For Week Ending Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020

Thursday, Oct. 22 (from Ken)...Given the nice weather, decided to spend a day on the water. Only caught three small bass and a pickerel--all on a crankbait. Tried some topwater, a jerkbait, and a chatterbait, without so much as a pass. For a change, didn't see a single hunter today. Did run into Dave, though, and learned that he had had a pretty good day on a variety of baits in several different places. I'll be happier when the water cools down into the 40s and 50s, which should bring on a jerkbait bite. The water I saw today all was running in the 60s and 70s. Stopped by the store while I was at the marina and finished updating the plaques with plates for those who went home as AOY and Classic winners this year.

Open Tournament Slated for Saturday, Nov. 14th

Tournament director Wayne Hayes has scheduled an open bass tournament out of West Neck Marina on Saturday, Nov. 14th, starting at safe light (about 7 a.m.), with weigh-in at 3 p.m. Regular tourney rules (including COVID procedures) will apply. Cost is $60 per boat (plus ramp fee), regardless if one or two fishes out of it. Call Wayne at 705-4950, or email him at WHayesZ520@outlook.com by Oct. 29th to get your name on the list and/or to get answers to any questions you may have.

If You're Making a Christmas List...

Here's something you might like to add, especially if you're serious about your chosen sport. It's an Eco-Popper Video Fishing Lure from Eco-Net.

With this topwater (floating) popping lure, you can enjoy a view of the fishing action like you've never seen before. The tail is fitted with a 720p HD wide-angle video camera, an array of water-quality sensors, an accelerometer that tracks your fishing technique, and a Wi-Fi hot spot that streams the video and data to your smartphone, up to 90 feet away.

With a 135-degree horizontal field of view and a vertical field of 90 degrees, the Eco-Popper's camera shows the approach and strike of a fish, affording you an insight into fish behavior that can't be achieved from a boat or the shore. Its sensors record the temperature, oxygen level, clarity, salinity, and acidity of the water and transmits all this data to your device, where an app (iOS 8/Android 4.3 and above) records the video and information. The app will share information you select with Eco-Net's network of fishing and marine conservation enthusiasts.

The two treble hooks--one black (installed), and one chrome--can be removed if you want to use the Eco-Popper strictly as an observational tool. It charges in 70 minutes with the included USB cord, measures 4.5 x 1.5 x 1.3 inches, and weighs 2.5 ounces.

The Eco-Popper comes in eight colors (blue strike, fire tiger, frogger, golden shiner, gray storm, john silver, perch, and red head), with a limited 1-year warranty. For $239, one of these state-of-the-art gadgets can be yours. To place your order, go to: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1430540-REG/eco_net_0a0ed_eco_popper_video_fishing_lure.html.

Remember This Old Nursery Rhyme?

There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

I was reminded of that piece of memorabilia from my childhood when I saw the accompanying photo of a largemouth bass with scoliosis, a spinal condition often found in adolescent humans, as well as different species of fish.

According to one online site, roughly three million new cases of scoliosis are diagnosed among humans in the United States each year. A majority of them are identified as idiopathic scoliosis, a type that presents itself in children between 10 and 12 years of age.

Unfortunately, studies have yet to reveal much about scoliosis in fish species. Many have shown that causes of the vertebral abnormalities may include genetics, parasites, pollutants, and other environmental factors. Meanwhile, the scientists continue trying to determine whether there are consistencies in some parameters of scoliosis in fish species: the position of the kinks, the magnitude of the curvature, the pathology of the vertebrae, and other skeletal elements involved, etc.

One thing certain is that, despite some forum comments I found online to the contrary, this condition in a fish isn't caused by poor handling.

Who Hasn't Received a Butt Dial at Some Point?

Before you answer that question, you might want to know I'm not talking about what happens when someone sits on a mobile phone in their rear pants pocket. Instead, I'm talking about a fishing gadget made for the butts of fishing rods.

Practical Angling, LLC, in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, announced availability of the innovative new product for anglers in September. The Butt Dial, as it's called, solves the age-old problem of keeping track of fishing-line weights and styles on all your rods and reels. It offers a new and simple way to solve rod and reel mix-ups forever.

"No more writing on rod handles, adding sticky tape, or writing on reels with permanent marker," says Chris Nehlen, CEO of Practical Angling. "Simply slide a Butt Dial on the butt of the rod, set the line style to Fluoro, Braid, Mono, or Copol, then dial in the line weight from 4-lb. to 80-lb., and you're all set. No more mix-ups. No more wasting line, money, and time."

"Set it and never forget it," adds Dan McGarry, partner and director of business development for Practical Angling.

Features and benefits of the Butt Dial include the following:
     * Dial in the line style (choice of fluorocarbon, braid, monofilament, and copolymer).
     * Set line weight (ranging from 4-lb. to 80-lb).
     * Fits cork and EVA handles (standard or split grip, one inch or larger in diameter).
     * No more wasting line, money and time.
     * Durable and lightweight. You won't know it's there until you need it.
     * Seven-day money-back guarantee if returned in original package.

Practical Angling provides free shipping on all orders of 12 or more Butt Dials. For more information, or to place an order, visit https//www.thebuttdial.com/.

Gunshots, Raindrops and Good Food

That could describe our 2020 annual season-ending tournament Oct. 10 and 11, which involved 24 anglers in 14 boats vying for the biggest payouts of the year. This group brought a two-day grand total of 118 bass to the scales, weighing a combined 227.83 lbs., for an average weight per fish of 1.93 lbs. and an average weight per boat of 16.27 lbs.

Just to prevent any mistaken notions of the "gunshots" I referenced in my title, I'm referring to the fact this weekend began waterfowl hunting season, and the hunters...and their decoys...were in abundance in a lot of places anglers ventured.

That being said, those who walked away from the event with a pay envelope in their pocket included the following:

1st Place, the team of (from left) Fred Crawford and Gabe Himmelwright, 10 bass weighing 28.13 lbs., and a big fish weighing 5.62 lbs.

2nd Place, the team of (from left) Allen Napier and Chris Napier, 10 bass weighing 23.84 lbs., and a big fish weighing 4.80 lbs.

3rd Place, the team of (from left) Chris Fretard and Mike Miller, 10 bass weighing 23.34 lbs., and a big fish weighing 5.70 lbs., which also earned them the tournament's Lunker Award.

4th Place, the team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers, 10 bass weighing 19.63 lbs., and a big fish weighing 3.33 lbs.

Going home with the annual Seasonal Lunker Award was the husband-wife team of Andy and Diana Morath, who, this weekend, had 10 bass weighing 19.08 lbs., and a big fish weighing 4.10 lbs. They caught their 6.93-lb. seasonal lunker back on Aug. 8.

Here is how everyone else finished the contest:

     * Bobby Moore, 10 bass weighing 17.54 lbs., and a big fish weighing 3.02 lbs.

     * Jim Wilder, 10 bass weighing 17.40 lbs., and a big fish weighing 5.31 lbs.

     * The team of Gary Coderre and Dave Anderson, 7 bass weighing 16.78 lbs., and a big fish weighing 4.29 lbs.

     * The team of Eddie Sapp and Steve Bailey, 10 bass weighing 16.05 lbs., and a big fish weighing 3.70 lbs.

     * James Calhoun, 9 bass weighing 12.95 lbs., and a big fish weighing 3.88 lbs.

     * Rusty Girard, 6 bass weighing 12.23 lbs., and a big fish weighing 3.26 lbs.

     * The team of Mark Ingram and Ken Testorff, 9 bass weighing 11.83 lbs., and a big fish weighing 1.98 lbs.

     * The team of Wayne Hayes and Eric Killian, 7 bass weighing 9.03 lbs., and no big fish.

     * The team of David Dozier and Richard Hall didn't weigh any fish on Day 1, and they didn't fish on Day 2.

Congratulations to all of the winners throughout this year, and a big "thank you" to everyone who participated in our tournaments.

At this time, let me also honor some more folks for all their hard work, which made this adventure a success.

First, I want to say "thanks" to Wayne Hayes (left), who stepped up and assumed the duties of tournament director this year. He was assisted by Rob Peppers (a member, as pictured above, of the 4th place team this weekend).

Let me also thank Leslie Schaible (right), who served as official score-keeper for our tournaments again this year. For her invaluable services, Wayne presented her a little memento today.

Further, I must thank Steve Winfree (left), who, along with an assistant, prepared all the food for today's annual cookout.

And last, but certainly not least, I must offer the sincere thanks of all of us to David Winfree (right), who, year after year, allows us the use of his West Neck Marina property to hold our tournaments. He has been "Rock Solid" (if you'll forgive the pun) in his support of our efforts to find some relief from the frustrations of life by spending quality time on the water. To David, his wife, Teresa, and all the others, our hats are off. Thank you for providing the playground we get to use, chasing those "little green fish." 

One Last Cast

I'm devoting this season-closeout column to the gentleman and friend who allowed me to fish with him these last two days. I'm talking about Mark Ingram (left).

This guy is a real gentleman in every respect. For example, at one point today, we were fishing in the vicinity of some folks' personal dock, when a lady got her rig hung on the bottom. My partner easily could have gone on by, without paying her no nevermind, but not Mark. He offered a pleasant greeting and asked if he could help get her rig unstuck. She heartily accepted, and in no time, Mark had returned the rod and reel to her so she could continue her pursuit of a "fish dinner," to use her own words.

Furthermore, throughout the course of our two days on the water, Mark extended me a hand to get up from my seat each time we stopped to begin fishing a new area. His Skeeter seats are much lower than the ones in my Skeeter, and they thus were difficult for me to negotiate on my own. The most important point to this situation is that Mark performed the courtesy each time without my ever asking. For that, I was and am indeed grateful.

But Mark's calm and helpful demeanor isn't the only thing that garnered my attention over the last two days. For example, I quickly picked up on the fact he's a darn good "stick." He can pitch, flip and skip lures effortlessly, and his accuracy is second to none. To put it simply, I was awed by some of the places he put his lures--not just once, but also on succeeding follow-up casts with soft plastics when a fish had missed something like a topwater lure. I was awed even more by his ability to cast extremely long distances with the same accuracy as short pitches.

He also has nearly fail-safe control of a trick for dislodging hung lures. He takes the line in one hand, while pointing the rod tip toward the water and allowing it to slide down the length of line to bang into the snagged hook and free it, while simultaneously pulling on the line. His success ratio easily is 95 percent or greater. This guy needs no lure knocker--I assure you.

Beyond any doubt, Mark is an angler others would do well to emulate. I thoroughly enjoyed myself this weekend and hope that we may be able to team up again somewhere down the road. In every respect, he's "da man."

For Week Ending Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020

Sunday, Oct. 4 (from Ron)...I have been fishing saltwater in search of speckled trout. Hasn't been very good overall, but I did find one nice one. I think the weatherman needs a new anemometer.

Thursday, Oct. 8...Got a little love from NW River today. Caught 10 on topwater, a mix of hollow-body kicking-leg frogs, and even a couple wacky wormin.' Best one weighed just below 4 lbs.

Are You ALWAYS Safe on the Water?

Tournament days are one thing. Anglers realize they have to stay on their game all day long or run the risk of having a fellow tournament angler report a rules infraction to the tournament director, which ultimately can lead to their being disqualified.

All too often, however, commitment to safety practices are found lacking on fun-fishing days. Maybe you decide to leave your lifejacket in its storage location, or perhaps you elect to leave the kill-switch lanyard disconnected from your lifejacket. Make these lapses in judgment often enough, and they soon become a bad habit.

I've learned to leave my lifejacket tethered to the kill-switch lanyard, rather than reattach it each time I decide to run somewhere. Why? Because I too often find that I don't remember to reattach the lanyard, especially if I'm in a tournament and trying to make good use of the last hour or so by hitting several different spots for just a few minutes each. Keeping the jacket and lanyard connected while searching for one more keeper is simply one thing less I have to worry about.

I raise this issue because of an item I read online a little earlier today. Here's the link to that story: https://www.boatingmag.com/story/how-to/the-true-story-of-the-bass-boat-hero-who-broke-the-internet/. Next time you have a few minutes, take a read, and while you're at it, take a look at the accompanying video (it'll explain the accompanying photo here). If nothing else, it perhaps will cause you to stop and consider your own habits when you head out the door on another fishing trip.

Fog Be Damned--I Gotta Get to My Favorite Fishin' Hole

That may...or may not...have been the mindset of some anglers who were letting their big gas motor "eat" while running a foggy Perry Lake in Kansas back on the morning of Sept. 12. Instead of ending up at their favorite hole, they found themselves sitting high and dry along a piece of the shoreline. As noted by the game warden who responded to the call for help, "Luckily, no one was injured, but it's a friendly reminder about why a smart angler slows down to a safe speed when visibility is reduced."

Perry Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-operated reservoir located about 40 miles west of Kansas City, just northwest of Lawrence, KS. It covers approximately 11,000 acres and is 891.5 ft. at full multi-purpose pool. The lake is home to three marinas, a nationally recognized trail system, and a variety of camping, boating, fishing, and hunting activities. Nicknamed "Paradise on the Plains," it's a very popular destination.

I found this item in the latest issue of Jay Kumar's BassBlaster.

What a Difference 24 Hours Make

Unlike yesterday, nary a drop of rain fell on our 22 anglers in 14 boats today. They collectively caught a total of 65 bass, with a combined weight of 123.79 lbs. The average weight per fish was 1.90 lbs., and the average weight per boat was 8.84 lbs.

Those claiming a pay envelope at the end of the day included the following:

1st Place, Mark Ingram, five fish, 11.42 lbs. total weight, and a 4.14-lb. big bass.

2nd Place, the team of (from left) Steve Bailey and Dennis Dean, five fish, 11.18 lbs. total weight, and a 2.97-lb. big bass.

3rd Place, the team of (from left) Mike McClusky and Rob Peppers, five fish, 10.53 lbs. total weight, and a 2.79-lb. big bass.

4th Place, Wayne Hayes, five fish, 10.45 lbs. total weight, and a 3.28-lb. big bass.

Here's how everyone else finished today:

     * The team of Allen Napier and Chris Napier, five fish, 10.07 lbs. total weight, and a 2.75-lb. big bass.     

     * The team of (from left) Rusty Girard and James Calhoun, four fish, 9.29 lbs. total weight, and a 4.42-lb. big bass, which earned them the day's lunker award.

     * Eddie Sapp, five fish, 9.15 lbs. total weight, and a 3.44-lb. big bass.

     * The team of Fred Crawford and Gabe Himmelwright, five fish, 8.43 lbs. total weight, and a 3.18-lb. big bass.

     * Chris Fretard, three fish, 8.40 lbs. total weight, and a 3.32-lb. big bass.

     * The team of Gary Coderre and Dave Anderson, five fish, 7.91 lbs. total weight, and a 1.81-lb. big bass.

     * The team of David Dozier and Richard Hall, five fish, 7.42 lbs. total weight, and a 2.66-lb. big bass.

     * Ken Testorff, five fish, 7.10 lbs. total weight, and a 2.59-lb. big bass.

     * Jim Crist, three fish, 6.27 lbs. total weight, and a 3.24-lb. big bass.

     * The husband-wife team of Andy and Diana Morath, five fish, 6.17 lbs. total weight, and a 1.73-lb. big bass.

As announced by the tournament director today, a total of 25 anglers qualified this year for the annual two-day Classic, scheduled to be held Oct. 10th and 11th. Thanks to everyone who has participated and helped make another season of tournaments a success. Hope you'll make plans to return again in 2021.

One Last Cast

It doesn't seem possible another year's worth of tournaments could be over. The season never seems very long, but given that the coronavirus pandemic forced cancellation of four events this year, it seems only yesterday that we restarted our season.

With the cooling temperatures, reckon it's time to break out those old-faithful jerkbaits and get 'em ready to use this fall and winter. Just hope the weather cooperates with some sunny days and temps that don't stir up all those ol' folks aches and pains.

Certainly hope these two tournaments in the past two days serve to get me ready for our Classic in a couple of weeks. I navigated these past two days on 4.5 hours' sleep each night and gotta say I was surprised at how alert I felt when the alarm went off this morning. I experienced a bit of a yawning period along about mid-morning, but other than that had no problem whatsoever lasting until weigh-in.

And the Winner Is (in a Squeaker)...

Rob Peppers

2020 Angler of the Year

Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series

Rob's final tally: 133.41 total points

Chris Fretard's final tally: 133.01 total points

Well Done! Rob

Update to the 2020 Angler of the Year Competition

With only one more qualifier tournament remaining on the season, here is how the contestants stand after our Sept. 26 event:

Chris Fretard & Mike Miller

124.61 points

Rob Peppers

122.88 points

Gary Coderre

117.55 points

Gabe Himmelwright

115.97 points

Andy Morath

112.70 points

The Day of the Drowned Rats

That's pretty much the way all 20 anglers in 12 boats looked today as they brought their fish to the scales at weigh-in. Their collective catch amounted to 48 bass for a total weight of 105.05 lbs. Those figures translate into an average weight per fish of 2.18 lbs. and an average weight per boat of 8.75 lbs.

Winners at today's gathering included the following:

1st Place, the team of (from left) Rob Peppers and Mike McClusky, five fish, 15.69 lbs. total weight, 5.45-lb. big bass.

2nd Place, Eddie Sapp, five fish, 15.51 lbs. total weight, 6.60-lb. big bass, which also earned him bragging rights as the tournament's lunker winner.

3rd Place, the team of (from left) Dave Anderson and Gary Coderre, five fish, 11.70 lbs. total weight, 4.58-lb. big bass.

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

     * The team of Chris Fretard and Mike Miller, five fish, 10.05 lbs. total weight, 3.89-lb. big bass.

     * Mark Ingram, five fish, 9.66 lbs. total weight, 3.93-lb. big bass.

     * The team of Chris Napier and Allen Napier, five fish, 9.55 lbs. total weight, 3.26-lb. big bass.

     * The team of Andy Morath and Zach Bubier, five fish, 8.82 lbs. total weight, 3.43-lb. big bass.

     * Ken Testorff, five fish, 8.73 lbs. total weight, 2.78-lb. big bass.

     * The team of Rusty Girard and Sam Girard, five fish, 8.15 lbs. total weight, 2.86-lb. big bass.

     * The team of Richard Hall and Dave Dozier, three fish, 7.19 lbs. total weight, 3.30-lb. big bass.

     * Skip Schaible and the team of Gabe Himmelwright and James Calhoun didn't weigh any fish.

One more angler (Eddie Sapp) today joined the group that has completed the required number of tournaments to fish our season-ending two-day Classic. There likely will be a few more anglers added to the list tomorrow following our last qualifier tournament of 2020.

Congratulations to all of the day's winners and thanks to everyone who came out to participate. Our tournament tomorrow kicks off at safe light or 0630, whichever comes first, with weigh-in at 1430. Hope you can join us.

One Last Cast

When this fishing day started, I didn't have a clue where I was going. I knew which lure I was going to start with, and as it worked out, was the only productive lure I threw all day: a topwater.

After a rocky start--lots of minor stuff--I finally got lined out and started catching fish, boating a total of eight on the day. Had four keepers in the boat by midway through the tournament day, but was having problems finding that fifth keeper.

Had just spoken briefly with a good friend and told him I was headin' back to West Neck to finish out the day, but ultimately decided to make one stop...at the same spot I had started the day and where I had caught a nice fish on only my second cast of the day. Had only made a couple casts on this last stop, too, when another nice one jumped all over my topwater.

For a couple of anxious moments, I didn't figure I was going to get this fifth keeper in the boat, because of all stupid tricks, I accidentally caught one of the topwater's trebles in the rub rail of my boat as I tried to swing the fish aboard. And there he dangled while I tried to find a pair of pliers to get the hook out of the rubber. Fortunately, the fish wiggled a bit and jarred the hook loose before I could find the pliers...but wasn't able to get rid of the hook in his mouth.

I didn't set the world on fire today, but I enjoyed the fishing, even with all the intermittent rain we had throughout the tournament. Hopefully, I'll be able to have another decent outing tomorrow, too. Plan to start my day by following up on a tip a friend passed to me before leaving the marina. Keeping my fingers crossed.