Granted, They Don't Look Like Much...

And there may be flashier, sexier-looking crankbaits on store shelves today, but "these little dudes flat-out still catch 'em"...bass, that is, as noted by accomplished angler, former guide, and Wired2Fish writer Walker Smith. The crankbaits in question here is none other than Tom Mann's Baby 1 Minus. "I'm telling you," said Smith, "big bass absolutely will gag on these crankbaits in just inches of water."

A lot of shallow crankbaits from the past had a serious issue with durability. For instance, many would split, crack and break in half after just a few weeks of abuse. The Baby 1 Minuses, however, were made to be slammed into all types of cover in order to entice ridiculous reaction strikes...and that's exactly what Smith always has done with these baits.

"I bang 'em on rocks, dock posts, stumps, and laydowns every time I use them, and I've never had a single one break on me," he said. "It has a one-piece molded body and lip, so bill separation never is anything you need to worry about. Regardless of how many errant casts you make (boy! can I ever relate to that!), or how often you crank thick stuff, the bill stays in place without any special precautions."

As Smith also pointed out, "The paint on these crankbaits also is very durable, which is a major selling point for me. After a few months, you'll notice a little hook rash on the side of the body, but I've never seen it bad enough to alter the color quality or appearance of the lure. When you bang around in shallow cover, you won't have to worry much about rock chips, slips or anything of the sort."

So, why does anyone want or need a crankbait that only runs an advertised 1 foot deep? The answer is simple. While you always can high-stick deeper running squarebills when fishing super-shallow water, you run into trouble when trying to set the hook on a fish. In high-sticking, you're forced to set the hook upward, which drives the top of the lure's body (the part with no hooks) into the roof of the bass' mouth and risks pulling the bait away from them. You avoid this risk when you can set the hook to the side.

Continued Smith, "The Baby 1 Minus gives you two awesome options in shallow water. If you utilize a slow retrieve speed, you'll notice it bulging right beneath the surface. When it's early morning, and the bass are aggressive and 'feeding up,' this lure can be an awesome way to whack a quick limit. This also is a great presentation to use when fishing over submerged vegetation.

"If you keep your rod tip further down and retrieve the Baby One Minus at a moderate speed, it dives about one foot deep, give or take a few inches, depending upon your line size and type. When fished in this manner, it has a surprisingly tight wobble. I know the words 'tight' and 'wobble' seem contradictory in regards to crankbait action, but hear me out. It doesn't have a very wide side-to-side swimming action, but the body of the lure rolls on its side throughout the retrieve. Whether you're fishing for aggressive bass or finicky post-frontal fish, the unique action of this crankbait will produce bites."

When you shake a Baby One Minus in your hand, it sounds like you're shaking a maraca. It has a bunch of internal beads that produce an authentic rattling sound, instead of a "thump" or "knock." Not surprisingly, it was designed like this for a reason.

"Most of the time (not all the time)," noted Smith, "bass inhabit insanely shallow-water depths when it's heavily stained or muddied. Muddy water is much denser than clear water, which allows it to warm quicker in direct sunlight. The heaviest stain often will be located close to the shoreline, due to precipitation runoff, so that's where you can find the bass. This time of year, bass want warmer water, which makes this situation a common occurrence.

"So when the bass are in this shallow, muddy water, they need a little help honing in on your lures," continued Smith. "They can't see very well, so extra sound and water displacement can be necessary. The Baby One Minus accomplishes this goal because its loud rattles and aggressive rolling action make it easier for the bass to locate."

In Smith's opinion, this little crankbait is a must-have for anyone who likes to fish shallow water. "It's built like a tank, it operates effectively in skinny water, and its rattles are great weapons in dirty water," he explained.

It's a Matter of Finding a Kicker or Getting Kicked in the Teeth...So To Speak

That pretty much spells the difference between winning or losing a bass tournament...on any level, from local open groups, to bass clubbers, and, of course, the pros.

Read an article recently by Texas pro Todd Faircloth (left), in which he described some of his tournament philosophies that have helped him catch bigger bass and win competitions over the years.

As he explained, "I sometimes hear a tournament fisherman say something like, 'I just go out there and fish hard all day and bring my best five to the scales.' That's fine, but without any way to measure performance throughout the day, you're fishing blind and can't make the kind of adjustments necessary to be successful. You can't afford to wait until you get to the scales to find out if you had a good day or not. I always have a weight in mind before I launch my boat each day.

"That number might be big, or it might be small, depending on the fishery involved, but it's important," continued Faircloth. "It's the number I have to reach to be competitive and to get paid. And while some people will tell you that they only fish to win, or that they never fish for a check, the reality is that checks and tournament points are important. They pay the bills and get you the championship. If you ignore them, you'll have problems."

Faircloth cited an example of what he was talking about.

"Let's say my target number is 12 pounds for a five-bass limit. I have confidence that 12 pounds a day will get me in the money and keep me competitive," he said. "Hopefully, in practice, I've found the bass to do that, and I can catch them pretty quickly. Time is critical in a bass tournament. We're all fishing under the gun, and the guys who manage their time best tend to cash the most checks.

"Once I reach that target weight, my comfort level goes up, and I'm ready to explore and try something different. Until then, I'm doing all I can just to catch the quality fish I need to get there. I want lots of bites from respectable bass until I reach that target.

"My tournament mindset always has been to go for a limit first and to upgrade later. If I know where I can go and catch lots of 2-and-a-half pounders quickly, I'll do that, rather than go to another spot where the bass are bigger but the bites are fewer and farther between."

As noted by Faircloth, "That plan has to be flexible, too, and there are times when I'll go after big fish first and then work on a limit. An obvious time to do this is in the spring, when you've spotted a giant female or two on beds, and you have to go to them right away, before someone else does. Ordinarily, though, I'm focused on a limit first. When I have what I believe to be a respectable limit, I'm ready for some exploring."

Changing things up and getting away from his primary pattern is more than just changing locations. It's also about changing his mindset. Instead of wanting and needing lots of bites to fill a limit, Faircloth now is thinking about getting a couple of bites from the kind of bass that really will help his bottom line. He's not looking to cull up an ounce or two, but by several pounds.

"Over the years, I've caught most of my best bass from isolated cover," he said, "and that's usually where I'll go after I have a solid limit. The cover doesn't have to be big, but it does need to be away from other similar cover.

"I like to target isolated logs, boat docks, brush piles, mats of vegetation, or anything else that might hold a big fish," he continued. "The isolated cover is a big-fish magnet because it's the only holding area around, and other anglers often will overlook it, preferring to fish bigger spots that might hold more bass but which take a lot longer to fish and generally don't hold the biggest bass in the area.

"Once I have a solid limit, I also may consider making a long run to get to an out-of-the-way spot, or making another change that's otherwise too time-consuming or risky. Having a solid limit is freedom...to do other things that have the potential for a big payoff.

"A lot of guys will make those kinds of moves after they've had a bad first day or two in a tournament, but then it's almost always too late. You need to make those moves when you're in a position of strength and have the right mindset, not when you're in a position of weakness and pressing too hard."

Over the years, Faircloth has seen a lot of tournament fishermen really milk one spot.

"Maybe they're catching a bunch of 2 pounders on a main-lake point and have 10 or 11 pounds in the livewell. Instead of leaving those fish and going to look for a kicker that really will help them, they stay on the spot and continue to work it over, adding an ounce here and there but basically adding very little weight to their bag."

Faircloth thinks that is a mistake...for two reasons. First, that time could be used to make a real change in their catch. If they gamble just a little and try targeting some better fish, they could go from merely making a check to winning the tournament.

"You don't often do that by playing it safe with average fish," he explained.

Second, they might need those fish tomorrow. By catching too many today, they could be wrecking that spot or school for the rest of the tournament.

"They should be saving those bass," he said. "By culling all day with more average fish, they think they're gaining ounces, but they're really losing pounds from their catch over the next day or two.

"I'll be the first to admit that my method of upgrading a tournament catch doesn't always work, but neither does anything else," he continued. "What I can tell you is that it's worked for me a lot more often than not, and I'll be using it until I find something better. Of course, a little luck helps, too.

"'Hero or zero' is a popular phrase for the guys who gamble with their tournament strategy." According to Faircloth, though, "It doesn't have to be that way. I much prefer 'hero or still-in-the-money.'"

During my research for the aforementioned, I also ran across a piece by the late Ed Harp of Georgetown, OH, detailing some top kicker bass baits used by three of the pros for tournament success. Those pros included Bobby Gentry, Ish Monroe, and Bill Lowen. Following are their suggestions.

The list of choices for longtime professional guide and seasoned tournament angler Bobby Gentry (left) starts with the Norman DD22 Crankbait. "I nearly always throw a shad pattern that'll match the local forage. There's nothing better for deep largemouths. It gets down quick, forces reaction bites from neutral bass, and is big enough to get the attention of heavyweights." Gentry's approach is simple enough. He locates drops, ledges, stumps, rocks, or shell beds in 15-25 feet of water and then cranks them from every angle imaginable and with every technique imaginable. Basically, he circles his spot and brings his bait back slow and fast, steady and with jerks, bouncing off everything in the area until he finds what they want.

Gentry's second choice is the 10-and-one-half-inch Zoom Old Monster Worm, which he uses whenever largemouths are shallow. "I fish it on a Carolina rig with a half-ounce sinker, a couple of beads, and a 3-to-4-foot leader," he said. "The idea is to get something that'll attract big fish and that can be worked through stumps, rocks or weeds. This bait is perfect for that style of fishing. Any color will do, so long as it's plum." His favorite technique is to pull the worm along, while allowing it to float up a bit and then slowly settle back to the bottom. Most of the strikes come while the bait is lying motionless on the bottom. He cautions anglers not to be in a hurry, regardless of what the clock says.

Gentry's last choice is a Texas-rigged Zoom Brush Hog or Baby Brush Hog for big smallmouth. "I can't tell you how many smallmouths between 3-and-a-half and 5 pounds I've caught just dragging or hopping one in green pumpkin or watermelon on the end of a main-lake point. Use a heavy enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom and move it along until you get a bite. The idea is to show lethargic smallmouths something different...something they've never seen before. Few giant smallies ever have seen one of these before, especially one that's Texas-rigged. If they aren't in the mood for a Brush Hog, go back to the DD22."

California native Ish Monroe (right) has two favorite choices, starting with his Snag Proof Ish's Phat Frog. "This is my go-to bait when I need a big bass, and it's reasonably shallow. This frog has a lot of bulk and can be worked through the nastiest stuff in a body of water where giants live. I try to keep it in the strike zone as long as possible and change my retrieve from quiet to noisy, as necessary," said Monroe. "Color is optional. Pick one you like, and then change if necessary."

Monroe's second choice is Jerry Rago Swimbaits. "If the bass are a little deeper, and there's no topwater bite, I'll almost always go with this swimbait," he said. "There's nothing on the planet that's as natural-looking or as versatile for big fish. You can fish them shallow or deep, fast or slow, and around almost any kind of structure or cover." In the spring and fall, or anytime they're releasing trout, Monroe throws a rainbow trout pattern in the same size as the fish they're releasing. Beyond that, his primary goal is to match the prevailing forage. Swimbaits are not reaction baits...they mimic natural forage.

If the bass you fish for aren't super-sized, you might be interested to know the choices of Bill Lowen (left), starting with the D&L Jig, with Tightline UV Beaver Trailer. "If I need a largemouth kicker at the end of the day on a Midwest or Northern lake or river, I'll be pitching and flipping," he said. "My lure choice will be a one-quarter- or three-eighth's-ounce D&L Jig in black and blue, with a matching Tightline UV Beaver as a trailer. I'll toss it into the heaviest stuff I can find, no matter if it's grass, wood, rock, or a combination of some or all of them. My goal is to get inside places where other anglers can't or won't go and find the bass they missed." That combination allows his presentation to work its way down fast enough to get a reaction bite but slow enough to give the fish a good chance to get it in the heavy cover he's fishing.

Lowen's second choice is a Brass 'n' Blades Double Willow-Leaf Spinnerbait. "When I want to catch a big smallie, I go with this bait. The blades should be at least Nos. 4 and 5, but a 4-and-one-half and 5-and-one-half size is even better. My colors are standard: chartreuse or white." This lure allows Lowen to fish almost anywhere. It will handle weeds and grass, as well as rock and wood, and will withstand the abuse monster bass routinely dish out.

For 2nd Week in Row, Top 3 Tourney Weights Nearly the Same

I'm not kiddin' ya; the top three spots last Saturday totaled 41.05 pounds, and the top three today came in at 39.08. The way I see things, you can't get much closer than that. What does it mean? I think the simple answer is that the fishing is tough right now...as I've already said in another recent post. It's just "that time of the year again."

Overall, today's tournament gang consisted of 17 anglers in 10 boats. Collectively, they weighed 44 bass for a total weight of 87.88 pounds and an average weight per fish of 1.99 pounds. Here are the folks who went home with a little payday for their efforts:

The team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers took 1st place with five fish weighing 14.94 pounds. Their big fish crossed the scales at 4.43 pounds. They also took the day's only side pot.

The team of (from left) Dave Dozier and Michael Brewer claimed 2nd place with five fish weighing 13.73 pounds. They didn't weigh a big fish.

And 3rd place went to Gabe Himmelwright, who also brought five fish to the scales, for a total weight of 10.41 pounds. He also had the tournament's big fish, which weighed in at 4.90 pounds.

Here is how everyone else finished the day:
     * Jim Crist had five fish, weighing 10.18 pounds...no big fish.
     * The husband-wife team of Andy and Diana Morath had five fish, weighing 9.79 pounds...no big fish.
     * The team of Dave Anderson and Gary Coderre had five fish, weighing 8.82 pounds...no big fish.
     * The team of Wayne Hayes and Ken Testorff had five fish, weighing 8.12 pounds...no big fish.
     * Mark Ingram had five fish, weighing 6.38 pounds...no big fish.
     * The team of Jim Leavis and Tommy Dewittt had four fish, weighing 5.51 pounds...no big fish.
     * The team of Craig Jones and Rob Chatham didn't weigh any fish.

Two more anglers now are eligible to fish our season-ending Classic tournament as a result of having now fished five qualifying events. The latest additions to the list include Diana Morath and Jim Crist. The current total now eligible to fish the Classic is 19.

Congratulations to all of today's winners, and thanks to all those who came out to give it the old college try. For planning purposes, our next tournament is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 15. Stay tuned to this space and/or your email for details as that date draws closer.

Dewey's Tournament Scheduled for Tomorrow

The tournament director says, barring the unforeseen, we still will be launching from West Neck Marina in the morning as scheduled. All other details as published in my note of yesterday remain the same, too.

Call 'Em "Dog Days" or "Summer Doldrums"; Either Way, They're the Pits

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell us that late summer is a tough time to bass fish. As observed by Virginia's John Crews (right), "Many of the fish are suspended, and they're about as hard to catch as it gets. At the same time, others are super deep. Still others are shallow. Along with all of that, a fair number of bass are relating to structure."

So, yeah, it's tough fishing, but as Crews added, "At the same time, it presents us with a wealth of opportunity. It's a matter of the glass being half full, instead of half empty."

Crews went on to note that, when it comes to shallow bass, "there's no better way to target them than with a topwater bait. Buzzbaits, Whopper Ploppers, Zara Spooks, frogs, toads, and Pop-Rs will all get their attention. The trick to being successful is to alternate your topwater offerings until you start getting bites. Not every lure will do that. Sometimes, they want a little noise, and sometimes they want things soft and subtle. It's our job to figure that out.

"I'm not going to tell you there are any hard and fast rules," continued Crews, "but here's the way I select my baits, at least to start. Buzzbaits are good around light cover. Whopper Ploppers cover bare banks really well, and a Zara Spook or Pop-R can be the deal when you're targeting weed lines."

Another great bait this time of year, according to Crews, is a crankbait.

"The key to being successful with them is to make sure there are baitfish around," he said. "There is something about the vibration of a crankbait in the late summer and fall that gets their attention.

"At SPRO, we have a complete line of crankbaits that'll cover most every depth you'll be fishing," continued Crews. "When they aren't too deep, I really like a Little John. It's a great fall lure, and because the water is clear in most lakes and rivers in the late summer and early fall, they can see it from a ways away, as well as feel it."

A man who seconds that motion about crankbaits is David Fritts (left).

According to him, "A lot of guys feel more comfortable in August fishing way up the river or way in the back of creeks. That's because they can find current. What's good to know is that, in this situation, bass will get on flat-sided crankbaits when nothing else will work, especially if you've had plenty of rain and there's water moving where you're fishing."

The last bait--really a technique--that Crews mentioned is a drop shot, which is about as subtle and natural as you can get. Another nice thing he pointed out is that it can be fished at any depth, depending on how you rig it.

Crews uses spinning tackle for this technique. He pays special attention to the color of the baitfish.

"It seems like color matters more with a drop shot than it does with some other lures," he noted. "It's critical that you match the hatch."

Color also matters to Fritts. As he pointed out, "Your chartreuse colors start to come back in August. I love the rubbertail bream and lone ranger colors, which are sort of a chartreuse baby bass and chartreuse/silver back. Your baitfish colors like honey shad and chartreuse/blue also will be good. The first two colors, though, are extremely good for getting big bites."

Even though it's hot in August, and the fish don't seem to be interested in many offerings, Fritts urges anglers to keep looking for them in places that are off the beaten path, away from all the rest of the boats and fishermen.

"Bear in mind that August also is the start of the time of year when fish really start hanging around wood better than anything else," said Fritts. "You start seeing them around isolated brush and stumps. You just have to fish enough places to find ones where they're biting. At Buggs Island, for example, out of 100 brush piles you fish, you might only find 10 where they're biting."

As both Crews and Fritts urged, "Give these suggestions a chance, and I'm guessing you'll be glad you did."

Dewey's Tournament Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024

Launch site is West Neck Marina. Registration will open at 4:45 and cut off sharply at 5:45...DON'T BE LATE!!! Boats will shove off from the boat basin at 6:15...in no particular order. Weigh-in will be at 2:30...all boats again must be in the boat basin at that time. And finally, check this space again on Friday, Aug. 23, to make sure nothing in these details have changed for any reason (e.g. low water or otherwise). As always, call Wayne (757-478-3387) if you have questions.

If You Could Have Only One Rod and Reel, What Would It Be?

That's a question lifetime angler, writer and photographer David A. Brown posed to some of the biggest bass-fishing stars a few years ago. Following is a synopsis of what they all had to say. Their strategies are worth noting, since limited budgets don't have to limit your fishing ability.

Kevin VanDam, a multiple-time Bassmaster Classic champion from Kalamazoo, Mich. His tackle choice: A Quantum Tour KVD 6-foot, 10-inch medium-heavy rod, with a 6.6:1 Quantum KVD baitcaster, spooled with 17-pound fluorocarbon. His reasoning: "I use this for spinnerbaits around targets, swim jigs, topwater, and jerkbaits. I always have several of these on my deck."

Terry Scroggins, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Palatka, Fla. His tackle choice: A 7-foot, 1-inch medium-heavy Duckett White Ice rod, with a 6.3:1 Team Lew's LITE reel, spooled with 15-pound fluorocarbon. His reasoning: "This setup is very versatile. I can fish a Texas-rigged YUM Dinger, a Carolina rig, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and buzzbaits with it. You can get a lot done with this one combination."

J. T. Kenney, an FLW Tour pro from Palm Bay, Fla. His tackle choice: A 7-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy Halo rod, with a 7:1 Ardent casting reel, spooled with 14-pound Sunline fluorocarbon. His reasoning: "I'll use this to fish a half-ounce Nichols jig in JTs The Best Color Ever, which is a combination of green pumpkin and black and blue, with a Gambler Burner Craw in green pumpkin/black and blue. With this setup, I can flip/pitch mid-depth or even deep in any water color, except super muddy, and be productive."

Matt Lee, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Guntersville, Ala. His tackle choice: A 7-foot medium-action Quantum PT Smoke spinning rod, with a Quantum Smoke Speed Freak 25 series spinning reel, spooled with 10-pound braid and 8-pound fluorocarbon leader. His reasoning: "I use this setup for dropshotting, and I love the braid because I don't get line twist and tangles. Also, you can use high-vis line, so you can see it well, and the fluorocarbon leader keeps you from spooking fish. I can catch everything on this setup--smallies, largemouth and spots in 3 to 35 feet of water."

Ish Monroe, a Bassmaster Elite Sereies pro from Hughson, Calif. His tackle choice: A 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy Daiwa Tatula rod, with a 6.3:1 Daiwa Tatula CT reel, spooled with 12-pound Maxima monofilament, and a River2Sea Bling spinnerbait. His reasoning: "The spinnerbait is the most versatile bait out there. You can buzz it like a topwater, you can fish it in the mid-range, and you can slow-roll it on the bottom like you would a jig. It's going to catch fish in all those scenarios. It imitates shad, it imitates bluegill, and it imitates baitfish of any sort. You can fish it in dirty water, clear water, muddy water, stained water, and tannic water. That rod, reel, line, and bait combo is what I want to fish anywhere, anytime. The line complements the rod, but it also complements the bait. Twelve-pound test Maxima monofilament is heavy enough to catch fish on top, light enough to fish it on the bottom, and it's also effective for fishing the mid-range. If you get a medium-action rod, it can be too light for throwing worms and jigs. If you decided to go too heavy, you could throw crankbaits and spinnerbaits with it. But a medium-heavy rod would cover all the bases."

Aw, Just Forget About That Fish You Lost!

That's the way some folks think...even including some of the best. "After all, everybody loses a few" is their mentality. However, that's not the way Texas bass pro Keith Combs sees this topic.

"I think that's a mistake," said Combs. "Nearly every fish you lose can teach you something. Certainly, sometimes you won't be able to figure out why you lost a particular fish, but you'll be surprised at how often you can fix the problem.

"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 that mental checklist can be a useful process, and by employing it over the past five years, I've really cut down on the number of fish that I lose. Of course, I still lose some, but usually I'm able to correct the mistake and minimize the losses."

During a big bass tournament on Sam Rayburn, Combs was fishing a chartreuse and blue 6XD and dodged a bullet several times, barely landing fish that were poorly hooked. Later in the day, he lost one of more than 8 pounds, and his initial feeling was that it was going to cost him a big paycheck. Luckily, though, he still managed to win, but the losses ate at him.

Two days later, he went out there with the same crankbait in a shad pattern, and they were "absolutely choking it." Basking in the glow of his win, it would've been easy to dismiss the losses by saying, "That's just fishing," but by analyzing and correcting his mistake, he put together another piece of the puzzle, which he felt would help him down the line.

Said Combs, "I wish I had had this attitude early in my career, particularly when it came to rod selection. Matching your rod to your bait is such a big deal. The same rod that you use to take up a lot of slack at the end of a cast with a single-hooked lure is usually entirely wrong for making a long cast with a crankbait, but I didn't fully understand how those subtleties affected my effectiveness. It wasn't until a friend and I went out to test some new rods, flipping deep hydrilla in 15 to 18 feet of water, that I realized that fact.

"We thought we had the right rod, but at one point, it became evident that something was wrong, because we lost about 10 fish in a row," explained Combs. "Then 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 I've learned about the importance of rod action and power, all of my time guiding on Falcon taught me a lot about selecting the right hook for a particular application. I spent a lot of time cranking there, and I learned that, while there are a lot of sharp trebles, there aren't a lot of strong ones. Those big fish would jump, the bait would rattle back and forth, and they'd send it flying back at me with a straightened hook. When I figured out the right hook for each bait, those losses went way down. It was no longer a matter of 'losing a few as part of the game.'"

Combs learned yet another lesson when the vibrating jig craze first started. 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 because he was losing a ton of fish, and simply didn't have the confidence to use it on a tournament day.

"I could've chalked it up to being the nature of the bait," he said, "but another very talented angler discussed it with me and said 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 was literally 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. I earned four or five top 10s on it afterward, and I no longer worried about losing fish.

"The bottom line is that it's unproductive to settle for 'losing just a few,'" continued Combs. "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."

Today's Contest Was Anything But a Runaway Event...

I say that because only 2.5 pounds separated the total weight between first and fifth place among those 22 anglers in 14 boats who participated in the competition. These anglers accounted for 49 bass coming across the scales, with a combined total weight of 104.69 pounds and an average weight per fish of 2.13 pounds.

Here are those folks who took home a little extra cash in their pockets at the end of the day:

Leading the pack was the solo angler Mark Ingram (left), who weighed a five-fish limit of 14.65 pounds, anchored by a 5.03-pound bass. He also won the bigger of two side pots. Presenting his checks here is the tournament director, Wayne Hayes (right).

Claiming the 2nd place prize was the team of (from left) Richard Hall and David Dozier, who weighed a five-fish limit of 13.27 pounds. In addition to taking 2nd place, they also won the smaller of two side pots. They didn't weigh a big fish.

Finishing in 3rd place was the solo angler Bobby Moore (left), who weighed a five-fish limit of 13.13 pounds. His big fish weighed 4.41 pounds.

Winning big-fish honors today was the team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers, with a fish that tipped the scales at 6.07 pounds. Their total weight for a limit of five fish was 12.15 pounds.

Here is the finishing order for the remainder of the field:

The team of Craig Jones and Rob Chatham had a five-fish limit of 12.38 pounds. They didn't weigh a big fish.

The husband-wife team of Andy and Diana Morath had a five-fish limit weighing 10.19 pounds. Their big fish weighed 4.5 pounds.

The team of Dave Anderson (left) and Gary Coderre had a five-fish limit weighing 8.81 pounds, but they didn't have a big fish. Dave also was the recipient of a plaque, noting that he is the latest recipient of a welcome to the "I survived my North Landing plunge" club, which he earned during our last tournament by virtue of falling overboard during weigh-in.

The team of Wayne Hayes and Ken Testorff had a five-fish limit weighing 7.51 pounds. They didn't weigh a big fish.

The team of Jim Crist and Eric Killian had a five-fish limit weighing 7.17 pounds. They didn't weigh a big fish.

The team of Jim Leavis and Chris Vitovich had four fish weighing 5.43 pounds. They didn't weigh a big fish.

Solo anglers Gabe Himmelwright, Bob Clarkson, Chris Fretard, and James Brandy didn't weigh any fish.

Five more anglers qualified today for participation in our season-ending Classic tournament in October. They included Rob Chatham, Craig Jones, Don Carter, Bob Clarkson, and Chris Fretard.

Congratulations to all the winners in today's competition, and thanks to everyone who showed up to participate.

For planning purposes, our next tournament is scheduled for a week from today, on Saturday, Aug. 24. For the benefit of all our regulars, be watching your email later this week for details. Everyone else should keep an eye on my blog for an announcement.

FYI Re: Tomorrow's Dewey's Tournament

Tournament Director Wayne Hayes has confirmed that all details as published in my original blog post dated 8/13/2024 are still valid. In other words, grab your sticks and c'mon down to West Neck Marina in the morning!

Score 1 for the Woman and 0 for the Game Warden

One morning, a husband returns to the cabin after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.

Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out, since it is such a beautiful day. She motors out a short distance, anchors and starts reading her book

Along comes a game warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, "Good morning, Ma'am, what are you doing?"

"Reading a book," she replies, thinking, "Isn't it obvious?"

"You're in a restricted fishing area," he informs her.

"I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing; I'm reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment. I'll have to write you up a ticket."

"For reading a book?" she inquires.

"You're in a restricted fishing area," he again informs her.

"But officer, I'm not fishing...I'm reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know, you could start at any moment. I'll have to write you up a ticket, and you'll have to pay a fine."

"If you do that," says the woman, "I'll have to charge you with sexual assault."

"But I haven't even touched you," says the game warden.

"That's true, but you have all the equipment," she says. "For all I know, you could start at any moment."

"Have a nice day, ma'am," says the game warden, as he immediately departs.

Moral: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she also can think.

Sure, God created man before woman, but then, you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece!!!

Many thanks, Jimmy. A good read!

Don't Let Bad Habits Get in the Way of Your Angling Success

There are lots of bad habits anglers can fall into, which can affect your effectiveness on the water. Saw an article the other day, listing some of them, and decided I would share that list here for the benefit of all.

As the anonymous author pointed out, you first have to identify any bad habits before you can avoid or break them.

Fishing the Same Spot. With life being extremely busy for most folks, it's easy to find one nearby spot, and then fish only there.

It's quick to get to, you know it in and out, and last but certainly not least, you're far less likely to get skunked during your precious little time to fish.

This bad habit greatly limits you to one experience. You're not learning to deal with different conditions, bait-fish populations, water layouts, etc. You're going to the same place every time, and there's only so much you can learn from that.

Fishing the same lake or pond over and over is better than not fishing at all...understanding, of course, that convenience is necessary for the average angler. However, try to plan out trips to different spots every once in a while. When you get an extra day off and can afford to drive further, or maybe stop at a new little spot on the way home from work, try to take advantage of it.

Lucky Spot Syndrome. According to some, this probably is the most common bad habit that some people develop. You pull up to your regular spot, cast to the same stump you've hit a thousand times before, hoping to catch another massive bass like you did on your first-ever cast. Only, the fact of the matter is, there really is no "lucky spot," where you always can find a fish. Once or twice...even thrice...doesn't make that stump a "lucky spot." What usually happens is that you simply waste a lot of time trying to hit a jackpot that doesn't really exist.

Bass move around...they don't tend to rush back to the same spot where you just hooked 'em. The smart angler is one who doesn't fixate on any one spot too much.

Not Cycling Lures. If you find yourself getting skunked a lot, think about how often you're changing bass lures. If you start your trip tying on your favorite lure, then don't catch anything for 3 hours, it's likely not the fish, your position, or anything else besides YOU ruining your fishing trip.

Maybe you just have a sentimental attachment to a particular lure...or group of lures...like most do when they fish the same spot nonstop, or maybe you just hate taking a few seconds to tie on a new lure. Either way, a good rule of thumb is that you should tie on something else (when what you got ain't working) every 20 casts at most. If the fish love what you're doing, keep doing it...wear that lure out.

And, if/when you decide to change lures, don't just settle on something random. Pick through your tacklebox until you find new options that match the hatch, water conditions, and season, just like you would when picking your first lure.

Not Changing Your Retrieval Pattern. Everything from the previous tips applies. If you're using the same ol' retrieval pattern without any positive results, switch it up. If you're switching out your lure every 20 casts, try changing your retrieval every 5 to 10 casts. Sometimes, it's not the lure; it's just your presentation technique.

Buying Every Piece of Gear. There's just something about going through a tackle store that makes you want to buy everything. However, it's a massive waste of money. You'll never use 90 percent of it, and it's largely why people think fishing is expensive, when it's really a cheap hobby.

New lures, strange rod and reel designs, and more hit the market every day. Some of them are revolutionary, but most of them don't do anything that staples of the fishing world can't do, and a lot of them just flat out don't work well.

Rather than taking out a second mortgage and buying every little thing you see, in the hopes of getting an advantage, focus on the staples and building skills.

Fair-Weather Fishing. Many anglers only really fish in the late spring and summer. Once the temperature dips below 60 degrees, they put their gear up for months on end. You miss a ton of opportunities that way.

First, when you fish in colder weather, you mostly get the water to yourself. Since the bulk of anglers are home watching TV and wishing they could go fishing, you often can get a whole lake or pond to yourself. All of us know how special that can be.

Then, you have an opportunity to learn new things, such as how to change your tactics and lures to be more effective in winter. The experience itself is different because of the weather conditions. This is how you push yourself to the limit and become a better angler.

Finally, by the time the cold season comes, all those little bass from the spring spawn have had a lot of time to grow, and you're more likely to catch more substantial fish. It's a good time to set a new personal best.

Avoiding Cover. This includes such things as weeds, downed trees, submerged stumps, docks, boat ramps, etc. The point is this: Beginners tend to avoid truly committing to various forms of cover due to inconvenience. They might fish at boat ramps or docks, but the second they see foliage or a tree, they go elsewhere. Why? Because they don't want to snag their lures. Then, there's the amount of time it takes to deal with a snag. You often will waste a lot of time freeing a lure...time that you could be catching fish.

Unfortunately, when you avoid fishing in these complicated areas because of inconvenience, you miss out on the best opportunities. Bass love hanging out in these areas, and 9 times out of 10, that's where you'll find them.

Leaving Old Line on the Reel. Veterans and weekend warriors alike sometimes make this mistake. They get so involved in going fishing, they forget when they last spooled up their reels. Ignore this bad habit long enough and you'll eventually have a long, depressing story to tell your friends about how the big one got away.

Replace your line anytime it looks kinked, discolored, abraded, or otherwise worn.

A Sign of Good Ol' Yankee Ingenuity

Does me good to see things like this, especially after the

events of the last two days. Not gonna go into the specifics

here, but just suffice it to say, it's been first one thing after another...after another, all of which have put me in a mood 

where I have difficulty even standing myself.

In short, I just feel like I want to tell the whole world

to go f**k itself...but I know better.

I have my very good friend, Wayne, to thank

for providing this lift to my spirits.

It couldn't have come at a better time.

Instead of Wasting a Saturday, Grab Your Sticks and Come Join Us

There's another Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tournament this coming Saturday, Aug. 17, from first light (about 6 a.m.) to weigh-in at 2 p.m. Registration will be open from 4:30 to 5:30 a.m. The plan, as always, is to launch from West Neck Marina, but that depends entirely on what happens to the wind that drives the water level between now and then. If there's a change in launch site, I'll post an update on this blog site for the benefit of all first-time anglers. I encourage our regulars to check your email Friday, Aug. 16, about 5 p.m., for any changes in details. 

A Lake Where 100 Bass Per Day Is Possible...But There's a Problem

Most of the fish won't make the 14-inch minimum legal size limit. The body of water in question here is Lake Travis, a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas.

Travis suffered a drought for a few years. During that time, a lot of bushes grew up on the dry land. Then, heavy rains refilled most of the lake. And, today, there are lots of little bass interspersed with some really big ones.

As reported by KVD Outdoors, when you get that much new habitat in a body of water, it triggers incredible spawns, with lots of small bass that are eager to bite anything, and they will get to the lure before the bigger ones can react.

So what do you do? The most obvious answer is to use bigger baits, but that isn't the only solution. In the KVD Outdoors article published earlier this year, they tried a number of lures in practice and caught small bass on some larger lures. They also tried drop-shotting with the larger-than-normal Fat Baby Finesse, but even it wasn't attracting the bigger fish.

The lures with the most success was a 6XD crankbait, a Strike King 6 1/2-inch finesse worm with a nail weight in the nose (Neko rig), and a Rage Cutter Worm, also Neko rigged.

The lesson here is if the situation calls for finesse baits, up-size your plastic. Or, if you're jig fishing, use a much bigger trailer, like a large creature bait, instead of a frog or craw style. The key is to create a bigger profile. But when upsizing your baits, remember it's a risk/reward situation, especially if you're a tournament angler. It's just as important to catch keeper-size bass, too, so you have to show them a little of both.

Fishing location is another consideration. As explained in the KVD Outdoors article, Travis anglers keyed on those areas with deep water nearby. If the area offered extremely heavy cover, that made it better. Deep docks provided the best cover in most areas, but it could be bridge pilings, standing timber, stump rows, etc.

And finally, one of the biggest keys to drawing bigger fish in a lake dominated by small fish is the presentation. Using a standard presentation on Travis, an angler would hook a 12-incher and see 3 and 4 pounders following the bait.

Only after changing the speed of retrieve and making it more erratic could you get bigger fish to bite. Fishing the 6XD, for example, if you burned it as fast as possible, then stopped and snapped it a few times, then burned it again, you would have success.

Bigger fish also could be caught with a Sexy Dawg topwater by doing the same thing...speed up the pace, stop it for just a second, then speed it up again. Doing that multiple times on each cast, you would see the same thing when fishing the soft jerkbait Caffeine Shad. You simply had to impart some erratic action to finesse presentations to trigger bigger bites.

As advised in the KVD Outdoors article, when fishing waters that contain a lot of small fish, you can improve the quality of what you catch by fishing big-fish areas, upsizing when you can, and experimenting with different retrieves to trigger a stronger reaction from the bigger fish. It's all about the attitude!

Deer Hunting or Fall Bass Fishing: That's Mark Zona's Big Dilemma

Zona (left) admits that he's a hard-core hunter, but that fact creates a big problem for his other love: bass fishing. Why? Because at the same time he needs to be in the woods scouting, running trail cameras, and preparing properly for deer season, the fall big-fish bite is in full swing, too.

Said Zona, "I can't tell you how many days I've spent in a tree stand, asking myself what I'm doing there and why I'm not on the lake. So yeah, I'm a fall-fishing addict."

While never a fan of early fall fishing, when the fish are scattered in shallow, mid-depth and deep areas of the lake, and it's hard to get on a pattern, Zona thoroughly enjoys nights when the temperatures start dipping into the 30s and 40s, and fall fades quickly. 

"It's then those big bass get in their wintering holes and squat down with their friends," he said. "Some of my best fishing experiences have occurred when the water temperature dips below 50 degrees here in Michigan. The fish group up, feed heavily, and are less inclined to roam around.

"Wintering holes can differ from lake to lake," he continued. "Generally speaking, though, they are deeper areas, which offer a large forage base and quick access to shallow water."

Another key element Zona looks for in a prime wintering hole is the last of living plant life.

"If there is no grass, I look for rock, deep wood, brush piles, and anything else that attracts bait fish and bass," he explained. "To be honest, some of my best wintering holes were found by watching pan fishermen during the late season. On our lakes, bass like to live where the perch, bluegill and crappie school.

"Otherwise, I live behind the wheel of my Nitro. Graphing constantly is a terribly boring way to spend your day on the water, but my Humminbird graphs are my eyes. And that's not a sales pitch. I can find exactly what I'm looking for by staring at the graph for hours, as opposed to aimlessly casting. When I see cover, bait, and lots of big marks, I know I've hit the jackpot.

"A good wintering hole can hold a massive population of bass...not five or 10, but hundreds, because there no longer is a reason for them to be shallow."

Another fun fact about fishing this time of year, as noted by Zona, "is you don't have to rummage through your tacklebox to determine what they will bite. The lure selection is very small, ranging from a blade bait to a small swimbait or an old-school grub on a jighead. The fish don't have a big strike zone, and those baits stay in their wheelhouse longer.

"That doesn't mean it's always easy. You must remember that the really late fall-fishing window is small. Rarely do the fish feed the entire day. The windows of opportunity may last only 15 to 30 minutes, and no more than two or three times during a day. But, dude, when it happens, it's epic!"

If you find yourself sitting in a tree stand this fall, thinking about how nice fishing might be that day, "Remember there is a true gold mine to be found on your favorite bass lake," admonished Zona. "You just have to get out there and do it."

During my first read of this story, I was reminded of many instances during my younger days, when I'd venture out on the water in fall, looking for bass. Several times I would happen upon a hunter perched in a tree stand with a gun and thermos of coffee at his side, trying to stay warm, as he waited on an unsuspecting deer to wander within range. Can't tell you how many times they would say something to the effect: "I envy you today. Wish I had brought a rod along, 'cause I'd jump in the boat with you in a heartbeat."

"Our Fish Is Just Too Easy To Catch"

According to George Kramer (left), an award-winning writer from southern California, who spent 40 years writing about bass fishing, that's why we can't clearly separate our top performers from the rest of the crowd. In his words, "Anybody can catch 'em, and with some of our techniques (split-shotting comes to mind), it's even possible to catch bass while taking a nap."

In a piece of his that I found online this weekend, Kramer said, "The guys in the Pacific Northwest have a nasty little saying aimed at our fishing species: 'Any fish that will let you put your hand in its mouth... .' Open-ended as that saying is, it both hurts me and makes me smile.

"The reason is simple enough," continued Kramer. "Those salmonid guys hit the nail right on the head. Look at all the reasons we love those bass. They're plentiful...they're fat and want to be fatter...and they'll bite anything from frog-colored galoshes to peanut-butter-and-jelly-colored cigars. Crum, they're second only to bluegill in the number of bites per hour.

"Just think about all the things we can catch them on...and I don't mean Flying Squid and Whirlybird lures. The legitimate stuff like the pros use will fill lockers, whereas fly fishermen trying to catch river brown trout can stick all their stuff in an eyeglass case.

"I know there's a feeling out there that I'm against the 'average Joe--or even the 'above average Joe--but it's not so. I just have this misguided desire to have our sport seen in the same light as others in the American mainstream.

"I hate wearing my B.A.S.S. patch into town and hearing the muffled redneck references. Heck, I was born in Hollywood, and I even went to college just so I wouldn't have to listen to country-western music.

"Every spring, up and down the state, a host of first-timers floating balls of rainbow Power Bait on a 4-pound leader get double-digit giants. And every summer, somebody reeling in a strip of mackerel belly does almost the same thing. Only those guys have 40-pound mono and 5/0 hooks, and those fish don't get loose.

"Believe me, this perception is not lost on the angling public. Largemouth bass are thought to be such nimrods, the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame still recognizes Sandy DeFresco's Lake Miramar monster (the one with the 2 1/4-pound diver's belt weight in its stomach) as a line-class record. They subtracted the lead's weight since it wasn't natural, but they figured any fish dumb enough and mouthy enough to slurp down a diver's weight needs to be in the record books. And to think we used to worry about a fish spitting a quarter-ounce sliding sinker!

"We live in an angling culture that says nuance and refinement are supreme...and the lure makers love it. They're just like the U.S. Postal Service with its continuous string of new stamp issues. They crank 'em out because they know collectors will buy the dang things.

"The worm whompers do the same thing. They introduce new shapes and new colors every couple of months because they know we'll buy them...and hopefully we'll get ours sooner than anyone else in this weekend's tournament.

"And we're so gullible. We can't wait to grab up another bag of softies...and especially one with a cutesy name. So we climb on the local message board and say, 'I caught 'em on the #1296, salt pro taper, also known as Jimbo's Bimbo.' And, of course, the worm guy will look to sell me a second bag of #1297, known as Jimbo's Bimbo Fire."

Kramer went on to describe a conversation he had with an old friend and worm-maker, Rewji Suenaga of Bonzai worms. Like a lot of hand-pour specialists, he had about 60 colors in his line-up, with the Bonzai "nightcrawler" being the company's trademark color. But he also made all the standards, as well as all the imitations of standards.

He went straight to the point with Suenaga, asking, "Do you make any colors that don't work? Is there anything in the Bonzai line-up that won't catch a fish? I even pressed him to see if he knew if any of his competitors put out a worm color that didn't get bit. Of course, you know the answer.

"But what was I thinking? I went online with Bass Pro Shops and started counting plastic worms, grubs, tubes, cigars, lizards, slugs, skirt grubs...individual sizes and colors...and do you know how many there are?

"I ain't tellin' you. It took me all night to tally 'em up, but I'll give you this much. The copy next to each brand and model said this lure was 'one hot bass catcher'...which should come as no surprise. After all, a bass will hit anything."

Matte Colors Now Extending Their Reach Beyond Hard Baits

Thought I would share something I found in Jay Kumar's latest BassBlaster. He pointed out that matte colors have been around for a while in hard baits...like the Megabass Vision 110 and some big swimbaits. And as announced at the latest ICAST, Rebel soon will be coming out with a line of matte baits, too.

Until last year, though, the idea of a line of matte-colored soft plastics hadn't been very popular. That all changed when Great Lakes Finesse (GLF) burst onto the scene with 100 percent of their inventory in matte colors (see examples at left), including their jig heads.

As GLF main man, Dan Miguel, noted, "We used to rub all of our soft baits on the carpet of our boats and sand the shine off our hard baits before every tournament. I truly believe doing that made me more money in tournament fishing than anything else. Matte finish is a much more natural look.

"As anglers, we sometimes think what these fish feed on...baitfish or whatever...is shiny when we pull them out of the water, because they are wet and the sun is hitting that wet surface. But the reality is almost everything these fish target and eat has no shine or glare underwater. If everything bass ate was shiny, the bait never could hide.

"We shouldn't be trying to make our baits scream 'look at me,' because that's not what happens in nature. Fish in nature always are hunting bait that is trying to blend in and hide.

"If you're trying to trigger a reaction bite, shine is OK. But for big, smart, pressured fish, they need to feel like they found the bait, and that natural matte finish allows the bait to blend into the underwater surroundings, making it look more real.

"This, I believe, is key to fooling those bigger, more-educated fish. This applies to any kind of fishing really...not just smallmouth."

Said Kumar, "Guess that would help explain why green pumpkin is such a great color. I mean, it looks like crayfish, bluegill, baitfish, and...grass. But it might not explain things like pink and chartreuse colors, and maybe blades fishing. Ain't doubting Dan at all...just pointin' out stuff."

Kumar went on to also note that the new Big Bite Baits Nekorama worm (right), designed by Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour phenom Drew Gill, comes in 12 colors...all of them matte. In pressure situations like tournaments, he believes you get more bites with something more subtle...aka matte.

And speaking of Big Bite, you might be interested to know they introduced a stealth color series (left) at the latest ICAST show.

Colors in this series are pinkasagi, ice out, purple shimmer, chartreuse purple, and blue glimmer. They're available in the 3.3 and 3.8 Pro Swimmer, as well as the 4- and 5-inch Jerk Minnow.

As Jennifer at Big Bite Baits told Kumar, "These baits are made completely of transparent plastic, where the only coloring at all comes from small amounts of glitter. This results in the fish not being able to get a good look at the baits."

Heat-Related Injuries Not To Be Taken Lightly

Read a story the other day by James Hall (left), editor-in-chief of Bassmaster magazine. It was from the June 2017 issue and centered on a topic that always is very much on my mind each summer any more: heat-related injuries. Didn't think much about these back when I was a young man, but as I've aged, I have come to realize that I'm no longer...in actuality, never was..."bulletproof," so to speak. As a result, I pay close attention to how I feel anytime I'm out on the water this time of year, especially if I'm flying solo. I always know whom to call if or when I need help.

That being the case, I'm going to replay the story I mentioned above, because it involves a real-life situation, which Hall once found himself in while doing a segment for a kayak video series on Bassmaster, along with Thomas Allen, who, at the time, was senior editor of that publication. They were a week behind on production of these videos and decided to head to nearby Logan Martin Lake to knock out a couple, including a dock-skipping installment.

Said Hall, "We identified some good-looking docks in a pocket near the dam, but there was nowhere to launch the yaks from that side of the lake. So, we launched from the opposite bank and paddled our Hobies across the lake, which stretched about a mile.

"It was a pretty warm day for mid-April, as the afternoon temperature had reached 80 degrees," he continued. "Some would call that lovely. Allen, however, called it 'Africa hot,' if I remember correctly. He does have a fairly thick layer of internal insulation, so I typically add 10 degrees to the actual temperature to create the Allen Thermostat. Plus, for some reason, he was wearing two long-sleeved fishing shirts this particular day.

"Once we reached the creek lined with docks, we started fishing and filming. We couldn't have been more than an hour into casting when I heard Thomas screaming...and yes, it was a scream, not a yell. The senior editor employed a pitch in his voice usually reserved for girls under the age of 10, and then only when the aforementioned children were confronted by a snake, spider or surprise birthday party. Why the high-pitched call for distress? I had no idea but decided I'd better investigate.

"I immediately peddled to his side, preparing for the sight of blood, but there was none...nor was he impaled. So what's wrong? I asked."

"Dude, I seriously can't bend my leg! I'm in real trouble," said Allen.

At this point, Hall noticed an immense amount of sweat pouring down his friend's face. His skin was beet red, too.

"I knew he hadn't brought any water with him," said Hall, "and I couldn't remember his drinking anything on the drive down."

At this juncture, Hall paused his story long enough to note that heat-related injuries are no laughing matter. Heat cramps are the mildest form of overheating and most often occur in the legs. Next up is heat exhaustion, which can be identified by headache, nausea, dizziness, and heavy sweating and must be immediately treated with the intake of fluid and salt. If fluid is not consumed, the issue can progress to heat stroke, which can lead to death. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, heat is the leading weather-related killer in the U.S., as more than 9,000 people died between 1979 and 2014, as a direct result of overexposure to heat.

Anglers, who certainly spend their fair share of time sweating the dog days while casting for bass, need to take precautions in order to survive the hottest days of the year. Drink plenty of water throughout your fishing excursion, and make sure your salt intake is significant (sports drinks take care of both these items). Wear breathable clothing, and if any of the above-mentioned symptoms appear, stop what you're doing immediately and head to a cool environment to rehydrate.

"Allen and I did exactly that," said Hall. "We tied his kayak to mine, and I peddled us back to the ramp. The videos could be shot another day. There is no fish worth risking the elevation of a heat-related injury. If you are fishing alone, call someone to let them know where you are, and describe your symptoms. If you are fishing with a partner, let him/her know, as well."