Great Day for Fishing

Last month, Jimmy and I missed the October tourney at Lake Tabor because his clutch went out in his pickup, so we had no way to pull the boat down to the lake.  Yesterday was the November tourney and we missed that one, too.  The truck is fixed, but Jimmy wound up being sent to Houston last week on business and didn’t get back until late Friday night.  We didn’t have anything ready to fish the tournament, so we had to skip out on that one as well.

I’m beginning to get tourney fever…

Hopefully, we’ll be able to make the December tourney.  I just hope it’s not freezing cold by then, but Jimmy’s been know to catch some big fish in the winter…

This is the last installment of the four part series on finesse fishing from ESPN’s Bass Fishing Tips Section. I hate to see this end - I hope they’ll add more articles on finesse fishing in the future since it’s one of the hottest techniques going. This week, the Godfather of finesse fishing, Don Iovino shares his Top 5 doodling do’s.

The Finesse Way, Part 4 of 4
Doodling with the Godfather By Ed Harp

No angler in the world is more closely associated with finesse doodling than California’s Don Iovino (www.iovino.com). He was singing the praises of this technique at least three decades ago, and he isn’t changing his tune now.

“Since I found that shaking the rod tip with live (or dead) bait seemed to increase the number of bites I got, I never gave it a second thought that the same thing wouldn’t work with my new hand-poured plastic worms,” he says while discussing the origins of his techniques.

Tackle matters to Iovino. He begins with a specialty rod made by Lamiglas. It has a soft, flexible tip and a stiff, heavy butt. He prefers Ardent reels. “They are made in America, have great reliability and quality and are reasonably priced. They don’t give me a minute’s trouble.”

But, unlike many of his fellow professionals, he doesn’t spool with fluorocarbon. “It’s too stiff and too sensitive. I prefer Maxima monofilament in the lighter test weights. It’s never given me any problems, so I don’t see any reason to change,” he explains.

Iovino rig

Start with a Top Brass worm weight then peg an 8mm glass bead to the line with a Top Brass rubber nail. Two or three inches below that tie a thin-wire Owner Mosquito hook. A 4 1/2- to 6-inch hand-poured plastic worm completes the rig.
Iovino’s opinions about rigging are equally well-defined. He begins by slipping a Top Brass worm weight up his line. Below that he’ll peg an 8mm glass bead to the line with a Top Brass rubber nail. (Don’t throw away the trimmings.)

Two or three inches below that he’ll tie a thin-wire Owner Mosquito hook. To his hook he’ll attach a smallish — 4 1/2- to 6-inch — hand-poured plastic worm. Don’t shortchange the gap between the bead and the hook. It lets the worm dance and move naturally.

5 Dos for Doodling

1. Find your target first. “Doodling is usually the best method in one of two situations — on structure breaks, or off structure as in fish being suspended, but still related to an edge.” The only way to find and mark such spots is with quality electronics. Iovino’s choice is Lowrance.

2. Know when to slide. “On the breaks and on the bottom are two fundamental situations for the straight doodle. But in the early spring or late fall with dropping water conditions, the doodle ’slide’ is more effective.” (A straight doodle is defined as fishing on the bottom. A doodle slide, on the other hand, is defined as fishing an imaginary horizontal line above the bottom.)

3. Develop a rhythm. “Bouncing the sliding sinker on or above the bottom and making the worm dance or wiggle like the real thing requires a rhythmic shaking of the rod tip.”

4. Keep your worm in place. “Insert a short piece of the rubber nail trimmings through the eye of the hook before you pull it into the plastic. That’ll hold the worm in place.”

5. Learn to feel the bite. “It feels like you’re stretching a rubber band. In fact I recommend anglers stretch a rubber band back and forth on their way to the water to get used to the feel.”

If you’re serious about finesse fishing, read Iovino’s book, Finesse Bass Fishing: The Sonar Connection. It can be ordered through his Web site: www.iovino.com.

In continuing with my finesse fishing endeavors and thirst for knowledge on the subject, I’m posting part 3 of 4 from ESPN’s Bass Fishing Tips special on finesse fishing. This weeks article focuses on Aaron Marten’s Split Shot tactics.

The Finesse Way, Part 3 of 4
Aaron Martens goes split shotting By Ed Harp

“A finesse split shot rig is my first choice when the water’s clear, and I know they’re around but I can’t get them to bite,” says Elite Series pro Aaron Martens. “It’s not an easy way to fish. You’ve got to have the right tackle and use the right techniques, but it’ll make them bite. I’ve caught big ones in 2 feet of water and in 50.”

It all starts with a long flexible spinning rod — 6 feet, 10 inches — and an open-faced reel with a big spool. “The long rod helps me make long casts and gives me better control. And the big spool helps avoid line twist — a big problem when you’re split shotting. The best rods are my Signature Series from Megabass paired with a Daiwa reel. I designed the rods just for this.”

His line is Sunline fluorocarbon. “You can’t beat fluorocarbon. On a long cast it really makes a big difference. It’s almost invisible and has better sensitivity and feel than mono.”

Martens uses a wide variety of weights but his favorite is a simple, round split shot. He reasons that their shape lets them bounce along the bottom, giving the bait a more natural action. And they have the added benefit of not fouling or snagging as much as the pincher style.

His choice of plastics is a short, straight tailed Roboworm. For low profile applications he reaches for a Straight Worm, if he needs a little more bulk he’ll toss a Special FX.

Either way it’ll be hooked on a Robo Gamakatsu ReBarb Hook. “It’s a strong, thin-wire O’Shaughnessy style. They’re the best. But the most import thing about it is the ReBarb. It’s a little piece of plastic on the shank that keeps the worm from sliding down.”

After you’re properly rigged it’s time to go fishing and follow Martens’ five rules.

Martens’ 5 Rules of Successful Split Shotting

1. Keep your split shot in place.
“Fluorocarbon line causes split shots to slide down towards the hook. I keep mine in place by running a short piece of shrink tubing up my line and then crimping the weight real tight over that.” (Do not apply heat!)

2. Rig your worm straight.
“Line twist is a problem with split shots. Fluorocarbon makes it worse. Rig your worm perfectly straight so it doesn’t spin. I test mine by pulling it through the water alongside the boat.”

3. Don’t reel.
“Never move your bait by reeling. Keep your rod down and almost straight with your line. Then drag it.”

4. Fish slow.
“It’s real easy to fish this rig too fast. I usually take between 5 and 10 minutes on a cast. I know that sounds ridiculous but that’s what you’ve got to do. Try to drag it without moving it.”

5. Don’t get in a hurry to set the hook.
“Take your time when you feel a bite — the fish isn’t going anywhere. Reel down until you feel tension, and then give it a hard snap.”

Adding to the finesse fishing tactics from last week, this week I’m adding part 2 of 4 from ESPN’s Bass Fishing Tips Section. I can’t wait to try some of this stuff out…

The Finesse Way, Part 2 of 4
Finesse drop shot rigging with Marty Stone By Ed Harp

Elite Series pro Marty Stone emphasizes the importance of each and every component of a finesse drop shot rig.
Finesse drop shot rigs seem simple enough to make — fix a weight on the end of your line and tie a hook and small plastic above it. But like most things in bass fishing there’s more to it than that.

“A basic drop shot is simple, but it’s got to be done right. I don’t care how good your fishing hole is, without the proper rig you won’t catch as many bass as you should,” says Elite Series angler Marty Stone. “And the biggest problem with finesse drop shotting is line twist. The combination of reeling the rig straight up and down with an open-faced reel creates an awful problem.”

Step one towards eliminating — or at least controlling — line twist is selecting the right reel. “I want a reel that’s matched to my rod but it’s got to have a big spool. Too many anglers use reels with small spools because they’re fishing with light tackle. That makes line twist worse. A big spool creates less twist.”

Step two is fishing with the right line. “I always use fluorocarbon in 6- or 8-pount-test. It’s almost invisible and has great sensitivity. I personally like Seaguar. It’s limp and doesn’t have much memory. That helps minimize line twist.”

The final, and most important, step is attaching the weight correctly. “Tungsten is the best weight material on the market. It’s smaller, denser and harder than lead. The feel is much better,” Stone says. “But I know it’s expensive.”

The proper swivel can dramatically reduce line twist on your drop shot rig.
To help with line twist and cost, Stone recommends putting Tru-Tungsten worm weights to double duty.

Run your line through the weight with the concave face (fat part) towards the end of your line. Then tie a barrel swivel to the line. After that, cut the swivel in half with a pair of side cutters. You’ll be left with a ring and short, stubby piece of wire hanging off it.

As you drop and retrieve your bait the weight will spin around the line, not with it. Plus, it saves money; one sinker will work with two techniques.

Stone warns, however, that this only works with solid ring swivels and tungsten weights. Split rings hang the weight and cut the line. Lead weights aren’t hard enough, or smooth enough to spin freely against the ring.

Your tag line, hook and bait will be above all this. Stone recommends using a straight shank 1/0 hook with nose hooked plastics and an EWG model for Texas rigged baits.

Stone talks about rods last, but that doesn’t mean he thinks they’re least important.

“A good rod is critical. It needs to be long — at least 6 feet, 9 inches — with a good backbone and a really fast tip. The best one I’ve found is American Rodsmith’s Homer Humphreys Wacky Worm model. It’s just right for finesse drop shotting. The length and backbone let me handle big fish, and the fast tip is perfect for bouncing my bait.”

I have been working on some finesse fishing techniques this fall since the lake Jimmy and I fish is small and highly pressured, especially on tournament days. I love the drop shot rig and caught my first bass on it a couple of months ago, since then, I guess you could say, I’m hooked.

Jimmy hasn’t fallen into the grasp of the drop shot rig yet - he’s been enjoying his fishing “shaken not stirred.” He loves fishing the shakey head jig and can’t seem to put it down. I guess it comes from his love of fishing a jig.

I found a great article in ESPN.com’s Bass Fishing Tips Section which has some great pointers for fishing finesse jigs:

The Finesse Way, Part 1 of 4
Finesse Jigging with Mike McClellan by Ed Harp
Elite Series pro, Mike McClelland defines finesse fishing this way: “I’d say it’s fishing with something smaller than the norm, something smaller than what you’d usually use in a particular body of water. It’s not ultralight though. My finesse baits are probably bigger than most guys think but they’re still smaller than what you’d expect. It’s really a complete system of downsizing.”This 4-part series, “The Finesse Way,” will look at how four experts fish finesse. We start with Mike McClelland’s finesse jigging technique.

Finesse Jigging

“Finesse jigging is one way to catch fish when the bite is tough or the fish are heavily pressured,” says McClelland. “With the right equipment it’s one of the best techniques around.”

Most important is the jig. His first choice for deep water — over 10 feet — is the Jewel Heavy Cover Finesse Football Jig. He likes the 1/2-ounce weight for most applications. In shallower water, less than 8 feet, he likes the Jewel Eakin’s model in 5/16 or 7/16 ounce.

Either way, his reasoning is the same. “I’ve cleaned quite a few bass over the years and most everything in their stomachs is between 2 1/2 and 3 inches long. I want my jig about the same size.”

McClelland’s color selection is based on the local forage — usually crawfish or bluegill. If he’s trying to imitate a crawfish he’ll attach a Zoom Brush Hog trailer, for bluegills it’ll be a Zoom Super Chunk Jr.

Mike McClelland
Next is line. McClelland’s choice is Seaguar fluorocarbon. Depending on conditions he’ll spool with something between 10- and 20-pound test.

“Seaguar fluorocarbon is heavy and sensitive. The weight is important. It makes the line sink, and that helps keep the jig down on the bottom where it’ll catch the most fish. The sensitivity of fluorocarbon lets me determine exactly where the fish are biting. That helps me develop a pattern,” he explains.

His rod selection is a custom designed Cara Reaction casting rod by Falcon. Naturally, he prefers the Mike McClelland Heavy Cover Finesse Jig Rod (CCB-6-174HC). It’s 7 feet, 4 inches long with a fast tip and heavy action.

“The right rod is important if you’re going to fish finesse jigs. The extra length helps with casting and fish control, the fast tip allows you to throw lighter jigs and the heavy action lets you set the hook with a sweep, rather than a cross-their-eyes jerk.”

Once your equipment is in order it’s time to think about how to fish with it. McClelland emphasizes two things.

First, slow down. “Too many anglers move too quickly around an area. Cover the spots where you think you’ll get a bite but don’t try to cover everything. That’s a waste of valuable fishing time.”

Second, keep your jig on the bottom. “Years ago we all liked to hop and drop our jigs. Over time we’ve learned that’s not always the best way to fish them. It’s usually much more effective to drag them along the bottom than it is to hop them up off of it.

“I finesse fish mine like a Carolina rig. My rod is pointed at the water, off to the side, at about 30 degrees. I sweep the jig along, never allowing it to lose contact with the bottom. Sometimes I try to shake it in place. When I feel a bite I set the hook with a strong sweep.”

The guys finished the second day of fishing in the BFL Regionals at Clark’s Hill and my brother from another mother finished  a very respectable 29th overall out of 153 boaters and his buddy on the co-angler side missed fishing the 3rd day of the tourney by a mere 3 ounces.  Only the top 12 boaters and co-anglers compete on the 3rd day of the tourney and the competition’s top 6 boaters and co-anglers after day 3 earn themselves a ticket to the 2008 $1 million Wal-Mart BFL All-American on the Connecticut River in Hartford, Conn., May 29-31.

My buddy and three of his good friends are fishing the BFL Regionals this weekend at Clark’s Hill Lake in Georgia. Two are fishing the boater side and two are fishing the non-boater side. I really hope they do well - this is a big tournament (160 boats) that they had to qualify for based on points to be able to fish. There are four BFL divisions competing including South Carolina, Gator, Choo-Choo and Volunteer divisions of the BFL tour.

Here’s the scoop from the FLW Outdoors website…

BFL Regional set for Clarks Hill Lake

APPLING, Ga. — The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit Clarks Hill Lake near Appling, Ga., Oct. 11-13 for one of seven no-entry-fee Regional Championships. During the tournament hosted by Columbia County, top anglers from the Choo Choo, Gator, South Carolina and Volunteer divisions will compete for a $60,000 prize package that includes a new Chevy truck and Ranger 519VX powered by Evinrude or Yamaha in the Boater Division and a $40,000 Ranger 519VX powered by Evinrude or Yamaha in the Co-angler Division.

Boater Randall Tharp of Gardendale, Ala., and co-angler John Cook of Trinity, Ala., will lead the Choo Choo Division qualifiers on Clarks Hill Lake, while boater Jason McKinnie of Umatilla, Fla., and co-angler Steve Coleman of Frostproof, Fla., lead the Gator Division contingent. Boater Maurice Freeze of Concord, N.C., and co-angler Bo Price of Seneca, S.C., are the No. 1 qualifiers from the South Carolina Division, and boater Curtis Hall of Florence, Ky., and co-angler Jason Jones of Oak Ridge, Tenn., are the top qualifiers from the Volunteer Division.

Overall, 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers qualified Continue Reading »

Imagine Jeff Foxworthy saying this…

“If you have to see a doctor to get a Tetanus shot after a weekend getaway…you might be a redneck.”

Yes, I had to swing by the doctor’s office and get a Tetanus shot today so I wouldn’t get “tha lockjaw” because Jennings’ Zara Spook accidentally wound up stuck in me instead of a largemouth. He was standing in the middle of the boat about to make a cast – he drew back and instead of the bait sailing to its destination on the water, the bait caught my arm right before he chunked it out. Thank goodness none of the three treble hooks went past the barb – I was lucky.

And so was he…

[grab a dog…]

We had a great time with our “framily” at the lake house over the weekend. We’re so blessed to have them in our lives - I wish we didn’t live so far apart, but I’m grateful it’s no further than it is. The lake house is so comfortable and to me, it’s like being home; I hope they’ll keep it for a long time to come - it’s so relaxing to just throw something on the grill, sit on the deck, listen to some tunes and just catch up and be with each other. I love it there…

Oh, and the fishin’ ain’t bad either…

The BFL South Carolina division Super Tournament was held this past weekend at Lake Murray, SC [aka: my favorite place].  I read a story about the tournament today and was surprised to see that the non-boater side was won by a guy knew from school - Todd Lawrence.

Todd Lawrence of Rock Hill, S.C., earned $3,027 as the co-angler winner thanks to seven bass weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught while fishing a Heddon Zara Spook and Zoom Fluke at the lower end of the lake.  <small>~ FLW Outdoors website</small>

Nice job, and good luck to Roger, Todd, Scott and John who all qualified to fish in the Regionals in October at Clark’s Hill.