can bite the heck out of you."

Once Rayford's heart rate had returned to normal, he told Jimmie that he should quit fishing and catch snakes--in another boat, of course. And so, the annual fishing trip continued. Most would go fishing, but a few, including Jimmie, would catch snakes, instead.

A few years passed, and the annual trip moved to Lake Washington, located near Greenville, MS. Stories of snake-catching were spreading, and before long, others began going along on the trip to watch. Several others started trying their luck at catching snakes. Some were having such a good time they kept going back each year and eventually decided to call themselves the "GrabUOne Outfitters."

Today, the GrabUOne Outfitters have grown into a business, one in which they are asked for guided tours, DVDs, huggers, hats, shirts, shorts, and swimwear.

Boat Ramp To Be Replaced

Thanks to my "roving reporter," otherwise known as Skip, I picked up a tip this morning I otherwise probably wouldn't have heard about for a while. Seems Skip had been out to Pungo Ferry Landing Park and found a sign posted with the following statement:

Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation is replacing the boat ramp at Pungo Ferry Landing Park, starting on Oct. 30. The project should take approximately 90 days to complete, and while the boat ramp, mooring areas, and parking lot will be closed, the rest of the park area will remain open for use. Parking access will be limited to the roadway.

During this period of closure, visitors may utilize the launch at Munden Point Park ($8 fee) as an alternative to access the North Landing River. For questions regarding this project, please contact Rob MacPherson at 757-385-1268.

I'm only guessing, but this project likely will eliminate a couple of other signs I recently saw posted at the ramp, noting that it primarily was designed for use by boats "up to 16 feet in length" and cautioning against "power loading."

Something Old...

As portrayed in this vintage ad, the aluminum bass-boat manufacturer known as Polar Kraft, like other manufacturers of the era, enlisted professional anglers to pimp their products. Polar Kraft's angler was Bassmaster pro and four-time Classic contender Roger Moore. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with Moore, he was a big deal in the '70s. He qualified for four straight Classics, and out of the 35 Bassmaster events he fished, he finished in the money 15 times, which was a top-20 finish back in those days.

Something New...

After years of development and testing, the Yo-Zuri 3DB Knuckle Bait (spinnerbait) was introduced at the 2017 ICAST show. This unique half-ounce wire bait has an erratic action that resembles a knuckleball being thrown from a pitcher's mound. The aerodynamic design allows for long casts, while its versatility allows it to be used with techniques such as slow roll, flutter fall, bumped along the bottom, and ripped through underwater vegetation. Available in two different finishes (3D prism and painted), the bait comes in a total of seven attractive bass-catching colors. Whether you choose the 3D colors (golden shiner, gizzard shad, shad, Tennessee shad), or the painted colors (chartreuse, red crawfish, pearl shad), the bait is a guaranteed home run in the water. Here's the link to a video that will show you what you're in for if you buy this bait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmLUdD4cvxI.

Something Borrowed...

I found this four-year-old "true fish story" by veteran pro Charlie Hartley during an online search:

"I was fishing this past weekend on Lake St. Clair, getting ready for our last Elite Series event of the season, when something happened that I'll never forget. It started with my catching an average smallmouth bass on a drop shot. It ended with a massive predator showing me what life is really like in the water.

"After I caught that fish, I thought I'd be able to catch several others. St. Clair has a huge population of smallies, and they tend to school at this time of the year. With that in mind, I immediately tossed my plastic back into the same spot.

"Nothing happened. My bite went dead. That told me something was going on, something like a big musky had moved into the area. The lake is full of those things, too. When they move in, the smallmouth move out. Nevertheless, I continued to cast and fish.

"Sure enough, a few casts later, a fish grabbed my plastic. It broke me off. I never saw it. On my next cast, I had another bite. This one shook loose. Once again, I dibn't see it. I guessed it was a musky.

"I called a guy over--he looked like a musky specialist, and was in the area--to see if he could catch it. Despite his best efforts with a bait that looked like a Helicopter Lure, only 10 times bigger, he couldn't get a rise (Side note: These guys are serious. They paint the props on their big motors with fluorescent paint. They think that attracts the big ones.)

"After a while, he gave up, and I went back to smallmouth fishing. After a half-dozen casts, I caught one that weighed about 3 pounds. But before I could get it to the boat, the musky we had been hunting grabbed it and headed for deep water. I pulled..she pulled...we pulled.

"Finally, that darn fish jumped up, almost perfectly vertical, right in front of the boat. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She was at least 50 inches long, and she had my smallmouth most of the way down her throat. That, though, didn't stop her from spitting it back at me and then swimming away.

"When I got my smallie into the boat, I realized she was in bad shape--no scales, cuts all over the place, and barely moving her gills. Nevertheless, I'm a release kind of guy, so I put her back in the water. Little did I know what was about to happen.

"I'm guessing she made two flips of her tail before that musky came out of nowhere and grabbed her. With no hesitation, and in a matter of a second or two, they both disappeared from view. I'm sure I stood on the deck of my boat for at least five minutes with my mouth hanging open.

"In all my years of fishing, I've never had an experience like that. I'd call it a perfect example of the predator-prey relationship."

And Something Blue

This Johnny Morris Elite reel, with a cobalt blue titanium deposition finish, was introduced by Bass Pro Shops in 2007. This reel was the flagship of their line that year. Under the armored exterior was an 11-bearing system, with doubled shielded stainless bearings and hardened duralumin gears. The reel had a new "MaxDrag" system, which relied on three stainless steel and three carbon washers to deliver 14 lbs. of stopping power. In response to complaints that the previous generation JM reels were too heavy, this one weighed "a very respectable 8.6 ozs." It retailed for $219.

For the Week Ending Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017

Tuesday, Oct. 24 (from Ron)...Had a short window after a long day. Fished 1645 to 1830 in upper North Landing. Water was incredibly high and flowing in at a good clip. I suspect they were hiding in the Netherlands of the swamp. Managed two small stripers at 16 and 13 inches, respectively, as well as a lone 1-8 bass on the XTS. Couldn't elicit a topwater bite, and the current was too strong for plastics.

Wednesday, Oct. 25 (from Charlie)...Fishing on Beggars Bridge Creek sucked. It was windy, cold, cloudy, and I got rained on twice. Weather-guessers blew it again. Water was high and muddy, so was only able to get five dinks. The monster weighed a whopping 1-2. This may be it for 2017.

Wednesday, Oct. 25 (from Ron)...Water was flowing out this evening at a good clip in upper North Landing. The conditions were calm, and it was very clear and mild from 4:30 to dark. Only managed two dinks and a tiny sunfish, but a friend I was with got a 2-4 bass and a 17-inch striper. I had two very large V wakes follow my XTS, but they wouldn't hit it.  Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Friday, Oct. 27 (from Ken)...Figured I would go see if I could find a few fish. Decided I would start above the West Neck Bridge, and as it worked out, I started and finished there. Caught all but one of my eight fish on a crankbait. My first fish of the day fell for a jerkbait. Weights included two at 1-0, one at 1-4, one at 1-5, and four dinks. Also had a couple of fish come unbuttoned on the way to the boat. Everything today was up tight on wood. Saw quite a few trailers in the parking lot when I came in this afternoon. Probably won't get back on the water until next week. Might try to make a couple of trips if the weather cooperates.

Friday, Oct. 27 (from Ray)...Fished West Neck, and all the fish were caught in site of the bridge. Ended up with four bass (1.21, 1.11 and two dinks). Also caught 12 perch and one "mighty" bluegill. Came across two schools of perch; one school had nice size perch, while the other one had only small fish. A jerkbait and spinnerbaits worked best for me today. The water temp was 60/66, with fair visibility in spots, under blue skies. Large or small, fishing is always fun.

Friday, Oct. 27 (from Ron)...Not much to report from Friday evening's trip to Milldam. Caught four dink bass, mostly on Mini-King Spinnerbait, one on a Whopper Plopper. Also caught an 11-inch crappie on a Beetlespin.

Saturday, Oct. 28 (from Doc)...Stayed in West Neck, where I started by catching six small stripers at the bridge on a medium crankbait. I had begun thinking the bass might not be biting, but they finally cooperated, and I ended up with six of them, too. One went for a spinnerbait, while all the others fell for a shallow crankbait. The biggest two bass today were a 1.9 and a 1.10. "Enjoyed all the tugs on my line," he said.

Saturday, Oct. 28 (from Ron)...Fished Back Bay this morning from 0800 to 1130. Had glassy conditions to start, but the wind became difficult by 1000. The murky water only got worse as the southerly wind increased. Found a few on a Silver Minnow, including eight bass. The best two were a 1-3 and a 1-5. All the rest were dinks. May chase speckled trout Sunday, as there shouldn't be anyone else out in the bad weather.

Sunday, Oct. 29 (from Ron)...Went out to Rudee Inlet this morning and fished from 8 to 10. Caught a break in the rain and wind and found some fish for the skillet. Released about 10 in the 14- to 17-inch range, but kept a 17-incher that had been gut hooked, as well as two 18-inchers and a 19-incher for some great fillets. Nice to have the whole inlet to myself. Fair-weather fishermen were nowhere to be found.

Big and Likely Promising To Get Bigger

'Twould seem the "big" fall bite already is in full swing. Last Friday, for example, Wayne Hayes plucked a 9-5 largemouth from the Chickahominy River, while prefishing for the Virginia Bass Chapter Federation 2017 Fall Classic.

Just yesterday, then, during the final 2017 trail event at Bob's Fishing Hole, Steve Albertson boated a Northwest River bass that tipped the scales at 9.49 lbs.

It wouldn't surprise me none if these two trophy-sized catches prove to be just the start of something better than good this fall season. I don't doubt but what we may see some double-digit beauties weighed in before all is said and done.

Heard last week that some "big bass" also had been pulled from Milldam Creek on the North Landing during VDGIF's fall sampling in the river. I subsequently emailed their local fish biologist, Chad Boyce, who acknowledged they indeed had sampled Milldam on 10/4. His report, however, didn't quite measure up to what I earlier had been led to believe.

According to Chad, "We did see decent numbers of bass and good numbers of crappie in the upper portion of the creek. The largest bass we captured was around 21 inches (somewhere in the 5-plus-pound range), and the average size looked good. All in all, the fish populations in the creek were pretty healthy."

While we're talking about all things big, let me also include the contents of an email I received earlier today from my kayaker buddy, Charlie Bruggemann. Seems he ran across a couple of monster cottonmouths fighting for territory and mating rights today in Back Bay. As luck would have it, Charlie had his video camera handy and captured some of the "arm wrestling" contest, including the final "pin to the mat" by the bigger snake.

Here's the link for that video footage, which Charlie agreed to let me post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qRvnbokfVg. Enjoy.

In the meantime, if any of you are looking to catch some big fall bass of your own, here are a few lure recommendations from the so-called experts:

     * Shallow and mid-depth crankbaits. If the conditions line up well, you certainly can catch big fall bass by deep-cranking creek ledges throughout the fall.
     * Shallow jerkbaits. These baits are extremely overlooked for catching schooling bass in the fall.
     * Big swimbaits.
     * Topwater.
     * Lipless crankbaits.

Happy hunting to one and all.

For the Week Ending Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017

Friday, Oct. 20 (from Ron)...Launched at 1530, with the water a murky mess. It was a bit low, as well, and the grass was making for difficult peddling. Was not expecting much action, but the lack of boats and crowds was very nice. The weather was near perfect. After trying spinnerbaits and topwater, to no avail, I switched to a SwimSenko, and my first cast to the base of a cypress tree got a nice one at 5-8 and 22.75 inches (good enough for a length citation). Went on to land two dink bass and a 1-8. 'Twas good to be back in freshwater. Will have to check/calibrate my scale, because my PB was a 23-inch bass that weighed in at 6-1 last year or the summer before. This one was definitely fatter.

Friday, Oct. 20 (from Jim)...Got on the water about 10 o'clock. Water appeared to be going out slightly all day, with just enough wind to put a healthy ripple on top and push the boat along when headed south. Water temp at launch was 66 and had climbed to 70 in the sun by the time I headed to the ramp this afternoon. The water at and above the bridge was slightly stained. Tried the fly rod around the bridge with no luck. Caught all five of my bass and a striper on crankbaits. The best bass weighed in at 4-6 and 1-7 but also had one that measured 12.75 inches, one that weighed 14 ozs., plus a dink. Also lost two good fish right beside the boat. The "big girl" stayed down and went under the boat when she got close. I even was beginning to think it wasn't a bass until I scooped her into the net. Before leaving the marina today, Jim ran across our mutual friend, Doc, who shared some excitement he had getting home last Sunday while towing his boat down 58/I-264/64. Seems he was darned near home when his truck suddenly bogged down and would hardly go. He happened to look in the rearview mirror and saw smoke and flames coming from the trailer. Had a tough time getting it off the road. Bottom line: His tire was all chewed up (with cord and wire coming out of it). Once he got it stopped and off the road, the flames went out, and the smoke disappeared. Had to get the State boys and VDOT to come help him out with all the traffic. He finally got the tire replaced and got home. Happy to hear you made it back OK, Doc.

Saturday, Oct. 21 (from Wayne)...While prefishing yesterday for the Virginia Bass Chapter Federation 2017 Fall Classic on Chickahominy River, Wayne scored a 9-5. As of this evening (Day 1 of the two-day competition), he stands in 3rd place, only ounces out of 2nd place. The entire field is hoping the fog that delayed today's start stays away tomorrow morning. Anglers were held for two hours this morning, waiting for the fog to lift. Sunday, Oct. 22 Update...Had a phone call from Wayne, letting me know he finished the tournament in 2nd place on the boater's side, and Al Napier finished 5th on the co-angler's side, giving both of them a check. Photo at right is of Wayne (left) and his co-angler, Al, holding Wayne's Day 1 catch. Well done to both!

Saturday, Oct. 21 (from Ken)...Was pleasantly surprised to arrive at West Neck this morning and not find the parking lot overrun with rigs. Got on the water around 9:30 and fished Pocaty 'til 2:30, catching only three bass and one pickerel. The bass included a 1-1, 1-7 and a dink. Didn't weigh the pickerel. Caught everything on a white tandem-bladed spinnerbait. The morning started on a somewhat sour note. As I unlocked the door to my storage shed, I could hear something running inside. Seems that for some hitherto unknown reason, the auto side of my bilge pump decided to kick on, even though no water was present, between Wednesday when I cleaned the boat and this morning. Have no idea exactly how long it had been running in dry mode, but it was long enough to have done a number on the motor. Stopped the noise, which sounded a lot like someone scraping their fingernails on an old blackboard, by removing the hot wire for the pump on my starting battery. Talked to Wayne about the problem and will be getting things fixed this next week.

Saturday, Oct. 21 (from Ron)...Did the Munden Point-to-Milldam trip this morning. Was a pleasure to be back in Milldam, but the fishing wasn't so good, and the water was very murky/dirty. Caught five bass, with only one worth the scale at 1-8. Also caught an 11.5-inch white perch and a 10-inch crappie--perfect for tacos. Also got a 21-inch chain pickerel on the XTS. SwimSenko, XTS, and beetlespin were the effective lures.

Sunday, Oct. 22 (from Doc)...It was a day with some bass, as well as some stripers. Caught three bass, including a dink, plus one at 1-8 and another at 1-14. Also bagged four stripers over 16 inches in length. They tipped the scales at 1-8, two at 1-9, and one at 1-10. Productive lures today were a topwater walker, a homemade swimbait, and a shallow crankbait.

Darn! And To Think I Just Ran Out and Bought a New Rabbit's Foot

"I've said before that, if bass tournaments had anything to do with luck, the same guys wouldn't continue to win them over and over. Luck would spread out the results, like random numbers or lottery picks."

Thus said Joe Balog, the often outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., and former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner.

"I have always been intrigued, almost fascinated, with the anglers who seem to know how to win...this 'other level' of anglers in our sport who end up in the winner's circle repeatedly," he continued.

Granted, Balog was referring to bass pros when he made these statements, but the same principle applies to those who fish local bass contests, too.

New Englander Jim Gildea is one such angler who agrees with Balog's philosophy that "mere chance has little to do" with winning bass tournaments.

According to this avid finesse fisherman and outdoor writer, it's a matter of "putting in the practice (time) and learning the patterns of the bodies of water you're fishing," as he advises.

If you need evidence of how well his advice works, consider that he cashed checks in 13 of 14 tournaments in 2016, and in one other recent year, he made money in 27 of 30 contests.

Here are some key points that Gildea feels have helped him cash so many checks from local bass tournaments:

"Focus on one body of water. If you are like most people, you have limited time. Pick one or two lakes (ideally, they are similar if you pick two) that suit your style. Learn how to fish them and follow them through the seasons. The more tournaments you fish, the better you learn the lakes, and the more you refine your technique. Pick one close to your house, so you can get there as often as possible, and try to learn something new every time you go--even if you only have an hour to fish.

"Fish a trail. Tournament trails take you to different lakes, so you are not always seeing the same "local experts" each time. Ideally, your 'focus lake' will be on the circuit, so you'll cash in that one, but on the other lakes, you won't have to worry about all the local dudes showing up, because they aren't fishing the trail.

"Ignore everyone's opinion. I like to finesse fish, and I'm pretty good at it (actually, it's all I'm good at). I'm probably the only guy in history to win an Eastern Divisional with 46 pounds over three days in grass, using 6-pound test. For years, I heard over and over how I had to learn to throw a jig or a spinnerbait, or I never would be 'really good.' Once I started focusing on what I was good at, I started to finish in the money all the time. Sure, I can't be a pro fisherman with one style, but I can win a lot locally.

"Keep a log. I have detailed records going back 10 years on all my local lakes. All my fishing buddies tell me, 'I can remember that stuff; I don't need a log.' But I can look back and tell them exactly what the water temp needs to be for the fish to show up in certain coves.

"Master a single technique. If you want to do well locally, you should learn to do one thing really well. Versatility is much more important for the traveling pro, who has to fish lots of different lakes. Since we have a lot of clear water where I live, I fish weightless plastics in the spring and drop shot in the summer and fall. If I lived in Tennessee, I probably would throw the shaky head a lot, since it works most of the year, and it seems like you always could get a decent limit on it, no matter how tough the bite. My friend always says, 'Beware the guy with one rod on the deck.' I go one better: I often have only two rods in the entire boat, and one is just a backup."

According to some psychologists, one way to get over a negative experience is to write about it. Does that suggestion really work? I honestly don't have a clue, but I assembled this blog post in hopes it might ease the humiliation I felt after this past weekend's tournament.

For Most, It Was the "Best of the Best" Competition...

For others, though, it was a moment marked by an Epiphany of sorts--realizing we were playing "out of our league." That's the way I see our 2017 Classic, which concluded yesterday with a traditional cookout at West Neck Marina, paid for by our anonymous benefactor and served courtesy of Steve Winfree and staff.

For the benefit of all those who can't read my mind (which I hope includes everyone), when I refer to the "best of the best," I include anglers who either single-handedly, or as a member of a team, demonstrated their prowess with a stick in their hand by finishing in place money at least once during the course of the regular season. For the record, the only Classic angler who didn't achieve that mark was yours truly, and if I don't turn things around next year, I very well may be watching our Classic from the sidelines. That's because I'm considering a change to our rules for 2018 that would require anyone fishing the Classic to have had at least one place finish, in addition to fishing a minimum of seven qualifying tournaments. Won't make my final decision on that matter, though, for a few months.

That being said, this year's season-ending event was a bit different from most, in that we were forced, because of low-water conditions on Saturday, Oct. 14, to move our Day 1 launch and weigh-in to Pungo Ferry. Thanks to a shift in wind directions overnight Saturday, however, we were able to start and finish Day 2 at West Neck.

Those laying claim to Classic payouts yesterday afternoon included the following:

(From left) Wayne Hayes and Al Napier, 1st place, with a five-fish limit both days, resulting in a record-setting two-day total of 32.69 lbs. Their big fish, a 5.19-pounder, which came on Day 1, earned them the tournament's lunker award. They also walked away with the seasonal lunker award for a 6.82-pounder they caught back on July 22.

(From left) Rob Peppers and Don Carter, 2nd place, with a five-fish limit both days, resulting in a two-day total of 25.25 lbs. Their big fish, a 4.63-pounder, which also came on Day 1, proved to be a tie-breaker.

(From left) Gary Coderre and Andy Morath, 3rd place, with a five-fish limit both days, resulting in another two-day total of 25.25 lbs. Their tournament big fish, a 4.07-pounder, came on Day 2.

Skip Schaible unfortunately was saddled with yours truly as his team partner and ended up with the mystery-weight award. Our two-day total for only four keeper fish was 4.70 lbs., which was closest to the drawn weight of 3.25 lbs. To his credit, Skip opened our 2017 season on March 18, with a 1st-place win. Hmmm...guess that means he only fell from "place," not "grace," by having me as his partner. Only jokin', my friend. I truly look forward to all your friendly "digs."




Here is how everyone else lined up at the conclusion of two very misty days on the water:

     * The team of Bob Glass and Randy Conkle, with a five-fish limit both days, resulting in a two-day total of 22.80 lbs.
     * The team of Duane Kessel and Bobby Moore, with a five-fish limit both days, resulting in a two-day total of 22.15 lbs.
     * The team of Steve Bailey and Mitch Portervint, with a five-fish limit both days, resulting in a two-day total of 18.27 lbs.
     * The team of Chris Fretard and Mike Miller, with a five-fish limit on Day 1 but nothing to weigh on Day 2, resulting in a two-day total of 11.46 lbs. It should be noted that something came up Saturday night, which prevented Mike from joining his partner for Day 2.

Overall, Classic anglers posted a grand total of 69 keeper fish, with a combined weight of 162.57 lbs. The average weight was 2.35 lbs. per fish.

My heartiest congratulations to all the winners, and sincere thanks to everyone who participated throughout the tournament year. And while I'm passing out thanks, let me also express my sincere appreciation to those fellow anglers who contributed to the gift I was presented at yesterday's festivities. You're all the best. Here's hoping everyone comes back next year.

As Skip and I were talking yesterday evening, while I removed my gear from his boat, we came to the realization that we feel pretty much the same way at the end of this tournament year. That realization is, as I've already stated, that we're fishing "out of our league." We both still enjoy bass fishing, in general, and we enjoy the camaraderie with fellow anglers, but just to continue mindlessly contributing to tournament payouts isn't very smart.

Accordingly, both of us are of the mindset that we're probably going to fish at least seven events in 2018, maybe more, depending on how things go. And we may participate in the Classic, provided we feel we actually can "compete."

Whether I fish or not, there will be no change in my involvement with tournament-director duties. I still will organize and launch all the events, and I'll take care of the weigh-ins. At the same time, I'm guessing that Skip likely will continue being seen around all the events but, in some cases, only as a spectator.

2017 Qualifying-Tournament Season Comes to an End

No matter how many tournaments bass fishermen engage in, they never seem to tire of the drill. Even though today marked the end of our regular tournaments this year, I certainly didn't detect any dissatisfaction on the faces or in the demeanor of today's 17 anglers in 11 boats. They brought a combined total of 40 bass to the scales, weighing 69.72 lbs, for an average weight of 1.74 lbs. per fish.

Standing tall at day's end as our 2017 Angler of the Year was Bobby Moore, with a season total weight of 149.82 lbs. In succession close behind him were Duane Kessel, with 147.45 lbs.; Rob Peppers with 147.12 lbs.; Bob Glass and Randy Conkle, with 141.96 lbs., and Al Napier, with 137.22 lbs. Bobby's name and AOY stats will be added to the plaque that hangs in the West Neck Marina Store.





Earning money envelopes today were the following anglers:

(From left) Andy Morath and his cousin, Zech Morath, 1st place, with five bass weighing 10.12 lbs. and a big fish weighing 2.61 lbs.

(From left) Bob Glass and Randy Conkle, 2nd place, with five bass weighing 9.35 lbs. and a big fish weighing 2.77 lbs.

(From left) Rob Peppers and Don Carter, 3rd place, with five bass weighing 8.84 lbs. and a big fish weighing 2.75 lbs.

Winner of the big-bass pot today was Mike Miller, with a fish weighing 5.36 lbs. His bass was the only fish he and his partner, Chris Fretard, brought to the scales.

And last, yours truly managed to bring two keepers to the weigh-in, for a total weight of 2.40 lbs., which was closest to the drawn weight of 3.30. My big fish weighed 1.55 lbs.








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

     * Wayne Hayes, four bass, with a total weight of 8.04 lbs. His big fish weighed 3.41 lbs.
     * Jim Wilder, five bass, with an adjusted total weight of 7.53 lbs. after a 0.25 deduction for one dead fish. His big fish weighed 2.15 lbs.
     * Rusty Girard, five bass, with a total weight of 7.50 lbs. His big fish weighed 3.09 lbs.
     * Steve Bailey, five bass, with a total weight of 6.32 lbs. His big fish weighed 1.69 lbs.
     * Bobby Moore and Duane Kessel, three bass, with a total weight of 4.26 lbs. Their big fish weighed 1.63 lbs.
     * Skip Schaible and Gary Coderre didn't weigh any fish.

With no new names added to the Classic list today, it looks like we will have 17 qualified anglers fishing our two-day season-ender next weekend, Oct. 14 and 15. One other angler who qualified has indicated he has other obligations and won't be joining us.

Congratulations to our newly crowned 2017 AOY and to all of today's winners. Thanks to everyone who showed up to fish with us--not just today, but throughout the entire season. Hope you'll be back again in 2018.

In discussions I had with some of the fellas who weighed a limit today, they indicated that five bites were all they had for their eight hours on the water. I, too, had only five bites, but three of the fish didn't cross the 12-inch stripe on my ruler, so I had to release them.

Can't speak for anyone else, but I spent a fair amount of time fishing a wacky-rigged finesse worm (first time ever that I can remember) today but all to no avail. I never had a single strike with the rig. Four of my fish came on a Bomber Square A crankbait, and one smacked a Whopper Plopper.

One thing that I found a little disappointing was the fact that while I was fishing a cove above the bridge this morning, a couple of kayakers saw fit to follow me in and started shadowing me like I had invaded their personal honey hole. I bit my tongue and didn't say anything to them, but, needless to say, that experience left a sour taste in my mouth. I solved the problem by firing up the gas motor and running to the back of Albright's, which is where I caught all of my fish. Not quite sure why these guys were so rude, but I've lately been hearing similar remarks from others in our tournament crowd.