Ol' Friend Scores a New Personal Best

Heard from Ron Ameika (right) last night after a very long dry spell. Said he rarely fishes fresh water anymore, but now that striper season is over, and the speckled trout and redfish are scarce, had decided to get back into a little bass fishing.

Ron went on to explain that he's caught some crappie, chain pickerel, and a 2-lb. bass in the last couple of weeks...even had to break some ice last week but still managed to catch a few.

Yesterday, though, he really hit the jackpot.

"Shattered my old 7 lb. 2 oz. PB with a 9 lb. 9 oz. "bruiser," he said. And, what did he catch it on? None other than his favorite XTS Minnow...wonder how I might have guessed that would be the bait? He literally always wears fish out with that thing. Can't say I blame him. After all, that's what anglers are supposed to do when they find something that really works for them.

In his own words, Ron summed up his record-shattering day like this: "Needless to say, I was very, very happy! Ten years Yak fishing has paid off!"...And how!!!

Competition Matters, But Friendship Matters More

This much I know beyond any shadow of doubt: Wayne doesn't keep me around as his Dewey's tournament partner because of my fast moves off the rear deck to grab the net and scoop up the fish he catches. In most instances, I'm still struggling to get my arthritic knees operational, while Wayne makes his way to my end of the boat, playing the fish alongside all the while and waiting for me to grab the net and get into position.

My net handling leaves something to be desired, too. I still remember the one nice kicker tournament fish I cost him, as well as some other solid keepers along the way. A bigger net has solved some of those problems, but I still am challenged at times. However, I'm not alone.

For example, I found a story online about a guy named "JW," who described a tournament he and a partner fished one March. As it turns out, this partner also had some net-handling issues.

The event unfolded with JW describing "the mist as thick in the cold March air. The lake was pristine and calm before more than 50 two-strokes hammered down for blastoff. We drew a number from the middle of the pack, and both my partner and I lost our hats on the fast and wild ride.

"We pulled up to a current honey hole," continued JW, "and my partner landed a bass over 7 pounds within the first 10 casts. We thought we were onto something special. We managed to get some small keepers early, after the nice 7-pounder (my buddy's personal best). The mist turned to rain as the day went on. My hands grew stiff from the cold, and they hadn't touched a fish in a few hours."

The partner then decided to make a run to a different cove. They had just reached the back of the cove and dropped a Power-Pole when "the guy to beat" on that lake shut down in the mouth of the same cove. He trolled in but made sure not to break the distance rule for the tournament, which JW and his partner respected.

They then proceeded to catch some dink bass on finesse rigs before the partner's eye caught sight of a bedding fish. The sun still was hidden behind the clouds and mist, but they believed the fish to be a large slot fish for that lake. While the partner dug in the rod box for his shaky-head rig, JW casually flipped his go-to finesse setup toward the bedding fish.

"At that moment," said JW, "I felt a subtle tick in my line and looked up to see it moving sideways. When I set the hook, my Revo STX began to scream, as line immediately tore off the reel. The ol' girl took me all the way around the boat and put up the most amazing fight of my life.

"Meanwhile, my partner grabbed the net and fell on the deck, while jabbing the net in the water like a blind drunk man. The big girl dove under the boat and pinned the net against the boat.

"I could see my line fraying against the edges of the net shaft. The ol' girl pulled me down to the deck, but I managed to bring her back up, and my partner redeemed himself by finally netting her on the third try. By the time we got her in the boat, I was shaking like I had buck fever.

"Together, my partner and I sounded like we had won a million dollars. We were fist-bumping and yelling like lunatics. The bass weighed 10.72 pounds, and we had a total of 25.25 pounds for the day. We managed to get first place in the tournament...a 10-pound kicker always helps!

"The best part of our day, though," noted JW, "was watching the ol' girl swim away after the weigh-in. Turned out that 'the guy to beat' on that lake came in second. Goes to prove that, sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good."

Whether Wayne and I finish first or dead last, we always come away from tournaments feeling satisfied because our basic premise is to have fun. Put another way, we don't let competition get in the way of our long-lasting friendship, which we often talk about...did so again just this past Sunday, as a matter of fact.

The Last Thing These Two Young Fellas Wanted Was Trouble...

But It Found Them Anyway. I seriously doubt Conner Young or Hunter Bland (left) ever will forget the day back in January 2017, when they were fishing the Lake Seminole FLW College Southeastern Conference tournament, and the hydraulic-steering control broke on the latter's boat, causing it to suddenly veer to the right. Although both young fellas were ejected out the port side, they thankfully escaped injury.

Video of the incident (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEcX6_Z965A) was captured by Young's GoPro camera, which was mounted to the rear-seat pedestal. The video shows the pair a few minutes into what was going to be a 30-mile run to Spring Creek.

With Bland driving, he decelerated and maneuvered the boat to the right as he prepared to overtake the boat they were following. When he did, the boat veered hard right toward the bank, tossing both occupants out of the boat, which did a complete 360-degree turn. Bland estimated their speed at 55 to 57 miles per hour at the time the spin occurred.

"It was scary," he said, "...flying through the air like that, and hitting the boat on the way out was pretty traumatizing. I also remember hitting the water and seeing the wrap of the boat and being stuck under the boat and getting out from under there."

Young, who was wearing a PFD that inflated upon water entry, had to manually trigger Bland's PFD.

"I remember coming over those waves," he said. "I'd looked back for a second to see if anybody was passing us. Then the boat cut at a 90-degree angle. I don't remember being ejected or hitting the water but do remember being in it for what felt like a long time. I've flat-spun in a boat before but never been ejected...that's another game."

Young, in his first year on the Florida fishing team, typically ran his own boat at qualifying tournaments, but he and Bland had decided to use the latter's Triton since they had practiced in it the week leading up to the Saturday tournament. Bland had not encountered any maintenance issues during his checks.

As boat no. 4 in the 140-boat field, the two already had passed boats No. 2 and 3 and were readying to pass the lead boat when the incident occurred.

Once able to climb back into the Triton, other competitors stopped to check on them, even after they had called FLW officials to request assistance.

"The coolest thing was, where we spun out, there was a cabin right there, and the guy who was staying there must have seen us and ran down, jumped in his boat, and ran across to us," said Young. "He sat with us until the FLW boat came to get us."

Bland and Young were taken back to the launch ramp to dry off and gather their wits. The father of another Florida angler had brought his boat, and the two were able to use that boat to fish from toward the end of the day.

"I don't know if there was a day that I wanted to catch a fish more," said Young. "We wanted to walk across that stage with a fish so bad."

They stayed close to the ramp and only idled and used the trolling motor. They were able to fish for the final 90 minutes of the day. While hoping to get on one of those ledges and find a school of 2-pounders, the duo unfortunately didn't catch anything.

Regardless, they were thankful for being able to get back out on the water after such a traumatic experience.

Both competitors were surprised at how much attention the video of their accident received. Within three hours of it being posted, 3,000 people had viewed it. Five days later, the viewing total was approaching 500,000, with thousands of shares across social-media platforms.

The problem in this incident appeared to have been a nylon nut securing the hydraulic steering rod had come off, leaving Bland with no control whatsoever of his boat.

Meanwhile, Another Dude Was Asking for Trouble, But So Far As We Know, Avoided It...While there was no evidence of any hot-doggin' in the preceding event, I came across an incident in which a fella and his friend were headed to a fishin' hole, cruising at 65 miles per hour when a johnboat came s-c-r-e-a-m-i-n-g past them. The fishin' boat increased their speed to 72 (WOT) and still couldn't catch the johnboat.

Later in the day, the anglers saw the dude with the 15-foot deep-sided johnboat getting ready to load his craft on the trailer and decided to stop and check it out. The dude told 'em his boat had a 70SS Johnson ported to the hilt, with a racing flywheel, velocity stacks, and 210 pounds of compression and was running racing fuel. He also had a chopper-style prop. Said it was very slow out of the hole but ran good on top end.

He offered to take one of the anglers for a ride, but the latter politely said, "No way in h-e-double hockey sticks would I set foot in that thing."

What Do People in a Smoke-Filled Room Have To Do With Bass in Muddy Water?

According to Wired2Fish writer Walker Smith, they both have the same problem: Seeing anything is nearly impossible. Therefore, the people likely would start feeling for a wall. Once they found it, they would follow it until they came to a safe exit.

Bass do the exact same thing in muddy water, especially in winter, when there are heavy runoffs from rain. They are forced to rely on their lateral lines, which detect vibration and water displacement, to navigate. They snug up tightly to cover, and when it's time to relocate or feed, they stick to some sort of hard edge...just like people would hug the wall. These edges often are the outside lines of bank grass, stump rows, seawalls, riprap, and submerged vegetation.

Smith happened to be watching a chipmunk on his property hop along, looking for remnants of the year's acorn crop, when he suddenly realized the chipmunk was doing exactly what the bass do. It was following the edge of all the pine straw in his yard. Then he got to thinking that his cat hunts the same way...as do the foxes and deer that frequent the premises.

"So suffice it to say," noted Smith, "that all these critters feel most comfortable following some sort of edge. I reckon it's kind of like how most folks drive these days. Not many take the scenic route or backroads anymore. We want efficiency, which is why we follow interstates and highways. The wildlife has it figured out, too."

Smith further remembered a fishing trip with legendary bass angler Larry Nixon.

"He was catching 'em pretty well, when he said, 'if something looks different on an edge, that's where the bass will be.' I took that little nugget to heart and started focusing more on the irregularities of edges (things that look slightly different). Sure enough, it's turned out to be a major pattern for me this time of year.

"If I'm pitching and flipping a relatively ordinary looking grass bed with a straight edge, and I run across a small indentation or point, I'm going to make multiple casts to that irregularity. These areas don't have to be big either, and I think that's what screws folks up sometimes. It's not always something that's going to stand out like a sore thumb. These irregularities often are the size of your dinner plate...just anything different to catch the attention of a bass using the otherwise mundane edge to travel."

Smith's absolute favorite edge and irregularity pattern this time of year is targeting seawalls, especially concrete ones, because they hold so much heat.

"If you can find muddy water and a concrete seawall on a sunny winter day, you have an excellent chance of catching a giant. I like these seawalls because, of course, they're an edge the bass use to travel, but they're also full of irregularities. Owners and contractors will put riprap at the base of them, and that riprap never is the same. It'll come a little further out from the wall in certain places, and if you throw a crankbait on these stretches of seawall enough, you'll memorize the key irregularities over time."

Not to be forgotten either are boat ramps...not busy public boat ramps, mind you, but small residential ramps that break up the monotony of the edge these seawalls create.

"Again, it's an irregularity, and because they're concrete, they conduct and hold a bunch of heat in the winter," said Smith. "Lots of folks catch some absolute giants on these small boat ramps...I'm talking in the 6-to-8-pound range."

When it comes to what baits to use when targeting these irregularities, Smith urges you to use "what you have the most confidence in. Personally, I like a 3/8-ounce jig this time of year," he said. "I just pitch it around the key areas we discussed. If the fish don't bite that, I'll downsize to a lightweight Texas rig. Crankbaits also are a great choice if you need to cover a bunch of water (long stretches of seawall), and as the water temperatures climb to right beneath the 50-degree mark, a chatterbait is awfully tough to beat, especially around grass.

"Give this an honest shot on your next wintertime fishing trip, and with enough patience, it can produce your biggest bass of the entire year," concluded Smith.

When Fishing Turns Sucky, At Least You Still Have All the Good Memories

Unlike retired pro wrestler Bret "the Hitman" Hart, I'm not one who claims to be "the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be"...at anything. That's especially true if we're talking about my fishing. I'll be the first to admit that, for lack of a better way of putting it, my fishing at this stage in life generally sucks.

There was a time...years ago...when I at least felt like I could hold my own with the "average Joe" crowd, but those days slipped by long ago, leaving me wishing for another day in which I might again excel...if only for an hour or two. For that reason, I had to stop last evening and watch a short video I came across on the Internet. Narrated by Randy Blaukat, it was titled "why you start to suck at bass fishing as you grow older." In case you're interested in hearing his take on this subject, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKUDjelrKVY.

I caution you, however, if you're age 90 or older, you may not want to take a peek at this particular video. I say that because Randy only references people up through their 80s in his diatribe. Perhaps that merely was an oversight on his part, or maybe he was just trying to be gentle with us ol' codgers and let us know...in a quiet way...that we are flat through with fishing...period...by the time we hit our 90s. 😃Only joking!

That said, I'm going to leave you with something else I found in an online fishing forum, which piqued my interest. Here's what the angler had to say:

"Fishing has been a big part of my life. There were times when catching fish was more important to me than eating or sleeping. It dominated my dreams at night and consumed a lot of my daytime, too. Tournaments, travel, having the latest gadget, boats, even moving my family so I could be closer to water. I have no complaints and would do it all over again.

"I have seen many changes to the sport of bass fishing over the years. When I started fishing, an old wooden rental boat was what most people fished from. I bought my first cartop Jon boat in 1966. Also owned a series of bass boats, as well as a number of saltwater boats...up to a 40-foot sportfish. When it comes to fishing boats, I learned simpler is better.

"These days, I fish strictly for enjoyment. Even though I still find myself carrying six to eight rods, I rarely use more than two. I would rather catch one fish my way than fill the boat, using something I don't enjoy doing. Modern electronics are great, but I choose not to use them. My fun is hunting fish without having a machine tell me where to fish. I have no problem with others using whatever they want. If I was still fishing competitively, I would have whatever it takes.

"Today, I prefer to fish small water. The Eustis Harris Chain boat ramp is two blocks from my home. I drive 6 miles to fish small lakes nearer to the forest where I don't have to fight for a parking spot at the ramp. I like quiet fishing, without radios, jet skis, pontoon-boat tours, and tourists.

"The water is clear in these lakes, and the bass are not so picky. I catch most of my fish on topwater, and it's just me and the fish. Luckily, there are at least a dozen lakes like that in the surrounding area. While others are beating the big lakes, I'm having a nice quiet time on the water. It takes me back to a simpler time when bass fishing was what we did before TV, money tournaments, and sponsors. The cool thing about bass fishing is you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want.

"I'm slower now, and I tire easily. I don't fish if it's raining, too hot, or too cold. My Ranger is two years old, but it's still new. My wife says I should sell it, but I can't bear the idea of not owning a boat. So many great memories. I once had a large lure collection. I sold most of it when lure prices went crazy a few years back. I kept a few with special meaning for me. I still have a couple nearly 100 years old. They aren't perfect; they've been fished.

"I often think about all the fishing days these lures have seen and what it was like back then. My greatest memories of fishing are about the people I have met along the way. Most are gone now. Some were and still are famous fishermen and women. They were all characters of one kind or another, and I enjoyed them all. Fishing memories are forever."

Knowing Where To Find Fish Is Only Part of the Wintertime Angling Scene...

You also have to know how to dress appropriately for the conditions. Just ask pro angler Brandon Lester.

During his club-tournament days, Lester was practicing for a wintertime tournament, with the water temperature hovering in the low 40s. He was fishing parallel to bluff walls, a typical wintertime pattern for waters near his Fayetteville, TN home, when he hooked a bass, and the rod popped out of his wet and numbed hands. Instinctively, he lunged for the rod, which slowly was sinking out of sight, only to lose his balance and tumble into the lake.

After the initial shock, he knew he had to get out of the water.

"It's tough to get back in a bass boat," said Lester. "So I swam to a nearby dock and pulled myself from the water. Luckily, the owners of a nearby home were there, and they allowed me to come in, dry off, and warm up. The bass boat I run today has a boarding ladder, making it more manageable to get back in the boat if I ever fall overboard again."

That, however, is just one change Lester has made to become more efficient when fishing cold water. He also adjusts his locations and lures. Understanding why those changes are needed is essential to putting more bass in your boat during the year's coldest months.

Wintertime bass fishing starts when water temperatures fall into the lower 40s and upper 30s. In the South, that means slowly fishing with smaller lures and light line. In the North, you can fish slightly larger lures a little faster. And in both regions, even a slight bump in water temperature can activate bass.

"During the summer," said Lester, "I don't even look at my water-temperature gauge. In winter, I study it. Only one or two degrees can make a big difference."

You don't have to look any further than the 2015 Bassmaster Classic to see that proven. It was Lester's first trip to the world's most prominent bass tournament, and it lived up to its billing as a test of the best. On the first morning, the air temperature was 9 degrees, the coldest Anderson, SC had been on that date in more than 60 years. It was so frigid that municipal trucks spread salt and sand across the boat launch, and emergency officials delayed the blast off by an hour. Like many other competitors, it was the coldest weather Lester ever had fished.

Many were fishing deep docks, brush piles, and points in the lower lake, where water temperatures were in the mid-to-high 30s that day. Some more protected coves and pockets were covered in skim ice until lunchtime. Lester went in the other direction. He ran up the Seneca River with the Tugaloo and Hartwell's two largest tributaries. There he found water in the mid-50s, thanks to a power-plant discharge, and enough willing bass to help propel him to a 19th-place finish.

Wintertime is an in-between season for bass. They've left the shallows, where they spent fall corralling and feasting on baitfish, and they are waiting for spring and its longer and warmer days to arrive before returning there to spawn. The spots they choose to spend winter are defined by depth and cover.

Lester seeks outbreaks that fall into the lake at 45 or more degrees.

"It's essential that these near-vertical drops are near a creek or river channel, too," he said. "The sharp drops can be along a bank. They can form the end of a point or a channel ledge far from shore. The exact depths will depend on the lake's topography."

There is one type of cover he prefers on these breaks.

"I'm looking for rock," he said. "Rock absorbs solar energy and discharges it as heat into the surrounding water, which attracts bass like steel filings to a magnet. This combination of cover and structure will yield the highest percentage of spots for catching wintertime bass. Concentrate on finding and fishing until you find the areas the bass are using."

Lester starts his search for rock-infused drops in the main lake. He will explore creeks but will only go halfway back. That's usually where they run out of water deep enough to hold wintertime bass. But there is one exception. He'll explore the back if he knows warmer water enters the lake.

Warm-water inflows, however, aren't the only situations that can make shallow fishing good in winter.

"People think wintertime fish are deep," Lester said. "There also are still fish up shallow, though. After a few consecutive warm days, the bass will move as shallow as a couple of feet. They won't travel distances to take advantage of it, so concentrate your exploration on flats and pockets that are near the drops where you have been catching them.

"In winter, the best lures are those that allow you to fish both fast and slowly," he continued. "While that may seem like an oxymoron at first glance, it's not. You need a lure that can comb water quickly to isolate the best spots, yet has enough action, when slowly retrieved, to entice strikes from lethargic bass. One of the best is a crankbait."

In winter, Lester stores the big, wide-wobbling ones he throws from late spring through summer and chooses sleek and slender ones with a tight wobble. One of the most popular is a Rapala Shad Rap. He grinds them along rock bottoms. Bites are often subtle. When your lure feels heavy or stops vibrating, set the hook.

"Tight-wobbling crankbaits and jerkbaits will help you slowly fish fast and find concentrations of wintertime bass," he said. "Once you find a school, a jig is tough to beat for picking it apart. Spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits are other choices, and you'll want to slow roll or yo-yo them."

Once he has found a few spots that hold a concentration of bass, Lester switches lures to work them over. Jigs--both bucktail and skirted--are good choices. So are jigging spoons, which can be fished vertically if you can hold your boat above the bass without spooking them, or cast and retrieved with short hops, like how larger structure spoons are fished in early summer. Blade baits, such as a Silver Buddy, and tail-spinners, such as Mann's Little George, produce when fished similarly.

Lure choices aren't limited to hard baits. Historically, soft-plastic lures have been reserved for warmer water, but compact ones have a place in wintertime fishing. A simple grub threaded on a lead-head jig is probably the best. Sickle-tail grubs produce, but ones with flat, spade-like tails can sometimes be better. Traditionally rigged tubes and small worms fished on a drop-shot rig will have their days, too.

"You'll need lighter line and a lighter action and power rod to handle these lures," said Lester. "A fluorocarbon line is the best choice for moving baits. It sinks, which keeps your lure down and in the strike zone. Use braid for slower-moving lures. It's more sensitive than fluorocarbon, which will help you feel the softest bites. Braid works with spoons and blade baits, too. Even the slightest movement of your rod tip will be reflected in the lure because the line has no stretch."

Lester went on to note that keeping your head in the game is one of the most important aspects of finding wintertime bass.

"You won't catch many bass in the boat-ramp parking lot, sitting in your running truck, trying to keep warm. The same goes for toughing it out on the water, shivering and thinking about being in your warm truck.

"Dress for the conditions by wearing insulating layers, such as fleece, covered with a rain suit, which will keep the wind out and trap warm air inside. Tuck hand warmers in your pockets for your fingers, but also put a few between layers. They will help keep your core and extremities warm. Bring several pairs of gloves, including fingerless ones, for fishing and full ones for running. That also will allow you to swap a wet pair for a dry one."

Lester noted that keeping ice from forming in your rods' line guides and reels can be difficult on the coldest days. While some folks spray things on their equipment, he has yet to find anything better than dipping your rod in the water and then shaking off the water. However, he does advise anglers to avoid rods with micro guides. Their small openings freeze closed with only a tiny amount of water.

To care for his boat during cold weather, Lester lets his outboard warm up for about five minutes before racing down the lake. He also works the steering back and forth and ensures the compartment lids and trolling motor aren't frozen. For those who remove the drain plug between trips, he urges checking the opening for ice, which may have to be removed before the plug can be inserted.

Lester knows from personal experience that the most critical part of wintertime bass fishing is wearing a personal flotation device. Most anglers take it off when they stop to fish, but leaving it on during the winter can be a matter of survival.

Finding a Backseater You'd Rather Welcome Aboard Than Throw Overboard

...Or, on second thought, maybe the title should be: If You're a Backseater, Make Sure You're Wearing Your Jesus Shoes...the point being, of course, that there are no ironclad guarantees any kind of partnership is going to last, be it a business, marriage, fishing team, etc.

As Wired2Fisher angler and writer Walker Smith allowed, "We fishermen are an interesting bunch sometimes. Gone are the days of chatting at the boat ramps after tournaments and talking about how you did or didn't catch 'em. Nowadays, the post-tournament scene feels like more of a secret-society meeting than anything else. Anglers cut off lures before they dock (or tie on something totally absurd), or shove rods in rod lockers, turn off graphs so people won't see their GPS trails, and throw life jackets on their piles of spent soft plastics."

With everything so competitive and secretive these days, it's becoming really tough to find a fishing partner, especially for tournaments.

"I honestly see both sides of the coin," said Smith. "One guy just wants to fish a fun derby with somebody, but the other guy doesn't want to show him his best stuff. I totally understand.

"When you meet a fellow angler, and the two of you start fishing together, it's almost like going on your first few dates in high school," he continued. "It can be awkward. You don't know how the other person goes about things. You don't know what their system is, or if you can trust them. Essentially, you're both just feeling each other out. I've been through it before, and it's just weird.

"However, I think there are some things you can do to figure out fairly quickly whether a potential partnership is going to work out."

Smith is big on keeping his bait in the water. He rarely sits down to monkey around with tackle. On the other hand, he's had guys in his boat who would spend more time retying baits than they did fishing.

"If you're just fun fishing," he noted, "that's not a big deal. But during a tournament, that dude is hurting your productivity and decreasing the team's chances of catching a limit of fish.

"Tournaments are all about efficiency and productivity. If your partner has five different baits laid out and fishing line all over the place, fiddling with knots and what not, you can't run to your next spot when it's time to pull up the trolling motor and make a move. You have to wait for him/her to get rigged and cleaned up before you move. If that happens several times during a tournament, you could have wasted 15 minutes fishing productive water because you couldn't move quickly. You can catch a pile of bass in 15 minutes"...unless, that is, your name is Ken T.😊

Smith went on to admit that he understands not everyone has the same fishing style. He, however, spends a lot of the year burning down banks, trying to cover as much water as possible. He knows he probably fishes too fast at times, but when he pulls up the trolling motor, he wants to have his big engine cranked in about five seconds.

"I can't do that with 187 bags of plastics and 11 Plano boxes all in the floor of my boat," he explained.

Smith also knows the importance of paying attention to conversations between partners in the boat.

"Of course, we're all going to talk fishing while we're in the boat together," he said. "That's what makes this such a strong brotherhood for all of us. But if you're the type of tournament angler who prefers to keep things quiet in regards to spots, baits and techniques, pay close attention when a partner talks.

"Sharing information with each other is great," Smith continued. "You're on the same team, so I would hope you can gain enough trust with each other to combine your knowledge. But if your partner constantly is telling you how his other buddies have been catching 'em and where they've been catching 'em, that's a major red flag, in my opinion. If he's sharing that info with you, he's likely also telling his buddies how and where you're catching 'em. I'm not saying the guy is being vindictive or purposely ugly, it's just that some guys like to gab...too much, let's say."

There's also the matter of financial fairness when it comes to tournament partnerships. For example, Smith related the story about a buddy of his who had fished a small-pot tournament with someone other than his usual partner. As the dude was getting into his buddy's boat, he accidentally kicked the navigational bow light so hard that it broke the entire plug assembly...no hard feelings...stuff like that happens all the time. The catch, though, was that the guy didn't even offer to pay for the replacement part, which cost $99.

As Smith noted, "Finances can really mess up the synergy of a tournament partnership. It's all about respect. If someone isn't splitting, or at least offering to split expenses, such as gas and oil when you start fishing together, that's a red flag. I never accept any offers for gas money, but guess what? I sure appreciate it when someone has the courtesy to offer. I remember things like that.

"If you're just starting to feel each other out, this is certainly something to keep in mind," continued Smith. "Small issues can turn into big issues quickly, especially when partners catch a giant bag and have to split a big check. Just make sure you're teaming up with someone who's going to keep things fair.

"Just like any partnership or friendship in life, you and your prospective tournament partner need to be able to jive together. If you like to keep quiet while fishing tournaments, you probably shouldn't choose someone who runs their mouth all day long. If you like to keep things light and just enjoy the day, you probably shouldn't choose someone who gets annoyed by chatter."

Smith went on to note that the really successful tournament teams he knows in his part of the country all have similar personalities.

"It's tough to fish a full day with someone who has a totally different personality than you, especially in a stressful tournament...so choose carefully," he said.

A Father-Son Fishing Trip That Never Happened

"Dad was from the old school where a 'real man' could talk baseball, weather, work, and everything else...but never about private feelings and matters of the heart. As a result, I knew my dad as an excellent provider, a man who loved us but never could say it out loud.

"Getting a glimpse of the man inside was a real treat. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it usually happened when we were fishing."

The son involved here went on to describe the father-and-son teamwork they had used to get a 14-foot aluminum boat on top of the car.

"After stowing the gear, we'd jump in the old Plymouth and head for our favorite lake," he said. "The one-hour trip gave us time to wake up and plan our strategy. It might be catfish, bluegills, crappie, or bass...it didn't matter, we were fishing, and that's all that counted.

"We'd flip a coin to see who would row the boat first," he continued, "then we'd ease away from the dock into the early morning mist. Except for the squeak of the oarlock, we entered a silent and beautiful world, far away from traffic, cars and telephones. Nothing was said while we watched the sun magically turn black and white into a collage of colors. Finally, the bobber and doomed worm found its mark next to the lily pads, and the stage was set."

Then the magic of a son and dad fishing together began to work in mysterious ways.

"It would begin with a lesson on knot-tying, or when to set the hook, but if I waited long enough, Dad would begin telling stories of long ago, when he was a lad growing up on the farm," explained the son. "He may have thought his stories were about pike fishing, deer hunting, or ice fishing in his dad's ice shack, but they revealed much more to me. Each story was told of relationships with brothers, uncles or friends. If you unfolded the story, you could see the love between family members. Emotions and matters of the heart were the glue that held most of the stories together. Indeed, they were not the story's focus, but they revealed something new about the man I cherished the most."

Fishing always had been more than just being in a boat together for this father-son. There truly was something magical about the experience, and it motivated the son to call a Florida guide and reserve a day on the water for the two of them.

"The guide told me we'd be using shiners and balloon bobbers in the reeds," said the son. "I always had been eager to try this, but most of all, I was looking forward to hearing Dad tell those stories again. It would be a time to be as close as a man and his son can get."

That trip, however, was not to be.

Said the son, "Dad died of a massive heart attack three months before we were scheduled to get together and go. I still am numb."

The family instead decided to still go to Florida as originally planned to see Grandma and visit Disney World.

"At first, I thought about canceling my fishing trip, since it was meant to be a father-and-son affair," said the son. "However, I decided to go through with it after all. Since I'm a dad now, I felt it would be an excellent opportunity to take one of my children out to make memories of our own.

"Besides, my dad still will be there...in spirit. He'll be in the stories I pass on to my kids. If nothing else, there will be fresh air, nature at its best, and time to relax. But more than that, I suspect my children will be touched in the same way I was as a child. The stories we share are essential in the mystery and magic of fishing.

"Whether the stories are factual or a 'whopper of a fish story,' whether they make us laugh or raise a suspicious eyelid, they reveal something about the inner person that can't help but bring people closer together."

The son in this account hadn't seen his dad in 5-and-a-half years. As revealed here, life is too unpredictable to assume there always will be time for one more fishing trip. So make use of every opportunity you have to take someone you care about fishing.

5 Reasons To Teach a Kid To Fish

By Debbie Hanson

Whether you're a parent or a mentor, there are many reasons to teach a kid to fish. Some reasons are obvious, like spending time outdoors and making new memories, but there also are some not-so-obvious reasons. Don't forget to keep these additional reasons in mind the next time you have the opportunity to take a kid fishing.

1. When you teach a kid to fish, you are helping them unplug from technology. Mobile devices and computers have become a big part of our daily lives, but it's important for kids to learn when to take a break from technology. You can teach them about the mental benefits of spending time outdoors by helping them focus their eyes and attention spans on nature versus a computer screen.

2. Fishing encourages feelings of confidence and empowerment. If you grew up fishing, you probably remember reeling in your first catch like it was yesterday. Part of the reason fishing creates such vivid memories is because it encourages positive feelings of accomplishment and empowerment. Every time kids master a new fishing skill, there is another opportunity for them to gain confidence.

3. When kids go fishing, they learn more about the freshwater and saltwater eco-systems that fish inhabit. Fishing trips can be great mini-biology lessons. Adults can use them to create "teachable moments" about the marine food chain and fish-species identification.

4. Fishing further can teach kids about the importance of conservation. When you teach a kid to fish, you can educate them about state fishing regulations, proper release techniques, and why regulations are important to follow for the sake of conservation. Encourage kids to practice proper catch-and-release techniques every time they go fishing.

5. Kids build lasting relationships with friends and family while fishing. If you're an angler, you can attest first-hand to the bonding that takes place between friends or family when you take fishing trips together. The excitement of a great catch doubles when you are able to share the experience with someone you care about.

Now that you have five more reasons to teach a kid to fish, check to make sure you have a valid state fishing license before you head out on the water. Every state has different laws regarding fishing licenses. While minors usually can fish for free or get a discounted rate on a license, you will need to check the specific rules for your state.

Debbie Hanson is an award-winning outdoor writer, women's sport-fishing advocate, IGFA world-record holder, and freshwater guide living in Southwest Florida. Her written works have appeared in publications such as Florida Game and Fish Magazine, BoatUS Magazine, and USA Today Hunt & Fish.

3 Things That Never Seem To Change for This Angler About Winter Fishing

Bass pro Chris Zaldain has fished around the country for years in the winter. And no matter where he's been, he's always found three constants for catching bass when the water gets cold and the days get short.

The first constant is to fish in the afternoon.

As he explained, "Unless there's a cold front moving in, the warmest hours of the day are between 1 and 4 p.m. That's when the crayfish, baitfish and nearly everything else that lives in the water becomes the most active.

"I know it's tempting to fish at daybreak," he continued. "However, things are calm, and on most days, you won't see many other anglers. The thing is that early morning is the coldest time of the day, and it's usually when the water is at its coldest, too.

"If you have to launch your boat at sunrise, pack a sandwich, and stay until almost dark. You'll catch more fish if you do that."

The second constant is to fish hard bottoms.

For reasons Zaldain doesn't pretend to fully understand, winter bass like to hang out in areas with a hard bottom. He offers one caution, though: "Avoid anything that's silty whenever possible. The best hard-bottom areas are those with a steep drop. Day in and day out, they'll outproduce any other place on the lake. They're not hard to find, either. The water's clear, so that helps somewhat, but the most important thing is to watch your sonar for places where the hydrographic lines are close together. That marks a steep drop."

Zaldain says he's a sight angler, which means he likes to look around and visualize. His favorite places are around riprap banks, dams and bridges. Most of them are surrounded by hard bottoms, and they tend to drop off fast.

The third constant is to fish slow or fast.

"It's best to start your presentation by working your bait slow, and when I say slow, I mean really slow," said Zaldain. "What you should be doing is giving the bass all the time in the world to find your bait and move in to eat it. As a general rule, you should move your lure no more than a third as fast as usual...a fourth is even better."

Most of Zaldain's presentations are with jigs and trailers.

"Pick the head design you like the best and the skirt material you like best," he said. "At times, those things make a difference, but it's impossible to give you a general rule for when to use one over the other.

"The other way to fish in the winter is the exact opposite of what I just said. Move your lures fast, and I mean really fast.

"Don't buy into the nonsense that winter bass rarely eat," he continued. "They're fat in the winter. They don't get that way by not eating. And don't buy into the nonsense that bass in cold water are too sluggish to catch a lure that's moving fast. You can't move one quick enough that a feeding bass can't catch if he or she wants it. They have tremendous survival skills."

Zaldain went on to explain that the lures he uses are ones that have been around forever, including the legendary Silver Buddy, the age-old Rat-L-Trap, and a hard jerkbait.

"Snap the Silver Buddy up as fast as you can, and then let it fall back down," he advised. "Work a Rat-L-Trap the same way. Think about a yo-yo, and snap your jerkbait a couple of times, let it sit for no more than two seconds, and then repeat. Long, motionless pauses don't get it."

In closing, Zaldain said, "I don't pretend to know all the answers, but experience has taught me that these three things work for me anywhere in the country during the wintertime. I hope they do the same thing for you."

A Whole Bunch of Ch-Ch-Chillin' Goin' On

Any of those 55 anglers who fished the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell undoubtedly still remember that event. The air temperatures began to plunge on the official practice day...Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015...and bottomed out at 10 degrees by Friday morning, with a wind chill in the single digits. Meanwhile, the water temperature dropped from 49 degrees in practice to 41 degrees two days later.

One of the first rigs to be backed down the ramp failed to launch because the hull was frozen firmly to the trailer bunks. Instead of the boat floating off the trailer, the trailer floated up with the boat. Efforts were made to pry boats off the trailers, but the only tactic that seemed to work was quickly backing a rig into the water and then braking hard.

Said John Crews of Virginia, "You could hear the ice cracking as the boats broke free. I was afraid it would take a chunk of fiberglass out of my hull. That happened to some of the anglers, I heard, but my Bass Cat was fine."

As a result of these icy conditions, tournament officials postponed the start of competition by more than an hour...to 8:30 a.m.

One savvy competitor sprayed de-icer on his boat's storage lockers that morning but neglected his livewells. When he caught his first keeper that morning, he discovered a thick layer of ice had formed inside the wells. To fill the compartments and thaw the pumps, he had to run the boat in reverse to force water up through the intakes.

The freezing weather had a greater impact on the anglers than the bass.

As Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, VA, pointed out, "Half the field already was out of it when they saw how cold it was going to be. You've got to get that stuff out of your head. Having the right clothing for Arctic blasts is essential."

Powroznik packed a portable heater in his boat during competition, and he needed it.

The cold didn't get into John Crews' head, but it did affect his hands.

"My hands locked up," he said. "I have great cold-weather gear, but my hands don't function in that really cold weather."

Crews went on to explain that he suffers from Raynaud's Syndrome, a medical condition brought on by cold weather that causes spasms in the blood vessels of his hands, decreasing blood flow to the fingers and turning them white, then blue. It also can affect a person's ear, toes and nose.

He was able to handle a spinning rod well enough to catch a 4-and-a-half-pound bass on a Zoom Super Fluke right off the bat that first day but couldn't put enough of the right fish into the boat to finish higher than 33rd.

Powroznik welcomed the cold snap and thought he had the inside lane, going into the competition.

"I liked my chances--if they had let us go at the regular time," he said. "That delay killed me."

By the time he reached his key spot, the "herring bite" was all but over, and he could muster only four bass, weighing 9-2 that day. On subsequent days, which weren't delayed, he caught limits of approximately 15 and 19 pounds, for a total exactly 7 pounds off the winning pace.

"In cold weather like that, a lot of people will struggle to catch the right ones, but six or eight of us might find big schools of fish," Powroznik explained. "Timing was key, however. Blueback herring congregated in drains where the water was slightly warmer, but as the sun rose and the water warmed, they moved out to deeper water, and bass went with them," he noted.

Like Powroznik, Matt Herren of Alabama thought he had a good shot at finally hoisting the heavy Classic trophy in 2015.

"I truly thought I had the opportunity to win that tournament," he recalled. "The boat draw got me, though."

Herren had identified two spots loaded with good bass, but by the time it was his turn to launch and run to the areas, other pros already were camped on them.

While Herren, Crews and Powroznik all regretted they didn't do as well in the 2015 Classic as they expected to, each is proud to have participated in and survived the most brutally cold world championship in history.

"It was a neat deal," said Powroznik. "I got to experience something we probably never will see again."

Incidentally, Casey Ashley won that 2015 Classic and the $300,000 championship prize with 50 pounds 1 ounce.

It May Be Deer Season, But Who Says You Can't Still Catch Fish?

One November, a deer hunter found himself with a week's vacation but nowhere to go. Seems his planned hunting trip had fallen through at the last minute, so now he was looking at the potential for having to sit home and just take care of some items on a long "honey do" list that he had put off all summer. Those thoughts, however, all took place before he ambled out to the garage and started puttering around.

While there, his Ranger bass boat kept catching his eye. He hadn't yet removed any of his rods or other tackle from it, nor had he winterized it yet. He accordingly couldn't help feeling drawn to the boat.

"It's too late in the year, though, to go bass fishing," he kept telling himself. "The air's too cold. The water's too cold. The fall bite was weeks ago."

As he rattled off these excuses not to go, each one sounded weaker than the one before. Actually, the forecast for the coming week was for perfect fall weather...bluebird skies, cool temperatures, and light winds.

"Why not take the boat out for one last hurrah before putting it away for the winter?" he thought. "I have the time, the weather's nice, the boat and gear are ready, and bass season still is open on my favorite lake. There's no reason not to go."

So right then and there, he decided to hit the water the next day for one last bass trip of the year.

The next morning was a bit bizarre. Having never fished this late in the year, it seemed more than a little odd, pulling the boat out of the garage with the thermometer hovering at 28 degrees F. When he got to the launch, it was just before 10 a.m., and there still was a skim coating of ice on the ramp.

"This is crazy," he thought. "Shouldn't I be sitting in the bush somewhere with my muzzleloader, looking for deer?"

An hour later, though, he couldn't have disagreed more with what he just had thought.

"I already had caught two nice largemouths (a 3-10 and a 4-14), plus a half-dozen smaller fish, and it only got better after that...so much so that I ended up fishing two more times that week," he said. "I have to admit," he continued, "that I never before had considered November as fall fishing. I now know that was a mistake.

"As it turns out, November bass fishing can be just as productive as September and early October if you take the time to learn how bass transition to their early winter haunts. And a fall bass outing doesn't mean you have to exclusively target those gangs of hungry smallies that are more synonymous with that time of year. Largemouth bass...big ones at that...are more than happy to eat your lures late in the fall if you present your baits where and how the fish like them. Best of all, bass fishing this time of year doesn't require the typical summer large arsenal of rods and tackle piled up on the front deck. Two or three rods and a handful of lures will do the trick."

The angler went on to note that "late fall largemouth fishing is all about keying in on specific areas and structure and then working them with simple, yet effective, techniques. Prime areas to target during this period are rock ledges, scattered weed edges, and isolated, deep offshore structure. The most important aspect of the first two is that they must offer quick access to deep water of 18 to 20 feet or better."

By early November, near-freezing overnight air temperatures have cooled a lake's surface considerably, and deeper water offers a slightly warmer refuge for bass. However, bluebird skies and a few hours of warm sun in the morning will draw bass up out of the depths and into the shallows, where they hunt among the scattered, decaying vegetation and rocks, gorging on sluggish, frigid baitfish.

"When water temperatures cool, and the weeds start breaking up in the fall, big smallmouth can be found roaming shallow water and will fall prey to wide-wobbling crankbaits worked slowly through the vegetation," he said. "By the time I got the boat in the water that Monday morning, the air temperature had warmed up to 40 degrees F or so, and the surface temperature on the graph read 47 degrees F. Not really knowing how or where to start the day, I picked up my crankbait and began covering water. By pure chance, I started casting along the closest weedline to the launch, in 10 to 12 feet of water, but near where the bottom dropped quickly to a depth of more than 25 feet.

"Being so late in the fall," he continued, "the weed edge wasn't nearly as well-defined as it was in the summer. Clumps of vegetation were scattered, but some still looked surprisingly lush and green. As I slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together, I realized this was also the key to catching numbers of good fish. Most of my hits came when I pulled my lure slowly through weeds that still were green. Late-fall bass, it seems, don't want to work too hard for a meal."

The retrieve that achieved the best results was cranking his bait hard a couple times right off, to drive it down to depth, then crawling it back to the boat as slowly as he could. When the lure contacted weeds, he just lifted the rod tip and twitched it through gently, instead of ripping it out as he would in the summer. More times than not, as the crankbait slipped through the clump, he'd feel a bass suck it in. A medium-action 6-foot, 6-inch crankbait rod with a soft tip and spooled with 12-pound-test fluorocarbon line was essential in feeling the difference between weeds and fish.

"As I noted before," he said, "the fishing was so good on Monday that I couldn't pass up a second (and third) trip that week, so the following Thursday, I coaxed a co-worker, TJ, out with me by promising big things. The bass didn't disappoint. That morning was even colder than the previous morning, but the sky was clear, and the sun felt good as it warmed both us and the upper layers of the lake...perfect conditions to intercept hungry bass as they invaded the shallower water, looking for an easy meal.

"We began on the same weedbed I had fished on Monday, and I started catching bass right away on a crankbait with a slow, wide wobble. TJ likes to throw a spinnerbait, so out of habit, that's what he started with that morning. But after nearly a half-hour without a bite, he switched over to a medium-diving crankbait, and it didn't take him long to connect with his first 3-pounder of the day.

"We finished working another long weed edge adjacent to a steep dropoff and caught a half-dozen good bass each. A light breeze had slowly pushed us off the weed edge, but by another stroke of luck, we discovered a second late-fall bass pattern for the week: a small hump in deep water.

"Looking down at the Lowrance, I saw that we had drifted into 22 feet of water and were marking a small hump with several arcs around it. I pointed this out to TJ, and it didn't take him long to drop his crankbait rod and pick up another, rigged with a plain jighead and Berkley Gulp straight-tail worm. He let the bait spiral to the bottom right next to the small piece of structure. Immediately, his line jumped, and he set the hook on what turned out to be a feisty 3-and-one-half-pound smallmouth. When I saw that, I frantically began digging through my boxes and came up with a 3/4-ounce silver Hopkins jigging spoon. I tied it on, dropped it down onto the hump, lifted, dropped, lifted, dropped, and WHAM! I had a hit that felt like a freight train. I landed a good smallmouth, just slightly smaller than TJ's."

Realizing they had stumbled upon a little gold mine, they spent the next several hours wandering around the general area, looking for similar pieces of structure in the deeper water. Every time they found one, they would catch fish...and not just smallmouth. Several nice largemouth came out of 20 feet of water or more.

Similar to summer patterns, bass don't require very large pieces of structure to congregate around them in the fall. Summer bass anglers will flip and pitch to the smallest stick or branch that's in the water, because they often will hold a decent-sized bass or two...so, too, with offshore spots. The important thing to remember is that these pieces of structure usually are the only oddity on an otherwise featureless piece of the lake bottom. They will hold fish...and usually more than one.

High-quality color sonar units are a must to find and fish such structure, and GPS/sonar combos will make it that much easier for you to stay on the structure as you work it. Don't be surprised if you end up spending more time looking at the graph and moving around with the trolling motor, trying to find them again than actually fishing them.

One of the great things about late-fall bass fishing is that there's no need to get an early start. Hitting the water at 6 or 7 a.m. for the early-morning bite is unnecessary and can be rather painful in the freezing dawn temperatures. So sleep in and wait until the sun's well up, and the surface-water temperature has inched upward a few degrees. With water temperature hovering in the 40s, bass need a couple extra hours to warm up and begin to feed. On the water by 10 a.m., off by 3 p.m. is a typical day...and often results in some of the most productive trips of the year.

A lesson to be learned here is that it can pay great dividends to delay the start of deer season and opt instead for a prolonged late-fall bass fishing season...with potentially outstanding results.

Safer Is Smarter When It Comes to Cold-Water Bassin'

There very well may not be as much boat traffic on the water this time of year, but cold-weather still comes with certain risks involved.

For example, remember how that cold wind feels like it's snatching the breath out of your nose when you're zipping across the water at 60 or 70 mph? How about what that icy wind does to your eyes? You know, all that water fills your eyes until you feel like you're driving blind. And then, when you stop at a spot, your hands are so cold, you barely can fish.

Why not take some precautions to avoid these problems? Here are a few suggestions to consider the next time you're considering a cold-weather trip to the water.

Check the forecast. Before you depart the dock, check the current weather and water temperature, and be sure to monitor it consistently throughout your boating excursion. It's important to consider that a beautiful day can be ruined quickly by unexpected rain, even if it's only a shower. Furthermore, know the types of sea conditions all your guests onboard can handle, so that you know when to return to shore.

Create a float plan. Include the names of every passenger, your destination, departure, and arrival times, as well as a description of your boat and emergency-contact information. Then, leave this plan with a trustworthy family member or friend and promise to contact them as soon as you get back to shore. This way, if anything were to happen to your boat while you're on the water, there will be someone who knows to call for help.

Stock up on safety equipment. Life vests should be included in every boating trip, no matter the time of year. They are especially critical in cold weather. What many boaters don't realize is that they hold heat into the core areas of your body, in addition to providing buoyancy, which will greatly increase anyone's odds of survival if they end up overboard. Among other things, cold water can cause you to have a heart attack. After about 10 minutes, you probably won't be able to do anything to help yourself because your body will be shutting off blood flow to your non-essential muscles. Furthermore, make sure you have a comprehensive first-aid kit and thermal blankets on board.

Investing in something like a Save Phace faceshield to keep that icy wind off your face is a good idea, too. Some folks even choose to wear motorcycle helmets...the full-face kind. Many will tell you, though, not to wear them with the chin strap fastened, 'cause cold hands can make them nearly impossible to undo if you happen to go overboard. Wearing eyeglasses really offer no protection. Meanwhile, goggles will protect your eyes but leave your nose, ears and cheeks out in the cold. However, pulling a thick knitted cap over the goggles likely will make a run bearable...more so, though, if you're maybe also wearing a coat with a hood on it.

Carrying two pairs of gloves also is a good idea. A pair of bulky ski gloves is great for running down the lake, and a pair of fishing gloves (with the fingertips that fold back), or perhaps a pair with no fingertips at all, will work nicely. Another great thing is hand warmers. For no more than you pay for the latter, they're worth every penny on a cold winter day.

Wearing long johns, insulated coveralls, and nice cushy socks also can make a cold fishing day more comfortable. Keep in mind, however, that since bundling up makes it hard to fish, you likely will be better served to layer yourself in lightweight gear. I know, from my own experience, that while the coveralls served me great back when I was younger and more flexible, long johns today do the trick. To put it bluntly, I've already taken one header...I'm not looking to take another one.

Bundle up and keep warm. Cold water can present some surprising risks, even when the air temperature is mild. You always should dress for the water temperature, instead of the weather. Plus, wind rapidly sucks away body heat, so having multiple layers will do wonders to keep your body heat intact. Your outer layer should be wind- and waterproof, while still allowing perspiration moisture to escape. Don't forget some extra clothes, either. They'll be handy in a pinch.

Always keep one hand on the boat. Cold-weather boating can affect your ability to maintain balance more than you realize. This is because it's harder to stay upright when your feet get colder, which is almost a certainty when you go boating in cold water. That's why it's recommended to always keep one hand on the boat for support whenever walking around on deck.

Though fewer boating accidents occur in the colder months, a higher percentage of them are fatal, compared to warmer months. For that reason, safety should be a priority for each on-the-water adventure you take until temperatures heat up again. As long as you're boating safely, then there's nothing stopping you from indulging in all your favorite activities aboard bass boats.

Old-School Winning Ways for Dead of Winter and Heat of Summer, Too

Gotta admit that I've always had a soft spot where old-school anything is concerned. A quick look at any of my tackleboxes would quickly confirm that statement.

Accordingly, it should come as no surprise that I was drawn to an article written by veteran angler M. L. Anderson here recently. As he noted, "One thing that hasn't changed (about bass fishing) is the bass themselves. They still eat and behave as they always have, so old methods that have been replaced by sexier ways of presenting a bait will still work. This winter, when the cold water has you contemplating a drop-shot rig yet again, try reaching for an old tried-and-true rig instead...even if you haven't tried one in a while."

Anderson has three old-school methods he routinely employs to catch cold-water bass, starting with doodling, which was invented by his buddy Don Iovino, "back when we still were using triangulation to find our secret honey holes," as Anderson allowed.

"This is how it worked," he went on to explain. "You'd find a hump with your depthfinder, then look around and find things on shore that you could line up with...say a tower on one side of the lake and a weird tree or cactus on the opposite side. Then you'd need two more things in the other two directions. When you needed to find that spot again, you'd mosey around until those things lined up for you. Even if you had GPS back then, the government scrambled the signals on purpose. You couldn't get accurate readings at all, so they were fairly useless for fishing back in the day. Iovino, still an amazing fisherman, however, was a master at finding and re-finding underwater structure."

According to Anderson, "Iovino started out doodling with live bait for trout, then decided to try it with plastics and immediately began winning tournaments. The basic rig is light line, a 5/32- to 3/16-ounce brass sinker, an 8mm faceted glass bead, and a finesse worm. The basic technique is shaking the rig on the bottom, while keeping the line taut enough to be able to feel the bite, which usually feels sort of like you got stuck on a rubber band, although I've had the fish hit it pretty hard at times, too. The brass sinker and glass bead click together when the rig is shaken, attracting attention by sending vibrations through the water. This isn't a technique that's usually used to cover water, but it sure can put fish in the boat once you've located them."

Anderson then went on to describe some tips to fine-tune your doodle rig.

"First of all, if your soft worm keeps sliding down the hook, try using a piece of heavy mono. Stick it through the eye of the hook, right through the worm and out the other side. Clip it off so it doesn't stick out of the worm. You also can peg the bead just above the worm to keep it from bumping the plastic. Use a rubber nail to keep from pinching the light line. Never peg the sinker, though, obviously, or it won't click on the bead. Always use attractant on your baits. Also, never use plastic beads; they don't have the right sound. The brass sinkers not only sound better; they are good and hard, so you can feel the bottom better. Stick to natural colors, and try to match the crawfish and baitfish where you are fishing. Most of the time, Iovino uses straight worms, and in really cold water, he splits them lengthwise up to the egg sack and melts a little piece of worm in the slit to keep it open. That makes more vibration in the water. If you're catching a lot of small fish on the doodle rig, try using a bit bigger bait, and see if you can get bigger bass to bite, or use a curly tail or a paddle tail. Lastly, if you're not getting bit, slow down. Doodling has to be done very slowly to be effective in very cold water. Keep it in the strike zone."

The second old-school method Anderson swears by is a split-shot rig.

"If you're fishing over grass or a deep, muddy bottom," he said, "a drop-shot has the advantage of keeping your bait at the same distance off the hard bottom and above any mess down below. However, with a split-shot rig, the bait is free to dip and float behind the weight. Pull the weight, and the worm darts forward and dips. Stop the weight, and the worm drifts slowly to the bottom. This rig is one you can cover some water with, although you have to move it slower than you would a Carolina rig. You can use a split-shot rig to probe structure or cover, skip it under a dock, or fish it down a bluff or channel. I have caught so many fish on a split-shot rig that I couldn't begin to guess the number.

"The biggest drawback to a split-shot rig is that it can get hung up," continued Anderson, "especially if you make a long cast. So don't cast. Instead, drop the rig right over the side and let out line until you've reached the bottom. Move the boat very slowly, and just drag the rig behind you. I use a Dobyn's spinning rod with lots of backbone and a fast tip. You also need a good spinning reel that can take up a lot of line in a hurry. I don't use braid because a little stretch is beneficial, I think, so I just use 8-pound-test mono. I hold the rod loosely in my hand, and point the tip toward the lure. This helps it go over things, instead of snagging them. If it does feel like the lure is snagged, it's easier to go back and get it, rather than break off and have to re-tie. Usually, once you get over it, it comes right off. The bite is usually a little fast tug, and all you have to do to set the hook is swing the rod to your side, and keep good pressure on the fish while reeling. The sharp, thin split-shot hooks will slide right in...no massive hookset required."

The veteran Anderson then explained that the better the fish are biting, the heavier your drop-shot and the faster you can move. On the other hand, when things are really shut down, you may have to move it just a couple inches at a time, starting out a bit fast and slowing down if necessary.

"Also, the tougher the bite, the longer your leader should be," he said. "And when I'm bouncing a split-shot rig down a wall, I often shorten the leader to just six inches or so. If you think you'll be moving the weight a lot, you can use a small brass sinker, and peg it with a rubber worm. Then you can move it around as much as you want. Pinching a lead split shot on is fine, but it can damage the light line, so make sure you check often. Breakoffs are heartbreaking on a slow day. Whatever you do, don't use those removable split shots with the ears on them. They'll give you a line twist from hell. I've also used a swivel and a mojo weight at times, but swivels do hang up more, and you can't quickly change leader length, either.

"If you want the bait to drop really slowly, try a tube bait, and put a piece of Styrofoam peanut in it to make it buoyant. I've even seen guys inject air into baits with a syringe, but I haven't tried that. The best thing about split-shotting is that it's so easy. It's the perfect rig for a beginner, as long as the guy running the boat is considerate."

The third and final old-school method in Anderson's repertoire is slow-rolling a spinnerbait. He recalled an early-February tournament he and a partner fished, when a cold rain, driven by a nasty wind, was pelting competitors all day. It made for a long boat ride to their chosen creek, but they made it, along with two other boats. All of them were dragging spinnerbaits around in trees in a big cove, and those three teams finished first, second and third in that tournament.

"On a dark, nasty day like that one," said Anderson, "a chartreuse bait with gold blades did the trick, but the key is how you fish it. I like a heavy bait that will get down to the bottom and stay there, with a big Colorado blade that is buoyant enough to stay up when you're moving the bait slowly. The key is to keep the rod tip pointed at the bait, and let the line right in front of the reel slide between your fingers. Don't squeeze the line; just hold it so you can feel what it's doing. Keep the line taut. First thing in the morning, even in winter, try fishing flats close to drop-offs. We were fishing all around the trees and paying particular attention to cuts and channels. Even though it was cold and nasty, those fish weren't all that deep...20 to 25 feet max. But they were staying close to cover and structure, and if you didn't get your bait right there, they'd let it pass by. We lost a lot of spinnerbaits that day, but that nice fat check was more than enough to cover it."

In conclusion, Anderson noted that "these three techniques are among the first ones I ever learned, and they work so well that I find myself going to them constantly, especially in tough times like the dead of winter, as well as on very hot summer days. All three techniques can be used at a variety of depths, so they're perfect in both instances."

Been to the School of Hard Knocks? If So, You're in Good Company

In case you haven't heard, so have the likes of bass pros Kevin VanDam (right), Mark Menendez, Jordan Lee, Todd Faircloth, Jason Christie, and Marty Robinson.

At the beginning of his illustrious career, VanDam struggled with trusting his instincts.

"When you start to trust your instincts and see the rewards you can reap doing that, it builds your confidence to do that more," he said. "A lot of times, you'll go to an area where you practiced and had some success, and it just doesn't happen. You know in your gut that things are different. It's cloudy now, was sunny then, windy now, and was calm then. Just because it happened before doesn't mean you can make it happen again. So, instead of milling around and wasting an hour of your time, when your instincts tell you that you have to make an adjustment, or change location or lure presentation, learn to trust your instincts."

Mark Menendez remembers incorrectly tying a Palomar know that proved costly to the Kentucky pro when fluorocarbon line was introduced.

"When you tie the Palomar knot, and you slip the bait back through the loop you created, that loop needs to stay on top of the knot," said Menendez. "When we first got fluorocarbon, it was very brittle, and if that loop were on the side of the Palomar knot, it would cut through it every time. That cost me thousands of dollars and multiple points over the years."

Menendez also learned to keep fresh oil in his motor's lower unit and check for fishing line in his prop after a lack of boat maintenance cut into his fishing time during a 1995 Bassmaster Top 150 on Wheeler Lake. While making a long, cold run one morning, his engine shut down.

"The lower unit locked up completely, and it was from fishing line in the seal," said Menendez, who ended up finishing 53rd in the tournament. "If you lose that lower-unit seal from line and run your grear grease too long, it will fail you."

The Alabama pro, Jordan Lee, experienced the worst tournament of his rookie year in the Bassmaster Elite Series when he finished 99th at Lake Havasu. His downfall was failing to prefish for the event and do his homework on the lake.

"I didn't get a real good idea of what I needed to do to be successful there," he lamented.

Todd Faircloth, from Texas, recalls many instances early in his career when he failed to manage his time on the water efficiently. Many times when he would be 20 miles up a lake, he'd decide he needed to run 30 miles the other way.

"If you're fishing a tournament, whether it be a one-day or jackpot deal, or a four-day event, you have to be able to manage your time," he said.

Early in Jason Christie's (left) career, he would fret during a tournament if he missed the morning bite, and his confidence would be shot the rest of the day.

"I expected it to happen early in the morning, but now I have seen it happen in the last 30 minutes where I have culled all of my fish, or I catch a couple of big ones and go from being in the bottom of the pack to leading," he said. "The last hour or the last minute is just as important as the first minute. You are just as apt to catch a 7-pounder on the last cast as the first, or any one in between.

"You have to be able to do it efficiently, and what I mean by that is try not to be so spread out. Don't spend your entire time running for so many miles. Some of my most successful tournaments have been when I found an area of the lake or a section of a creek and just learned more and more about it as the tournament progressed," continued Christie. "I think I'm practicing more efficiently now than earlier in my career, when I wanted to know what was going on from one end to the other. Now I don't care what is going on at the other end; I just want to learn about this end of the lake. I will spend all of my time here and be more efficient with my time."

Early on, during a Bassmaster Elite event on Kentucky Lake, Marty Robinson learned the importance of fishing an area at the right time. He had caught fish during practice at a spot around noon. Come the morning of the competition, he was so pumped up about fishing there that he ran to it first thing in the morning...and he came up empty-handed. Robinson then saw a fellow competitor fishing the same spot in the afternoon, and he found out that the other guy caught several bass there.

"It blew my mind," said Robinson, who finished 38th in the tournament.

Some colleges now offer bass-fishing clubs for aspiring pros, but a majority of today's competitors had to learn things the hard way...through the School of Hard Knocks.

"To Do's" Designed To Protect Your "Toy"

Many things that go wrong with a boat can be avoided very easily, but for some reason, a lot of fishermen tend to neglect simple routine maintenance and end up with major problems. Big bass boats are a huge investment and should be worth a little time and money for upkeep, whether you plan to sell the boat later or keep it until it falls apart. Why anyone in their right mind would want to ruin a $70,000 to more than $100,000 investment is hard to figure. Instead, why not consider these suggestions of experts?

Visually inspect. The best tools to understand whether something is wrong--or about to go wrong--are your eyes. Take a quick visual inspection of everything before you get on the highway, and you'll be surprised at how often you see a potential problem and stop it before it occurs.

Clear the deck. Before you get on the road, make sure there's nothing on the deck of your boat that could fly out. This could include stray tungsten weights, which, if launched properly, could go through the windshield of the vehicle behind you. Keep your rods in the rod locker until you get to the water, or put them back in for the ride home. The water, grit and road debris is terrible for them.

Check trailer connections. The best bet is to use some kind of locking device on your trailer to keep would-be vandals at bay. Even without people messing with your stuff, wires can rattle loose on bumpy roads.

Tow with a cover? Some feel that a cover inhibits visibility, reduces gas mileage, and may scratch the cap of the boat if not secured perfectly, so they often tow "topless." As a result, they usually reserve using the cover for times when headed through major storms, construction sites, or down roads that are likely to kick up a lot of debris. If you decide to use a cover, make sure it's secured properly and that it can't activate any electrical switches.

Tote your motor. Some folks use PVC pipe, a block of wood, or perhaps no motor toter at all. The smart person buys a good toter and uses it religiously. Some also use steering locks to keep the outboard from tilting sideways in transit.

Wipe the boat down. If you fish in stained or dirty water but can't wipe it down after every use, be sure to do it after every second or third trip. Water is fine, but a spray like Bass Boat Saver or Lucas Slick Mist is easier. If you wait 'til the end of the year, the scum line may take hours to remove.

Remove electronics. As marine electronics get more advanced and more expensive, they also seem to get more fickle about performing correctly. It takes only a minute to unhook and put them in the back seat of your vehicle or in protective cases. Beside protecting them from dirt, grime and vibrations, it'll make them less likely to get stolen at a gas and/or dinner stop.

Lock compartments. While boat-compartment locks are notoriously easy to get into, an unlocked compartment is the most tempting for a thief. Don't give them such an easy opportunity. Also don't leave your keys laying around within easy access.

In between trips, do the following: Check tire pressure, check the spare, check lug nuts, check behind the outboard and trolling-motor props, clean and wax the boat, flush the engine (especially after running in shallow or muddy water).

During longer gaps, do the following: Check your insurance and make sure it's up-to-date and covers everything that's likely to happen...towing coverage is a good idea, too. Also check and make sure your boat and trailer registrations are current; you still have a license plate; and that, if required in your state, a trailer inspection has been done. Finally, check your trailer bearings...if not every winter, then every two to four years.