Any hard bait is made up of components, especially our array of blade baits. You’ve got connectors, swivels, hooks and of course, the blade. But as you scale down your offering, as with an under-spin, what has the greatest influence on what you deliver in your presentation?

Since I’m writing this, I’d have to say it’s the trailer.

For all the clever painting of lead heads and the reliance of some on ball-bearing swivels, those components are dwarfed in impact by your choice of a lure body. And I don’t just mean your sexy, hologram, peppermint shad-colored grub. (more…)

Persistence pays off–for Brent Ehrler in winning at Table Rock Lake, and for me to track him down–and I did. And the grub story–it’s real–but with enough variations to make the story interesting. The location, of course was big. But more than that, the nature of the spot.

“It was an inside bend,” he described. “You know, the outside bend of a creek is a wall, but the inside bend forms a sort of flat point.”

That point gently faded from 12 to 15 feet before (more…)

I called the back-to-back FLW event winner this morning about 6 a.m., but I did’t get a pick-up. I was thinking, with a 2-hour time difference at Table Rock, Brent might be up and around if he decided to drive back to California.

But then I figured, maybe the La Sierra University grad has reached such prominence, he might have somebody else drive his boat so he could fly home–yesterday. If so, my 6 a.m. call was probably going to roust our favorite son. (more…)

There’s no perfect science to make a determination, of course, but what a professional fisherman says often speaks worlds about his approach, his command and even his understanding of the task he must perform. And if that is true, then there really are lessons still to learn from them about one’s own capacity to fish professionally.

As a long-time observer of competitive fishing, I have pulled out three quotations from the last year and a half, from winning as well as non-winning finishers. Read what they have to say, and then see how your interpretation compares with mine. (more…)

Because conversation today often has less to do with fish motivation and more about baits and conditions, we don’t so often hear what used to be spoken commonly. That is, that advancing in the ranks of better fish catchers, it was seemingly necessary to “think like a fish.”

However, whether we’re conscious about the issue or not, the fact is, our most successful anglers do think like a fish–and like a predator. What catches our attention most certainly catches theirs. (more…)

March: always a special month.

Those who know California bass fishing history remember the significance of March 4–and not because it’s my birthday. It was exactly 30 years ago this Thursday, that Ray Easley set the California record for largemouth bass at 21-3 at Lake Casitas. It came on a live crawdad, a bait that was feared to one day be responsible for catching a new world record in the decade that followed. Of course, it never happened.

And what about tomorrow? (more…)

Hey, I don’t have a boat these days, but I do know that everyone is looking for ways to keep costs in check–so they can make more fishing trips. It seems to me, then, that any service you can perform on your own–and get reasonably good results–would be a smart idea. So why not fiberglass repair?

There is a new book just out that would seem to come at the perfect time. Fiberglass Boat Repairs Illustrated, is a “comprehensive guide to making repairs to a fiberglass boat and how to finish and paint those repairs.”

And heck, if it were impossible, nobody could do it. (more…)

Phua and Wick get 46 pounds

Bill Siemantel, this time with partner Troy Lindner in the boat, caught 26.32 pounds today, surpassing yesterday and finishing with 51.35 pounds. That gave the L.A. County pair the win in the Anglers Marine Team Open.

With sunny skies prevailing, the pair relied on the broken light penetration provided by sporadic wind all over the lake, fishing both the 6-inch BBZ and the smaller shad-sized model in shallow water.

Tournament MC Rick Grover predicted 50 pounds (more…)

UPDATED: We all knew it would be wet, but the piercing wind coming mostly out of the southwest made things nasty for contestants in the 2-day, Top Sticks tournament today, (which I see should actually be called the Anglers Marine Team Open?)–sorry.

A better forecast is in store for tomorrow. Overnight lows could reach the mid 30’s but sunny skies, mild winds and temperatures in the high 50’s will be the new setting for the field.

Bill Siemantel (left, teamed with Troy Lindner) had a narrow lead today, managing five fish for 25.03 pounds. Since his best fish did not hit the 6-pound mark, it was a solid catch. (more…)