KVD Frustrated? Never for Long

Read recently where he was frustrated on the first day of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic. He thought he knew where and how he could catch enough bass to perform well, but he didn't catch a single bass from any of the first places he stopped on day 1, and things didn't really get much better the rest of the day, either.

The first few fish he managed to catch were all too small to weigh in. Despite being really frustrated, he kept moving and grinding, 'cause he felt certain he could get a couple of really good bites on the upper reaches of the Tennessee River.

One of the problems that first day was the water had come up quite a bit from what it had been in practice. When that happened, the bass moved to another location.

"When you're river fishing," said KVD, you usually can pinpoint where the bass should be. If they're not exactly where you think they are, though, you can miss them altogether.

"After a tough day of fishing, I try to recover by replaying the day in my mind and looking at what lures and locations have produced bass, even if the bass are small. I look for positive areas where I think bass may be holding."

Although he didn't catch the bass he expected on the first day of the 2019 Classic, KVD pinpointed several regions with a lot of shad holding in them...areas that looked like they should produce fish. He then searched for more of those same types of pockets with shad in them, noting, however, that "I'm not going to get locked in on any one tactic.

"The only thing that's certain about river fishing," he added, "is every day will be different. We'll have various weather and water conditions and temperatures...from one day to the next and sometimes the same day. For that reason, you have to remain open-minded to change your strategy.

"I've always tried not being hard-headed and willing to change the very moment I see water, weather, and/or fishing conditions change," he concluded. "You would be smart to do likewise."

Winter Is Big Bass Time...For Some

"Bass fishing in the extreme cold is tough, yes. But this time of year is when you can stumble onto some of the biggest bass you'll catch in any given season."

I read those lines in a Wired2Fish article today, and I'm sure some anglers have no trouble relating to the authenticity of that statement. Personally, however, I only can remember a single instance over the years when I actually caught a bigger fish in cold weather. Back on Feb. 28, 1976, I caught the pictured 6-lb. 6-oz. bass (mount on left, actual fish on right) in Lake Anna, while fishing a chartreuse-with-black-back crankbait.

Let's face it: A good day on the water this time of year might only consist of a half-dozen or so bites. So getting just two or three more can be a huge deal. Writer Shaye Baker has some suggestions designed to correct common mistakes by anglers this time of year and perhaps make those few extra bites more profitable.

Don't let the weather fool you. Mid-morning on a nice sunny day in winter is about the time an angler usually starts thawing out...and probably begins fishing too fast.

"It's so easy to speed up your retrieve, without even realizing it," said Baker. "Even though the sun certainly helps activate the fish a bit, it's usually just starting to get them going around that time and certainly doesn't call for burning a spinnerbait.

"You have to keep slow-rolling your baits and avoid the temptation to burn them," he continued. "Even if the air temperature is 20 degrees warmer than it was the day before, the water temperature may have only moved a degree or two. That's what you have to focus on, and be sure you're fishing the fish's habitat and not your own above the water."

Control the emotions. A common flaw Baker has seen in reviewing the GoPro footage of many pros was to unknowingly change what they were doing once they got a bite.

"Bass have a way of lulling us to sleep between bites," he said, "and we'll start to fish a lot slower, without even knowing it. Once we get a bite, though, and get excited, we often speed up without even realizing it. Then we'll go another 30 minutes without a bite, until the monotony slows us down again.

"Whether you're intentionally fishing slow or just get lulled to sleep, you have to focus on slowing down again once you get a bite. The old saying goes something like this: 90 percent of fishing happens between the ears. That holds very true with winter bass fishing. Focusing on the mechanics of fishing slow and managing your emotions will lead to more bites...period.

Don't get caught in the dark. According to Baker, anglers in winter also have a tendency to keep their trolling motor in the water more and soak their baits longer.

"That's the right idea," he noted, "but you also can stumble into some really unproductive water this way and stay there entirely too long.

"Sunshine is your friend in the dead of winter. Just the same way we feel better in the sun, rather than the shade, a bass does as well...maybe more so, since bass are cold-blooded, and their metabolism and other body functions are regulated by their environment. So you want to focus on sunny banks, and stay out of the shade. Yes, you can catch fish on a shady bank this time of year, but you greatly increase your odds by focusing on the sunny ones."

Baker routinely starts on the sunny side of a pocket and fishes his way toward the back. When he reaches the shade, he picks up his trolling motor and idles to the next sunny pocket, then starts fishing again.

"This eliminates wasting half your time in far less productive water," he explained. "It's also worth pointing out that some parts of those banks will have been in the sun longer. Pay attention to how the shade lines are moving throughout the day, and you may even be able to find a pattern within a pattern, where you're focusing on water that has been in the sun for at least two or three hours.

"Keeping a vigilant focus on how and where you're presenting your bait is crucial," continued Baker. "Be sure to keep things moving slow, even as you warm up or get excited. And focus your time on the sunniest stretches you can find. Don't get caught up going through the motions and find yourself on a stretch that hasn't seen direct sunlight since yesterday. Correct these three simple mistakes, and you'll certainly catch more fish," he concluded.

West Neck Non-Fishing Report

After about two weeks of trying, I finally made it to the marina this morning and vacuumed the mud out of my boat from the last trip I took earlier. Hadn't started before Dave showed up. Our chat revealed that he and Gary have a fishing trip planned tomorrow, with hopes they can find some clearer water than what you see in West Neck right now.

When I had finished my job, I took a trip around the ramp area, where there were at least eight rigs parked. Only recognized Jim C.'s rig.

My next stop was at the store, where I learned that everything still looks just as it did after our Classic tournament in October. Even the toilet seat still is broken, and the front-door lock still hasn't been changed, as I had been told several weeks back was going to happen.

I do know that at least some work has been accomplished inside the house, but nothing appeared to be happening there today. However, there was a young guy working inside the big round-top tin building beside my boat-storage shed. I went over and talked to him long enough to learn that he's assembling an updated batting cage in the building, which is what the building originally started out as. Not sure if the building remains under the new owners' auspices, or if maybe they have leased/rented the building to another entity. Figured I would wait and see about that aspect, since I already had been somewhat nosey.

Bottom line: If I were a betting man, I would be extremely hesitant to put any money on the odds of seeing the marina manned and/or operational anytime in the foreseeable future.

A Reel That "Never Backlashes"???

That's the headline Jay Kumar attached to an article in his latest BassBlaster about the KastKing MegaJaws baitcasting reels with an automag dual braking system.

Upon seeing these reels on the KastKing website, Kumar subsequently called Joe Woodward, the KastKing marketing director, and asked if that claim could really be true.

Woodward first said he never would say never but then added that it's very difficult to backlash this reel. He explained it like this:

"When you open the side plate of the MegaJaws, you see red brakes. When you cast, that inertia causes all four brakes to expand, limiting any chance of a backlash. Each brake is on a different tension spring, so as the spool starts to slow down, each backs off (at a different time), maximizing casting distance. Eventually, at the end of the cast, there's no braking at all."

Besides the automag dual braking system, the KastKing MegaJaws baitcasting reels have low frication tapered vortex (LFTV) funnel-shaped ceramic line guides, which greatly reduce fishing-line friction through the guide, giving you super long casts and also helping to reduce backlashes.

These reels also have adopted the KastKing palm-perfect ergonomic engineering, stand only 41mm tall, and are much lighter than before. Total weight has been reduced from 7.6 ozs. to only 6.5 ozs. on the new model. Main gears and main-gear shafts are made of hardened aerospace 7075 aluminum. Pinion gears are super hard manganese brass. Grips have been changed from rubber cork to comfortable, lightweight EVA.

In addition, these reels are color-coded. The model with a 5.4:1 gear ratio comes in a "great white" color. The model with a 6.5:1 gear ratio comes in a "deep water" color. The model with a 7.2:1 gear ratio comes in a "blacktip" color. And, finally, the model with a 9.1:1 gear ratio comes in a "predator red" color.

Only the two higher-speed reels are available from Tackle Warehouse for a price of $119.99 each.

As We've Always Heard: "Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch"

That's good advice for anyone, as Josh Douglas (left) learned the hard way.

It was late June 2018, and Douglas was fishing day 2 of the Lake St. Clair FLW Tour. He had been watching the center-console bay boat bearing the insignia of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry make its way through a gaggle of 15 to 20 boats without thinking much about it. He knew the officers were out doing random safety and license checks...nothing out of the ordinary. 

With 20-plus pounds resting in his livewell, coupled with the 17-12 he had weighed the previous day, he felt fairly certain he likely would earn a paycheck and, more importantly, remain inside the points cutoff for the Forrest Wood Cup. Things were going good for him. Little did he know, however, that his good fortunes were about to change, in a way I seriously doubt he ever could have predicted.

It all started when the officers approached his boat. Knowing they were headed his way, he reached for his cellphone and tried to pull up a digital version of his license, which he had saved in an online cloud storage. Because he was outside the range of U.S. cell service, though, he couldn't access it.

Since Ontario requires anglers to have an Outdoors Card in order to purchase a fishing or hunting license, the officer consequently relayed the information off Douglas' Outdoors Card to dispatch, in order to confirm his license status.

As the boats bobbed in the waves, the radio transmission from dispatch sounded like good news to Douglas.

"Mr. Douglas is good with a conservation license until July 1st," the voice said.

Douglas recalled that the officers looked at each other awkwardly before one of them said, "We have a problem."

The confused Douglas replied, "No, I'm good through July 1st," echoing what the dispatcher had said.

"You don't have a valid license," the officer responded. "You made an unfortunate mistake. You have a valid license, but it's the wrong one."

The officer then explained that Douglas had purchased an 8-day non-resident conservation fishing license, which entitled him to have no more than two bass in his possession. He should have purchased the sport-fishing version, which would have covered him for the purposes of competing in the tournament.

Douglas already had told the officers that he had five fish in his possession, so he was in violation of the conservation license, which triggered a citation and a fine of roughly $300 (U.S.). He also had to cull down to the appropriate limit per his license, meaning that he had to release three of his fish.

Upon releasing his fish, Douglas motored back to U.S. waters and contacted the FLW Tour tournament director, advising him of the situation before returning to the Lake St. Clair Metropark, the official launch facility for the event. There, he had to release his two remaining fish for being in violation of FLW rules regarding proper licensing.

When Douglas informed the tournament director that he'd also made every cast on day 1 in Canadian waters, his day-1 weight was wiped out, too. With less than an hour left to fish, Douglas floated around near Lake St. Clair Metropark, trying to make sense of what just had happened. He hadn't practiced at all on that side of the lake and wasn't able to muster another bite, leaving him with two zeros by his name on the leaderboard. His cup hopes were history.

The gravity of what had happened didn't start to sink in until he pulled the door shut on his truck, as he readied to leave the launch ramp.

"I was mad that it happened, but I look up to guys like Greg Hackney. He's one of the best dudes out there. He's been DQ'd before for making a cast in an off-limits area. Brandon Palaniuk got DQ'd for a culling mistake that cost him $100,000. Aaron Martens had those bolts sheer off on his jackplate, or he'd have won in 2013. It's what happens in our sport. You can do everything right, but you have to cross all the T's and dot all the I's.

"It's just the game we play. Those other guys handled it like pros, and that was my only option, for myself and my sponsors."

Douglas' misfortune not only derailed what had the makings of another solid tournament, it also submarined his bid to qualify for his first cup. While acknowledging the error was totally his fault, he made it a point to use his experience to educate other anglers and stress the importance of understanding the licensing requirements for non-resident anglers, especially along border waters and for lakes in Canada that attract U.S. anglers for fun-fishing trips.

The Difference Between Pro and Weekend Anglers

Ron Kruger was lucky enough to be chosen by Ray Scott to serve as one of the first press observers for B.A.S.S. tournaments. As a result, he got a firsthand look at what separates the pros from weekend anglers. In a nutshell, there are two important qualities: confidence and intensity.

Said Kruger, "We all have some form of confidence and even more intensity when catching a fish. You know how you get when you're really 'on fish' and expect a bite on every cast. Your focus is riveted; your concentration is total. You might even lean forward a bit every time you make a retrieve--tensed up and ready to set the hook at any moment.

"I've seen top tournament pros assume this 'posture' of intensity but with total confidence, and they then hold it for eight hours straight, whether they catch a fish or not."

As a press observer, however, Kruger was bored...to the point where he often fell asleep.

"We weren't allowed to fish, just watch and take an occasional picture," he explained. "None of the pros wanted to talk much, either, because they didn't want me distracting them with noises or quick movements. Once the contest was over, though, some of them would then talk my ear off," he continued.

Most of the top pros, if they think quality bass are holding on a particular spot, "will camp there, with hair-trigger expectations, all day," according to Kruger. "For the most part, they fish much slower and more methodically than the wannabes, who change locations too often and fish far too fast."

Though it has been several years since he closely observed any participants on the B.A.S.S. tournament trail, Kruger is willing to bet his best rod that the same attitude of total confidence and intensity, punctuated with patient persistence, still is what wins the big tournaments.

As he noted, "The average bass angler today is much more knowledgeable than they were years ago. In fact, I believe the average weekend warrior knows more about fishing now than many pros did years ago, and the equipment is better, too. Unfortunately, the quality bass are much harder to catch. Fishing pressure has grown by incalculable leaps and bounds, which means that young bass have been caught and taught hard lessons quite a few times before they even get big enough to tote to the scales.

"The confidence it takes to catch a winning limit of bass only can come from catching a bunch of good bass with consistency over a considerable period of time. And at least half of everyone who enters a tournament has plenty of confidence to start with.

"Many, however, lack that unwavering intensity, punctuated with patient persistence. Confidence comes from catching fish, and unwavering intensity comes from self-control and a highly competitive nature that you either have, or you don't."

Kruger explained that many tournament anglers have the right bait and are at the right place, but when the competition begins, they can get into a slight hurry. Without realizing it, they change their presentation to some degree, and that's the subtle deviation that makes all the difference. Most think color is the key, but presentation is paramount. When what worked yesterday doesn't work today, they lose a little confidence and a lot of their controlled intensity, which is enough to fall out of contention. They run and gun, and they try every color of the rainbow...and, eventually, they lose.

IMO It's a Waste of Your Time

That's how I feel about the Fishing Expo in Richmond this weekend. Rode up yesterday with my Dewey's tournament partner, and we met up with three more fellas from the local area. We all pretty much agreed that the Expo is a floppo, certainly compared to the shows of the late '80s and early '90s, when I last attended on a regular basis.

From my perspective, the best part of the whole day was sharing the company of friends, along with the nice sunny conditions. We all also visited Green Top while we were up there, and Wayne and I topped off our looking with a stop at the BPS store.

The last, but certainly not the least "shiny" spot in the day, was a stop at Pierce's BBQ on the way back home. You just can't go wrong there.

What Constitutes a "Good Day" of Bass Fishing?

That's the search phrase I recently Googled, and half of the 36 respondents to that very same question on a forum's website I visited had answered as follows: "Any day that I get to go fishing," or words to that effect. Have to admit that's what I anticipated when I asked the question.

I also should point out that not one of the other respondents said anything about having a "bad day" of bass fishing...again, no surprise. Here are some samples of what others said in response to the aforementioned question:

"A good day of fishing for me is when I'm in the Everglades, and I catch 40-plus LMB on my own, excluding my fishing partner, averaging 3 to 5 lbs. apiece. A great day is when I throw a 6-plus-pound bass into the mix. An awesome day is when they all are caught on hollow-body frogs."

"A good day for me is finding that magical school of largemouth and smallmouth all feeding on baitfish in the same area where I can throw any lure I want and get bit. I love those days."

"A good day of fishing is when I'm by myself and get to touch at least one fish. If I'm with my buddies, I call it a good day as long as we all don't get skunked."

"Any day I catch 5 decent bass in less than 4 hours is a good day. If I'm fishing all day, 10-plus is good for me."

"If I catch a fish over 14 inches, then that's a good day for me."

"As long as I make it to and from the lake safely, I've had a good day."

"A good day of fishing for me is any day I go with my grandson, and he catches 3 or 4 fish, and we return home safely."

"A good day for me is any day my cellphone stays quiet, I improve myself, or learn something new, and catch a couple of fish."

Then there was this fella who said his "best day" fishing happened Jan. 2, 2016. On that day, he and a buddy had gone fishing in a johnboat at a nearby lake. Got on the water around 1 p.m. and decided they would use 3/4-oz. black-and-blue football jigs, with matching rage craw.

"My first cast yielded a 2-lber, and my buddy doubled up with a 3-lber," he said. "On my next cast, I hooked a 7-lb. 10-oz. beauty...my personal best. Within the next 30 minutes, I pulled in a 6-lb. 14 oz., a 3.15, 4.01, 6.01, and a few more 2-lbers.

"My buddy wasn't so lucky, and only got a couple 2-to-3-lbers.

"Three hours into our trip, I was saying I never thought I'd be trying to cull a 4-lber. Two casts later, though, I landed a 7.3.

"We fished for 4 hours, during which time my friend boated a total of 5 fish, all weighing 3 lbs. and under.

"I ended up with 11 bass. My top five weighed 31 lbs. 13 ozs. The stars were aligned for me that afternoon. However, I did lose my lucky jig on a bad cast."

This fella with the biggest total weight went fishing again the next morning with his new son-in-law, who never had caught a bass in his life. Pop-in-law gave him lots of instructions on deep-water jig fishing, then they started fishing.

While retrieving his first cast, pop-in-law started noticing some difference as he was dragging the jig back. When he lifted it out of the water, the jig was wrapped in some braided line and the jig he had lost the previous day.

The "fish catching" this second day, however, left a little something to be desired. Both fellas fished for 30 minutes or so without a single bite, so they started moving around. The son-in-law eventually managed to catch two fish: a 3-lber and a 6.4-lber. Not to be outdone, pop-in-law boated a 7.8 and a 6.4...but, in his own words, "lost the biggest bass of my life just 10 feet from the boat."

Oh! How many times have we all heard that story?

...And What Would You Like With Your Chocolate Milk?

Some people might respond to that question with such answers as chocolate-chip cookies, potato chips, or donuts. Back in my early Navy days, however, my favorite after-chow snack was a large can of salted cashews, washed down with a quart (sometimes a half gallon) of that delicious brown stuff, which I always purchased off the geedunk truck that visited the pier each evening.

In this case, though, I'm not talking about the "chocolate milk" you drink. I'm instead making reference to the "chocolate milk" we sometimes find in creeks, rivers, lakes, ponds, and all other kinds of impoundments, following a period of high rainfall, especially if it's hard and fast.

At times, this can make the fishing difficult, and there are a number of factors to combat this situation. Once the fish...and the anglers, too...adjust to these conditions, you can encounter some "fast fishing," with an even greater chance of landing a trophy.

When bass find themselves in water that's considerably dirtier than it was previously, they relax a bit, knowing that predators can't see them as easily. Additionally, the dirtier water can make it easier for bass to ambush unsuspecting prey, like shad, bluegill, crawfish, or shiners, all of which have limited visibility and don't use vibration and sound as effectively as the predators chasing them can in these rapidly changing situations.

Experts tend to agree that there are six basic locations for targeting bass when you have chocolate-milk conditions:

Runoffs. Weather and rain runoffs will more often than not stir up the bottom sediment. This shakes up all the little critters that the smaller fish feed on, and the bass will be attracted to the feeding frenzy and pick off all the little prey fish.

This can be in the backs of coves or from bluffs where waterfalls occur. Use your faster-moving baits, and cast over, through and parallel to the runoff area. Keep the bait as close to the bank as possible, and try to intentionally bump and deflect off any cover in the area.

The best lures to use when targeting runoffs are spinnerbaits, with large...preferably half-dollar size...Colorado blades; chatterbaits and square-bill crankbaits.

Large, exposed structure. When the water is really stained, focus on anything that is near the bank, large, and sticking out of the water, especially if there is current. This means to focus on timber laydowns, submerged brush, large boulders, bridge pilings, and docks.

Among the best lures for targeting these structures are moving baits, such as spinnerbaits and crankbaits, that bump into everything as they go by. Jigs and Texas-rigged curly-tail worms also should be flipped and pitched as close as possible to the biggest part of the structure. If you see an exposed tree, for example, don't waste your time flipping that bait to the exterior branches first, when the water is really muddy. Instead, flip it as close to the trunk as possible.

Boat docks and launch ramps. These areas sometimes are called "selfie central," referring to the fact they are where anglers often take pictures of their catches before releasing the fish. Many bass will disperse after being released, but some will stay in the area if food is plentiful enough.

Best lures for targeting these spots are spinnerbaits and crankbaits (slow-rolling them), or jigs and creature baits (flipping them between boat slips or next to the structures).

Points. Pay special attention to those points where there is any current or wind blowing over them. Points with large structures, such as boulders or stumps on or near the crest, often hold the most fish.

The key to fishing points when the water is muddy is to cast over the point with one of your moving baits, such as a spinnerbait, chatterbait or crankbait, and slowly work it over the crest. Make sure you bump and grind it during the retrieve. If this doesn't work, try paralleling the point, working your bait up or down the point.

Lastly, you can switch to a slower moving bait, such as a Texas-rigged worm or creature bait, and use the same casting pattern as you did with the moving baits.

Overhangs. These are a prime location to target, especially when it's sunny out. The key to fishing such spots is to skip a bait like a jig or a big soft-plastic swimbait beneath the overhanging structure. Work it slowly, feeling for any sign of a bite.

Areas with clear water nearby. Every once in a while, you'll come across a patch of clear water next to muddy water...usually in special runoff situations. Muddy current water off the main lake will be flowing past a relatively clear-water cove or a cut. These two types of water don't mix.

This situation can possibly be a game-changer for you. Why? Because the baitfish and bream that live in the clear water will move out to the edge of the muddy water, picking off any food that passes by. Meanwhile, bass will hide in the muddy water, toward the bottom, and eat any unsuspecting fish that gets too close.

When fishing a spot like this, it's best to use a moving bait, like a standard crankbait, lipless crankbait, spinnerbait, or chatterbait.

Best colors for fishing muddy water, as suggested by experts, are as follows: black & blue, red/orange, white, chartreuse, and junebug.

Here are some additional tips and tricks recommended to help you catch more bass in muddy-water conditions:

Make multiple casts. When fishing prime areas, especially heavy cover and structure, be sure to make multiple casts to the same spot. A lot of times, you won't catch a fish until the 2nd or 3rd cast.

Fish shallow. In most cases, bass will push cover and head to the shallowest parts of a lake or reservoir when the water becomes muddy. They grow more aggressive when the water rises, which causes more food to become available.

Use a rattle. Using crankbaits with rattles, or adding them to your jigs, Texas rigs, and other baits can make a big difference in your overall success. The extra sound draws in more bass.

Fish thick cover. Bass in muddy water tend to hang tight to cover. The best spot to pitch or flip your bait is right in the middle of all that cover...the nastier the better.

Upsize your lure. A larger profile will be easier for the bass to detect and will increase your chances of getting more bites and catching more fish.

The bottomline to this discussion is simple: Don't let muddy water intimidate you. Instead, stay focused and maintain confidence in your ability to catch fish, regardless of the circumstances.

A Lost Fish Doesn't Always Signal Hook Problems

"It could be mechanical. It could be your rod, reel or line. It could be your bait selection or the color you used. Going through such a mental checklist can be useful..." or so says bass pro Keith Combs (right).

He doesn't advocate that using this mental checklist will solve all the problems of lost fish, but he does feel it will minimize the losses.

Combs cited a bass tournament in which he was fishing a chartreuse and blue 6XD. He had dodged a bullet several times early in the day, barely landing fish that were poorly hooked. Later, he did lose one that would have gone more than 8 pounds. Luckily, he still managed to win, but the loss of that big fish ate at him until two days later, when he fished the same crankbait in a shad pattern.

"The fish were absolutely choking that bait," he said, content that he had put together another piece of the puzzle that likely would help him somewhere down the line.

The Texas bass pro also went on to note the importance of matching your rod to your bait.

"The same rod that you use to take up a lot of slack at the end of a cast with a single-hooked lure usually is entirely wrong for making a long cast with a crankbait," he explained. "For example, a friend and I went out to test some new rods, flipping deep hydrilla in 15 to 18 feet of water. We thought we had the right one, but it soon became evident that something was wrong, because we had lost 10 in a row. We decided to switch rods, and after that, we never lost another fish. It wasn't a major change...just a half-power or so...but that made all the difference."

Just as that lesson showed Combs the importance of rod action and power, his experience as a guide on Falcon Lake taught him a lot about selecting the right hook for a particular application. It showed him that there are a lot of sharp trebles on crankbaits, but not a lot of strong ones.

"Those big fish would jump, the bait would rattle back and forth, and they'd send the crankbait flying back at me with a straightened hook," he said. "When I figured out the right hook for each bait, those losses went way down. It no longer was a matter of 'losing a few is part of the game'."

Combs also admitted that, when the vibrating jig craze came along, he jumped on the bandwagon, figuring that he could fish it on the same rod he used for spinnerbaits. Those early days with the Strike King Pure Poison were painful for him, however, because, in his own words, "I was losing a ton of fish, and I simply didn't have the confidence to use it on tournament day.

"I could have chalked it up to being the nature of the bait," he continued, "but another very talented angler discussed it with me and told me that the rod I was using was way too stiff. Rather than thinking of the Pure Poison as a spinnerbait substitute, I had to think of it more like a crankbait. With the stiff rod, I literally was pulling the lure away from the fish. With one simple change, and a little bit of time relearning the technique, it became one of my confidence lures."

The bottom line, according to Combs, is that "it's unproductive to settle for losing just a few. When you're completely dialed in, you'll lose very few. With a little bit of analysis and experimentation, you'll be surprised at how quickly you can minimize the losses that you previously accepted as part of the game."

I'd Rather Be Good Than Lucky...

But given my lack of the former, I'll gladly settle for a helping of the latter any time I can get it...and, evidently, so will most other folks. Of course, I'm talkin' about bass fishin' here. Rest assured, however, I won't bore you with any personal tales. Instead, I'll share some accounts I found online during my research earlier today.

The first setting I came across was a late March morning back in the 1970s, when a 300-boat tournament was slated to launch on Table Rock Lake. Severe weather was expected an hour after the scheduled take-off. The weather radio said a squall line had formed with high winds, hail, and possible tornadoes.

In those days, it was a shotgun start...extremely dangerous with that many boats.

As the tournament start approached, one team's outboard died and refused to fire. When the start occurred, they still were dead in the water, so the one fella suggested they troll out of the no-fishing area and cast for a while. They each made a pitch, and one of them immediately hooked up with a small keeper...barely legal length.

They subsequently looked toward the horizon, where the squall line stretched from far left to right. It was clear that things were going to start happening in about 30 minutes.

The duo watched the Water Patrol zoom by in their boat, headed for the dock, where they started pulling their boat out of the water. That was enough impetus for these two guys to do likewise.

"No need to die in a tourney we couldn't win," they thought. Anyway, however, they weighed their lone dink bass for points before putting the boat on the trailer, then went into the coffee shop for a cup of Joe and to talk to the Patrol.

As it turned out, the weather was worse than advertised, which made this duo glad they were indoors. As they watched outdoors, more and more boats started coming in, loading up, and leaving, with no one taking time to weigh in. By now, the storm really was bad.

As soon as the squall line passed, the temperature started dropping like a rock. Within 3 hours of the tourney's start, all boats were back, as freezing rain started falling.

As luck would have it, they were the only boat to have weighed a fish in the 300-boat tournament. It also was the only time that year that they didn't list a win on their resume.

The second setting involved a date in February 2018, when a fella had helped his dad launch a boat on Toledo Bend for a day of bass fishing. The plan was that dad would catch enough fish for dinner that evening. When son returned to pick up Dad and the boat, though, the elder gent only had one keeper, so son hopped in the boat, and the two of them set out to try catching another fish or two.

They returned with only one more fish but went ahead and were loading the boat when the fella's dad noticed some activity around the dock. He brought this matter to the attention of his son, who quickly grabbed a rod with a Texas-rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hog. In no time, he set the hook on what he knew was no run-of-the-mill fish.

Once the big bass was netted, they took it to a local tackle store, which weighed the fish at 11.67 lbs. and entered it in Toledo Bend's Lunker Bass Program. It was so late when they completed the paperwork for this program, they released their two meal-sized bass, as well as the big one, and went with Plan B for dinner: McDonald's fillet of fish sandwiches.

Last but not least, I happened upon an FLW Touring Pro who proved to be both "good" and "lucky." With a fresh $8,349 check in his pocket from winning a September 2015 tournament on Lake of the Ozarks, he returned home to learn that he also just had won a $6,000 4-wheeler in a raffle he had entered just before the tournament.

Are You Tired of Losing Fish on Treble Hooks?

In the words of pro angler Terry "Big Show" Scroggins, "The only thing worse than not catching fish is hooking and losing fish.

"There are few lows that compare to watching a nice bass break the surface of the water and seeing your lure fly out of its mouth. While this can happen with any type of lure, it's notorious with treble-hooked lures like crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, topwaters and spoons."

A pro bass angler for 20 years, Scroggins is known for his prowess in modifying or tinkering with tackle and equipment. One such modification he has come up with to remedy the problem of lost fish with treble hooks is replacing the lure's split ring with braided line.

This modification starts with Sroggins removing the back treble hook and split ring on a crankbait, topwater or spoon with a pair of pliers. He then cuts a 10-to-15-inch piece of 40- or 50-pound braided line that he'll tie the treble hook to. Ninety percent of the time, he uses a Palomar knot to attach the hook to the braid, but "Big Show" says any knot you have confidence in will work.

Then you run your braided line through the empty hook hanger, back through the eye of the treble hook, and finally once more through the hook hanger. This leaves you with three strands of braid running between the lure and treble hook. Pull your tag end to where the treble hook is tight to the bait, essentially matching what it looked like before you removed the split ring.

Using the tag end of his braided line, Scroggins loops a simple half-hitch knot around his three strands of braid, connecting the hook to the lure, then cinches it down tight to the hook hanger. He then repeats this process with a second half hitch.

Lastly, Scroggins ties an overhand knot on the tag end of the braided line, but before tightening it, he puts a toothpick (or spare straight-shank hook) inside the overhand knot and uses it to slide the knot all the way down to the two half hitches. All that's left to do is cut off the extra line on the tag end, and you're ready to start fishing.

Scroggins assures this process isn't as complicated as it might sound. "You'll have everything you need inside your boat or tacklebox, and this literally takes a minute or less," he said. "A toothpick is handy to help slide the overhand knot down tight to the half hitches. That overhand knot won't pull through your two half hitches no matter how hard you pull. It all comes together to be just as strong as a split ring with way more motion."

It's worth noting that Scroggins only ever uses this tackle tweak on the back hook of treble-hooked hard baits. The back hook is where a bass can get the leverage advantage over you as you fight them to the boat. If they are getting the bait by the front hook, losing them typically is not as big of a concern. This is a back-hook-only modification for "Big Show."

The main benefit is this modification allows the treble hook to rotate freely from the body of the lure, which means a fish will have less leverage as they try their best to shake the hook and leave you shaking your head. A split ring keeping a hook in a relatively fixed position is a good thing most of the time, but in situations where you're fighting a poorly hooked fish to the boat, this becomes an issue.

Scroggins first started toying with this modification on lipless crankbaits, which create the biggest problem with landing ratio.

"I'm no scientist," he said, "but in my mind, it all comes down to leverage and rotation. This braided-line trick helps fix the issue that arises when fish get to jumping around and shaking their head."

While "Big Show" generally relies on factory split rings, he quickly makes the modification if he's losing a lot of fish. The only time he makes this change before getting on the water is with smallmouth bass, which are well-known for their acrobatics and are infamous for throwing treble-hooked baits.

"No matter what species you're fishing for," said Scroggins, "if you are losing a lot of fish on treble-hooked lures, it's worth giving my modification a try. You'd probably be surprised to learn just how many pro bass fishermen regularly use this tackle tweak."

There is one other alternative you also can try using with crankbaits and topwater plugs. It's the BasStar Spintech treble hook (left), which has a built-in ball-bearing swivel where it connects to the lure. This allows the treble to spin freely, thus eliminating the fish's ability to use it as a prying point to gain leverage. A 4-pack from Tackle Warehouse usually retails for $6.99.

There's More Than One Way To Skin a Cat

In at least some cases, however, there's nothing like the old-school method your dad may have showed you when you were a kid. That's the way it is for Walker Smith of Wired2Fish when it comes to removing the memory from line on a spinning reel.

"It's easy, and it works like a charm," he said.

"First, you remove the spool from the reel. Yes, you'll have to cut your lure off for this one, but it'll be worth it. Cut your line, wind any slack line onto your spool, and use the line clip on the side of the spool to secure your tag end. Once all of the line is secured, unscrew the spool from the body of the reel.

"Take the spool you just removed into your kitchen and run some very warm water over the line for a minute or two. Rotate the spool to make sure all of the line is getting some direct contact with the water. Heating the line like this will remove nearly all of your memory. This means a drastic reduction in wind knots, kinks, line twist, and any other type of line-management issue. In addition, you'll enjoy much longer casts than before. Whether you're casting overhead or skipping a bait underneath overhanging cover, the difference is certainly noticeable.

"Now, this part wasn't in my dad's original lesson over 20 years ago. But, heck, technology and research has come a long way since then. After you're done running water over the spool, I strongly suggest spraying some type of line conditioner on your line before re-rigging everything. In my opinion, this helps your line stay limp longer. It's important to note, however, that I do not use aerosol line conditioners. I've had some bad experiences with it over the years, in regards to line failure. My two personal favorites are Reelsnot and Kevin VanDam's Line and Lure Conditioner. Both are very good, but Reelsnot is certainly slicker.

"When I was young, I fished as a co-angler in a few tournament trails, and I would carry several extra spools of line with me becuase I never could trust the line on my spinning reels. I was terrified of being down a reel or two in the middle of a tournament just because of a random blowup or wind knot. It happened twice, and I vowed never to let it happen again.

This trick I described is the cure to all of those worries. But if you're going on a long fishing trip, and spinning gear is expected to be a part of your arsenal, take a few minutes and do this the night before you hit the water. It will put your mind at ease and result in much longer and more accurate casts. Hope this helps.

Guntersville...Some Scary-Looking Water

See the circle in the middle of this photo? Although it's hard to tell, there's a boat located out there in that circle.   

As noted by a local fella watching this action from a nearby perch, that boat "was coming into the launch, and his hull was probably 80 percent out of the water as he'd ride to the top of a roller and fall down into the trough, then go back up another roller. The waves appeared to be running about 4 feet, and he was going into each one just fast enough to keep the stern from swamping."

I personally had all the "thrill" I ever wanted the one time I rode a Navy guided-missile cruiser through a typhoon, while heading home from a WestPac cruise. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to ride this kind of rough water in a bass boat.

Bass Fishing Forecast

Reckon since it's the start of a new year, officials decided to sweep all things old out the door to make room for all things new. Before any of you start suffering from eye strain, trying to read this updated chart, try clicking anywhere on it, and a bigger version should appear for your viewing pleasure.

Do You Know Where Your Jacket Is?

That turned out to be the $64,000 question for a new co-angler to the California B.A.S.S. Federation circuit. This U.S. Marine, as it turned out, was paired with a partner fishing a tournament on Lake San Vicente near San Diego.

The weather that morning was chilly when they started but had warmed throughout the day, forcing both anglers to remove layers of clothing. The boater had stored his pants and jacket under the console. Meanwhile, the Marine had tucked his jacket under his Shimano tackle bag. The fishing was decent, with both catching limits.

All was well until 3 p.m. came, and the Marine disembarked the boat to go get the boater's truck and pull him out. The Marine was grabbing all his gear to load into his car when he suddenly realized his jacket was missing. "OMG! No! Tell me it's not so!" he screamed.

The boater could only watch the color drain from the Marine's face. He told him he hadn't seen the jacket since they had taken off in the morning. They both checked every compartment, but the jacket simply was nowhere to be found...which meant his wallet and car keys were gone, too, since they had been in one of the jacket's pockets.

As luck would have it, the Marine had tucked the keys to his partner's truck in his pants pocket after the morning launch.

The duo talked over the events of the day, trying to figure out when the jacket seemingly had disappeared. The Marine remembered it was about 1 p.m. when he last had seen the jacket. They asked a sheriff's boat on the scene if they would go make a check of the area where they had been at 1 o'clock, but that search turned up nothing, as did a follow-on search by the Marine, who had borrowed another man's boat that was still in the water.

So, here was the Marine, with no jacket, no car keys, and no wallet, with the lake set to close in two hours. The Marine was 100 miles away from home, and his wife was in Hawaii...the perfect recipe for a nightmare. Luckily, he did have a cellphone.

The awards ceremony came and went, and everyone had left. The Marine told his boater he was going to stay with his car and call a locksmith to get into it. The boater asked if he was sure that's what he really wanted to do, and he said yes. Knowing the Marine didn't have any cash, the boater handed him all the cash he had...exactly $100, along with a business card to call him when he got situated.

The lesson to be learned here is to take time each fishing trip to put your keys, wallet and any other valuables in a safe place at the start, so you won't have any surprises at the end of a long, tiring day on the water.

The Winning Ticket To Choosing a Fishing Buddy

I doubt that any of us set out to choose a fishing buddy we can't even stand to be around, much less spend eight-hour days with in the same boat. Accordingly, here are some suggestions I found online for desirable traits to be watching for in your potential picks:

Someone who's reliable. Having a dependable buddy is crucial. Reliability may mean someone willing and capable of being your netter, or able to get a rogue hook unstuck from your neck. Pick someone who will have your back, even in the worst situations.

Someone who shares your preferences. If you fish with someone often, you'll want to make sure your styles are compatible. This isn't to say you have to fish the exact same way, as most people will have individual favorites.

Someone who doesn't whine. Regardless of what the whining is about, it gets old fast. Therefore, you're better off finding a buddy who, even if the going is tough, will look on the bright side.

Someone who lifts you both up. A buddy whose goal is to make you both have the best day possible is always desirable. While a little friendly competition is great, someone who's constantly trying to one-up you gets old. It's natural to get frustrated if someone else is having all the luck, but that doesn't mean you should take it out on them or hold out on info just to bring them down. Find someone who wants to help you and shares in your success. A good buddy high fives you when you land a monster and reassures you when you lose the fish of a lifetime. A little friendly teasing can be fun for both, but legitimate insults can quickly turn a friendship sour. Along the same lines, a good buddy will help you out when they can.

Someone who's trustworthy. First of all, trustworthiness means following all the laws. You also might be well advised to wait until you get to know a fishing buddy well before you start sharing secret spots with him/her. The same goes for loaning money to someone who regularly forgets their wallet. In short, you want to find an honest buddy.

Someone who complements you. A guy or gal can be a perfectly nice person and also be a pretty bad fishing buddy. This doesn't means something is wrong with them, but it should affect whether you want to hook up (pun intended) with them as a fishing buddy.

In short, a good buddy can make or break your fishing experiences. He/she can spell the difference between a lifetime of good memories or bad ones. Here are some types of anglers you should avoid at all costs:

"Decked Out Dan" -- He pulls up to the ramp with a glitter-laden bass boat perfectly matching his red Chevy truck that he can't back up to save his life, which lends to his other nickname: Jackknife Joe. He comes donned from head to toe in full pro-circuit attire, yet never has fished a tournament.

"Lurker Larry" -- He constantly fiddles in his tacklebox, nibbles on snacks, and plays on his cellphone. Meanwhile, you've gone through every type of lure, cast until the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome, and looked at your electronics so much you're seeing double. You finally snag a nice one, and instead of him reaching for the net, he grabs his rod and nonchalantly casts within inches of your lucky spot. Also known as the "Honey Hole Bandit," he is completely convinced that no one is privy to his dawdling charade.

"Delusional Duke" -- He can get your heart pumping like no other. You see a small school of baitfish jumping. With his super polarized Costas, he catches a glimpse of the colossal mammoth hot on their trail. He commences an Emmy-ranking performance after setting the hook...grunting, arching his back, and exhaustively reeling, while simultaneously yelling for you to get the net ready. Ultimately, however, he only pulls up a dink.

"Ace the Master Angler" -- He has not had a nibble all day, yet feels obliged to give a lengthy dissertation of every rookie mistake you've made, along with the exact reasons why you aren't catching any keepers. If you have the audacity to bring the irony of the situation to his attention, you immediately will be met with seemingly well-practiced rhetoric insisting that you are in fact his bad-luck charm, but out of sheer nobility, he hasn't mentioned it until now. At the weigh-in, he proceeds to proclaim that your team would have won the tournament, if not for the lunker you let get away.

In closing, let me share this true story about a couple of good fishing buddies who each regularly bought lottery tickets. They made a pact (and shook on it) that if either of them ever won the lottery, they'd split the winnings. Twenty-eight years later, one of those anglers got lucky and won $22 million playing Powerball and, true to their pact, shared the money.

"Are you jerking my bobber?" the one fella asked his buddy, when he received the phone call. The pair chose the cash option of $16.7 million, which meant they each took home about $5.7 million after taxes.

Both friends subsequently retired, so they could spend more time traveling with their families and...yes...fishing together, too.

I'm Thankful for All My Friends

Today started as the agreed-upon time for Wayne to do the annual winter maintenance on my outboard and related matters. However, it turned into more than just that.

When Wayne had finished the maintenance, we were standing around talking about this and that when he brought up the stumps that have been growing inside my boat shed for a long while. As luck would have it, our mutual friend, Rob C., showed up about the same time. And before I knew it, there was a 3-way discussion going on about those stumps.

To get to the point, Rob soon was on his way home to pick up his power saws, and upon his return, set to work removing all the stumps that were hindering the trailer's movement, starting with the biggest stump located directly in the middle of the shed. I can't tell you how long I've been listening to a cross member on my trailer "squeak" it's way over the top of that particular stump each trip.

'Twill be no more, however, thanks to the efforts of Rob and Wayne taking turns today, getting all those annoyances out of my way.

The idea of friends helping friends has a long, rich history in this country, and for that, I'm indeed grateful. Susan Polis Schutz said it best when she offered the following words: