WATER’S COLD–you have spinnerbait options.

While our “faculties” are different than black bass, there are some similarities. For example, we might grudgingly respond to the annoying, intermittent beep of a dying smoke detector battery, or the loud, but not-so-rousing car alarm. Of course, we don’t have a lateral line to “feel” impulses through the water, but you may have some sense of it with a cell phone in your pocket on vibrator/alert.

The point being, conditions and proximity affect our response, and the same can be said for bass–especially in conditions of cold, murky water. For that reason, I remind myself that the blade combinations that I counted on when the water temperature was 75 degrees, don’t stir the fish now. (more…)

TAMMY and John Morrow…

We don’t see them together quite as much anymore, but there’s a reason. John and Tammy Morrow both call Brea home, but as for their home waters, that’s another matter. Tammy is much more likely to be found on nearby Diamond Valley, while John (from their second home in Kingman, Ariz.) is a fixture on Lake Mead and all the Colorado River.

And they’re serious about their choices.

“I’ve done the local lakes for years,” said John from the Kingman abode, “but when I started fishing the River lakes, I just liked them. My boat is up here and I work on the river.”

Size (in a lake) matters, of course. (more…)

EVERY LURE has its quirks and benefits, so you need to ask and research any that are unfamiliar…

If you saw the movie “Money Ball” maybe you remember the scene when after a business meeting with the Cleveland Indians player personnel staff,  Oakland’s General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) tracks down his future assistant Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), and asks him “Who are you?”

Surprised, Brand offers the cursory answer with his name and position, much to the aggravation of the Oakland GM  who was looking for more telling information.

Of course he is/was. But the miscommunication between the veteran player procurer and the recent Ivy League grad is mostly Beane’s problem. What he really wanted to know is what and how Brand (a fictitious character) did what he did?

And there’s a lesson in that. (more…)

After reading Ronell Smith’s guest blog on Wired2Fish, he may have been offering smart advice on tournament sponsorships, but the more critical notion he approached is how competitive bass fishing (and bass fishing marketing) is all about one big guy and a bunch of “extras.” (more…)

ILLUSION OF MOTION enhanced by color patterns...

I believe in “fudge” colors–those combinations (veins, stripes, heads or tails) of colors in soft plastic. When I’m not sure what elements are the real trigger, or what color the forage or what shows up best in a given water color–that’s when I don’t go all in on any single hue.

As “unscientific” as that may sound, anecdotal is still better than any science practiced where I fish. And while the boys at the Berkley labs tell us what bass can’t see, the fish I catch often argue vehemently. However, I know not all bass vision is color vision, (more…)

GET A STRIKE first. No need to hook and land many during your search...

Consider the relationship between finding and catching bass. The former is about gathering information and processing it. The second is more of what vacationers from Nebraska get to do: shriek and reel ‘em in.

Searching is learning. Catching is about rewards.

Over-simplified, sure. But the fact is in getting a sense of what’s going on (pre tournament)–many get rubber-legged and don’t believe their own eyes. Instead of confidently logging a discovery, they want the prize at the same time. (more…)

WELL DIVIDER didn't seem that practical in my Z7...

After witnessing a lot of weigh-ins in the West (especially with teams and shared-weight pro-ams) I’ve wondered why more anglers don’t remove the divider in their livewells. The fish count the same for both partners, so why squeeze somebody’s kicker into that shoebox that is half a livewell?

I’m sure there are reasons–and someone may want to chime in with their explanation–but my fishing is a lot more pragmatic. Not only do I want all the combined catch to have ample room in transit, (more…)

CHILLY early, warmer later...

The late “Lunker Bill” Murphy used to say there were only two seasons in Southern California: summer and winter, with a brief time-out for the spawn. When you think of things that way, you don’t get ahead of yourself, trying to track the general fish movement or behavior.

But while our seasons tend to ooze into one another, that doesn’t mean you don’t acknowledge a longer thermometer in September and October, (more…)

TROUBLE could be lurking under your prop...

The trolling motors we have today are so good compared to 10 , 20 or more years ago. The brackets, cables and inter-related systems let you weather some big waves and maneuver through some heavy green stuff. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay attention to some things.

I’m talking about when plowing through the grass and it seems to take a more effort than usual. Sure, when you lift up the head and find 10 extra pounds of salad, that can be part of the problem. But sometimes the grass is hiding the real culprit. (more…)