For the Week Ending Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019

Thursday, Aug. 29 (from Ken)...Having survived my overating ordeal with no lasting effects, I decided to get back into my fishing again today. The weather forecast was just too good to sit home another day. Fished about 7.5 hours and managed to catch 11 bass, only about four of which would have been keepers. Found one concentration of small fish but couldn't stay there because a fella and his friend in an aluminum bass rig were parked in the middle of it and were making it abundantly clear they didn't want me horning in. Both started launching long casts in my direction, so I circled out around them and continued on my way. Besides, I had grown tired of catching small bass. Picked up and moved to a new spot, where I quickly put a 3-7 in the boat. Water temp when I launched this morning at West Neck was 74 degrees. Sure hope those temps stay around. Should make for some real good September fishing.

Be Careful Whom and What You Make Fun Of

That's a lesson I heard a lot from my parents while growing up, but it's one...among many...I didn't learn 'til later in life, after I had paid the price. One such example occurred yesterday.

During the course of my day-long misery, I found my mind wondering back to a time when Mom and Dad were living in a nursing home, and Dad, who always was a big man with a voracious appetite, made a fool of himself at the dinner table. You see, the cooks had prepared a giant pot of greens, which he dearly loved, and on that one particular night, couldn't bring himself to say "enough." He ate, then ate some more, and ate still some more...I'm sure you get the picture here.

Unfortunately, as he would learn before that night was over, his gluttony cost him dearly. I received a phone call from the nursing-home staff, telling me that he had developed immense pain in his abdomen and subsequently had been taken to the hospital. The doctor's final analysis: He simply had overindulged himself on the greens.

Many times over the years since that incident, I've had a good laugh about it. After all, Dad survived the episode and went on to enjoy many more good meals...just not in excess. The nursing-home staff made certain of that by entering a special note on his records about what had happened that night with the greens.

You would think that, being privy to what happened to Dad, I would have been smarter than to make fun of him, then turn around and repeat his mistake, but that's exactly what I did night before last. In my case, though, the dish that did me in was one that contained a bigger helping of syrupy fresh fruit than I needed...or, as it turns out, could handle. To be painfully honest, I already was full when my wife said, "Go ahead, Honey, and finish it if you want," after I already had had about three helpings. Despite feeling bloated, I didn't hesitate to woof down what was left with the same vigor I already had devoured the other servings.

As if the pain I endured all day yesterday, until about 2 o'clock this morning, wasn't enough, I now have to deal with the added cruelty of screwing myself out of a fishing trip today, as well...and that really hurts. My tournament partner had called yesterday and asked me to go with him to one of my favorite spots today, and feeling certain I would be well in time, I jumped at the invitation. However, I subsequently figured the "smart" thing to do today was just to hang around the house and take it easy, so I called my partner early this morning and asked for a rain check.

Told my wife this morning, too, that I'm done overeating, and I mean it. When fishing trips start getting cancelled as a result of such instances, it's time to quit. One other thing that's making the cherry on top of this dessert so bitter is the fact I also now have one of my cluster headaches.

OK, I'm crying UNCLE...P-L-E-A-S-E let me off this train!

Simple Change, Big Difference

You know the old commercial that goes, "When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen?" Well, here's a modified rendition of that saying: "When his old-time customers complain about their boats' performance, Wayne listens." And then he does something about it.

After listening to both Skip and me describe some problems we've been having, Wayne knew exactly what needed to be done. Turns out, the fix for both of us was the same: a modification of the pitch in our props.

Can't speak for Skip, but I never would have believed such a simple change could make so much difference.

Got my first taste of that difference this past Friday, when Wayne installed the modified prop. A half-hour or so of running time later is all it took to convince me that my problems were solved. So I've heard, it was pretty much the same way with Skip, too.

If I had any lingering doubts (and I really didn't), they were all put to rest during yesterday's tournament. I had to keep reminding myself that I was out to fish, not to joy ride in the boat.

Between the much improved hole shot and increased rpm's and top-end speed, I felt like a kid who had been handed a new toy. Just couldn't get enough of it. Really hated to come off step before making that trek up the channel for weigh-in, which ended my day on the water. At least, I have next time to which you can bet I'll be looking forward.

5-Fish Limits for Everyone, and Not a Single Dead One

The song says "nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning;" however, I and 17 other Virginia anglers likely would take exception to those lyrics, given the fantastic weather and fishing day we all enjoyed today. I feel certain we, to the last man, are counting our lucky blessings to have had a day like this in late August. We 18 anglers in 10 boats brought 50 bass to the scales, for a combined total weight of 112.66 lbs., a 2.25 lb. average weight per fish, and an 11.26 lb. average weight per boat.

Those taking charge and kicking butt today included the following:

(From left) Josh Jones and Eddie Sapp, 1st Place, with 15.99 lbs. total weight, and a 4.52-lb. big fish.

Cody Wilson, 2nd Place, with 13.74 lbs. total weight, and a 5.09-lb. big fish, which earned him bragging rights as winner of the lunker pot.

(From left) Andy Morath and Zach Bubier, 3rd place, with 13.59 lbs. total weight, and a 3.95-lb. big fish.

Gary Coderre and Allen Napier (not pictured), Mystery Weight winners, with 7.48 lbs. total weight, which was closest to the drawn weight of 2.80. They didn't weigh a big fish.







Here is how everyone else lined up in the day's competition:

     * Jim Crist and Eric Killian, 13.17 lbs. total weight, and a 3.45-lb. big fish.
     * David Dozier and Sean Vitovich, 12.54 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Steve Bailey and Bobby Moore, 9.54 lbs. total weight, and a 4.11-lb. big fish.
     * Dave Anderson and Ken Testorff, 9.04 lbs. total weight, and a 2.87-lb. big fish.
     * Wayne Hayes, 8.81 lbs. total weight, and a 2.33-lb. big fish.
     * Bob Glass and J. P. Twohig, 8.76 lbs. total weight, and a 2.64-lb. big fish.

No new names were added to the list of those eligible to participate in our season-ending two-day Classic, but several more anglers are poised to complete their qualification in the remaining weeks.

A hearty congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who came out and fished today. My sincere appreciation, as well, goes to those who helped me orchestrate the event. For planning purposes, our next event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7, from safe light (probably about 6:15) to weigh-in at 2:30.

One Last Cast

After today, the 2019 Angler of the Year competition stacks up as follows:

Steve Bailey - 136.18 lbs.
Ken Testorff - 128.25 lbs.

Gary Coderre - 125.67 lbs.

Bobby Moore - 121.65 lbs.
Dave Anderson - 120.11 lbs.

Rob Peppers - 108.25 lbs.
Eddie Sapp - 105.14 lbs.

Don Carter - 100.45 lbs.

With four more qualifying events remaining on the season's schedule, it's still anyone's ballgame to win or lose.

On a different note, I have to admit a gi-normous screwup I made today while fishing a topwater bait. After tossing the bait against the shoreline, I saw a fish smack the bait and did a hookset but didn't feel anything, so figured I had missed. One more crank of the reel handle, and I saw what appeared to be another hit, with another swing and another miss, or so I thought. After a third episode of this action, Dave hollered from the rear pedestal, "Hey, Ken, you've got the fish; he's just swimming toward the boat with your bait. Reel him in."

I raised the rod tip a bit and, sure enough, saw the fish indeed was hooked and started reeling, but by now, I had allowed the fish enough slack, and he politely let go of my bait. I've never felt like a bigger fool before in my life. It's downright sad when you can't tell a fish is hooked and have to be told so by your partner. Nevertheless, that's what happened today.

I wouldn't blame Dave if he called me tomorrow and told me that he's going to find a new partner.

For the Week Ending Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019

Tuesday, Aug. 20 (from Dave & Ken)...With another tournament this coming Saturday, it was time for us to go looking for some spots to fish. The action was anything but lively, so we ended up spending another day running here and there without ever finding a concentration of fish. After seven hours on the water, though, we had boated a total of 12 keeper bass, along with about a 20-inch striper and a nice crappie. More importantly, we have a game plan for Saturday: "Don't go back to any of the same spots we hit today," as Dave suggested. All kidding aside, we know where we're going, as well as what baits we plan to use to start the day. Will it all work? Only time will tell.

My "End of Hoarding Sale" Is on at West Neck Marina Store

After packaging 559 lures and 208 bags of soft plastics and delivering them to Gene at West Neck (with more to come), you can say the sale officially is underway. And that's not all, either. One of my friends has arranged the same deal with Gene.

We provide the merchandise, Gene sells it, and everyone benefits. It doesn't get much better than that.

Next time you're out West Neck way, stop in and take a look around. You won't find any of the "collectible" stuff from my purge hanging on the walls, but there is a decent amount of other things, some of which may strike your fancy.

For the Week Ending Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019

Monday, Aug. 12 (from Ron)...Tried to find some bass with size this evening to no avail. Ended up with only two dinks and a 14-incher, 'bout 1 lb. 5. Didn't even weigh him.

Tuesday, Aug. 13 (from Dave & Ken)...It was a tough day...one of those when you're more than a little glad you're not fishing a tournament. We couldn't find a concentration of fish anywhere we ran. Had to settle for one here and one there for the entire 7 hours that we spent on the water. Ended our trip with a total of 12 keepers but no big fish. Despite the predictions for feel-like temperatures near 100 degrees today, we had a nice breeze for most of the day...one that probably reached speeds of 20 mph or better, vice the 10-15 the weatherman was calling for early this morning. As a result, we stayed pretty comfortable all day. Reckon the rest of my week will be devoted to cleaning out all my soft plastics. Am finished with all the hard baits, which numbered 500 when I delivered them to Gene at the West Neck Store. He already has some up but won't be able to get them all on the wall until he locates some more pegs.

Tuesday, Aug. 13 (from Ron)...Fished upper North Landing from 5 to 8 p.m. Tried craws unweighted, as well as jig 'n' pig, but not a tap. Weightless  Zoom worm and Pop-R drew some hits, resulting in a dink, 1-2, 1-6, and a 1-9.

Wednesday, Aug. 14 (from Ron)...Fished Stumpy Lake this evening. Check of weather looked good, with nothing on the horizon and possible thunderstorms forecast for after 8 p.m. Radar showed nothing near by. Fished from 6 to 7:15. About 7 p.m. got three in quick succession, including two dinks and a fat little 1-10, all on SwimSenko. Was looking promising, but the sky wasn't. Thunder and lighting forced a retreat. Gotta start getting back in there, cause there are some nice bass. See the dink photo for the foreboding sky!

Saturday, Aug. 17 (from Ron)...Fished this morning and caught two: a 1-13 and a 2-9. Lost two as well. Was nice to be out. They were hitting Zoom U Vibe worms. Tried some craws but didn't get any interest. Bite was very subtle, and you had to pay attention to line movement. Lack of thump-type hits tells me they are a bit lethargic in this heat.

Five-Fish Limit for 10 of Today's 12 Boats

And it would have been 11 limits, if not for the fact one team had a rambunctious bass wiggle free during the transfer from livewell to weigh-in bag. The fish bounced once on the boat's hull before hitting the water and procuring its freedom.

The 18 anglers in 12 boats ended the day's competition with a total of 55 bass (including two dead fish), for a combined total weight of 114.84 lbs., a 2.08-lb. average weight per fish, and a 9.57 average weight per boat.

Here are the anglers who went home with a payday in their pockets:

1st Place, Eddie Sapp, five fish, 17.02 lbs. total weight, 3.94-lb. big fish.

2nd Place, the team of Dave Anderson & Ken Testorff (not pictured), five fish, 14.72 lbs. total weight, 3.88-lb. big fish.

3rd Place, Bob Glass, five fish, 14.70 lbs. total weight (after 0.25 deduction for one dead fish),  4.53-lb. big fish, which was good enough to earn him the day's lunker award.

Winners of the Mystery Weight award were the team of Steve Bailey and Bobby Moore (not pictured), whose 6.41 lbs. total weight (for four fish) was closest to the drawn weight of 5.75 lbs. They didn't have a big fish.






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

     * The father-son team of Rick and Ricky Plemons, five fish, 10.74 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Stan Krason, five fish, 10.52 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * The team of Gary Coderre and Josh McCord, five fish, 9.95 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * The team of Rob Peppers and Don Carter, five fish, 9.76 lbs. total weight, 2.57-lb. big fish.
     * Wayne Hayes, five fish, 6.78 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Tom Wells, five fish, 6.75 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * The team of Jim Crist and Eric Killian, five fish, 6.49 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Skip Schaible, one fish, 1.00 lb. total weight (after 0.25 deduction for a dead fish).

Two more anglers joined the list of those now eligible to participate in our season-ending, two-day Classic tournament. Those two new anglers are Eddie Sapp and Wayne Hayes.

Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to everyone who came out for today's event. I also take off my hat to those who helped me orchestrate everything.

For planning purposes, our next event is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24, from safe light (about 6 or 6:15 a.m.) to weigh-in about 2:30 p.m. I hope you can join us.

One Last Cast

After today, the 2019 Angler of the Year competition lines up as follows:

Steve Bailey - 126.64 lbs.
Ken Testorff - 119.21 lbs.

Gary Coderre - 118.19 lbs.

Bobby Moore - 112.11 lbs.
Dave Anderson - 111.07 lbs.

Rob Peppers - 108.25 lbs.

Don Carter - 100.45 lbs.

Stan Krason - 96.00 lbs.

With five more qualifying events remaining on the season's schedule, it's still anyone's ballgame to win or lose.

Incidentally, on a different note, the "large sponges in the livewell" trick I've talked about in a couple of previous postings didn't work as well today as it has in the past. For most of the day, the fish were anything but calm.

Turns Out I'm Not Crazy After All

Photo by Dave Wolak

...Or if I am, then there are at least two of us in the same boat.

You see, ever since I began this fishing-lure purge, I've been looking around online to see if there are any others doing the same thing. And just as I was about ready to give up, I happened onto the story (Forget the Winter Clean Up. Just Sell Your Old Lures, Field & Stream, Jan. 23, 2017) about a pro angler who routinely purges his fishing arsenal. His name is Dave Wolak. Instead of trying to reorganize all his lures every winter, he just turns them into cash.

"Each and every year," said Wolak, "many of us resolve to commit to the arduous task of cleaning our tackle, organizing strewn piles of plastics from the previous season, and/or applying new hooks and split rings to piles of hard baits, only to redistribute these baits to the 90 tackle boxes filled with lures that get used .01 percent of our bass-fishing time... . To be honest, I don't even try to execute this massive yearly cleanup anymore. If you bass fish a lot, it's nearly impossible to keep up with all the byproducts of multiple days on the water, multiple non-effective lure purchases, and obsessive organization while trying to find exactly what may work best for the next time you hit the water."

"If you're familiar with this scenario," Wolak continued, "you often end up with pods of used, obscure lures that somehow fail to get put away correctly. A solid one-third of these baits are one-time tries that likely will never see the water again. A good part of the other two-thirds of the pile can be rendered unusable (by an OCD fisherman like me) until new hooks are put on and they get a cleaning... . The bottom line is that you don't want to make one mistake turn into several mistakes comprised of inefficient time, space and money. So my advice is to get rid of them AS IS and hopefully get a little cash in return."

After all, there's more truth than fiction to that old saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure." It's amazing that the mistake you made by buying a lure to catch bass in Lake ABC can become the best decision a guy ever made to catch fish in Lake XYZ. The global market opens up a whole world to fishing equipment, no pun intended.

Wolak advises finding someone with a business selling stuff on eBay (preferably fishing stuff) and letting them do it for you in exchange for a percentage of the sales (making sure you know what that percentage is). Simply tell them, "I want to hand you a giant pile of fishing stuff. You arrange it for sale on eBay and send me a check when it's gone."

For the Week Ending Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019

Monday, Aug. 5 (from Ron)...Launched at Old Pungo Ferry Road this morning and hit some of the creeks on the east side of North Landing River. Then looped back around and made a pass through Albright's. Started with a 2-2, a 1-11, and a 1-3, then they got smaller, and all the rest (seven of them) were not scale-worthy. SwimSenkos and spinnerbait were on the menu.

Tuesday, Aug. 6 (from Ron)...I went to Milldam yesterday evening. The light rain and no wind looked very promising for topwater. However, not only did I not get a topwater hit, I couldn't get a nibble on anything I tried. The dead zone ended up being my first skunk since April 12th! Fished West Neck Creek this morning, and again, there was no topwater bite. Threw some plastics and a spinnerbait. The spinner enticed a 15-incher that flipped out of the yak. Finished with four very dink dinks! Returned to West Neck Creek this evening and fished from 7:20 to 8:40. Threw only topwater and caught one 12-inch bass on the Whopper Plopper. It was a nice evening, even though the bass were not biting.

Thursday, Aug. 8 (from Ron)...Fishing can be frustrating to say the least. Made hundreds of casts this evening from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in vicinity of Back Bay. Had a few swipes at the Pop-R and one hookup with a dink to avoid the skunk. Tried a variety of lures, but they were being elusive. A few horseflies were taunting me about the sweaty head and drove me batty. Always tomorrow.

Saturday, Aug. 10 (from Ron)...Launched Friday evening and fished upper North Landing at about 7 p.m. Had a nice one on that threw the hook, then a dink. Was looking promising, but a cell developed, and I had to scoot due to lightning. This morning, fished Blackwater from 0600 to 1000. Caught six dinks and a 1-12 that kind of broke the dink spell. This evening, fished Milldam from 6 to 8 p.m. First one on definitely broke the dink spell: a 20-inch, 4-1! Followed up with a 1-13 and four more dinks. Felt really good to catch that big one. Been too long since I felt and heard some drag. Plastic worms and Pop Shad Z were on the menu.

Sunday, Aug. 11 (from Ron)...Fished Ashville Bridge Creek and caught 12 bass, a striper, and a sunfish between 0630 and 1030. Had an 18-incher, weighing about 3 pounds, on the measuring board, but he didn't want his picture taken and jumped overboard. Of the 12 bass, six were dinks, and the others included a 1-2, 1-6, 1-10,1-13, and a 1-15. The striper was a big surprise and fought really well. In the early morning, I had luck with the Pop-R, then it was all plastics (Flukes and Zoom worms). Never caught a striper in Ashville Bridge Creek, so that was a first. 

Just Letting Everyone Know

It has been a spell since I posted anything of consequence on either of my blogs, so figured I perhaps should let you know why. Let me assure you that I have not been sick. Quite the contrary.

Instead, I've been busy with the continuing purge of all my old fishing tackle. I've been spending nearly all my free time bagging stuff, pricing it, and getting everything ready to be made available for sale at the West Neck Marina Store. I've already bagged 367 lures, but that tally is not the final one. As a matter of fact, there's a half-full 2-gallon bag of more lures waiting for me to finish this post, so I best not tarry.

And when I finally finish with all the hard baits, the soft plastics will then get my attention. And when those are done, it will be time to tackle the rods, tackle boxes/bags, and miscellaneous stuff. I promised my wife and myself a thorough house-cleaning, and I plan to honor my word. When all is said and done, I will be left with only the gear I routinely use for all my fishing.

Early on in this task, I had some difficulty coming to terms with the fact I no longer will have access to all this "extra" stuff. Now, however, I just want to finish the job and be free to move on.

I promise to take a long enough break this week to get a new blog post up, and of course, there will be the weekend report of our next tourney this coming Saturday. In the meantime, here's wishing all of you Tight Lines!