It's Unanimous...

If there's one thing everybody seems to be able to agree on right now, it's that they have a bad case of cabin fever. I'm hearing it from all my fishin' buddies, and I just today also heard it from my brother--a golfing nut who lives back in Kansas and has been shoveling snow off and on for several days.

Their temps in that part of the country haven't climbed above freezing for two weeks in a row, so most of the 9 inches of that white stuff they received nearly a week ago still is hanging around, adding to their frustration level. Only the good Lord knows when my brother will be able to get out and take a whack at a golf ball again. If I was a bettin' man, I'd have to wager that I'll find a thawed stream on which to vent my frustrations long before he gets a chance to tee up on any of the local golf courses. I have no doubts he's already "teed off," what with all that snow staring at him every morning when he rolls out of the sack.

I certainly still remember what that kind of setting was like for me when I spent almost 18 months in Adak, Alaska. You get sick of it in a hurry.

I was checking some of the local bass clubs' tournament schedules this morning and noticed that a few are planning to kick off their 2014 season this month, so I reckon those anglers will see their cabin fever come to an end real soon. Everyone else won't be far behind because most of the other schedules I looked at showed a March starting date.

And, of course, some fisherpersons have been getting out a bit all winter--enough, at least, to keep their fever in check. I've managed four trips thus far and am hoping to make another one either later this week or sometime next week if all the factors involved align right.

To all those of you who again need to feel that tug on the other end of your fishing line, I urge you to keep the faith. Better days simply have to lie ahead--that's all there is to it. I look forward to seeing all of you on the water for another season.

Save the Real Deal--Go for the Cheap Look-Alikes

A few days ago, I was talking about my hesitation to throw these high-dollar Sebile Magic Swimmer swimbaits (pictured at right) in the North Landing River, but that was before I had a discussion with my friend, Charlie, who shared an alternative with me. He simply suggested that I look around on the Internet for some unpainted look-alikes.

I followed his advice and found a seller on eBay offering lots of 10 look-alikes for only $10, and that's with free shipping. I'm no mathematics whiz, but it doesn't take a whiz to figure out that's a good deal.

I subsequently ordered a lot of 10 look-alikes (as seen in the photo at left). It took some digging to find these, and they may not work quite as well as the "real deal" in the photo above, but there's one big advantage. "You don't feel bad about losing one or two of these lures on the bottom in the water we fish," to use Charlie's words. You just retie and keep on casting.

The only piece of business left to this story is getting a few of the blanks painted up for the acid test, but I have that issue covered.

Will these bargain baits catch any fish? I'll have to get back to you on that score after I have a chance to use them this spring and summer--surely this nasty weather will be gone by then.

When You Don't Get Many Color Choices

Most of the time, I have no problem finding enough different colors in any given line of lures to satisfy my tastes. When I don't, especially if it involves a proven fish-catching bait, I find it a little frustrating.

One bait that falls in the latter category is the Strike King 1XS (see photo at top right). Having followed my friend Charlie's advice and "played in my tacklebox" for the past several days, I became acutely aware that I didn't have enough color options for this particular crankbait. As it worked out, I had extras of this Tennessee Shad color.

I also had extras of this Sexy Shad color. "But what to do... what to do?" was the question I kept asking myself. In little to no time, the answer came to me: repaint my extras. Unlike some of my friends, though, who are painting their own lures these days, I lack the know-how to perform such tasks.

As if I needed any further convincing of my ineptitude when it comes to mechanical skills, I today tried to epoxy a planter back together for my wife. Two of the three pieces fell into place acceptably, but the third piece looks like something a third-grader may have assembled. I'm just fortunate that my wife understands my shortcomings in such areas and didn't throw the planter at me.

Getting back to the business at hand, I soon put together an order for getting my extra 1XS crankbaits repainted. Here are the colors I settled on:

                                                                 Blue Tiger

Black Back Red

                                           Purple and Chartreuse

H-37

                                                  Shimmering Shad

Red Orange Craw



Half of these are "confidence" colors. The others represent what I'll call "test cases." Most importantly, all of them are colors you won't find among Strike King 1XS crankbaits in catalogs or on store shelves. In short, they'll be giving fish their first look at this bait in these colors, which may or may not provide some sort of edge, even if it's only an imaginary one.

Only 2 More Big-Bass Tourneys Left This Season

That's the word from tourney director John Goodman, after telling me in an email that only three anglers in two boats showed up at Bob's Fishing Hole this morning for event No. 11.

The winner of today's contest was Brian Skeens (pictured in the foreground, right), who brought a bass to the scales weighing 2 lbs. even. His competitors in the other boat were Jim Sumrell and Cathy Brandt, who developed motor troubles and ended up having to hitch a tow with Brian. They didn't have a fish to weigh.

Both of the remaining Goody's Big Bass contests are slated for Bob's Fishing Hole. Event No. 12 is scheduled to take place Sunday, Feb. 23, and event No. 13 is slated for Sunday, March 2. Both tournaments will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The angler currently poised to walk away with all the cash in the End-of-Year Pot from this series is Mark Ingram. Back in the tournament held Dec. 22, Mark weighed in a bass that tipped the scales at 4.04 lbs.

If you have any questions, call John Goodman at 427-0659, or email him at johngoodman3@cox.net.

Our 2014 Tourney Season Is Set

Here is our tournament schedule. Please note that all start times are just estimates. Our tournaments routinely start at safe light.

March 22 (0700-1500)                                       July 12 (0600-1400)
                                                                                   26 (0600-1400)
April 5 (0630-1430)
       19 (0630-1430)                                           August 9 (0600-1400)
       26 (0630-1430)                                                      23 (0600-1400)

May 3 (0600-1400)                                             September 6 (0630-1430)
      17 (0600-1400)                                                              13 (0630-1430)
                                                                                             27 (0630-1430)
June 7 (0600-1400)
       14 (0600-1400)                                             October 18 (0700-1500)
       28 (0600-1400)                                                           19 (0700-1500)

Unlike previous years, there will not be a cookout this year following Day 2 of our Oct. 18-19 season-ending Classic contest. Please understand that you must compete in at least four of our regular tournaments to qualify for the Classic.

If anyone is interested in joining us for any or all of this year's events and would like to receive an electronic copy of our Tournament Rules & Regulations, just drop me an email (kenneth34@cox.net).

Lure Colors Sometimes Can Be Fickle

Evidently, the "river perch" Slug-Go is out of production,
because I can't find it on the Internet. This "mahi mahi" color,
however, is similar.

At least that's my take on the situation. For example, I remember one year back in the '80s or '90s when a Slug-Go in "river perch" color was introduced. It was a chartreuse and blue concoction, as I recall. Anyway, I bought a package of them just to find out if they'd catch any fish, and I'm here to tell you that after just a couple of trips, I hit every store in town, buying up every package of 'em I could find.

I seemingly had the corner on the market until one evening when an old fishin' buddy stumbled across me as I was snatching the last of several packages off the peg at a local store. Naturally, being one of those inquisitive types, he wanted to know why I had such a keen interest in that particular color. I could have lied--you know, like maybe telling him I was buying them for a friend from out of town--but my conscience wouldn't allow me to do that.

Instead, I just told him the truth. I also let him have one of the packages I had in my hand basket, and for the rest of that year, I ran into the same friend nearly every time I visited one of the local tackle stores, or took a day off and went fishing. He was like a bad shadow--I couldn't shake him. In the meantime, we were doing one bang-up job of keeping those river perch Slug-Go's between the two of us; we also both were catching a bunch of fish every time we hit the water with them.

At season's end, we both squirreled away our stashes, confident that we finally had found the secret to catching bass almost at will--I'm here to tell you the fishing was just that good with these baits. We were certain that, come spring, we'd pick up right where we had left off.

You can imagine our joint disappointment when spring finally arrived, and we brought our stashes out of hiding, only to see what had been a winner turn into a dud. It was as though the fish were thumbing their noses at those river perch Slug-Go's. I'm not sure what my buddy ever did with all the ones he had. However, I ended up giving away a lot of mine.

I've experienced similar results with other colors over the years, too, but I never repeated the mistake I made of buying every one in town.

The one color that has remained a steady producer for me over the years is firetiger. Very few trips to the water pass without my tying on at least one lure in this color. My overall philosophy, though, for choosing lure colors for a day's fishing always has been and probably always will be: "bright colors on bright days, dark colors on dark days."

Here are the links to a couple other viewpoints about color selection that I found on the Internet:

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/Choosing_Colors_selection.html

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/Outdoors/Subject/SubjectRead.aspx?sid=14&aid=175345&type=T

These are the links to a couple videos on the same subject matter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGjKcFcaT2NM

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/choose-lure-colors.html

If none of these suggestions work, you always have the option of turning your tacklebox upside down and trying everything. I've never quite gone that far, but there have been lots of days when the area around my pedestal seat looked like a war zone at the end of a day.

Problem Solved

Back in my Jan. 21 blog post titled "A Little Bass-Bait Sticker Shock," I expressed concern that, if my wife outlives me, she might let all my fishing tackle go for a small fraction of what I paid for it. Well, after reading the morning newspaper today, I now have a solution for that dilemma.

On page 2 of the national section, there's a story about a guy being buried in a see-through case atop his motorcycle. Just think about it for a moment: They could sit me in the driver's seat of my bass boat--or maybe perch me on the front pedestal seat, with my foot resting on the trolling-motor pedal--I'd have to think about that option a while before I could decide. Then they could enclose everything in a plastic case, with my rods tied down on deck and all my lures hung neatly around the inside perimeter of the case. What better last wish could a guy possibly ever have? And I'd be in total control of all my tackle forever and ever.

Sure, it would require a bigger-than-usual cemetery plot, and it might take more than one embalmer (it took five to make sure the guy on the motorcycle stayed upright), but that doesn't seem like such a big price to pay for honoring someone's final wishes.

Granted, I'm only being facetious here, but I have to admit that, if I had unlimited resources, I very well might entertain such a plan on a serious scale. I certainly can think of a lot worse ways to leave this earthly life.

I Doubt Any of Us Asked for It, But...

Conditions like what you see in this photo (courtesy of Charlie Bruggemann) seemingly are becoming the norm around here this winter. And if the weather forecast I saw a bit earlier proves to be true, I think that a lot of you eventually will agree with me--if you don't already.

In case I haven't made it abundantly clear at some point in the past, let me assure you that I hate this kind of weather with a passion. As if it wasn't bad enough growing up with doses of this miserable stuff in those Kansas winters, the Navy saw fit to station me in Adak, Alaska, for about a year and a half. Anytime I hear someone talking about how nice snow is, I have to bite my tongue and/or just walk away.

That being said, I thought perhaps an article about icy boat ramps might be in order, because there's always someone intent on fishing or hunting, regardless of what the weather conditions are like. One case I read about involved a couple of guys who got a late start one winter morning, and by the time they arrived at the ramp, it was covered by a coating of ice from the other boats that had launched ahead of them. Before the guy behind the wheel of the tow vehicle even could get lined up right, its tires lost traction on the slick ramp. All he could do was watch helplessly as the vehicle began a slow-motion, out-of-control slide, which ended with the vehicle hitting the dock, then jackknifing. Fortunately, the vehicle had 4-wheel drive, and the fella was able to pull the rig out of this predicament but not without damage to the boat, trailer and tow vehicle.

So how do you combat conditions like this? According to some veterans of notoriously harsh climates, they carry a bag of salt around with them to launch sites during the winter. They first walk down the ramp to see if it's slick, and if it is, they throw down some of the salt before launching. Others routinely carry a little sand or tire chains with them in winter, and still others don't leave home without a shovel, pry bar, and maybe even a sledgehammer in their vehicle. One other solution that often comes in handy is a tow strap or long rope, so that, if necessary, someone else can hook up and pull you off a slick ramp.

The considerate thing for everyone to do this time of year is to pull off the ramp very slowly after launching, so that water from your trailer doesn't drip all over the ramp and create hazardous conditions in the first place. As anyone who spends much time around launch ramps knows, though, there are a number of people who seemingly don't care how much they inconvenience others. Their only concern is themselves.

Ice - 1, Anglers - 0

It was 27 degrees this morning when two boats and three anglers showed up to fish another Goody's Big Bass Tournament at Bob's Fishing Hole. All were in good spirits, even though the river was socked in with an inch or more of ice everywhere you looked.

Both boats managed to launch but not without some difficulty. For the next few hours, they made the best of a very confined area of "fishbable" water--all to no avail, though. No one brought a fish to the scales at the 2 o'clock weigh-in.

John thanks the participants who showed up and James for helping out today. He also urges everyone to mark Saturday, Feb. 8, on their calendars. That's the date of the next scheduled tournament in this series at Bob's.

In the meantime, you might just want to follow Charlie's advice on his latest blog post and "play with your tacklebox."

Charlie made a trip around Pungo today, checking on launch sites. "I was really discouraged at the results," he said in a follow-up email to me. "The ice is really bad everywhere," as evidenced in the photos he posted. To see them for yourself, here's the link to his blog: http://vbfishguide.blogspot.com/. Charlie's closing advice in his email was, "Pray for sun." From the looks of his photos, it's going to take a whole lot of praying.

Old-Timers Bass Fishing Rodeo Reminder

Three weeks ago, I sent out word that I was trying to organize one of these events for Senior Citizens Day, Aug. 21, 2014. I didn't expect a groundswell of responses, but I did figure there might be more than the half dozen I've received so far.

I realize it could be that folks simply don't want to commit to something so far away yet, but that's not going to stop me from posting periodical reminders on my blog about the rodeo. As I explained in the original Jan. 3rd post, here's what I envision for the event:

     * It's open to everyone age 60 or over, or who will turn 60 no later than Aug. 21.
     * The designated site is West Neck Marina.
     * Planned fishing hours are 6 a.m. to 12 noon.
     * Costs would include a $10-per-person entry fee (with 100 percent payout), optional $5-per-person big-bass pot, and $5-per-boat ramp fee.
     * Participants would be permitted to fish solo or no more than two-per-boat.
     * Weigh-in would be limited to three fish per boat (the reduced number is based on consideration of the usual temps this time of year).
     * And, of course, we all could sit around and swap fish stories over a BBQ sandwich afterward, if everyone so desired.

West Neck manager, Steve Winfree, already has given me the green light for this event. If you think you might be interested in participating, please email me (kenneth34@cox.net) and let me know. I'll keep a list of names and let everyone know how things are progressing.

What Does It Take to Win a Tournament?

In 2010, an angler who wanted to walk away with the 1st-place prize money from one of our tourneys needed a sack of fish weighing an average of 10.84 lbs. That same angler needed a bag weighing an average 11.23 lbs. then in 2011, and by 2012, the required average had increased to 13.17 lbs. For the 2013 season, the average winning 1st-place weight had bumped up to 13.94 lbs.

I felt those numbers were solid, but I wanted to find something with which to compare them, so I turned to the Internet. The first report I found was from the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks in Jackson, MS, for the year 2012. It included data gleaned from 236 tournament reports involving 35 different lakes around the state, including the likes of Lake Ferguson, Pickwick, Bay Springs, and Ross Barnett Reservoir. The average statewide weight needed to win 1st place in a 2012 tournament there was 13.91 lbs.--just 0.74 lbs. more than our 2012 average weight.

The second report I found was from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in Frankfort, KY, also for the year 2012. It reflected information obtained from 233 black-bass tournaments around the state involving 27 different bodies of water, including 15 large reservoirs (greater than 1,000 acres), 8 smaller lakes (less than 1,000 acres), and the Ohio, Kentucky, Cumberland, and Tennessee River systems. The average statewide weight required there to take 1st place in a 2012 tournament was 14.52 lbs.--1.35 lbs. more than our 2012 figure.

We finally broke the 20-lb. barrier in 2013, when Mike Evans (left) and Jeff Garnes (right) weighed in this limit on April 23. The 5 fish pictured here tipped the scales at 20.47 lbs., anchored by the 5.70-lb. bass in Mike's left hand.

What I would like to see in 2014 is someone finally breaking the 8-lb. barrier for big fish in one of our tournaments. An angler occasionally brings one of those citation-sized fish to the scales but never in a tournament. My records show that none of the big-bass winners in previous years ever have broken even the 7-lb. mark, but some have gotten close. That's the reason I look forward to seeing the 8-lb. threshold broken.

Here's hoping 2014 gives all of us something to smile about as we launch a new Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series. I hope to see all the old faces, as well as some new ones.

A Little Bass-Bait Sticker Shock

I was talking to my friend John Goodman the other day when he asked, "Why don't you do a blog article about the ridiculous prices we pay for bass lures nowadays?" Little did I know the kind of sticker shock that would be revealed in my research.

I have to admit, however, that I wasn't completely in the dark when I started this venture. For example, I still cringe a little when I think about the price I paid a few years ago for the Deps Buzzjet Jr. topwater baits you see in this first photograph. They retailed for $25 a pop at the time--still did, too, the last time I checked. And consider that the ones you see in this photograph are just a "sampling" of the total number I ended up paying this much for until I found Richard Praeger, who custom paints knockoff models for about half the regular price.

While my lunacy still was running rampant, I also invested in the assortment of Sebile Magic Swimmer swimbaits that you see in this photo. If my recollection serves me correctly, they were priced at about $17 apiece when I took the plunge. You don't have to look very closely to figure out that these particular baits have seen very limited service. Why? Because I'm scared to death to use them in the kind of water we fish around here.

I don't hesitate to throw the tad more expensive BJ Jrs.. After all, they float. But these swimbaits sink, and I figure with my luck, it just would be a matter of time before I'd leave one or more of them hung in some kind of trash on the bottom. There's an area down in Albright's Creek that I'd love to throw these swimbaits in, one in which I've nailed some nice fish over the years, but my fear exceeds my desire to use them. Maybe one of these days, I can conquer that fear--I certainly hope so. The baits always are in one of my tackleboxes on board the boat, just in case I ever decide "this is the day."

Imagine my surprise, though, when I learned that the prices I paid for these lures come in at the low end of the spectrum, compared to what some other anglers are willing to spend for baits. Anyone, for example, who buys a CL8 Bait Possum Wake Bait will have to fork over about $58 for each one of the 6-inch, 4.5-oz. versions that he buys. And if he wants the 8-inch, 7.5-oz. model, the price tag jumps to nearly $79 apiece.

Then there's the 3:16 Lure Co. Wake Jr. wake bait that retails for almost $120 each. This lure measures 7.5 inches and weighs 3.1 ozs.

If those prices don't have you talking to yourself, I found one more that maybe will. How would you like to spend $410 for a Roman Made Mother swimbait? You heard me right--$410 for just one of these Japanese jewels. The bait is 12 inches long and weighs 10.5 ozs. Here's a little piece of motivation that'll perhaps make you run right out and buy a whole bunch of these lures: Manuba Kurita, the Japanese angler who landed the world-record largemouth in July 2009, regularly fishes this swimbait.

Let's face it: The great majority of anglers never would drop the kind of coins it would take to buy these high-dollar toys. After all, the lures don't make the fisherman. I know several guys who clean house at local tournaments on a regular basis, and I'll bet you none of them are throwing baits like the ones described in this article.

I'll readily admit I like throwing certain colors in my Buzzjet Jr. lineup. Several of them have produced regularly for me, and in some cases, nice fish, but I'd be hard-pressed to make a case for the quantity and/or quality justifying the price I paid for them. What bothers me most about this situation is knowing that, if my wife outlives me, somebody undoubtedly is going to get all these lures--for that matter, all my tackle period--for only a very small fraction of what I paid for it. I've had recurring nightmares over this matter for a long time now... if you know what I mean.

Wind and Muddy Water in Abundance

Unfortunately, that's about the only things that were plentiful today, and as it turns out, everyone else I've communicated with tells pretty much the same story. Rob and his friend ended up without anything to show for their efforts, and Charlie said he finished the day with one 20-inch striper that, as I recall, he caught in the first 15 or so minutes this morning--then nothing.

Just when I was beginning to think my efforts were all going to be in vain, I tied on this Mann's Baby 1-Minus. And after only a handful of casts, I saw a slight swirl in the water and felt that mushy sensation, telling me that I had hooked a fish. I quickly realized it was a small bass: a 10-incher, to be exact.

That one fish, which I didn't boat until 1:30, proved to be my lone tally for the day. That's OK, though, because it saved me from recording my first skunk of the year. Given the conditions everyone faced today, that was my only goal as I backed away from the ramp this morning and headed out into West Neck Creek.

 

Like all my fish last Wednesday, this dink came from a cove, where the water looked a tad better than what I found in the main creek.

I'd be less than honest if I didn't say I was a little disappointed that I couldn't find anything interested in the Mylar Minnow or the Strike King 1XS that both worked for me last Wednesday. I likewise didn't have any hits on the Senko worm that I tossed for a while today.

With the long-range forecast I saw this evening, it's hard to tell when I'll get out again. It'll take some 50-plus temps to draw me out, and you can take that to the bank.

As of 1/21/2014: Not that I was feeling bad about the scarcity of yesterday's catch to start with, but I checked Bob's Fishing Hole website for the results of their 7-hour tourney yesterday and learned that the 1st-place winners only brought two fish to the scales, with a total weight of 4.25 lbs. So the bottom line here is this: No one needs to feel bad about the lack of catching yesterday. It looks like we all were in the same boat. "Better luck next time" would seem to be an appropriate remark.