March 2022 Best Fishing Times

Snake Baits: They've Been Around for a Long Time

In the early 1980s, big-bass expert, the late Doug Hannon, helped Burke Lures develop a snake lure that originally was called Snaketrix. Ultimately, it became known as The Snake (left).

Then, in the early 2000s, Mark Abernathy of St. Cloud, FL, was inspired by his daughter, Kalin, to develop a snake lure while the two of them were fishing from a concrete seawall on a canal leading to Lake Ajay.

"We had caught a couple of small bream," said the elder Abernathy. "Kalin has a short attention span and began wandering. I looked and on the concrete wall was a little black snake sunning itself," he continued. "I went and grabbed Kalin, then tweaked the snake with the fishing pole."

The snake slithered over the side into the water and began swimming across the canal. That's when Abernathy saw a wide mouth open out of nowhere and the snake disappeared, followed by a splash that sounded like a cement block hitting the water. At that instant, he decided he wanted to design the most realistic snake ever made. Moreover, he wanted one that would float when not moving.

Abernathy subsequently learned from a dentist friend, Dr. A. Jai Prakash, the perfect material to make the lure from...the same material that's used to make a set of false teeth. 

Describing the dental material as an elastomeric plastic, Abernathy said he knew he'd found the right stuff. He designed the molds and took prototypes to the world-renowned Hannon, who was impressed when the whole lure floated. However, he suggested several changes, including three-dimensional eyes. He also became a co-producer of the product.

After 14 months of trial-and-error testing, during which 11 bass weighing more than 10 pounds were caught while using the lure, it was ready. They showed it off at the fishing tackle manufacturers trade show and took it to the Bassmasters Classic in New Orleans.

The "Hannon Big Bass System" kit (above, right), as it was marketed, retailed for $39.95. Included were nine snakes in three colors, plus four vanadium 4/0 hooks, three specially-designed rattles, three yards of 25-pound test fluorocarbon leader, and a DVD by Hannon, giving some of his own fishing secrets for catching big bass.

That brings us to the latest version, which is called the Savage Gear 3D Snake Wakebait (left). It looks just like a snake swimming...a disgusting, creepy, bass-enticing little snake easing along the surface. Just simply reeling the bait at a slow and steady pace, the head of the lure rocks back and forth, creating a wake as the body of the snake wiggles along behind it, constantly drawing out an "S" shape in the water.

Intermittently pausing your reel allows the bait to walk a little wider, almost like working a topwater. You also can affect this action by twitching the rod tip a little. Completely stopping your reeling allows the head of the bait to swing out wide like a glide bait. It then coasts to a stop, while the remainder of the body, down to the tail, quivers to a halt as well.

The wakebait also has two line-tie points on the nose that will allow it to dive a little deeper. By moving the split ring up to the front eye, the bait retains the same action but 6 inches or so under the water, instead of on top.

A large plastic lip, similar to what you find on most wakebaits, is at the nose of this lure. What really sets it apart from other wakebaits, though, are the 11 total segments versus the two or three you find on most wakebaits.

With two super sharp treble hooks, this bait is ready to go out of the box. The hooks have a longer shank, helping them cover the most ground possible and eliminating the need for a third treble. Typically, the fish gets stuck by one of the hooks on the initial strike and, inevitably, the second hook penetrates as well while the bass is fighting.

Another cool feature to this bait that aids in keeping fish pinned are the rotating hook hangers. Savage Gear basically mounted swivels within the bait to use as hook hangers, so that when a fish does fight, twist and turn, the hook will spin and relieve some of the pressure on the point of contact. Most hook hangers on other baits are simple fixed rings, and if the fish can get the bait turned a certain way, then swing its head the other way as hard as possible, the weight and momentum of those baits often will tear the hooks loose.

The 3D Snake Wakebait comes in two sizes: an 8-inch version and a 12-inch version. The 8-inch version is listed as weighing an ounce but can be fished comfortably on a 7-foot medium-heavy baitcasting rod without feeling overpowered by the bait.

This wakebait is one of those diamond-in-the-rough lures that is fun to fish. Just watching the lure swim, with anticipation of a blowup, is exciting in and of itself. It reportedly has a great action, good hookup-to-strike ratio, and does a good job getting the fish to the boat once you set the hook.

At $20.99 for the 8-inch version and $25.99 for the 12-inch, the 3D Snake Wakebait is an investment for sure but not something that's going to break the bank, or a lure that you'll need 10 different versions of, like a lipless crankbait, for example.

As one angler aptly noted, "We all know that the good folks at Savage Gear are only one night of hard drinkin'/weed smokin' away from coming out with the 3D Suicide Manatee, but man, do their baits ever look cool!"

Maybe the only thing cooler would be to pull off something similar to what I read that a kayak fishing guide did. This dude caught a 10-pound largemouth in Texas' Brazos River on...get this...a stunned but nevertheless live rattlesnake! (above).

S-h-h-h! It's a Secret...You Can't Tell Anyone, Ya Hear?

You don't have to spend much time surfing the Internet to realize there are a whole bunch of tackle stores just waiting to take your orders and add something new to your arsenal of fishing gear. I accidentally stumbled across another new one today...Secret Lures is its name.

This company has been around since 2008, producing tournament-grade, precisely designed fishing tackle. As they advertise, "Largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass...it doesn't matter; we've got something for all of them."

The focus has been on tournament grade because that's the best venue for testing products against other baits and varied conditions. Success in bass-fishing tournaments has translated into success for all customers, not just the competitors.

The problem with being proven on the tournament trail, though, is that when anglers win events on their baits, they usually don't tell anyone else.

"Occasionally they will let it slip while talking to a fishing buddy," noted one official, "but for the most part, they are tighter lipped than a Florida largemouth after a cold front. How many times have you asked a buddy, and they said, 'Oh that one?' I caught it on a Secret Lure. They usually say it with sarcasm, just to throw you off the trail, but the truth is they probably did. Secret Lures has been the official lure of big catches and big wins for more than a decade now."

The company has been quietly cranking out winning baits with their recipe of precision designs, extensive testing, and quality components. It started as a quest to make the best and most efficient topwater frog, the Chubby, but it has grown into much more. Secret Lures now offers dozens of different jigs and terminal tackle, such as shaky heads, swimbait heads, wacky-rig jigs, and tube jigs. 

Secret Lures also is an expert in hand-dipped and salted tube lures. Their Stupid Tube and Stupid Tube Jig Head have qualified three tournament anglers for the Bassmaster Classic. They have been credited behind the scenes for wins at all levels of tournament bass fishing, too.

It's this "behind the scenes" credit that has kept the company making more great baits. However, that's also why so many folks haven't heard about Secret Lures. Anglers simply have been keeping their Secret Lures to themselves. The new ownership wants to let the secret out now, though.

Whether you're a tournament fisherman or a weekend warrior fishing local ponds, Secret Lures has products that can help you make the most of every cast, and "we are excited to start sharing that fact with anglers everywhere," said the company official.

To find out everything the company has to offer, just click on this link: SecretLures.com.

Even in Today's Divisive World, There Still Are Good Samaritans

Earlier today, I read about about a 35-year-old gent who noted that today's world is different from the one he grew up in as a kid.

"If you only watched the news, you'd think the whole world has gone to hell," he said. "Just yesterday, about 45 miles southeast from where I currently live and much closer to where I grew up," he continued, "there was a mass shooting. When you reflect on these kinds of things, the world seems like a really scary place, full of bad people."

This gent, however, went on to explain that he recently had purchased a nice reel from a fella he had met on a fishing forum.

"The communication was great," said the gent, "and the seller even engaged me in some conversation. I thought the questions a little strange but nevertheless nice enough. When I received my reel, I noticed the heaviness of the box. The reel I had purchased is one of the lightest on the market. When I opened the box, I found it jam-packed with soft plastics, jigs, jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, etc."

While the seller had no reason to send this gent all the stuff, he did so out of the kindness of his heart...the definition of a Good Samaritan.

"Gestures like these keep my faith in humanity strong," said the gent. "They take away the negativity. It may be a relatively small gesture in the grand scheme of things, but if more people made an effort to do things similarly, the world would be a better place. I vowed to pay it forward and become more like this man, whom I didn't know, with more kind gestures, wanting nothing in return."

As luck would have it, the seller happened to see this gent's comments and answered back with a note of his own.

"It was some stuff I had laying around that doesn't really suit the type of fishing I now prefer...finesse fishing," he explained. "I've had many random acts of kindness gifted upon me over the years, and I try and pay that forward as often as possible...both because I'm able to do so, and because I have a 2-year-old boy, whom I'm trying to lead by example. He's still a little young to catch on, but I'm trying to stay in good practice. Hope you enjoy the reel and the baits."

Also read about a family who had experienced the same kind of selfless act. Seems they had an alternator go out, and they were broken down about 1.5 hours away from home. A nice guy in a service truck let them use his tools and took the man of the family to a parts store to buy a new one, then hung around to make sure the job got done before leaving. They offered the service guy money and dinner, both of which he refused, suggesting instead that they "just pay it forward."

And finally, there was the story of a young bass fisherman who would toss good-eating panfish he happened to catch in his livewell and take them back to the boat ramp in the afternoon to share with bank fishermen. This item in particular brought back some memories of days gone by in my past.

During my Navy days in the '70s, while stationed at the Pentagon, I spent many a Friday night fishing the riffles on the Shenandoah, where I would catch catfish in abundance. Come morning, when I would head in, there always would be bank fishermen along the stretch of water leading to the dock, and I would stop and share my entire catch with all of them.

In the '80s, then, after I had retired from the Navy and was fishing regularly out of West Neck, I got to know a fixture most days on the bank at West Neck. Abe was his name. He was an older fella who fished more out of necessity to have meat on the table than for enjoyment. Accordingly, I often brought him a mess of panfish from my day on the water, which always put a big smile on his face. One year, as another Christmas approached, I noticed that some of Abe's rod-and-reel combos were in really bad shape, so I went out and bought him a new one, which I gave to him that Christmas Eve, and you would have thought he had just won the Lottery.

I often spent time just sitting beside Abe on the West Neck bank and swappin' stories with him. It was a sad day indeed when I learned he had passed.

A better world it would be...especially today...if only more folks would find the capacity to help others who are in need.

Mark Zona's Tribute Show to the Late Aaron Martens

As depicted in the latest issue of Jay Kumar's BassBlaster, "Bass fishing is about friends and love. Fish and fishing are second." Click on this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhmGnpSOIlI), and you'll be taken to Zona's tribute show to his friend.

For Period Ending Sunday, March 6, 2022

Monday, Feb. 21 (from Ken)...Despite my belief to the contrary, I learned today that I actually still can catch a fish. When all was said and done, about 2:30 this afternoon, the water temp had climbed from 35 when I launched to 45, and I had managed to boat a total of six bass, missed four more strikes, and had one fish swirl twice at my bait but wouldn't take it. That's not bad for this ol' Kansas boy. Caught all my fish between 12 and 2:30 on a shallow crankbait, while beating the water between the West Neck Bridge and the S-curve. And to be fair about it, I need to mention here that I owe part of my success to a young kayaker named Matt, who bailed my butt out this afternoon when one of my errant casts found a limb instead of the water. The hook buried, and given the low water today, there was no way I was going to get to my lucky crankbait without some help. The closest I could get in my boat was about 6 feet away, and I was worried about getting grounded in place. Had talked to Matt and another young fellow kayaker first thing this morning...both of them were asking about ol' Charlie B. I shared as much as I know about him now. And as luck would have it, Matt was only a loud holler away when I oh so needed his help, and he came stroking that paddle, knowing full well he would have to fight a head-wind on his trip back toward the West Neck Bridge. I offered to tow him, but he assured me that he had everything under control. In any event, I got my lucky lure back and continued catching some fish. Had three that would have gone about 10 or 11 inches, as well as three that would have been keepers, coming in at about a pound or pound and a quarter apiece. The boat again performed flawlessly, which is always a blessing. I can't tell you how happy I am not to have to worry any more about whether the boat will get me back to the dock, no matter where I decide to run. That consolation, combined with managing to catch a few fish today, made for a perfect outing, as far as I'm concerned. (Feb. 22 UPDATE: Just talked to a friend who reminded me that the "35" degree reading I got yesterday morning was because my transducer sits inside the boat. Therefore, that reading actually reflected overnight "air temp." As he suggested, to get a more accurate "water temp" reading, the boat needs to have been in the water for an hour or two. The "45" reading I had at day's end aligned with what my friend was showing. He was fishing the opposite end of West Neck and said his reading didn't fluctuate more than a degree or two all day, which makes perfect sense, given the conditions yesterday. Incidentally, my friend noted that he, too, caught six fish yesterday, all in the same size range as what I was getting. And he also...like me...had absolutely no luck with a jerkbait. It wasn't until he started throwing a crankbait that things started happening.)

Friday, Feb. 25 (from Ron)...Got on some bass. Caught seven and pictured is the largest in length. Micro-spinnerbait was working, water was clear, and the air temps were comfortable. Lost a couple. Sure was nice to catch some bass for a change.

Sunday, Feb. 27 (from Ron)...Planned to fish the burrow pit (Crystal Lake) and launched about 10 a.m. While transiting the creek to get back where I wanted to go, I threw a spinnerbait and caught a few. Was thinking this should be a good trip. Got in the lake and fished about an hour and a half without finding anything. Returned to the shallow, skinny creek and logged a few more. Had a total of six bass (the best of which went 1-6, 1-9 and 2-7), two chain pickerel, and a yellow perch. All fell to the micro-spinnerbait (in pond magic).

Monday, Feb. 28 (from Ron)...Close but no cigar...or in this case, no skunk. That's the way you could describe my evening, fishing out of West Neck Marina. Launched at 3:30. That chilly wind coming straight down the creek was anything but enjoyable. Threw about 150 casts for two hours without even a sniff. As I headed back...with cold hands and a skunk staring me in the face...made that "one last cast" toward the corner fall-down, near the entrance channel. Thought I at first was snagged, but the snag started fighting back, and I avoided the skunk. Didn't weigh her but estimated the weight at about 3 lbs.

Tuesday, March 1 (from Ken)...Wanted to get a day on the water before the tournament this Sunday, and all things considered, today looked like my best opportunity. Didn't feel comfortable launching at West Neck this morning...the water was a bit lower than I expected and didn't feel like gambling with my luck. Decided to hook up and head down to Pungo Ferry. Was a bit concerned when I first arrived there, because two firetrucks and a rescue boat were on the scene. My first thought was that they may have been in the process of recovering a body...not a good way to ever start your day. As it turned out, however, they only were conducting a drill. One of the fellas quickly put my concern to rest and assured me they would move out of my way so I could launch, provided they hadn't already departed the scene. It was about 11:30 before I actually got the boat wet...an hour later than I had hoped to get on the water. But I didn't let that alter my plans to run to West Neck to fish. The water there once again left a lot to be desired in the way of color, and for the first hour and a half, I didn't have the first sniff on the crankbait that was so productive the last time I was out. Decided to try a chatterbait and hadn't made but just a few casts when I felt pressure as I was lifting the bait off the bottom. Set the hook and boated the healthy fish in the accompanying photo. Then went through another dry spell before picking up a jerkbait and nailing a small white perch. That fish spelled the end of my activity for the day. When I quit at 2:30, the water temp was 47...didn't notice the reading when I started. 'Twas a good day, as far as I'm concerned. It's difficult to complain anytime I dodge a skunk.

Lost Something Overboard Recently?

I've lost my fair share of tackle overboard, and if I can believe what I was reading online earlier today, I have a lot of company in that regard. In the vast majority of these cases, anglers often try to get their gear back. And, as I learned today, many of them resort to using something different than the commonly accepted method of dragging an old stringer across the bottom with all the clips open.

For example, there was this fella who said he was fishing brushpiles in about 10 feet of water with a monster worm, when it suddenly got snagged. While maneuvering the boat to free the bait, the wind swung the boat around, and the rod slipped out of his hand. He watched as a $300 combo subsequently sank to the bottom of the lake.

To his credit, however, this fella happened to have a small folding anchor (pictured above) in the boat and threw it into the vicinity of the snag. On the first try, he hooked the brushpile, which turned out to be a submerged Christmas tree, and his rod was laying on top.

"Hardest part of the evolution," said this fella, "was getting the anchor out of the brushpile after I had retrieved the rod."

There also was a guy who lost his rod and reel in about 6 feet of yucky-looking water and went back a couple of times trying to snag it, with no luck. As is often the case, though, the third time was a charm.

On the third try, he went back with a mask and snorkel. After stationing a spotter on the bank, just in case, he donned a PFD and floated face down on the surface looking for the combo. He prodded the bottom with a 6-foot pole, so he didn't have to dive down much.

"Had the combo back in 10 minutes," he noted.

Another incident involved an angler who lost a rod and reel overboard at night, way off shore, in about 20 feet of water. He immediately dropped a buoy, then tied on a treble hook with a Carolina-rig weight on top of it.

"I hooked the combo in less than a minute," said the proud owner, who went on to explain that he's "been very lucky in retrieving several rods that have gone overboard."

In yet another case, a fella dropped the cover to his outboard from his dock in about 4 feet of water. Knowing that the bottom had about 3 feet of silt buildup, he decided to wait 'til the next morning to look for it. It was a relatively simple job because he got out his underwater camera, located the cover, and raised it with a big treble hook.

And finally, there was this incident in which a fella took a friend fishing in his boat. The latter had a spincasting rig, which would have been OK but for the fact the line was old, and he was having nothing but trouble trying to use it. The fella subsequently handed his friend a spinning outfit from the rod locker, and don't you know the friend ended up kicking this substitute overboard.

The boat owner tossed a buoy marker where the rod had gone into the water and rigged up a heavy structure spoon (with a strip of lead attached) to probe the 35 feet of water they were in. About 30 minutes later, without having any luck, he started pulling in the buoy marker. As luck would have it, the strip of lead, which was spinning, happened to snag the fishing line on the spinning rod, and they got it back after all.

As these examples show, some folks are lucky enough to retrieve their property. Others, however, have no choice but to suck up their loss and do their very best to ensure lightning doesn't strike ever again. Take the case of a guy who was running the rim canal on Okeechobee at 50 mph when he hit some wake from another boat. He could only watch as two rods launched over his head and went to the bottom in 20 feet of dark, murky water.

Lesson Learned: Never run anywhere...even if it's less than a mile, as in this case...without your gear tied down. This lack of attention to detail cost him hundreds of dollars.

A Decade of Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Classics

Are You Zen About Getting Skunked?

...Or do you, for lack of a better way of putting it, go bonkers? According to the info I gleaned today during some online research, angler reactions to registering goose eggs after spending a day on the water likely run the gamut from these two aforementioned extremes.

The reason I even bothered to look into this topic in the first place is that there seems to be a heapin' bunch of people who have little, if anything, to report from their fishing trips in recent days. Had a fella just a few nights ago tell me that he thought this was the time of year to be throwing jerkbaits. He subsequently was quick to point out that he'd had three trips in a row...throwing these baits...without a single fish to show for it. And, unfortunately, he represents what I'm hearing from nearly everyone I talk to at the moment.

Ran across one fella who reportedly spent 110 days on the water this past year, with only two skunks. As he explained, one of these skunks occurred on a new spot that receives a lot of pressure, so going in, he figured he might have trouble. The second time, though, he was fishing one of his favorite spots, which he admitted made the skunk a bit more frustrating.

"I look at a skunk as a learning opportunity," said this angler. "What piece of the puzzle did I miss? It can be frustrating when the bite isn't what I expected, but I just try my best to reframe it in a positive light. It helps not to get angry about it."

He went on to explain, though, that "what really hurts is losing a big fish. Had a couple over the past year that I just had to sit down after they came off. Gotta have a second to grieve...lol. Lost a b-i-i-i-g girl on a jerkbait while I was trying to get the hang of a new technique and must've flubbed something. Anyway, she came unpinned.

"Those are a little harder to let go of than the skunks...IMO. But I don't throw a tantrum or throw my rod. Just take a few moments for a little heartbreak, then go back to casting. At least I know I'm fishing the right areas and triggering big bites. Gotta keep that positive spin in mind. Not saying I don't feel angry sometimes; I just try my best to manage it quickly."

On the other hand, I found another guy who said he occasionally fishes with a couple of friends who don't do well with getting skunked.

"There's no yelling, screaming or throwing things," he said, "but they really wear it on their faces. You can tell it really kills them. With one, he gets really quiet and stops laughing...period!...even if you say something funny. For lack of a better way of putting it, he pouts. The other gets seriously PO'd and tries to hide it, but you can tell by watching him that he's mumbling his discontent under his breath."

As for yours truly, I many years ago used to carry an ultralight spinning rod, rigged with 6-lb. mono and a beetlespin, on every trip. If I was facing a skunk heading into the last hour of the day, I'd wear the water out with that rig. It worked more times than not, but I still incurred some skunks. Ultimately, I learned to just live with those fishless days and stowed the ultralight gear for good.

A Prop-Stopper If I Ever Saw One

I was checking out the latest issue of Jay Kumar's BassBlaster when I came across the photo at right, showing the wire turtle trap that bass pro Russ Lane picked up while fishing his first tournament of the new year. Just goes to show you that everybody has to take his/her turn in the barrel. Lane summed up his feelings in one word, "Disgusting!"

This incident made me start wondering what other kinds of messes involving props have occurred over the years.

I feel pretty certain the vast majority of us have found fishing line wrapped around our props from time to time. There truly is never a morning that I don't sweat finding some line in the water as I ease up the channel toward the West Neck Store for a tournament. It already has happened to me multiple times since 1977.

Would imagine a few folks also have gotten hooked up in crab pots from time to time, as well.

After a bit more research on the Internet, I found one other incident that...at best...only could be termed gruesome.

Seems an angler was backing his boat off the trailer one morning when he realized something wasn't right. He subsequently shut everything down and pulled the trailer up the ramp a ways to see what was wrong.

Imagine his surprise when he found a deer carcass wrapped around the propeller. Someone evidently had cleaned the deer and then tossed the remains in the water at the ramp.

Local game wardens noted that they "find stuff like that at boat ramps all the time." For the unlucky angler in this case, however, it was the first (and hopefully the last) time he'll ever have to deal with something like that.

It Won't Be Long Now, Guys and Gals

There's a 1920s song that goes like this:

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along, along,
There'll be no more sobbing when he starts throbbing
His own sweet song.

Wake up, wake up, you sleepy head,

Get up, get up, get out of bed,

Cheer up, cheer up, the sun is red,

Live, love, laugh, and be happy... .

These lyrics suggest that the arrival of robins means that spring is just around the corner.  The three robins in my neighbor's tree at left (photographed just this morning) therefore must mean the same thing, right? These three robins were just some of the more than a dozen I counted as I tried to position myself without spooking all of them.

Other signs also are showing up, as well. For example, I have another neighbor, whose fruit trees already have blossoms on them. And, too, my early spring allergies have already made their return. After just my trip outdoors this morning to get the accompanying photo, I had to dive for the medicine cabinet that holds my pills. And before we know it, all the vehicles will start turning yellow with pollen, and owners will be crying for a little rain to wash away the residue.

And, yes, all the streams once again will come alive with anglers looking for bragging-size fish. In case you haven't looked at the calendar recently, our initial Dewey Mullins Memorial Tournament of the 2022 season (Sunday, March 6th) is only three weeks away. Wayne and I already are busy getting things ready to go. Don't forget to keep an eye on your email box for any and/or all updates between now and then.

As usual, please refer questions to the TD, Wayne, at 757-705-4950.

"Listen, My Children, And You Shall Hear...

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere." But folks, I'm not here to acquaint you with the works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. No, I just used that intro as a ploy to get your attention.

What I really want you to hear is the 10 things...perhaps "sugar-coated things" would be a better choice of words...fishermen say most often when they get skunked.

In no particular order, here they are...for those of you who haven't already learned them by heart:

1. It was still a beautiful day on the water.

2. That's why they call it fishing, not catching.

3. I don't go to catch fish, I go to relax.

4. It was a nice day for a boat ride.

5. I just needed to run the engine.

6. There was a good band playing at the club tonight, so we came in early.

7. It's not how many fish you catch, it's how good you look fishing.

8. I just wanted to work on my tan.

9. I enjoy bird watching as much as catching fish.

10. I didn't get skunked, I ran out of time.

If we're willing to face the facts, though, we know that any fisherman who tells you he/she never gets skunked is lying through their teeth. It happens to all of us, and to some of us, a lot more so than others. 

There's a lot we can say to make ourselves feel better about a bad day on the water, but as one hard-nosed angler noted, "I don't like any of it. That thing about how it's just always great to be out there, I don't play that way. No one ever will confuse me with one of those zen anglers who goes out on the water to enjoy the experience.

"When I get my butt kicked by the fish, I get mad...madder than a box of bull frogs! I curse at children. I rip up flowers. I kick small animals. Then, I sit around moping and thinking about all the things I did wrong."

For others, though, the lesson is this: We all go through rough times...at home, at work, on the water, or anywhere...man, fish and everything in between. Getting skunked can teach us just as much and sometimes more than having one of those every-other-cast-kind of days.

Pay attention to what's going on in the environment around you, try your hardest, and don't forget to appreciate the time you get to spend doing what you love. Even if the fish aren't being cooperative, don't get frustrated and go home feeling worse than you did when you came. I've been guilty of making that mistake too many times myself.

Tight Lines! And even if there's no fish on, keep casting.

For Period Ending Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022

Friday, Feb. 4 (from Ron)...Fought the wind this afternoon in Ashville Bridge Creek. No bass but no skunk either.

Thursday, Feb. 10 (from Ken)...With today's weather forecast being what it was, I saw it as a good day to get out and log a couple more hours on my rebuilt motor and fish a couple of hours, too. Continue to be very happy with the way the boat is running. I can't thank Craig and Wayne enough for everything they've done to get me back on the water. Only wish I could report that I had caught a few fish this trip, but, alas, that didn't happen. And to be honest about it, given the color of the water most places today (looked like a dose of coffee, with a lot of cream in it), along with a 10:15 launching-time water temp of 35 degrees, I truly didn't hold much hope for finding any fish. In fact, the only sign of life I saw on the water all day was an ol' turtle. Other than that, I felt nothing and saw nothing. My biggest excitement of the day came along after having a horrible backlash with one of my baitcasters while heading into the wind. Once I got past the crux of the mess, I was rapidly stripping line away from the spool, so I could rewind it evenly, never paying the first mind to what the wind was doing with all that line. And don't you know, right in the middle of that operation, my wife called on the cellphone. Suffice it to say I couldn't have gotten to my phone (back beside the driver's seat) if my life had depended on it. I had line wrapped around my feet, my legs, the seat I was sitting on...pretty much everywhere. Fifteen or 20 minutes later, I finally had extricated myself and was able to call my wife back. I also had a bit of an eye-opener today while throwing a crankbait on 20-lb. braid, vice the 40-lb. I normally use. Discovered a lot more stuff on the bottom everywhere I went than I've ever felt with the heavier line. Despite starting my season with a skunk, I gotta say the worst part of my whole day was when I got back to the dock at West Neck this afternoon and recovered my boat. Had no problem getting it on the trailer, but found I was a bit rusty when it came to backing into my shed. Even that was OK, though. It wasn't 'til I went to shut the rear doors of my van to start home at day's end that I absolutely lost my cool. The one door wouldn't shut, and when I checked to see what was wrong, I discovered someone today...while I was on the water...had tried to break into my van. They had used what I surmise was a crowbar and had mangled some of the metal enough that I had to take a hammer to it when I got home so it will close and lock right again. I've never had any use for a damn thief, and it genuinely gripes me they would mess with my vehicle, which is 24 years old now. This marks the second time since I've had this ol' piece of junk that someone has tried to get in through the rear doors. My question is: Why don't they pick on a vehicle more likely to make it worth their while?

Friday & Saturday, Feb. 11 & 12 (from Ron)...Looks like the season is starting on a low note for my friend, just like it is me. He suffered a double skunk the past two days. Will be interested in hearing from another friend who had a club bass tournament today...their first of the new season.

Friday, Feb. 12 (from "another friend")...As it turns out, this is more bad news, too. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, there were no limits and a bunch of zeros at weigh-in. Per the usual, however, in any tournament, a couple of guys managed to find a few fish. The worst part of all, though, is that my friend and his partner didn't even make it to the event. Trailer problems enroute to the site put the kibosh on their day before it ever really got started. So much for that myth about the "great fishing" to be had on the third day of a warming trend, as well. That, apparently, is in a memo the fish never got.

Wednesday, Feb. 16 (from Ron)...Says he incurred another skunk today in Milldam Creek. His questions to me were: Isn't this supposed to be prime season for jerkbaits? Why aren't they working? Wish I had some answers for him, but I honestly haven't talked to a soul in a while who is having any luck on the water. If anyone has anything to the contrary to report, I'd welcome hearing about it.

Saturday, Feb. 19 (from Ron)...Broke the curse today. Launched about 9 a.m. at Oakum Creek, as it was forecast to be windy. Between 9:30 and 10:30, I caught three dink bass and three chain pickerel on a micro-spinner. Lost the only one I had with me to what I suspect was a chain pick, and that was it. Tried some jerkbaits to no avail and called it quits around 12 o'clock, when the wind really picked up. Sure beats a skunk.